========================================================= Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 Survival Guide Version 1.0 - Tuesday, November 15, 2005 By Salah al Din aka Hitoshura Contact - iaianpr at gmail.com Note: I created this guide solely for GameFAQs. It should not appear anywhere else. Don't email me for permission to post it elsewhere. ========================================================= Contents: 0 - Introduction/Version History 0.1 - About this guide 0.2 - Version history 1 - 1.1 General Dungeon Survival Notes 1.2 Hard Mode Survival Notes 2 - Maintaining Character Growth Notes 3 - Mantra list 4 - Useful Combos to Know 5 - Understanding Bad Status 6 - Specific Dungeon Survival 7 - Credits, Thanks etc... ======================================================= 0 - Introduction/Version History 0.1 - About this guide ---------------------- DDS2 is more a game about managing the growth of your characters, while maintaining a steady flow of resources to support them in long drawn out areas that never seem to end. If you run out of MP or MP restoring items in the middle of a dungeon, you'll soon become crippled as you search frantically for a restore or a save terminal. This guide is meant as means of providing guidance so that you don't suddenly wind up crippled in the middle of a dungeon with all your money spent on Mantras, and unable to buy items to restore MP for later on. Efficiency and speed are key to getting through this game's lengthy dungeons. The game rewards you for finishing encounters quickly by providing extra money. The more money you have the more you can support your characters with better Mantras, for the abilities they'll need to survive, as well as obtaining many valuable items from the shop. Because the dungeons all have 1 goal - Explore. Writing a walkthrough for each one would be somewhat redundant. Though this document does provide key tips in getting through particular dungeons, it is not meant to be a walkthrough, just as a general guide to get you through the game on your own terms with a little help when it's really needed. 0.2 - Version History --------------------- Version 1.0 - 11/15/2005 - Goal of the document is complete - Added some Hard Mode notes - Changed around some notes, and spelling mistakes. - Moved the note about the Speedy Ring as it can be found earlier than I originally thought. - Added in a few more important combos. Especially the Tentarafoo Combo! - A few more notes were added. Version 0.9 - 10/19/2005 - Document is virtually complete. May add full combo list as they are discovered. ===================================== 1- 1.1 General Dungeon Survival Notes ===================================== - Map everything out, don't head straight to the end. - If you run into a Save Terminal or fixed battle before mapping out a portion of the dungeon, head back to the unmapped area. - After the 3rd Dungeon, heal after every battle. - Ensure you've collected all treasures along the way as you progress - Only use Hunt Skills to speed up Mantra learning when you've got more than enough cash to buy the next one you plan on buying at the next Terminal. - Understand your enemies. Kill them in 1 turn to get 50% more money. - Get the Spyglass as soon as you're able to. It'll be your best friend for the rest of the game. - The quicker you defeat enemies the more MP you'll have for later. - Use reserve characters to heal your active ones. - Plan your characters so that you have access to as many combos as possible. - Don't equip multi-target spells (unless they're Megido or Bad Status attacks) Equip single target spells so that they can get access to multi-target combos. - Don't try to use a combo unless you can hit a weakness. - Don't use a physical combo unless you know you can kill more than 1 enemy or there are enough targets that you'll get at least 1 Critical Hit. - Multi-target element combo versions of character have a greater hit rate than the normal ones, and are generally more powerful. - Generally speaking you should have 1 or 2 Shield abilities, and 1 Auto ability set on a character, the rest being attack/magic abilities. - Human Form is useful for using the elemental gun combos. If you are using the best ammo that you can buy at that time, they'll do more damage than a spell of the same tier. - Human Form is also useful against enemies that use Expel skills and have more than 1 Press Turn. Human Form naturally has Null Expel. Just having 1 Character in Human Form is enough. - When you get the Speedy Ring, equip it to the Party Leader and use the most powerful multi-target attack or combo at your disposal. - In darkened areas, always use a Light Ball. You'll always be ambushed when walking in the dark. - Only run when things are looking really bad. Eg. 2 characters dead, Everyone has Low HP and is afflicted with Charm, Panic, Curse, Poison etc... - Don't use "Counter" support skills. If a character is poisoned, they'll take damage from countering. Or kill something you wanted to use a hunt skill on. - When running low on MP, mute a monster that uses nothing but magic attacks and use MP Thief to syphon off its MP for your characters. - Try to conserve MP Restoring items for boss battles as they are fairly rare and quite expensive to buy. - Get Mana or Chakra Walk for all characters. - Run away from Berserk Mode fights if you couldn't hit anything on the first round. - Don't ignore a character's growth. Make sure reserve characters always have Mutual Karma set, and that you rotate the active party to speed up AP acquisition when using Hunt skills. - Never pass up a field hunt. You'll always get some free AP for your efforts, and a reward if you devour enough Mitamas. ===================================== 1- 1.2 Hard Mode Notes ===================================== - There are two variations of Hard Mode. One with a fully complete DDS1 Clear File, and one with the stand-alone DDS2 clear file. The latter being more difficult than the former for a variety of reasons. - All optional bosses in DDS1 defeated earns some rather powerful Karma Rings as you progress through DDS2. - All Mantras Mastered in DDS1 provides a +5 boost to all stats at the start of the game. It might not seem like much but it helps out a LOT at the start. - If you had over 1 Million Macca currently in DDS1 you'll start DDS2 with double cash. - For ease of remembrance, picking the first choice in all of DDS1's decision events opens up a powerful skill for Argilla, and opens up a possibility to replace Roland. (Those aren't the exact requirements, but the requirements needed for Particular decision events must all be the first choice anyways.) - Simply using the DDS1 clear file for Hard Mode unlocks a powerful ability for Gale. - These additions, obviously, will not appear in a stand alone DDS2 Hard Mode game. - Unlock the stand-alone DDS2 Hard Mode by loading the DDS2 Clear File, without using the DDS1 file. Note that all Mantras and Combos learned in previous playthroughs will not carry over when you select Hard Mode. - In the stand-alone DDS2 Hard Mode you will always have the support skill Human Form at the start of the game. You will only have this if you load DDS2 Clear File. This ability enables a character to start a battle in Human Form, and is surprisingly crucial to get through some of the harder random encounters in the beginning. - The following tips are for the stand-alone DDS2 Hard Mode. - If you can remember the event and boss fight weaknesses, set Human Form for where it is most applicable. Especially in the early goings. - As the old addage goes if you run into a Tarrasque. RUN! But you can easily defeat it if you have Argilla set Human Form and use 3 Earth Shots. That's provided you don't get ambushed by one in which case you may very well die. - Using Karma Rings for stat boosts is now not just a superfluous addition, it's a necessity. Take great care in deciding what Karma Gems to attach to certain rings. The most important stats are Vitality and Magic as they increase your HP and MP as well as your defense, which will spell the difference between life and death. If you can live, you'll have the know-how to kill any enemy before they attack again. - Get the Rich Ring as soon as you can. You'll need the extra money for all those expensive healing items. The Rich Ring is is best obtained by buying the first Mystery Box when Solar Noise is at MAX. - Evasion is invaluable. Get Sukukaja, Sukunda, and then Dark Mirage ASAP. FYI -kajas and -ndas cap at 3 uses. Dark Mirage is equal to 2 Sukundas. - Status effects become invaluable in Hard Mode. The two best are Stun and Mute, because they never wear off. - In Normal Mode you could get by with going after 6 Paths. In Hard Mode, you'll need more powerful abilities sooner, so try to limit characters down to 5 paths to get to the more powerful Mantras sooner. - If you didn't use any "Stat" Datas previously, you'll use them in Hard Mode for sure. Since they completly heal a character as well as raising stats always use a Data on a character that is low on HP/MP. ====================================== 2 - Maintaining Character Growth Notes ====================================== - All Characters should generally have 2 Elemental attacks, and 1 Status attack. Frequently monsters are weak to certain statuses, and some are only weak to Bad Status. Also each Bad Status has a damage skill on their paths. - Characters should master elemental skills that can't produce a combo by themselves. For instance Fire will combo with Earth or Force, but won't with Elec or Ice, so a character with Fire should learn either Elec or Ice as a secondary element. - Here is a table: Fire - Ice or Elec Ice - Force or Fire Elec - Earth or Fire Force - Ice or Earth Earth - Force or Elec - Argilla should take the Force path as a Secondary to cover her weakness and to run into the Almighty path to get Mind Charge. - Serph should take Fire as a secondary path, which will inevitably cover the Ailments path so that he can protect against most Bad Statuses. - Gale can go either Earth or Ice path. Unfortunately the placement of the Elec path to cover his weakness is behind either Earth or Healing. Try to get Gale into mastering Physical Mantras, since he's equally good with them as he is with magic. - Getting Cielo onto the Ailment path to cover his weakness is quite troublesome as you'll have to take a short trip into the Fire path heading backwards to reach it. Ignore Physical Mantras for Cielo - Roland starts with 3 elements so flesh them out. Also he's best with physical attacks so work him into the Physical section of the grid. - No matter which way you look at it, you can't get to the Death Path fast enough without running into the Expel path. And you can't complete the Expel path fast enough with learning the first Death Mantra. So the two paths should be taken as one by three characters. The easiest three characters to take it are Argilla, Cielo, and Roland. - Note that a character going along the Boost Path will pick up Mute Skills as well. And character going along the Healing path will pick up Sleep skills. - Any character on the HP Recover Path should take the side path of of Revive Magic. - Devourer is at the center of the grid, so all characters should learn it to open up the most number of paths. - You have a maximum of 8 Slots, plan ahead what type of skills you want to fill those 8 slots with. It's best to go for as wide a variety as you possibly can. For example: Serph with 8 slots 1 Physical Skill 1 Hunt Skill 1 Ice Skill 1 Fire Skill 1 Recover Skill 1 Ailment Skill 1 Shield Skill 1 Support Skill You can swap out the Hunt skill with anything you so choose, such as a Boost skill, or another Shield, Support, or Ailment skill. Once you have an idea of what you want to fill those 8 slots with, balance out the remaining characters so you can have access to as many desirable combos you can. - Everyone should master Esoteric 1 as soon as it becomes available. Which is after Cielo and Roland master the Mantras they pre-paid for. ================ 3 - Mantra List ================ (Numbers are the Mantra# according to the list below) Phys Path 3 Phys Path 2 /|\ /|\ Boost Path |111| |98 | Phys Path 1 /|\ \|/|\ /|\ /|\ /|\|/ /|\ |115| |96 | |97 | |80 | |81 | |112| \|/|\ \|/|\ \|/|\ /|\|/ /|\|/ /|\|/ |110| |78 | |79 |62 | |63 | |99 | \|/|\ \|/|\ /|\|/|\|/|\ /|\|/ /|\|/ |95 | |60 |61 |38 |39 |40 | |82 | \|/|\ /|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\ /|\|/ |77 |59 |36 |37 |20 |21 |41 |64 | /|\ /|\ /|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\ /|\ /|\ |109|94 |76 |58 |35 |19 | 8 | 9 |22 |42 |65 |83 |100| \|/ \|/ \|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/ \|/ \|/ Earth Path |57 |34 |18 | 7 | 2 |10 |23 |43 | Force Path /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ |108|93 |75 |56 |33 |17 | 6 | 1 | 3 |11 |24 |44 |66 |84 |101| \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/ \|/ \|/ \|/ Expel Path |55 |32 |16 | 5 | 4 |12 |25 |45 | Almighty Path /|\ /|\ /|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\ /|\ /|\ |107|92 |74 |54 |31 |15 |14 |13 |26 |46 |67 |85 |102| \|/ \|/ \|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/ \|/ \|/ Death Path |73 |53 |30 |29 |28 |27 |47 |68 | Ice Path /|\|/ \|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/|\|/ \|/|\ |91 | |52 |51 |50 |49 |48 | |86 | /|\|/ /|\|/ \|/|\|/|\|/ \|/|\ \|/|\ |106| |72 | |71 |70 | |69 | |103| /|\|/ /|\|/ /|\|/ \|/|\ \|/|\ \|/|\ |114| |90 | |89 | |88 | |87 | |113| \|/ /|\|/ \|/ \|/ \|/|\ \|/ Elec Path |105| |104| Ailment Path \|/ \|/ Heal Path Fire Path Mantras Organized by number and layer: * Are Secret Mantras that can only be unlocked once the 6 Mantras surrounding it have been mastered by characters cooperatively ! Are Mantras that are added to the grid after an optional boss is defeated. # | Name | Type | * |Cost | Skills ---|-------------|------|---|-----|-------------------------------------------- 1| Devourer | Hunt | 1 |1000 |Devour, Ingest Mana | | | | | 2| Shura | Phys | 1 |1000 |Body Rush, Mad Rush 3| Dragon | Force| 1 |1000 |Zan, Void Force 4| Ice Spirit | Ice | 1 |1000 |Bufu, Void Ice 5| Protection | Heal | 1 |1000 |Dia, Patra, Analyze 6| Earth Spirit| Earth| 1 |1000 |Tera, Void Earth 7| Spirit | Boost| 1 |1000 |Tarukaja, Makajam, Void Mute | | | | | 8|*Esoteric 2 | Panic| 2 |3000 |Miser's Spirit 9| Sramana | Phys | 2 |2500 |Venom Claw, Double Slash, Life Bonus 10|*Strength +2 | Bonus| - | - | - 11| Dragon Lord | Force| 2 |2500 |Mazan, Force Boost 12| Ice Demon | Ice | 2 |2500 |Mabufu, Ice Boost 13| Fire Spirit | Fire | 1 |1000 |Agi, Void Fire 14|*Esoteric 1 | Karma| 2 |3000 |Mutual Karma 15| Fallen Hero | Heal | 2 |3000 |Media, Posumudi, Achedi, Dream Haze 16| Bolt Wizard | Elec | 1 |1000 |Zio, Void Elec 17| Earth Shrine| Earth| 2 |2500 |Matera, Earth Boost 18|*Magic +2 | Bonus| - | - | - 19| Bhikkhuni | Phys | 2 |2500 |RavingSlash Critical QuickCure Resolution | | | | | 20| Demon Beast | Hunt | 3 | 10K |FeedFrenzy RendAsunder AtmaBonus IronStomach 21|*Vitality +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 22| Demon | Ph/Hn| 3 |5000 |Vile Blade, Devil Feast, Taunt, Horror 23| Hiten | Force| 3 | 10K |Zanma, Shock Wave, Force Repel 24|*Esoteric 8 | Sleep| 5 |200K |Null Sleep, Mana Walk 25| Ice Leader | Ice | 3 | 10K |Bufula, Frost Breath, Ice Repel 26| Adamant | Ail | 2 |2500 |Pulinpa, Stun Sphere, Void Panic, Void Nerve 27|*Esoteric 4 | Level| 3 | 10K |Level Gift 28| Fire Demon | Fire | 2 |2500 |Maragi, Fire Boost 29| FierceSpirit| Heal | 3 | 15K |Diarama, Paraladi, Me Patra 30|*Esoteric 3 | Win | 3 | 10K |Item Find 31| Bolt Lord | Elec | 2 |2500 |Mazio, Elec Boost 32| Angel | Expel| 2 |2500 |Hama, Tarunda, Void Expel 33|*Esoteric 7 | Ice | 5 |200K |Cocytus, Auto-Chakra 34| Earth Temple| Earth| 3 | 10K |Terazi, Avalanche, Earth Repel 35| Karma | Boost| 2 |5000 |Sukukaja, HP Thief, Mana Bonus 36|*Agility +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 37| Priestess | Phys | 3 | 10K |Death Spray, Counter, Quick Escape | | | | | 38|*Strength +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 39| Violent God | Phys | 4 | 25K |Skull Cleave, Death Blow, Retaliate 40| Cruel Leader| Phys | 5 |100K |Power Wave, Life Gain 41| Vanquisher | Phys | 3 | 10K |Mute Blow, Chi Blast 42|*Esoteric 6 | Solar| 5 |100K |New Banquet, Leech, MIN Critical 43| Sky Dragon | Force| 4 | 25K |Mazanma, Force Drain 44| Dark Leader | Almty| 5 |150K |Megido, Mind Charge 45| Ice Wolf | Ice | 4 | 25K |Mabufula, Ice Drain 46|*Magic +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 47| Kichijyo | Ail | 3 | 10K |MarinKarin FoulBreath VoidCharm VoidPoison 48| Fire Lord | Fire | 4 | 25K |Maragion, Fire Drain 49| Fire Leader | Fire | 3 | 10K |Agilao, Flame Breath, Fire Repel 50|*All Stats +1| Bonus| - | - | - 51| Hades |Revive| 4 | 25K |Recarm 52| Calm Spirit | Heal | 4 | 40K |Mediarama, Closdi, Cursedi, Dormina 53| Lightning | Elec | 3 | 10K |Zionga, Bolt Flare, Elec Repel 54|*Luck +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 55| Yaksa | Death| 2 |2500 |Mudo, Curse, Void Death 56| Archangel | Expel| 3 | 10K |Mahama, Sukunda, Expel Resist 57| Earth Lord | Earth| 4 | 25K |Materazi, Earth Drain 58|*Esoteric 5 | Solar| 5 |100K |Full Banquet, Chakra Walk, MAX Critical 59| Twilight | Boost| 3 | 15K |Makakaja, Makajamon, MP Thief 60| Maiden | Phys | 4 | 25K |StunNeedle Comatose FirstStrike NullCritical 61| Holy Beast | Ph/Hn| 4 | 40K |Hell Fang, Consume, AP Divide | | | | | 62| Overlord | Phys | 6 |400K |Executioner, Phys Resist 63| Warrior King| Phys | 6 |250K |Bloodbath, Demon Rage 64| Battle Demon| Ph/Hn| 4 | 25K |Venom Fang, Ingest, Paralyze 65| Sky Wizard | Force| 5 |100K |Zandyne, Tempest, Force Amp 66| Dark Lord | Almty| 6 |300K |Megidola, Last Word 67| Ice Master | Ice | 5 |100K |Bufudyne, Cold Wave, Ice Amp 68| Vidya Raja | Ail | 4 | 25K |Allure, NeuralShock, PoisonMist, NullNerve 69| Fire Emperor| Fire | 5 |100K |Agidyne, Explosion, Fire Amp 70| World |Revive| 6 |300K |Recarmdra, Calm Death 71| Six Realms |Revive| 6 | 60K |Samarecarm 72| Progenitor | Heal | 5 |120K |Diarahan, Petradi 73| Bolt Emperor| Elec | 4 | 25K |Mazionga, Elec Drain 74| Evil Spirit | Death| 3 | 10K |Mamudo, BloodCurse, StoneGaze, DeathResist 75| Thrones | Expel| 4 | 40K |Hamaon, Makanda, Makatora, Expel Repel 76| EarthEmperor| Earth| 5 |100K |Teradyne, Heavy Rock, Earth Amp 77| Curse | Boost| 4 | 40K |Rakukaja, Enervate, Silent Howl 78| Princess | Phys | 5 |100K |Charm Slash, Counterstrike, Null Risks 79| Godly Beast | Hunt | 6 |400K |Insatiable, Atma Premium, Devour Mana | | | | | 80|!Aksara |UltSpt| 9 | 2M |Third Eye, Phys Absorb 81| Amatsukami | Phys | 7 |600K |Gate of Hell, Life Surge 82| DemonSoldier| Phys | 5 |100K |MindScream, PowerCharge, VoidPhys, Vengeance 83| Wind God | Force| 6 |250K |Mazandyne, Force Resist 84| Dark King | Almty| 7 |800K |Megidolaon, Magic Repel 85| Ice God | Ice | 6 |250K |Mabufudyne, Ice Resist 86| Holy Leader | Ail | 5 |100K |Tentarafoo, StunWave, NullPanic, NullPoison 87| Fire God | Fire | 6 |250K |Maragidyne, Fire Resist 88|!God of Light|UltAil| 9 | 2M |Chaturbhuja, Celestial Ray 89|!Dragonslayer|UltMag| 9 |1.5M |Divine Light, Fire of Sinai 90| Death Spirit| Heal | 6 |300K |Mediarahan 91| Bolt Master | Elec | 5 |100K |Ziodyne, Jupiter's Fury, Elec Amp 92| Dark Spirit | Death| 4 | 40K |Mudoon, Wicked Curse, Death Repel 93| Cherubim | Expel| 5 |120K |Mahamaon, Rakunda, Null Expel 94| Mother Earth| Earth| 6 |250K |Materadyne, Earth Resist 95| Arcane | Boost| 5 |120K |Dark Mirage, Null Mute, Mana Gain 96| Queen | Phys | 6 |250K |Sakura Rage, Attack All, Close Call 97|!Root of Evil|UltDth| 9 |2.5M |Spiteful Force, Death Flies | | | | | 98| Destroyer | Phys | 8 |1.5M |Godslayer, Ragnarok, Null Phys 99| Demon Lord | Ph/Hn| 6 |250K |Genocide, Great Feast, Phys Repel, Petrify 100| Sublime Wind| Force| 7 |600K |Vayaviya 101| Dark Lord | Null | 8 |1.5M |Null Element 102| Sublime Ice | Ice | 7 |600K |Niflheim 103| Mukti | Ail | 6 |250K |FatalCharm PoisonRain VoidAilment NullCharm 104| Sublime Fire| Fire | 7 |600K |Trisagion 105| Vicious God | Heal | 8 |1.5M |Salvation, Auto Soma 106| Bolt God | Elec | 6 |250K |Maziodyne, Elec Resist 107| Death | Death| 5 |120K |Mamudoon, Petrifier, Null Death 108| Seraphim | Expel| 7 |800K |Xanadu, Dekaja 109| SublimeEarth| Earth| 7 |600K |Titanomachia 110| Illusion | Boost| 6 |250K |Spell Gloom, Dekunda 111| Goddess | Phys | 7 |600K |Revelation, HighCounter, Deploy, DoubleRepel | | | | | 112| Demon God | Ph/Hn| 7 |600K |Last Meal, Phys Drain 113| Formless | Ail | 7 |800K |Vanity, Null Ailment 114| Sublime Bolt| Elec | 7 |600K |Narukami 115| Evil God | Boost| 7 |800K |Debilitate, Mana Surge Mantras organized by Type and Path: # | Name | Type | * |Cost | Skills ---|-------------|------|---|-----|-------------------------------------------- 1| Devourer | Hunt | 1 |1000 |Devour, Ingest Mana 2| Shura | Phys | 1 |1000 |Body Rush, Mad Rush 9| Sramana | Phys | 2 |2500 |Venom Claw, Double Slash, Life Bonus 22| Demon | Ph/Hn| 3 |5000 |Vile Blade, Devil Feast, Taunt, Horror 41| Vanquisher | Phys | 3 | 10K |Mute Blow, Chi Blast 64| Battle Demon| Ph/Hn| 4 | 25K |Venom Fang, Ingest, Paralyze 82| DemonSoldier| Phys | 5 |100K |MindScream, PowerCharge, VoidPhys, Vengeance 99| Demon Lord | Ph/Hn| 6 |250K |Genocide, Great Feast, Phys Repel, Petrify 112| Demon God | Ph/Hn| 7 |600K |Last Meal, Phys Drain | | | | | 20| Demon Beast | Hunt | 3 | 10K |FeedFrenzy RendAsunder AtmaBonus IronStomach 39| Violent God | Phys | 4 | 25K |Skull Cleave, Death Blow, Retaliate 40| Cruel Leader| Phys | 5 |100K |Power Wave, Life Gain 63| Warrior King| Phys | 6 |250K |Bloodbath, Demon Rage 62| Overlord | Phys | 6 |400K |Executioner, Phys Resist 81| Amatsukami | Phys | 7 |600K |Gate of Hell, Life Surge 98| Destroyer | Phys | 8 |1.5M |Godslayer, Ragnarok, Null Phys 80|!Aksara |UltSpt| 9 | 2M |Third Eye, Phys Absorb | | | | | 19| Bhikkhuni | Phys | 2 |2500 |RavingSlash Critical QuickCure Resolution 37| Priestess | Phys | 3 | 10K |Death Spray, Counter, Quick Escape 61| Holy Beast | Ph/Hn| 4 | 40K |Hell Fang, Consume, AP Divide 60| Maiden | Phys | 4 | 25K |StunNeedle Comatose FirstStrike NullCritical 78| Princess | Phys | 5 |100K |Charm Slash, Counterstrike, Null Risks 96| Queen | Phys | 6 |250K |Sakura Rage, Attack All, Close Call 79| Godly Beast | Hunt | 6 |400K |Insatiable, Atma Premium, Devour Mana 111| Goddess | Phys | 7 |600K |Revelation, HighCounter, Deploy, DoubleRepel 97|!Root of Evil|UltDth| 9 |2.5M |Spiteful Force, Death Flies | | | | | 13| Fire Spirit | Fire | 1 |1000 |Agi, Void Fire 28| Fire Demon | Fire | 2 |2500 |Maragi, Fire Boost 49| Fire Leader | Fire | 3 | 10K |Agilao, Flame Breath, Fire Repel 48| Fire Lord | Fire | 4 | 25K |Maragion, Fire Drain 69| Fire Emperor| Fire | 5 |100K |Agidyne, Explosion, Fire Amp 87| Fire God | Fire | 6 |250K |Maragidyne, Fire Resist 104| Sublime Fire| Fire | 7 |600K |Trisagion | | | | | 4| Ice Spirit | Ice | 1 |1000 |Bufu, Void Ice 12| Ice Demon | Ice | 2 |2500 |Mabufu, Ice Boost 25| Ice Leader | Ice | 3 | 10K |Bufula, Frost Breath, Ice Repel 45| Ice Wolf | Ice | 4 | 25K |Mabufula, Ice Drain 67| Ice Master | Ice | 5 |100K |Bufudyne, Cold Wave, Ice Amp 85| Ice God | Ice | 6 |250K |Mabufudyne, Ice Resist 102| Sublime Ice | Ice | 7 |600K |Niflheim | | | | | 16| Bolt Wizard | Elec | 1 |1000 |Zio, Void Elec 31| Bolt Lord | Elec | 2 |2500 |Mazio, Elec Boost 53| Lightning | Elec | 3 | 10K |Zionga, Bolt Flare, Elec Repel 73| Bolt Emperor| Elec | 4 | 25K |Mazionga, Elec Drain 91| Bolt Master | Elec | 5 |100K |Ziodyne, Jupiter's Fury, Elec Amp 106| Bolt God | Elec | 6 |250K |Maziodyne, Elec Resist 114| Sublime Bolt| Elec | 7 |600K |Narukami | | | | | 3| Dragon | Force| 1 |1000 |Zan, Void Force 11| Dragon Lord | Force| 2 |2500 |Mazan, Force Boost 23| Hiten | Force| 3 | 10K |Zanma, Shock Wave, Force Repel 43| Sky Dragon | Force| 4 | 25K |Mazanma, Force Drain 65| Sky Wizard | Force| 5 |100K |Zandyne, Tempest, Force Amp 83| Wind God | Force| 6 |250K |Mazandyne, Force Resist 100| Sublime Wind| Force| 7 |600K |Vayaviya | | | | | 6| Earth Spirit| Earth| 1 |1000 |Tera, Void Earth 17| Earth Shrine| Earth| 2 |2500 |Matera, Earth Boost 34| Earth Temple| Earth| 3 | 10K |Terazi, Avalanche, Earth Repel 57| Earth Lord | Earth| 4 | 25K |Materazi, Earth Drain 76| EarthEmperor| Earth| 5 |100K |Teradyne, Heavy Rock, Earth Amp 94| Mother Earth| Earth| 6 |250K |Materadyne, Earth Resist 109| SublimeEarth| Earth| 7 |600K |Titanomachia | | | | | 44| Dark Leader | Almty| 5 |150K |Megido, Mind Charge 66| Dark Lord | Almty| 6 |300K |Megidola, Last Word 84| Dark King | Almty| 7 |800K |Megidolaon, Magic Repel 101| Dark Lord | Null | 8 |1.5M |Null Element | | | | | 32| Angel | Expel| 2 |2500 |Hama, Tarunda, Void Expel 56| Archangel | Expel| 3 | 10K |Mahama, Sukunda, Expel Resist 75| Thrones | Expel| 4 | 40K |Hamaon, Makanda, Makatora, Expel Repel 93| Cherubim | Expel| 5 |120K |Mahamaon, Rakunda, Null Expel 108| Seraphim | Expel| 7 |800K |Xanadu, Dekaja | | | | | 55| Yaksa | Death| 2 |2500 |Mudo, Curse, Void Death 74| Evil Spirit | Death| 3 | 10K |Mamudo, BloodCurse, StoneGaze, DeathResist 92| Dark Spirit | Death| 4 | 40K |Mudoon, Wicked Curse, Death Repel 107| Death | Death| 5 |120K |Mamudoon, Petrifier, Null Death | | | | | 26| Adamant | Ail | 2 |2500 |Pulinpa, Stun Sphere, Void Panic, Void Nerve 47| Kichijyo | Ail | 3 | 10K |MarinKarin FoulBreath VoidCharm VoidPoison 68| Vidya Raja | Ail | 4 | 25K |Allure, NeuralShock, PoisonMist, NullNerve 86| Holy Leader | Ail | 5 |100K |Tentarafoo, StunWave, NullPanic, NullPoison 103| Mukti | Ail | 6 |250K |FatalCharm PoisonRain VoidAilment NullCharm 113| Formless | Ail | 7 |800K |Vanity, Null Ailment | | | | | 5| Protection | Heal | 1 |1000 |Dia, Patra, Analyze 15| Fallen Hero | Heal | 2 |3000 |Media, Posumudi, Achedi, Dream Haze 29| FierceSpirit| Heal | 3 | 15K |Diarama, Paraladi, Me Patra 51| Hades |Revive| 4 | 25K |Recarm 52| Calm Spirit | Heal | 4 | 40K |Mediarama, Closdi, Cursedi, Dormina 72| Progenitor | Heal | 5 |120K |Diarahan, Petradi 71| Six Realms |Revive| 6 | 60K |Samarecarm 90| Death Spirit| Heal | 6 |300K |Mediarahan 70| World |Revive| 6 |300K |Recarmdra, Calm Death 105| Vicious God | Heal | 8 |1.5M |Salvation, Auto Soma 89|!Dragonslayer|UltMag| 9 |1.5M |Divine Light, Fire of Sinai 88|!God of Light|UltAil| 9 | 2M |Chaturbhuja, Celestial Ray | | | | | 7| Spirit | Boost| 1 |1000 |Tarukaja, Makajam, Void Mute 35| Karma | Boost| 2 |5000 |Sukukaja, HP Thief, Mana Bonus 59| Twilight | Boost| 3 | 15K |Makakaja, Makajamon, MP Thief 77| Curse | Boost| 4 | 40K |Rakukaja, Enervate, Silent Howl 95| Arcane | Boost| 5 |120K |Dark Mirage, Null Mute, Mana Gain 110| Illusion | Boost| 6 |250K |Spell Gloom, Dekunda 115| Evil God | Boost| 7 |800K |Debilitate, Mana Surge | | | | | 14|*Esoteric 1 | Karma| 2 |3000 |Mutual Karma 8|*Esoteric 2 | Panic| 2 |3000 |Miser's Spirit 30|*Esoteric 3 | Win | 3 | 10K |Item Find 27|*Esoteric 4 | Level| 3 | 10K |Level Gift 58|*Esoteric 5 | Solar| 5 |100K |Full Banquet, Chakra Walk, MAX Critical 42|*Esoteric 6 | Solar| 5 |100K |New Banquet, Leech, MIN Critical 33|*Esoteric 7 | Ice | 5 |200K |Cocytus, Auto-Chakra 24|*Esoteric 8 | Sleep| 5 |200K |Null Sleep, Mana Walk | | | | | 10|*Strength +2 | Bonus| - | - | - 18|*Magic +2 | Bonus| - | - | - 21|*Vitality +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 36|*Agility +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 38|*Strength +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 46|*Magic +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 54|*Luck +3 | Bonus| - | - | - 50|*All Stats +1| Bonus| - | - | - ========================= 4 - Useful Combos to Know ========================= Name | Effect | Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 -------------|-------------------------|-------------|-------------|----------- Primal Dance | Phys/Heavy Damage/1 | Hunt Skill Hunt Skill Hunt Skill Triple Threat| Phys/Heavy Damage/1 | Phys(1) Phys(1) Sukukaja Sol Blaster | Phys/Heavy Damage/All | Phys(1) Phys(1) Tarukaja Media | HP Recover/Small/All | Recover (1) Recover (1) Angelic Grace| HP Recover+Rakukaja/All | Recover(All) Recover(All) Mahama | Expel/HP Halved/All | Expel Skill Recover(All) Mahamaon | Expel/HP Quartered/All | (Ma)Hamaon Mediara-ma/han Punishment | Expel/HP Reduced/All | Expel Skill Expel Skill ExpelSkill Mamudo | Death/Fatal(Low%)/All | Death Skill Death Spray/Blow Mamudoon | Death/Fatal(High%)/All | (Ma)Mudoon Death Blow MilleniaCurse| Death/Curse Or Fatal/All| Death Skill Death Skill DeathSkill Tentarafoo | Panic/(M)Damage/All | Pulinpa -nda Skill Dekunda | Cancels -nda effects | -kaja Skill -kaja Skill Dekaja | Cancels -kaja effects | -nda Skill -nda Skill Debilitate | All -nda effects/ All | -nda Skill Mind Charge Charge | All -kaja effects/ All | -kaja Skill Mind Charge Laevateinn | Fire+Rakunda/MegaDamage | Agidyne Phys(1) Cyclone | Force+Taru&Maka-nda/MDmg| Zandyne Phys(1) Landslide | Earth+Sukunda/MegaDmg | Teradyne Phys(1) Crystal Dust | Ice/(M)Damage/All | Ice Skill -kaja Skill -kaja Skill Sonic Blast | Force+Stun/(M)Damage/All| Force Skill Stun Skill Phys(1) Micro Nova | Almighty/(S)Damage/All | Bufu Zan Tera Megido | Almighty/(M)Damage/All | Expel Skill Death Skill Megidola | Almighty/(L)Damage/All | (Ma)Hamaon (Ma)Mudoon Megidolaon | Almighty/Mega Damage/All| Mahamaon Mamudoon Gun Combos: Human Form + Void, Repel, Drain skill Serph = Ice (Single) Argilla = Earth (Single) Gale = Force (Random) Cielo = Elec (Random) Roland = Elec (All) Elemental Combos: All single targets. Higher tiers yield better combos. Ice + Earth = Ice to all Elec + Ice = Elec to all Fire + Force = Fire to all Earth + Fire = Earth to all Force + Elec = Force to all Elemental Random Combos: Element (Single) + Megido skill Ultimate Elemental Combos: Ice Amp + Earth Amp + Megido Skill Elec Amp + Ice Amp + Megido Skill Fire Amp + Force Amp + Megido Skill Earth Amp + Fire Amp + Megido Skill Force Amp + Elec Amp + Megido Skill ============================ 5 - Understanding Bad Status ============================ - Due to the localization, some monsters which show "Ailments" in their status screen may be weak to 3 or more out of 5 Bad Status properties. Example is Cielo. He is "Weak to Ailments" but in actuality is only "Weak to Charm/Panic/Nerve". Poison and Mute won't score a weakness hit. - Death and Almighty are considered a Bad Status property but are not part of the Ailments grouping. - Status effects are arranged on a priority basis. You can only be afflicted with 1 status at any one time. Status effects with higher priority will replace those of a lower priority. Below is a table of the status effects. Name | Type | Effect --------|------|--------------------------------------------------------------- Dead | N/A | When character's HP drops to 0, they cannot act. When all | | characters cannot act the game is over. | | Bat | Almty| Character changes into a bat. Stats lowered to 1. Death type | | affinity set to 150%. Force affinity set to Weakness at 200%. | | Stone | Death| Character cannot act. When all characters cannot act, the | | game is over. Sets Phys/Shot/Force/Almighty affinities to 100% | | Sets Fire/Ice/Elec/Earth affinities to 10%. Other affinities | | are void. High chance target's HP is reduced to 0 if hit with | | Phys/Shot/Force/Earth attack. | | Curse | Death| Character will take damage equal to the total amount delivered | | if the target is still alive. Sets Death affinity to 200%. | | Charm | Charm| Target loses control. Target either attacks own side, supports | | opposing side, or does nothing. | | Stun | Nerve| Target's agility drops to 1/3 normal. Target's defense is | | 1/2 normal. Chance of critical hit against target increases. | | Hunt affinity is set to 200%. Cannot counterattack. Cannot | | evade. Hama skills always hit so long as there are no Shields | | in place. | | Poison |Poison| Target takes 20% HP Damage for every action. Target's attack | | is lowered by 1/2. Characters take 3% HP Damage with each | | step. | | Ache | Almty| Character will not earn AP after a battle. Character will | | randomly not act when commanded. | | Panic | Panic| Characters have a high chance of selecting a random action, | | dropping a percentage of the money you have, or not acting | | when commanded. Enemies have a high chance of not acting, | | dropping an item (which you collect), dropping money (which | | you don't collect), or fleeing. | | Mute | Mute | Target cannot use Magic or Shield skills. Target's Mute | | affinity is set to 200%. | | Sleep | Nerve| Target loses a press turn to recover 10% HP/MP. Critical hit | | chance against target increases. Target may wake up if a | | Critical hit is scored. Target cannot evade attacks. Hunt | | affinity is set to 200%. Hama skills will always hit so long | | as there's no barrier in place. | | Freeze | Ice | Target cannot evade attacks. All Phys/Shot/Hunt attacks pierce | | through all innate shields, to always land a critical hit. | | Cannot counterattack. Damage from Hunt affinity is set to 1% | | Fatal Hunt affinity is set to 150%. | | Shock | Elec | Target cannot evade attacks. All Phys/Shot/Hunt attacks will | | be critical hits. Cannot counterattack. Hunt affinity is set | | to 150%. | | Frighten| Almty| Hunt affinity is set to 300%. Target cannot evade attacks. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================= 6 - Specific Dungeon Survival ============================= Dungeon 1: - Micro Nova can be very effective at killing all enemies in 1 shot once you reach level 5 or higher. - Give the Shot Shell you find to Gale. If you're ambushed you can use Wind Shot for a quick hard hit to all enemies. - For the Boss Fight, use Earth Shot repeatedly to take down the Andras'. Then use Wind Shot to take down the Boss Dungeon 2: - Make full use of multi-target element combos here. You can get through many encounters here in under 1 turn. - Kill this boss quickly, so give Argilla the best Ammo and use Earth Shot constantly for major damage. Dungeon 3: - Use Cielo and Roland here. Many enemies are now weak to Elec attacks. The dungeon seems tailor made for both of them. - Reach the Large Karma Terminal before you start a field hunt. - For getting past the jailer; note where he is, then quickly change to your map view to plot a course to take. The scenario is "paused" while the map is open. - The jailer always takes the shortest route depending on where you are in relation to him. Move slowly so that he's farthest away from you while still walking, and then make a run for it. - The jailer can be Muted when you fight him. Dungeon 4: - Be well prepared and that all characters are balanced. This is where the dungeons start getting really long. - Take out the Tribhvana in this order: Cu Sith, Ganga, Ubelluris - Cu Sith is weak to Fire, Ganga is weak to Earth, Ubelluris is weak to Force - Ganga is easier to take out than Cu Sith, but Cu Sith uses Boost skills. - On the second encounter it's imperative you dispatch one of the Tribhvana as quickly as possible to avoid getting bogged down by their combo attack. - Make sure Serph is kept in the active party for the main boss fight in the Medical Room, if he's not, you'll probably die. Dungeon 5: - Buy a handful of MP Recovery Items, there aren't many Recovery Terminals inside. - Use the Tentarafoo combo (Pulinpa + -nda Skill) to take care of the Scathatches (Possibly the toughest monster to kill quickly any other way) - When you find the Speedy Ring, immediately get the Sol Blaster combo (Phys Single + Phys Single + Tarukaja). Nearly every encounter will be over with one hit from this attack. - Make sure you know the Angelic Grace combo (Recover All + Recover All) when you fight Abaddon. Use it 3 or 4 times, and he becomes survivable. Dungeon 6: - Take note: You cannot fully explore this dungeon once you reach the control room. - You should begin learning Tier 2 Element attacks for this dungeon if you haven't done so. Enemies start getting progressively harder from here on. - Buy the best Ammo you can, and use Roland's Elec Gun Combo to take down the auto-gun walls. Use Angelic Grace a few times to beef up your defense. - Against the third Auto-gun wall, use Fire Repel to protect against the Main Gun's attack. - Against the Raja Naga use Void Elec for most of the fight. Towards the end of the fight start using up Attack Mirrors to block his Conviction attack. Dungeon 7: - When you hear an audible roar when standing in front of a warp point, that is the correct path to take to the end. - The Boss for this dungeon is brutally difficult. Use Angelic Grace and Sukukaja to protect yourself. Use Chi Blast's high critical hit rate to get rid of the Boss's arms. Then pound on it with Elec skills once the arms are gone. Rinse and repeat when the arms regenerate. Use Fire Drain or Void Fire constantly. Don't use Fire Repel. - After the dungeon is finished, the warp points disappear. Dungeon 8: - The Large Karma Terminal is strategically placed in the center of the dungeon Teleport back to it whenever you're in trouble to recover. There's only 1 Recovery Terminal, and it's at the dungeon's end. - Use Void Death for the battle against Kali and Dakini. They like using Blood Curse or Wicked Curse followed by Mamudoon right afterwards. Kill Dakini with Ice so you can focus on Kali until she calls up another Dakini and repeat the process. - A dirty trick to use against Chernobog is to bring in two characters that have only 1 skill that you can put up a barrier against. Odds are Chernobog will clone 1 of those characters and make the Shadows a cakewalk. Chernobog is weak to Fire. - Kartikeya is weak to Bullets. So using single target attacks can be highly effective with the best Ammo right now. You have two characters with single target bullets, so keep a third character in Demon Form to use Elec or Force barriers. When Kartikeya is nearly dead use Attack Mirrors to avoid his major physical attack. - Gale will give you two warnings that you are about to go beyond the point of no return. Make sure you've done everything you've needed to do. Final Dungeon: Part 1: - Keep Argilla out of the party for this Part. If you run into a group of 3 Cu Chulainns, they will massacre you before you get a turn. - Start learning -dyne Element attacks if you haven't done so already. - The boss only knows fire attacks and is weak to ice. He has a lot of HP though Part 2: - The Boss here is very annoying. He's weak to Elec in the air, but his weakness changes to Earth on the ground. Don't forget to use Force Drain or Force Repel constantly. Use Angelic Grace to heal. You can't lower his stats as he'll use Dekunda right away. Part 3: - Remember the pedestals you didn't step on. One of two pedestals, when given a choice, leads to treasure. - The Boss here is very simple. Use Earth Drain or Void Earth, and attack the body with fire constantly until it's dead. Then switch to using Elec Drain or Void Elec and attack with Gale's Tornado Shot repeatedly. Part 4: - On the first floor, you can only fight in Human Form, so make sure all characters have at least Forged Shots equipped. Use Crossfires with the Speedy Ring holder to take down enemies quickly. Run from any Girimekhalas or Mithras you see. (Putting monsters that are immune to bullet attacks is a dirty trick here.) - On the second floor your Press turns are reduced to nearly one half of normal The Speedy Ring proves it's usefulness here. Be on the Lookout for the Shield Ring and equip it. It basically affords you with an extra round for free as most enemies that attack first usually use physical attacks which it blocks for the first round. - The boss is simple if you know the trick. Put up Force Repel every turn to bounce back it's big Force Attack which it loves to use regularly to kill it. Part 5: - This is a looooong warping maze. Don't step on a warp pad until you've mapped out the area you are in. This is virtually a one-way trip. - When given a choice of two warp pads, take the one to your left to advance forward. The one on the right sends you back to the first area. - This boss is nasty nasty nasty. Start by fully buffing yourself, while using Void Phys every turn. Don't attack it yet, then start lowering it's stats except for agility. Keeps using Void Phys every turn and use twin-boosted element skills to damage it. When it changes forms, you'll have little choice but to suck up all the damage he dishes out. Whenever it uses Black Bhakti in this form you *must* use Elec Drain or you will die. This boss speeds up this pattern as you damage it, so when the damage gets into the red zone that's your cue to kill it quickly. Final Battle: The final battle is relatively simple. Make sure you have 1 each of the Element Drain shields to use. Use Fire Drain on the first part, then Force, then Earth then Elec, and finally Ice. It's best you fully buff yourself and lower the final boss's stats on the first section to speed things up before you start attacking. Whenever it uses Eternal Zero you're in trouble. Quickly use Dekaja followed by Dekunda to restore everyone's stats to normal. On the final part which uses Ice, be sure to use Enervate twice. It has a very damaging Almighty attack that doubles in power each time it is used. So you'll want to kill it quickly before it gets too powerful. ========================== 7 - Credits, Thanks etc... ========================== Starion - For the stupendously useful map of the Mantra Grid. Atlus - For creating one of the finest experiences in an RPG. Enterbrain- For the DDS1 Final Guide, explaining some of the mechanics that carried over into DDS2. GameFAQs - For hosting this guide. Friends & - You know who you guys all are ;) Co-workers (c) 2005-Present -- Salah al Din All materials used in the writing of this file are owned by their respective authors.