--- Kingdom Hearts 2 Bestiary/Synthesis FAQ --- --- By UltimaterializerX --- --- Version 3.1, 7/12/2006 --- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + Version History + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Version 3.1 - Minor errors fixed, most notably one about an alternate Sorcerer location. Also added a major submission courtesy of Falconesque. Version 2.1 - Fixed a few errors and omissions, thanks to some very perceptive e-mailers. Version 2.0 - Added Synthesis to the guide. That paired with the Bestiary and its item drops should fit the needs of everyone that bothered clicking on this guide in the first place. Version 1.0 - First version of the guide, so there will obviously be typos and errors and such. I'll limit them with a spellchecker, but feel free to contact me if you notice that something is wrong. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + Table of Contents + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I. Introduction II. Bestiary a. Heartless b. Nobodies c. Miscellaneous III. The 7 Lucky Lucky Setup IV. Synthesis a. Synthesis List b. Moogle Levels c. Recipe Locations d. Synthesis Items V. Synthesis Materials a. Base Materials b. Mythril Materials c. Bright Materials d. Energy Materials e. Serenity Materials f. Orichalcums VI. Falconesque's Crib Sheet VII. Fast Experience VIII. Frequently Asked Question IX. Credits/Special Thanks X. Disclaimer/Contact Information +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + I. Introduction + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hi there, and welcome to my Kingdom Hearts 2 Bestiary. I've done a couple of these before for Castlevania titles, and I'd like to put some mark on Kingdom Hearts 2 now that I'm finally finished. Unlike my other Bestiaries, this one will be a little different. I won't be listing any enemy stats or the experience given upon killing them; rather, the main purpose of this guide is to list enemy locations, item drops, boss bonuses and killing tips. I may add the other stuff later, but I figure that knowing how to kill enemies with skill makes elemental weaknesses and such pretty pointless to list. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + II. Bestiary + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Location: Location(s) of enemy. Note that Coliseum appearances aren't listed, as you get no item drops or experience from those. I also tried not to list locations that aren't available at the end of the game, such as with Space Paranoid enemies whose time in Hollow Bastion is limited. Disney Castle isn't listed anywhere, as no enemies exist in the place at the end of the game. Reaction Command: Reaction command that shows up while fighting the enemy, if applicable. Notes: Notes on the enemy's powers and how to kill it. Normal Item: Enemy's most common item drop. Rare Item: Enemy's rare item drop. Rarest Item: You're out of your mind if you go after this without the 7 Lucky Lucky setup. Note that for item drops, Munny, HP, MP and Drive orbs are not listed. Also note that the Normal -> Rare -> Rarest chain only really lists how many items an enemy carries. If an enemy only has one item, it's listed under Normal. The rarity chain is not based on drop rates in this guide. I may add more stuff with future update, but I feel this is the basic information everyone will look at this guide for. HP totals, EXP given and elemental weaknesses aren't that meaningful given KH2's gameplay, especially given the Peak trick in the Pride Lands negates the need for listing EXP totals. ____________ ____/a. Heartless\_____________________________________________________________ When a heart succumbs to the darkness, a Heartless is born. Heartless are a virus-like species that exists solely to further its own existence, seeking other hearts to corrupt. Many a villain sought to control the Heartless in the first title, though they don't have as big a role in the story this time around. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Aerial Knocker No. 01 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Pride Lands Reaction Command: Rapid Blow; allows Sora to attack rapidly in the same fashion as the Aerial Knocker. Notes: Aerial Knockers are weak little bastards that serve as little more than an annoyance. The only time they're even a factor is when they have bigger friends around, which is all the time in the Pride Lands. They're these little bird enemies with boxing gloves, and they're able to hit you with boxing combos every now and then. Given that you'll only be fighting them as Simba, just jump into the air and let loose. You can use reactions, but they're not required. Normal Item: Power Gem [8%] Rare Item: Bright Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Aeroplane No. 02 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Timeless River Reaction Command: N/A Notes: These are cool little enemies. While in the Timeless River, you'll see some old-school planes popping up, dual machine guns ready to blaze. The problem is that they're pretty slow to actually start firing, plus they can only shoot at the ground. Some aerial combos from any angle can take care of these guys with ease. Normal Item: Frost Stone [8%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Air Pirate No. 03 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Port Royal Reaction Command: Air Twister Notes: Air Pirates are a relatively rare enemy, though you'll know them once you see them. They're these dark blue/purple airborne enemies, fairly large in stature, that take forever to begin hitting you. If you're quick, aerial combos will put them to rest with ease. Alternatively, you can wait for the Air Twister reaction to pop up, then grab him and swing him around like a hammer at a decathlon. Normal Item: Dark Crystal [8%] Rare Item: Bright Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Armored Knight No. 04 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Beast's Castle Port Royal Halloween Town Pride Lands Reaction Command: Rising Sun Notes: These are some of the coolest enemies in the game, if for nothing else than how powerful their reaction command is. You'll learn this first hand once you get to the 1,000 Heartless battle at Hollow Bastion. Armored Knights, despite always being in large swarms are not powerful enemies. They're very slow to attack, bumble around like idiots and literally wait for you to wail on them. Do so, but watch for the reaction command to pop up. Rising Sun sees Sora jump into the air and dive at enemies five times in succession, which is good for clearing out a room quickly. Normal Item: Lightning Gem [4%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Assault Rider No. 05 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Reaction Command: N/A Notes: These guys are the first truly difficult Heartless you will face in the game, especially given that you'll have very little in the way of distance when you first see them at the Land of Dragons. They're loaded with HP, they're huge, and the spear they carry gives them sick range. You're also not privy to reactions while fighting them, so you have to kill them mano e mano, so to speak. Early on, your best bet is magic. Another good strategy is to learn their timing, stand a safe distance away, then use Guard when they go to stab you. Counter and destroy, but watch out for when they're about to spin the spear. They're wimps late in the game, as Magnet spells followed by aerials do the trick perfectly. Normal Item: Dark Stone [12%] Rare Item: Hi-Potion [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bolt Tower No. 06 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Pride Lands Reaction Command: Bolt Reversal Notes: Bolt Towers are pretty powerful despite their clunky movements, mostly because the only part of them that will take damage upon impact is the head. It has a couple of powerful moves, with its favorite being to slam itself into the ground and cause a giant shockwave. If Sora gets hit by its lightning attack, the Bolt Reversal reaction will pop up. Mash Triangle until Sora sends the lightning ball back at the Bolt Tower for big damage. Why it's not immune to this lightning-based attack is beyond me, but roll with it. All normal lightning attacks, of course, are ineffective. Normal Item: Lightning Shard [10%] Rare Item: Energy Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bookmaster No. 07 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Space Paranoids Reaction Command: N/A Notes: The Bookmaster is essentially a flying book of spells, ready to unleash hell upon Sora at a moment's notice. All magic is ineffective, so you'll have to go physical attacker on it. Try to stay close and in the air at all times, because it's hard to close a wide gap between yourself and a Bookmaster given the range that his magic has. Normal Item: Lucid Gem [10%] Rare Item: Energy Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: Akashic Record [1%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bulky Vendor No. 08 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o FULL CREDIT goes to kulaguy for originally posting Bulky Vendor locations and order on the Kingdom Hearts 2 General board. This guy is a godsend, and the information can also be found in the KH2G sticky topic. Location: Land of Dragons - Checkpoint Beast's Castle - West Hall Olympus Coliseum - Cave of the Dead Entrance Agrabah - Bazaar Halloween Town - Candy Cane Lane Reaction Command: Varies Notes: Let me start off by saying the Bulky Vendor is one of the coolest enemies in the entire game. He never attacks, and is immune to all attacks. But you'll have to actually find one first. In a nutshell, the easiest way is to go to the aforementioned locations in order. You'll eventually see a message pop up on the screen that says you've found a rare Heartless. You may even catch a glimpse of a small black shadow in the shape of a ball before it disappears. You then have to destroy part of the environment. The Bulky Vendor will appear, and then it's game on. He'll never attack, and at first he'll just sit there. Lock on to it, and you'll notice its HP dropping like a rock. What the...? The trick is to get close and use a reaction command on it. Sora will grab the Bulky Vendor, plant its ass on the ground and take all the goodies out. The longer you wait to "kill" this little gumball machine of goodness, the better your prize will be. I won't bother listing all of the HP/Munny/MP it drops (if you'll notice, I haven't done that throughout the entire guide), but I will list capsule prizes. Note that the capsule prize is based upon HP increments of 25%. Capsule Prize appears when the Bulky Vendor has 75% of its HP, Rare appears between 50 and 74%, and so on. It's also worth noting that the Bulky Vendor gets serious about running from you once its HP gets low, so try trapping it into a corner ahead of time. Lastly, it's a good idea to remove Triangle-based limits from the party so you don't set one off by accident and allow the Bulky Vendor to kill itself off. Capsule Prize: Bright Shard Orichalcum [8%] Rare Capsule: Bright Stone Orichalcum [10%] Limited Capsule: Bright Gem Orichalcum [12%] Prime Capsule: Bright Crystal Orichalcum [16%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Cannon Gun No. 09 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Port Royal Space Paranoids Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Cannon Guns are tiny cannons that will make an attempt to stay away from Sora so as to allow themselves to lock on and let loose fireballs from a distance. You'll know if a Cannon Gun has fired off a shot by the crosshairs on the ground, so get out of there as fast as possible. The obvious strategy is to get close to them and fire away physically, though you can take them down with magic once you're powerful enough. These guys don't have much HP, so by the end of the game they are not a threat at all. Normal Item: Blazing Stone [6%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Creeper Plant No. 10 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Halloween Town Reaction Command: Root Avenger Notes: Creeper Plants are stationary flowers that fire seeds from a distance. The seeds are easy to avoid, as the plant can only fire them horizontally. The best way to attack is to take to the air and unleash aerial combos, though it's almost worth fighting on the ground just to see the hilarious reaction command, Root Avenger. Periodically, the reaction will appear for use. When you use it, Sora rips the plant out of the ground by the roots, creating a shockwave and an absolute ton of items from the inevitable death of the poor plant. Normal Item: Power Shard [8%] Rare Item: Bright Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Crescendo No. 11 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Reaction Command: Heal Stomp Notes: When you see Crescendos (a rare sight, by the way), leave them alone if you're low on HP. When Sora uses the reaction command Heal Stomp, he literally jumps up and stomps on the poor trumpet with both feet. The down side is that you feel bad for the trumpet for taking such abuse. The bright side is that the party gets fully healed for free. Other than that, these guys are an absolute cakewalk in battle. It's worth noting that they're capable of healing fellow Heartless as well as summoning others to the fray, though I've never actually seen these things summon their friends. The main purpose of Crescendos is to appear in a late-round battle in the Hades Paradox Cup. After all the hard work to get as far as the battle containing these little guys (they're in one of the battles in the 40s), the game felt nice enough to heal you fully for free. Sweet! Normal Item: Blazing Crystal [6%] Rare Item: Bright Crystal [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Crimson Jazz No. 12 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Agrabah Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Don't even bother fighting these things until you equip Retaliating Slash. Now them, Crimson Jazz are these annoying-as-hell enemies that look like giant Red Nocturnes from the first game. Its main attack is to release fire mines all over the place. The mines come in two sizes, large and small, and are very very difficult to avoid. Thankfully, Retaliating Slash will make fighting these bastards far easier on yourself. Wait for the Crimson Jazz to let loose some mines. It won't take long. Lock on with R. Jump into the air, allow yourself to get hit, then mash Square like crazy. He'll die within seconds, as Sora will constantly be countering the multiple hits he'll endure. You could theoretically cast Blizzard spells from a distance, but where's the fun and danger in that? >_> Normal Item: Blazing Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Mega-Ether [5%] Rarest Item: Serenity Stone [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Devastator No. 13 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Space Paranoids Reaction Command: N/A Notes: These guys are some of the more difficult enemies in the game, though they're not as bad as some gamers make it sound. Devastators are these giant purple computers that can duel as a tank or a floating computer of death. They're lethal with their elemental attacks from a distance and from afar, and your only recourse is to get close and take the fight to it. Limits, especially when Tron is in your party is a great way to counter Devastators. If you're more into traditional fighting, your best bet is to get as high in the air as possible before attacking. The Devastator's lone weakness is that it cannot attack directly over its head, though it can on occasion guard itself from physical attacks while changing forms. Your best attacks are limits and/or other types of attacks that negate enemy defense while at the same time making you invincible or near-unhittable. Normal Item: Lightning Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Elixir [5%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Driller Mole No. 14 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Halloween Town Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Driller Moles look like tiny drills with wheels. They attack by either attempting to poke a drill through you above ground, or by going underground and sneak-attacking you from underneath. Move away if you see the ground begin to open. All in all, these guys are little more than a different version of the Shadow Heartless that you've killed hundreds of times. They're very weak, so go to town. Normal Item: Lightning Stone [6%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Emerald Blues No. 15 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Halloween Town Agrabah Space Paranoids Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Emerald Blues are one of three Heartless of the same appearance in Kingdom Hearts 2. Fans of the first title will recognize him as a magic-using Heartless weak against physical attacks, but don't be quick to rush in. Emerald Blues is a fan of wind elemental magic, and you'll find yourself flying all over the place if you aren't careful. Wait for a break in his pattern, then unleash hell. Normal Item: Lightning Stone [10%] Rare Item: Energy Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Fat Bandit No. 16 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Reaction Command: Full Swing Notes: Fat Bandits are back, and they're fought virtually the same as in the first game. They're completely impervious to attacks from the front, and they use several fire-based skills on Sora from close range and a distance. There are two ways to go about fighting a Fat Bandit. The easy way is to lock on, keep your distance and use magic. Magic can hurt these guys from the front. The harder, more fun way is to try getting behind them and doing damage with the keyblade. Fat Bandits are much quicker at turning around than their Large Body brethren, so the safer option is clearly any magic that isn't fire-based. The bright side to physically attacking is the Full Swing reaction command. After comboing the Fat Bandit, you can end the combo with Sora literally impaling the fat bastard and sending him flying to the other side of the room. He'll be able to survive this early in the game, but later on it's almost guaranteed instant death. When Sora finally learns Guard Break, Guard Break followed by Full Swing is a combo that will quickly leave this punk in the dust. Normal Item: Blazing Gem [12%] Rare Item: Ether [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Fiery Globe No. 17 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Reaction Command: N/A Notes: These guys are about as small as they come, and they're about as strong as they look. They have one attack, which is to go kamikaze-style on your ass without actually killing themselves. They have very little HP, so bust out the keyblade and go to town. The one thing to watch for is that guys always show up in large numbers, and with much more powerful friends. Be prepared for several Fiery Globes to be guarding a Fat Bandit or two. Normal Item: Blazing Gem [4%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Fortuneteller No. 18 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Reaction Command: Clear Shot Notes: Fortunetellers can be a real pain in the ass, especially early in the game. Fortunetellers are Heartless that look like they're dancing on crystal balls of ice. They're very good at staying away from Sora and using ice magic from a distance, plus they're adept at flying high enough to stay out of range of physical attacks. Fire magic, the natural counter for a Fortuneteller doesn't have the range to combat this. Your best strategy is to lock on, avoid the ice attacks and wait for a change to attack. Alternatively, you can sit back and wait for Clear Shot to pop up. This reflects an ice attack back at the Fortuneteller and gives her a taste of her own medicine. Late in the game, Magnega is good for getting revenge on these little tools. Normal Item: Frost Gem [10%] Rare Item: Energy Gem [10%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Gargoyle Knight No. 19 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Beast's Castle Reaction Command: Release Notes: Gargoyle Knights and Gargoyle Warriors are essentially the same enemy, with the lone difference (outside of minor appearance differences) being that Knights use swords and Warriors use axes. Knights are able to go airborne and impale you Seifer-style (ISN'T THIS ROMANTIC!), while Warriors stay on the ground and love to emulate Goofy's spinning madness. Furthermore, you never know which statues in Beast's Castle are apt to pop out of the wall and start wailing on you, so be on your toes. As fun as these guys are to fight, they pose a decent enough threat. They ARE made of stone after all, so they carry more HP than most. As for the reaction command release, you'll notice that the statues are possessed after they die; a little ghost pops out of them and dies. If Release pops up, you an expedite the process and kill the Gargoyle Knight/Warrior instantly. Normal Item: Dark Gem [10%] Rare Item: Energy Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Gargoyle Warrior No. 20 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Beast's Castle Reaction Command: Release Notes: Gargoyle Knights and Gargoyle Warriors are essentially the same enemy, with the lone difference (outside of minor appearance differences) being that Knights use swords and Warriors use axes. Knights are able to go airborne and impale you Seifer-style (ISN'T THIS ROMANTIC!), while Warriors stay on the ground and love to emulate Goofy's spinning madness. Furthermore, you never know which statues in Beast's Castle are apt to pop out of the wall and start wailing on you, so be on your toes. As fun as these guys are to fight, they pose a decent enough threat. They ARE made of stone after all, so they carry more HP than most. As for the reaction command release, you'll notice that the statues are possessed after they die; a little ghost pops out of them and dies. If Release pops up, you an expedite the process and kill the Gargoyle Knight/Warrior instantly. Normal Item: Dark Gem [10%] Rare Item: Energy Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Graveyard No. 21 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Halloween Town Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Graveyards are quite a handful, to say the least. As if Toy Boxes weren't enough of a pain in the ass, their elder brothers have mastered the art of annoyance. Graveyards are essentially more dangerous versions of a Toy Box, with its one weakness being that it has a slightly smaller range with its attacks. But even though a toy soldier can't pop out and blast you in the face with a rifle, the lack of range is made up for by the Graveyard's speed. It's able to fly around all over the place, which a shield of ghosts that makes it difficult to attack. On the ground, it emulates its little brother by sending out a psycho humanoid pumpkin to impale the hell out of you. There are no reaction commands available when fighting Graveyards, so you'll have to take the fight to them normally. Magic is effective enough, though jumping at it with aerial combos while abusing Retaliating Slash is you best bet. Normal Item: Lucid Stone [12%] Rare Item: Ether [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Hammer Frame No. 22 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Beast's Castle Timeless River Port Royal Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Remember the enemies in Super Mario RPG that looked like little hammers with arms and legs? Hammer Frames are pretty much the exact same thing, and though they look small in size they pack a mean punch. Hammer Frames will obviously use physical attacks on you, the biggest of which is to slam itself into the ground, causing a shockwave that sends all the good guys flying. Its big weakness is a lack of aerial defense, go take to the air and let loose aerial combos. Normal Item: Blazing Shard [10%] Rare Item: Energy Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Hook Bat No. 23 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Agrabah Reaction Command: Bat Cry Notes: Hook Bats are these tiny little bats with a lone hook for a foot. Don't ask how this makes any aerodynamic sense. Anyway, Hook Bats aren't much of a threat and serve as target practice for players adept at aerial attacking strategies. That said, these guys never appear alone and are able to put those hooks to good use if you let them. The catch is that Bat Cry allows Sora to latch onto a Hook Bat and swing it around as a weapon, which is hilarious to see if Sora takes to the air while doing it. Normal Item: Power Gem [8%] Rare Item: Bright Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Hot Rod No. 24 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Timeless River Reaction Command: N/A Notes: These guys, without question, are one of the two or three most annoying enemies in the game to fight against. As the name implies, Hot Rods are cars. When you first see them, they won't look like much. They stand on their hind legs, er... WHEELS and use their front wheels as boxing gloves. You'll easily wail in them. You might even take a shot or two from a punch or a bite. Fine, no big deal, just keep wailing away. But once the Hot Rod's HP gets low, the fun starts. The Hot Rod will go absolutely berserk, charging all over the room with blinding speed. You'll barely have any time to get an attack in, and once you're able to attack you'll find that these infernal hellspawns are almost always oblivious to all physical attacks. The logical option from there is magic, but they charge back and forth so quickly that Sora will almost never have enough time to cast his spells. Whatever is a gamer to do? The hard option is to keep on the offensive, because there is a small window of opportunity for using physicals after every third charge. Smart players will cast magic during this phase, and one of these two options is about all that's available to you when you first enter the Timeless River. Valor Form is the only form available at the time. Later in the game, during Cup battles or if you feel like going back and getting revenge, your best bet is one of the three latter forms. Wisdom is the best, as you can stay far away and arc around the cars while firing normal attacks from the keyblade. If you're not into Wisdom, remember that the one weakness of the Hot Rod is lack of an aerial. Take to the air and fire away with magic; Final Form is the best at this. Normal Item: Frost Stone [12%] Rare Item: Hi-Potion [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Icy Cube No. 25 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Icy Cubes are the antithesis to Fiery Globes. They're about as small as Fiery Globes, have the form of an ice cube, and essentially use the exact same attacks. The lone difference, naturally, is that you'll have to go after Icy Cubes with fire magic. This causes some issue if both enemies appear at the same time, but this rarely happens. Furthermore, the two enemy types are weak enough for it not to matter in the slightest. Normal Item: Frost Gem [4%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lance Soldier No. 26 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Port Royal Reaction Command: Lance Tug Notes: Lance Soldiers are absolutely hilarious to fight again, if for nothing else than the fact that they act about as smart as normal Soldier Heartless. Lance Soldiers have a similar appearance to Soldiers, only they're yellow in color and wield an ugly-ass lance. They're adept at using physical attacks, but it's nothing you can't handle with relative ease. If you notice the Lance Soldier running and flailing around like a complete moron, watch for Lance Tug to pop up. Sora will grab the lance, fly around with it for a little while, then slam the Lance Soldier into the ground. It's a hilarious sight, plus you'll get loads of extra orbs if it dies upon impact. Normal Item: Frost Shard [10%] Rare Item: Energy Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Large Body No. 27 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Timeless River Reaction Command: Full Swing Guard Kickback Notes: Large Bodies make their fat return in Kingdom Hearts 2, and the qualities from the first carry over. Large Bodies are likely the Heartless created upon a fat slob's willingness to give in to the dark, and as such its vast corpulence prevents it from taking damage caused by attacks from the front. When its HP is high, its two main attacks are to swing its arms wildly or to plop its ass into the ground, thus causing a shockwave. You may also see it run at you belly first, but it'll run out of breath after a few steps and give up. You can use magic to hit it from the front, but its more fun to go behind it, unleash a combo and send it flying with Full Swing. Unlike Fat Bandits, it's much easier to get behind a Large Body. When its HP gets low, it actually begins putting up a fight. It'll begin flying around on the ground belly first, completely impervious to weapon attacks. Your main recourse when this happens is to face the Large Body and mash Triangle. When it gets close, Guard will allow Sora to stop the attack. From there, hit Triangle again to unleash Kickback. Early in the game it will likely take two Kickbacks to finish one of these guys off, though late in the game you may be powerful enough to avoid the second phase altogether. Normal Item: Power Shard [12%] Rare Item: Hi-Potion [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Living Bone No. 28 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Pride Lands Reaction Command: Rodeo Grand Cross Dispel Notes: Living Bones are one of the toughest enemies in the game to fight against. They're similar to Hot Rods, but they're not AS bad to fight against. Living Bones are giant, animal-like Heartless that attack while on all fours. They're often saddled by a Shaman, though they're a threat even without assistance. They're very fast, and their favorite attacks are to spin around like mad and let their mace-for-a-tail do their dirty work for them. Because Living Bones primarily attack with their tails, they lose none of their offensive firepower after Sora uses Grand Cross to destroy their head. Living Bones also like jumping in the air and causing a shockwave upon landing, a la Cerberus. Shamans add to the offensive repertoire of the Living Bone by throwing in magical abilities. One spell will create a blue fire under Sora's feet, while another will surround Sora in a small circle of blue fireballs. The former attack can be countered by running the hell away, while the latter is a blessing in disguise. It opens up Dispel as a reaction command, which allows Sora to turn the fire around him into an offensive weapon. This can clear out an area quickly, and is best-used to target the Living Bone itself. Living Bones with or without Shaman on their back are prone to Rodeo, a reaction command in which Sora saddles up the Living Bone and stomps the hell out of nearby enemies. It's worth noting that when you fight Living Bones in the Coliseum, only Dispel will be available for use. Rodeo and Grand Cross are only available to Sora while he's in Lion form at the Pride Lands. Normal Item: Frost Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Elixir [5%] Rarest Item: Serenity Stone [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Luna Bandit No. 29 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Luna Bandits resemble Garudo warriors from Ocarina of time. Remember those hot chicks that wielded dual swords and could capture Link if they connected with even one tornado attack? Luna Bandits are kind of like that, only not nearly as strong. That said, Luna Bandits are adept at swordplay in their own right and can blindside you with ease if you let them. For players adept at physical attacking battles, of course, Luna Bandits are target practice. Magic also works. Normal Item: Power Stone [8%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Magnum Loader No. 30 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Space Paranoids Reaction Command: Quick Blade Notes: Magnum Loaders are one of several dataspace Heartless that are unique to the Space Paranoids, and they're the fastest of them all. Unfortunately for Magnum Loaders, they sacrificed actual battle ability for all that speed. Their attacks are all speed-based, but cause very little damage and are easily countered if you see them coming. Furthermore, Quick Blade allows Sora to steal some of the Magnum Loader's speed and preemptively slice it to bits. If you see red Heartless that look like unicycles, enjoy the target practice. Normal Item: Lucid Gem [8%] Rare Item: Bright Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Minute Bomb No. 31 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Timeless River Reaction Command: Dodge Roll Notes: Minute Bombs are cool little enemies. They're these little bomb-looking plant things with legs that barely do anything on offense until you attack them. After you attack, a timer appears above their head. When it hits zero, they dive at you and explode. Dodge Roll can be employed to escape the blast and net you more orbs, though your running mates are too stupid to do the same. Normal Item: Blazing Shard [6%] Rare Item: Bright Shard [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Morning Star No. 32 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Port Royal Reaction Command: Bump Meteor Strike Notes: Morning Stars are literally giant morning stars with arms and legs. These guys are defensive powerhouses that know how to use their size and power, and they're generally difficult to kill. Their main attacks up close are to punch you, which has deceptive strength given that it can interrupt combos. If it feels like being serious, it'll start spinning around like a lunatic and cause big damage if it connect with you. It's big attack is to launch itself up into the air, then launch itself to the ground. If you're under it, the Bump reaction command becomes available. From there, mash on Triangle. Sora will bump the Morning Star into the air like a volleyball, then Meteor Strike it at the ground. Sora repeats this combo until the Morning Star dies. The major issue you'll find with fighting Morning Stars is that they're a pain in the ass when more than one is in the fight. Normal Item: Power Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Mega-Potion [5%] Rarest Item: Serenity Stone [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Neoshadow No. 33 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Land of Dragons Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Port Royal Agrabah Halloween Town Pride Lands World That Never Was Reaction Command: Wind Dance Notes: Neoshadows are just like regular Shadows (they're all over the place, if you haven't noticed), only a tad tougher. They're a tad more powerful than their younger brothers while above the ground, and they're also capable of going under the ground and into the shadows as well. Unlike their little brothers, they can and will blindside you upon entering the surface. The Wind Dance reaction command pops up when the Neoshadow jumps into the air for an attack. Sora will interrupt the attack for big damage. Overall, Neoshadows are not very strong at all. Normal Item: Lucid Crystal [8%] Rare Item: Bright Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Nightwalker No. 34 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Nightwalkers are midair ghost-like mage Heartless that only inhabit one area of the game. They're adept at using midrange magic, as well as midrange physical attacks. Thankfully for you, neither are very strong. Take to the air and begin the inevitable beatdown of these little tools, assuming Mulan doesn't do it for you first. Normal Item: Dark Stone [10%] Rare Item: Energy Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Rabid Dog No. 35 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Port Royal Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Rabid Dogs are one of the absolute weakest enemies in the game. They have offensive attacks, but you literally have to stand around like an idiot to ever see them put to effective use. Kill these things however you wish. Normal Item: Lucid Shard [6%] Rare Item: Bright Shard [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Rapid Thruster No. 36 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Land of Dragons Timeless River Port Royal Agrabah Pride Lands Reaction Command: Speed Trap Aero Blade Notes: Rapid Thrusters are these fast little yellow bugs that attack in swarms. Their attacking ability is very limited, but their strength comes from pure numbers. In normal battle conditions, they're not difficult to hit or kill at all. The fun part comes during the several points in the game when you're below hundreds of these little buggers at once. It is then that reaction commands open up, and you'll know the situation when you see it. Speed Trap and Aero Blade are essentially the same attack, which is Sora taking to the air and taking out several Rapid Thrusters at once with a Link-like spinning attack. Rapid Thrusters don't seem like much, but they're a free pass to level 99 once you have the Gull Wing keyblade, the Experience Boost support ability and the Magnega spell. Details are in the Fast Experience section. Normal Item: Lightning Shard [4%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Shadow No. 37 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town Hollow Bastion Land of Dragons Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Timeless River Port Royal Agrabah Halloween Town Pride Lands Space Paranoids World That Never Was Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Shadows appear in every area of the game, and they're the exact same enemy they were in the first Kingdom Hearts. They're slow, weak, have little HP and the exact same attacks as in the first game. They can also periodically sink into the darkness to become untouchable, just like in the first game. The big difference this time around is that there are a LOT more Shadows lurking around. It's not uncommon to sit around fighting Shadows in the same room for several minutes at a time, which you'll first see in Disney Castle. Normal Item: Dark Shard [4%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Shaman No. 38 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Pride Lands Reaction Command: Dispel Notes: Shamans are mages found in the Pride Lands, who closely resemble Rafiki. But don't let their appearance fool you, because these guys can really let the magic fly. They have two main magic attacks; one is to call blue fire from under Sora's feet, and the other is to surround Sora in tiny blue fires. The former can only be avoided by always being on the move, while the latter is dispelled by the reaction command Dispel. Dispel is an awesome reaction command, because Sora will bull charge at nearby enemies and encase them in the fires surrounding him. A third Shaman attack is to turn into an invincible mask and fly around. Though not good for offense, the Shaman is invincible while in this form and will cause damage to you if you get close. Despite being a mage, the Shaman is hardly defenseless. Claw attacks can send you flying quite a ways away if you're careless. The best way to go after a Shaman is with aerial attacks, because staying on the ground will get you caught in blue fires quite often. It's also worth noting that Shaman can ride the backs of Living Bones, effectively making Living Bones that much more a pain in the ass, but cannot actually jump on or off. Shaman will either be on a Living Bone from the beginning or not at all. Items dropped by a Shaman-ridden Living Bone will be Living Bone items, while Shaman items are only attained via killing Shaman singularly. Normal Item: Power Gem [10%] Rare Item: Energy Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: Shaman's Relic [1%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Silver Rock No. 39 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Agrabah Halloween Town Pride Lands Reaction Command: Swift Shot Notes: Silver Rocks looks like small Nocturnes from the first game, but their fighting style is.... odd compared to their brethren. Instead of using magic to attack from a distance, they stick to magical energy explosions from close range. Their favorite attack is to teleport to a new location, and explode upon arrival. The reaction command Swift Shot stops this attack short and channels the energy upon nearby enemies. The reaction is available even if no enemies are around. Other than that, the offensive capabilities of the Silver Rock are very limited. Should the Silver Rock decide not to open itself up to reaction commands, get to the air and punish it with physicals. It'll drop fast. Normal Item: Power Stone [6%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Soldier No. 40 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town Hollow Bastion Beast's Castle Olympus Coliseum Timeless River Port Royal Agrabah Halloween Town Pride Lands Space Paranoids Reaction Command: Cyclone Notes: Soldiers appear in every area of the game save the Land of Dragons, and Kingdom Hearts veterans will recognize these little guys immediately. They're pretty much the same enemy they were the first time around -- that is to say a bumbling fool that doesn't know its head from a hole in the ground, with fairly weak physical attacking ability. It does have a new attack this time around though, which is a leaping kick attack that opens up the Cyclone reaction command. If you're quick to activate it, Sora will zoom across the room and impale all enemies in between he and the Soldier before instantly killing the Soldier that thought he could actually land a strong attack in the first place. Cyclone also hits your allies, which is funny as hell. You can't love these lovable idiots. Even though they're glorified target practice, they're FUN glorified target practice. Normal Item: Dark Shard [8%] Rare Item: Bright Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Strafer No. 41 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Space Paranoids Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Strafers are yellow Heartless in the Space Paranoids that closely resemble the Magnum Loaders. The main difference is that Strafers are a TINY bit stronger due to one pain in the ass attack. That attack is to stay as far away from Sora as possible while firing away with these annoying lightning rings that hone in on your location. They're slow-moving, but can still reach you with ease. To avoid them, use movement abilities or take to the air. They have a couple of other attacks, but nothing difficult to deal with. Magic is good for battling these things, though taking to the air is the best bet for a physical war. Normal Item: Lightning Crystal [8%] Rare Item: Bright Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Surveillance Robot No. 42 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Hollow Bastion Port Royal Space Paranoids Reaction Command: Snag Sparkle Ray Notes: Surveillance Robots are floating brown robots that literally survey the area and fire away meek little lasers if it sees an enemy. The lone exception is a giant laser that it fires, but the robot takes forever to actually let this attack loose. This is when Snag becomes available. Sora grabs the robot, then turns its laser toward all the surrounding enemies. You'll see this quite often during the 1,000 Heartless battle at Hollow Bastion. For actually killing the Surveillance Robot, basic keyblade aerials do the trick. Normal Item: Lightning Gem [6%] Rare Item: Bright Gem [3%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Tornado Step No. 43 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Port Royal Reaction Command: Tornado Ride Notes: Tornado steps are Heartless that look like odd-looking Nocturne-types. They're green and have floppy arms, and for the most part they're terrible at offense. Actually scratch that, they're terrible at offense outright. Their one move that would otherwise be considered a threat opens up a reaction command that turns the windy power of the Tornado Step outward against surrounding enemies. Tornado Steps are very easy to kill, so have fun with them. Normal Item: Blazing Stone [8%] Rare Item: Bright Shard [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Toy Soldier No. 44 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Halloween Town Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Toy Soldiers have a very small number of attacks, but they're all annoying to fight against; they're able to hit you with ease from afar and close up. If you get close to the Toy Soldier and take the fight to him physically, you're apt to see a psycho pumpkin pop out of this whacked out toy box and go medieval on your ass with two giant knives. If you try attacking from far away, an actual toy soldier pops out of the box and starts unloading medieval shotgun blasts at your chest with stunning accuracy. The best strategy against these guys is to wait for an opportunity to attack before actually doing it. They jump around like morons after each attacking phase, which presents the perfect opportunity. Alternatively, and this might be getting tiresome to hear, the Toy Soldier has little if any defense against well-placed aerials. Normal Item: Lucid Stone [12%] Rare Item: Ether [10%] Rarest Item: Serenity Shard [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Trick Ghost No. 45 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Olympus Coliseum Halloween Town Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Trick Ghosts look like your typical ghost, but they have a cool method of fighting. If you look closely, Trick Ghosts are never upside-down and have two faces accordingly. When their tail is down, they go into mage mode and fire away with homing fire attacks. When the tail is up, they'll attempt to get close and beat your brains in physically. The homing fires are obviously the bigger threat, though the Trick Ghost isn't a hard enemy to kill regardless of how it chooses to attack. All magic save fire works, as does the keyblade once you get close enough. Normal Item: Lucid Shard [10%] Rare Item: Energy Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Wight Knight No. 46 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Halloween Town Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Meet the new Wight Knight, same as the old Wight Knight. Literally. I'm fairly sure that Wight Knights and Shadows are the only two enemies in the game that made a linear transition from Kingdom Hearts 1 to 2, but anyway... Wight Knights are little mummy knights that fight with their claws. Claw attacks are about all you'll ever see from Wight Knights, and countering their attacks is fairly easy. If you begin beating on them early, they may never get a chance to attack at all. Every attack you have works, so go to town. Normal Item: Lucid Stone [8%] Rare Item: Bright Stone [4%] Rarest Item: N/A ___________ ____/b. Nobodies\______________________________________________________________ As tough as the Heartless are, the REAL enemies of this game are Nobodies. There are less types of Nobodies in the game than Heartless (only 10 Nobody types exist, not counting bosses), and Nobodies as a whole are vastly stronger than Heartless. This is because while Heartless seek new hearts to possess with a blind rage, Nobodies are calculating and cunning. Nobodies are the empty vessel left behind when a heart gives in to the dark, and as such possess more mental acumen than Heartless. This makes them very tough in battle at times, go get ready to have a lot of fun. The oddity about Nobodies is that though the story focuses around them, there are less Nobodies in the game than Heartless. Heartless are all over the place as usual, yet Nobodies aren't around quite as much. You'll know a Nobody when you see one, as they all have a white/silver/gray tone to them. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Assassin No. 01 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: World That Never Was Reaction Command: Fail-Safe Notes: Assassins are one of my favorite enemies in the entire game, though only four exist by the time you're able to get around to filling the synthesis lists. What really sucks is that they're all over the place during Roxas's part of the game and in the Coliseum, but alas. Assassins are these mid-sized bug-looking bastards with a bunch of spikey wing... things on their back. The reason they're called Assassins is because they're the only enemy that can so Shadow-style and sink into the floor. They will eventually attempt to assassinate you by either popping up from the floor or self-destructing in your face, but usually they'll stay underground and try whipping you into shape with their tentacles. This wouldn't be a problem normally, except that Assassins can't be damaged while underground -- and they like to stay down there for awhile. If you want to get an Assassin out from under the ground without waiting for it to do so itself, one of two methods are possible. When the Assassin is in the of flinging itself all over the place, interrupt its attack by either guarding or attacking. You can also wait for the attack where it dives into the air and back underground really fast. Lastly, though it's somewhat rare to see, remember Fail-Safe. when activated, Sora will grab the Assassin and slam it into the ground. By the time you're item-hunting and able to kill these things whenever you want, this will almost always be instant death to the Assassin. Normal Item: Twilight Gem [12%] Rare Item: Hi-Potion [5%] Rarest Item: Serenity Crystal [4%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Berserker No. 02 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: Berserk Eclipse Magna Storm Notes: Berserkers are easily the largest type of Nobody, but don't let their size fool you into thinking they're defenseless. The giant hammer that Berserkers wield can guard against all physical attacks, making it a pain in the ass to cause damage. Berserkers have a wide range of attacks, literally and figuratively. They cover a lot of ground with that hammer normally, and after a time the Berserker will unleash powerful, unpredictable attacks. If you see the Berserker turn really small (to the point where you can only see the hammer), get out of there. Not only will you be nearly unable to cause damage, but that hammer is getting ready to combo the hell out of you. This will soon be followed up by the hammer turning blue, symbolizing that it will soon make a beeline for Sora and slam into him a bunch of times. The Berserker will then revert to normal status and start the entire pattern over again. The cheap way to take on a Berserker is to keep your distance until you see that his hammer is lying there on the ground. When this happens, run up to the hammer and activate Berserk, a reaction command that causes Sora to pick up the hammer and go berserk with it. The fun thing about this is that surrounding enemies will get drawn toward the hammer, allowing Eclipse and Magna Storm to beat the hell out of a ton of enemies at once. Magic, especially Magnega, is also very effective. If you're hell bent on fighting these guys the hard way, try to get behind the Berserker early in his battle pattern for easy damage. Once he gets small and the hammer really takes over the fight, run like hell until things get back to normal. Normal Item: Dense Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Creeper No. 03 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Of the Nobodies, Creepers are one of the two weakest types. I'd actually rank Creepers below Dusks, but some would disagree. Creepers are very small Nobodies that stay very low to the ground. Though they have heads, they're so small in battle that their true form literally only looks like a pair of legs. The Creepers' main claim to fame is shapeshifting, though they aren't very good at it. They have two weapon forms, sword and spear. Of these, only the spear form is even worth commenting on. That's because the Creeper will go Dragoon-style and fly down from the sky while in spear form. This would be far more awesome if it actually caused decent damage. Everything works well on Creepers, so go to town. It's worth noting that the Dusk reaction command Reversal also works against Creepers if the two enemies are in the same fight. Normal Item: Dense Shard [8%] Rare Item: Serenity Shard [2%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dancer No. 04 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Personally, Dancers are the most annoying enemy in the game. This is because Dancers are able to grab Sora and throw him at nearly any point in battle, especially if he's really close. Even worse is that though the throw doesn't look tough, it causes a deceptive amount of damage. On top of that, Dancers have other physical attacks at their disposal. Someone once said that if the devil ever came to Earth, he would disguise himself as a beautiful woman. Dancers are the one Nobody decked out in attractive colors. Coincidence? I think not. The obvious counter to Dancers is distance. They have no way of fighting range, so stay back and use magic. Magnega is your best option, though Blizzard works just as well. If you're in Wisdom/Master/Final form, even better. Just make sure not to underestimate these things. I've literally had Dancers grab and throw me while I was in the middle of massive Final Form combos. Keep your distance. Normal Item: Twilight Stone [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dragoon No. 05 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town Beast's Castle World That Never Was Reaction Command: Learn Notes: Dragoons are AWESOME enemies. For those who have played Final Fantasy Tactics, ever fight Lancers with Lancers? Fighting Dragoons is very similar. Dragoons are large enemies that wield a mean spear and literally look like dragons. They're able to physically attack with their spear, but their main attack is to jump on your head. Now for the fun part. While the Dragoon is in the middle of his jump, the Learn reaction command pops up. Using it will probably get you hit, but it'll be worth it. You've probably noticed that Learn doesn't do much, but check out your attack command. It's been replaced with Jump. I'm sure you know what happens next. Have fun! If you're boring, just use Magnega --> Thundaga as soon as the Dragoons come into the room. They'll either all die or come damn close to it. Normal Item: Dense Shard [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Gem [4%] Rarest Item: Nobody Lance [1%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dusk No. 06 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town Beast's Castle World That Never Was Reaction Command: Reversal Notes: Dusks are the most common type of Nobody, to the point where it's very possible that you'll be sick of fighting them before you're even done with the prologue. Dusks are the most "normal-looking" Nobody around. They stand on two feet and for the most part, move like a real human being. The exception comes when they actually start fighting. They use a lot of weird battle motions, and they seem to use confusion more than actual physical skill as their battle tactic. The damage they cause isn't much, though they tend to have way more HP than they actually deserve. Reversal takes the Dusk's confusion tactic and turns it against them. All it does is cause Sora to spin behind the Dusk, but they'll stand there confused like an idiot afterwards. If you go Reversal, one physical hit, Reversal, one physical hit over and over, you can kill a Dusk with absolute ease. This is an excellent way to off them during Roxas's past. Note that everything works, so go to town on these idiots late in the game. Normal Item: Twilight Shard [10%] Rare Item: Serenity Stone [2%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Gambler No. 07 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: Begin Game Stop Dice Notes: Gamblers are these really odd Nobodies that look like jesters. They're not very good fighters at all; instead, they try to lure Sora into playing alone with their little mind games. The games revolve around the two available reaction commands. Begin Game is a reaction command in which Sora's menu becomes four slots filled with flashing Xs and Os. If you press X when there are four Os showing, the Gambler instantly dies. If you fail or take too long, Sora turns into a card. The only thing Sora can do while in card form is meekly attack with his edge. Stop Dice is a lot simpler. You'll see a scrolling menu with Xs and Os on it. Hit X while an O is highlighted to score an instant kill. Personally, I think both of these reaction commands are pointless. If you don't use them, the Gambler is literally target practice. Go nuts. Normal Item: Twilight Shard [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Gem [4%] Rarest Item: Nobody Guard [1%] o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Samurai No. 08 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: Duel Stance Notes: Samurais are Nobody swordsman that may very well serve as the best physical attacking enemy in the game. These guys are no joke when they get into physical wars with Sora, especially if there are more than one. Duel Stance is a reaction command in which Sora and the Samurai of choice get locked into a staredown. Sora's menu will turn blank, and if you get to "The End" and use it quickly enough, Sora will fly across the screen and impale the Samurai. If you're too slow, Sora gets impaled by the Samurai. Of course, Samurai being pure physical fighters leaves them wide open to magic and aerials. Normal Item: Dense Gem [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Sniper No. 09 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Twilight Town World That Never Was Reaction Command: Warp Snipe Notes: Here it is! My favorite enemy in the entire game to fight against. Actually to be more specific, Warp Snipe is my favorite reaction command. Snipers are purplish Nobodies that wield giant crossbows, but for the most part they're terrible in battle. The one exception is when they actually start firing arrows. This opens up Warp Snipe, a reaction command in which Sora flies around the room like a ninja and slaps the arrows back into the faces of the Snipers. The arrows are awesome, Sora is awesome, and the Snipers are awesome. If you fight them in any other way, you have no soul. Normal Item: Dense Stone [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Gem [4%] Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Sorcerer No. 10 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: World That Never Was Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Sorcerers are arguably the highest-ranking Nobody in their ranks, though who in the world knows what "high-ranking Nobody" even means. Sorcerers are midair Wizards fought in the World That Never Was. Sorcerers themselves don't fight; instead, they have a bunch of invincible cubes do their fighting for them. If you have any movement abilities equipped, you can make short work of these clowns. Just get away from the cubes and go to town on the Sorcerer itself. Another good strategy is to get close to the Sorcerer in midair and use aerial combos regardless of the cubes. Retaliating Slash can keep you close to it no matter what happens. Though the in-game description says that Sorcerers are immune to magic, Magnega works. Normal Item: Twilight Crystal [12%] Rare Item: Serenity Crystal [4%] Rarest Item: N/A _________________ ____/c. Undead Pirates\________________________________________________________ Though Sora will fight a lot of enemies and bosses that are outside the realm of basic Heartless and Nobodies, only the Undead Pirates drop items. Since this guide is mostly for listing item drops along with battle strategies, the three types of Undead Pirate found in Port Royal get their own section. Aren't they special? Note that Undead Pirates can only take damage while in the moonlight. You can attack them all you want in the dark, but you'll never get anywhere. Using magic will cause nasty little side effects, but no damage. The annoying thing is that this also includes reaction commands, making it a pain to kill Undead Pirates. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Undead Pirate A No. 01 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Port Royal Reaction Command: Back Shuffle High Counter Notes: Pirate A uses two hatchets in battle, and is adept at physical fighting. His weakness (aside from distance and magic) is that he has to be very close to do any damage to Sora, making him very easy to counter. His biggest attack is easily countered by reaction commands. Sora will simply backpedal, then blast Pirate A in the chest and send him flying. Normal Item: Potion [10%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Undead Pirate B No. 02 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Port Royal Reaction Command: N/A Notes: Pirate B is adept at midrange fighting. He can use knives in physical fights, but rarely resorts to them. Pirate B's favorite tactic is to run around planting bombs all over the place. Given the dark graphics in Port Royal, these bombs are typically hard to see. Against these pirates, your best strategies are to either get very close or stay really far away and use magic. Normal Item: Ether [10%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Undead Pirate C No. 03 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Location: Port Royal Reaction Command: Return Fire Notes: Despite Pirate C having the most range of the pirates fought in Port Royal, they're the easiest to deal with. Pirate C can fight from close range with his shotgun, but is terrible at causing damage. His only recourse is to get far away and fire at Sora from afar, but Sora can reflect every shot back at Pirate C and make for very easy fights. Normal Item: Hi-Potion [5%] Rare Item: N/A Rarest Item: N/A +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + III. The 7 Lucky Lucky Setup + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By now you've noticed that the only way to get most synthesis items is to pick up enemy drops after killing them. You may have also noticed that most of the drop rates are rather low. Rather than stressing yourself killing enemies with low drop rates on their items, speed up the process. Lucky Lucky is a cumulative ability that raises the chances of items being dropped after an enemy dies. The more Lucky Lucky abilities equipped on the party, the higher the rate. In total, the party can equip 7 Lucky Lucky abilities: 3 as Support Abilities, 3 due to weapons, and the Lucky Ring. Sora's Support: Learned at level 41 if you chose the sword in Twilight Town. Learned at level 53 if you chose the shield in Twilight Town. Learned at level 99 if you chose the staff in Twilight Town. Donald's Support: Learned during events in Twilight Town, during the visit before entering the World That Never Was. Goofy's Support: Learned after defeating Shenzi, Banzai and Ed during the first visit to the Pride Lands. Sora's Weapon: Sweet Memories, earned after you first finish the Expotition minigame in the Hundred Acre Wood. The treasure chest containing the torn pages necessary to unlock this part of the Hundred Acre Wood is in the Land of Dragons, in the Emperor's throne room. You'll be able to reach that room during your second visit. Donald's Weapon: Meteor Staff, found in a treasure chest in Port Royal's Seadrift Keep during your second visit. Goofy's Weapon: Genji Shield, earned the first time you finish the Titan Cup at Olympus Coliseum. This cup gets unlocked after you finish your second visit to Olympus. Item Ring: Earned after you first clear the Pain and Panic Cup at Olympus Coliseum. This cup is available after you defeat the Hydra during your first visit. I'm not quite sure how much the drop rates increase by equipping all of these Lucky Lucky abilities, or whether or not Sora, Donald and Goofy have to be in the active party for it to take effect, but having them all equipped makes a VERY noticeable difference. If you wait until near the end of the game to begin going after the harder parts of filling the synthesis lists, the wait will pay off. Lastly, it isn't uncommon to see an enemy drop more than one type of item after you kill it. I've actually seen a Dragoon drop all three of its items during my hunting travels. Unfortunately, enemies will never drop more than one of the same item at the same time. dramage notes that each Lucky Lucky equipped will increase the drop rate by one-third. For example, if a drop rate was originally 12%, one LL will increase it to 16%. From there, you continue multiplying the new drop rate percentage by 1.33 until you get the effect of the number of LLs you have equipped. 12% prorates out to an 88% drop rate with the 7LL setup. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + IV. Synthesis + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ With your 7LL setup good to go, your next task is item synthesis. It's one of the things you have to do for 100% Journal completion, though the task isn't nearly as bad as it looks if you want until near the end of the game to do it. I literally went to town on all of this when the point of no return first became available, and flew through it. 7LL > a lot. _________________ ____/a. Synthesis List\________________________________________________________ The following list gets filled as you turn in your items to the various Moogles around the world. Run up to one, talk to it, then select Synthesis to turn in all your items automatically. Get 1 type of material: Elixir Get 5 types of materials: Free Development Get 10 types of materials: High Drive Recovery Get 15 types of materials: Megalixir Get 20 types of materials: Free Development 2 Get 25 types of materials: AP Boost Get 30 types of materials: Defense Boost Get 35 types of materials: Power Boost Get 40 types of materials: Magic Boost Get 45 types of materials: Orichalcum Get all material types: Orichalcum+ Obtain a total of 50 or more materials: Serenity Shard Obtain a total of 100 or more materials: Serenity Stone Obtain a total of 250 or more materials: Serenity Gem Obtain a total of 500 or more materials: Serenity Crystal Obtain a total of 1000 or more materials: Orichalcum Obtain all types of Dense materials: Serenity Gem Obtain all types of Twilight materials: Serenity Crystal Obtain all types of Mythril materials: AP Boost Obtain all types of Bright materials: Defense Boost Obtain all types of Energy materials: Power Boost Obtain all types of Serenity materials: Magic Boost Obtain all rank C materials: Serenity Shard Obtain all rank B materials: Serenity Stone Obtain all rank A materials: Serenity Gem Obtain all rank S materials: Serenity Crystal Obtain 30 or more Blazing Shards: Blazing Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Blazing Stones: Blazing Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Blazing Gems: Blazing Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Frost Shards: Frost shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Frost Stones: Frost Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Frost Gems: Frost Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Lightning Shards: Lightning Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Lightning Stones: Lightning Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Lightning Gems: Lightning Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Lucid Shards: Lucid Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Lucid Stones: Lucid Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Lucid Gems: Lucid Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Power Shards: Power Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Power Stones: Power Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Power Gems: Power Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Dark Shards: Dark Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Dark Stones: Dark Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Dark Gems: Dark Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Dense Shards: Dense Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Dense Stones: Dense Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Dense Gems: Dense Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 30 or more Twilight Shards: Twilight Shards sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 25 or more Twilight Stones: Twilight Stones sold in Moogle Shops. Obtain 20 or more Twilight Gems: Twilight Gems sold in Moogle Shops. Most of these lists are self-explanatory. There are 50 material types (including Bright, Energy, Serenity, Mythril and Orichalcum materials), and getting one of each gets you an Orichalcum+. Filling that quota will fill two others -- getting all C/B/A/S materials and getting one of each Dense, Twilight, Mythril, Bright, Energy and Serenity material -- along with it. Total materials is easy enough, though getting 1000 might take until the end of the game. The hard ones to fill are the 30/25/20 quotas. The game teases you by making these materials available in shops, though by the time you get the number required to make this happen you'll likely never need to buy them. The material quotas in that list are more than enough to synth every item in the shop. Note that Crystals will never be available in the shop. On a related note, this isn't the only list you have to fill. If you look in the Journal, there are actually four things you have to do: get one of every synth material, level the Moogle to MAX (level 9), complete the synthesis list and synth at least one of every item. It seems like a daunting task at first, but you'll be fine so long as you nab all of the Recipes in the game. ________________ ____/b. Moogle Levels\_________________________________________________________ As you synth items, your Moogle will gain experience. As it gains experience, it gains levels. As it gains levels, it gets better ay synthing items for you. Simple, no? The following list details all of the Moogle levels and the in-game description of the bonuses. Muchos gracias to Falconesque for the Moogle level information and names of each: LV Next LV RANK STATUS -- -------- -------- -------------------------------------- 1 40 EXP Amateur Decipher recipes and synthesize items! 2 62 EXP Novice Use Brightness and Energy Materials! 3 116 EXP Junior Use Serenity Materials! 4 196 EXP Skilled Use up to two extra Materials! 5 238 EXP Senior Rank C recipe Materials cut by half! 6 474 EXP Artisan Rank B recipe Materials cut by half! 7 934 EXP Master Rank A recipe Materials cut by half! 8 1576 EXP Superior Make new items in Free Development! 9 0 EXP Primo Rank S recipe Materials cut by half! EXP needed to level up is approximate, as the current EXP is not shown. Most of these bonuses are self-explanatory, save for levels 2-4. Brightness, Energy and Serenity materials are special bonuses added on to the synthesized item that have no bearing on the item's synth quota. When these extra materials are available for add-on, you'll eventually be able to use anywhere between zero and two of them. Brightness materials double the Moogle's EXP from synthing an item, which makes leveling him to MAX a breeze. Energy materials halve the item quota for synthesis. For example, the 13 Orichalcum+ materials you need to synth the Ultima Weapon becomes 7 when an Energy material gets added on. Serenity materials allow for a better item to be made. A Defense Boost can become a Power Boost, a Save the Queen can become a Save the Queen+, and so on. ___________________ ____/c. Recipe Locations\______________________________________________________ By now you've noticed that new items become available when you unlock a Free Development during your little expedition with your Moogle. You've also noticed that items you synth once go from the "Free Development" part of the synthesis selection list into "Creations". Sweet. But that's not all of the items available to you. Throughout your travels, you'll find recipes in treasure chests. You cannot complete item synthesis without finding all of these recipes, so keep your eyes peeled. Or you could just look at the next list to see where they all are. Guard Recipe: Found during the Expotition minigame at the 100 Acre Wood. The chest containing the pages that unlock the Spooky Cave part of the 100 Acre Wood is in the Land of Dragons, in the Emperor's throne room. It becomes available during your second visit to Mulan's world. King Recipe: Found during your second visit to Port Royal, available after the first fight with the Grim Reaper. It's in the Seadrift Graveyard. Mega-Recipe: In Beast's Castle, right in his room. Moon Recipe: At the Restoration Site in Hollow Bastion, though you have until after the Demyx fight and the 1,000 Heartless battle and such. It's in a small side hall that only opens up after these events, making it one of two treasures in the game that is actually difficult to find. Queen Recipe: In the Emperor's throne room at the Land of Dragons. It's available during the second visit. Recovery Recipe: Found in the Mountain Trail during your first visit to the Land of Dragons. Skill Recipe: Found in Hollow Bastion during your second visit, in Ansem's study. Star Recipe: Found at Disney Castle, in the courtyard. Style Recipe: Found in the last area of the 100 Acre Wood. The pages for unlocking it are found in Agrabah, in the ruins that you go into during your second visit. Ultimate Recipe: During your final visit to Twilight Town, while you're unlocking the pathway to the World That Never Was, you'll gain access to the underground computer area. The recipe is in a chest just before the pod room. You CAN come back and get this if you miss it; I originally had in this guide that you couldn't, which was an error on my part that several people pointed out. Recipes are listed alphabetically out of pure laziness. I didn't feel like putting them in chronological order >_> __________________ ____/d. Synthesis Items\_______________________________________________________ The following is a list of all available synth items, though take note that this list of items and materials comes from my endgame file. As such, these are NOT base material quotas, because they're coming from a Level MAX Moogle (which is why it says you need 7 Orichalcum+ for the Ultima Weapon instead of 13, among other things). The main thing to remember is the actual materials being used, because you can always get more if your Moogle isn't up to snuff. Not that leveling is actually difficult or anything; Bright materials for the win. Elixir: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone Megalixir: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone 1 Serenity Gem Mega-Potion: 2 Mythril Shards 1 Power Shard 1 Blazing Shard 1 Lucid Shard Mega-Ether: 2 Mythril Shards 1 Power Shard 1 Blazing Shard 1 Lucid Shard 1 Serenity Stone Drive Recovery: 2 Mythril Shards 2 Dark Shards 1 Frost Shard 1 Lightning Shard High Drive Recovery: 2 Mythril Shards 2 Dark Shards 1 Frost Shard 1 Lightning Shard 1 Serenity Shard AP Boost: 1 Mythril Gem 2 Power Crystals 2 Dark Crystals 2 Frost Crystals Magic Boost: 1 Mythril Gem 2 Power Crystals 2 Dark Crystals 2 Frost Crystals 1 Serenity Crystal Defense Boost: 1 Mythril Crystal 2 Blazing Crystals 2 Lightning Crystals 2 Lucid Crystals Power Boost: 1 Mythril Crystal 2 Blazing Crystals 2 Lightning Crystals 2 Lucid Crystals 1 Serenity Crystal Firaga Bangle: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Blazing Stone 1 Blazing Shard Firagun Bangle: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Blazing Stone 1 Blazing Shard 1 Serenity Shard Blizzaga Armlet: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Frost Stone 1 Frost Shard Blizzagun Armlet: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Frost Stone 1 Frost Shard 1 Serenity Shard Thundaga Trinket: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Lightning Stone 1 Lightning Shard Thundagun Trinket: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Lightning Stone 1 Lightning Shard 1 Serenity Shard Midnight Anklet: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Lucid Stone 1 Lucid Shard Chaos Anklet: 3 Mythril Shards 1 Lucid Stone 1 Lucid Shard 1 Serenity Shard Acrisius: 3 Mythril Stones 1 Blazing Stone 1 Frost Stone 1 Lightning Stone Acrisius+: 3 Mythril Stones 1 Blazing Stone 1 Frost Stone 1 Lightning Stone 1 Serenity Stone Power Band: 3 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone 1 Lucid Stone Buster Band: 3 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone 1 Lucid Stone 1 Serenity Stone Garnet Ring: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Power Shard 1 Dark Shard Diamond Ring: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Power Shard 1 Dark Shard 1 Serenity Shard Mythril Ring: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone 1 Dark Shard Orichalcum Ring: 2 Mythril Stones 1 Power Stone 1 Dark Stone 1 Dark Shard 1 Serenity Shard Soldier Earring: 2 Mythril Gems 1 Dark Gem 1 Frost Gem 1 Lucid Gem Fencer Earring: 2 Mythril Gems 1 Dark Gem 1 Frost Gem 1 Lucid Gem 1 Serenity Stone Mage Earring: 2 Mythril Gems 1 Power Gem 1 Blazing Gem 1 Lightning Gem Slayer Earring: 2 Mythril Gems 1 Power Gem 1 Blazing Gem 1 Lightning Gem 1 Serenity Stone Expert's Ring: 2 Mythril Crystals 1 Dark Crystal 1 Dark Gem 1 Dark Stone 1 Dark Shard Master's Ring: 2 Mythril Crystals 1 Dark Crystal 1 Dark Gem 1 Dark Stone 1 Dark Shard 1 Serenity Gem Mythril Shard: 1 Dense Stone 2 Dense Shards 1 Twilight Stone 2 Twilight Shards Mythril Stone: 1 Dense Stone 2 Dense Shards 1 Twilight Stone 2 Twilight Shards 1 Serenity Shard Mythril Gem: 1 Dense Crystal 2 Dense Gems 1 Twilight Crystal 2 Twilight Gems Mythril Crystal: 1 Dense Crystal 2 Dense Gems 1 Twilight Crystal 2 Twilight Gems 1 Serenity Stone Petit Ribbon: 2 Mythril Crystals 1 Orichalcum 1 Dense Stone 1 Dense Shard Ribbon: 2 Mythril Crystals 1 Orichalcum 1 Dense Stone 1 Dense Shard 1 Serenity Gem Moon Amulet: 2 Orichalcums 1 Mythril Crystal 1 Twilight Stone 1 Twilight Shard Star Charm: 2 Orichalcums 1 Mythril Crystal 1 Twilight Stone 1 Twilight Shard 1 Serenity Gem Save the Queen: 1 Orichalcum 2 Dense Crystals 3 Dense Gems 4 Dense Stones Save the Queen+: 1 Orichalcum 2 Dense Crystals 3 Dense Gems 4 Dense Stones 5 Dense Shards 1 Serenity Crystal Save the King: 1 Orichalcum 2 Twilight Crystals 3 Twilight Gems 4 Twilight Stones 5 Twilight Shards Save the King+: 1 Orichalcum 2 Twilight Crystals 3 Twilight Gems 4 Twilight Stones 5 Twilight Shards 1 Serenity Crystal Ultima Weapon: 7 Orichalcum+ 1 Orichalcum 1 Mythril Crystal 1 Dense Crystal 1 Twilight Crystal 4 Serenity Crystals Note that with the sole exception of the Ultima Weapon, the Serenity material requirements aren't listed with all the other materials. You're required to use the Serenity materials for building the high-end items, even after they're unlocked for synthesis. Did you think the game would allow you to make the high-end items for free once you unlocked them or something? =p +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + V. Synthesis Materials + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Knowing the materials you need and the enemies that drop them is only half the battle. Most materials are dropped by more than one enemy, but which enemy should you kill en masse for the material that you need? That's what this section is for. The following is a list of every material in the game, and the best way to go about earning them. Note again that this assumes you're in the endgame phase, or in other words, are able to see the door to Kingdom Hearts. Note that for just about every material, hunting goes like so: enter world, kill enemies, leave world via save point, rinse and repeat. I like to call this the enter-exit strategy, and assume it exists at all times unless noted otherwise. Unlike the Bestiary, the numbering of entries continues after the end of a particular section. I felt like numbering them 1 through 50. Sue me =p Lastly, USE THE 7LL SETUP! It cannot be said enough times, because you'll kill yourself for some of these materials otherwise. _________________ ____/a. Base Materials\________________________________________________________ Base Materials are all the materials I label under the "normal" umbrella; in other words, all of the Blazing, Frost, Lightning, Lucid, Power, Dark, Dense, and Twilight materials that make up most of that you'll need for synthesizing items. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Blazing Shard No. 01 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Hammer Frame [10%] Minute Bomb [6%] Notes: The best way to go about hunting down Blazing Shards is via the Hammer frames in Beast's Castle. Go to the first room, exit and go nuts. There are a lot of different types of enemies bunched in with Hammer Frames, but you'll get your shards. I recommend fighting in the entranceway, then going to the West Wing. If you really want to kill a bunch of birds with one stone, this is my favorite spot to level up the Master Form. You only need to get it Drive Orbs, and the enemies here drop a ton of them. Thankfully with Blazing Shards, you should already be close to the 30 you need by the time you're ready to hunt. If you're not into leveling Master Form while hunting for items, go with the strategy submitted by lishenlong61. Go to Beast's Castle, and land in Beast's room. Enter the West Hall and go into the secret passage. This room has six Hammer Frames; make sure to level Final Form a bit, as Glide makes maneuvering here much easier. After killing things, exit into the Dungeon from the Undercroft, then leave the secret passage. The enemies in there will all respawn, making killing Hammer Frames a breeze. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Blazing Stone No. 02 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Cannon Gun [6%] Tornado Step [8%] Notes: Blazing Stones are a pain to come by due to the low drop rates, though hopefully you've got a bunch by the time you get to filling the lists. Cannon Guns were all over Port Royal during the first visit, after all. Though thanks to a bunch of e-mailers, I've learned that it's actually quicker to go to Olympus Coliseum. The first guy to e-mail me was Mike Morgan, so he gets the credit. Go to Olympus, and land in the Inner Chamber. Go to Cave of the Dead: Passage. There's a skateboard that allows you to beeline to the top of the area, which makes going through here a breeze. Along the way, you'll fight a ton of Tornado Steps. At the end of the area lies a save point. Rinse and repeat, and my apologies for originally posting the Space Paranoids as the Blazing Stone hunting spot of choice. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Blazing Gem No. 03 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Fat Bandit [12%] Fiery Globe [4%] Notes: Blazing Gems are easy to come by, because the two enemies that drop them are ALL OVER the city of Agrabah. Land in either the peddler's shop or outside the city walls and go nuts. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Blazing Crystal No. 04 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Crescendo [6%] Crimson Jazz [12%] Notes: If you ever find yourself stat-raising, you'll be going after a ton of Crystals in the game. This is because Crystals are never available in the Moogle Shop. Blazing Crystals are easy to get, as Crimson Jazz hand them out like candy. Land in Beast's Castle and have fun. There are a ton of different types of enemies in Beast's Castle, so you'll find yourself getting a ton of different material types when you're there. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Frost Shard No. 05 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Hook Bat [6%] Lance Soldier [10%] Notes: Despite the low drop rate, you'll want to go after Hook Bats for Frost Shards. Lance Soldiers are not easy to come by, and even if you do go to Port Royal for them they're too spread out. Go to the Land of Dragons. Land in the Village, and go in the cave. Go all the way through here, and you'll find massive amounts of Hook Bats. There are also a bunch of Assault Riders in here, which allows for multi-tasking. To save even more time, use Magnega. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Frost Stone No. 06 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Aeroplane [8%] Hot Rod [12%] Notes: Conveniently, both enemies that drop Frost Stones are in the same place: Timeless River. Timeless River is a damn small area, so land at Cornerstone Hill and go around the small circle that is the map of this place. If you really want to multitask, this is an excellent spot for leveling the Valor and Wisdom forms, especially Wisdom given that it's the best way to fight Hot Rods. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Frost Gem No. 07 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Fortuneteller [8%] Icy Cube [4%] Notes: Frost Gems are perhaps the hardest item to hunt for, so pay attention. Thankfully, you only need 20 of them to make them buyable in the shop. Go to Agrabah, and land in the room with all of the stone guardians. You'll be in the Cave of Wonders. Begin LEAVING the cave, and you'll fight some Fortunetellers on your way out. Once you're at the entrance, go behind the mouth of the cave. There are some Icy Cubes back there. From there, go across the desert to the exit leading to Agrabah. More Icy Cubes will show up. With 7LL equipped, there's no way you won't get a few Frost Gems in each visit. Alternatively, you can land at the palace walls and go right for the Cave of Wonders. Kill the first bunch of Icy Cubes with Magnega, then leave via the save point you entered with. The only problem with that one is the crappy drop rate on Icy Cubes. Alternatively (and I've literally been sent about 100 e-mails suggesting this), you could just go through the Chasm of Challenges, then warp back to the top and do it over and over. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Frost Crystal No. 08 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Living Bone [12%] Notes: There's only one place you're fighting these boys, and that's in the Pride Lands as Simba. Even worse is that Living Bones are spread out all over the place, so there really isn't a standard enter-exit strategy available for farming Frost Crystals. But if you want to stat max (or at least raise them up a bunch), you'll wind up doing this eventually. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lightning Shard No. 09 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bolt Tower [10%] Rapid Thruster [4%] Notes: This is the single easiest material in the entire game to fish for. Go to the Pride Lands. Land in the Stone Hollow, and go to the Peak. Enjoy the hundreds of Rapid Thrusters up here, all of which return once you exit the Peak and go back into the King's Den. But instead of solely using this spot to hunt for Lightning Shards, read the Fast Experience section. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lightning Stone No. 10 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Driller Mole [6%] Emerald Blues [10%] Notes: Despite the drop rate, go to Olympus Coliseum and land in the entrance to Hades' Chamber (I think it's called something like Cave of the Dead Entrance). Near the top of the incline are a bunch of Driller Moles, which you can reach with blinding speed on the skateboard. Standard exit-enter strategy applies afterwards. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lightning Gem No. 11 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Armored Knight [12%] Surveillance Robot [8%] Notes: This one is easy. Go to Hollow Bastion, to the Crystal Fissure. In the Great Maw (where you fought 1,000 Heartless, most of which were Armored Knights), right next to the Crystal Fissure lie a bunch of Armored Knight leftovers. There can't be any less than ten, so go nuts. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lightning Crystal No. 12 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Devastator [6%] Strafer [4%] Notes: What horrendous drop rates. Anyway, go to the Pit Cell at the Space Paranoids and enter the next room. Though this "room" is large and essentially consists of one giant room surrounded by a path, there are a bunch of Strafers in the room and three Devastators along the outer path. For three more Devastators, the East exit leads to Dataspace. If you'll recall, said exit lies behind the latter two Cannon Guns in this room, which you should be rather familiar with if you went hunting for Blazing Stones here. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lucid Shard No. 13 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Rabid Dog [6%] Trick Ghost [10%] Notes: Lucid Shards are an absolute pain in the ass to hunt for if you don't know where to look, but then again this guide exists for a reason =p Go to Halloween Town, and land on Yuletide Hill. Enter that door that takes you into Halloween Town itself. Two Trick Ghosts will appear as you go forward. After you kill all the enemies, go near the exit of this area, then go back to the Yuletide Hill entrance. Two more Trick Ghosts should show up; if not, walk around a tiny bit. I promise they're there. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lucid Stone No. 14 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Graveyard [12%] Toy Soldier [12%] Wight Knight [8%] Notes: All three of these enemies are all over Halloween Town, especially the part that's.... not Christmas Town. Land in Finkelstein's lab and go nuts. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lucid Gem No. 15 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bookmaster [10%] Magnum Loader [8%] Notes: Go to Hollow Bastion and land in Merlin's place. Just outside are four Bookmasters, and there are more in this same area if you're willing to move around a bit. Gotta love easy-to-find materials. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Lucid Crystal No. 16 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Neoshadow [8%] Notes: These things are ALL OVER Kingdom Hearts 2, so pick your favorite area and go to town. Personally, I'm partial to the Land of Dragons. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Power Shard No. 17 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Creeper Plant [8%] Large Body [12%] Notes: If you're already picked away a bunch of Lucid Shards from Trick Ghosts at Halloween Town, you'll notice that Creeper Plants will show up with them. Land at Yuletide Hill, enter Halloween Town and go kill things. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Power Stone No. 18 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Luna Bandit [8%] Silver Rock [6%] Notes: Luna Bandits are all over Agrabah's Bazaar. Land at the city gates, then enter the Bazaar and commence the killing spree. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Power Gem No. 19 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Aerial Knocker [8%] Shaman [10%] Notes: Unfortunately, you're stuck going to the Pride Lands for Power Gems. The good news is that Aerial Knockers and Shamans are all over the place. I recommend landing at the Oasis and leaving via the standard path to the Savannah. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Power Crystal No. 20 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Morning Star [12%] Notes: Only one enemy in the game drops Power Crystals, though the good news is that Morning Stars are all over the place. You'll likely wind up with a torrent of Power Crystals without hunting at all, though if you need any, Hollow Bastion is the place to go. Pick virtually any area there for hunting, because they all work. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dark Shard No. 21 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Shadow [4%] Soldier [8%] Notes: With all of the Shadows and Soldiers in the game, it'll be a miracle for you not to get 30 Dark Shards by complete accident. But if you absolutely must hunt for them, the World That Never Was, specifically the dark city areas where Shadows don't stop spawning for a long while, is the best place to go. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dark Stone No. 22 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Assault Rider [12%] Nightwalker [10%] Notes: This one is a no-brainer. Go to the Land of Dragons and land in the Village. Enter the Cave, go all the way to the end and go to town on all of the Assault Riders that show up. Magnega makes short work of these clowns, despite their size. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dark Gem No. 23 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Gargoyle Knight [10%] Gargoyle Warrior [10%] Notes: Gargoyles are all over Beast's Castle, though if you're hell bent on an enter-exit strategy, the hallways outside of Beast's and Belle's rooms work well. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dark Crystal No. 24 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Air Pirate [8%] Notes: Only one enemy in the game drops Dark Crystals, and the best place to find Air Pirates is in the Land of Dragons. Land at the very first area (I think it's called Bamboo Grove or something), and fight your way to the checkpoint. From there you can either fight on or go back to the first save point. You're a fairly equal distance away from all Land of Dragon save points while at the checkpoint, so it's up to you. Personally I like taking the route to the Emperor's palace, because there are more Air Pirates there. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dense Shard No. 25 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Creeper [8%] Dragoon [12%] Notes: There's a save point at the World that Never Was in an area called Twilight's View. Go there, then up. You'll pass through the room where you fought Xigbar, then reach Naught's Skyway. Here, Creepers will spawn and respawn for a LONG time. You can also reach this area by going to the Proof of Existence and going backwards. You'll run into Sniper, Assassins, Berserkers and Samurais en route to the Creeper respawn point. That's a multitask opportunity if there ever was one. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dense Stone No. 26 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Sniper [12%] Notes: Go to the World That Never Was, to the Proof of existence, then exit into the Hall of Empty Melodies. You'll see four Assassins, and eventually four Snipers all in the same part of the room. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dense Gem No. 27 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Samurai [12%] Notes: There are two ways you can go about farming from Samurais. One is to go to the Proof of Existence at the World That Never Was, then go backwards until you reach Naught's Skyway. You'll mainly fight Berserkers here, but there are a few Samurais thrown in. Farther down the hall are a couple more Samurais, bunched in with the billions of spawning Creepers. This is the way to go if you want to multitask. The other way is to go to Twilight Town and land inside of Yen Sid's tower. The very first staircase has four Samurais on it. Not only can you get Dense Gems this way, but this is the best spot in the game to level Final Form. As you level Final Form, you'll be able to go higher and higher in the tower due to a larger Form Gauge. Form Boost support abilities will aid this, as will using Thundaga. This is the way to go if all you care about are Dense Gems and/or leveling Final Form in the process. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Dense Crystal No. 28 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Berserker [12%] Notes: Only one enemy in the game drops Dense Crystals. To reach Berserkers the quickest, go to the Proof of Existence in the World That Never Was. Go backwards until you reach Naught's Skyway. At the very beginning of the area, you'll fight a total of six Berserkers. As for how to kill them quickly, Magnega and reaction commands are the way to go. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Twilight Shard No. 29 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Dusk [10%] Gambler [12%] Notes: As common as Dusks are in the game, they're surprisingly annoying to find once you hit the endgame phase. But then again, Dusks aren't what you should be going after in your Twilight Shard efforts. Go to Twilight Town and land in Yen Sid's tower. If you spend a lot of time leveling Final Form here, you'll notice that after the second staircase lies a room with four Gamblers in it. There are even a couple of Dusks here and there along the way. This is my favorite place to get Twilight Shards, because you can level Final form while you're doing it. The good news is that by this point of the game, you'll have killed so many Dusks that you shouldn't be too far away from 30. Furthermore, the route to said 4 Gambler room contains Dusks, Samurais, Dancers and Dragoons. Multitasking for the win, but lack of endgame areas with Nobodies in them for the loss. The story centers around Nobodies, yet Heartless still dominate the fighting landscape? Pure crap, if you ask me. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Twilight Stone No. 30 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Dancer [12%] Notes: It's rare for a non-Crystal material to only be dropped by one enemy, but such is life. Go to Twilight Town and land in Yen Sid's tower. The second staircase has four Dancers on it. Before you lose your mind fighting these little annoyances, remember that Magnega and Thundaga works wonders, especially when you hit the enemies with Magnega first. Don't forget about leveling Final Form while you're here. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Twilight Gem No. 31 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Assassin [12%] Notes: Only one enemy in the game drops Twilight Gems, and said enemy only appears in one spot. Go to the Proof of Existence, then leave via the main entrance into the Hall of Empty Melodies. Four Assassins will appear, followed by four Snipers. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Twilight Crystal No. 32 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Sorcerer [12%] Notes: They sure wanted to make Twilight materials a pain in the ass to get, didn't they? Sorcerers are rather rare in the game, though there is one spot that spawns them like mad. Go to the Proof of Existence, then go one room forward. One of the platforms on this long staircase has four Sorcerers on it. Kill, leave, rinse, repeat. ____________________ ____/b. Mythril Materials\_____________________________________________________ There are four types of Mythril materials in the game, and none of them are dropped by enemies. There are only two ways to get all things Mythril: treasure chests, and synthesis. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Mythril Shard No. 33 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: N/A Notes: Though Mythril Shards appear in treasure chests all over the place, the main thing to remember is that there is no limit on Mythril materials. Said Mythril materials are the only and only type that can be synthesized by the Moogle. It requires hunting for a bunch of other items, but it can be done. Fans of stat-raising know this all too well. Just below is the list of materials you'll need to make new Mythril Shards. Materials: 1 Dense Stone 2 Dense Shards 1 Twilight Stone 2 Twilight Shards o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Mythril Stone No. 34 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: N/A Notes: Though Mythril Stones appear in treasure chests all over the place, the main thing to remember is that there is no limit on Mythril materials. Said Mythril materials are the only and only type that can be synthesized by the Moogle. It requires hunting for a bunch of other items, but it can be done. Fans of stat-raising know this all too well. Just below is the list of materials you'll need to make new Mythril Stones. Materials: 1 Dense Stone 2 Dense Shards 1 Twilight Stone 2 Twilight Shards 1 Serenity Shard o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Mythril Gem No. 35 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: N/A Notes: Though Mythril Gems appear in treasure chests all over the place, the main thing to remember is that there is no limit on Mythril materials. Said Mythril materials are the only and only type that can be synthesized by the Moogle. It requires hunting for a bunch of other items, but it can be done. Fans of stat-raising know this all too well. Just below is the list of materials you'll need to make new Mythril Gems. Materials: 1 Dense Crystal 2 Dense Gems 1 Twilight Crystal 2 Twilight Gems o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Mythril Crystal No. 36 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: N/A Notes: Though Mythril Crystals appear in treasure chests all over the place, the main thing to remember is that there is no limit on Mythril materials. Said Mythril materials are the only and only type that can be synthesized by the Moogle. It requires hunting for a bunch of other items, but it can be done. Fans of stat-raising know this all too well. Just below is the list of materials you'll need to make new Mythril Crystals. Materials: 1 Dense Crystal 2 Dense Gems 1 Twilight Crystal 2 Twilight Gems 1 Serenity Stone ___________________ ____/c. Bright Materials\______________________________________________________ Bright Materials are one of the three rare type of material dropped by enemies in the game. The fun thing about Bright materials is that you'll likely never need to hunt them down. If you partake in item synthesis during your travels in Kingdom Hearts 2 and use Bright materials while synthing, your Moogle should easily be at Level MAX by the time you get around to item hunting. And even if he isn't, you should have more than enough Bright materials necessary to get him there. All four types of Bright materials do the same thing: double the EXP that the Moogle gets when synthing an item. Granted you don't get to use any Bright material you want due to material prerequisites, but it should still never be an issue. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bright Shard No. 37 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bulky Vendor [100%] Creeper Plant [4%] Hook Bat [3%] Minute Bomb [3%] Rabid Dog [3%] Soldier [4%] Notes: It's rare that you'll actively need to hunt for Bright materials, especially given that they're useless once the Moogle hits Level MAX. That said, if you're desperate for shards go to the Land of Dragons. Land in the Village and enter the Cave. Hook Bats are all over the place in here. As for the Bulky Vendor's 100% drop rate, you'll only get a Bright Shard if you nab him during the Capsule Prize phase that appears when the vendor has over 75% of its health remaining. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bright Stone No. 38 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bulky Vendor [100%] Aeroplane [4%] Cannon Gun [3%] Driller Mole [4%] Luna Bandit [4%] Silver Rock [3%] Tornado Step [4%] Wight Knight [4%] Notes: It's rare that you'll actively need to hunt for Bright materials, especially given that they're useless once the Moogle hits Level MAX. That said, if you're desperate for stones the best place to go is Timeless River. Land at Cornerstone Hill and go kill a bunch of Aeroplanes over and over. As for the Bulky Vendor's 100% drop rate of Bright Stones, you get them during the Rare Capsule phase that appears when the vendor has between 50 and 74% of its health remaining. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bright Gem No. 39 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bulky Vendor [100%] Aerial Knocker [4%] Magnum Loader [4%] Surveillance Robot [3%] Notes: It's rare that you'll actively need to hunt for Bright materials, especially given that they're useless once the Moogle hits Level MAX. That said, if you're desperate for gems you're in for a fairly rough time. All three of the normal enemies that drop them are fairly rare and don't appear en masse near save points, though among them the best bet are fighting Aerial Knockers at the Pride Lands. As for the Bulky Vendor's 100% drop rate of Bright Gems, you get them during the Limited Capsule phase that appears when the vendor has between 25 and 49% of its health remaining. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Bright Crystal No. 40 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bulky Vendor [100%] Air Pirate [4%] Crescendo [3%] Neoshadow [4%] Strafer [4%] Notes: It's rare that you'll actively need to hunt for Bright materials, especially given that they're useless once the Moogle hits Level MAX. That said, if you're desperate for crystals your best bet is the Space Paranoids. Land in the Pit Cell, then go to that giant room with all of the Strafers in it. As for the Bulky Vendor's 100% drop rate of Bright Crystals, you get them during the Prime Capsule phase that appears when the vendor has less than 25% of its health remaining. ___________________ ____/d. Energy Materials\______________________________________________________ Of the three rare materials dropped by enemies in the game, Energy materials are the one you'll hunt down the most. Bright materials never need to be hunted, and Serenity materials are used around half as much as Energy materials unless you're beyond item synthesis and into stat maxing. You also WANT Energy materials, as they halve the material prerequisites. When paired with a Level MAX Moogle (who will have all prerequisites halves innately), you'll save a ton of materials. Energy materials are very much worth hunting. Furthermore, three of the four Energy materials thankfully come from enemies that are easy as hell to hunt down. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Energy Shard No. 41 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bolt Tower [4%] Gargoyle Knight [4%] Gargoyle Warrior [4%] Nightwalker [4%] Notes: Of all the rare materials in the game, Energy Shards are perhaps the easiest to get. Go to Beast's Castle, land wherever you want and start killing statues. If you like the enter-exit stuff, either of Beast or Belle's rooms work fine. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Energy Stone No. 42 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Hammer Frame [4%] Lance Soldier [4%] Trick Ghost [4%] Notes: Of these three enemies, Trick Ghosts are by far the easiest to farm from. Go to Halloween Town and land on Yuletide Hill. Enter Halloween Town through the pumpkin, and you'll be in a forest. Two Trick Ghosts will be among the enemies that appear as soon as you walk forward. After all those enemies are killed, go near the exit, then go back to the entrance to Christmas Town. Two more Trick Ghosts will appear, though you may have to walk around a bit first. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Energy Gem No. 43 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Emerald Blues [4%] Fortuneteller [4%] Notes: This is the one Energy material that is relatively difficult to get, though even then it isn't all that bad. Go to Agrabah and land in the Cave of Wonders, in the room where the stone guardians are. Work your way out of the cave and outside. You'll fight several Fortunetellers along the way. It isn't hard to get Energy Gems by any means; just more time-consuming than the other three Energy materials. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Energy Crystal No. 44 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bookmaster [4%] Shaman [4%] Notes: If you ever get around to stat-raising, you'll be spending a ton of time getting Energy Crystals, which are used to halve the needed materials for Power and Defense Boosts. Thankfully it's easy to find Energy Crystals. Go to Hollow Bastion and land in Merlin's place. Just outside his door are four Bookmasters, and more exist in the same general area if you walk around a bit. _____________________ ____/e. Serenity Materials\____________________________________________________ Serenity materials are close to Energy materials when it comes to rare materials that you'll actually find yourself hunting down. The only reason Serenity materials aren't used as much is because Serenity Materials (used to synth more powerful items, and remain a prerequisite material in said items after they're unlocked for future synthesis) are only used in half of the available synth items. Energy materials are used in all of them. This won't change unless you get involved with stat raising and find yourself literally needing hundreds of Serenity materials to make the better Boost items. It's also worth noting that even though the game hands you Serenity materials like candy, it's still worth noting where to find more. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Serenity Shard No. 45 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Assault Rider [4%] Creeper [2%] Fat Bandit [4%] Graveyard [4%] Hot Rod [4%] Large Body [4%] Toy Soldier [4%] Notes: There are a lot of enemies and a lot of different hunting spots to choose from here, so it comes down to your personal preference. As for me, I'm partial to going after Assault Riders in the Land of Dragons and Creepers in the World That Never Was. For Assault Riders, go to the Land of Dragons and land in the Village. The end of the nearby cave is loaded with them. For Creepers, go to the World That Never Was and land at Twilight's View. The next room is where you fought Xigbar, and the one after, Naught's Skyway, is filled with Creepers that don't stop respawning for a LONG while. The drop rate may be low, but so many appear that it mathematically cancels out the 4% you see on all the other enemies. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Serenity Stone No. 46 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Crimson Jazz [4%] Devastator [4%] Dusk [2%] Living Bone [4%] Morning Star [4%] Notes: You'll likely have a ton of Serenity Stones by default with all of the Dusks you're stuck killing throughout the storyline, though it's best avoiding them and using different enemies for your Serenity Stone needs come the endgame. Morning Stars and Crimson Jazz are the best bets. For Morning Stars, go literally anywhere in Hollow Bastion. For Crimson Jazz, the best place to go is Beast's Castle. The main entrance and the West Wing are loaded with them. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Serenity Gem No. 47 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Dancer [4%] Dragoon [4%] Gambler [4%] Sniper [4%] Notes: Serenity Gems come from four relatively hard to find enemies, though the cheap way to find them is to go to the World That Never Was and land in the Proof of Existence. The room just behind it, the Hall of Empty Melodies has some Snipers in it. You can also use this general area to hunt down Serenity Gems and Crystals at the same time. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Serenity Crystal No. 48 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Assassin [4%] Berserker [4%] Samurai [4%] Sorcerer [4%] Notes: Three of these four enemies are within two rooms of one another in the World That Never Was. Land in the Proof of Existence, and go into the Hall of Empty Melodies for four Assassins. The very next room, Naught's Skyway, has you fighting six Berserkers and a few Samurai at the very beginning of it. Throw in the Snipers that appear with the Assassins, and you can hunt down Serenity Gems and Crystals at the same time. ______________ ____/f. Orichalcums\___________________________________________________________ There are only two types of Orichalcums in the game. Both are very rare, but the bright side is that they're barely used in Synthesis. Only one synth item, the Ultima Weapon, actually uses Orichalcum+. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Orichalcum No. 49 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Dropped By: Bulky Vendor [18%] Notes: Orichalcums are an odd material to hunt down, to say the least. A few appear in treasure chests throughout the game, and you'll even get one for finding 45 different material types. Though Orichalcums are rare, they are not limited. If you're willing to hunt down Bulky Vendors, you can go after Orichalcums all you want. Details for Bulky Vendor locations are in the appropriate part of the Bestiary. As for why I only listed the 18% drop rate stemming from the Prime Capsule, who the hell ever gets anything other than the Prime Capsule? And yes, 7LL will increase the odds of getting an Orichalcum from the Bulky Vendor. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Orichalcum+ No. 50 | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Full credit goes to Rolling_Dice20 for locations of the Orichalcum+ materials, as well as making a sticky topic on the KH2 board that flat-out kicks ass. As for the Orichalcum+, its one role is synthing the Ultima Weapon. You'll use all seven to do so. Dropped By: N/A Notes: Orichalcum+ is the rarest material in the game. Only seven exist, with six being in treasure chests (or handed to you automatically) and the seventh coming from having at least one of the other 49 materials in the Moogle's possession. Locations: 1 - Finish Atlantica. 2 - Finish 100 Acre Wood. 3 - Chest at the Brink of Despair in the World That Never Was. 4 - Clear the Goddess of Destiny Cup at Olympus Coliseum. 5 - Chest at the Sunset Terrace in Twilight Town. 6 - Chest in the Central Computer Area at the Space Paranoids. 7 - Collect one of each of the other 49 materials. The Moogle gives you an Orichalcum+ automatically. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + VI. Falconesque's Crib Sheet + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A few weeks back, Falconesque sent me an e-mail with an attached text file. In it were Moogle level names, what items are unlocked for synthesis upon attaining each recipe, and a crib sheet for material hunting. I'm rather grateful that he gave me permission to use this information, because it all kicks ass. With that said, the following section is all his submission. As such, bug HIM instead of me if something is wrong with it: kh2 [dot] faq [at] esque [dot] com ___/SYNTHESIS RECIPES\______ LEGEND/ T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- : t r o h 1 1 1 1 : t r 1 1 Halve recipe: 1 1 Double EXP: 1 1 : Recipe name, if applicable : Item to synthesize T/t: Type of item (S)tatus recovery or boost, (A)rmor, (J)ewelry accessory, (W)eapon, or (M)aterial R/r: Recipe rank (S, A, B, or C) O/o: Original number required* H/h: Number required after Moogle status cut* : Material needed : Upgrade to item, synthesized from Creations : Added material needed for the upgrade : Optional material, halves the items needed : Optional material, doubles EXP gained *May be halved (or halved again) with an added . STAR RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Elixir: S A 3 2 Mythril Stone 1 1 Power Stone 1 1 Dark Stone Megalixir: S A 1 1 Serenity Gem Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Gem Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Gem MEGA-RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Mega-Potion: S B 3 2 Mythril Shard 1 1 Power Shard 1 1 Blazing Shard 1 1 Lucid Shard Mega-Ether: S B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone RECOVERY RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Drive Recovery: S C 3 2 Mythril Shard 3 2 Dark Shard 1 1 Frost Shard 1 1 Lightning Shard High Drive Recovery: S C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard SKILL RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- AP Boost: S S 1 1 Mythril Gem 3 2 Power Crystal 3 2 Dark Crystal 3 2 Frost Crystal Magic Boost: S S 1 1 Serenity Crystal Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Crystal Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Crystal GUARD RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Defense Boost: S S 1 1 Mythril Crystal 3 2 Blazing Crystal 3 2 Lightning Crystal 3 2 Lucid Crystal Power Boost: S S 1 1 Serenity Crystal Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Crystal Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Crystal STYLE RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Petit Ribbon: A A 3 2 Mythril Crystal 1 1 Orichalcum 1 1 Dense Stone 1 1 Dense Shard Ribbon: A A 1 1 Serenity Gem Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Gem Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Gem MOON RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Moon Amulet: J A 3 2 Orichalcum 1 1 Mythril Crystal 1 1 Twilight Stone 1 1 Twilight Shard Star Charm: J A 1 1 Serenity Gem Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Gem Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Gem QUEEN RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Save the Queen: W S 1 1 Orichalcum 3 2 Dense Crystal 5 3 Dense Gem 7 4 Dense Stone 9 5 Dense Shard Save the Queen+: W S 1 1 Serenity Crystal Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Crystal Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Crystal KING RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Save the King: W S 1 1 Orichalcum 3 2 Twilight Crystal 5 3 Twilight Gem 7 4 Twilight Stone 9 5 Twilight Shard Save the King+: W S 1 1 Serenity Crystal Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Crystal Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Crystal ULTIMATE RECIPE T R O H -------------------- - - -- - --------------- Ultima Weapon: W S 13 7 Orichalcum+ 1 1 Orichalcum 1 1 Mythril Crystal 1 1 Dense Crystal 1 1 Twilight Crystal 7 4 Serenity Crystal [No upgrade]: - - - - NOT OPTIONAL Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Crystal Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Crystal FREE DEVELOPMENT T R O H -------------------- - - - - --------------- Firaga Bangle: A C 5 3 Mythril Shard 1 1 Blazing Stone 1 1 Blazing Shard Firagun Bangle: A C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Blizzaga Armlet: A C 5 3 Mythril Shard 1 1 Frost Stone 1 1 Frost Shard Blizzagun Armlet: A C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Thundaga Trinket: A C 5 3 Mythril Shard 1 1 Lightning Stone 1 1 Lightning Shard Thundagun Trinket: A C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Midnight Anklet: A C 5 3 Mythril Shard 1 1 Lucid Stone 1 1 Lucid Shard Chaos Anklet: A C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Acrisius: A B 5 3 Mythril Stone 1 1 Blazing Stone 1 1 Frost Stone 1 1 Lightning Stone Acrisius+: A B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone Power Band: A B 5 3 Mythril Stone 1 1 Power Stone 1 1 Dark Stone 1 1 Lucid Stone Buster Band: A B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone Garnet Ring: J C 3 2 Mythril Stone 1 1 Power Stone 1 1 Power Shard 1 1 Dark Shard Diamond Ring: J C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Mythril Ring: J C 3 2 Mythril Stone 1 1 Power Stone 1 1 Dark Stone 1 1 Dark Shard Orichalcum Ring: J C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Soldier Earring: J B 3 2 Mythril Gem 1 1 Dark Gem 1 1 Frost Gem 1 1 Lucid Gem Fencer Earring: J B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone Mage Earring: J B 3 2 Mythril Gem 1 1 Power Gem 1 1 Blazing Gem 1 1 Lightning Gem Slayer Earring: J B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone Expert's Ring: J A 3 2 Mythril Crystal 1 1 Dark Crystal 1 1 Dark Gem 1 1 Dark Stone 1 1 Dark Shard Master's Ring: J A 1 1 Serenity Gem Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Gem Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Gem Mythril Shard: M C 1 1 Dense Stone 3 2 Dense Shard 1 1 Twilight Stone 3 2 Twilight Shard Mythril Stone: M C 1 1 Serenity Shard Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Shard Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Shard Mythril Gem: M B 1 1 Dense Crystal 3 2 Dense Gem 1 1 Twilight Crystal 3 2 Twilight Gem Mythril Crystal: M B 1 1 Serenity Stone Halve recipe: 1 1 Energy Stone Double EXP: 1 1 Bright Stone ___/MAXIMUM MATERIALS FOR ONE-OFF SYNTHESIS\______ To synthesize one of every item possible without using any Energy materials, the following are the maximum number of each material needed. Using Energy materials reduces the numbers, as will gaining Moogle LV rewards, while synthesizing more than one of any item increases the number of materials needed. Blazing Shards: 4 Blazing Stones: 4 Blazing Gems: 2 Blazing Crystals: 6 Frost Shards: 4 Frost Stones: 4 Frost Gems: 2 Frost Crystals: 6 Lightning Shards: 4 Lightning Stones: 4 Lightning Gems: 2 Lightning Crystals: 6 Lucid Shards: 4 Lucid Stones: 4 Lucid Gems: 2 Lucid Crystals: 6 Power Shards: 4 Power Stones: 8 Power Gems: 2 Power Crystals: 6 Dark Shards: 12 Dark Stones: 8 Dark Gems: 4 Dark Crystals: 8 Dense Shards: 26 Dense Stones: 18 Dense Gems: 16 Dense Crystals: 9 Twilight Shards: 26 Twilight Stones: 18 Twilight Gems: 16 Twilight Crystals: 9 Mythril Shards: 53 Mythril Stones: 38 Mythril Gems: 14 Mythril Crystals: 17 Bright Shards: -- Bright Stones: -- Bright Gems: -- Bright Crystals: -- Energy Shards: -- Energy Stones: -- Energy Gems: -- Energy Crystals: 1 Serenity Shards: 7 Serenity Stones: 7 Serenity Gems: 4 Serenity Crystals: 5 Orichalcum: 13 Orichalcum+: 7 Muchos gracias for the help! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + VII. Fast Experience + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Most of the easy leveling methods found in the first Kingdom Hearts are nowhere to be seen in Kingdom Hearts 2, but good things come to those who wait. After your second visit to the Pride Lands, after defeating the Groundshaker, the Peak above the King's Den at Pride Rock will be packed to the hilt with hundreds of Rapid Thrusters. Rather than leveling to 99 the hard way, you can put these little bastards to use. All you will need is the Experience Boost Support Ability, the Gull Wing keyblade and Magnega. After clearing your second visit to the Land of Dragons, go back to Hollow Bastion and land at the Postern. After talking to the Gullwings, they hand over the keyblade. Experience Boost is learned at level 9 if you chose the sword in Twilight Town, 17 if you chose the shield and 7 if you chose the staff. Magnega is earned by having three Magnet elements. The three are all earned automatically in the story, with the third coming after defeating Xigbar in the World That Never Was. When you're ready to level, go to Pride Rock and land in the Oasis. Make sure you have Gull Wing and Experience Boost equipped. Make sure you have Magnega shortcutted, but NO healing spells or items shortcutted. You don't want to heal by accident come show time. You'll also want to equip Magic Lockon, Draw, and Jackpot on all three party members. Command each party member to stay close to Sora and not attack. Begin the long march to Pride Rock. When you reach the desert trail loaded with Shamans, let the Shamans wail on you until you're in critical status. When you're there, run like hell out of the area, through the Savannah and to Pride Rock. Run up to the Peak. Now the fun begins. Run Sora to the very middle of the Peak, and begin unloading Magnega. It will look like the spell is disappearing into thin air at first, but it's actually causing a ton of damage to the above Rapid Thrusters. Before long, a thunderstorm of MP orbs and Lightning Shards will begin falling from the sky. Given that you have TWO Experience Boost abilities equipped, you'll soon notice your EXP to Next Level gauge dropping like cement shoes. You can keep your MP full by running around and picking up the throngs of MP orbs, and you can continue the spellcasting until all the Rapid Thrusters are gone. You may want to consider killing the last few with the keyblade, as well as making sure your MP is close to full when clearing the room. Now leave the Peak and reenter. The Rapid Thrusters are all back, ready to fork over experience at a moment's notice. Square clearly put this in the game on purpose, as enemies aren't supposed to regenerate until you're three rooms away. By using this method, I literally leveled from 57 to 99 in 45 minutes. Full credit goes to one Adam "Lucid Faia" Sweeney for telling me about this little gem. The catch, of course, is that the critical noise is annoying. Mute your TV before you get a migraine from it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + VIII. Frequently Asked Questions + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Just a section dedicated to the more common questions that I've already gotten from this guide. Q: What's with the drop rates? A: Drop rates are from the Bradygames official strategy guide for the game, and proper attribution of such is listed in the credits. I never bothered field testing the rates, because I once learned in a math class that percentage tests can only be validated by at least 2000 samples. If you have enough free time to test the drop rates of items, more power to you. And no, I don't know how the drop rates are affected after equipping a bunch of Lucky Lucky abilities. Q: I've completed the journal. What should I equip? A: Depends on whether or not you're planning on stat-raising. If you raise stats, you can equip whatever you want for weapons and focus solely on elemental resistance. If not, I prefer the Fenrir/Negative Combo setup in which all combo additive abilities are removed, with Guard Break, Explosion, Aerial Finish and Finishing Plus left on. You're literally using a finisher with every attack, which turns pretty much any fight into a joke. As for the Ultima Weapon, I like sticking that one on Final Form. Q: I know it's not in the guide, but can you help me with [...] in the Journal? I can't figure it out! A: Virtually all the harder parts of the Journal are covered in the sticky topic on the KH2 board. Don't let Rolling_Dice20's work go to waste. Q: Why are bosses not in the Bestiary? A: A Boss FAQ already existed when I wrote this, and I didn't want to undermine the author's hard work. I've read the guide, and it is very capable. Use it. Q: Can I host your guide on my site? A: No. Even if your site is legit, hosting on more than one site makes updating a pain in the ass. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + IX. Credits/Special Thanks + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CJayC: He is one man, and happens to maintain the best site on the internet. There is no way in hell that this is an easy task, especially with the fact that GameFAQs is growing at an exponential rate. I can't thank him enough for all of the hard work. One of these days I'll think up a less generic message for someone as awesome as Ceej is, but that would also require me not being lazy. Sailor Bacon: Sailor might not have the "OMG IT'S SAILOR" factor working for him like CJayC does, but he means just as much to GameFAQs. Since his recent promotion to Administrator, Sailor has been nothing but hard-working and helpful, and the Contributor Central queue constantly being given maintenance reflects this. His hard work has not gone unnoticed or unthanked, at least not by this author. Thanks for everything, Sailor. Square and Disney: For making the game, maybe? =p Board 8: You guys are a bunch of lunatics, but I don't know what I'd ever do without you <3 Lucid Faia: For being better than you at everything he does. Tanya: For being nice enough to marry me. Or maybe it was stupidity on her part. Bradygames: For the most part, I did the research for this FAQ myself. The one exception are the drop rates for items. All percentages (and possible errors within them) are accredited to Brady. Special thanks goes out to them for arguably their best-ever strategy guide. I own the limited edition, which is an absolute monster. kulaguy: Because of him, Bulky Vendor information was able to be added to the sticky topic on the Kingdom Hearts 2 board. Rolling_Dice20: For making the Kingdom Hearts 2 sticky topic; more specifically, for listing Orichalcum+ locations. dramage: Submitted drop rate stats. Mike Morgan: Submitted excellent strategy for hunting down Blazing Stones. lishenlong61: Submitted an alternate (see also: damn excellent) strategy for getting Blazing Shards. Falconesque: For the Crib Sheet and Moogle level names. Sorry it took so long for me to finally update the guide again =p And you, the Users. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + X. Disclaimer/Contact Information + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This guide is copyrighted by UltimaterializerX, with all rights reserved, and can not be reproduced in any way, shape, or form without expressed written consent of the author. This guide may only be posted at at the time of the release of this document. If you wish to e-mail me, my address is , just like it says at the very beginning of the document. Feel free to contact me with anything relevant. Furthermore, you can always catch me hanging around one of the following places on www.gamefaqs.com: The SCC Board - http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=584617 The SC Board - http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=8 SC stands for Summer Contest, by the way. I have wasted more time on that board than on any other, so if you're randomly trying to catch me on GameFAQs, that's your best bet. It's a social board with no topicality, so you can try reaching me however you choose. If I'm not there, however, post something on the SCC board. It's a guarantee that I'll see you sooner or later. _______________________________________________________________________________ -Copyrighted 2004 Ultimaterializer, all rights reserved ~FIN~