Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis A+ Ending Guide & Cheat Your Way to an A+ Version 1.30 08/07/2004 SPOILERS: This document discusses the endings, strategies, and plot points of Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis. DISCLAIMERS: Cheat codes can DESTROY OR CORRUPT _ANY_ save game on your cartridge. I am not responsible for any damage or inconvenience you may suffer by using this guide. Tactics Ogre: The Knight Of Lodis Gameboy Advance GameShark v.1/v.2 and Raw Hexadecimal codes by Jacob Quisenberry © Jacob Quisenberry 2004 jacob_quisenberry@hotmail.com You may distribute this document as much as you want IF: (1) You maintain credit to me. (2) You do not change anything. (3) You do not make any money. You may include information from this document in other documents IF: (1) You give credit to me. (2) You do not credit me with things I did not create. (3) You give me notice at jacob_quisenberry@hotmail.com [0]. TABLE OF CONTENTS [1]. INTRODUCTION PART I [2]. REQUIREMENTS Here is detailed what the game checks for before awarding the A+ ending. [3]. CHEAT YOUR WAY TO AN A+ This section assumes that you are near the end of the game, typically ready to save at Charadrius before the Angel’s Headstone. [4]. PLAY-THROUGH WITH LITTLE EFFORT This section describes how to play the game from the beginning and obtain an A+ with a minimum of effort. - Includes 99999999 Goth Code - Includes Automatic Leveling Technique [5]. MISCELLANEOUS CODES These codes are not important to obtain the A+ ending, but I found them and do not want them to go to waste. [6]. A+ TRANSCRIPT [7]. HOW TO USE CHEAT DEVICES [7A]. Using a GameShark [7B]. Using an Emulator [7C]. Using AR Crypt to convert codes among devices PART II [8]. STRATEGIES TO OBTAIN AN A+ LEGITIMATELY [8A]. My strategy for beating Shaher [8B]. Other Fans’ Strategies for EARNING an A+ [9]. CREDITS [10]. COMMENTS [11]. HISTORY OF THIS GUIDE [12]. CONCLUSION [1]. INTRODUCTION This guide has two purposes: (1) Provide the fastest possible ways to cheat your way to the A+ ending; and (2) Provide strategies to obtain the A+ ending legitimately in one play-through. Q. What is the A+ ending? A. There are four regular endings to this game, designated on the “The End” screen by letter grades A,B,C,D. Ending ‘A’ is considered the “good” ending. The A+ ending is the ‘A’ ending plus one additional scene after the “The End” screen. Even when you earn the A+ ending, the “The End” screen will display ‘A’. Thus the term A+ is merely a descriptive term. Q. What happens in the A+ ending’s additional scene? A. If you are viewing this document, you will be able to see the ending soon enough. However, a transcript of the additional scene is described in the section “A+ TRANSCRIPT”. Q. Why cheat? A. One requirement for obtaining the A+ is to finish the game in under 25 hours. This game contains many interesting secrets and battles. Fully exploring the game will take more than 25 hours. Once the player fully explores the game, there is not much fun in playing through again. Cheating allows the player to view the A+ ending no matter how long he takes to complete the first play-through. Q. If cheating is so good, why provide legitimate strategies? A. If the player feels that this game has significant replay value, the player may, nevertheless, want to play through the second time quickly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2]. REQUIREMENTS This section describes what is required to obtain the A+ ending. 1. Follow the game’s ‘A’ plot path. After battle 6, at Cape Urodela, you are given a plot choice. A: "I've no better ideas..." B: "It doesn't seem right." Choose choice ‘A’. You are now on the ‘A’ plot path. 2. Allow Eleanor to join your party. After battle 10, at Solea Beach, you are given a plot choice. A: "OK. Let's go together." B: "If you are so serious..." Choose choice 'A' to let Eleanor join your party. 3. Do not let more than 5 characters die. You can let 0-5 characters die and still get the A+ ending. I do not know whether this refers to death without resurrection and the loss of a character only or also death followed by resurrection. Using a Snapdragon to make a sword from a character counts as a death. Note: Most websites state that you cannot let more than _10_ characters die. This is wrong! By using cheat codes and a memory viewer, I determined that every number 6 and up prevents the award of the A+ ending. 4. Alphonse must defeat 50 enemies or more. This must be actual enemies, not characters in training. I have verified this by observing the appropriate hexadecimal value in memory. 5. Include Eleanor in your party when fighting Shaher, the final boss. Eleanor must survive that battle. The series of battles at the Angel’s Headstone spans five battles. Eleanor needs to be in your party for the fourth battle because your fourth battle team carries over to the fifth battle. Note: to "survive", Eleanor must not be dead or petrified. She can be Poisoned, Confused, Charmed, or Stunned. 6. Finish the game in under 25 hours. It may be 25 hours or less. Note: The game clock continues even during the period after you defeat Shaher and before viewing the “The End” screen. Less than 25 hours must have elapsed by the time you pass the “The End” screen. This can be verified with a memory viewer. 7. The Layoneil Secrets FAQ on GameFAQs states that you must have earned the 'A' ending in a previous game. This step is probably not necessary. I have received a report from a player on GameFAQs.com that he earned the A+ ending on a "brand new game." 8. Variations: There are three points in the ending where the scene shown or deleted varies depending on choices made during the game. (1) Depends on which of Cybil and Shiven are alive and not petrified. (2) Depends on which of Cybil and Shiven are alive and not petrified. (3) Depends on which of Elrik and Euphaire are alive and not petrified. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3]. CHEAT YOUR WAY TO AN A+ This section assumes that you are about ready to finish the game. The codes provided below allow you to obtain each of the requirements for the A+ ending. a. Best Cheating The best way to cheat is to complete all necessary cheating on the world map after completing the battle at Charadrius and before assaulting the Angel’s Headstone. Cheating here will allow you to follow best practices. (a) Activate cheat codes. (b) Wait a second. (c) Deactivate cheat codes. (d) Save the game. (e) Reset the game. (f) Open the saved game. Cheating using this method is sometimes more stable than with other methods. Additionally, it gives you the chance to verify the success of some cheats, such as by checking the time displayed on the save game file. b. Alternative Cheating Cheating after the last opportunity to save can cause problems. It is often possible to cheat later, and I will provide instructions where I can. Cheating with a real hardware device rather than an emulator may be problematic with alternative cheating. THE CODES 1. Choose Plot-Path ‘A’. I have not attempted to create a cheat code or series of cheat codes to convert a B-path game to an A-path game. I do not know how such a code would affect the game, and I believe it would not be feasible to create all the necessary codes. 2. Do not let more than 5 characters die. These codes will set the total number of characters fallen to zero. Best Cheating Input the cheat code at Charadrius. Wait a few seconds, then deactivate the code. Save the game. Finish the game to the “The End” screen without allowing 10 or more characters to die. Death includes using a Snapdragon to turn a character into a sword. Alternative Cheating At any time before the final statistics screen, activate the code, resume playing for a second, and then deactivate the codes. If you do not deactivate the codes before the game attempts to auto-save after “The End”, the game may not auto-save correctly. CHARACTERS FALLEN Raw Form: 020013B4:000000xx , where xx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of characters killed. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020013B4:00000000 4ECCB1569AD4AA0C BF8B9D5D 64CBCB61 3. Alphonse must defeat 50 enemies or more. These codes will change the number of kills by Alphonse to 99 and will also update the total number of kills by all members. IMPORTANT NOTE: This code works when Alphonse occupies the first slot on the Organize screen. You may need to organize your characters manually. I have not tested this code to determine whether this code works if Alphonse occupies another slot. Best Cheating Input the cheat code at Charadrius. Wait a few seconds, then deactivate the code. Save the game. Finish the game to the “The End” screen. Alternative Cheating At any time before the final statistics screen, activate the code, resume playing for a second, and then deactivate the code. If you do not deactivate the code before the game attempts to auto-save after, the game may not auto-save correctly. CHARACTERS FALLEN Raw Form: 020013B8:000000xx , where xx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of enemies killed by Alphonse. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020013B8:00000063 6535D7420726681B 924634D9 3D80060D 4. Include Eleanor in the battle against Shaher and have her survive. I have not attempted to create a cheat code or series of cheat codes to tell the game that the game ending with Eleanor in your party and that she survived because: (1) The first scene of the ending involves characters on the field, so I do not know how a code would affect the game. (2) I think it would be very difficult to develop a all the necessary codes. 5. Under 25 hours. These codes will change the time played to 2:05. Time will pass normally from 2:05 once the code is deactivated. Best Cheating Input the cheat codes at Charadrius. Wait a few seconds, then deactivate the codes. Save the game. Wait a minute or two. Save again in a new slot to verify that time has passed from the time you set. Finish the game to the “The End” screen before about 22:50 more time passes. Alternative Cheating. At any time before the final statistics screen, activate the codes, resume playing for a second, then deactivate the codes. If you do not deactivate the codes before the game attempts to auto-save, it may not auto-save later. HOURS Raw Form: 0200118D:000000xx , where xx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of hours. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 0200118D:00000002 EB04CAC66E580483 627E83EF 3E0718B6 MINUTES Raw Form: 0200118E:000000xx , Where xx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of minutes. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 0200118E:00000005 A0F4C156671EC038 3AEDCE20 CF6BC7F4 Note: Time in memory is stored as Hours, Minutes, AND Seconds. I have not provided codes to modify seconds because there may be a stability benefit in having one of the time values increment as it should. 6. Automatic Conversion. This code is not necessary if the requirements for the A+ ending have been met either legitimately or with the codes listed above. This single code converts an ‘A’ ending to the A+ ending. If you have a problem with other methods, and you can finish the game with the ‘A’ ending, using this code will trigger the A+ scene. In addition, this code will trigger the A+ ending scene after the "The End" screen of endings 'A', 'B', 'C', or 'D', or the "Game Over" screen of the Game Over ending. Best Cheating There probably is no really good way to do this since which ending you get is determined after the last opportunity to save at Charadrius. Alternative Cheating At the final statistics screen, activate this code. Wait a second and deactivate the code. If you do not deactivate the code before the game attempts to auto-save (after the A+ scene), the game will not auto-save correctly. ‘A’ to A+ Conversion Code RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020011EA:000000B7 94203175C37D237B 3C1231CB DEB39B30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4]. PLAY-THROUGH WITH LITTLE EFFORT This section provides the steps needed to obtain the A+ ending with little effort, cheating where useful. This section assumes that you are just starting the game. This section will guide you to the point where you can make good use of the section CHEAT YOUR WAY TO AN A+. Cheating will be marked with a *Cheat* notation. 1. Start a new game. 2. Complete the first two story missions. Training will now be available. 3. Play missions, encounters, and even limited training battles to level up your characters enough to gain the prerequisites for the most important classes. You should not spend much time leveling up. You would be best off by acquiring Special / Story characters and upgrading their classes. For instance, you will get Eleanor after you complete Chapter 1 on path ‘A’. She can become a decent priest. I like to have two priests, some knights, and some mages. Note: Characters who gain 20 levels in training will receive the “Bogus Hero” emblem. That emblem prevents the character from scoring critical hits. The ill effect can be negated with the “Miracle” emblem, but I do not know whether the positive effect of the Miracle emblem is likewise diminished. 4. *Cheat* Acquire lots of Goth (money). Note: There are important items you cannot buy in shops. For example, there is the _Resurrection Spell Book_. Check a full walkthrough to find what important items are available. If you cheat your way to riches, you will not have to worry about finding items or killing enemies for treasure. You will be able to buy decent items from shops to supplement what you do find. These codes provide 99999999 Goth GOTH Code Raw Form: 02001184:xxxxxxxx , Where xxxxxxxx is a hexadecimal representation of the amount of Goth. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 02001184:05F5E0FF 809892BC257EF054 41B70CBF 0B495FEF 5. Use training to level up your characters to level 50 whenever you want. When your characters are at level 50, story missions and encounters will be a breeze. Furthermore, you not have much need to kill all the enemies in any given battle to obtain their treasures. Thus, you will be able to spend very little time actually playing the game. To enjoy the game fully, do not use automatic leveling. I suggest it only as a method to reduce the amount of time you must pay attention to the game. To level up you characters in training: 01. Buy an A/C adapter for your Gameboy Advance. This process will take many hours, but you need not pay attention to the game. 02. Save your game. 03. Enter the Organize screen. Remove the weapons and offensive spell books from all the characters you will train. This will minimize the amount of damage your characters will sustain. If you use priests, clerics, and knights with the “Heal” spell, the damage sustained will be negligible, and training can continue indefinitely. 04. Enter Training. Deploy as many characters as you want to train, up to eight on each team. 05. Press the Right Shoulder Button to bring up the menu. Select “System” then “Control Setup”. Set the controls to pit computer against computer. The two teams will now fight automatically. To interrupt the battle, press the Right Shoulder button repeatedly until the word “Pause” appears in the upper, left corner of the screen. This will bring up the menu when the current character’s turn is over. 06. Walk away for lots of hours while your characters earn experience. If your characters are of a similar level, it will take a long time to level them up. If you have characters that are much weaker than others, they will level up quickly until they are of a similar level of the other characters. 07. Check your progress every so often if you want. Press the Right shoulder button to bring up the word “Pause” and eventually the menu. You can observe your character statistics by choosing to “View List”. If you prefer to examine characters on the playing field, go to “System” -> “Control Setup” to set the controls of both teams to Manual. Return controls to Computer to resume the battle. 08. Interrupt the battle and choose to end training. 09. Save on the world map. 6. Play the game normally through Charadrius. Save before entering the Angel’s Headstone. Save in more than one slot (1) to reduce the chance of corruption by cheat codes; and (2) because the game auto-saves after the ending. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5]. MISCELLANEOUS CODES These are codes I found while writing this guide but that are not especially useful in cheating your way to an A+. ----------------------------------------------------------- ------------ GOTH CODE : These codes provide 99999999 Goth Raw Form: 02001184:xxxxxxxx , Where xxxxxxxx is a hexadecimal representation of the amount of Goth. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 02001184:05F5E0FF 809892BC257EF054 41B70CBF 0B495FEF ------------ DISMISSED CHARACTERS : These codes change the dismissed characters number to 4369. This code modifies the number for how many characters you have dismissed. Raw Form: 020013B6:0000xxxx , Where xxxx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of characters dismissed. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020013B6:00001111 EDEE6E732F47BA69 EE968F36 747ED8D7 ------------ TOTAL KILLS : This code modifies the number for how many total enemies your characters have killed. The total can also be modified by changing individual characters’ count, but this code changes the total for all characters independently of any individual character. These codes change number of kills to 4369 Raw Form: 020013B8:0000xxxx Where xxxx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of total kills. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020013B8:00001111 F9A3398499EA9CD4 60385F2C A8828000 ------------ ELRIK’S KILLS : This code modifies the number for how many enemies Elrik killed. Changing this number will also affect the number for how many enemies all your characters have killed. This code works when Elrik is in the 6th slot on your organize screen. You may need to place Elrik in that slot by organizing manually. I have not tested codes for cases where Elrik is in a different slot. These codes change Elrik’s kills to 99 Raw Form: 020016BC:000000xx Where xx is a hexadecimal representation of the number of Elrik’s kills. RAW GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 020016BC:00000063 4F26335B2290E012 6B619B86 E7AB2020 ------------ ENDING CONVERSION This is the address used to convert an ‘A’ ending to an A+. 020011EA:xx I have seen these xx values B6 in an ‘A’ ending B7 in an A+ ending B0 in other endings ------------ ---------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6]. A+ TRANSCRIPT [Music: The music has an ominous feel for several seconds.] [Scene: Pictured are homes or shops, a town by a mountainside. It is snowing. The camera pans up the mountain and stops at the top.] [Music: When the camera start panning up the mountain the music changes to a more urgent feel, one of action and foreshadowing a deed of import.] [At the top of the mountain, looking at the town is Alphonse (renamed Lans Tartare by the Pope). Alphonse is older with long blue hair. He is wearing a knight’s armor and sitting atop an armored horse.] [A ninja approaches Alphonse. From the ninja’s headshot, he appears to be an ordinary ninja clad in gray. His name is Shadow.] Shadow: “Everything’s ready. We’ll soon set fire to the town.” [From Alphonse’s headshot: Alphonse has matured. He wears a patch over his right eye.] One-Eyed Knight: “That priest... Is he here?” Shadow: “Yes, we have verified his presence.” One-Eyed Knight: “It doesn’t matter how... Capture him without arousing suspicion.” [Shadow, the ninja walks away from Alphonse.] [Alphonse continues to watch the town.] [Fade to black.] [The game auto-saves.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7]. HOW TO USE CHEAT DEVICES However you decide to cheat, you should be very familiar with your device’s instructions. If something I suggest is contrary to a device’s instructions, do not do it. I have provided RAW hexadecimal (unencrypted) versions of my codes along with a description of the format. If you need encrypted codes for a particular device, and I have not provided them, see the section on AR Crypt. [7A]. Using a GameShark The GameShark v.1/v.2 and v.3 require master codes before recognizing other cheat codes. For any cheat code to work, you must activate the master codes. Below are master codes. Use codes 2 or 3 or 4 only if codes #1 do not work for you. GameShark v.1/v.2 GameShark v.3 Master Code #1 Master Code #1 B8082E35F07B3ACC 687A4DFB 488ED39E CD23B7B24883FB1A A6526B68 9508E5B9 Master Code #2 Master Code #2 CEC2B91228018D26 48A477DE 51B4BBF8 CD23B7B24883FB1A A6526B68 9508E5B9 Master Code #3 Master Code #3 4459FEA3EDF917CB E264E0A0 88D18B5F CD23B7B24883FB1A A6526B68 9508E5B9 Master Code #4 Master Code #4 54251CC4F74AEC12 32920730 84E43262 CD23B7B24883FB1A A6526B68 9508E5B9 [7B]. Using an Emulator Keep in mind that in many countries and jurisdictions, emulators and ROM may be illegal. Using them without express permission may subject you to civil liability and criminal charges. Do not fool yourself into believe that United States “Fair Use” doctrine protects your use of emulators; it probably does not. Any other legal theories are highly contentious. If you use an emulator (legally), use only VisualBoy Advance. The emulator is available from http://vba.ngemu.com/ . The emulator includes a RAM viewer and a disassembler. The emulator supports at least RAW hexadecimal, GameShark v.1/v.2, and CodeBreaker codes. Real cheat devices require the use of a master code to recognize all other cheat codes. Emulators do not. This means that you can enter only the codes that you want to activate. VisualBoy Advance supports 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit RAW entries. The format is 8-bit aaaaaaaa:bb 16-bit aaaaaaaa:bbbb 32-bit aaaaaaaa:bbbbbbbb Where aaaaaaaa is a memory address and bb, bbbb, or bbbbbbbb is a hexadecimal value. VisualBoy Advance supports encrypted GameShark v.1/v.2 codes. When entering a v.1/v.2 code, do NOT use a space. If you use a space, the system will think you are using a v.3 code. VisualBoy Advance supports GameShark v.3 codes. You MUST include a space between the 8th and 9th characters of a code, or the system will think you are using a v.1/v.2 code. [7C]. Using AR Crypt to convert codes among devices I have provided RAW Hexadecimal codes that can be used to generate codes for specific cheat devices. Commercial cheat devices usually use encryption. They do not want users creating their own cheat codes. To convert codes from RAW to another format, you want a converter. A great converter called AR Crypt converts RAW, v.1/v.2, and v.3 codes to each of the other two. You can download AR Crypt from http://www.gscentral.com You will probably need an UnRAR utility to open the file. Rar is an archive format like ZIP. The basic idea is this (1) Type the code in the left pane; (2) Select which type of code you entered by using the radio buttons below the left pane; (3) Select the type of code you want to generate by using the radio buttons below the right pane; (4) Choose formatting option; (5) Click Proceed. If you need master codes, do this: (1) Select the format you want below the two panes; (2) Choose Menu -> Find Master code and ID Code (3) Select the ROM (4) Click Open (5) Click OK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART II [8]. STRATEGIES TO OBTAIN AN A+ LEGITIMATELY [8A]. My strategy for beating Shaher Here is how to beat Shaher without special weapons. Special characters are not necessary either, but I have provided tips on which ones to use. The first two steps must be done before defeating Shaher’s first form in the fourth battle at Angel’s Headstone. This is because the characters you use and the HP, MP, and SP they have at the end of that battle carry over to the final battle against Shaher in the fifth battle at Angel’s Headstone. 1. Characters Bring 2 priests with the Heal Plus spell, a couple of mages with elemental spells such as Crag Crush, and lots of knights with the Heal spell. Equip Longicolnis to a character with high weapon defense, hopefully a knight with Heal in case you need it. Do the same with Osric's Spear. 2. MP, HP, SP In the fourth battle at Angel’s Headstone, make sure your priests and mages have lots of MP available, as you start the fifth battle with what they had at the end of the fourth battle. You can use Euphaire's Energy Transfer to help. 3. Equipment You will have a chance to change equipment, spells, and character classes between the two battles with Shaher. Equip with Shields characters prone to status defects. If you do not know which ones those are, they are the ones who got confused or charmed if you have ever tried to defeat Shaher’s final form before. Alternatively, use other items to prevent status defects. Only petrification at the end of the battle counts as death for the purpose of the endings. Shaher's Day of Reackoning attack causes Petrification, Poison, Confusion, Charm, and Stun. When the battle begins, Shaher will summon two Dark Stalkers and two Hell Gigantes. If you kill any two of those enemies, Shaher will summon more possibly including the much tougher Predators on its next turn. 4. Shaher’s Minions Kill the Predators (guys with lances) and the Hell Gigantes (big, bulky guys). Never kill the Dark Stalkers (thin guys). If the Dark Stalkers take damage from you or from Cataclysm, you could heal them. No need to heal them separately; just heal them along with the party members they are standing next to. If you keep killing Predators and Hell Gigantes, Shaher may summon Dark Stalkers, and you will end up with four Dark Stalkers. You should be able to take whatever they dish out. Predators are bad. Their lances can hit two people, both for heavy damage. Hell Gigantes hit hard as well. Some guides will tell you to leave three enemies so that you will only ever have to contend with three (Shaher will not summon the 4th). I say kill what I told you to kill. Besides, every time Shaher uses Descent (summons enemies), that is a time you do not have to face Cataclysm (damage to all), Day of Reckoning (status defects), or Apocalypse (big damage to one character.) 5. Formation Organize your characters into a strategic formation. The best way is to form two letter T-shaped formations on the edge of the map on each side of Shaher. If you are weak: Line up three characters along the edge of the map on each side of Shaher, starting with the squares ONE SQUARE AWAY from Shaher. Put spear-armed characters closest to Shaher. They will still be able to hit Shaher from that distance, but not for much damage. The next square away on each side, place a priest. Then place a knight or strong magic user behind the priest. Finally, place your remaining character on the empty square adjacent to the priest. Your priest is now on the edge of the board surrounded by three allies and cannot be attacked except by Predators, or Shaher. The formation will look like this S| |K|P|C| S=Shaher | | |C| | K=Knight K| | | | | P=Priest P|C| | | | C=Another Character, C| | | | | probably a magic user or a knight Since your closest characters to Shaher are still one square away, they will not be hit with Shaher’s attack Shear, which inflicts damage on adjacent characters. Also, if you cast a magic attack on Shaher other than a summon spell, your characters they will not take damage. Unfortunately, your fighters with spears also will not be able to inflict as much damage as they otherwise would if they were adjacent to Shaher. Since you now have two letter T's, each of your two priests can heal 4 people each round. Use Euphaire’s Energy Transfer or items to recharge if necessary. If you are stronger: Do the same as above except move everyone one square closer to Shaher. Your fighters will be adjacent to Shaher. They will take damage from Shear and from your magic attacks, but if your priests are powerful enough, you can handle the damage. 6. Enemies Attack Each round, Dark Stalkers and other enemies, if there are any, will attack. Just soak up the damage and heal if necessary. Since you should have only Dark Stalkers to contend with by now, do not kill them. 7. Shaher Attacks Shaher will perform Shear if applicable and one of its four other attacks. Shear: If any characters are adjacent to Shaher, he will perform a physical attack that inflicts heavy damage on the characters by Shaher. Descent: If at least to of the other enemies are dead, Shaher will summon enough replacements to bring the total to four. The replacements can be Predators, Hell Gigantes, or Dark Stalkers. The replacements will attack immediately. Apocalypse: Shaher unleashes a magic attack against of one of your characters. It should be a simple matter to heal that character. Day of Reckoning: Shaher will attempt to inflict status defects Stun, Confuse, Stone, Poison, and Charm on each of your characters. Many characters will resist, and any character with a shield will block the effect. If you find yourself afflicted, use a priest’s Cleanse ability, assuming you can afford not to use that priest to heal this round. That is why you have knights. They can take over some of a priest’s healing duties. Cataclysm: Shaher performs a magic attack that heavily damages all characters and enemies except for Shaher. Additionally, all characters and enemies are pushed away from Shaher. You will need your priests to heal your characters, and you may also want to heal the Dark Stalkers. You will need to rebuild your letter T formations. 8. Attack Shaher If you have not already done so, you must attack Shaher with Longicolnis. Only this weapon will “Break” Shaher’s barrier, rendering him vulnerable to other attacks. Have your two nearby characters equipped with spears (Longicolnis and Osric's Spear probably) attack Shaher. Have magic users cast spells like Crag Crush on Shaher. Only if you have been pushed away by Cataclysm should you use a summon, such as Fenrir. You do not want to damage your nearby characters, after all. If you have adequate healing capacity, use Atropos against Shaher. Remember that to use Atropos you must be adjacent to Shaher, which makes you vulnerable to Shear and your own characters’ magic attacks. Atropos also damages the user. Use Eleanor's Star Tiara and the item Orb if you have them. Star Tiara and Orb damage all enemies. 9. The Wrapup Hopefully each round you will be able to attack Shaher twice with spears and at least twice with magic attacks. Your priests and knights should allow you to end each round at full health or close to it. Do not forget about healing items, some of which can restore full health. 10. Conclusion This strategy is really based on attrition. Only four of your characters are attacking usually, and the rest are dedicated to Heal, Heal Plus, and Cleanse. This means that the battle could take a long time, but there is a high chance of success. [8B]. Other Fans’ Strategies for EARNING an A+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MagiDrakee on GameFAQs.com submits this strategy for having Alphonse kill 50 enemies easily. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're interested in an easy way for Alphonse to kill 50 enemies, just have him play through the first quest mode stage (Epic of Tinea) a bunch of times by himself. Make sure that you're near the end of the game so that he's at a high enough level and has the proper equipment and abilities (atropos, most importantly). Then, you can go in there, kick ass on your own, and take all of the kills for yourself, all in a short period of time. In addition, it will help you a lot if Alphonse is a mobile class, like a Ninja turned Swordmaster. This will not only shorten the average length of the battles, but it will also give Alphonse a chance to get in the fray quickly and rack up some kills. While in most circumstances using Alphonse as a well-rounded yet overpowered class (read: the Knight) might be more practical, in going for the A+ ending you're going to want to make mobility a priority for Alphonse. Even after all of that, though, I don't see how this could be too difficult. I went about halfway through a game where I was going for the A+ ending once with Alphonse's primary class being a Knight, and I still wasn't having any trouble (time and kill-wise). The above hints aren't really necessary, since the A+ ending could be gotten in so many other ways relatively easy, but I believe that they'll make for the easiest time. (Editor's Note: Atropos is a great idea. The Teleport spell could probably also help in speeding up battles. The Teleport spell can be acquired in battle 18, plot path A, the battle of Haena, by killing the Sword Master who carries it.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9]. CREDITS Typically credits are provided here only when not provided alongside the contributed text. [10]. COMMENTS I am willing to post comments from readers of this guide. If you make a comment to me and would like it included here, please state explicitly that you want your comment included. [11]. HISTORY OF THIS GUIDE 08/07/2004 -Added to the Requirements section the choice used to recruit Eleanor into your party and a list of ending variations. 07/24/2004 -Removed all statements that Day of Reackoning causes Sleep. Shaher uses Sleep only in the first battle between Alphonse and Shaher, not the final battle. -Added more distinct separators between sections of this guide. -Added a note to the Comments section stating that users who would like their comments posted should state so explicitly. 07/12/2004 -Added a report that it is not necessary to earn the 'A' ending once in order to get the A+ ending later. -Added MagiDrakee's strategy for Alphonse to kill 50 enemies easily. -Updated the Automatic Conversion code to state that it triggers the A+ scene at the end of any ending. -Added a note that for characters to survive, they must be neither dead nor petrified. -Added a note that Shaher's Day of Reackoning causes Stone, Poison, Confuse, Charm, Stun. 07/01/2004 I began writing this guide. [12]. CONCLUSION That is all for now. At the moment, I am accepting comments, questions, and redlined edits of my guide at jacob_quisenberry@hotmail.com . Please include in the subject line text referring to this A+ Guide.