_____ __ ____ __ / ___/____ __ __/ / / __ )/ /___ _____ ___ _____ \__ \/ __ \/ / / / / / __ / / __ `/_ / / _ \/ ___/ ___/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ / / /_/ / / /_/ __/ / /____/\____/\__,_/_/ /_____/_/\__,_/ /___/\___/_/ B O S S F A Q Platform: SNES Developer: Quintet Publisher: Enix by threetimes 6th February 2008 Update: 6th April 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a wonderful game, both clever and creative, with some challenging boss battles. After struggling with a couple of the boss fights, and finding some quick and simple ways to win one or two, I decided to write this short FAQ. Thanks are due to those who wrote the walkthroughs that are already posted at GameFAQs. If you need help in the dungeons and details about how to find the best equipment, then please use these FAQs. This FAQ ONLY covers the boss battles, and directions from the final Return Tile in every location. -------- Contents -------- 1. Metal Mantis 2. Three Statues 3. The Skull 4. Poseidon 5. The Tin Doll 6. Demon Falcon 7. Deathtoll 8. Credits and Other Stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. M E T A L M A N T I S : G R A S S V A L L E Y ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- The first boss is found when you get inside Leo's Painting in the large house at the top of the second set of steps in the village. After working your way through the dungeon you will find a Return Tile on the left of a red moving conveyor, so you can get back to the village to prepare for the fight. This dungeon is actually called Leo's Paintings. When you are ready, starting from the Return Tile, move up the conveyor belt avoiding the metal enemies as you cannot hurt them yet, and go through the large doorway to the room at the far end of the conveyor. ----------- Preparation ----------- Make sure you have a spare Medical Herb, and your best equipment, and you can defeat him at Level 4, which you are likely to be if you haven't done any extra fights other than those required to get to this point in the game. You should have the Sword of Life, Iron Armour, and Medical Herb. If you fail it is best to just reload and try again. ------------- The Situation ------------- There are three conveyor belts all of which are moving, but the side two move up, towards the Mantis, and the centre one down, away from him. Metal Mantis will range from side to side on his side of the room, in response to Hero's movement. In other words, if you move left, he will move left in order to face you and let off his attacks. He has three basic forms of attack. One is to fire three streams of fire, directly towards you if you are facing him. If you are to one side of his position then he will fire one or more single fireballs in your direction. Finally, if you are close to him he will swipe with one of his claws. |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Platform where the Mantis will move from from side to side | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | ^^^ | | vvvv | | ^^^ | | | | ^^^ | | vvvv | | ^^^ | | | | ^^^ | | vvvv | | ^^^ | | | | ^^^ | | vvvv | | ^^^ | | |--------------------------------| |--------------------------------| | | | Soul Blazer can move freely on this platform | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| ------------ The Strategy ------------ There is only one way to beat this boss, and that is to take your time and concentrate, so you get into a rhythm, and don't worry about how long it might take. Magic does not work on him, so forget about trying that. Oh, and DO NOT step onto the conveyor belts at either side, the only one you need to use is the one in the middle. What you have to do, is to move to one side so you lure the Mantis to the side as well. You could go to either side, but I think if you choose one side, then stick to that, as it makes the whole thing easier. So...move to the left so you are facing the left conveyor, but don't go too far. I found it best to stop in the middle, but not stepping onto the actual moving conveyor, for the best effect. Wait until the Mantis is opposite you and he begins his attack animation, (he will sort of breathe in), and at the moment he begins to release his attack move back to the central conveyor belt and walk up it. If you time it slightly wrong and move too quickly you may find yourself actually on his platform and he might hit you. If you move too slowly then when you try to attack him you might miss. While you are moving up the central conveyor, he will be moving as well, and returning to the central position, but because he can't move while launching his attack, you gain some precious time. As you get close start swinging your sword and keep swinging it, and then stop trying to walk forwards. Simply allow yourself to be swept back to your side of the room on the conveyor belt, and press the down button to move more quickly back to the platform. Then quickly move left again, and if you time this right, his next three streams of fire attack will just miss you. Wait at the side, at the bottom of the up conveyor belt, and he will return to his position directly opposite you. Rinse and repeat! (Many times...) -------- Comments -------- Maintaining this perfect timing is hard work and I slipped up a few times, and then was caught by his fireballs. I also found myself inadvertently stepping onto the upwards moving conveyor and had to quickly recover and back away. Even with these silly errors, I managed to defeat him, but had to use up a Medical Herb. However, after getting the hang of this, another time I managed it without having to use a herb. It may seem hard at first, but once you get the idea, it isn't so bad. The fight is a long one because your sword won't inflict much damage and his HP is high in comparison to your puny amount. You can see the effect of your hits on his HP bar, as you slowly whittle it down. Actually I found it better to ignore this as I usually stiffen up when I think I have nearly defeated him, and then am prone to errors. Whatever works best for you though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. T H R E E S T A T U E S : G R E E N W O O D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Where to find them ------------------ After reaching the Light Shrine and travelling on the rafts you enter a large and darkened area. Work you way around this until you can go down some stairs to yet another large and dark area. Find your way around this area and its various connected rooms, heading up and right and down again and then left and you will find the blue Return Tile in the top right corner of the bottom left room. From the Return Tile inside the Light Shrine, go left and up, keeping to the right side of the rooms and then head right when a small passage is open to you, and this leads to a room with a green floor and a large door at the top of the screen. This leads directly into the Statues room. ----------- Preparation ----------- You need the Medical Herb of course, and the Shield Bracelet. Soul Blazer will probably be at level 8 by this point and you will have the Psycho Sword and Ice Armour. ------------- The Situation ------------- Soul Blazer is in a rectangular room that is slightly dark, (though you don't need the additional light in here), and there are three statues ranged from left to right. Each one has different attacks according to their element, as you'd expect, and requires a different strategy to defeat. The left hand statue is Lightning, the right one, Water, and the central one, Fire. They each have distinctive patterns of movement as well as the different attacks. Each one is standing on a low plinth, which you cannot walk over, and must edge around while fighting. They will not move or attack until you approach the correct one, and then it will come alive. There are some other reddish brown decorative tiles set in the floor but these can be walked over, so they are just part of the floor, even if it appears as if they are also raised a little. I have labelled these A and B as they are useful location points for the strategy. L ... Lightning Statue F ... Fire Statue W ... Water Statue A ... Left flat tile B ... Right flat tile XL ...Soul Blader's position for the first battle. XW ...Soul Blader's position for the second battle XF ...Soul Blader's position for the third battle |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | |----| |----| | | | L | | W | | | |----| ----- |----| ----- |----| | | | A | | F XF | B XW | | XL ----- |----| ----- | | | |-------------------------- ---------------------------| ^^ Entrance ------------ The Strategy ------------ This can be a tough battle, and you need to be careful how you conserve your Medical Herb and not use it too soon. In fact, if you have used it before the third fight, then you will find it hard to win, as the last statue is the hardest to beat, and inflicts more damage than the other two. Fortunately another FAQ writer discovered a neat trick for the second and third fights, which will make the whole thing a lot easier, although I only discovered this later. I have tested this out and it works a treat without fail. Many thanks to Terrafire who discovered these strategies and gave me permission to repeat them here. o Lightning There is a position where you can stand and the statue cannot touch you and all his electricity attacks will miss as well. If you look to the left side of the room there are grey stripes on the wall. Line up with the one that is second up from the bottom. Then stand on a spot that is below the plinth where the statue was standing and about half way between the left wall and the flat tile (A on the diagram). XL marks the spot on the diagram. The statue spits out electricity in T shapes but these leave the diagonal space untouched and this is where you can stand. Then all you need do is turn from left to right as he moves and hit him. This means that you could go though the whole battle and not receive any damage at all. The state will just move from left to right and back again. You can adjust your position if you end up too close too him, so you remain in the empty space where the electricity can't reach you. o Water I can take no credit for this strategy as I read about it in Terrafire's FAQ. All you need do, is to stand on a precise spot and stay there for the whole fight! From the centre red square in the middle of the tile square, (Tile B in the diagram), situated between the Fire and Water statue, move right onto the grey line of the edging. As soon as you start to do this, the statue will come to life. If it hits you while it moves, then you are in the wrong spot. You should be precisely at the centre of that grey edging. The statue will simply circle you firing water puddles, and you can attack it with impunity, while it fails to inflict any damage whatsoever! Actually the same trick works if you stand at the left of the raised platform that the Water statue was standing on before the battle starts. o Fire Again this strategy is thanks to Terrafire. After the statue starts to move, stand next to the plinth that it was on and at the right centre. The raised platform is bordered with green and grey tiles and there are 8 grey ones. If you are on either of the middle two grey tiles then the Red Statue cannot reach you. Its movement is curtailed by the edge and it cannot turn to move down the side of the centre red tile. This means that all its spitting fire burns out on the floor and you can attack it with no damage to Soul Blazer. This also works if you stand at the right centre side of the raised platform where the Lightning statue once stood. -------- Comments -------- Theses three fights are so easy using this strategy that it almost feels like cheating, so feel free to ignore this advice! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. T H E S K U L L : S T. E L L E S ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- The Skull is situated on the Ghost Ship, which is accessed from the Seabed of St. Elles. There is a Return Tile in the bottom left of the cave where you will find a rope leading upwards. When you are ready, (you can return to the Sanctuary to heal and save first if you wish), then go up the rope to the ship. In some ways, actually getting to the bow (front) of the ship where the Skull will appear is trickier than the actual fight, so I have mapped out the ship with the fastest route, though you will have to avoid the flames and small enemies that pop up unannounced from holes in the deck. You can attack the flaming things and the flames will stop for a short while, and the small slugs are easy to defeat. You can open the chest when you return after the battle. From the stern (back) of the ship head up and right, and up the stairs. In this section continue up the right hand side (starboard) and then cross over to take the stairs on the left (port). Then go straight ahead and turn in front of the Ship's Wheel to climb the stairs, facing the bow again. Go down the next steps and turn right and then continue all the way up the right hand side of the ship to the end. == == ... Stairs that you can use x ... Flames shoot across the deck from here W ... Ship's Wheel TC ... Treasure Chest ||| ... Access is blocked with barrels XX ... Soul Blazer's destination. || || /----||----\ /--/------------\--\ / XX \ / \ / \ ----==--------------==----- |----==--------------==-----| | x x | | | | x x | | | |---------------------==----| |-----------| |-----==----| | | W | | | ----- | | ||| | | -----==------- | | x |----==------| x | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----==---------==------==--| |----==---------==------==--| | ||| | | ||| | | ||| | | ||| | |-----==--------------------| |-----==--------------------| | | | x --==-------- x | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----==------ | | TC | | | | x | | x | | |||||||---==------ | | | |----==---------------==----| |----==---------------==----| | | | x x | | | | | | | | | \ / \ / \ / ----*------------------ * * Entrance Rope ----------- Preparation ----------- You need the Power Bracelet and Critical Sword for this fight, as well as a spare Medical Herb. Soul Blazer is likely to be at level 13. If you use the Dream Rod on the last dolphin that appears in the top left room in The Seabed Sanctuary you will be able to check the layout of the ship in a dream, before the battle. ------------- The Situation ------------- The Skull is sitting on the spit of the ship and won't move until you step onto the deck at the far end, and move forwards to the wooden cross bar. He is a skull, just that, and he has two skeleton hands which will also attack you. He hovers over the wooden spit jutting out of the prow and then lunges forwards, and his eyes light up when he fires three flames out of his mouth. ------------ The Strategy ------------ Now, this fight might appear to be hard, as there are three parts to the enemy, but in fact there is a simple and effective way to win. All you have to do is to position yourself to one side of the deck. Again I chose the left, as I think this works better since Soul Blazer holds his sword in his right hand and so this means that skull face is positioned where you want him, on your right. I checked the other side, and it is not as effective, so go left to avoid too much damage. Now, stand still! Yes, I didn't move once for the whole fight. The hands won't harm you in this position, so long as you continue to attack the whole time. Don't let up though, because if they grab you, or get behind you, they will kill you. You can back away if it seems to be taking too long to kill one hand, but there should be no need. Although the skull can inflict some damage when he moves to the side, it won't be enough to trouble you too much. You will probably need to use the Medical Herb, and make sure to swop back to the Power Bracelet as soon as you use it, or you may find that you cannot kill the hands fast enough. With the Power Bracelet equipped all you need to do is attack and keep attacking. The hands will come and go but you can destroy them before they can hurt you, and skull face will also come and go into range, but stick to your spot and wait for them to come to you. Even without the Power Bracelet and using the Shield Bracelet instead you can win this fight, though it will take a little longer, and is a bit riskier as you might not defeat the hands before they touch you. -------- Comments -------- The first time I fought the skull I just stayed in my corner and won without a problem. However, moving back to kill the hands, and slightly to the right to attack the skull when he moves forwards to fire, is also effective if you want to be a little more active in this battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. P O S E I D O N : M O U N T A I N O F S O U L S ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- From the Return Tile in the Underground Lake, Lune, walk down the path and then right, and up at the junction, and you will arrive at an area dotted with rocks leading to an open doorway at the top of the screen. Go through here and you will find yourself on a narrow ledge facing water. ----------- Preparation ----------- Soul Blazer is likely to be at level 16 for this battle, and, as well as the Medical Herb, you should have the Lucky Blade sword, Magic Armour and the Power Bracelet. ------------- The Situation ------------- Poseidon has three positions from which he launches his attacks. One is from the centre of the water, one to the left and the other to the right. His attacks include two fireballs fired from the top of his trident, which range across the screen (moving horizontally), and he also uses his trident to stab and fire three bursts of fire. The direction of his attacks vary as he will change the hand in which he holds the trident. Soul Blazer fights this battle on a narrow ledge facing the water, but in the centre of the ledge there is a half circle slightly jutting over the water. Below the ledge is a sort of fence (I guess meant to be a rock wall) and there is a V shaped hole on each side opposite where Poseidon appears. X ... Poseidon's three attack positions. X X /----\ X |\--------------/ \-------------/| | | |------\ /------- --------\/------| | -- ^ | |----------------- ^ -----------------| Entrance ------------ The Strategy ------------ This is similar to the Skull battle, and the strategy works in exactly the same way except that it is easier. Again, all you need to do is stand in one place and hit him hard whenever he comes into range. Stand as far forward as you can get on the central half circular platform, and don't move from there. What this means is that when Poseidon submerges into the water and moves to one side or another, you simply stay in position. Let him waste his attacks on thin air, and the fireballs which he releases will whizz past you without touching a hair. He will start in the centre and then move right and then to the centre and then left and back to the centre, and so on. When he surfaces in front of you, swing your sword and keep attacking him, and although you will receive a small amount of damage each time from his attacks, it won't be a lot, and you can defeat him quickly before he has a chance to inflict much hurt. Again, this strategy is dependent on you equipping the Power Bracelet. -------- Comments -------- After trying various other positions and dodging Poseidon's attacks, I kept dying, but this strategy worked so well that the fight was over in a very short time, and without even having to use a Medical Herb. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. T H E T I N D O L L : D R. L E O ' S L A B O R A T O R Y ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- Once you reach the final Return Tile in the Power Plant, and have destroyed all the enemies in the area, walk up the pipes heading all the way to the left, and then up again to a platform, and right, across a narrow green platform. From here head right onto a larger green platform and there is a stairwell which leads down, and directly to the boss arena. ----------- Preparation ----------- Well, I wish there was some extra special piece of equipment or spell that might make this battle easier. I thought about trying out the spark bombs, but this is too random to be much use, especially since the Tin Doll moves so fast and erratically. So, all you can do is have the usual Medical Herb, and equip the Power Bracelet for the maximum damage, and of course, the best armour and sword you can find. In this case, that is the Light Armour and Zantetsu Sword. Make sure you have the Power Bracelet equipped before entering the battle arena. Soul Blazer is likely to be at level 19 for this fight. ------------- The Situation ------------- The Tin Doll's arena is large, and the fight takes place in a squared area that cannot be seen all at one time. Each side has a series of teleports and the Tin Doll will randomly disappear into one, and then re-emerge in another. He also moves very fast from one side of the arena to the other and keeping your eye on his position at all times is almost impossible. Hmm, no, it IS impossible! He attacks with a large missile and smaller ones, as well as fire balls. Also, as soon as you enter this arena he may well dash straight into you and this will do damage, so be prepared to move fast as soon as you enter. In fact if you remain in the middle of the central arena you can see all of it except the side areas where the teleports are situated. x ... Metal studs on the pipe that edges the battle arena oo ... Small metal pipes XX ... Teleporter XX Stairs |------| ^^ |------| | oo | ^^ | oo | | XX |x-----------x-----------x----------x-------------| XX | | XX | ^ | XX | | | STAND HERE | | | | | | | XX | | XX | | XX | | XX | | | | | | | | | | XX | | XX | | XX | | XX | | | | | | | | | | XX | | XX | | XX | | XX | | | | | | | | | | XX | | XX | | XX |-------------------------------------------------| XX | | oo | | oo | |------| |------| ------------ The Strategy ------------ This fight is very hard, at least it is if you don't know what you are doing, and the only way I could begin to get a grip on it, was to try to find a pattern in the Tin Doll's movements. When he is in the process of teleporting he is invincible, so there is no point in trying to attack him then, and if you stay in one place for too long he will come at you. However, this is the key to success! Don't bother trying to track his movements in and out of the teleporters, as this is just a waste of effort, so be prepared for him to keep disappearing and just wait in the middle of the top edge of the arena. He will come and find you and for a few moments he is vulnerable as he begins his attack animation firing large and small missiles. As soon as you have hit him and the missiles are launched, move away to the side that he isn't blocking you, but keeping at the top edge of the arena. This means that the big missiles will miss. Keep moving back to the centre, hitting him and then running away to the other side while he teleports, and then back again. If you move left he will follow and enter the teleports, and when you return to the centre he will approach from the left. Then after hitting him move right, and again he will follow, and when you return to the centre he will approach from the right. This also means that you ALWAYS know from which direction he will come. So long as you stand exactly at the centre where there is a small stud on the pink rail he won't get close enough to hit you, but will be close enough for you to hit him. When you move to the right or left make sure to stand behind the small metal pipes that are behind the teleporters so you don't let him touch you while he is teleporting, and if you go to the furthest edge of the pipe and then turn and go back to the centre the smaller missiles can mostly be avoided. It also helps that they are clearer to see against the black background of the top of the screen. After a few hits, he will change his attack pattern and begin to fire flame balls. Run to avoid these and after a couple of turns of this, he returns to the previous pattern. Continue with the strategy, as before, and if you need to, equip the Medical Herb if your HP is getting low, and then go back to the Power Bracelet. One more thing, since you know which direction he will approach from every time, make sure to turn to face that direction as soon as you get to the centre spot. -------- Comments -------- This fight is the reason that Saikyo suggested I should write this FAQ, though at the time I didn't know if I would ever be able to beat the Tin Doll. It seemed the best way to ensure that I did! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. D E M O N F A L C O N : K I N G M A D R I D D 'S C A S T L E ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- Once you reach the top of the right hand tower: an area named "A corridor to the dock", there will be a Return Tile in the top right corner of the last room. Use this and make sure you have a Medical Herb as usual. After the events with Dr. Leo at the top of the right hand tower, Soul Blazer will have the key to the airship. You must walk to the left and onto the Airship, and equip the Key from the inventory into the item slot, and then the key will be used when you touch the wheel of the ship. The ship then moves left, away from the dock, and finally picks up speed and moves up the screen. Until the key is used in the wheel of the ship, the boss will not appear. ----------- Preparation ----------- This is yet another tricky battle, but the requirements are the same as ever. Best equipment and Medical Herb. At this stage the Recovery Sword can be used, as Soul Blazer will be at level 22, and you will also have the Elemental Mail. In the time after using the key, you cannot move, but after the screen goes black and the battle begins, make sure to equip the Power Bracelet. Better than this would be the Invulnerable Bracelet which you can find from the Queen's room in the castle. It is sitting next to her stool, and when equipped is called the Super Bracelet and increases the strength of your sword and armour by two fold. However, I didn't have this when I defeated the Falcon, so it is not essential, although it will make the fight much easier. ------------- The Situation ------------- The airship is moving forwards and continually buffeted with strong winds which will force you down the deck, and this makes it hard to avoid the bird's attacks. Also, you cannot move quickly to attack when the bird come into range. It will swoop across the ship at a angle and fires continuous streams of fire in long lines down the deck, which can do a lot of damage. W ... Wheel of the Ship BS ... Bird Swoop (Starting Position) BF ... Bird Fire (Starting Position) The area inside the dots is what you will see on screen if you stand at the place indicated. ----- | | | | | | | | | | / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ | ---- | | |W | | .................................... . BS | BF ---- BF | BS . . | | . . | | . . | | . . ---- ---- . . | | . . | Stand Here | . . | ----------- | . . | | | | . . | | | | . . | | | | . . | | | | . . | | | | . .................................... | | | | | ----------- | | | ---- ---- | | | | | | \ / \--- ---/ || - || This is a short ladder that leads nowhere. - || - ------------ The Strategy ------------ Stand at the top of the central area where you can easily move from side to side and cannot be pushed back down the ship. This means that you can move quickly to avoid the streams of fire that pour down the deck, and you could employ the crab movement for easier sideways action. The Falcon will swoop across from the top of either side of the screen flying diagonally to the bottom corner, and when it is close enough you must strike. To begin with the bird will release two or three lots of fire which stream down in different points above your position. Move to avoid them, as best you can and then head to the left edge and hit the bird as it swoops past, diving from the upper left corner of the ship and heading to the lower right. Then it will return crossing more or less in the middle so you can get it again if you stay just to the right of the centre. It will aim its fire attacks first at the place where you stand so if you are at the far right, then you have a chance to avoid them by moving to the far left. Its next attack will target that place, so again move right to avoid them. It usually does two of these attacks before commencing the swooping dive again. Now if you are observant you can tell what the Falcon will do next. From this position you can just see the bird's tail feathers at the top of the screen. When it is at either side, at the top left or right corner, then it is preparing for a dive. When it moves slightly in and hovers within the confines of the ship's deck above you, it will be preparing for the stream of fire attack. This gives you a chance to anticipate its next move and act accordingly. If you stand exactly on the small grey rivet in the deck at either end of the central area and face in the direction the bird will swoop to, then you can hit it when it passes, without being damaged at all. So, when it starts at the top right corner, you should be facing left and standing on the right hand rivet, and the opposite for the left side. Also, if you keep moving across from right to left when the fire is streaming down, the bird will follow your movements and try to direct the fire at you, so this gives you the chance to move again to avoid it. With all these things you should be able to defeat the Falcon and may well not have to use a Medical Herb at all. -------- Comments -------- After the battle, the ship will still be moving and the wind blowing, but walk down to the cleared green spot at the bottom end of the ship and then, after the scene, go back up to the wheel and touch it in order to drive the airship back to the dock. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. D E A T H T O L L : W O R L D O F E V I L ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Where to find him ----------------- The route to the final boss can only be accessed after you open the Return Tile which is situated at the top right hand corner of Dazzling Space, the third area of the World of Evil, and, most importantly, after getting the Phoenix magic. I wandered around here for quite a while trying to find the route, only to discover from one of the other FAQs (thank you Demus) that you must have the Phoenix Magic before the doorway will appear, let alone open! PHOENIX MAGIC In order to receive this magic you must have found all three "Red-Hot" items. 1. Red-Hot Stick will be given to you by a mermaid in the lower large building of St Elles, when you have killed the metal gorillas at the Volcano, using the Zanetesu Sword. 2. Red-Hot Mirror is received from a red bird in Green Wood, after you defeat the round light enemies in the Light Temple, (the final area) using the Spirit Sword. I found this really awkward to do, so a word to the wise: approach the bird where it sits in front of a tree trunk at the far left of the restaurant. It will fly off, so follow it all the way to the far right. It will go out of view, but that doesn't matter. You can find it sitting just above the tree trunk that is next to the entrance to the dungeons. Approach the bird from behind and don't be too slow or it might fly off again. 3. Red-Hot Ball is found inside a treasure chest in the World of Evil. It can only be reached through the left Sanctuary tile. Once you have all three go to the Soul of Mountain House, and speak to the king there. This is the ice area, and the king is down the steps at the bottom of the caves. He will give you the Phoenix magic and there will be a scene of Deathtoll moving into position. -------------------- From the Return Tile -------------------- Now, having arrived at the World of Evil, enter the right tile inside the Sanctuary and you will arrive back at the Return Tile in Dazzling Space. There is a large castle entrance directly to the left with red carpeted steps leading up into a large room. Walk up the centre of this room into another room, and when you step onto the blue area in the centre of that room, Deathtoll will appear. ----------- Preparation ----------- You should have found the Soul Blade in the World of Evil dungeon, and the Soul Armour in Dazzling Space. You must equip these and the Phoenix Magic, and add the accessory Super Bracelet. Make sure you also have the Medical Herb. Soul Blazer is likely to be at level 24 for this fight. He was 25 in my game, as I wandered around the World of Evil for longer than I intended, but you could increase levels easily enough by attacking the rolling metal walls in the dungeon once you have the Soul Blade, as these give large amounts of experience. ------------- The Situation ------------- o Deathtoll 1 The battle takes place in Deathtoll's Shrine, and Deathtoll will appear in a blue robe and fires three round fire balls at you. He then disappears and reappears to attack again. The room is small but it is possible to avoid the attacks if you move quickly up and down. o Deathtoll 2 This battle takes place in a new location and Soul Blazer is standing on a jagged edged platform with Deathtoll facing him. He is holding an orb or torch in each hand and uses these at the same time to fire crisscrossing lasers. He also creates pale blue stalagmites (I describe these as ice pillars), which block movement until they are destroyed. Finally, after the ice pillars are gone, he will spout three fire balls out of his mouth. ------------ The Strategy ------------ o Deathtoll 1 The first battle against the blue hooded enemy is fairly straightforward. He will move back and forth in a line, staying at the top half of the room, and fire pink balls of fire at you. Just attack and the phoenix will send flames to hit the enemy and the battle will be over before you even draw breath. This is the best way to avoid his attacks, simply by attacking him as fast as possible. It took 15 attacks with the Soul Blazer at level 24. However this is just the starter for the main meal. If you want to try and avoid his attacks then keep moving across the room from the back to the front, as his movement is side to side. I don't think you can avoid getting some hits. Another strategy that works for one or two turns, is to nip behind him and attack from there, although he will change the direction of his pink balls after this, you could just run back to the front to confuse him. The aim here is to finish the fight as fast as possible with the minimum damage to Soul Blazer, as you will need all the HP you can get for the next fight. o Deathtoll 2 The second battle is against a more difficult foe. However, as with all boss battles in this game, once you know the rules, it becomes a lot easier. One thing, though, don't rush this battle, as you need to judge your movements with some care. X ... Deathtoll's head x ... Deathtoll's torches/laser blasters x X x -- /------- --/ \---------------\ / \/ \ / \ | \ | | | | -------------------------------------- Deathtoll 2 is facing you and holds a torch in each hand from which he fires crisscrossing lasers, which will track you if you move. However, if you stay still you will be hit, so the idea is to move in such a way that the lasers miss. This is not that hard, and again it requires you to follow a pattern of movement in order to dodge the lasers. Basically that involves a run to the side of the platform and then runnning back again to the far side. If it were just the lasers then that would be fine, but it's not that simple! Besides this, ice pillars will appears on the platform close to where you stand and if you shoot at these with the Soul Blade/Phoenix flame attack they will melt and gems will appear. (This means that you will never run out of gems if you happen not to have found all 8 of the Emblems and still need gems to use magic.) However, there is another point to destroying the ice, as only after they have all gone will Deathtoll 2 open his mouth to shoot flames at you. This is your chance to damage him and you must be ready to attack after the last ice pillar has gone. The only problem with all this is that you have to move to destroy the ice pillars, and at the same time, avoid the lasers. These pillars can damage you if you touch them, and they take two attacks from the Phoenix to destroy them, although you can attack a group and they will appear in ones or twos or threes, so that makes things slightly better. One more thing though, try to leave one that is positioned in front of your enemy so you can get behind it and then attack the pillar and Deathtoll at the same time. Keep up the pressure on this attack and you will see Deathtoll open his mouth, his jewels flash green and this is the point at which he is vulnerable. Be ready to move after he fires off his three flame balls from his mouth, and run away fast to the side after attacking Deathtoll. There won't be any ice spikes to get in your way until he makes some more. If you stay close to the right or left edge of the platform and direct your attacks at the pillars from here, then you will have a better chance of avoiding the lasers as well. I found it was best to take my time with this, since he won't produce any more pillars until you destroy the last one. He will just continue firing the lasers, so you can time your attack on the final pillar and aim at his head at the same time, after avoiding a laser attack. He is invulnerable to attack at any other time, and there is no point attacking the torches in his hands. He can only be hurt when his mouth is open, so, as soon as the last ice pillar has gone, act fast to stuff it with sword! Repeat this strategy until he explodes. -------- Comments -------- One slightly awkward thing about this battle, is that there is no HP bar for Deathtoll 2. This means that you don't know exactly how much damage you have done, or how much longer the fight will last. However, so long as you observe his head flashing when you attack, you can be assured that he IS being damaged. After the battle is over, events will proceed and you will be rewarded for your efforts with...well, you can see for yourself, but it is worth it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. C R E D I T S A N D O T H E R S T U F F ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of the credit goes to Saikyo Mog who suggested I write this FAQ when I needed something to distract me, but couldn't play any more Soul Blazer as I was stuck on the Tin Doll battle. My clever fuse came up with this idea as he knew it would force me beat the game. Thank you Saikyo: without you there would have been no FAQ. Thanks to BSulphur and Demus for their detailed walkthroughs on the game, posted at GameFAQs. Check these out if you get stuck on anything else. Thanks to Terrafire for the FAQ where I read the strategy for defeating the Three Statues, and for generous permission to repeat this strategy. Thank you to everyone who likes this game, especially Psycho Penguin. Thanks to GameFAQs for being here, always, and for hosting this FAQ. --------- Legal Bit --------- This guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site other than GameFAQs.com or otherwise distributed publicly. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. This FAQ is copyrighted by threetimes on 6th February 2008. ------- Contact ------- Any errors or omissions are all my fault, so if you can help correct them or add anything extra that might be useful please let me know. Emails must be titled SOUL BLAZER BOSS FAQ and can be sent to me at: threetimes.ajh (use the abbreviation @) googlemail.com