********************************* * * * SAMURAI WARRIORS 2 - Nene FAQ * * Created by Mythril Wyrm * * Version 1.02 * * * ********************************* Table of Contents I. Update History II. Legal Notice/Disclaimer III. About Nene IV. Unlocking Nene V. Using Nene A. Vital statistics 1. Initial 2. Maximum 3. Titles B. Moveset 1. Regular attacks 2. Charge attacks 3. Mounted attacks 4. Special attacks 5. Musou attacks C. Maximizing Nene's effectiveness D. Nene's Story Mode 1. Battle of Yamazaki 2. Battle of Shizugatake 3. Battle of Komaki-Nagakute 4. Pirate Hunt 5. Siege of Odawara Castle 6. Nene's Dream: Melee at Sekigahara VI. Nene's Weapons A. Flying Swords B. Kunoichi Blades C. Tempered Wings D. Devil Feathers 1. Obtaining the Devil Feathers 2. Is it worth using? VII. Questions & Answers VIII. Special Thanks IX. Contacting Me To skip to a specific section, press Ctrl + F, type in a section name, and press Enter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Update History v1.00 - Completed all sections. There probably won't be any more updates unless I add some reader contributions. v1.01 - Corrected an error in the Special Thanks section, revised the descrip- tions of Nene's special attacks, and made minor changes to a few sections. v1.02 - Added my findings from the investigation of a rumor to the Questions & Answers section and a note about some extra missions to the walkthrough of Pirate Hunt. Made minor changes to several sections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Legal Notice/Disclaimer This FAQ is copyright 2006-2007 by Devin McCain. At this time, only the fol- lowing websites have permission to host this FAQ: GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) IGN (http://www.ign.com) Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com) Super Cheats (http://www.supercheats.com) Please notify me as soon as possible if you find it posted anywhere else. If you want to post this FAQ on your own website, you must obtain my permission in writing and agree to leave the FAQ completely unchanged. If you post it without my permission or change it and try to pass it off as your own, there will be unpleasant consequences when I find out. Feel free to print a copy of this FAQ for personal use, but do not publish or distribute it with intent to turn a profit on it. I'm sharing it free of charge, so please respect that. All other copyrights and trademarks mentioned in this FAQ are the property of their respective owners. I do not claim to own any of them. This FAQ may contain spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any embarrassment, injuries, or deaths that result from the use of this FAQ or any of the information contained herein. If you're that stupid, it's your own damn fault. Got that? Good. Now, let's move on to the fun stuff... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. About Nene The following information about Nene is taken from Wikipedia: "Nene (1546-1624) also known as 'One', was an aristocratic lady during the Sengoku era of Japanese history. She was very beautiful and intelligent. She was born in about 1546, the daughter of Sugihara Sadatoshi. In about 1561, she married Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a man who would later become one of the three great unifiers of Japan. Nene was one of his favorite wives. It was a success- ful marriage, despite it being arranged and the fact that the couple were childless. Nene was a close confidante to her husband, they corresponded by letter whenever Hideyoshi was away, and the letters suggest an intelligent, personable woman with a strong understanding of politics and military life. Af- ter Hideyoshi assumed the post of Kampaku in 1585, Nene attained the title of "Kita no mandokoro". After Hideyoshi died in 1598, Nene decided to become a nun. She moved to Kodaiji in Kyoto, which was the burial area for her husband, his mother, and later Toyotomi Hideyori. During the contest between Toyotomi Hideyori and Tokugawa Ieyasu for supremacy, Nene took the side of Ieyasu, adding further fuel to speculation that Hideyori was not the true son of Hideyoshi." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Unlocking Nene To unlock Nene, you must complete the following steps: -Clear Story Mode with Mitsunari Ishida to unlock Hideyoshi Toyotomi. -Clear Story Mode with Hideyoshi Toyotomi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Using Nene A. Vital statistics 1. Initial Life 100 Musou 104 Attack 84 Defense 84 Ride 96 Speed 126 Dexterity 150 Luck 99 Skills: Karma 1 (A), Sensei 1 (A), Karma 1 (G), Sensei 1 (G) 2. Maximum Life 258 Musou 312 Attack 169 Defense 169 Ride 187 Speed 196 Dexterity 200 Luck 192 Self Skill: Agility - Easier to perform flips while in mid-air. 3. Titles Lv. 1-10: Courtly Maiden Lv. 11-20: Devoted Wife Lv. 21-30: Monkey Charmer Lv. 31-40: Headmistress Lv. 41-49: Lovely Matron Lv. 50: Far Eastern Queen B. Moveset 1. Regular attacks These are the attacks that are available to Nene once her full combo has been unlocked. Some attacks will vary if her full combo has not yet been unlocked. S - A right-to-left downward slash. SS - A left-to-right slash. SSS - A spinning upward slash. SSSS - A roundhouse kick. +SS - A roundhouse kick followed by a spinning headstand kick. Avail- able at Level 4. +SSSS - Three roundhouse kicks followed by a spinning headstand kick. Available at Level 16. X + S - Nene throws her swords downward at an angle. Dash attack - Nene throws her swords and somersaults forward. The swords fly out in a circular pattern and return to her hands as she finishes her somersault. 2. Charge attacks T - Nene throws both her swords straight ahead, knocking down any enemies she strikes. Breaks the guard of blocking enemies. TT - Nene's swords separate and circle behind her, then return to her hands. Available at Level 10. ST - Nene does a left-to-right upward slash that launches the enemy into the air. STT - Nene leaps into the air and does a spinning buzzsaw attack with both swords, then hurls a bomb at the ground. The bomb launches all enemies in its blast radius into the air. Available at Level 10. SST - Nene does a roundhouse kick that stuns the enemy. SSTT - Nene does an inverted spinning attack with both swords, then throws them. They circle clockwise around her and return to her hands, knock- ing away any enemies they strike. Available at Level 13. SSST - Nene throws both her swords. They fly out in a circular pattern and re- turn to her hands, knocking away any enemies they strike. SSSTT - Nene dashes forward and does four quick slashes before throwing her swords. Available at Level 13. X + T - Nene drives both of her swords into the ground, producing a small shockwave that knocks down all nearby enemies. 3. Mounted attacks SSSS(SSSS) - A series of rapid sword strikes. ST - Nene tosses her swords upward. Launches the enemy into the air. SST - Nene hurls a smoke bomb. Stuns the enemy. SSST - Nene throws her swords to both sides simultaneously. Knocks the enemy away. 4. Special attacks R1 + S - Nene creates a shadow duplicate of herself. This duplicate follows behind her and mirrors her moves and attacks for 10 seconds before disappearing. R1 + SS - Nene creates two shadow duplicates of herself. These duplicates follow behind her and mirror her moves and attacks for 10 seconds before disappearing. Available at Level 7. R1 + SSS - Nene creates three shadow duplicates of herself. These duplicates follow behind her and mirror her moves and attacks for 10 seconds before disappearing. Available at Level 19. R1 + T - Nene transforms into a nearby enemy, gaining use of her new form's moveset until R1 is pressed. Can only assume the shape of a peon. R1 + TT - Nene transforms into a nearby enemy, gaining use of her new form's moveset until R1 is pressed. Can assume the shape of a bodyguard, nonplayable general, or the second player. Available at Level 7. R1 + TTT - Nene transforms into a nearby enemy, gaining use of her new form's moveset until R1 is pressed. Can assume the shape of a playable general. Available at Level 19. 5. Musou attacks Lv. 1 musou - Nene stands in one place and throws her swords straight ahead multiple times, slowly pushing the enemies back and finishing up with a shockwave that knocks away all surrounding enemies. Lv. 2 musou - Same as Lv. 1 musou, but more damaging and with a larger final shockwave. Lv. 3 musou - Nene creates three shadow duplicates that perform her musou with her, increasing its damage and number of hits. These duplicates remain for a few seconds after the final shockwave. True musou - Same as regular musou, but adds a fire element and three slashes before the final shockwave. Double musou - Same as regular musou, but adds a lightning element and three slashes before the final shockwave. C. Maximizing Nene's effectiveness Nene's greatest weaknesses are her lack of physical attack and defense power. She can't compete with most of the other characters in terms of damage dealt versus damage received, so charging into the midst of a large group of enemies and wailing on the S and T buttons will greatly shorten her life expectancy. She also has some charge attacks that leave her open to attack, so timing them well is crucial. Nene's strength lies in her speed, crowd control, and versatility. Her fast movement and ability to use the ninja paths enable her to quickly move across the battlefield and escape from dangerous situations easily, but she can hold her own in a fight if used properly. She has many attacks that can strike enemies from a distance, and it's important to make good use of them. At low levels, use SSSS and T to cut down generals and SSST and your musou to clear out groups of peons. TT works well against either generals or small groups of peons, and should be used and abused once it becomes available to you. STT is useful against lone enemy generals, but it pales in comparison to the last two charge attacks you learn. SSTT, which executes quickly, does impressive damage, and hits multiple times in a large area, makes an excellent staple move; and SSSTT is great for cutting through a crowd or slipping behind blocking generals and hitting them in the back. Regardless of your level, you should use R1 + S (or better) to double (or triple or quadruple) your offensive power before charging into a battle. With all of your clones using SSSS(SSSS), SSST(T), and your musou alongside you, you'll cut down scores of enemies before they know what hit them. Incidentally, although R1 + T(TT) is more useful for its comedic value than anything else, it does have some practical applications in two-player mode. If the other player is using a character with a musou attack that either hits large numbers of enemies or scores several hits easily - Masamune, Tadakatsu, or Musashi, for example - get close to him, call forth your clones, transform into the other character, and do a double musou to rack up some truly aston- ishing combos. D. Nene's Story Mode 1. Battle of Yamazaki "What my darling wants, my darling gets! I'll see to it!" Victory Conditions: Defeat Mitsuhide. Defeat Conditions: Hideyoshi or Hidenaga is defeated. This battle is the first step on Hideyoshi's path to glory, and it's up to you to make sure he gets off to a strong start. Help him out by capturing Mt. Tenno as soon as the battle begins, which will allow you to rain death on Mitsuhide's forces. Masachika Matsuda and Yasuie Namikawa will attempt to recapture the mountain; head southeast and stop their ascent. After dealing with them, head south and cut down Kaneaki Mimaki, then proceed east and defeat Sadayuki Atsuji to capture Shoryuji. Kunitsugu Yasuda and Sadaoki Ise will launch an assault on Mt. Tenno; cut your way past Nobuharu Tsuda and up the path to the summit and take care of the two generals and the Reserve and Defense Captains there to re- capture the mountain. Once it's secure, head south to your main camp and save it from Shigetomo and Hidemitsu Akechi, then go east and beat down Toshimitsu Saito and Katsusada Shibata. Only Mitsuhide Akechi himself will remain now; charge into his main camp and make him pay for his betrayal. 2. Battle of Shizugatake "Are you okay out there, honey? I'm here to back you up." Victory Conditions: Defeat Katsuie. Defeat Conditions: Hideyoshi is defeated. It's monkey versus gorilla in this battle...and if you know the story of David and Goliath, you know that brute strength isn't all that matters. Prove it to Katsuie by following the far western path and sending Toshinaga and Toshiie Maeda packing before they can launch their offensive. Next, make your way south and east, defeat Morimasa Sakuma, and continue east to capture the garrison that Katsumitsu Fuma protects. Head south and defeat Shogen Yamaji before he can do too much damage to your main camp, then follow the path east and north and capture Nagayori Hara's garrison. Continue north for Nagachika Kanamori, but avoid Keiji Maeda unless you're either an expert with Nene or have spent a lot of time building her up. Keiji's extremely strong in this battle, and he'll make quick work of you unless you're well-prepared. If you're not a masochist, take a detour to the west and take down Katsumasa Shibata, then cut through the gate to your north and defeat Nagayori Murai to open the gate to the Shibata army's main camp. Katsuie and Oichi will charge you as soon as you enter; slice them both to pieces and congratulate yourself on clearing another obstacle from Hideyoshi's path. 3. Battle of Komaki-Nagakute "Wow, honey! This is the fight that's going to put you on top!" Victory Conditions: Defeat Ieyasu. Defeat Conditions: Hideyoshi is defeated. Ieyasu Tokugawa needs to learn that an insane offense can be the best defense. Teach him this important lesson by following the eastermost path and defeating Ujishige Niwa and Naomasa Ii to rescue the detached unit. Be quick about it; if the unit is routed, you'll have to protect a ram as it batters down the front gates. If you succeed in rescuing the detachment, backtrack to the center and wipe out Nobumasa Okudaira, Tadayo Okubo, Tadatsugu Sakai, and Masanobu Honda to take the pressure off your allies, then rendezvous with the detachment in the southeast and cut down Yasumasa Sakakibara to capture Iwasaki Castle. Ieyasu will withdraw to the west, and Hanzo Hattori will appear in the north and start attacking your main camp as Tadakatsu Honda and Ina attempt to retake the castle. Let your allies hold off Tadakatsu and Ina for now; you're the only one who can use the ninja path to catch Hanzo and prove to him that you're the greater ninja. If you're still full of fighting spirit after driving him off, hurry back to Iwasaki Castle and help your allies beat back Tadakatsu and Ina. You should have enough help to make the fight manageable, but if they still prove too challenging to defeat, slip by them while they're otherwise occupied and slice your way to and through Moritsuna Watanabe in the east. Make a quick jaunt to the north and west to take out Kazumasa Ishikawa, then head for the southwest corner and defeat Nobukatsu Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa to seize victory. 4. Pirate Hunt "These pirates are bothering my darling. This won't do!" Victory Conditions: Defeat the Marauder. Defeat Conditions: All peasants are eliminated, or any Main Camp is lost. Hideyoshi and Mitsunari need you to secure the sea route. Prove your worth to both of them by heading south and defeating the two Raiders there as soon as the battle begins. Head east and cut down two more Raiders, then carve a path to the southeast peninsula, felling the two Raiders by the east garrison and the one on the peninsula as you progress. When the reinforcement ships appear, follow the southernmost path to the west, then make your way north, defeat the two Raiders in your path, and continue to the west garrison to save it from the two Raiders who are attacking it. Rush to the central section of the fleet and taking down the three Raiders there to save the peasants. The Marauder will take the battlefield now, and he'll bring in two more Raiders as backup. If you feel like earning some more gold, head for the southwest island to trigger some more missions - and the appearances of Kotaro Fuma and Kojiro Sasaki - and de- fend the island from all comers. Once you've had your fill of battle, seek out the Marauder and punish for tormenting the innocent peasants...and for making Hideyoshi's life more difficult, of course. 5. Siege of Odawara Castle "We're almost there, baby...an end to all this mean, nasty chaos!" Victory Conditions: Defeat Ujimasa. Defeat Conditions: Hideyoshi is defeated, or Main Camp is captured. The Hojo clan is all that stands betwen Hideyoshi and total control of Japan. Crush their opposition by heading south and east and defeating Yasuhiro Ogasawara, then following the siege ramp that appears and fighting off Naoshige Chiba, Ujinaga Narita, and the hordes of peons that will try to stop it from reaching the castle wall. A second siege ramp will appear if the first one is destroyed; if that happens, use the brief pause to finish off the generals and drop the enemy's morale. Once the ramp's in place, the gates will open and your allies will storm the castle. A Spy Captain will also appear and spread rumors about Hideyoshi; bolt west and slice him up to quell the rumors. Things get really interesting once Hideyoshi enters the castle; Kotaro Fuma will ambush him as reinforcements appear in the west and launch an attack on your main camp. Your allies will be able to distract the reinforcements for a little while, so make a beeline for Hideyoshi and take care of Kotaro and all of the enemy generals around him. It's easy to get mobbed by all the enemies in the area if you're reckless, so to try to lure one or two generals away from their allies and defeat them individually. Once Hideyoshi is safe, make your way to the main camp posthaste and take out Ujifusa, Ujinao, and Ujitaka Hojo to stop the enemy assault. Head north and defeat Hiroteru Minagawa to jump-start your allies' offensive, then make your way south through the castle courtyard and cut down Yoshitake Mibu and Norihide Matsuda as you advance on the storehouse in the southeast. Beat down Ujitada Hojo to capture it and drop the enemy's morale even more, then head into the castle for the final push. Cut your way through Ujiteru Hojo to open the path to the 3rd floor and Masataka Kasahara to clear the path to Ujimasa Hojo. Kotaro Fuma will appear to protect his liege in the name of chaos, but neither one should be able to stand up to you if you've made it this far. Once Ujimasa falls, the battle is yours. Enjoy the ending! 6. Nene's Dream: Melee at Sekigahara "I thought everybody was supposed to be happy now! What happened?" This battle becomes available after clearing the first five battles of Nene's Story Mode. Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemy officers. Defeat Conditions: Any allied officer is defeated. Story Mode just wouldn't be complete without Sekigahara, would it? This battle is intense, and the course of it can change depending on which side gains the upper hand, so the strategy below is by no means the most (or only) effective one to use. It should, at least, serve as a general guideline for how to win the battle with minimal frustration. If anyone knows of a strategy that works more reliably than the one I offer here, please e-mail me. As soon as the battle begins, head north, defeat Yoshiaki Kato, and silence the eastern cannon. Masanori Fukushima will approach you; spank him soundly when he does. Okuni will appear in the center of the battlefield as reinforcements for you. Her morale is abysmal, so rush to her side and fight off all of the enemy generals around her to ensure that she doesn't get routed. Once she's safe, circle the center and disable the rest of the cannons, then cut down Ginchiyo Tachibana and finish clearing the center of generals. Hurry south and stop Hanzo Hattori from doing too much damage to Kobayakawa's forces, then blaze a trail northeast through Tadayoshi Matsudaira, Ina, and any nonplayable generals you encounter to reach Ieyasu Tokugawa. Okuni will aid you in your attack; help her out if you notice that she's struggling. Mitsunari Ishida will order an all-out assault once you're done punishing Ieyasu, and Kobayakawa will charge the center in an uncharacteristic display of bravery. Clear the northeast cor- ner of enemy generals, then bolt for the center and beat Mitsunari Ishida and Sakon Shima into submission before they put Kobayakawa in a world of hurt. The worst is over now, so sweep around the battlefield and spank any of the gener- als who haven't learned their lessons yet. Once the last of the enemy generals falls, victory is yours. Congratulations on mastering Nene's Story Mode! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Nene's Weapons A. Flying Swords Base attack 19 Element, bonuses, and number of slots will vary. B. Kunoichi Blades Base attack 27 Element, bonuses, and number of slots will vary. C. Tempered Wings Base attack 35 Element, bonuses, and number of slots will vary. D. Devil Feathers Base attack 42 Element: Ice Bonuses: Defense +37, Speed +38, Luck +38, Range +36 1. Obtaining the Devil Feathers Where to Get It: Battle of Komaki-Nagakute How to Get It: Rescue the detached unit, capture Iwasaki Castle, and defeat Hanzo Hattori, Tadakatsu Honda, and Ina. Where It Is: In the hands of a supply team. It appears by the central western stronghold and heads east. How I Did It: For starters, I headed south and east and defeated Ujishige Niwa and Naomasa Ii to rescue the detached unit. I continued south for Yasumasa Sakakibara and captured Iwasaki Castle, then turned around and rushed back to the north to stop Hanzo Hattori. After defeating him, I made my way back to Iwasaki Castle, cutting down Tadatsugu Sakai, Nobumasa Okudaira, and Tadayo Okubo as I progressed. I beat back Ina and Tadakatsu Honda with a little help from my allies, and intercepted the supply team when it appeared. With my new weapon in hand, I carved a path west and south through Moritsuna Watanabe and Nobukatsu Oda and defeated Ieyasu Tokugawa. With a Lv. 27 Nene and Matsukaze, I was able to obtain the weapon and finish the battle in about 17 minutes. If you have a reasonably high-level Nene and don't waste any time in rescuing the detached unit or stopping Hanzo from entering your main camp, you shouldn't have too much trouble obtaining this weapon. Fighting Tadakatsu is never fun, but if you hide behind your allies use T and TT repeatedly, you'll quickly wear him down. Just be sure to do an interim save when his health is critically low; all your hard work will be wasted if one of your allies lands the final blow. If you can survive without bringing your bodyguard, do so to further reduce the chances of having your your KOs stolen. Remember that the Devil Feathers, like most 4th weapons, can only be obtained in Story Mode on Hard or Chaos difficulty. 2. Is it worth using? Yes, but there are better weapons out there. The defense and range bonuses help Nene cope with crowds even more effectively, the speed bonus allows her to blaze across the battlefield like greased lightning, and the ice element makes her musou much more useful. It's a great defensive weapon, but it doesn't have the attack bonus that Nene so desperately needs. Unless your playing style emphasizes speed and defense, you'll be better off looking for a pair of Tempered Wings with attack and defense bonuses and an ice or demon element. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Questions & Answers Q: Why a Nene FAQ? A: It hadn't been done yet, and I think she's a fun character to use. Q: You got all the characters' names backwards! You're an ignorant dolt who knows nothing of Japanese! A: Blame KOEI for that one. I know that they anglicized the names, but I also know that most of the people who read this FAQ are going to be more used to seeing the anglicized names than the original Japanese. Therefore, I decided to use the anglicized names to keep the confusion to a minimum. Q: I fulfilled the requirements to obtain Nene's 4th weapon, but I didn't get it! What gives? A: Make sure that you've cleared at least the first five battles of Nene's Story Mode, that you're playing her Story Mode on Hard or Chaos difficulty, and that you personally defeat Hanzo Hattori, Tadakatsu Honda, and Ina. Q: Nene's an airhead. A: That's not a question, and it's not even true. She's more of an idealist with a maternal streak, which is probably why she and Hideyoshi get along so well in the game. Q: Hideyoshi Hashiba/Toyotomi was a very lucky man. A: If we knew that the historical Nene was anything like her SW2 persona, I might agree with you. Q: Is Nene the same as Kunoichi from Samurai Warriors? A: No. "Kunoichi" is a generic term for female ninjas. Nene is based on a specific historical figure; the Kunoichi that we know from the original Samurai Warriors is not. Nene is A kunoichi, but she is not THE Kunoichi. Q: Can Nene jump even higher if she transforms into Hanzo or Kotaro? A: No. I'd heard this rumor from a few different people, so I decided to test it personally. I played two different battles and tried transforming into both of them, and I couldn't even double jump when I did. As far as I've been able to tell, the rumor is false. Q: Your FAQ sucks! I've crapped out better FAQs than this! A: As soon as you find a way to upload excrement, you should post your wondrous creation for all to see. Q: I posted my FAQ, and everyone I know thinks it's better than yours! Your FAQ really DOES suck! A: Congratulations! I am in awe of your superior FAQ-writing skills! Now go away. Q: This is the best FAQ I've ever read! You're a genius and a god among men, and I want to know more about you so that I can immortalize you! A: Yeah, I get that a lot. My contact info's listed below. Q: A: See the second sentence of my previous answer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. Special Thanks I would like to thank... ...KOEI and Omega Force, for creating the Samurai Warriors series. ...Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nene_(person)), for providing a con- cise but informative bio of Nene. ...Edward Chang, for his helpful and well-written Samurai Warriors 2 FAQs. ...Vitor (vitorcsi@gmail.com), for telling me about the extra missions in Pirate Hunt. ...CJayC of GameFAQs, for posting this FAQ. ...Leo Chan of Neoseeker, for posting this FAQ. ...Dennis of Super Cheats, for posting this FAQ. ...the folks at IGN, for posting this FAQ. ...you, for reading this FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IX. Contacting Me If you want to get in touch with me, send an e-mail to mythrilwyrm@gmail.com. Be sure to put the word "FAQ" in the subject line of your e-mail, or I'm likely to mistake it for spam and delete it. I check my e-mail every day, so you should receive a reply quickly in most cases. I accept praise, corrections, and constructive criticism, and will give you credit for any information you share with me that I decide to add to the FAQ. Rude, crass, or incomprehensible e-mails will be ignored or shamelessly ridiculed as my mood dictates, so keep your e-mails clear and polite if you want me to respond in kind. I also use AIM occasionally. If you want my Screen Name, ask for it via e-mail. Happy gaming!