KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 REMIX
PS4 TROPHY GUIDE
By Thundaka (thundaka@yahoo.com)
Copyright 2019 Thundaka.
This guide is solely for private use. If you wish to host this guide on your
website, contact me for permission before doing so. Any profitable use is
strictly prohibited.
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VERSION HISTORY
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v1.00: Initial version. Feel free to email me with any questions or
corrections.
v1.05: Fixed a few formatting issues.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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I. Introduction
II. Trophy Guide: Dream Drop Distance
a) Automatic
b) Basic
c) Dream Eaters
d) Combat
e) Minigames
f) Collection
III. Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide: Dream Drop Distance
IV. In-Game “Trophy” Guide: Dream Drop Distance
V. Trophy Guide: A Fragmentary Passage
a) Automatic
b) Combat
c) Collection and Exploration
VI. Objective Guide: A Fragmentary Passage
a) Combat (Basic)
b) Combat (Magic and Abilities)
c) Combat (Missable)
d) Collection and Exploration
VII. Acknowledgments
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INTRODUCTION
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The 2.8 HD Remix Collection is arguably the most important of the three
Kingdom Hearts HD collections, as it leads directly to Kingdom Hearts 3. The
meat of the collection is Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, the final
entry in the series prior to 3. It also uniquely features a completely
original game, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage,
which covers Aqua’s adventures after the secret ending of Birth by Sleep. The
collection also contains Kingdom Hearts X: Back Cover, a short movie loosely
based on the mobile game, though since it features neither Trophies nor
gameplay it will not be discussed here.
Most of your play time will be focused on Dream Drop Distance, as it is the
only full-length game in the collection. Its Platinum Trophy is likely to
take well over 50 hours, including a great deal of grinding for various
completion objectives, though it can be completed in a single playthrough.
Aqua’s game (which I will simply refer to as A Fragmentary Passage) is far
shorter, taking less than three hours to clear the story, and a skilled
player can earn all available Trophies in less than 10 hours.
It should go without saying, but by their nature many of these Trophies will
involve plot spoilers. THERE ARE UNMARKED SPOILERS AHEAD, so if you haven’t
played these games before I strongly advise you to wait until after your
first playthrough to consult this guide.
--CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.--
***Trophy Format***
To improve navigation over the mostly random default order, the Trophies
within each game are grouped into a few wider categories. Combat-focused
Trophies form one category, for example, while minigame-focused Trophies
form another. The collection’s one Platinum Trophy (Dream Drop Distance
Master) will not be listed, as it is earned automatically when every other
Trophy in that game is unlocked.
The name, Grade, and official description of each Trophy will be included in
its writeup, along with a Difficulty ranking to reflect the skill and/or luck
required to earn it. (Trophies in the Automatic category are unavoidable, so
no Difficulty is assigned to them.) When a Trophy requires a lot of
relatively easy but monotonous grinding to complete, I will also assign a
Tedium Factor reflecting how much additional work it demands from you.
For the sake of clarity, the names of in-game “Trophies” recorded in Dream
Drop Distance’s Reports (under the Trophy Shelf section) will always be
presented in quotation marks (i.e., “Motion Slickness”), as will the word
“Trophy” when referring to those achievements. The same holds true for the
objectives in A Fragmentary Passage (i.e., “Defeat the Shadows”). Any titles
without quotes (i.e., Ability Ace) refer to the PS4 Trophies recorded on
PlayStation Network.
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TROPHY GUIDE: DREAM DROP DISTANCE
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Much like Chain of Memories before it, Dream Drop Distance has a steep
learning curve due to the unusual mix of mechanics that form its battle
system. While it combines traditional keyblade combos with Birth by Sleep’s
Command Deck system, the real meat of the combat is your Dream Eaters. These
cute critters fight alongside Sora and Riku in battle, grant them stat
bonuses much like accessories and armors in the numbered titles, teach them
new commands and Abilities, and provide powerful attacks through their Links.
Add to that Flowmotion attacks, Reality Shifts, and the complicated effects
of the Drop system, not to mention the exceptionally aggressive enemy AI, and
there is a lot for a new player to keep track of.
Besides sharpening the graphics, the HD update provides customization options
to more easily access your commands and Links during battle. The combo-
focused approach of the numbered titles remains a dubious proposition here,
as your combos still tend to be slower and have longer recovery times, but
between your powerful deck commands, Flowmotion attacks, and Links you have
everything you need to lay waste to the enemies in your path.
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---AUTOMATIC---
These Trophies are automatically earned by completing the main story.
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Mark of Mastery
-Description: Defeat the Phantom Ursula and begin the exam
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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A Divided World
-Description: Complete Traverse Town as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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Dark Intervention
-Description: Complete La Cite des Cloches as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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Memory and Heart
-Description: Complete The Grid as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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Inhabitants of the Sleeping Worlds
-Description: Complete Prankster’s Paradise as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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Distinct Worlds
-Description: Revisit and complete Traverse Town as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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All For One, and One For All
-Description: Complete Country of the Musketeers as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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A Sound Idea
-Description: Complete Symphony of Sorcery as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
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The Depths of Darkness
-Description: Complete the World That Never Was as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: This Trophy unlocks directly after winning the final battle of the
story.
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Nostalgic
-Description: View all flashbacks
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: You gain this Trophy after unlocking all flashback scenes, whether
you choose to view them or not. The final flashbacks for both Sora and Riku
appear early in Country of the Musketeers and Symphony of Sorcery.
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Deft Diver
-Description: Complete a dive without taking damage
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: Sora’s dive into Prankster’s Paradise has no enemies or obstacles to
crash into, only balloons to pop. If you didn’t earn it in an earlier dive,
you will do so there.
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---BASIC---
The miscellaneous Trophies which do not fit under any other category belong
here.
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Droplet Magnet
-Description: Rack up 300 or more Drop Points in a single turn
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Chances are good you will earn this naturally. To maximize your Drop
Points as you play through the story, take out every Nightmare and enter
every Battle Portal that you encounter on the way. The Drop Decelerator bonus
helps immensely, more than doubling your time between drops at the highest
level, and Attack/Magic Boost (both the Spirit Abilities and the Drop
bonuses) do a lot to end battles more quickly.
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Dream Dropper
-Description: Drop 100 or more times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10 (Tedium Factor: 4/10)
-Notes: This is likely to be one of the last Trophies you earn, as even
Record Keeper can be earned well before you hit 90 Drops. The good news is
that it’s very easy to farm for drops, if a little tedious.
Start by sending Sora/Riku to the world map. From there, just press the
following buttons in order: Triangle, left, X, X, up, X, left, X. You can
repeat this sequence to Drop every ten seconds or so, easily filling your
quota in a few minutes.
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Loyal Customer
-Description: Make a purchase at every Moogle Shop
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Each Moogle Shop is located directly next to a save point, so
locating them is easy. The only difficulty is remembering which shops you
have or haven’t purchased from. Shared locations (such as Traverse Town’s
First District) only require one purchase, from either Sora or Riku, though
each boy has locations unique to them that must be visited in their story. If
you don’t need anything the shop has for sale, just buy a Potion or unit of
paint.
Here are the locations for each shop in the first six worlds:
-Traverse Town: First District (both), Fourth District (both)
-La Cite de Cloches: Town (both), Court of Miracles (Sora)
-The Grid: City (both), Rectifier 2F (both)
-Prankster’s Paradise: Amusement Park (Sora), Ocean Depths (Sora),
Monstro: Mouth (Riku)
-Country of the Musketeers: Grand Lobby (both), Training Yard (Sora)
-Symphony of Sorcery: Chamber (both)
Every save point in the World That Never Was contains a shop, and must be
visited seperately by Sora or Riku. The final shop at Memory’s Skyscraper
requires that Riku has defeated Ansem, but you can access them all before the
point of no return.
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---DREAM EATERS---
Your Dream Eater parties are central to your character’s growth, both in
terms of raw stats and the Abilities and commands they learn. As a result,
quite a few Trophies are centered around them.
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Easy As 1-2-3
-Description: Create a party with 3 spirits
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Sora and Riku automatically create a Meow Wow and Komory Bat when
they arrive in Traverse Town, and you have plenty of incentive to create your
third spirit as soon as possible. Pricklemane and Tama Sheep are good
choices, as you’ll gain plenty of materials for both as you defeat the early
Nightmares in Traverse Town.
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Happy Campers
-Description: Create a party with 3 spirits and make them all very happy
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: While bonding, a spirit becomes “happy” when it sparkles and is
surrounded by musical notes, then “very happy” when it is surrounded by a
bright glowing aura. This state rewards you with higher bonus
Affinity/EXP/LP, though it is difficult to achieve through petting alone.
Thankfully, the three minigame-based toys are very likely to trigger a shift
on any given use. Simply use two or more toys in a row without leaving the
Bond screen, and this Trophy will be yours.
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True Trainer
-Description: Use every Training Toy
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: There are five categories of “toys” required for the Trophy: Balloon,
Water Barrel, Candy Goggles, food, and paint. Only one kind of food and one
color of paint is required. This is a very quick Trophy, and can easily be
earned in the first or second world you visit.
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Kindred Spirits
-Description: Max out a Spirit’s Affinity Level
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10 (Tedium Factor: 7/10)
-Notes: To make it reasonable, wait until at least your second playthrough
before pursuing this Trophy. Your Spirits’ Affinity Levels carry over each
time you import them to a new game, so you can get most of the way there by
keeping one Spirit in the party throughout the story. I favor Majik Lapin, as
he provides the greatest benefit to magic-focused decks, while players more
interested in physical power should focus on Ursa Circus.
Make sure that you keep the chosen Spirit in your party during your 100%
completion playthrough, particularly while completing the Special Portals and
earning Balloon Master. That alone may be enough to raise your Affinity Level
to 9. If not, you’ll want to invest in the highest level of the Affinity Gain
drop bonus, then buy a big stack of Balloon items from the Moogle Shop. For
maximum speed I recommend starting and immediately quitting the minigame,
rather than actually playing it, as doing so provides good Affinity gains in
a fraction of the time. Every other Balloon, you should stop to pet the
Spirit as well. The Balloons will frequently put it into the “very happy”
state, earning much more Affinity and other rewards than you would normally
receive.
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Golden Egg
-Description: Breed a * Rank Spirit
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The rank a Spirit is assigned on creation determines its stats. The
higher the rank, the more powerful the Spirit. While rank doesn’t have a huge
impact on combat (the Abilities and commands from its Link Board are far more
important), sturdier Dream Eaters who can survive more damage are always an
asset. Rank is determined by which recipe is used to create the Spirit (rarer
materials give stronger Spirits), whether extra materials are used in the
recipe, and even world conditions (Risky Winds produces higher-rank Spirits).
There is an easy path to this Trophy, which can be completed before you ever
leave Traverse Town. Simply use 10 Intrepid Figments and 8 Vibrant Figments,
both of which are common drops there. This will produce either a Tama Sheep
or Pricklemane at * rank, guaranteed.
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Strongest Link
-Description: Unlock all nodes on any Spirit’s Ability Link board
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10 (Tedium Factor: 3/10)
-Notes: It is entirely possible to obtain this through a normal story
playthrough, as long as (a) you make a point to defeat all the Nightmares and
Battle Portals you find in your path, and (b) the chosen Spirit stays in your
party for essentially the entire game. As with Kindred Spirits, Majik Lapin
(or Ursa Circus) is ideal for this.
That said, earning LP is not enough by itself. Most Spirits have special
nodes that only reveal themselves while in certain dispositions, as indicated
by the color of their eyes. (Majik Lapin requires you to enter the Accomplice
and Illusionist dispositions, for example, represented by blue and green eyes
respectively.) While these can be triggered through petting, it is difficult
to trigger specific dispositions this way.
Thankfully, you can guarantee the disposition you want by feeding your Spirit
the right snacks. Each of the four main categories of food items triggers a
specific disposition: Confetti Candy for pink, Ice Dream Cone for yellow,
Shield Cookie for blue, and Block-It Chocolate for green. Stock up on
whatever food you need (the basic version is as good as the level 3 food for
this), shoot it all over the screen near your Spirit, and after gulping down
a few it should take on the desired disposition. Enter the Ability Link
screen to reveal your new Abilities, and you are done. You can only change
disposition once per visit to the Bond screen, so exit to the main menu and
reenter if two or more disposition changes are required.
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Ability Ace
-Description: Max out and install all Support and Spirit abilities
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 6/10)
-Notes: Together with Command Collector, much of your 100% completion
playthrough will be spent pursuing this Trophy. I recommend that you
continuously work on these two Trophies while completing your other combat-
related goals, and while earning Water Barrel Master. I would keep one chosen
Spirit in the party at all times until its Affinity Level is maxed out (see
Kindred Spirits), and switch out the other two as needed to learn new
Abilities and commands.
Two comments: First, you can only earn this on Proud Mode or above. Zero EXP
is one of the required Support Abilities, and it is unavailable on the lower
difficulties. For advice on preparing for and surviving through the higher
difficulties, see the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide.
Second, you need to create a few rare Spirits for their Abilities. This will
require you to farm the Special Portals in the last few worlds for Dream
Pieces, particularly the very rare Brilliant and Wild Fantasies, a process
that might take a few hours. (See Storyteller for details.) I recommend
creating as many as you can in the first playthrough, and doing your 100% run
on the second: The commands and Abilities from those Spirits are invaluable
during a Proud or Critical run, and the earlier you have those Spirits the
sooner you can learn their Abilities.
Here is the full list of Support Abilities learned from Spirits, along with
the Spirits that teach them and (if applicable) the disposition required to
access them. They are listed in order of efficiency, with the best Spirit for
each Ability marked with a **. This recommendation is based on both LP
required and the Spirits you are likely to use in normal play, as outlined in
the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide. Many Abilities have multiple
iterations, in which case you must learn them multiple times.
-Air Combo Plus (x3): Eaglider**, Chef Kyroo**, Halbird**, Pegaslick
-Combo Master: Ryu Dragon**, Lord Kyroo
-Combo Plus (x3): Ryu Dragon**, Pricklemane**, Kooma Panda**, Sir Kyroo,
Staggerceps (Pink), Me Me Bunny (Pink)
-Damage Syphon: Ursa Circus**, Thunderaffe, Duckey Goose
-EXP Boost: Keeba Tiger**, Drill Sye, Cera Terror
-EXP Walker: Skelterwild**
-Leaf Bracer: Juggle Pup**, Aura Lion, Fishbone, Meow Wow,
Electricorn
-Once More: Tyranto Rex**, Flowbermeow, Drak Quack
-Second Chance: R&R Seal**, Escarglow, Zolephant, Meowjesty,
Aura Lion (Yellow)
-Treasure Magnet (x5): Ghostabocky**, Woeflower**, Ducky Goose**,
Drak Quack**, Jestabocky**, Toximander,
Cyber Yog, Yoggy Ram
As for Spirit Abilities: You learn Link Critical automatically in a tutorial,
and can learn Waking Dream from Komory Bat right after creating it. That
leaves only one Spirit Ability to learn:
-Support Boost (x3): Fin Fatale (Green)**, Frootz Cat (Green)**,
Ducky Goose**, Tatsu Blaze (Green),
Tama Sheep (Blue), Electricorn, Necho Cat,
Peepsta Hoo
Once every Ability has been unlocked, all that remains is to activate them
all at once (including EXP Zero) and exit the menu to trigger the Trophy.
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Lifesaver
-Description: Rescue Spirits 3 times in battle
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: You will probably earn this without trying, while playing Proud or
Critical for Ability Ace. Many bosses can easily knock out your low-level
Spirits with their attacks, especially Spirits vulnerable to their favored
elements. (Chill Clawbster’s beams are absolutely devastating to Light-
vulnerable Spirits, for example.) When they fall, you must get near them and
quickly revive them via button-mashing, lest that Spirit be permanently lost.
You cannot be staggered while rescuing the Spirit (or killed, if you know
Second Chance), though you will still take damage, so be ready with a Cure
spell to heal yourself as soon as the Spirit is rescued.
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---COMBAT---
Any Trophies that deal with fighting Nightmares or bosses, or the benefits of
doing so, belong here.
It is worth noting that Julius, Dream Drop Distance’s one superboss and by
far the toughest enemy in the game, is not required for any Trophy. Certain
in-game “Trophies” for the reports do require you to beat him, but if you are
only interested in the Platinum you can earn it without ever challenging him.
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Level Masters
-Description: Achieve a cumulative level of 100
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 1/10 (Tedium Factor: 3/10)
-Notes: Easier than it sounds, as Sora and Riku just need an average level of
50. While you probably won’t gain this Trophy during the story (you’ll likely
finish in the low to mid 40s if you don’t revisit any areas), you’ll earn it
pretty early while farming in the postgame, especially while you hunt for the
Special and Secret Portals.
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Bull’s-Eye
-Description: Defeat 5 or more enemies with a single hit in Slingshot
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Each of the seven Reality Shift Trophies is specific to one world,
and must be completed there. Traverse Town’s version, Slingshot, has you
launch a barrel or enemy into the air, landing in a powerful splash that hits
every enemy in a wide radius. The impact will one-shot all but the toughest
Nightmares in the area, so the challenge comes from finding a crowd near a
barrel, grouped closely enough to take them out in one shot. (You could earn
this without a barrel, by striking an enemy until the pink Reality Shift icon
appears, but you are just as likely to kill the enemy before you get the
chance.)
The Fourth District is an excellent place to earn this Trophy. From the save
point, head up the stairs on the left side. There is a small plaza ahead,
where five enemies spawn in a circle around a barrel. You can potentially
earn this on your first visit, though you do need to very carefully line up
the circle so all five are targeted. Thankfully, Zero Graviza makes it easy
on a return visit: It will gather the Dream Eaters overhead long enough to
line up an easy shot, and will weaken them while active without killing them.
Just attack or cast a Cure spell to break free and activate the Reality
Shift.
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Sliding By
-Description: Connect 6 or more points with a single Faithline
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Easy. Land at the Town save point, then walk to the Square next door
and use Reality Shift on the floating node in front of you. Just slide to six
different nodes before landing, selecting left or right at each intersection
with the left stick, and the Trophy is yours.
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Super Hacker
-Description: Activate all Code Break commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: There are seven commands required for the Trophy: Auto Destruct,
Moving Spark, Prize Box, Prize Shot, Switch Target, Transport, and Unlock.
(The boss battles also feature the Disc Jammer and Energy Jammer commands,
but they are not counted.)
Two are used on objects, and work more or less the same as on the 3DS.
-Transport: Used on transports, the gate-like flying structures found
throughout the world. This command permanently deactivates the laser and
grants access to a few otherwise unreachable chests, so you should get this
while completing the story.
-Unlock: Used on a hidden terminal in the upper level of the Docks, to
open a locked door leading to the lower levels. You earn this automatically in
Riku’s story, as he cannot reach the lower docks (and the rest of the world)
without it.
Three are used on turrets. These can be frustrating to collect: Each command
flashes in and out very quickly, leaving you little chance to identify and
press the relevant button before it disappears again. Unless your reflexes
are unusually sharp, it is likely to take many attempts and some blind
button-mashing to obtain all the commands. Thankfully, you can retry as many
times as necessary by hitting the turret with a combo. The Portal Stairs in
Riku’s story feature three turrets close together, providing an easy place to
grind for any missing commands.
-Auto Destruct: Destroys the turret. You are required to use this at a
few spots in Riku’s story, most notably the room with the Unlock terminal.
-Prize Shot: Replaces the turret’s bullets with prize orbs for a
limited time.
-Switch Target: Makes the turret attack nearby enemies for a limited
time. (You can get this command from enemies as well, though you will have
an easier time farming it from a turret.)
The last two are only available from normal enemies. These commands are just
as finicky to trigger as the three above, with the added wrinkle that the
Reality Shift icon only appears randomly and infrequently while you inflict
damage. If possible, use a keyblade with a strong Reality Shift bonus
(Unbound in the postgame, Ocean’s Rage/Knockout Punch prior to that) to give
yourself as many opportunities as possible.
-Moving Spark: Turns the enemy into a time bomb, which you can maneuver
into position before detonation.
-Prize Box: Destroys the enemy, releasing lots of prizes in the
process. Likely to be the last command needed for the Trophy.
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Bubble Burster
-Description: Trap 6 or more enemies in Bubble Burst
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Another easy one. Land at the Cavity save point as Riku, and
immediately backtrack into the Gullet. Right in front of you is a barrel,
surrounded by a bunch of enemies. Just use Reality Shift on the barrel, roll
around the screen until you’ve captured every nearby enemy, and press X to
burst it for lethal damage. That’s it.
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Comic King
-Description: Activate all of Wonder Comic’s effects at least once
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: When Wonder Comic is activated, a series of comic pages will float
from the top of the screen. You select one by moving the left and right
analog sticks in the directions shown on that page.
There are a total of four effects, each of which corresponding to specific
characters. The Mickey, Donald, and Goofy panels can be selected while
fighting regular enemies, as either Sora or Riku, and can be obtained quickly
through the story. The fourth panel, featuring all three, is a required
feature of Sora’s boss battle with Pete, so by the time he finishes the
Country of the Musketeers you should have the Trophy.
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Maestro
-Description: Defeat 4 or more enemies in one turn of Melody Catcher
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: Probably the most difficult Reality Shift Trophy to earn, for a few
reasons. Melody Catcher is an inherently difficult Reality Shift: The
combination of random button prompts, rapidly swooping camera, and quick
timing makes it difficult to see all the prompts in time, so it’s hard to
deal consistent damage. Furthermore, the Nightmares in Symphony of Sorcery
tend to be spread out widely across the landscape, and many of them have high
HP and Defense. Getting enough of them within range of Melody Catcher can be
a challenge, let alone finishing most of them in one shot.
If farming for this in the postgame, I strongly suggest you forgo the Attack
Boost drop bonus and unequip any Spirits with Attack Boost learned. The
higher your damage per hit, the harder it will be to trigger the Reality
Shift before killing your target. The Unbound keyblade (see Seekers of
Secrets) is ideal, as it triggers Reality Shift much more often, though
Ocean’s Rage/Counterpoint are effective as well.
The easiest spot to earn the Trophy is probably the Moonlight Wood, in Riku’s
story. From the Golden Wood save point, backtrack to the previous screen. You
will immediately encounter a close group of five Woeflowers. Immobilize them
with Sleepga/Sleepra before they can attack, and strike the center one as
many times as you can without killing it. (If you have trouble catching all
of them in the blast, you can gather them with Zero Graviza and then ground
them with a Sleep spell. This will drain some HP, requiring Reality Shift to
trigger sooner, but when successful it is guaranteed to hit everyone.) You
might have to exit and reenter the screen a few times, but eventually you’ll
pull off the Reality Shift and earn the Trophy.
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Chain Reaction
-Description: Sever all chains with a single slash 3 times in a row using
Nightmare’s End or Mirage Split
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: This is mostly a matter of patience and precision. The minigame has
no time limit once started, so take your time and observe the movement of the
weak links carefully. I prefer Riku’s Mirage Split for this, as his clean
rectangular links seem easier to track than the thorned links used in
Nightmare’s End.
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Champions of All Districts
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in Traverse Town as both
Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 7/10 for all Champions of... Trophies)
-Notes: The Special Portals are unique battle portals, each tied to a
specific location within a world, which feature extra-challenging Nightmares
and provide rare Dream Pieces when conquered. Only one Special Portal appears
in each world per Drop cycle, and once completed that portal cannot be
revisited until Sora/Riku has completed his full set.
The Special Portals are by far the most time-consuming part of a 100%
completion playthrough. Each Portal has an equal chance of being chosen with
every Drop, whether or not it has been already been completed. It is not
unusual for the final Special Portal in a world to require a few dozen Drops
before you are given the chance to challenge it.
Just knowing which Special Portal is active requires some deduction. The game
will tell you whether you have conquered that portal, as well as the primary
Dream Eater you will face (the Dream Eater appears as a silhouette on the
Drop screen if it remains uncompleted), but it will not give you the location
or number of that portal. Since the same Dream Eater can appear in as many as
four different Special Portals per world, you will have to revisit certain
locations multiple times in order to round out the list.
Here is the list of Sora’s Special Portals in Traverse Town, sorted by Dream
Eater. Check each portal off the list as you complete it (or combine this
information with the Game Records section of the Reports) and it will cut
down your search time dramatically. Portal 6 only appears after the previous
five have been completed with the current character, which also helps. (To
emphasize this, each Portal 6 location will be listed in *asterisks*.)
**Zippy zapmeister (Thunderaffe): 4 - Second District
5 - Fifth District
6 - *Fountain Plaza*
**Heavyweight hulk (Kooma Panda): 1 – Post Office
3 – Garden
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 2 – Fourth District
And Riku’s list:
**Zippy zapmeister (Thunderaffe): 4 – First District
5 – Garden
6 – *Back Streets*
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 1 – Fountain Plaza
**Pup with a petal (Flowbermeow): 2 – Second District
**Roly-poly snoozer (Tama Sheep): 3 – Fourth District
For advice on clearing the Portals, see the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy
Guide. You will need to regularly switch out Spirits as you go to complete
other Trophies (mainly Ability Ace and Command Collector), but Magic and/or
Attack Boosts--and powerful crowd-control commands like Zero Graviza and Mega
Flare--are absolutely essential.
--NOTE: For your own sanity, I strongly recommend that you complete both
Special Portals in the Fountain Plaza (Sora’s Portal 6 and Riku’s Portal 1)
before Sora’s battle with Xemnas. That battle take away the ability to Drop
until you complete the story and load your clear save data, at which point
Julius will attack when you enter the screen. Since the Julius battle is not
required for the Platinum, and is FAR more difficult than any other battle in
the game, you would be wise to avoid him until you’re ready to face him on
your own terms.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Cathedral
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in La Cite des Cloches as both
Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list:
**Footloose feline (Necho Cat): 1 – Catacombs
6 – *Square (rooftop)*
**Snouted lout (Zolephant): 3 – Town (tower in center)
4 – Court of Miracles
**Dire driller (Drill Sye): 2 – Town (SE corner)
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 5 – Nave (upper level)
Riku’s list:
**Footloose feline (Necho Cat): 2 – Town (center)
3 – Outskirts (W side)
5 – Outskirts (SE corner)
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 4 – Square (ground level)
6 – *Nave (upper level)*
**Dire driller (Drill Sye): 1 - Windmill
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Endless Ocean
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in Prankster’s Paradise as both
Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list:
**Lucky customer (Juggle Pup): 2 – Windup Way
4 – Ocean Floor
6 – *Circus*
**Slippery slider (Iceguin Ace): 1 – Amusement Park
5 – Ocean Depths
**Pup with a petal (Flowbermeow): 3 - Promontory
Riku’s list:
**Slippery slider (Iceguin Ace): 2 – Gullet
4 – Belly
5 – Bowels
6 – *Cavity (right side up)*
**Lucky customer (Juggle Pup): 1 – Mouth
3 – Cavity (upside down)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Digital World
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in The Grid as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list:
**Deft deadeye (KO Kabuto): 1 – Rectifier 1F
3 – Bridge
4 – Rectifier 2F
5 – Docks (upper)
**Horned scorcher (Yoggy Ram): 2 – City
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 6 – *Throughput*
Riku’s list:
**Deft deadeye (KO Kabuto): 1 – Rectifier 1F
3 – Bridge
4 – Rectifier 2F
5 – Docks (upper)
**Horned scorcher (Yoggy Ram): 2 – City
**Doggish cat-thing (Meow Wow): 6 – *Portal: Stairs*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Opera House
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in Country of the Musketeers as
both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list:
**Winged wanderer (Halbird): 2 – Shore
5 – Training Yard
**Lop-eared cutie (Me Me Bunny): 1 – Mont Saint-Michel
**Prehistoric fiend (Tyranto Rex): 3 – Tower Road
**Fowlish fool (Ducky Goose): 4 – Dungeon
**King of beasts (Aura Lion): 6 – *Theater*
Riku’s list:
**King of beasts (Aura Lion): 1 – Grand Lobby
4 – Backstage
6 – *Green Room*
**Fowlish fool (Ducky Goose): 2 – The Opera
**Lop-eared cutie (Me Me Bunny): 3 – Machine Room (hidden side room,
accessed from SE corner)
**Winged wanderer (Halbird): 5 - Theater
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Harmonic Score
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in Symphony of Sorcery as both
Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list:
**Sky prancer (Pegaslick): 1 – Cloudwalk (past first rainbow
slide)
5 – Fields
6 – *Cloudwalk (N end)*
**Ruler of the skies (Ryu Dragon): 2 – Tower
4 – Precipice
**Spectral snarfer (Ghostabocky): 3 – Glen
Riku’s list:
**Ruler of the skies (Ryu Dragon): 1 – Tower
4 – Golden Wood
6 – *Snowgleam Wood (S center, on
large ice sheet)*
**Sky prancer (Pegaslick): 3 – Snowgleam Wood (NE corner)
5 – Moonlight Wood (E center, next to
first set of flowers for Melody
Catcher)
**Spectral snarfer (Ghostabocky): 2 – Moonlight Wood (E center, next to
the Zero Graviza chest)
Note that each boy’s Portal 6 is a reliable source for the rarest Dream
Pieces. Sora will always earn a Wild Fantasy, while Riku will always earn a
Brilliant Fantasy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of the Dark City
-Description: Complete all Special Portals in The World That Never Was as
both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Sora’s list. Like in the other worlds, the third and final portal
only appears after you have conquered the first two:
**King of beasts (Aura Lion): 1 – Avenue to Dreams (rooftop)
**Sky prancer (Pegaslick): 2 – Contorted City
**Prehistoric fiend (Tyranto Rex): 3 – *Avenue to Dreams (central
streets)*
Riku’s list:
**King of beasts (Aura Lion): 1 – Fact Within Fiction
**Sky prancer (Pegaslick): 2 – Verge of Chaos
**Prehistoric fiend (Tyranto Rex): 3 – *Delusive Beginning*
The final world’s Special Portals are naturally among the toughest in the
game, though they are also the quickest set to complete. Every Special Portal
in this world will sometimes drop a rare Wild Fantasy (for Sora) or Brilliant
Fantasy (for Riku), with Portal 3 being a guaranteed drop. Expect to spend a
lot of time farming these Portals for materials to create the rarer Dream
Eaters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brave Challengers
-Description: Complete all 7 Link Portal bonus objectives
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Bonus objectives are challenges offered when you enter a Battle
Portal or Special Portal. Completing the objective earns you a high-level
Spirit food item, in addition to the normal reward for that portal. You need
only complete each objective once, as either Sora or Riku, to earn the
Trophy.
-Perform three Flowmotion attacks: Very easy. I tend to favor Shock
Dive (attack after a Flowmotion jump) for its area damage, though if you face
an especially small group you may want to open with Kick Dive (attack after
hitting a wall) to limit your damage and ensure the Dream Eaters stay alive
long enough for you to perform all three.
-Complete in 20 seconds: Can be earned very early as Sora, via the
Comet Dual Link attack. The Mega Flare command also trivializes this, even
against high-level opponents.
-Take damage no more than 2 times: Once again, quick use of Comet makes
this trivial. If Comet is unavailable, try to dodge out of the way (portals
with this objective often start with an immediate ambush) and use crowd-
control commands to prevent the Dream Eaters from getting close.
-Complete without using deck commands: Comet is yet again the easiest
way to complete this, and the only safe approach in the later worlds. While
you have a reasonable shot at completing the early Battle Portals with
Flowmotion attacks alone, I would not chance it later in the game. You
desperately need the crowd-control spells to keep the Dream Eaters from
stunlocking you to death, and the minor reward from the objective is not
worth dying and losing your progress.
-Block 3 times: Easiest to achieve with a small, close group of
enemies. Riku’s Dark Barrier is helpful, ensuring a successful block even if
attacked from behind.
-Perform 3 counters: There are a variety of different ways to complete
this objective. You can guard enemy attacks and reply with Counter Rush/
Payback Aura, recover with Payback Raid/Payback Blast after an enemy has
knocked you into the air (not recommended as your primary approach), or Air
Slide at an enemy and follow up with Sliding Sidewinder/Sliding Crescent. My
personal favorite approach, however, involves Sliding Block. When you guard
with Sliding Block against a close enemy, you will instantly knock them into
the air. Follow up quickly with Steep Climb/Rapid Descent to strike them,
and you can reliably trigger a counter with little risk of damage.
-Connect 10 attacks while linked: For obvious reasons, at least one
Spirit’s Link Gauge must be full prior to the battle. If playing as Sora,
make sure your chosen Link Attack both inflicts lots of smaller hits and
strikes a wide area. (Majik Lapin’s Swing Fling is a good example.) You want
to avoid straight-line attacks like Tyranto Rex’s Flame Raid, which tend to
miss a lot, or big single hits like Comet. Riku’s Link Style combos will
easily hit the quota, so long as you stop the Dream Eaters from interrupting
you by making good use of crowd-control spells.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seekers of Secrets
-Description: Complete all Secret Portals as both Sora and Riku
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: The Secret Portals are scaled-up rematches of the story bosses fought
by Sora and Riku in the first six worlds, which appear after completing the
game. Each boss has dramatically increased HP and attack power, but otherwise
plays identically to the original battle. Unlike the fickle Special Portals,
the Secret Portals are always found at the location of the original battle.
(The exception is Chill Clawbster in Prankster’s Paradise. Sora finds its
Special Portal in the Promontory, since the path to the ocean is blocked off.
There is also no Secret Portal for Chernabog in Symphony of Sorcery, bringing
Riku’s total down to five, nor for Sora’s encounter with Spellican in
Traverse Town.)
For general combat advice, see the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide. The
Balloonga and Balloonra spells are consistently the best source of raw damage
for all these bosses. A few notes on the trickier battles:
-Chill Clawbster/Char Clawbster (Prankster’s Paradise): Both bosses
make a habit of constantly backing away from you, making it difficult to get
close enough for your attacks to connect. Sora’s Sonic Blade and Riku’s Dark
Aura both teleport you toward the boss, allowing you to deal consistent
damage and follow up with a Balloonga to the face. Be sure to include a
Spirit with Sleep Block (like Ursa Circus) in your party, as their spray
attacks can empty your Drop Gauge very fast.
-Spellican (Symphony of Sorcery): The Zero Graviga spell will stop
Spellican’s constant teleportation, opening him to heavy Balloonga damage
while he is immobilized, and will also disable his thunder-slinging broom
minions. You earn a free Zero Graviga for earning an A rank in Country of the
Musketeer’s Dive Mode, and if needed can buy more from the Moogle Shop.
-Holey Moley (Country of the Musketeers): Equip Ice Barrage in your
deck. It is the one attack that will instantly damage him, even when cast
from across the room, and is essential to dealing with his constant
teleportation.
After completing all of the Secret Portals in his story, Sora/Riku will
obtain the Unbound keyblade. This keyblade has by far the best physical
damage and Reality Shift rate, and its Magic is second only to a handful of
other rare keyblades. For that reason, this Trophy should be your first
priority after clearing the game.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---MINIGAMES---
The Trophies that deal with completion of Dream Drop Distance’s wide variety
of minigames belong here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ace Diver
-Description: Perform an A-rank dive
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You have a decent chance of earning this on your first Dives to
Traverse Town, since the score requirements are low. If not, Sora’s dive into
Prankster’s Paradise is an easy target. With no enemies or obstacles to hurt
you, you can focus entirely on hitting the big clusters of balloons (Laser
Spin helps a lot for the screen-spanning clusters later in the dive) to rack
up the score and meet your quota quickly.
One A-rank from any Dive is enough to earn the Platinum. You may still choose
to round out all the A-ranks for Divewing (a keyblade with high Magic) and a
“Trophy” in the Reports, but that is a more difficult task that falls outside
the scope of this guide.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucky Seven
-Description: Win a Flick Rush duel by lining up three 7s
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: This Trophy is easiest to earn in the early tournaments, where
enemies react more slowly and are easier to plan around. First, trigger a
duel by playing the same value as your opponent. Probably the easiest
strategy is to start by preparing the three 7 slots together on your side of
the slots, taking care not to let either of you line up three in a row in the
meantime. Once in position, wait for your opponent to make a move, and
immediately flick them down into the slots, from left to right, before your
opponent can override you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medal Master
-Description: Obtain 3000 or more Medals in Flick Rush
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You will obtain this naturally while pursuing Flick Rush Fever.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flick Rush Fever
-Description: Achieve a Rush Level of 20
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10 (Tedium Factor: 4/10)
-Notes: This Trophy can be earned after either Sora or Riku has cleared the
Symphony of Sorcery. In addition to winning every Flick Rush tournament, you
must also clear every round of those tournaments with a * (Star) ranking.
While your rank is based on a number of factors, the most important is the HP
of your Spirits. All three must survive to the end, preferably while taking
little to no damage.
The simplest way to dominate Flick Rush is to take advantage of the Defend
mechanic. When you deflect an attack by defending, the first card in the
stack doubles in value and transforms into a new special attack. Not only is
the special attack much more powerful and harder to break, especially in
front of a multi-card stack, but until you play that card your Action Gauge
remains full. This allows you to stack up nigh-unbreakable 4-card defenses,
as quickly as you can reload the cards, and as a side effect raises your
Successful Attacks/Blocks stats in the rankings. The Dream Eaters in the
final tournaments use 3-card attacks very frequently, so a strong defense is
essential.
By far the best special attack is Tyranto Rex’s Mega Flare, a massive
fireball that hits all three opponents for heavy damage. (The rest of your
party doesn’t matter, as there is no need to switch Dream Eaters if you make
good use of the Defend strategy.) For best results use Mega Flare after the
enemy Dream Eater has defended, then immediately Defend yourself. The enemies
in the later cups will reflexively Defend in kind, giving the Action Gauge
time to refill and creating a safe opportunity to reload.
Pay VERY close attention to the * cards. While uncommon, each one can turn
the tide of battle: It provides a (mostly) unbreakable defense and reprisal
for anything your enemy can throw at you, and with only that card required it
is a great way to conserve your resources. The catch is that your opponents
will also occasionally get these cards, more and more commonly as you enter
the later tournaments.
Maxing out your Flick Rush level is far more manageable with this strategy,
though actually pulling it off still requires quick reflexes and significant
discipline. Keep practicing, repeating the tougher rounds as needed to raise
your score, and eventually you will reach Level 20.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Super Cyclist
-Description: Earn a score of 1000 or higher on the Light Cycle
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: To begin the Light Cycle minigame, land at the City save point as
Riku and interact with the transport to the south. Each enemy is worth 100
points, so as long as you don’t let more than a few escape you will have it.
To easily take out the other bikes, stay in ribbon mode and keep ahead of
them to cut them down in two seconds or so. If a bike gets too far ahead,
snipe at it with your lasers. It will often slow down to avoid your shots,
allowing you to switch modes for a burst of speed and get ahead of them
again.
While you should take out the flyers if it’s convenient, always prioritize
the bikes. The flyers can only be killed with your less damaging lasers, and
are quicker to fly out of range.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balloon Master
-Description: Earn a score of 200 or higher in the Balloon mini-game
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The Balloon training toy has you bounce large numbers of balloons
back to your Spirits, and rewards them with a large amount of Affinity. Keep
the Spirit you chose for Kindred Spirits in the party while you try for this.
Little strategy is needed: Just focus on mashing the proper spot on the
touchpad to hit all the balloons. While you do get a higher score for hitting
a balloon at the last moment, don’t stress over that part: You will get
plenty of Excellents naturally as you scramble to catch all the balloons
flying toward you. If you are quick on the draw, you can easily get this in
your first few attempts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Water Barrel Master
-Description: Earn a score of 400 or higher in the Water Barrel mini-game
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: The Water Barrel training toy is a pinball-like minigame based on
collecting score orbs. It is one of the fastest sources of LP, which you will
badly need to earn Ability Ace and Command Collector, so choose your Spirit
parties with those Trophies in mind.
The minigame has been radically redesigned from the 3DS, turning the easiest
training minigame into one of the hardest. This version introduces gravity,
and with it failure via the hole in the center. It is in your best interest
to keep all three Spirits up and moving as long as possible: the three of
them will cover far more ground together, picking up orbs more quickly and
colliding with the bombs much sooner.
Only ever use one wind turbine (L2 or R2) at a time. They are the only way to
rescue Spirits who are about to fall through the center, and the easiest way
to reach most of the score orbs suspended in midair. Combine these with the
paddles (L1 and R1) to catch them or launch them high, and you can keep them
juggled for quite a while. The bombs are always your priority, after keeping
your Spirits alive, as they instantly collect all remaining orbs and give you
a fresh set, allowing you to run up the score very fast if you hit them
repeatedly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Candy Goggles Master
-Description: Earn a score of 800 or higher in the Candy Goggles mini-game
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: Similar to Treasure Goggles from the 3DS, this minigame requires you
to distribute one of two colored candies to Dream Eaters on the screen. It is
an excellent source of both Affinity and LP, though unlike the other training
toys Candy Goggles are not for sale. Aside from treasure chests (and in one
case as a Dive reward), they only appear two ways: as a rare drop from a
variety of Nightmares, or as a random Drop bonus. It’s a good idea to save
while you still have a large supply of them, because they are very difficult
to replace.
This minigame is pure chaos. Groups of Spirits will walk across the screen
from both the left and right side, with random mixtures of red and blue, and
you have to hit most of them with the color that they ask for (L1 for red, R1
for blue). Smaller, fast-moving Spirits are harder to hit, but give you more
points. You must do your best to hit as many Spirits as you can with the
right color, aiming slightly ahead of them when possible, and hope that you
don’t miss too many.
To simplify the process, create a party of three Komory Bats. The three
Spirits in your party will reappear in each wave, and Komory Bats happen to
be worth the maximum 30 points. This won’t make the shooting any easier, but
it will allow you to rack up the score faster. Even so, hitting 800 points
will be a close thing.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COLLECTION---
While Dream Drop Distance does include a Reports section in the menu,
equivalent to Jiminy’s Journal in other titles, the individual sections of
the Reports do not have corresponding Trophies. (This was most likely so they
could leave out the in-game “Trophies” in the Trophy Shelf section,
particularly the epically tedious “Dream Pleaser.”) Instead, all of the
Trophies in this category contribute toward the Completion Rates listed in
the third section of the Reports.
While these Completion Rates cover most of the same things you would do for
the Mickey completion icons in the journal, they notably do not include
collecting all keyblades. This is an important distinction: Earning the
Ultima Weapon and Divewing (by defeating Julius and earning A ranks in every
Dive) are two of the most difficult and frustrating objectives in the game,
so by ignoring them the Platinum is much more accessible. This section also
does not cover the Trophy Shelf, whose “Trophies” are covered seperately in
the In-Game “Trophy” Guide instead.
For the sake of efficiency I recommend earning Record Keeper on Proud or
Critical, preferably on your second playthrough. You can only earn Ability
Ace on those difficulties, and since that Trophy requires a lot of grinding
you might as well take care of your other objectives at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record Keeper
-Description: Achieve 100% completion in Combat, Story, Items, and
Game Records
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 7/10 (Tedium Factor: 7/10)
-Notes: For details on the first three sections, see Star Combatant,
Storyteller, and Item Collector. Completing the Game Records is mostly a
matter of trying everything once: You must activate a Friendship Portal, try
every minigame (Light Cycle plus the three training toys), defeat at least
one enemy with every Reality Shift and Flowmotion attack, and activate all
Link Attacks and Link Styles. The first two are trivial, and the Reality
Shifts are almost as easy. (Remember that Sora and Riku have separate Reality
Shifts in The World That Never Was.)
There are six Flowmotion attacks: Kick Dive (after hitting a wall), Shock
Dive (during Superjump), Sliding Dive (while riding a rail), Buzz Saw
(swinging around a vertical pole), Blow-Off (after sliding into a large
enemy), and Wheel Rush (swinging on a horizontal pole). You probably already
have the first four entries, with Shock Dive in particular being one of the
easiest sources of damage in the early game. Blow-Off often won’t result in a
kill, since the enemies that trigger it typically have high HP, but using it
a few times in a row (or whittling down the enemy’s health first) will take
care of that. As for Wheel Rush, horizontal poles are surprisingly hard to
find. They are most common in The Grid, with the southern tower in the
Throughput (easily accessed from the Bridge save point) being a particularly
good spot.
That leaves your Links. This can be quite the time-consuming process, as it
can take a lot of combat before a new Spirit’s Link Gauge is fully charged.
The Damage Syphon Ability helps a lot, as does the Link Accelerator drop
bonus after you’ve defeated Lord Kyroo. First are Sora’s 27 individual Link
Attacks, listed here in the same order as the Reports. Link Attacks marked
with ** are unique to the listed Spirit. The other names are suggestions
based on which Spirits you are likely to be using anyway, both in normal
combat (see the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide) and while rounding out
your Ability and command lists.
-Aura Raid: Keeba Tiger
-Belly Raid: Iceguin Ace**
-Berserker Bronco: Zolephant**
-Bubble Blaster: Tatsu Steed**
-Cure Sun: Wheeflower**
-Decussation: Ryu Dragon
-Equestrian Raid: Pegaslick
-Fire Blaster: Tatsu Blaze**
-Flame Raid: Tyranto Rex**
-Flame Thrower: Hebby Repp
-Fly-by Knight: Halbird
-Hammer Throw: Pricklemane**
-Ice Raid: Skelterwild**
-Lucky Dice: Juggle Pup
-Meow Wounce: Flowbermeow
-Paw Groove: Frootz Cat
-Poison Dash: Toximander**
-Poison Rain: Woeflower**
-Roll Call: Cera Terror
-Swing Fling: Majik Lapin
-Tail Groove: Drak Quack
-Target Shot: Kab Kannon
-Trap Shot: Staggerceps**
-Unwind: Tubguin Ace**
-Vacuum Ghost: Ghostabocky
-Water Blaster: Fin Fatale
-Whirling Bronco: Yoggy Ram
There are 7 Dual Link Attacks, which require both Spirits to have full Link
Gauges. Once again, the names below are suggestions based on the parties
you’re likely to use anyway.
-Chaos Snake: Majik Lapin + Juggle Pup
-Comet: Majik Lapin + Tyranto Rex
-Prism Light: Tyranto Rex + Juggle Pup
-Ragnarok: Majik Lapin + Fin Fatale
-Trinity Limit: Majik Lapin + Halbird
-Unison Rush: Ursa Circus + Juggle Pup
-Whomperstomp: Flowbermeow + [anyone else]
Riku has only 5 individual and 3 Dual Links to learn, so he’ll have a
much faster time of it. His individual Link Styles are:
-Darkest Fears: Ghostabocky
-Fire Raid: Tyranto Rex
-Shining Hammer: Ursa Circus
-Thunderstorm: Majik Lapin
-Wavesurfer: Juggle Pup
And his Dual Link Styles:
-Bladecharge: Majik Lapin + Ursa Circus
-Ghost Drive: Ghostabocky + Majik Lapin
-Rising Wing: Tyranto Rex + Juggle Pup
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Combatant
-Description: Achieve 100% completion in Combat
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10 (Tedium Factor: 7/10)
-Notes: The Combat section is complete when you have cleared all the Special
Portals (see the Champions of... Trophies) and Secret Portals (Seekers of
Secrets), maxed out your Flick Rush level (Flick Rush Fever), and defeated
one of every Nightmare. This last step should happen naturally as you
complete the others, since the only Nightmares not found in regular combat
will be defeated in the Special Portals. Be thankful that Julius is not
required, as that simple omission lowers the difficulty tremendously.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Storyteller
-Description: Achieve 100% completion in Story
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 5/10)
-Notes: Besides playing the game to the end, you must also create one of
every Dream Eater. You can create most of them from materials dropped in
battle (or purchased at the shop) during your first playthrough, but a
handful require rare materials that must be farmed from Special Portals. The
rarest of these are the Wild and Brilliant Fantasies, which are mainly found
in The World That Never Was. See Champions of the Dark City for details.
It takes a total of 3 Wild Fantasies (for Skelterwild and Sudo Neku) and 5
Brilliant Fantasies (for Skelterwild, Ryu Dragon, and Lord Kyroo) to complete
the list. You also want two Epic Fantasies, for Tyranto Rex and Ursa Circus,
though Riku will earn far more than that by completing his Special Portals in
Prankster’s Paradise and Symphony of Sorcery. This is a semi-random process,
especially before you’ve completed all the portals in that world, so expect
to spend at least an hour or two collecting materials. I recommend creating
as many Spirits as possible on the first playthrough, as it will make your
first run on Proud or Critical vastly easier.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item Collector
-Description: Achieve 100% completion in Items
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10 (Tedium Factor: 5/10)
-Notes: You unlock this after earning the Command Collector, Recipe
Collector, and Dream Piece Collector Trophies, as well as opening every
treasure chest in the game. To help locate any remaining chests, I recommend
DBM11085’s Treasure Chest Guide at
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/3ds/997779-kingdom-hearts-3d-dream-drop
distance/faqs/64798
I strongly recommend that you collect all the treasure chests in Traverse
Town’s Fountain Plaza prior to Sora’s battle with Xemnas (which leads to the
final boss battles). Otherwise this Trophy will remain out of reach until you
defeat the juggernaut of pain known as Julius.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Command Collector
-Description: Obtain all commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 5/10)
-Notes: Sora and Riku’s commands come from a wide variety of sources, so
completing the set can be quite the chore. As with Ability Ace you should
continuously work toward this while completing your other objectives,
especially the Special Portals and Water Barrel Master.
Each time you Drop throughout the game, pay special attention to the commands
that may be purchased with Drop Points. Sliding Block is your highest
priority, as it can ONLY be obtained this way. (It costs 50 DP, so make sure
you collect at least that much every time you Drop.) This is also the easiest
way to collect Dark Roll and Dark Break (only available while Dropping from
Sora’s story into Riku’s), though there are other methods to collect them if
they never appear in the Drop menu.
After opening every treasure chest in the game (see above), visit the Moogle
Shop in a world with the Bargain Flurry condition active. Many of the
commands you are missing can simply be purchased, and at this point you
likely have more munny than you’ll ever spend.
Next is the Medal Shop in Traverse Town, where you can spend the Medals won
in Flick Rush tournaments. After raising your Rush Level (see Flick Rush
Fever) and purchasing the four unique Spirit Recipes, you can spend any
remaining Medals to purchase commands. While none are unique to the shop, in
many cases you can bypass hours of grinding for a very reasonable Medal cost.
Give the highest priority to Dark Roll (if it does not appear as a Drop
bonus), Slot Edge, Drop-Me-Never, and maybe Drain Dive, in that order.
Balloonga is also reasonably priced, but since it is such an effective boss-
killer you’ll probably want a copy long before it is available in the Medal
Shop.
That just leaves your Spirits, and the commands learned through their Link
Boards. Once again, the most efficient Spirit for each command (both in terms
of required LP and general usefulness in your party) is marked with a **.
These commands can be obtained from multiple sources, but are most easily
gained via LP:
-Balloonga: R&R Seal**, Juggle Pup
-Dark Barrier: Majik Lapin**, Me Me Bunny
-Dark Break: Cera Terror**, Fishbone (If not gained as a Drop bonus)
-Dark Firaga: Kab Kannon**, Tubguin Ace
-Deep Freeze: Majik Lapin**, Skelterwild
-Drain Dive: Woeflower**, Komory Bat
-Firaga Burst: Majik Lapin**, Tyranto Rex, Ryu Dragon, Eaglider
-Limit Storm: Skelterwild**, Aura Lion
-Link Block: Staggerceps**, KO Kabuto
-Megalixir: R&R Seal**, Drak Quack
-Meteor: Keeba Tiger** (Can also be earned by A-ranking the Dive
into The World That Never Was)
-Sacrifice: Keeba Tiger**, Aura Lion
And the following commands are only ever available via Link Boards:
-Blackout: Peepsta Hoo**
-Break Time: Halbird**, Me Me Bunny
-Dark Aura: Ghostabocky**, Keeba Tiger
-Faith: Flowbermeow**, Aura Lion
-Icicle Splitter: Iceguin Ace**
-Mega Flare: Tyranto Rex**, Ryu Dragon
-Meteor Crash: Tyranto Rex**, Ryu Dragon, Tatsu Blaze
-Poison Dive: Fishbone**, Woeflower, Toximander
-Rapid Descent: Tyranto Rex**, Electricorn
-Sleepga: Woeflower**, Tama Sheep
-Steep Climb: Halbird**, Cera Terror
-Superglide: Ryu Dragon**
-Vanish: Ghostabocky** (Green)
-Zantetsuken: Cera Terror**, Thunderaffe, Staggerceps, Lord Kyroo
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recipe Collector
-Description: Obtain all recipes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 7/10 (Tedium Factor: 4/10)
-Notes: While not quite as time-consuming as Command Collector, this Trophy
will still require substantial effort. The first two steps are simple: Open
every treasure chest, and purchase all available recipes from the Moogle
Shop. (As with the previous Trophy, you’ll need the Bargain Flurry condition
for some of them.)
The next step is to max out your Flick Rush level, and purchase the next set
of Recipes from the Medal Shop. Most of the difficulty comes from this; see
Flick Rush Fever for strategy. Majik Lapin, Meowjesty, Sudo Neku, and Ursa
Circus are the only required recipes, costing 6400 Medals total. All other
Recipes listed in the Shop can be obtained for free in the next step.
The time-consuming part is completing the Special Portals. You need only
complete a handful of specific portals, rather than the full set for every
world, though the random factor ensures it will still take a while. Here are
the portal-based Recipes on Sora’s side, not counting those you can purchase
with munny at the Moogle Shop:
-Traverse Town: 1 (Kooma Panda), 4 (Thunderaffe)
-La Cite des Cloches: 2 (Drill Sye)
-Symphony of Sorcery: 1 (Pegaslick)
And on Riku’s side:
-Traverse Town: 2 (Flowbermeow), 3 (Tama Sheep)
-Prankster’s Paradise: 3 (Juggle Pup)
-Symphony of Sorcery: 2 (Ghostabocky)
Finally, there is Lord Kyroo. He appears as an optional boss across both
stories: First in the Nave (Riku, La Cite des Cloches), then at the
Promontory (Sora, Prankster’s Paradise), and finally at the Moonlight Wood
(Riku, Symphony of Sorcery). Each encounter lasts about a minute, and
consists of Lord Kyroo endlessly summoning the weaker Kyroos while you try to
deal as much damage as possible. When the time limit elapses Lord Kyroo will
exit the world, and must be challenged again in his next location. Any damage
inflicted to his massive HP bar carries over to the next encounter, allowing
you to wear him down battle by battle. (I favor Balloonga/ra for damage, plus
Zero Graviza to immobilize the grunts, but any strategy which inflicts rapid
damage to him will work just fine.) Reduce him all the way to 0 HP, and you
unlock the Link Accelerator Drop bonus plus the Lord Kyroo Recipe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dream Piece Collector
-Description: Obtain all Dream Pieces
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 4/10)
-Notes: You will earn this automatically while creating Spirits for
Storyteller. The vast majority of Dream Pieces can simply be bought at the
Moogle Shop (though some require the Bargain Flurry world condition), and
most of the remainder can be found in chests. The only two materials which
are not found either way are the Brilliant and Wild Fantasy. While they do
appear as rare drops from a few Nightmares, you are most likely to first earn
those materials, and this Trophy, when you tackle the Special Portals in The
World That Never Was (see Champions of the Dark City).
=============================================================================
PROUD/CRITICAL MODE STRATEGY GUIDE
=============================================================================
Due to Ability Ace, you will most likely complete your 100% playthrough on
either Proud or Critical Mode. Each difficulty has its upsides--Proud is much
easier to survive, while Critical gives easier access to the secret ending
and makes for a more cathartic Platinum--but in both cases the same advice
applies. For ease of reference, I have divided this guide into three
sections.
I. Preparations
Before you begin, you need to lay the groundwork in your first, easier
playthrough. Start by creating as many Spirits as you can from the materials
available to you, so that when your data is imported you have access to those
Spirits from the beginning. Ryu Dragon and Skelterwild will require some
farming for Wild and Brilliant Fantasies (see Champions of the Dark City),
but are well worth the time investment. Tyranto Rex and Ursa Circus are also
important, so you’ll want at least two Epic Fantasies. You find one in Sora’s
Symphony of Sorcery, and many of Riku’s Special Portals drop them as well.
The Abilities and commands from your Spirits’ Link Boards make the early game
vastly more manageable, and transform you into a force of nature by the
story’s end.
After Sora completes his Dream Eater tutorials upon landing in Traverse Town,
you want to spend some time farming right away. The first node in each
Spirit’s Link Board costs a mere 10 LP, easily achieved via a good petting
session or two, or three quick fights in the Second District. (Dropping is
not an issue until Sora enters the Third District, so you can spend as much
time farming here as you like.) Some of the more valuable starting commands
include Cura (Chef Kyroo), Curaga (Aura Lion), Balloon (Jestabocky), Zero
Gravira (Ghostabocky), Dark Barrier (Majik Lapin), Superglide (Ryu Dragon),
and Waking Dream (Komory Bat). I also recommend you invest 20 LP in R&R Seal
and Juggle Pup (moving to the right and down respectively), earning you
Second Chance and the mighty Balloonra spell before Riku arrives. You will
likely still need to rely on Flowmotion and Reality Shifts for damage, as
your stats will be low so early in the game, but the crowd control and
recovery capabilities of your new deck can save your life many times over.
II. Recommended Dream Eaters
From that point forward, you should choose your Spirit parties with three
long-term goals in mind: 1) boosting Sora’s/Riku’s damage and defenses via
Stat Abilities; 2) learning Once More and Leaf Bracer to improve your
survivability; and 3) collecting powerful offensive commands for your battle
decks. My primary party in the first few worlds is Majik Lapin, Tyranto Rex,
and Juggle Pup, all of whom serve multiple goals.
Majik Lapin provides the max possible Magic Boosts AND Magic Hastes, making
it the best support Spirit for any magic-centered deck. For this reason, I
like to keep it in my party for the entire game. (You will need to change
Disposition at least twice to unlock some of those nodes, to Green and then
Blue. See Strongest Link for the easy way to do so.) Focus on learning Zero
Graviza as soon as your LP allows, as the spell easily neutralizes most enemy
mobs.
Tyranto Rex provides the fastest access to Once More, which is very important
for surviving certain boss attacks. It also teaches you Mega Flare, an
incredibly powerful area attack that will become your favorite move in the
last few worlds, and with three Fire Boosts it will massively increase the
potency of the spell while in the party. (The Purple and Green dispositions
are necessary to unlock a few nodes.) Combine that with three Strength Boosts
to boost Flowmotion and combo attacks, and this dinosaur packs one hell of a
bite.
Juggle Pup doesn’t have the impressive stat boosts of the other two, but it
does have two huge assets: the Balloonga spell, and Leaf Bracer. Balloonga is
the ultimate boss-killer, improving on Balloonra’s high damage while keeping
the short animation of the basic Balloon spell. And Leaf Bracer is the last
of the big three defensive Abilities (together with Second Chance and Once
More), guaranteeing your survival as long as you recover soon enough to cast
a Cure spell. You can collect them in either order (I usually start with
Balloonga for offense), but you will want both before your second visit to
Traverse Town. I strongly recommend using a guide when leveling up Juggle
Pup, and later R&R Seal, to avoid wasting LP on dead ends. The Kingdom Hearts
Wiki page has an excellent annotated map of its Link Board, which can be
found at khwiki.com/Juggle_Pup.
While this party is ideal in most early worlds, at times you will also want a
Spirit with the Sleep Block ability. Sleep is arguably the nastiest status
effect: even one application will rapidly drain your Drop Gauge, kicking you
out of the world prematurely and preventing you from collecting the DP needed
for stat boosts, and the enemies that use it (Tama Sheep, the Kyroos, the
purple fog that initially appears in certain worlds, and the occasional boss)
love to spam Sleep for even more pain. There are quite a few Spirits who
offer Sleep Block, though all require a significant LP investment to unlock.
I recommend Ursa Circus: it teaches Sleep Block early, you can work toward
the powerful Damage Syphon Ability while it remains in the party, and by
game’s end it will turn you into a physical powerhouse. Several bosses also
use Sleep attacks, so it’s a good idea to keep it in your third slot for
those.
Once you’ve learned the essential commands and Abilities listed above, you
gain more freedom with your party composition. I recommend keeping Majik
Lapin at all times for its magic-boosting powers, and Ursa Circus whenever
Sleep attacks are involved, but otherwise you can use and develop whichever
Spirits suit you best. Good midgame choices include R&R Seal (for a second
Balloonga to kill bosses even faster), Ghostabocky (for Riku’s Dark Aura),
and Ryu Dragon (for a second Mega Flare). Skelterwild is an excellent long-
term choice, as he provides valuable HP and Defense Boosts that complement
Majik Lapin’s and Tyranto Rex’s offensive Abilities very well (see “Stat
Builder” below), though I would save him until you have learned all the
commands you’ll regularly use in your battle decks.
III. General Combat Strategy
While using the Spirits mentioned above will greatly reduce your suffering,
make no mistake: Proud and Critical Mode will still be very hard. Enemies in
Dream Drop Distance are far less prone to staggering than in most KH titles,
and many use long combo attacks that can stagger you for lots of damage. Sora
and Riku also have slower animations for many attacks and take longer to
recover from staggering, to the point that even the old Second Chance+Once
More+Leaf Bracer combo will not reliably save you from certain attacks. You
cannot simply tank hits and recover like in much of the series. You must
prevent enemy mobs from ganging up on you, and must carefully observe bosses
to avoid being blindsided by their worst attacks.
If there is one guiding principle to survival on these difficulties, it’s
this: TAKE YOUR TIME. Collect every treasure chest, clear every Battle Portal
you encounter, and defeat every Nightmare that spawns on the way, even if it
takes you two or three Drops to complete a world. The most direct benefit of
this is Drop Points, which you can spend on the all-important Magic Boost
(always buy at the highest level available), Drop Decelerator (ditto), and a
variety of other useful bonuses. The battles on the way also provide plenty
of LP, granting you powerful commands and Abilities much earlier, and will
level up Sora, Riku, and their Spirits substantially.
Crowd control spells are your bread and butter against the common Nightmares,
and you should never try to attack without first disabling them. Balloon is
one of the best early defenses, as it stuns any Nightmares who approach and
deals good damage, though it’s irrelevant against long-range attackers like
Komory Bat. Zero Gravira is also good for interrupting a crowd, if only
briefly. However, the real gem is Zero Graviza: Not only does it gather
enemies across a wide radius, but it keeps them there long enough for you to
safely attack them, and as a bonus it drains their HP while held. My
preferred endgame deck for mobs contains two copies each of Zero Graviza and
Mega Flare, allowing you to keep them perpetually stunlocked while dealing
improbably massive damage. (Needless to say, it’s a good idea to keep Tyranto
Rex around for even higher Mega Flare damage.)
As for boss battles, the easiest way to improve your odds is to raise your
damage output. Balloonra and especially Balloonga are consistently the best
source of damage, so you want to obtain multiple copies as soon as possible.
The Magic Boost drop bonus, Majik Lapin’s Magic Boosts, and a high-Magic
keyblade like the Guardian Bell or Counterpoint can be combined for a massive
boost in raw damage. You still need to watch the bosses’ moves, and learn how
to properly block or dodge their attacks, but the shorter the battle the less
danger of getting ruined by a bad combination of moves. (You can also invest
your extra DP in Defense Boost to reduce damage directly, past a certain
point in the story. Whether you choose to do this, or invest in Attack Boost
for higher keyblade and Flowmotion damage, is a personal choice that depends
entirely on how confident you are in your own reflexes.)
As a final note, remember that a few awkward Drops are required to advance
the story. The first boy to finish the first set of three worlds is stuck
waiting for his partner to do so before he can continue the story, as is the
first boy to revisit and recomplete Traverse Town. Likewise, Sora
automatically Drops when he first reaches The World That Never Was. Since
collecting DP for Drop Bonuses is so important in this playthrough, I suggest
you spend your “dead time” at these roadblocks hunting for Special Portals,
especially in Traverse Town. This allows you to keep your all-important stat
boosts, while working toward your long-term goals and collecting even more
valuable LP and EXP. For the same reason, be sure to have Riku fight Ansem
BEFORE Sora takes on Xemnas. Ansem is one of the hardest and longest battles
in the story, and you really want every advantage you can get going in.
The rest is in your hands. Good luck!
=============================================================================
IN-GAME “TROPHY” GUIDE: DREAM DROP DISTANCE
=============================================================================
Dream Drop Distance’s in-game “Trophies” are separate from those recorded on
PlayStation Network, and are found in the Trophy Shelf section of the
Reports. Access to the game’s secret ending is partly determined by the
number you have completed: You need 13 on Beginner, 7 on Standard, and 5 on
Proud, though Critical does not require them. Regardless of difficulty, you
must also respond correctly to the three questions you are asked at the end
of the game, in the cutscene that follows the final boss battle. (Choose the
bottom response to the first question you are asked, and the middle response
to the second and third.)
Note that the secret ending is unrelated to the secret message in the
Reports, a cryptic reference to Kingdom Hearts 3 that appears in the Mementos
section. Just tag all the golden letters during Sora’s end credits “dive,”
regardless of difficulty, and you will have it. (If you miss your chance
after completing the game, don’t worry. Just watch the Unfinished
Business/End Credits cutscene in the Theater, under the Mementos menu, and
you can try it again without fighting any more battles.) After loading your
clear save, you will find the secret message under the Glossary section of
the Reports.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“In the Clear”: Proof you have finished the story.
-Notes: Earned automatically.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Badge of Pride”: Proof you have finished the story in Proud Mode.
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: See the Proud/Critical Mode Strategy Guide. Playing on Critical
unlocks both this and “Critical Praise.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Critical Praise”: Proof you have finished the story in Critical Mode.
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: As above.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Stop Drop Roller”: Proof you have racked up 2000 Drop Points.
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This will happen easily as you defeat the Nightmares you encounter
through the story. The items and stat bonuses gained from Drop Points are
incredibly important to combat, especially on the higher difficulties, so you
should aim to collect as much DP as reasonably possible.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“King of Rush”: Proof you have taken first place in every Flick Rush cup.
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: You gain this in the process of completing Flick Rush Fever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Keyslinger”: Proof you have taken out 2500 Dream Eaters.
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Easily achieved while completing the postgame Trophies, particularly
while grinding for Ability Ace and Command Collector.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“In the Munny”: Proof you have amassed 5000 munny.
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Earned well before the final world, if you consistently defeat the
Nightmares in your path.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Dream Pleaser”: Proof you have maxed out every Spirit’s Affinity Level.
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 10/10)
-Notes: Far and away the most tedious objective in the game, so much so that
I have yet to earn it myself. While the process is simple, the sheer amount
of work required is terrifying. There are 54 unique Spirits, each requiring
well over 5000 heart points for max Affinity, and you can only train three at
any given time. (It helps to use a Dream Candy when creating a new Spirit,
whenever possible, as doing so raises the Spirit to Affinity Level 5 or 6
instantly.) Put it all together, and it will take dozens of hours to complete
this massive task.
The fastest method for Affinity boosting is the one described in Kindred
Spirits: Max out the Affinity Gain bonus, buy as many Balloons as you can
carry, and repeatedly enter and exit the minigame to rack up the hearts. It
takes A LOT of Balloons, around 150-200, to max out Affinity for each party
of three Spirits, with the grinding itself taking about an hour. Repeat more
than a dozen times over, periodically stopping to fund-raise for more
Balloons (Riku can collect munny quickly by running across the leaves in
Symphony of Sorcery’s Moonlight Wood), and eventually you will reach your
goal.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Portal Champ”: Proof you have completed every Special Portal and Secret
Portal.
-Difficulty: 5/10 (Tedium Factor: 7/10)
-Notes: Earned after you have completed Seekers of Secrets plus all Champions
of... Trophies.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Daring Diver”: Proof you have scored more than 7,500,000 points in Dive
Mode.
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: To reach this benchmark (which is the sum of your points across all
14 Dives), you must achieve A rank in most of the world Dives. While
individual strategies are beyond the scope of this guide, time is the most
important factor in your score by a big margin. Regular Dives require you to
constantly surge forward with X while avoiding all obstacles, while boss
battles require quick precision dives and consistent use of the three-hit
combo mechanic. This is a prerequisite for “Keyblade Conqueror,” as the
Divewing unlocks for each boy after he has earned all A ranks.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Motion Slickness”: Proof you have defeated 1000 enemies while in Flowmotion.
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: If Flowmotion attacks are a natural part of your battle strategy, you
will earn this without trying during the story. On the other hand, if you’re
like me and favor deck commands over Flowmotion, some grinding may be
needed. Shock Dive (Superjump+attack) is usually best, as it’s quick and can
destroy entire crowds. High-Strength keyblades make the grind much faster, as
do Attack Boosts (and the Flowmotion Boost drop bonus, if you feel it’s worth
the DP). You can keep track of total enemies defeated by adding together the
individual Flowmotion entries under Game Records in the Reports.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Treasure Seeker”: Proof you have found every last treasure.
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Earned naturally while pursuing Item Collector.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Spirit Guide”: Proof you have obtained at least one of every Spirit.
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: See Storyteller for advice. This is a prerequisite for “Dream
Pleaser,” if you are insane enough to attempt it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Reality Shifter”: Proof you have defeated 50 enemies using Reality Shift.
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: You will most likely earn this during the story, as Reality Shifts
deal high damage with no risk, and will certainly do so while earning the
individual Reality Shift Trophies.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Pro Linker”: Proof you have linked with your Spirits at least 50 times.
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: You might earn this during a story playthrough, and are sure to do so
while completing Record Keeper.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Stat Builder”: Proof you have maxed out every stat-boosting ability.
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: The abilities in question are HP Boost (x5), Attack Boost (x3), Magic
Boost (x3), and Defense Boost (x3). You need not worry about Magic Haste,
Fire Boost, or any of the other secondary Stat Abilities, as long as the four
core stat boosters are at their highest level.
There are a variety of different Dream Eater parties which can satisfy this
“Trophy.” I recommend Majik Lapin, Tyranto Rex, and Skelterwild. You probably
have used the first two for most of the story anyway, and this particular
combination grants many of the most valuable secondary stat boosts as well:
max Magic Hastes, Fire Boosts, AND Blizzard Boosts, a variety of elemental
Screens, Stop and Poison Block, and Reload Boost.
Naturally this demands a lot of grinding, with Skelterwild in particular
requiring 1460 LP to learn all of its HP and Defense Boosts. In addition,
some Disposition changes are required to access certain stat nodes: All three
require a Green disposition shift, Tyranto Rex requires Purple, and
Skelterwild requires Blue. (See Strongest Ability for the easy way to do
this.)
Once all three Spirits have learned the relevant Stat Abilities, put them
together in a party and exit the menu completely. When you reenter the menu,
the “Trophy” will be waiting in the Reports.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Ribbit Reaper”: Proof you have defeated Lord Kyroo.
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: See Recipe Collector for details on where to find Lord Kyroo, as well
as the best strategy to defeat it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Keyblade Conqueror”: Proof you have obtained every Keyblade.
-Difficulty: 10/10
-Notes: There are five optional keyblades. Each boy earns Unbound by clearing
the Secret Portals and End of Pain from the Special Portals, both of which
are covered by “Portal Champ.” Sweet Dreams is awarded for winning the final
round of the Secret Cup in Flick Rush (see Flick Rush Fever). You will earn
these three naturally in the course of earning the Platinum.
The really difficult ones are Divewing and especially Ultima Weapon. Divewing
requires you to A rank every Dive in the story, as described under “Daring
Diver.” Ultima Weapon is the reward for defeating Julius, a superboss found
in Traverse Town’s Fountain Plaza after clearing the story. While a complete
strategy is beyond the scope of this guide, I can tell you that you want
Balloon-type spells, multiple Curagas, and the Superglide/Dark Roll abilities
to dodge certain attacks.
=============================================================================
TROPHY GUIDE: A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE
=============================================================================
The second game in this collection is Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A
Fragmentary Passage. (Try saying that three times fast.) It is unique among
the HD collections in that it is entirely original, rather than an HD upgrade
to an existing game. The gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has played
Kingdom Hearts 3, as it introduced many of the combat mechanics that would be
prominently featured in that game.
*****************************************************************************
---AUTOMATIC---
You earn these just by completing the story.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wandering In the Dark
-Description: Begin a journey to escape the Dark World
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: Unlocks as soon as you enter Castle Town proper.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flow of Time
-Description: Complete the Castle Town episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
False Temptations
-Description: Complete the World Within episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Real or Illusion?
-Description: Complete the Forest of Thorns episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Into the Depths of Darkness
-Description: Complete KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary
Passage
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COMBAT---
Those Trophies that concern fighting the Heartless and bosses belong here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proud Player/Critical Competitor
-Description: Complete the game in Proud or Critical Mode
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 4/10 [6/10 for Critical]
-Notes: You must complete the game on Critical to clear the final objective
for Ambitious. That said, it may still be wise to do complete a Proud run as
well, in order to learn your enemies’ movesets and practice your defensive
strategies, as Critical requires very finely tuned reflexes.
In either case, the key is to pay close attention to your enemies and play
conservatively, so you can recognize which attack is coming and block or
dodge it as appropriate. Blizzaga’s and Thundaga’s status effects are very
effective for controlling enemy mobs, while items can save your life during
MP recharge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Undefeated
-Description: Complete the story without having to Retry or Continue
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: If you start the game on Beginner, you will likely earn this without
trying. Even on Proud it is still quite doable, thanks to Aqua’s innate
Second Chance/Once More/Leaf Bracer Abilities, though you do have to fight
defensively and save at least a little MP for Curaga whenever possible. And
since the game auto-saves before most boss battles, even if you do die to a
boss you can simply exit to the title screen and Continue (or Load) from the
auto-save, bypassing the Retry/Continue options with no progress lost.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heartless Hunter
-Description: Defeat 500 Heartless
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10 [Tedium Factor: 3/10]
-Notes: You’re unlikely to gain this on a basic story playthrough. However,
it will come naturally as you complete certain objectives for Ambitious,
particularly the “Test of Strength” objectives.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice Queen
-Description: Execute Spellweaver’s Finish command 5 times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This should come naturally as you play through the story. Spellweaver
triggers naturally via physical damage, both from keyblade combos and Counter
Blast. It greatly boosts Aqua’s combo damage, and the Finish command at the
end deals massive area damage while providing temporary invulnerability, so
it’s very much in your interest to use Spellweaver as often as the game
allows.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Magical Finale
-Description: Execute all Magic Situation Commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Once again, this should happen naturally. The three Magic Situation
Commands (also known as Grand Magic spells) are Firaja, Blizzaja, and
Thundaja, each triggered by repeated casting of the relevant spell. Since all
three spells are needed to deal with the elemental Core Heartless, and both
Blizzaga and Thundaga provide excellent crowd control, you will have plenty
of opportunities to trigger and use these powerful commands.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shotlock Star
-Description: Earn an Excellent rating in Shotlock
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: When you charge up Shotlock for the maximum 28 hits, you can add
additional bursts of damage with well-timed button presses. To score an
Excellent, watch the outer circle and press the button just as it overlaps
the stationary inner circle. You get up to three opportunities for this per
Shotlock, and need only do so once for the Trophy.
That said, it’s a good idea to practice your Shotlocks as often as your Focus
Gauge allows. “Excellent Aim” requires several consecutive Excellent ratings,
so you want plenty of practice triggering them.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COLLECTION AND EXPLORATION---
Any Trophy that deals with completing objectives or finding hidden secrets
belongs here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dark Explorer
-Description: Walk a long distance within a single map.
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The “distance” in the description is cumulative, and counts all the
steps taken with each visit to that map. I earned it in the World Within,
after teleporting back to clear all the optional mirrors, though any area
where you spend a lot of time can eventually earn you this Trophy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fashionista
-Description: Equip an item in all wardrobe slots
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The wardrobe items are you main reward for completing objectives,
allowing you to dress up Aqua with a variety of special garments. Each
objective unlocks either a fabric pattern or an item for the head, arms, or
back. There are a variety of easy objectives for each slot, with the
following combination unlocking especially easily and early while exploring
Castle Town:
-Head: Figaro - “Defeat the Shadows” (#1)
-Arms: Voltaic Arm Plate - “Magic Advantage” (#16)
-Back: Astral Ornament - “Master of Counters” (#10)
-Pattern: Mecha (Pink) - “Trendsetter” (#22)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Treasure Hunter
-Description: Open all treasure chests in the Dark World
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This becomes available after clearing the game, either by loading
your clear save or importing that data to a second playthrough, as the
special chests related to “Quest for the Zodiac” only appear then. In
addition to the chests in the four worlds, which are covered by the
individual “Treasure Chest” objectives and can be collected at any time,
there is also the chest from the tutorial area containing a Potion. That
chest cannot be revisited, though given its location makes it impossible to
miss.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambitious
-Description: Complete all objectives
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 8/10 (Tedium Factor: 6/10)
-Notes: Most of your time will be spent on this Trophy, as all the true
challenges in this game come in the form of objectives. The Objective Guide
below will tell you everything you need to know about completing each one.
=============================================================================
OBJECTIVE GUIDE: A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE
=============================================================================
Due to its short length and the isolation of its main character, A
Fragmentary Passage has no minigames or similar diversions to speak of. Most
of its optional content comes in the form of objectives, optional goals which
Aqua can complete as she travels through the Dark World. Each objective
rewards Aqua with a wardrobe item on completion, allowing you to dress up the
keyblade master to your heart’s content, and collecting all 51 earns you the
Ambitious Trophy.
As with Trophies, the objectives are grouped here into categories: the ones
which focus on Aqua’s combat powers are listed together, as are the ones that
focus on exploration and secret-collecting. The description of each objective
includes its difficulty, the wardrobe reward for completing it, and a
detailed description of the best way to earn the objective.
--NOTE ON THE WORLD WITHIN: Most of the objectives that concern the World
Within require navigating the seven mirrors in the entrance hall, where
almost all of the action in that world takes place. To simplify navigation, I
will refer to each mirror according to its position relative to the save
point, going clockwise. For example, mirror 1 is the first mirror to the left
of the save point (when facing toward the center), while mirror 4 is directly
opposite the save point. Mirrors 2, 4, and 5 are all visited as part of the
story, since each features an encounter with Phantom Aqua, while the other
four are optional.
*****************************************************************************
---COMBAT (BASIC)---
The following objectives deal with defeating Heartless and bosses, as well as
the benefits of doing so. All of these can be earned at any time, provided
that you are far enough into the story.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Shadows” (#1)
-Description: Defeat 30 Shadows
-Reward: Head - Figaro
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This objective is nearly unavoidable, given the number of Shadows
that appear in almost every encounter (including several boss battles). You
will certainly earn it while clearing out the Heartless in Castle Town.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Flutterings” (#2)
-Description: Defeat 45 Flutterings
-Reward: Pattern – Coil (Pink)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The airborne Flutterings are almost as common as Shadows. It might
take a while, especially since they are tougher and more spread out than
Shadows (Thundaga is recommended for crowd control), but you can certainly
achieve this during the course of the story.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Flame Cores” (#3)
-Description: Defeat 40 Flame Cores
-Reward: Head – Cyber Antennae
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This one will require some farming, though it will come naturally
while pursuing the “Test of Strength” objectives. Try to save your MP for
Blizzaga when facing them, as it does high damage and prevents their deadly
counterattack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Water Cores” (#5)
-Description: Defeat 20 Water Cores
-Reward: Pattern – Mecha (Blue)
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Like the Flame Cores, you’ll need a little farming to meet your
quota. Probably the best spot is at the end of the hall of pillars in The
World Within (after reaching the Forest of Thorns), when the Phantom Aqua
encounter is replaced with a mob of Water Cores. Firaga is particularly
helpful for removing their water shield, which neutralizes all other attacks
and allows them to cast painful water magic.
Note that if you die and repeat the battle via Retry, any kills during that
attempt still count. You can exploit this to quickly fill your quota, and
might well do this without trying on Proud or Critical.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Earth Cores” (#6)
-Description: Defeat 20 Earth Cores
-Reward: Pattern – Classy (Yellow)
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Earth Cores only spawn in The Depths of Darkness (excluding a few
difficult-to-farm ones inside the Zodiac mirror), though the quota is low
enough that two trips through the area are all you need. Earth Cores are very
dangerous when they start moving, blocking your basic keyblade combos and
occasionally stunning Aqua, so take care to disable them with Thundaga and go
in for the kill. Spellbinder and Wayfinder also bypass their defenses (as can
Counter Blast in a pinch), with Wayfinder combos in particular providing
temporary invulnerability and a boatload of damage, so take full advantage of
them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Neoshadows” (#4)
-Description: Defeat 30 Neoshadows
-Reward: Head - Antennae
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You will get most of the way there while clearing mirror 1 in the
World Within (see “Mystery Within”), with the ones on your path in the Forest
of Thorns and Depths of Darkness filling the rest of your quota. They lack
the elemental weaknesses of the Flame and Water Cores, though I still
recommend Blizzaga and Thundaga to temporarily disable them and mitigate
their dangerous homing attacks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Test of Strength I” (#7)
-Description: Raise Aqua to level 60
-Reward: Arms – Royal Pauldron
-Difficulty: 3/10 (Tedium Factor: 2/10)
-Notes: Some grinding is required, as just defeating the Heartless you
encounter through the story will only raise you to Level 57 or so. The
grinding you do for the Heartless-slaying Trophies above should do the trick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Test of Strength II” (#8)
-Description: Raise Aqua to level 70
-Reward: Back – Astral Ornament
-Difficulty: 3/10 (Tedium Factor: 4/10)
-Notes: A significant amount of dedicated level-grinding is required, as all
the other objectives put together will likely not raise you to Level 70. See
“Test of Strength III” for the fastest way to gain experience.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Test of Strength III” (#9)
-Description: Raise Aqua to level 80
-Reward: Head – Venus’s Tiara
-Difficulty: 3/10 (Tedium Factor: 6/10)
-Notes: You are in for a very long haul here. I strongly recommend collecting
this on Critical, as the process is easier and it provides the greatest
benefit there, and a high level will make “In the Mirror” far easier as well.
Probably the best place to grind for experience is the World Within, in the
mirror at the end of the endless staircase where you fought Phantom Aqua.
When you revisit after reaching the Forest of Thorns, you will face off
against dozens of Shadows and five Flame Cores, which spawn in two separate
waves. This battle gives good experience by itself, though the return trip to
the mirror takes significant time. However, if you die during battle and
select the Retry option you keep any experience earned, allowing you to
quickly defeat and then respawn Heartless with only a short pause between
battles.
Start each battle by moving to the nearest Flame Core, casting Blizzaga and
then two Thundagas. Blizzaga heavily damages the Flame Cores and prevents
their counterattack, while Thundaga is best for the big crowd of Shadows.
This will be enough to trigger both Blizzaja (save this for any Flame Cores
not hit by Blizzaga) and Thundaja, eliminating the initial three Flame Cores
and wiping out most of the Shadows.
At that point two more Flame Cores will spawn. You want to trigger their
charge counterattack, which they always use under half health if not hit with
ice magic. I recommend Thundaga/Thundaja, when possible. On Critical this is
straightforward, as the final slam of their counterattack is nearly a one hit
kill by itself at lower levels. Their damage will fall as Defense rises at
higher levels, so eventually you will want to rely solely on Thundaga to
trigger more counterattacks.
On Proud and below, killing yourself is a lot more difficult. Aqua’s innate
Second Chance means that she won’t fall unless she is already at 1 HP, and
the room will be littered with health orbs from all the Shadows you’ve slain.
It takes many more hits to finish her off, especially at the higher levels,
to the point that this approach is barely more efficient than just farming
Earth Cores the normal way in the Depths of Darkness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Fight and Flight” (#17)
-Description: Defeat 5 Heartless while in midair
-Reward: Back – Radiant Ornament
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: You will likely earn this while clearing out the Flutterings in
Castle Town. Both keyblade combos and spells count, so long as Aqua’s feet
are off the ground.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defeat the Darksides” (#32)
-Description: Defeat 3 Darksides that stand in Aqua’s way
-Reward: Pattern – Diamond (Blue)
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: There are three optional Darksides in the Forest of Thorns, all of
them after the Rocky Path save point. (The mandatory Darkside battle in the
previous area does not count.) The first two are directly in your path, at
the top of the first hill and left of the staircase that leads to the end of
the level. To find the third, climb the bridge and drop down to the left,
just before you enter the vine-filled thicket. The Darkside will appear
together with a crowd of Flutterings. All three Darksides attack solely with
repeated homing projectiles, and are most easily defeated by bouncing them
back with Barrier.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Slide Along the Ivy Rails” (#46)
-Description: Use Rail Slide to dodge the Darksides’ attacks without taking
any damage
-Reward: Arms – Lustrous Arm Guards
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This objective is only available after clearing the story. The rail
in question is halfway through the Forest of Thorns, and is required to reach
the second save point. (The Darkside that slams the ground before you reach
the rail does not count.) Keep your eyes peeled for the purple glow before a
Darkside strikes, and you can leap over the first few without difficulty. The
last two are tricky, as they attack one right after the other, but by Air
Sliding right after jumping over the fifth strike you will avoid both.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“In the Mirror” (#42)
-Description: Enter the mirror that appears in the middle of the 12 zodiac
symbols and win all battles
-Reward: Head - Tiara
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: The zodiac mirror appears in the entrance hall of the World Within,
after you open all 12 zodiac chests (see “Quest for the Zodiac”). You want to
be close to Level 80 before entering, even on the lower difficulties, as the
extra damage output and Defense make the battles within far easier.
Most of the challenge comes from the final round, though the first four
rounds are no pushovers. Round one is a powered-up Darkside surrounded by two
waves of enemies: first Flutterings, then Neoshadows. Eliminate them quickly
with Thundaga so you can concentrate on the boss. Round two is a crowd of
Earth Cores and Flame Cores, followed by a few Water Cores, all of whom
require magic to effectively fight. (Thundaga’s stun effect is a great way to
keep the Earth Cores off your back for a while.) Round three is a large group
of Neoshadows, Shadows, and Flutterings. And round four is a powered-up
version of the Demon Tower, which plays identically to the second story
fight. Get through all of those to face the Zodiac Phantom Aqua, by far the
toughest enemy in the game.
The Zodiac Phantom uses a combination of rapid combo attacks and unblockable
charge attacks, the latter signaled by red contrails around her body. While
your goal is to block and dodge almost all of these strikes, respectively,
the combos take priority. You can survive a stray charge or two with high
enough Defense, but the long combos will easily reduce you to 1 HP even on
the higher levels.
When you see her start to teleport, get ready to block her combos with
Barrier. This will deflect her keyblade and provide an easy opening for a
combo: Jump to cancel Counter Blast (which lets her teleport away), then
press X to start the combo. Keep attacking when Aqua lands, and you can hit
her with two full combos for each of hers that you block. Just be ready to
dodge after the second finisher, as she immediately counterattacks with a
charge. (Her accelerating slash combo is not deflected by Barrier, but a
well-timed Counter Blast right as she pauses will neutralize the final charge
and allow you to start a combo, with no need to jump.)
Things start to get crazy at about five health bars, when she enters
Spellweaver mode. She uses a fixed sequence of attacks, so get ready to block
and dodge each in order. First come three barrages of projectiles, which are
unblockable but simple to dodge. The Phantom lets out a laugh, after which
you absorb the first clone combo strike with Barrier. The Phantom cartwheels
twice before the second strike, and once more before the third, followed by
another projectile volley. Counter Blast will nullify the projectiles, but
IMMEDIATELY use Barrier again to catch the next two combo strikes. Wait for
the final projectile barrage before Counter Blasting, and you’re mostly out
of the woods. All that is left of the main attack is her slow three-clone
spin, which is as easy to neutralize here as it was in the story battle. (If
your MP is still recharging, I strongly recommend tossing an Ether at the
beginning of the spin. Having MP is literally a matter of life or death.)
Her next move is perhaps the most dangerous. After Spellweaver mode is done
she unleashes the same homing icicle spell from the story battle, but this
time she will break your guard with charge attacks and make it nearly
impossible to avoid damage. Fortunately you have a brief opportunity to
interrupt the spell before it starts, by locking onto her and casting
Thundaga during the short casting animation. Try to do this every time, as
you really don’t want to face this attack head-on.
Things are mostly the same as the first phase after that, until you hit two
health bars remaining. At that point she reenters Spellweaver mode, which is
identical to its first appearance. From then on she will randomly cast the
icicle spell for the remainder of the battle, with only about two seconds of
laughter as a warning. She starts using faster and more aggressive combo
attacks as well, so get in the habit of dodging once whenever she teleports
in. Still, if you are good enough to make it this far it won’t take much more
skill to wear down the last two health bars and finish her for good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Critical Conquest” (#51)
-Description: Defeat the Demon Tide on Critical Mode
-Reward: Pattern - Crisscross
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: Before starting your Critical playthrough, it is important to
understand exactly what Critical Mode is. Aqua takes more damage on Critical,
as you’d expect, but that’s not the most dangerous part of the experience. On
the three lower difficulties Aqua innately knows Second Chance, Once More,
and Leaf Bracer, a combination that makes her essentially indestructible as
long as she has the MP to heal. She also knows Combo Master, allowing her to
complete her combos (and close in on out-of-reach enemies) even if some
attacks strike empty air.
In Critical Mode, Aqua only benefits from Once More. She can survive combo
attacks, but is highly vulnerable to heavy individual hits. Combo Master’s
effect activates on the second hit and later, but missing the first hit still
aborts the combo. Finally, neither objects nor enemies drop any prize orbs,
forcing you to rely more heavily on Curaga and healing items.
Put all that together, and the first hour or so of Critical Mode is
profoundly dangerous. Most bosses and many normal Heartless can destroy Aqua
in two hits, forcing her to get very good at preventing damage. Blizzaga and
Thundaga (and their Grand Magic versions) will be your best friends, as you
badly need their status effects to keep the Heartless mobs at bay. Items can
potentially save your life during MP recharge (especially since you have
access to every item you have collected at all times), though your finite
supply still forces conservative use.
That said, if you can reach the Forest of Thorns you can trivialize the
second half of the story. (The only required encounters up to that point are
with the Demon Tower and Phantom Aqua. The former is easy to avoid if you
attack conservatively and run away when its eyes glow. For Phantom Aqua’s
strategy, see the “Flawless Victory” objective.) Simply return to the World
Within, and power-level as described in “Test of Strength III.” Your Defense
dramatically increases as you level up, to the point that even the Demon Tide
does low damage as you approach Level 80, not to mention that your rising
Strength and Magic do a lot to shorten those battles. Given how difficult
some of the Demon Tide’s attacks are to dodge, and how much damage it
inflicts at low levels, it is very much in your interest to take full
advantage of your power-leveling.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COMBAT (MAGIC AND ABILITIES)---
These objectives deal directly with Aqua’s spells, Situation Commands, and
other tools that she uses to defeat the Heartless in battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Master of Counters” (#10)
-Description: Defeat 5 Heartless using Counter Blast
-Reward: Back – Flawless Wings
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Easily earned while clearing out the Heartless in Castle Town. The
Shadows are excellent targets, as are the Flutterings when they touch the
ground for their spin attack. Simply block the attack with Barrier, then hit
X to obliterate your enemies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Master of Fire” (#11)
-Description: Use fire-based magic to defeat 30 Heartless
-Reward: Back – Cyber Blades
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: All three magic-focused objectives will come easily as you play
through the story, since Aqua’s spells are some of her strongest and most
reliable offensive tools. Firaga will probably see less use than the other
two, since it has a smaller area of effect and doesn’t inflict status
effects. It does have a low MP cost, though, making it easier to multi-cast,
and you’re likely to get a few kills against the fire-weak Water Cores. The
enhanced Firaja version also counts toward your total, making the process
even faster.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Master of Ice” (#12)
-Description: Use ice-based magic to defeat 30 Heartless
-Reward: Back - Blades
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Blizzaga is a great crowd control spell, consistently freezing all
enemies in a moderate radius, so it should see plenty of use during the
story. It is borderline mandatory against the Flame Cores, dealing heavy
damage and shutting down their counterattack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Master of Lightning” (#13)
-Description: Use lightning-based magic to defeat 50 Heartless
-Reward: Arms – Mystic Pauldron
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Thundaga has the widest area of effect by a big margin, and
frequently applies a stun effect that keeps affected targets stunned for
several seconds. It is hands-down the best spell for the large Fluttering
mobs you will encounter throughout the game, and the stun status is a godsend
against the otherwise relentless Earth Cores. The required kill quota is
higher than for the other spells, but Thundaga is such a powerful tool that
you will easily meet it anyway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Frozen Rail Ride” (#14)
-Description: Use ice-based magic to create a rail, then ride the rail a long
distance
-Reward: Arms – Flawless Arm Guards
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: To satisfy this objective, you must find an area with a very long
stretch of straight, level ground. There are a handful of areas that satisfy
this requirement, with the bridge in Castle Town being both the earliest and
one of the easiest. From the save point, head downhill and cross the bridge
until you bump into the invisible barrier. Turn around, and carefully line up
both Aqua and the camera so they face straight down the middle of the
archway. Cast Blizzaga, then move forward to skate down the newly created
rail. If done properly you will ride the rail all the way to the base of the
hill, earning the objective.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Ice Breaker” (#15)
-Description: Freeze at least 5 Heartless and shatter 5 of them
-Reward: Pattern – Grace (Purple)
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: To shatter an enemy, freeze them with Blizzaga and finish them with
your next hit. (Refreezing them with another ice spell won’t do the trick.)
You must freeze and shatter a group of five at once for it to count.
The best targets are large groups of Shadows, such as the clusters that spawn
before the ivy rail in the Forest of Thorns. Cast Blizzaga into the middle of
them, smash the whole group with Thundaga, and you’re done.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Magic Advantage” (#16)
-Description: Some Heartless are weak to certain types of magic. Use the
right type to hit an enemy for extra damage.
-Reward: Arms – Voltaic Arm Plate
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Just cast Blizzaga on a Flame Core, Firaga on a Water Core, or
Thundaga on an Earth Core. This is nearly unavoidable, as all three enemies
have obnoxious defenses that are neutralized by the spell in question.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Excellent Aim” (#18)
-Description: Earn an Excellent rating 6 times in a row using Shotlock
-Reward: Pattern – Diamond (White)
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: This requires two consecutive fully-charged Shotlocks, each with
perfect Excellent ratings for maximum damage. Getting three in a row can be
difficult by itself, as Prism Rain requires much more precision than the
original Birth by Sleep version.
Fortunately, you can save yourself a lot of work by saving after the first
three Excellents. (You’ll need to restore your Focus for the second Shotlock
in any case.) If you screw up the timing for the last three blasts, you can
simply soft-reset (hold down L1+R1+Options) and Continue to try again. The
Depths of Darkness save point is probably fastest, though any save point near
a cluster of enemies will work.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Stylish Moves” (#19)
-Description: Use a Style Change to defeat 50 Heartless
-Reward: Pattern – Diamond (Green)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Will occur naturally as you play through the story. For most of the
game you only have access to Spellweaver, though you gain Wayfinder in the
Depths of Darkness as well. Since both Styles power up your combos and give
you access to devastating Finish attacks, you’ll want to exploit these moves
whenever you get the chance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A Fine Finish” (#20)
-Description: Activate Spellweaver’s Finish command
-Reward: Pattern – Classy (Blue)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: You will almost definitely get this on your own. Just use physical
combos to trigger Spellweaver mode, and keep on filling the gauge to trigger
Finish.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Wardrobe Weaver” (#21)
-Description: Equip an item in all wardrobe slots, then activate
Spellweaver’s Finish command
-Reward: Pattern - Ribbons
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Exactly the same, save that Aqua is fully dressed up. See the
Fashionista Trophy for the easiest objectives to fill the four wardrobe
slots.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Work Together with King Mickey” (#35)
-Description: Link with King Mickey 5 times
-Reward: Head – Minnie Ears (Red Bow)
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Your second combat Style, Wayfinder, is only available in the Depths
of Darkness. It is randomly triggered by Mickey, and seems to activate every
few minutes. Between the Demon Tower, the Heartless encountered on the map,
and the Demon Tide, you stand a very good chance of earning this during the
story. If not, you will certainly earn it while farming Earth Cores.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COMBAT (MISSABLE)---
Each objective in this section is directly tied to a specific boss fight
during the story. Each boss can only be challenged once per playthrough,
though you can always import to a new playthrough to complete the objectives
you had previously missed. Note that with the exception of “Queen of the
Rink” (#31), all of these objectives are only available on the second
playthrough or later.
The soft-reset function is your salvation here, as it allows you to quickly
try again if you mess up at first. To soft-reset, just hold down the L1, R1,
and Options buttons all at once. You will go straight back to the title
screen, and can select Continue to return to your last auto-save. The whole
process takes maybe 20 seconds, and since every boss battle is preceded by an
auto-save you will not lose any progress.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Turn the Tide” (#36)
-Description: Defeat the Demon Tower with Spellweaver’s Finish command
-Reward: Head – Cheshire Cat
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The tricky part is the timing. You need to keep the Demon Tower alive
long enough to trigger Spellweaver and then Finish, but also need to wear
down its health enough that Finish will win the battle. While the final magic
burst does most of the damage, killing it with the initial spin also counts.
The Demon Tower takes much less damage in attack mode (when its eyes glow
red), so try to save your heaviest attacks until it stops.
The key is to rely exclusively on physical damage, and to never stop
attacking for more than a few seconds at a time. While you can’t use keyblade
combos when the Demon Tower attacks, you can preserve the charge gauge by
blocking its strikes and retaliating with Counter Blast. You will have to
block or leap over the “swarm of Shadows” homing attack when it is used, so
do your best to resume the offensive as soon as safely possible. Aqua’s
damage is high enough that between her normal and Spellweaver combos, she
should be able to wear it down to the final health bar before Finish appears.
If not, you can always wear it down further with Shotlock (which helpfully
pauses the command timer) or a few Firagas. Unleash Finish to win the battle,
and you will have it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Queen of the Rink” (#31)
-Description: Perform a spin during the fight with the Phantom Aqua
-Reward: Head – Royal Tiara
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: The “spin” is Spellweaver’s Finish command. This must be done in the
third Phantom Aqua fight, as the first two battles are too short to fill up
the gauge. It is quite possible to earn both this and “Flawless Victory” in
the same battle, though you will have an easier time if you do this on your
first playthrough and “Flawless Victory” on your second. That way you don’t
have to worry about resetting if you take a stray hit the first time, or if
Spellweaver runs out near the end the second time.
As with “In the Mirror,” the easiest way to create an opening is to deflect
one of her keyblade attacks with Barrier, promptly jump, and strike while in
midair. Land two complete combos, and promptly lock on to her if she
teleports. If she taunts you and teleports into midair, cast Thundaga. She is
about to cast her homing icicle spell, which is guaranteed to empty the
charge gauge, and must be interrupted at all costs. (There is a small chance
that the spell casting will trigger Thundaja instead of Spellweaver. If so,
you need to soft-reset and try the battle again.) If you cannot lock on, she
instead counters with her clone spin. This is much better, as it lets you
preserve your charge gauge and provides an easy opening, though only if you
block and then Counter Blast as soon as you get the chance.
If she countered with the icicle spell, you will need one more opening to
fully charge the gauge. Once again, block her attacks and jump to start a
combo. If she uses the clone walk, cast Thundaga and immediately start
mashing X to destroy her clones and start a combo.
Once Spellweaver is charged, land one more hit on her and activate the
command. This will stagger her and create the perfect opening for a
Spellweaver assault. Spellweaver combos don’t trigger a counterattack the way
that normal combos do, so you can chain three or even four of them in a row,
fully charging Finish without giving her the chance to break free. While your
second or third Spellweaver combos can miss if Phantom Aqua is knocked
especially far, they connect reliably enough that you should be able to
complete the objective this way within a few attempts.
If you land two Spellweaver combos but miss the third, you can top off the
gauge with two Counter Blasts. However, if you only land one combo you will
have a difficult time creating another opening. The block-jump trick is far
less effective (and demands uncommon reflexes to pull off at all), so I would
instead try to dodge through her attacks and wait for either a sweep attack
or projectile. She takes a second to land after both moves, giving you just
enough time to start a Spellweaver combo if you are right next to her.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Flawless Victory” (#41)
-Description: Defeat the third Phantom Aqua without taking damage
-Reward: Back – Lustrous Wings
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: All of Phantom Aqua’s attacks are blockable, though the timing for
each is different. Some damage you immediately, while others are preceded by
a running or cartwheel animation, so you need to watch her carefully and
learn her tells for each attack.
The strategy described in “Queen of the Rink” is probably the best way to
approach this. Spellweaver’s combos deal plenty of damage and can be chained
for much longer than normal combos, giving Phantom Aqua fewer chances to hurt
you, and if you unleash Finish when she is vulnerable (the clone walk and the
latter part of her three-clone spin, just before the clones come together,
are great openings) it will often kill her outright.
The most dangerous parts are right after you’ve interrupted her icicle spell,
and if she breaks free of your Spellweaver combos, as she can easily hit you
with an unexpected attack. I suggest dodging until she uses her first attack,
after which you’ll have an easier time reading her attacks and blocking
appropriately. You can also just soft-reset until she counters with the clone
spin and you are able to get three Spellweaver combos in a row, as doing so
will bypass those parts altogether.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Keeper of the Orb” (#47)
-Description: Defeat the Darkside supporting the Dark Orb without taking any
damage
-Reward: Pattern – Lace (Floral)
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: Before you can even reach the Darkside, you have to navigate a long
corridor while spiked orbs rain down from the sky. Keep the camera angled
slightly up, move forward cautiously, and you should be able to dodge out of
the way of each orb. Take care to get well clear when they hit the ground, as
each orb will expand its spikes on impact. Odds are that you will have to
soft-reset A LOT before you get through the opening section untouched.
After that, the Darkside rotates between three attacks: summoning another
rain of orbs, firing homing projectiles at you, or summoning Shadows from the
ground. The rain of orbs is used every other attack, so don’t try to hit him
with more than one combo at a time. I suggest Air Sliding to the edge of the
arena and pointing the camera straight up. The arena wall will limit the
number of orbs that can threaten you, and the few that do land close to you
can be reliably blocked. This is the ideal time to use Shotlock, as it
provides several seconds of invulnerability while dealing lots of damage.
When he charges for the projectiles you want to back up, so you can see them
coming and block them all. The Shadow attack opens with a shockwave (which
you can either block or jump over), after which you can remove the Shadows
with Thundaga and continue attacking.
The second dangerous part begins at half health, when the lock-on shifts to
the Darkside’s head and he starts using his desperation attack. When you see
the Darksides in the background raise their arms in unison, move to the far
end of the arena and prepare to start dodging. The initial burst releases a
shockwave, though if you are in the right spot it will not reach you. The
seven lasers he releases come in three varieties: they either fire at your
current position (the first, third, and fifth lasers), fire out to either
side before curving in (second, sixth), or move inward before blasting out
the other side (fourth, seventh). The first variety must be precisely dodged
as it appears, but you can cause the other lasers to miss by standing at the
right distance from the Darkside when they fire. You’ll want to be at medium
range for the second variety, and at long range for the third variety.
So to summarize your defense: Dodge, move to medium range, dodge, move to
long range, dodge, move to medium range, and back up as far as you can.
Follow this sequence, and you should get through the desperation attack
untouched.
From then on he will only use his projectile barrage and the desperation
attack, mostly the former. Your opportunities for direct combo or spell
damage will be limited to right after the projectiles, as you’ll be either
blocking or dodging at all other times, though the projectiles you’re
bouncing back will take off a lot of health by themselves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Combined Strength” (#50)
-Description: Link with King Mickey to defeat the Demon Tower
-Reward: Pattern – Polka Dots
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You earn this by winning the battle while Wayfinder is active. You
can deal the final hit with a combo, the Finish command, or even a spell or
Shotlock, so long as the Style has not yet worn off.
Just fight the Demon Tower as you normally would until you reach the last
health bar. Wayfinder will trigger near the beginning of the battle, but
unless you are at a very high level that first use is unlikely to win the
battle by itself. The good news is that Wayfinder will trigger again after a
certain amount of time has passed, regardless of Aqua’s actions. Just stay
alive until it reappears, and you should have no trouble finishing the boss
with it.
*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************
---COLLECTION AND EXPLORATION---
These Trophies deal with exploring the nooks and crannies of the various
worlds, as well as acquiring items and other hidden collectibles.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Trendsetter” (#22)
-Description: Equip an item in a wardrobe slot
-Reward: Pattern – Mecha (Pink)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: As soon as you’ve completed any other objective, equip the reward you
receive in the relevant slot to earn this as well. Chances are good that
“Magic Advantage” (#16) will be the first objective completed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Streetlamp Striker” (#23)
-Description: Hit 20 streetlamps
-Reward: Pattern – Grace (Blue)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Earned in Castle Town. You can target both the top and bottom of each
lamppost, though only the top (the actual lamp) counts toward the total. Jump
before striking each lamp, and you should earn this quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Top of the Town” (#24)
-Description: Climb to the highest point
-Reward: Back - Wings
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: To reach the highest point in Castle Town, you first need to learn
Doubleflight and Air Slide after finding the relevant gears. Once you have,
head to the northwest corner of the map and follow a gradually ascending path
of spires and floating platforms.
The tricky part starts after passing over the tower, when you have to cross a
huge gap to the south. Probably the easiest way to cross is to use
Doubleflight followed by two Air Slides. (You need to use both quickly, so
Aqua doesn’t fall below the platform.) Another Doubleflight will get you onto
the next floating platform, and from there it is just a few steps to the
highest platform. A brief cutscene will play, after which you are awarded the
objective.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Starlit Wish” (#25)
-Description: Watch for a meteor shower
-Rewards: Arms – Arm Guards
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Can be earned directly after “Top of the Town.” When the cutscene
ends, the camera will center on the castle in the background. Move the camera
up and to the right, so the castle is in the corner of the screen, and after
a few seconds the camera will freeze to show three shooting stars streaking
across the sky.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Heartless That Dwell” (#26)
-Description: Defeat all of the Heartless in the room
-Reward: Pattern – Mecha (Yellow)
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This is earned after completing the three optional battle mirrors in
The World Within’s entrance hall. Mirror 1 is covered by “Mystery Within,”
Mirror 3 has a group of Flame Cores and Shadows, and Mirror 7 has a group of
Water Cores and Flutterings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Mystery Within” (#27)
-Description: Solve the mystery of the World Within and win the battle
-Reward: Pattern - Stitching
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This take place inside mirror 1. There are a bunch of lit candles in
the room, each of which must be extinguished with an airborne keyblade
strike. When all candles are extinguished and the room goes dark, a big crowd
of Neoshadows, Shadows, and Flutterings will attack you. Destroy them all as
normal (Blizzaga and Thundaga help a lot), and you will exit the mirror with
this objective.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Treasure Within” (#28)
-Description: Uncover the mystery of the World Within and obtain the
special item
-Reward: Arms – Arm Plate
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The treasure in question is in mirror 6. Open the chest nearest to
the mirror on the left side (the one chest that is closed when viewed from
the outside) for a Mega-Ether and the objective.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Gem Gatherer” (#29)
-Description: Find the brightest of jewels in the mines where the
Seven Dwarfs work
-Reward: Head - Marie
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: There are seven collectible gems hidden throughout the mines area of
the World Within. While they are larger and shinier than most rocks in the
area, they can still blend into the background quite easily. You will find
them in the following locations:
1) Left of the first mirror within the mines.
2) Next to the second mirror, between the barrels.
3) Suspended in the air past the second mirror. To reach this, stop the
floating platform at its lowest position.
4) Under the scaffolding that leads to the third mirror, hidden beneath
some breakable barrels on the left.
5) On the platform with the Water Core mob, past the third mirror. It
is beneath the barrels where you land (on the west side).
6) Also on the Water Core platform. It is on the south side, just left
of a broken pillar with a torch.
7) Suspended in the space near the end of the level, southeast of the
twin mirrors. Position yourself so the gem is visible in the mirror, and
activate the mirrors. Press Triangle as the ramp passes through the gem, and
you can walk up the slope to collect it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Connected” (#30)
-Description: Discover the secret in the mirror tied to the mysterious rocks
-Reward: Pattern – Lace (Crystal)
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: Enter the mines in the World Within, and travel until you reach the
third mirror. The two horizontally sliding rocks each contain half of a star
symbol (vaguely resembling Aqua’s Wayfinder), which you must line up to form
the complete shape. I suggest that you carefully observe their movements a
few times first, and aim to stop the mirror as the vertical rock in the
background is descending. It may take a few attempts, but eventually the
rocks will line up just right and a brief cutscene will trigger to
acknowledge your discovery.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Prickly Problem” (#33)
-Description: Destroy 50 ivy branches. Some require magic to be destroyed.
-Reward: Pattern – Coil (White)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This will probably happen naturally as you clear the path through the
Forest of Thorns. You have to destroy nearly that many just to move forward,
so if you are exploring most of the side paths you will easily hit the quota.
The red thorned ones count as “destroyed” even if you just collide with them,
though since they deal significant damage it’s better to take them out with
Firaga.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Fairy Bouquet” (#34)
-Description: Find flowers that represent Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather
-Reward: Head – Minnie Ears (Blue Bow)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: All three flowers are found in side paths of the Forest of Thorns.
Their locations are as follows:
1) In the very first side alcove after the Uncertain Path save point,
along the south wall.
2) Behind where you found the second optional Darkside, after the Rocky
Path save point. It is in an alcove on the left side.
3) In the vine-filled thicket near the end of the level. When the main
path splits in two, take the right fork. It is against the left wall, just
after the second step up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Treasure Hunt in the Castle Town” (#37)
-Description: Open all of the treasure chests
-Reward: Pattern – Coil (Yellow)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: All four treasure objectives unlock after the final boss. The
treasure chests can be divided into three groups. The first is the chest for
the area map, which is invariably large and in an obvious location near the
beginning of the area. In this case you will find the map at the north end of
the castle bridge, next to the gates.
The second group contain consumable items, which refill with every
playthrough. Since these chests are Aqua’s only source of items, you’ve got
plenty of incentive to open them anyway. In Castle Town you will find them in
the following locations:
1) Potion: West side at street level, next to a giant blue crystal.
2) Ether: East side at street level, at the northeast corner of a
building.
3) Potion: North corner, on a floating platform. You should spot this
while crossing the platforms to reach the “Top of the Town” platform.
4) Ether: In the lower courtyard on the north edge of town, directly
below the previous chest. It is hidden under the staircase that leads back to
town, next to a streetlamp.
The third group contain pieces for the zodiac mirror (see “Quest for the
Zodiac”), which only appear after clearing the game. Once collected, these
chests remain open on all subsequent playthroughs. You will find them in the
following locations:
1) Virgo Relic: Northwest side. Take the stairs to the west as you
approach from the fountain, pass through the gate, and when you turn to your
left you will see it next to a streetlamp.
2) Aries Relic: North side of town. Take the stairs to the east, and
you will see it on the side of a building to your right, between two stacks
of boxes.
3) Aquarius Relic: West corner of town. There is a line of three
streetlamps you can walk on to reach one of the five gears. Drop to the
ground between the streetlamps, and you will see the chest to the left of the
steps.
4) Sagittarius Relic: On the high platform where you earn “Top of the
Town.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Treasure Hunt in the World Within” (#39)
-Description: Open all of the treasure chests
-Reward: Head – Minnie Ears (White Bow)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The map chest is directly next to the save point in the entrance
hall. Item chests are in the following spots:
1) Mega-Potion: On top of the partially crumbled stone ring that forms
the highest point in the entrance hall. To reach it, you’ll need to climb the
lower pillars and roofs via Doubleflight until you can reach the lowest part
of the structure (which is between mirrors 4 and 5). Walk over the top of the
ring, and you will find it near the opposite end.
2) Mega-Ether: See “Treasure Within.”
3) Hi-Potion: On the third screen of the endless staircase. Turn to the
left, and you will see an alcove with the chest.
4) Potion: In the upside-down version of the hall of pillars, next to
the first pillar you travel through.
5) Hi-Potion: Also in the upside-down hall of pillars, directly
opposite the mirror that leads to the boss battle.
6) Hi-Potion: At the end of the mines, directly left of the boss
mirror.
7) Megalixir: In the mines, accessed via the double mirrors near the
end of the level. Use the mirrors to shift the giant ramp so it points north,
and you can Air Slide to an isolated platform containing the chest.
Zodiac chests are in the following spots:
1) Cancer Relic: North side of the entrance hall, behind mirror 4.
2) Pisces Relic: On the first screen of the endless staircase. Turn
around as soon as you enter to find it.
3) Gemini Relic: In the rightside-up hall of pillars. It is four
pillars east of the final breakable pillar.
4) Leo Relic: In the mines, to the right of the second mirror.
5) Libra Relic: In the mines, in the south corner of the platform where
you fight the Water Cores.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Treasure Hunt in the Forest of Thorns” (#44)
-Description: Open all of the treasure chests
-Reward: Pattern – Classy (White)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The map chest is a little past the Uncertain Path save point, next to
the slidable ivy rail. Item chests are in the following spots:
1) Mega-Potion: In the open area with the first Heartless encounter in
this world. Jump up the steps and ride the spiral rail all the way to the
top, then cross a small gap to reach the chest. (This is the only item chest
in the first half of the world. All others are found between the Rocky Path
and Path’s End save points.)
2) Ether: Left of the Rocky Path save point, behind some red thorns you
can destroy with Firaga.
3) Potion: In the narrow corridor between the first and second optional
Darksides. As you enter from the top of the hill, you will see two large
steps along the left wall. Climb the steps, lock on to the red thorns up
above, and blast them with Firaga. You can now Air Slide into the alcove to
collect the item.
4) Ether: Near the second optional Darkside encounter. Follow the
corridor to the open area at the end, and continue following the ramp along
the left wall. You will see another thorn barrier, which can be destroyed
with Firaga in the same way.
5) Hi-Potion: Past the second optional Darkside. Take the staircase to
the right, and look to your right on the narrow bridge where Flutterings
spawn. Jump and Air Slide to the ledge across the gap, then do so again to
reach an isolated platform with this chest.
6) Hi-Potion: In the clearing with the third optional Darkside (see
“Defeat the Darksides”), against the far wall.
7) Potion: In the thicket near the end of the level. There is a small,
downward-sloping side path to your left as you enter. The chest is at the
bottom.
8) Potion: When the path through the thicket splits in two, follow the
right wall. You will fall into a crevasse that is well below the rest of the
path, where the chest is hidden.
9) Mega-Potion: Just before you exit the thicket and enter the boss
arena, there is a hidden side path to the right. Entering this area will
trigger a large group of Shadows and Flutterings, and cause lots of red vines
to sprout up around you. The chest is at the end of the path.
Zodiac chests are in the following spots:
1) Taurus Relic: Near the map chest and Uncertain Path save point, in
the small ditch below the ivy rail.
2) Scorpio Relic: After the first open area in the world (with the
spiralling ivy rail), head forward down the path. You will find it in the
side alcove to the left.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Treasure Hunt in the Depths of Darkness” (#48)
-Description: Open all of the treasure chests
-Reward: Pattern – Grace (Pink)
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The map chest is at the first left turn in the path, after the
initial encounter with three Earth Cores. Item chests are in the following
spots:
1) Mega-Ether: After the first Earth Core battle, turn to your right to
fall down a hole. Follow the wall to your right, and you will find it in an
alcove.
2) Hi-Potion: Past the wide-open area with the tall pillars, follow the
path as it curves to the right. The chest is easily spotted, on a small
plateau to your right.
3) Mega-Ether: Continue down the main path from #2, and it will be
against a pillar on the left side.
4) Elixir: In the final sandy area before the final boss. It is on the
rocky ledge to the left of the exit, next to a large crystal structure.
The final Zodiac chest is in the sandy area near the exit. Go to the
southeast corner of this area, and you will find the Capricorn Relic on top
of a pillar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Lingering Memories in the Castle Town” (#38)
-Description: Find lingering memories
-Reward: Back – Pulse Blades
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The “lingering memories” are icons that symbolize objects significant
to each world’s story. There is one hidden somewhere in each world after
clearing the game, and once examined they permanently disappear.
Castle Town’s lingering memory is on the rooftop of one of the buildings
north of the square. Go straight north from the fountain, jump on the roof to
the west, and go one building further west. You will find it on the spire in
front of you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Lingering Memories in the World Within” (#40)
-Description: Find lingering memories
-Reward: Arms – Warrior’s Arm Plate
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This one is hiding on top of the high pillar to the left of mirror 2.
Use Doubleflight to climb onto the walls around the mirror, then again to
land on the pillar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Lingering Memories in the Forest of Thorns” (#45)
-Description: Find lingering memories
-Reward: Head – Pulse Antennae
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This one is in the same spot as the third optional Darkside (see
“Defeat the Darksides”), in the center of the clearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Lingering Memories in the Depths of Darkness” (#49)
-Description: Find lingering memories
-Reward: Back – Iron Ornament
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The final lingering memory is in the hidden tunnel, directly to the
right of the first Earth Core encounter. It will be to your left when you
land, on the side of the first step that leads up out of the hole.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Quest for the Zodiac” (#43)
-Description: Find and restore the light of the 12 zodiac symbols
-Reward: Arms - Pauldron
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: Collect all 12 Zodiac chests after clearing the story. For locations
in each world, see the individual “Treasure Hunt” objectives. Once they are
all collected, return to the World Within save point and approach the ring of
glowing symbols. A new mirror will appear in the center, granting you access
to the much more difficult “In the Mirror” objective.
=============================================================================
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
=============================================================================
-KHWiki: My main resource for detailed information on Dream Drop Distance.
-factor747: Many of the strategies in the Objectives Guide are loosely based
on those featured in the videos he posted on YouTube. His Treasure Hunter
Trophy Guide video was also an indispensible resource for some of A
Fragmentary Passage’s better-hidden chests.
-TheMachoChannel: The strategy for Candy Goggles Master is based on the one
featured in his YouTube video.
-SquareEnix: For creating two more fantastic games in a beautiful package.