Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Packs Vol. 1 and soon to be 2. FAQ by: fedzMONKEY [____ Table of Contents ____] Note: A tilde (~) denotes that a section is still incomplete. 1. Version History 2. Introduction 3. Getting Started >> What You Need >> The Content >> Playing Offline 4. A Quick “What’s New” 5. The Lunar >> Move List and Techniques 6. Weapon Upgrades 7. The New Camera 8. Technique Scroll: Intercept 9. New Enemies 10. Fiend Challenges 11. Alterations >> Muramasa’s Item Availability and Pricing * The New * The Old >> Scarab Rewards * The New Exchange * The Old Exchange >> Old Enemies Like Brand New * Chapter 1, The Way of the Ninja * Chapter 2, The Hayabusa Ninja Village * Chapter 3, The Skies of Vengeance * Chapter 4, Imperial City Infiltration * Chapter 5, The City of Fiends * Chapter 6, The Monastery * Chapter 7, Hidden Underground * Chapter 8, Tairon Under Alert * Chapter 9, The Military Supply Base * Chapter 10, The Aqueducts * Chapter 11, The Path to Zarkhan * Chapter 12, The Caverns * Chapter 13, The Fiendish Awakening * Chapter 14, Vengeful Spirit * Chapter 15, The Core * Chapter 16, The Dark Dragon Blade 12. Item Changes >> Chapter 1 >> Chapter 2 >> Chapter 3 >> Chapter 4 >> Chapter 5 >> Chapter 6 >> Chapter 7 ~ >> Chapter 8 ~ >> Chapter 9 ~ >> Chapter 10 ~ >> Chapter 11 ~ >> Chapter 12 ~ >> Chapter 13 ~ >> Chapter 14 ~ >> Chapter 15 ~ >> Chapter 16 ~ 13. Special Thanks 14. FAQ ~ 15. Contact Information 16. Legal Mumbo Jumbo [____ Version History ____] 0.1 Began planning August 7 in preparation for the release. 0.2 Skeleton of FAQ completed - August 8 0.3 Filling with content specific to HP - August 10 0.4 Tweaked and added more content - August 11 0.5 Added Weapon Upgrades section and fixed some of the formatting errors - August 12/13 0.6 Began work on the Item Changes portion of the FAQ - August 13 0.7 Finished about a third of the Item Changes portion of the FAQ. Still bits and pieces missing here and there, but for the most part, much of the first six chapters are now complete - August 13/14 ** Happy Birthday to me. Going to take a break from the FAQ for a day or two ** - August 14 0.8 Finished the “Old Enemies Like Brand New” section of the FAQ. Will add more info here and there and tweak it a bit, but for the most part it is done. Will add reader submitted info if I receive any. - August 14/15 0.9 Did a little work on the FAQ section - August 16 [____ Introduction ____] Before I say anything, I want to make it clear that this FAQ ** WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS **. Please do not read this if you don’t want anything about the plot, the characters, or the enemies revealed to you. If you would rather find everything and do everything on your own, close this FAQ right now. This isn’t meant for you. Also, I am assuming that you know the basics of the game, and by this I mean the controls, the general idea of combat, countering, and so forth. Please do not ask me about the absolute fundamental elements of this game. This FAQ is meant for those with some experience to the game, not those that just bought it. If you ask nicely, however, via email or on the board, I will lend a hand in certain parts. But seriously, there are people out there that are way better than me at this game, and seeking this out would be wise. Anyways…! What is this all about? This FAQ will describe to you all of the major and minor changes done to Ninja Gaiden with the addition of the Hurricane Pack Vol. 1 and the yet to be released Vol. 2. Though there is still much to learn about this new addition, I will do the best I can to describe to you everything from the new weapon, item location changes, new enemies, alterations to already existing enemies and bosses, scarab rewards, and Muramasa’s shop. Also, I will describe, to those that don’t really know, how to get started with the Master Ninja Tournament and offline play. Alright, let’s get started… [____ Getting Started ____] First of all, in order to participate in the Master Ninja Tournament, you will need an active Xbox Live (from here on referred as XBL) account. If you don’t, then you cannot download the new content and play in the tournament. Unfortunate, but true. Although there is speculation that the download will be included on the Official Xbox Magazine’s demo disc sometime soon, but this is purely speculation and no word has been released as of yet. One can only hope that everyone that owns Ninja Gaiden can experience the Hurricane Pack(s). Now that we have established that, let’s get to business. First off, sign into your XBL account from the main menu by selecting “Master Ninja Tournament”. Enter your password, and head over to the “Downloadable Content” option. The size of the download is amazingly small for all that it actually adds. It’s roughly 2500 blocks and takes a mere few minutes to download. After you’ve gotten your hands on the new content, you will probably have to sign back into XBL from the main menu again. This time, though, select “Master Ninja Tournament #2”. It will ask you to confirm your choice, but wait! This is where you can activate either of the new costumes! To choose the new white Ryu from the DOA series, press White and you will hear Muramasa confirm it with a gentle “Welcome…”. If you choose to take on the role of the evil looking Ryu, press Black. Rachel will confirm your choice with “Tonight’s going to be a long night…”. If you don’t want either of the new costumes, just press A to start with the default suit. Now that you’ve made your choices and suited up, go get a little blood on your hands! *** Note: You can use the Ninja of the Future, Evil Ryu, original Ryu, and Classic Blue Ryu as well as the two new costumes when starting the game. *** Original Ryu Do nothing but start the game Classic Blue Ryu Hold L- and R-Triggers when starting the game via the Master Ninja Tournament Ninja of the Future Hold L-Trigger when starting the game via the Master Ninja Tournament Evil Ryu Hold R-Trigger when starting the game via the Master Ninja Tournament DOA Throwback Hold White when starting the game via the Master Ninja Tournament Evil Cyber Suit Hold Black when starting the game via the Master Ninja Tournament (Thanks to Jinjo Ghost for the find) With the new content in hand and the game about to begin, I will, as promised, describe how to play offline. When you choose to start on XBL, do nothing more than find a save point within Chapter 1 (or elsewhere) and save. After saving, you can access that file offline and play normally. When you’ve completed the game with the new Hurricane Pack content, you can submit your final karma score to the XBL scoreboard. [____ What’s New Ninja Gaiden ____] Here I will describe the new additions to the game, but not go into great detail. That will come later in the guide. First and foremost, I bet most of you want to know about the new weapons! Well, to start things off, there is only one new weapon. Many have been misinformed about how many new killing devices had been added, and the answer is one. Whatever else you hear is a rumor or blatant lie. Now that we have cleared things up, we can talk about the lovely new addition to Ryu’s already huge arsenal of weapons. [____ The Lunar ____] The official description reads as: “A weapon said to obtain mysterious power of the Moon. It’s made of a strong willow tree.” Made of a strong willow tree is an understatement. This staff is beastly. You receive it early on in the game… Only one room after you encounter the samurai statue that is missing its fangs. In fact, it’s the same room you get your first Lives of the Thousand Gods in Chapter 1. Almost immediately after finding it, many will equip it and realize one thing: it’s almost like using the nanchaku, but with added range. You would be partially right in assuming that too because it basically is just that. Now to get to specifics. Below is the move list for the Lunar. Advantages: The Lunar has amazing range even in its first form. The damage at level 1, however, is somewhat less. The damage is just slightly above that of the nanchaku, but once upgraded, it becomes a speedy powerhouse like the Vigoorian Flails. The combos you can pull of are insane and easily put most fiends out of commission quickly and easily. You can also juggle enemies with moves like Crescent Strike. This can be helpful with quick enemies that get airborne often, such as the Bastet Fiends. Disadvantages: One minor disadvantage the Lunar has is that using combo moves, such as the Dragon’s Claw, can leave you open during the recovery time. Also, until you upgrade the Lunar, it isn’t as powerful as most would like, so sticking with the Dragon Sword until then would be wise. Another thing, you cannot use throws like the Izuna Drop or Guillotine through while wielding the Lunar. [____ Ground Attacks ____] Raven Strike XXX Dragon’s Claw XXY (Level 2) Raven XXY Twilight XY Infinite Fury XYY (Level 2) Arc of the Moon Y Soul of the Crescent Hold down Y and release Shrouded Crescent Hold down Y (Essence) Raven’s Veil Hold down Y (Essence Max) Lion’s Rage Forward + X Lion’s Rage Forward + XX (Level 2) Lion’s Rage Forward + XXX (Level 3) Black Widow Forward + XXXY (Level 3) Black Widow Forward +XXY (Level 2) Black Widow Forward + XY Crescent Strike Forward + Y Full Moon Strike Forward + YY (Level 3) Lunar Explosion Forward + YYY (Level 3) Purgatory’s Rivet While running + X Twin Serpent Strike While running + Y Concealed Thrust While Blocking X or Y (Counter Scroll required) Raven Stream Rotate 360 degrees + Y Nirmanakaya Next to a downed enemy + Y [_____ Aerial Attacks ____] Tempest While jumping + X Izuna drop Cannot be performed with the Lunar Phantom Moon While jumping + Y Guillotine Throw Cannot be performed with the Lunar [____ Flying Bird Flip Attacks ____] Gibbons During a Flying Bird Flip + X or Y [____ Water Attacks ____] Aqua Thrust While on the surface + X or Y Water Formation Kick While Underwater + X or Y [____ Misc. Moves ____] Reverse Wind L + Move in any direction Wind Path While jumping near an enemy + A Wind Run X + A Flying Bird Flip While on a wall + A That about covers the moves you can do with the Lunar all the way up to level 3. With that said, I can continue on with what else is new to Ninja Gaiden. [____ The New Camera ____] The new camera is a thing of beauty, but not during combat. Yes, it is unfortunate that they couldn’t improve the camera so that it would be more helpful in combat, but at least Team Ninja did something for those having problems with the awkward jumping and maneuvering parts. To activate the new camera, click the right thumbstick. You will see a blue-white flash of light and a whoosh sound as confirmation. Now you can use the right thumbstick to move the camera in anyway you please. Take note that unless you press the right thumbstick again, you will still have control of the camera by moving the thumbstick. Simply press it again to turn it off. The only way this could be a hassle is if you accidentally move it during combat and it makes your view even more worse. Either way, it’s a nice, but somewhat mediocre addition to the Hurricane Pack. This is the only letdown of the entire Hurricane Pack, but don’t worry, there is still much to tell of the good things added! [____ Intercept ____] The latest and greatest new move for Ryu to utilize is called the Intercept. Since Counter Strike requires a hefty sum of money to acquire, you are instead granted Intercept very early on in the game. It functions similarly to Counter, but requires to time when you hit L to guard. The scroll reads, “The technique lets you execute an action immediately after blocking an attack. It’s an advanced technique that, if executed successfully, will increase your Karma score. (In yellow) While the enemy is attacking use split-second reflexes to block and guard yourself. If successful, immediately execute your next action when the lightning is flashing. Also, when the Intercept method is used with Y, the Ultimate Technique will be unleashed instantly.” What this means is if you hit L to guard when you are attacked, you can instantly set off your Ultimate Essence Attack and annihilate the enemy and increase the points that goes to your karma. It’s quite nice, but a little hard to pull than the regular counter attack. Master this and you will effectively live longer and do exponentially more damage too your enemies! [____ New Enemies ____] There are a few new fiends that you should be aware of. All of the new bad guys are, in a nutshell, improved upon enemies that already existed to begin with. Their moves, grabs, throws, and appearance are all unique, so don’t worry… Team Ninja didn’t slack off. Bastet Fiends (or Cat Women): These fiends are the first of the new enemies you will encounter in the new Hurricane Pack, and let me be the first to say that these are a hell of an addition. They fight with the speed of every other fiend in the game, and with the cunning of the Black Spider Clan Ninjas. First appearance: Chapter 4, Imperial City Infiltration. Bipedal Ogre Fiends: I have yet to hear a name for these officially, so I will call them the bipedal ogre fiends. Try to imagine the armor wearing cave trolls from the Lord of the Rings movies. That will give you an idea of the size and power of this new fiend. Usually found in groups of two or four, they tend to double team you and pummel Ryu to death. First appearance: Chapter 10, The Aqueduct. That does it for the completely new enemies to the game, but many (and I mean many) changes have been made to almost every other enemy in the game. *** There will more information to come once I acquire it. If anyone has information on the enemies and their official names from either the mouth of Itagaki or elsewhere, check the contact information at the end of this FAQ. Thanks! *** [____ Fiend Challenges ____] I thought about it and decided that this needed its own spot in the FAQ. Here is the gathering point of all of the Fiend Challenges. They are arranged in the order that you do them (if you do them at all). I essentially cut and pasted what I had typed up for later in the FAQ, so expect a little déjà vu. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Ritual Room… Ah, yes, the challenge in the Ritual Room. If you’ve noticed, I decided to tack this on Chapter 6 because it is less of a hassle to go back to the Ritual Room after fighting the Zombie Dragon than after Alma or any other point in the game. The basic strategy to this challenge is to keep your distance and strike them down after they either lunge or swing. It would be wise to start off by decapitating them so that they have no way of pinpointing your location. Afterwards, you can either use Max Essence attacks or beat them senseless. Since they haven’t changed much from the original, you can use the same strategies you used then. Personally, I loved using the Lunar level 2 on them. It was fun to watch Ryu utterly destroy them with the huge combo strings you can pull off with the Lunar. The Dragon Sword level 2 works just as well. Once you complete the challenge, you will be rewarded with a Lives of the Thousand Gods item. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Archives… Before strolling in for a picnic, be aware that the Lesser Fiends have been replaced with Bastet Fiends, so settle in for a long fight. One big strategy that has circulated around the message boards is to go up to the second or third floor, kill the Monk Fiends, then finish off the Bastet Fiends. If you are the originator of this strategy, contact me to get credit where it’s due. Otherwise, yeah, that’s an easier yet more time consuming strategy to use. I can’t guarantee that you will get the time bonus if you do it that way. Your reward for your determination is a Spirit of the Devils. 60 Fiend Challenge in B3 of the Aqueducts… In the room with the stone elevator, the same room you find a Jewel of Demon Seal, there is yet another challenge waiting for you. After killing the Pill Bugs the first time (a total of 30 of them), return and take them on for a challenge. Using the Flail or Lunar will make you practically invincible against them. If they start jumping you, use the wall to your advantage. The Lunar has got to be the best choice on this challenge because of the Max Essence Attack that you can unleash very easily. Kill a few of the Pill Pugs, then charge with Y, and unload on them as they swarm the hurricane of death that you set loose on them. This challenge should pose little threat to those Ninjas out there, but some may have a little trouble. Exorcise your crowd control ability and get the reward: a Talisman of Rebirth. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Peristyle Passageway… This is one of the easier challenges in the game because you have plenty of walls around you to use to your advantage, and your enemy of the day is easy to deal with. They will cautiously watch you and attack, but intercept them and make them suffer. Kill all 60 of the Greater Friend and receive a complementary Lives of the Thousand Gods. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Stadium… Now that you’ve defeated Doku, you can now commence with the newest challenge! This time, however, you won’t be fight 60 of the Red Dinosaur Fiends… You get to deal with the newest of the fiends, the Ogre! Use your best strategies to bring them down quickly before they can deal out any major damage. If you have the Unlabored Flawlessness or a level 3 Dabilahro, use the most damaging combos. You can take the risk and use the UF at 5-10% health, but you will have to be extremely careful in not getting batted away if you miss. If you can distance yourself from the Ogres, try to use the Max Essence Attack for whatever weapon you decide to use. After completing this challenge, you are awarded another Lives of the Thousand Gods. 60 Fiend Challenge at the Stairwell to the Imperial Palace… Like the Peristyle Passageway Challenge, this one is a piece of cake. Instead of four Greater Fiends at once, you are treated to a duel with a Lesser Fiend and two Greater’s at once. Unleash hell with the Lunar and you should finish within the ample time limit they give you. I usually finish this one with 200 or more seconds left on the clock. The reward is another Lives of the Thousand Gods. 60 Fiend Challenge After Fighting the Golden Dragon… Personally, I find this to be the easiest Fiend Challenge in the game. Whip out the Flail or the Lunar and slaughter the wasps that come after you. With plenty of time and an easy enemy, you can kill them in no time! The prize for this test of endurance is a Talisman of Rebirth. 3 Fiend Challenge at Drawbridge Square… Yep, they replace the 3 purple Vigoorian Soldier Fiends that you come across near the drawbridge. You get the same reward for beating this 3 Fiend Challenge, but you actually have to earn this Talisman of Rebirth. Use whatever strategies you have found effective against them and claim your prize. [____ Alterations ____] This section will contain the alterations done to the following in this order: - Muramasa’s item availability and pricing - Changes to the weapon upgrades - Scarab rewards - Changes to old enemies - Item location changes [____ Muramasa’s Weapons and Tools ____] The list below shows the items that are available at Muramasa’s shop and the appropriate price. I will show the new shop and then the old after it for comparison. You will soon notice MANY changes to his shop at once. [____ The New ____] Item Price Elixir of Spiritual Life 500 Elixir of Devil Way 5,000 Great Spirit Elixir 5,000 The Talisman of Rebirth 15,000 Arrows 10 APFSDS Cores 200 Explosive Arrows 100 Incendiary Shuriken 100 Technique Scroll: Izuna Drop 10,000 Technique Scroll: Counter Strike 10,000 Technique Scroll: Guillotine Throw 10,000 The Art of the Inferno 20,000 The Art of the Ice Storm 20,000 The Art of the Inazuma 20,000 For better or worse, the shop has changed dramatically. Instead of earning the Ninpo spells from a fallen enemy of finding it off a corpse, you now have to buy them for 20,000 a piece. Also, you will notice that the bracers are gone and that the techniques that you either found or killed for also have a price tag on them. One more thing to point out… There are no more Great Devil Elixirs this time around. They have been eliminated completely. The projectile weapon ammo still remains the same and so do the regular elixirs. [____ The Old ____] Item Price Elixir of Spiritual Life 500 Elixir of Devil Way 2,000 Great Spirit Elixir 5,000 Great Devil Elixir 10,000 The Talisman of Rebirth 15,000 Arrows 10 APFSDS Cores 200 Explosive Arrows 100 Incendiary Shuriken 100 The Armlet of the Sun 5,000 The Armlet of the Moon 5,000 The Art of the Inferno 1,000 Technique Scroll: Izuna Drop 1,000 Having both the new and old, you can see how much has changed. Instead of buying the Sun and Moon armlets, you now have to earn it by collecting scarabs for Muramasa’s collection. [____ Weapon Upgrades ____] While we’re on the subject of weapons and item prices, why not look at how some of weapon upgrades have changed. For the sake of convenience, I will only list the items that have had any change whatsoever in pricing. If it isn’t listed, then it remains the same. *** Note: None of the weapons have any new moves added to their repertoire. This is sad because one weapon in particular suffers from lack of moves, and this is the Dark Dragon Blade. Personally, I would have liked to see that weapon have something better than XXY. Maybe the next Hurricane Pack… *** * The Dragon Sword Earned from: You start with this sword as your main weapon along with the Nunchaku. It has been passed to you, through the Dragon lineage from Joe Hayabusa to son Ryu Hayabusa. Description: “A Japanese sword handed down in the Hayabusa Clan. It is carved of the fang of a dragon.” Upgrade costs: Level 1 - Given to you at no cost. Level 2 - Now: 5,000; Then: 3,000 Level 3 - Now: 20,000; Then 5,000 Level 4 - Triggered by events in Chapter 13 The price has jumped by a whopping 15,000 for the level 3 upgrade. Sad for the Dragon Sword fans, but this is the Hurricane Pack. Things like this are expected to happen when such an evil man conceived this add-on. We love you Itagaki. * Vigoorian Flails Earned from: Give Muramasa 15 golden scarabs and he will fork over the flail as a thank you gift. Description: “A weapon used by Medieval Vigoorians; it can be swung like Nunchaku in combat.” Upgrade costs: Level 1 - Earned through scarab collecting. Technically, there is no price. Level 2 - Now: 10,000; Then: 5,000 Not a bad increase. You can take on some a few fiends and make this money no problem. Splurging on this isn’t necessary to beat the game, but the flail at level 2 is one hell of a meat grinder when used in combat. Worth the money, in my opinion. And that’s it, only two weapons have had changes done to their upgrade prices. If you want to see all of the others posted just for reference, drop me a line. *** More information to come if I get and suggestions or anything of that nature *** [____ Scarab Rewards ____] If you’ve bothered to look at your surroundings, you will notice from time to time that there are 50 golden scarabs hidden throughout the world of Ninja Gaiden. Some of them are relatively easy to snag, but others may be very well hidden or out of reach. This guide will not tell you where each scarab is hidden, but it will briefly tell you how many you have to have in order to unlock the weapons and/or items Muramasa has as a reward. To help find all of them, refer to Johanass’ Scarab Location guide. It’s very useful! By following either the FAQ of doing the hunting yourself, you can take your little treasures and exchange them for a nice new toy. [____ New Exchange ____] Amount needed Reward 5 Wooden Sword 10 Armlet of Fortune 15 Vigoorian Flails 20 Armlet of the Moon 25 Dabilahro 30 Armlet of the Sun 35 Armlet of Benediction 40 Jewel of Demon Seal 45 Armlet of Tranquility 50 Dark Dragon Blade The first seven of these I was able to find on my own, but the rest I owe to the members of the Ninja Gaiden board. If you feel that you were the first to find the complete list, email me or contact me in any other way I will add you to the FAQ. All of the contact information is at the bottom of the FAQ. Thanks! [____ Old Exchange ____] Amount needed Reward 1 Life of the Gods 10 Spirit of the Devils 15 Armlet of Benediction 20 Dabilahro 30 Armlet of Fortune 40 Armlet of Tranquility 50 Classic Ninja Gaiden Disc Quite different indeed. Drastically changed, but it adds a nice incentive to collecting the scarabs. Who wouldn’t want to get the Dark Dragon Blade instead of the Classic Ninja Gaiden anyways? *** If you feel that this lacks information, if you have any questions, contact me. Please see the contact information at the end of this FAQ *** [____ Old Enemies Like Brand New ____] This will briefly cover the changes done to the already brutal enemies you will encounter throughout the game. To make it easier on Ninja Gaiden players new and old, I will break it up into chapters. *** Note: Most if not all of the old enemies have a new guard break attack that can, of course, penetrate your defenses and leave you open for attack. This is because Team Ninja stresses that you use the new Intercept technique, and this is why I am stressing you master it. It is not a suggestion, but a requirement of the Hurricane Pack *** ** Chapter 1, The Way of the Ninja Black Crows - Laughable as an enemy and even more pathetic as a source if essence. Toss a shuriken their way to get a small blue orb. Nothing has changed about them because of the Hurricane Pack, so don’t expect a murder of them to swarm you and peck your eyes out. Bats - These pesky rats with wings still appear and amazingly enough, they do a bit more damage when they bite you. However, the damage is still miniscule. They lurk around caves and in this chapter, the storehouse. Don’t be surprised if they ambush you when you open a treasure chest either… Brown Garb Ninja - If you happen to run into one of these guys, then you are not playing the Hurricane Pack. Why? Because they have been completely removed altogether. They have been replaced by the White Ninjas. White Garb Ninja - The White Ninjas that first appear in the Ninja Fortress have a few noticeable changes, but nothing too drastic. They will cooperate with their allies and fight together; double teaming you and taking full advantage of Ryu whenever possible. They still pose very little threat, but be more cautious when you venture through Chapter 1 this time. Black Spider Clan Ninjas - Although they were supposed to appear in Chapter 4 for the first time, they have instead replaced the White Ninjas as the higher rank. You will first notice their aggressiveness has been boosted a notch and they have a new grab technique. Be cautious when they try to side flip behind Ryu, or else they might execute it. They still use incendiary shurikens (a crowd favorite), but from what I noticed, they used it less often. Instead, the ninjas tried to grab or use wall techniques more often. If you were hoping for a break from Team Ninja… Don’t hold your breath. Murai - Granted he is the first boss, he remains one of the hardest in the game. Before the Hurricane Pack and after, he is still a challenge. In the original, he would tend to use his dash attack and grab and swipe quite a bit. With all of the enemies in the game, if they had a technique you really disliked… Well, chances are they use it twice as much and ten times more effectively. Sad, but true. The only changes I noticed with Murai is that he uses his grabs even more often, so try not to linger too closely, or he might bash your skull in with his nanchaku. ** Chapter 2, The Hayabusa Ninja Village Samurai Warrior - These run of the mill samurai soldiers haven’t been upgraded drastically, but have a few minor changes like the White Ninjas. From what I can tell, they don’t have any new grabs (if they had one to begin with) or techniques of that sort. One thing that they do have, however, is the ability to break you guard, so be careful and keep your distance. They block more often and tend to take advantage of your defenses whenever possible. They also work with the other foot soldiers to get the job done, something almost all of the enemies do now thanks to the Hurricane Pack. Samurai Mage/Warlock - The floating mages have been beefed up considerably. If you dreaded trying to hit them as the teleported only to slice you up with a sai or two, then you will LOVE them now. They are more cunning with the execution of their attacks. The prey on Ryu when his defense is down for whatever reason. They release a whopping 8-12 balls of energy now when they fire instead of a single ball. I haven’t actually counted the amount, so that is a rough estimate. If anyone has the exact amount, feel free to contact me. Anyways, they make the fight with Hatamoto even more enjoyable. If you are going for speed, try shoot them with your bow or attack once they use their string of physical attacks. It only takes a single arrow to snuff them out for good. Samurai Calvary - Both the spear-wielding samurai and bow clad samurai have seen little changes. None that I can point out, anyways. If anything, they are more aggressive and are more accurate with their attacks. Other than that, I noticed nothing. Hatamoto - The final boss of Chapter 2 has also seen very little in terms of change, however you still have to deal with the newly upgraded mages that accompany him in this fight. Their spread shots and actually attacking you will dampen the fight a bit. Hatamoto himself is about the same as he is without the Hurricane Pack. The real challenge comes from his friends, not him. ** Chapter 3, The Skies of Vengeance SAT Soldier - The soldier dressed in white armor still act the same, but focus more on teamwork. They have had little changed about them. They use their throat-slitting grab a bit more often, but besides that, I noticed nothing more. A well placed Flying Swallow should put them out of commission quickly enough. Again, as with almost every enemy in the Hurricane Pack, they have a guard break attack. This applies to all of the SAT soldiers, including the Grenadier (which is basically a Riot Guard) and the regular SAT Riot Guard. SAT Riot Guard - The black clad soldiers utilize their grabs a lot more often. That includes the throat-slitting grab and the knee-to-the-stomach grab. Like the regular white clad soldiers, they are far more aggressive and focus a bit more on teamwork with the other AI. Strong combos and counter attacks using Intercept will tear them down fast. Dynamo - This heavily armed and armored monstrosity of a man is the boss of Chapter 3. He has had numerous changes that will greatly effect the turnout of the level. One, he is almost completely (if not completely) immune to the Flying Swallow attack. He also uses his energy shield technique frequently. When he charges his gun, it takes less time, and he fires more accurately. I’m not sure if he could before, but he can snag you and execute his grab technique while you are in mid air. Far more difficult and frustrating, but a great challenge. ** Chapter 4, Imperial City Infiltrated MSAT Soldier - Instead of the SAT soldier from Chapter 3, you now have to deal with a cybernetic version of the SAT. They pack more of a punch and they have a bicycle kick attack that can knock you off your feet. Like the SAT soldiers, they have the same throat-slitting technique and knee-to-the-stomach grabs, and they use them as much as possible. Also, they guard very often, so you must find weak spots in their defense. MSAT Riot Guard - They act almost identically to the SAT, but are more aggressive and tactical. Watch their moves and be aware that they use their grabs more often. Other than their appearance, they haven’t changed too much. MSAT Grenadier - The cybernetic version of the SAT Grenadier wears a more tan armor, but the black armored ones will also pack a grenade launcher from time to time. They act identically to the ones from the original but, again, they are more aggressive and team oriented. If you get close enough, they will drop the grenade launcher and function exactly like a MSAT Riot Guard. Nothing too new other than appearance. Bastet Fiend - Also known as the Cat Women, they replace the Black Spider Clan Ninjas in some areas of Tairon. Believe me when I say these cats are aggressive and feisty. Do not let your guard down when around them at all costs, and use Intercept as often as possible. They have a lot of vitality and can deal out a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Their have one grab technique that I have seen so far that is basically a 360 degree spin with their claws. The thing is, your neck is the pivot place for them. This will take a healthy chunk out of your life….And your neck. The Lunar shines when dealing with them, especially when it upgraded to levels 2 and 3. If you have the Izuna Drop and Guillotine Throw, use them often. I would recommend avoiding wall attacks because they can easily knock you down using their Flying Swallow-like technique. Black Spider Clan Ninjas - * See Chapter 1 for details on this enemy. ** Chapter 5, The City of Fiends MSAT Soldier - * See Chapter 3 or 4 for details on this enemy. MSAT Riot Guard - * See Chapter 3 or 4 for details on this enemy. MSAT Grenadier - * See Chapter 4 for details on this enemy. Gallas - Making the first appearance as a mini-boss, these fiends are deadly by nature. Now with the Hurricane Pack, they are even more dangerous. They have been granted (well, borrowed in a way) two new attacks: a powered up roll instead their old ramming ability and they can breathe fire. Like their more spiky cousins in later chapters, they share the same abilities. Their bite attack does more damage, and so does their tail sweep. Be careful when dealing with these in Chapter 5, and the ones for the fiend challenge in Chapter 12. The best weapon to use on them in Chapter 5 has to be the Dragon Sword, at level 2 if you have it. Use the Flying Swallow, or any other attack that has a quick recovery time. Tentacle Fiend - The slug-like beast hasn’t changed really at all from the first. The only real difference that I noticed was that he swings his tentacle arms more often and would catch Ryu when recovering from a Flying Swallow attack. He also uses his seldom used grab technique more often. This boss is still a pushover and there’s nothing to really fret about. ** Chapter 6, The Monastery Bastet Fiend - * See Chapter 4 for details on this enemy. Monk Fiend - As annoying as they were in the original Ninja Gaiden, they have been given a few more bonuses along the way. For one, the Flying Swallow technique is virtually useless against them now. They react very quickly and teleport almost instantly from your attempts to use the Flying Swallow. The best strategy is to use the Windmill Shuriken and Lunar. Any other weapon with long, powerful combos will also be helpful against them. Their attacks do slightly more damage this time, and they are vastly more evasive. Watch yourself. Lesser Fiend - The weaker, brown fiends (when compared to the purple ones) have been boosted like most of the other enemies. They now have a guard break attack that will leave you wide open to attacks. They use their teleport (or burrow, whichever) attack almost always, which is coincidentally their new guard break. They are smarter, work in groups, and evade your attacks more often. Be a little more cautious when around them. Bats - * See Chapter 1 for more details on this enemy. Zombie Fiend - I noticed very little in change from the original Ninja Gaiden. They may take a bit more punishment then they did in the first, but nothing too different. Zombie Archer Fiend - They, like the regular Zombie Fiends changed very little. Unless you had problems with them in the original, you shouldn’t have any worries here. Cyclops Wasp Fiend - These suckers attack in tighter groups and sting more often. The beauty is that you can execute your Max Essence Attack and take them out faster since they cluster more. Other than those few things mentioned, the changes are strictly minor if anything at all. Zombie/Bone Dragon - The long forgotten fossil has had a minor overhaul this time. One, the Windmill Shuriken is useless against him. Another thing is that he bites and uses his tail swing much more often, so stay light on your feet. The main trick is to charge up when it’s changing position, then strike when it settles in. Doing so will make the fight about as easy as it normally is. Other than that, the changes are minor at most. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Ritual Room… Ah, yes, the challenge in the Ritual Room. If you’ve noticed, I decided to tack this on Chapter 6 because it is less of a hassle to go back to the Ritual Room after fighting the Zombie Dragon than after Alma or any other point in the game. The basic strategy to this challenge is to keep your distance and strike them down after they either lunge or swing. It would be wise to start off by decapitating them so that they have no way of pinpointing your location. Afterwards, you can either use Max Essence attacks or beat them senseless. Since they haven’t changed much from the original, you can use the same strategies you used then. Personally, I loved using the Lunar level 2 on them. It was fun to watch Ryu utterly destroy them with the huge combo strings you can pull off with the Lunar. The Dragon Sword level 2 works just as well. Once you complete the challenge, you will be rewarded with a Lives of the Thousand Gods item. ** Chapter 7, Hidden Underground *** Note: Most of the enemies in this chapter you will have encountered in earlier chapters. *** Bats - * See Chapter 1 for details on this enemy. Lesser Fiends - * See Chapter 6 for details on this enemy. Zombie Fiends - * See Chapter 6 for details on this enemy. Zombie Archer Fiends - * See Chapter 6 for details on this enemy. Bastet Fiends - * See Chapter 4 for details on this enemy. Monk Fiends - * See Chapter 6 for details on this enemy. Phantom Skeletal Piranhas - These incarnations of evil are mixed bag; they are both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, they provide for easy essence, but on the bad side, they provide for a quick and painful death. In many spots throughout the game, they replace the bats that were once commonplace. Instead, there are pods of these demon fishes everywhere. Only a few minor details have changed with the ghost fish this time around. The major one being their location and appearance this early in the game. Attack wise, they counteract the XY jumping and slashing technique with the Dragon Sword. How? They catch you in the fall period between hits. Rather than attack you when you land, they strike while you attack has resolved. A major pain, but the flails and Art of Fire Wheels still protect you pretty well. The Lunar does a decent job, but has more holes than the flails do in terms of defense. Be very cautious when opening some treasure chests, too. They are known to hide in them, and if caught off guard, a weary Ryu could be dead before you know it. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Archives… Before strolling in for a picnic, be aware that the Lesser Fiends have been replaced with Bastet Fiends, so settle in for a long fight. One big strategy that has circulated around the message boards is to go up to the second or third floor, kill the Monk Fiends, then finish off the Bastet Fiends. If you are the originator of this strategy, contact me to get credit where it’s due. Otherwise, yeah, that’s an easier yet more time consuming strategy to use. I can’t guarantee that you will get the time bonus if you do it that way. Alma - Yep, she’s still there, nothing new or radical to replace her. Surprisingly, she’s not that much harder than she was in the original, with the exception that she does the attack that pulls you into the air so she pound you around more. Really, in the end, she isn’t that much different. Either Team Ninja thought she was hard enough or they let it slip. Either way, let off a sigh of relief. Anyways, if you do have trouble with her, be sure that you are prepared with wither one Talisman of Rebirth and a nice stock of elixirs. You need to have the level 2 Dragon Sword by now if you don’t already. Having bought the Art of the Inferno Ninpo will help as well. ** Chapter 8, Tairon Under Alert Vigoorian Rifle Infantry - If you’ve made it this far and are churning away, you should notice that little has changed with these guys in terms of difficulty. Only one thing has changed: they’ve been granted a new grab technique. Essentially, they grab you, force you to the ground with a thud, ram their bayonet into your chest and then kick you away. Sounds painful? It is. The attack can take a healthy piece of your health away, so try not to let them get to close to you, and if you do Intercept it! Vigoorian Rocket Infantry - These bad boys were hard to deal with without the Hurricane Pack, but now they are a little worse. From my experiences, they can now reload their RPG even faster than they could before. Other than that, though, they have nothing new to brag about. I recommend you take out your food processor, er… Vigoorian Flails… To deal with them. Mounted Turret - The machine guns/RPG launchers mounted on the tops of the APCs have had little to nothing changed about them. Don’t worry if you have to deal with them and the infantry at once. They might every once in a blue moon fire grenades at you a little more often, but it’s nothing a hardened master ninja can’t handle, right? Infantry Gun Turret - Like the Mounted Machine Guns, they have had nothing changed. Four to five hits from the Windmill Shuriken will bring them down. Vigoorian Helicopter - Although it doesn’t count as an enemy or boss fight (yet), the helicopter you run into before opening the supply base’s gate does try its best to kill you. Some people on the NG board say that it will fire missiles at you now, but I have yet to see this happen. Just stand near the corpse full of arrows and block. You should be okay. In short, nothing new about this chopper encounter. ** Chapter 9, The Military Supply Base Vigoorian Rifle Infantry - * See Chapter 8 for details on this enemy. Vigoorian Rocket Infantry - * See Chapter 8 for details on this enemy. Mounted Turret - * See Chapter 8 for details on this enemy. Infantry Gun Turret - * See Chapter 8 for details on this enemy. Sentry - The pint-sized helicopters have seen little in terms of improvement from the last installment of Ninja Gaiden. Their attacks is the same and I believe they do the same damage. If not, it’s not significant. Vigoorian Tank - At first glance, it would seem that the tanked changed little to none, but it has. The tank’s main cannon fires at a much higher velocity, meaning it hits harder and faster with more damage being dealt. Also, it’s movement is different. It will try to run you over rather than circle you. The gunner that rides up top also hides for a shorter period of time when you fire explosive arrows, so you have to be quick in taking the tank out. Vigoorian Helicopter - The helicopter, unlike the tank, hasn’t changed much. It will use it’s barrage of missiles as much as it does in the original. Same goes to the vulcan cannon as well. I didn’t notice a change in its attack patterns either. Pretty much the same. If you had no problems with it in normal or hard, then you should be good to go in the Hurricane Pack. Phantom Skeletal Piranha - I would put a “See this chapter” thing, but this level has a special guest star. If you’re unlucky enough to open a treasure chest after a certain skirmish with some tanks, you might find a surprise waiting for you. ** Chapter 10, The Aqueducts Just a little side note… This is where the game gets really interesting. Many, many changes start taking place at this point in the game. Greater Fiend - The purple iteration of the lesser brown fiend has been cranked up like it’s predecessor. Instead of being a cautious, yet formidable opponent like before, the Greater Fiend is now more offensive and intelligent. It may not seem like it at first, but they are much worse in the Hurricane Pack. First, they have a guard break like the Lesser Fiend. Their teleport attack will cause you to drop your guard and leave you wide open for pain. Another thing to note is how they cooperate with the others to take you out. They will now cluster rather than stay back and attack you one on one. The Intercept is a must if you want to take this guys out quickly and efficiently. Pill Bugs - These demonic critters haven’t changed much since we last saw them. They might be a little more aggressive towards Ryu, but they still do about the same thing. They attack in groups of four to six and will try to tackle you as often as possible. As long as you utilize wall-based attacks and keep mobile, you should be A-okay. 60 Fiend Challenge in B3 of the Aqueducts… In the room with the stone elevator, the same room you find a Jewel of Demon Seal, there is yet another challenge waiting for you. After killing the Pill Bugs the first time (a total of 30 of them), return and take them on for a challenge. Using the Flail or Lunar will make you practically invincible against them. If they start jumping you, use the wall to your advantage. The Lunar has got to be the best choice on this challenge because of the Max Essence Attack that you can unleash very easily. Kill a few of the Pill Pugs, then charge with Y, and unload on them as they swarm the hurricane of death that you set loose on them. This challenge should pose little threat to those Ninjas out there, but some may have a little trouble. Exorcise your crowd control ability and get the reward: a Talisman of Rebirth. Giant Inferno Eel - That’s right, the Inazuma Eel has been swapped out with the more annoying Inferno Eels from the Caverns. Instead of a small bolt of lightning being shot at you, they will shoot a larger ring of fire. It does about the same amount of damage as an Inazuma Eel’s shot, but the attack radius is much larger. You can jump through the attack like a trained dog, but you need to have a quick reaction time or you will end up pasted to the wall. (Thanks OMBUG for the additional info on dodging/avoiding the attack). The eel’s attack scheme is fairly balanced because they will shoot and sweep equally. You won’t have to worry about them shooting the entire time or trying to slap you constantly. Sadly, there is no prize for beating them this time. *tear* Phantom Skeletal Piranha - Yep, they’re back so soon. I bet you missed them from Chapter 7, but don’t worry, they’re here! * See Chapter 7 for more details on this enemy. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Peristyle Passageway… This is one of the easier challenges in the game because you have plenty of walls around you to use to your advantage, and your enemy of the day is easy to deal with. They will cautiously watch you and attack, but intercept them and make them suffer. Kill all 60 of the Greater Friend and receive a complementary Lives of the Thousand Gods. Bipedal Ogre Fiend - Yes, you heard right! The last of the new enemies is finally making its appearance, but you will surely learn to hate them! Instead of coming upon some Greater Fiends you will find the new Ogre Fiends waiting for you. These beasts are arguably the most powerful fiends in the game (not this fight, but them in general). They have some pretty amazing and damaging attacks that will either make or break you in terms of skill. First and foremost, do not destroy their triceratops mask using an aerial attack such as the Flying Swallow. This will send them into a berserker mode which spells more trouble for you. Focus on landing blows to their body, not the head. Using Max Essence attacks and executing your Intercept skill is key to killing them and keeping your life intact. If you see one jump, use your best evasive maneuver immediately! They will try to land on you (which will hurt you quite a bit), grab and squeeze you, then toss you to the ground like a rag doll. Talk about ouch. If you stay away from their massive swings and their jump and grab technique, you should survive to see the light of day. Zombie Drake - This boss, like Alma, has had little changed to its main attacks. It doesn’t have anything new, but it uses its more powerful attacks more frequently. The laser attack that causes a rift of fire and explosions takes less time for him to charge and he uses it at quicker intervals. Be careful, and try not to roll on the wrong direction. Also be aware that it will swipe at you with its wings/fingers if you get to close. All in all, nothing’s new an improved with the Drake, but you still need to approach it with caution when you attack. ** Chapter 11, The Path to Zarkhan Sentry - * See Chapter 9 for details on this enemy. Scorpion Fish - The large, green fish that you encounter throughout this level still remain one of the most harmless enemies in the game. Unless you surface for air and stay floating for too long, you should be okay. Rarely will you get attacked even when you swim dangerously close to it. Nothing new has been added to the fishes repertoire. Two shots from the spear gun and it’s be dead. By the way, the only reason why I call it the Scorpion Fish is because of the structure of its body, the pincer arms in particular. Bastet Fiend - If you happen to go back to the Monastery for a last minute Jewel of Demon Seal, you will encounter these feline demons again. Eliminate the trio and you’re done. See Chapter 4 for details on this enemy. Corporeal Doku - Doku is one of the few bad bosses that has had a pretty large overhaul in terms of improvement. Not only does he use his most lethal attacks more often, he is also more immune to some of your most effective attacks. If you use Flying Swallow religiously against bosses like this, then find another route. You will bounce off of him like Dynamo. I suggest using the Vigoorian Flails for him. Though it is a risk that you will get life drained, you can penetrate his tight defense fairly easily with a quick XXXY combo from the flails. Using the Lunar’s XYY combo will also see good results. Using Intercept with the Dragon Sword will also help you kill him. You can interrupt most of his attacks, but choose which ones you plan on countering wisely. If you Intercept during any of his larger combo strings, you could land a hit, but take the blunt end of the rest of the combo. One thing to really remember is to keep a medium distance so that you are out of grab range and so it won’t trigger some of his more annoying attacks such as his shockwave attack. Take heed that he will also pursue you in the stadium. Rather than stand aback, he will seek you out and destroy you. Once he falls, claim the Kietsu and move on. 60 Fiend Challenge in the Stadium… Now that you’ve defeated Doku, you can now commence with the newest challenge! This time, however, you won’t be fight 60 of the Red Dinosaur Fiends… You get to deal with the newest of the fiends, the Ogre! Use your best strategies to bring them down quickly before they can deal out any major damage. If you have the Unlabored Flawlessness or a level 3 Dabilahro, use the most damaging combos. You can take the risk and use the UF at 5-10% health, but you will have to be extremely careful in not getting batted away if you miss. If you can distance yourself from the Ogres, try to use the Max Essence Attack for whatever weapon you decide to use. After completing this challenge, you are awarded another Lives of the Thousand Gods. ** Chapter 12, The Caverns *** Note: I found this level to be one of the most frustrating levels in the Hurricane Pack. Why? Because every one of the Spiked Gallas have been replaced with the Ogre Fiends. This would be fine if they remained immobile while in the lava… They don’t. In addition to the fact that you can’t take them out with a ranged weapon, you have to deal with the lava pits when fighting them. Sure, going one on one with this is fun, but not in a really confined area and constant threat of taking even more damage from the molten hot magma. A basic strategy for this level would be to avoid fighting them at all costs unless you are given ample room to fight. One of the bad things about fighting them is that when they are in the lava and you are on a raised surface you will almost always shatter their mask, sending them into a berserk fury. Unless you are dead set on nailing every bit of Karma in the game, I would suggest you run past them. 60 Fiend Challenge at the Stairwell to the Imperial Palace… Like the Peristyle Passageway Challenge, this one is a piece of cake. Instead of four Greater Fiends at once, you are treated to a duel with a Lesser Fiend and two Greater’s at once. Unleash hell with the Lunar and you should finish within the ample time limit they give you. I usually finish this one with 200 or more seconds left on the clock. The reward is another Lives of the Thousand Gods. Greater Fiends - * See Chapter 10 for details on this enemy. Bipedal Ogre Fiends - * Refer to the note above. Hulking Ice Fiend - I like to call this fiend the Sloth Fiend for some reason, but I think Ice Fiend is good enough to give you the idea of which monster I am talking about. Anyways, if you had any trouble with this boss in the original, this time around it should be a lot easier. The Intercept allows you to intercept it when it lunges at you with its huge tipped paws. Using the Lunar is also another good tip to follow. I’d recommend the Forward + YYY, or the Lunar Explosion, then roll away tactic. When he lunges at you, intercept and do the same attack. Wash, rinse, repeat. Honestly, this boss has never been easier. After it’s dead, pick up the Eye of Ice and move on. Inazuma Eel - As you can imagine, this is like the fight with the eel from the Aqueducts in the original Ninja Gaiden. You have plenty of room now compared to Chapter 10, so use anything you see fit to destroy it. I recommend the Lunar level 3 of the Dabilahro. You can either lure it out and hack at it with either of the suggested weapons, or wait for it to whip at you and use a flying bird flip attack. Either of those strategies works pretty well. Once you’re done putting the eel down for good, grab the Eye of Fire and haul ass out of there. Golden Dragon - Still the same old same old with the Chapter 12 boss. The only tiny difference is that he will use his bite and flamethrower attack more often. I noticed no big differences in how if fought other than that. The best weapons to use for me were the level 3 Dabilahro and the Lunar at level 3 as well. Lunar Explosion and Infinite Fury were two of the most effective combos using the Lunar. The Flaming Hell Slash was one of my favorite combos to use with the Dabilahro. Oh, and before I forget, if you have the UF, let your health drop to roughly 10-15%, then give that Dragon hell! It will dramatically decrease the time it takes to kill it. Once dead, use its body as a bridge and collect the Lives of the Thousand Gods item. ** Chapter 13, The Fiendish Awakening *** Note: This level, to me, was very refreshing. Maybe it was Itagaki’s reward for making it this far because this level changed very little, if at all. With the exception to some changes to Alma, it’s roughly the same. *** Ignoring the enemies that you encounter coming out of the aqueduct… 60 Fiend Challenge After Fighting the Golden Dragon… Personally, I find this to be the easiest Fiend Challenge in the game. Whip out the Flail or the Lunar and slaughter the wasps that come after you. With plenty of time and an easy enemy, you can kill them in no time! The prize for this test of endurance is a Talisman of Rebirth. Fiendish SAT Soldier - The Fiend iteration of the SAT soldier is a bit more challenging than the original. One, they have a really annoying projectile attack that can or cannot be intercepted (I have yet to try). They also have a grab which they will exploit CONSTANTLY. Try to intercept everything they throw at you or stay airborne when fighting them. If you stay grounded and do nothing more than swing your weapon around, you’d be lucky to hit them and survive for the most part. Of all of the monsters you come across, these guys are the only ones I’ve come across that will use their throw as religiously as them. A good tip for fighting is to pull at out the Dabilahro and do a Flaming Hell Strike on them. If you can finish off the combo, it will kill them. The only problem is that will retreat to use their fireball attack and this will interrupt what you’re doing. Another good combo is either the Izuna Drop or Infinite Strike with the Lunar. 3 Fiend Challenge at Drawbridge Square… Yep, they replace the 3 purple Vigoorian Soldier Fiends that you come across near the drawbridge. You get the same reward for beating this 3 Fiend Challenge, but you actually have to earn this Talisman of Rebirth. Use whatever strategies you have found effective against them and claim your prize. Pill Bugs - * See Chapter 10 for details on this enemy. Alma Awakened - A lot of people are saying that she’s been heavily improved since the last encounter, but I can’t really agree with them. I mean, she has been improved, but not to the point where she’s THAT hard. Her charge-up fireball attack has almost no delay, her multiple fireball attack fires off faster, and she will grab you with her spider legs more often when she’s not floating. They may seem like big changes, but they are very manageable. One of her big weaknesses (still) is The Art of the Inferno. If you find yourself overwhelmed, let one rip, then proceed to hack her up with your best combos. Inferno alone will shave off about 15% of her life, plus the added damage from the hacking. The Dragon Sword or Lunar is your best choice for this battle because of the damage dealt and speed. Once she’s dead, you are treated to a lovely reunion of sisters. ** Chapter 14,Vengeful Spirit Phantom Skeletal Piranha - Oh yes, there are plenty of them on this level. If you hate them, then you will hate this level. Use the Lunar’s XXXY combo or anything with the flail. Whichever weapon you decide to use, you must pace yourself, otherwise you will get attacked each time you finish a combo. The Firewheel Ninpo can become your best friend on this level, and so can Inazuma. Firewheel gives you protection from the fishes and mobility. My only problem with using it is that it wears out fast and you could be left defenseless. Inazuma is a mixed bag. It kills them all, but they will respawn and tackle or bite you almost instantly. If you decide to use Inazuma, you must quickly retaliate to the school of fish that will come after the spell resolves. Ultimate Fiend - The crabby fiends that almost everyone comes to love. Fighting them one on one is fairly straightforward, but when you have to deal with many at time it can become frustrating. From what I’ve noticed, they have two big changes. Their laser attack has less of a charge delay, and they have been granted a new horizontal laser attack. Intercepting can become tricky as well because their grab looks like their regular thrust attack, but there’s one way to tell the difference: the thrust attack will leave a blue-white trail, the grab doesn’t. Why mention that? There have been many times when I was rushing through the level and I would try to intercept the grab and end up getting slammed into the ground. The best way to destroy these fiends is to use your most powerful Lunar combos and even whip out the Dabilahro. Using the Flaming Hell Strike or intercepting with a Max Essence Attack can end this fiend’s life quickly. Spirit Doku - This fight has changed quite a bit. You can no longer use the Blade of Nirriti attack over and over. The first hit from the combo will knock him away making it impossible to finish it off. Like Alma’s second form, he’s also weak to the Art of the Inferno, but he is more keen on dodging than she was. This time around, he is also a bit more aggressive when he attacks. He will charge you head on and use grabs more frequently. The best weapon choice is the newly upgrade Dragon Sword or the Lunar. ** Chapter 15, The Core Chapter 15, out of all of the chapters, has receive the biggest change. One, the four floors of The Core have all changed completely. The first floor is now inhabited by Bastet Fiends. To make it easier, I will write it as a list. Floor 1 - Bastet Fiends. I didn’t count, but I think there are 9 total. That or six. I was too caught up in the action to notice, but I am confident that it is 9. Floor 2 - This is when it starts getting noticeably different. Here you have the SAT Soldier Fiends and The Ultimate Fiends, or the Crab Fiends. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the Soldier Fiends. They are easy to dispatch, but they rarely use their stun baton to actually hit you. They stick with their projectile attack and grab and throw. This will effectively ruin intercept combos with the Crab Fiends. The weapon I used the most was the Dragon Sword. I whored the Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop as much as possible. Since the Crab Fiend followed me around the room, I would Izuna Drop the Soldier Fiends onto them, killing them both (sometimes not). You can also go crazy with the Lunar. It’s up to you. There are 3 Ultimate (Crab) Fiends and 3 SAT Soldier Fiends. Bon appetite. Floor 3 - I hated this floor. I repeat… HATED this floor. The Ogres are fun to go toe to toe with, but not here. They will almost always double team you and being in such a small space leaves little room to improvise. I used the Flail for the most part, rolling behind them and using The Cremator. It worked pretty well until the mask came off, then things got interesting. If you are good at multiple intercepts, then try to intercept everything they throw at you, and shut them down fast. Do not let them lose their mask, otherwise having two of them in berserk mode will mean certain death, or loss of items. If it gets too bad for you, unleash your favorite Ninpo, preferably Inferno or Inazuma. If you hit them both with Inferno or just hit them with Inazuma, then they will be sleeping with the fishes. There are a total of four Ogre fiends on this floor. Have fun. Floor 4 - This floor isn’t that bad compared to the previous one. Yes, you have to deal with Ogre Fiends in a confined space, but only one at a time. You also get to fight the Ultimate Fiends again. Intercept the Ultimate Fiends’ attacks and leach them onto the Ogres. If you want the time limit, use Ninpo spells. Level 3 Inferno will kill both of them if one happens to get in the line of fire of the other. Inazuma at level 3 will also decimate them. I used the Dragon Sword for this floor and a little of the Flail. Just mix and match to find what suits you best. There are 3 Ogres and 3 Ultimate Fiends on this floor. Back to the chapter’s enemies… Ultimate Fiend - * See Chapter 14 for details on this enemy. Greater Fiend - * See Chapter 10 for details on this enemy. Phantom Skeletal Piranha - * See Chapter 14 for details on this enemy. Bastet Fiend - * See Chapter 4 for details on this enemy. Tentacle Beast - * See Chapter 5 for details on this enemy. Hulking Ice Fiend - This fight has changed a bit as well. The boss itself is easy, but having 3 Greater Fiends running around during the fight can get tedious. There’s 29 of them total, so if you feel like killing them so you can go one on one with the boss, by all means. If you are going for speed, go after the boss alone, but kill a Fiend here and there for essence if you need life or to boost your essence-based attacks. Supreme Fiend Gogahn - Wow, I must say that fighting him on the Hurricane Pack was much easier than I expected. Because it is the Hurricane Pack, he acted twice as aggressive when fighting, which makes him easier. Why? Well, he does the barrel roll attack at least three times as much as he does on normal or hard. It’s a powerful attack when he actually lands it, but when he misses, he has nothing to break the fall and it leaves him open to attack. The Bastet Fiends that he summons are annoying, but easily killed using the Lunar’s Lunar Explosion attack. Lunar Explosion can also be used on Gogahn to great success. If you had problems with him in the original, you might have a few troubles here because of the Bastet Fiends, but he shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Once he’s down, take the last of the artifacts and open the gate to Hell itself. The final few fights are yet to come. Vigoorian Emperor, Angelic Form - He acts just like he does in the original. No worries here. Unless you struggle with him before, you should have no problems whatsoever. Focus on the blue orbs on its left and right arm and the chest. Use your floating platform and dodge the beams as best as possible. Vigoorian Emperor, Demonic Form The same strategies used for the original still apply. Pull out your bow and fire off all of your arrows at the numerous skulls covering its body. When he starts shedding them, use the Lunar to destroy as many as possible, inflicting damage with each one you kill. When the massive horned skull comes your way, roll-dodge like hell! Otherwise it will crush you in its mouth. Not a pretty site, not nice for your items. When he leaps to the platform you are on, use the same strategies as the original here too: hack the hell out of it. Use any of the quick weapons you have (the flail, Lunar, etc.) and pulverize it as best as you can. After the Emperor falls in defeat, you may proceed to kill your next target… ** Chapter 16, The Dark Dragon Blade The Dark Disciple, Murai - I would really like to say that he is harder than before, which he is in a sense, but he really isn’t. Sure, you can’t use the Flying Swallow for 2 minutes straight and claim victory, but you can win easy nonetheless. Focus using the Dragon Sword for this fight. The Lunar can probably do considerably well, but I used the Dragon Sword because of the Flying Swallow (which brought me to him, rather than damage him), and because I felt it was more epic. Ha. Use whatever combos you see fit and kill him once and for all. Once the deed is done, you are just that… DONE. That is the end of the Hurricane Pack. Submit your file and get ranked! Congratulations! *** If there is anything up to this point that you would to see changed or modified, drop me a line. Check the contact information for ways of getting a hold of me, or find me on the Ninja Gaiden board. *** [____ Item Changes ____] I will try my best to locate each and every treasure chest in the game. Chapters like 1 or 2 will be much easier than say… Chapter 4 in terms of location. Tairon is very large and has very few notable landmarks, so pinpointing certain chests will be harder than others. Please bear with me. Also, if you have a better way of locating a certain chest, tell me and I will include your directs as well as your name in this FAQ. Any help would be greatly appreciated. *** Important Note: Just for the sake of time and convenience, any corpse or chest that had a map in it remains the same. Those chests and corpses will be omitted. Also, special items will not be abbreviated. *** Now that I have said that, I will explain how this works. I will go chapter to chapter giving the location (most of the time according to the maps you pick up) of each chest, then it’s contents. Here is an example for the first chapter… ** Chapter 1, Way of the Ninja << Chapter number and title. This is a given. Outside of the Ninja Fortress << This is a general location of where you would be. Chest 1, Ledge with the patrolling rat - EoSL << The more specific location, followed by the contents > of the chest. If there is a [HP] by the item’s name > that means that it is still the same in the Hurricane > Pack. If not, then it has changed and noted below. This is also in the order in which I found the chests. If it seems out of order to you, then it is in one of the lesser linear chapters like chapter 4, 5, or 6. Another example… >> Item(s) not found in chest(s) << << This means that the item is not found in a chest, but on a corpse, on a shelf, or on the ground somewhere. With all of that said, I hope you understand. Now with the real locater. This will show the contents in a “before and after” fashion. In case you are confused, a Yellow Essence Cache is a large cluster of yellow essence. These replace numerous items throughout the game. A Full Essence Cache is a cluster of blue, red, and yellow essence. You will seldom find these throughout the course of the game. They are very nice finds though. Legend for item abbreviations: EoSL Elixir of Spiritual Health EoDW Elixir of Devil Way GSE Great Spirit Elixir GDE Great Devil Elixir LotG Life of the Gods LotTG Lives of the Thousand Gods SotD Spirit of the Devils JoDS Jewel of Demon Seal ToR Talisman of Rebirth ** Chapter 1, Way of the Ninja *Outside of the Ninja Fortress* Chest 1, Ledge with the patrolling rat - EoSL << [HP] Chest 2, Ledge that you encounter the first Brown/White Ninjas - EoSL >> Changed to: Technique Scroll: Intercept *Inside the Ninja Fortress* Chest 3, Room with the clay pots and shelving - EoSL >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache >> Items not found in chests << On the shelving and floor near the samurai statue EoSL x2 << [HP] Chest 4, First training room with the two paper lamps - LotTG << [HP] ** Important Item ** - In the same room as Chest 4, you will find the Lunar inside the pot near the false wall. *Underground Storehouse* Chest 5, Hidden behind 4 clay pots SE of trap door entrance - GSE << [HP] Chest 6, In the alcove near the two barrier torches - Fangs of the Samurai >> Changed to: A chest full bats. Chest 7, Room above first training room - ToR >>Changed to: Fangs of the Samurai >> Item not found in chest << Hidden in a clay pot in Murai’s private training room - EoSL >>Changed to: There is nothing under the pot in the Hurricane Pack. ** Chapter 2, The Hayabusa Ninja Village *Near the altar, in the wooded area, or near the downed bridge* Chest 1, Behind the Altar Elevator - EoSL << [HP] Chest 2, First chest encountered in the woods - EoDW >> Changed to: LotG Chest 3, Hidden under the downed bridge in a small enclave - LotG << [HP] *Hayabusa Ninja Village* >> Items not found in chests << Found on a corpse to the alley on the left after entering the village - EoSL << [HP] Statue with missing Jizo head - LotG << [HP] On the left shelf (facing the entrance) by Muramasa - EoSL >> Changed to: This item does not appear in the Hurricane Pack. Found on a corpse before fighting Hatamoto - GSE << [HP] *** Note: Hatamoto drops a LotG instead of the Technique Scroll: Counter Attack.*** ** Chapter 3, Skies of Vengeance *Living Quarters* >> Items not found in chests << On the table in Ryu’s room - EoDW >> On the table directly across from Ryu’s room - EoSL << [HP] Chest 1, In the Galley/Kitchen, to the left of the Captain’s Quarters hallway - LotG << [HP] Chest 2, Helm/Fore Cabin, after receiving the ID card - LotG << [HP] Chest 3, Aft Cabin, same side with the “careless window repair“ - EoSL >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache *Living Quarters during auxiliary power* Chest 4, The chest to the right of the scarab in the storage room - EoDW >> Chest 5, The chest to the left of the scarab in the storage room - ToR << [HP] *The Gas Compartment Passageway* Chest 6, While on the long catwalk - GSE << [HP] ** Chapter 4, Imperial City Infiltrated *Military Gate* >> Item not found in chest << Corpse to the left of the Military Base entrance - Technique Scroll: Guillotine Throw >> Changed to: LotG *At or around the Clock Tower Plaza* Chest 1, Secluded balcony near the Lily Key door - LotTG >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache Chest 2, In a windowed alcove almost directly below the clock tower - SotD << [HP] Chest 3, Balcony above entrance to Pleasure Street - GDE >> Changed to: EoSL Chest 4, In a sealed room that houses an ancient circle of stones - Full Essence Cache << [HP] >> Item not found in a chest << Corpse near the red-jeweled door - Nunchaku >> Changed to: EoDW ** Chapter 5, The City of Fiends *Han’s Bar* Chest 1, On the rooftop next to the save point - Lily Key << [HP] Chest 2, Balcony below starting point - EoSL Chest 3, First hallway leading downstairs - EoSL >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache >> Item not found in chest << On the bar itself, off to the left - EoDW >> Changed to: This item does not appear in the Hurricane Pack. *In the Moat Road vicinity* Chest 4, On an overlook at the end of an alleyway coming from Moat Road - EoSL >> Changed to: LotG Chest 5, Taking the path from the blue-jeweled door, on the left - Key of Pegasus << [HP] *Drawbridge Hill* Chest 6, Taking a right and going down the street, there is a chest on the left - EoSL >> Changed to: LotG Chest 7, In a narrow alleyway to the left of the Monastery’s main entrance - GSE >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache ** Chapter 6, The Monastery *** Note: The contents of the safe in the Monk’s Room remain the same in the Hurricane Pack. First time - Book of [the] Eons Second time - Life of the Gods Third time - Jewel of Demon Seal They are the exact same, but I wanted to add that just so you know. *Near or in the Monastery Annex* Chest 1, Behind Ryu at the chapter’s starting point on the right - GSE >> Changed to: A chest full of bats Chest 2, Behind Ryu at the chapter’s starting point on the left - LotG << [HP] Chest 3, After ascending the third flight of stairs in the Annex - EoSL << [HP] *Annex Exit, Monastery Entrance* Chest 4, After exiting the Annex on the right - EoDW >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache *Monastery Sanctuary* Chest 5, Overlooking the entrance, at the top of the incline - EoSL >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache Chest 6, Heading toward the Alter, behind the pillars - EoDW << [HP] Chest 7, Left Catwalk - GDE >> Changed to: EoDW Chest 8, Right Catwalk - GSE >> Changed to: EoSL Chest 9, Right Balcony - EoSL >> Changed to: LotG *Monastery Archives* >> Items not found in chests << In the right forward display case - EoSL >> Changed to: This item does not appear in the Hurricane Pack *Econtra Babel Specus* Chest 10, The first chest you encounter after the Indy moment - GSE >> Changed to: A chest full of bats Chest 11, Multi-platformed room going down towards the Ritual Room - LotG << [HP] *Tombs of the Eons* Chest 12, Before the elevator to the Ritual Room EoSL >> Changed to: Yellow Essence Cache Chest 13, After the elevator right, off and to the right - Vigoorian Flail >> Changed to: EoSL ** Chapter 7, Hidden Underground *** Under Construction, please check back for updates. If you have any specific changes to items found in chests, on corpses, etc. please contact me. I’m not perfect, so there are probably some chests that I may miss from time to time. If you know where one is or if I slip up and list one incorrectly, tell me! I will gladly include you in the FAQ if you submit information. Refer to the contact information at the end of this FAQ, thanks! *** [____ Special Thanks ____] I want to thank Team Ninja and Tecmo for creating such an amazing game. Although this game is a ball buster, it keeps me coming back over and over. I also want to thank them for staying committed to the fans by releasing this Hurricane Pack. It’s a nice add-on to an already awesome game experience. I want to thank my girlfriend and other friends for helping me proof read this so that it has as little typos as possible. Also, I want to thank the Ninja Gaiden board for making me want to write this. In particular, I would also like to thank aaxe for letting me use the names he found fit in his Enemy Guide FAQ and giving me suggestions along the way. I also owe Zidaneff9 great thanks for helping me gather the location and contents of every treasure chest, corpse, etc. in the HP! Great work! Last, I want to tank GameFAQs for making a great site and enabling gamers to create FAQs to help others succeed in games. For now, I guess that’s about it. If you think you should be included, tell me! Use the contact information below. [____ FAQ ____] Q: What is the Hurricane Pack? A: The Hurricane Pack is essentially an add-on to Ninja Gaiden that is used in conjunction with the Master Ninja Tournament. It was created so that the tournament would be different from before. It adds several new features and a ton of minor and major alterations to the game making it harder. At first it will seem very difficult, but when you get a firm grasp on the new technique the Intercept, and the new weapon, the Lunar, everything will fall into place and it will become second nature. Q: How much does it cost to download it? A: Nothing. The download is provided free of charge so that everyone that is willing can participate in the tournament. Q: Can I get this game without Xbox Live? A: No, you cannot. Even if you were able to get it, you wouldn’t be able to submit your score to the Xbox leader board, which is the whole point of the tournament. Team Ninja feels that the only reason people want it is to compete in the tournament. Eventually, when the tournament is over, they might give authorization to the Official Xbox Magazine to include it on one of the demo discs. The possibility of that is high because once the first Hurricane Pack is over, there is talk of a second being released, making the first obsolete. Anyways, OXM had the exclusive demo of Ninja Gaiden back in the Dec./Jan. issue, so don’t worry. *** Attention: For those that are desperate for the Hurricane Pack right now *** If you really want the Hurricane Pack right now, here’s what I suggest. If you have a friend that has bought a game like Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, XIII, Rainbow Six 3, or any game that includes a two month free trial to Xbox Live, ask them for it. All that it requires of you is a credit card number, and some other personal information. You can use the free trial for a few weeks to get the Hurricane Pack, play the hell out of it, then cancel the trial. I’m not sure about this, but I think when you cancel the trial you have to explain to them why. Here are some of the best excuses… - You are moving out and won’t have internet. Renewing the subscription will be a waste of money. - You are going off to college and will be a on a tight budget, Xbox Live is out of the question. - Your parents are punishing you and won’t let you have Xbox Live anymore. - Your selling the Xbox, and have no need for the subscription anymore. Those are just a few. Then again, I am not even sure that they question you, but it is Microsoft. If there is no interrogation from the from them, then… Hooray. Again, be sure to cancel the subscription before they charge whatever credit card you used $50 or so for a new 12 month subscription. Q: How do I get it to work? A: As I said earlier in the FAQ, you must log onto the “Master Ninja Tournament” option in the main menu and start your game from there. After logging in, find the option “Master Ninja Tournament” from the Xbox Live options. After that, select “Master Ninja Tournament #2” and confirm your decision. Have fun! Q: What did Team Ninja add to the game specifically? A: They added a new weapon, the Lunar; a new technique scroll, Intercept; along with two new enemies. Those enemies are the Bastet Fiends, or Cat Women, and the Bipedal Ogre Fiends. Also, many of the items in the game have been changed along with the enemy AI, bosses included. The last thing added is the new camera and the two additional costumes. That’s what’s new in a nutshell. Q: Can I unlock the classic Ninja Gaiden games in the Hurricane Pack? A: In short, no. This is intended to be a tournament and only that. If you want to earn the original Ninja Gaiden games, you must play it on normal, hard, or very hard. Q: Is the original game gone forever if I download the Hurricane Pack? A: Nope, the Hurricane Pack can only be started while on Xbox Live, but can be played after saved offline. The download is never written onto the disc or saved on the HDD in a way that it would replace old data. No worries. Q: What requires more skill, the Hurricane Pack, or the original or Very Hard? A: This is a tough question. There are instances in the Hurricane Pack that are harder than the original game can ever get. But really, it’s just a really frustrating part involving really tight spaces and Ogres. The only real kicker on Very Hard is how the AI acts and how the shop’s items are jacked up in price, sometimes doubled, but all of the chests contain the same items they did on normal difficulty. Each version has aspects that are harder than the other, so I can’t really say. *** This section will remain under construction until I can get some real questions by real people. Until then, skip this section. *** [____ Contact Information ____] First, before listing the information needed, I wanted to set some guidelines. I will not respond to emails asking for in depth strategies, but I will make some exceptions from time to time. If your question (or questions) bring something to my attention that may need to be added to the FAQ, then I will defiiately answer your email. But most of the time, I am not the one you should contact for that. Preferably one of the other members of the Ninja Gaiden board, or perhaps one of the FAQ authors. I will most likely ignore and/or delete your email at once. If you have suggestions, things you want to add to this FAQ, or if you feel that you deserve credit for something, please tell me. I am also looking for someone that would like to do some ASCII for the title of this FAQ. If you want to show off your talents, then contact me with one of the methods below. I will be more than happy to use it in my FAQ. Email: elpresidentexx@yahoo.com AIM: fedzMONKEY or tadaoNakamaru MSN: fedzMONKEY@hotmail.com, although I don’t use it often, feel free to look for me there as well. Lastly, GameFAQs: fedzMONKEY [____ Legal Mumbo Jumbo ____] This FAQ is my own published work, and a copyright © of Andrew Brandon. Whatever you do, do not edit this FAQ in any way. Do not steal anything from this FAQ. If you want to use some information for your own guide, simply ask me. If you want to place the guide on your website, link to the GameFAQs game page or download it and place it on your own server. You can post this on your website if it’s still in it’s original form, not altered in any way, and not linked directly from GameFAQs. Aside from that, all credit is due when necessary. For now, only GameFAQs has the permission to show this FAQ. End of Document