astral guard
Has anybody else been playing this? I have a few ideas, but lacking any way to record DS they will have to be for the benefit of someone who can.
Shanoa normal seems the best place to begin. In general, the stuff you find along the way is plenty to beat the game with, and bosses give all the exp you'll really need. With those in mind I came up with a clear time of 1:43:19, although that was without any particular effort or planning.
Land-cancel seems to apply to any weapon glyph, so the "combo" feature is probably unneeded, although you might still use it if you're set up for a weapon union.
Also, you can "cancel" Dominus Agony - if you begin an attack while it's active, and then turn it off, the attack will still be buffed. It costs 66 hp on activation as well as per whatever time increment, so you still have to use it sparingly. Mostly, I think this would make its use feasible against Barlowe and probably a few other bosses where you only have ~300 hp - that burns up pretty fast if you just leave Agony active.
As many hp/mp/heart max ups as possible should be collected, since all of these stats apply directly to how fast you can kill.
Laura's third quest is likely the only worth doing, for the option to buy pins and rings for the two most important elements, light and dark. These are pretty expensive, but there are plenty of tarot-name rings scattered around the game that would otherwise be useless which you can sell for thousands apiece. Only issue is coming up with a lapis lazuli, which is found in random boxes.
Some notes:
(Any rings that aren't directly useful are noted anyway, for selling. Probably missed some convenient max ups as well, it's been a little while since I did these.)
route 1: ecclesia
get confodere from tutorial
route 2: monastery
visit warp room on bottom floor
skip book of spirits
get mp max up before boss
route 3: ruvas forest
get macir from statue
route 4: kalidus channel
rescue jacob
get magical ticket
route 5: minera prison island
giant skeleton - use macir/macir/magnes
burn all hearts on macir union
stay at least at end of weapon's swing length, jump away from attacks
use air attacks normally, use ground combo after he kicks
use magnes to jump over him when he's about between the middle and left magnets, go far right and hold the right magnet until he passes underneath, go back left to make him stand upright again
get priestess ring from hidden room on opposite side from first save point
get hp max up from invisible man room
visit warp point off of guillotine room
get dominus hatred
rescue abram
get falcis from statue (just outside lightning room)
trigger alarm in last outside room and kill everything for a strength ring (use macir union on tin man)
get glyph sleeve by exit
route 6: lighthouse
brachyura - use macir/macir/magnes
stand on top left platform (backdash into wall for leftmost position) while waiting for claw, also avoids wall smash and anger "pose" contact damage
hit claw five times while it's extended, then drop down and duck, swing a few more times during claw attack
also attack during ceiling smash after first phase
lead bubbles to one side, go to the other, do not attack
after first phase, use magnes to avoid bubbles - hold the magnet and "hover" right, then fling left after the bubbles pass (this will provoke the wall smash, do not attack yet)
for first ceiling smash, stand far right and wait for claw "clang", then move aside, repeat
for other ceiling smashes, stand in same position as waiting for claw, and wait for claw to retract before jumping
elevator of death
rescue eugen
get serpent scale by exit
route 4: kalidus channel
get heart max up in second big room
get sapphire from behind fish heads after second big room
get mp max up and emerald from sunken ship, also bags of money
get magician ring from dry area under sunken ship (duck in the middle where the specter is)
rescue monica
route 7: tymeo mountains
get empress ring from hidden room
rescue laura
route 8: misty forest road
steal umbra from black fomor
get vol macir from statue
route 9: skeleton cave
maneater - use vol macir
hit skull and tongue with one swing for two hits
rescue george
exit with magical ticket
route 7: tymeo mountains
get crimson mask from paries room
steal ignis from flame demon
get pneuma from wind room
get ruby from right side vertical cave
rescue marcel
route 5: minera prison island
get tower ring from top of tower
rescue aeon
exit with magical ticket
route 10: somnus reef
get reinforced suit from room before anna
rescue anna
get heart max up from last big room before rusalka
rusalka - use pneuma/pneuma
stand in front of a pillar, do combo (big gale)
rescue serge
route 11: giant's dwelling
get temperance ring from ladycat room
rescue daniela
goliath - use pneuma/pneuma
attack with combo
run under when he jumps
stand away from ground punch - has long windup
counter ceiling punch with pneuma union
duck under stompy thing
get dominus anger
route 12: tristis pass
get vol grando from waterfall
get heart max up from behind waterfall
rescue irina
get lovers ring from under waterfall (duck)
get onyx from ectoplasm room
get body suit
route 13: oblivion ridge
get sapiens fio from statue
gravedorcus - use vol grando/vol grando/sapiens fio
stand on block, wait for jump, then attack
watch sand for enemy's position
when he sticks his head out to attack, hit him with combo and then union
after both blocks are broken, move away and stand away from the far wall so he hits it, then use combo->union while he's vulnerable
get diamond from room after boss
get hermit ring from church
exit with magical ticket
do laura's quest and buy onyx pins
route 14: argila swamp
route 15: mystery manor
steal vol luminatio from white fomor
albus - use acerbatus/acerbatus/sapiens fio and umbra/vol secare/sapiens fio
chase him until he prepares to fire, slide through him, hit him with dark/weapon union
steal acerbatus (has long obvious charge up, will probably use before running out of hearts)
equip acerbatus to another set for when hearts run out
jump over torpor when he uses it
get dominus agony
exit with magical ticket
route 1: ecclesia
barlowe - use vol luminatio/weapon/dominus agony
"de-dt" with dominus agony to not die horribly when using light/weapon union
stealing globus is probably slower than just attacking and avoiding it
for ice spell (he stands on floor), bounce on his head
for fire spell, dive kick through gaps in fireballs
for lightning spell, begin by ducking under him when he casts, dive kick over him, hold down to duck under him at spell end
for teleport thing, jump away - he alternates sides, and lines up horizontally before charge, stand on ground and jump away after he starts charge, ends with "...disciple"
route 16: dracula's castle
wallman - use whatever (tower ring?)
steal paries to kill him
get melio confodere from statue
get dextro custos from dining hall
use warp point near exit to forsaken cloister, go to entrance and to basement
steal nitesco from nova skeleton
blackmore - use nitesco/weapon/dominus agony
"de-dt" thing again
for overhead claw attacks, stand at far left - watch for beam
for forward claw, jump over it
meteors aim at the last place you were standing, or at the far left
if he lives past his taunt, attacks change - forward claw attacks low/high/low (jump, then duck, then jump), he uses a single forward claw (jump over) during spread meteors, and follows far meteors with spread meteors
get mercury boots in basement room thingy
get rapidus fio from statue
exit castle and reenter from main entrance, hit warp point
get valkyrie mail from room near barracks warp point
get moon ring from hidden room near other door in barracks
get vis fio from statue
get death ring from hidden room past bugbears
death - use nitesco/weapon/dominus agony
boom
don't forget to backdash-cancel
get sinestro custos from room behind death
warp back to barracks and go to arms depot
eligor - use vol macir/vol macir/vis fio and weapon/nitesco/dominus agony
attack the shin with vol macir, divekick through gap in arrows
after shin breaks, switch gear for int and break the crossbows with weapon/nitesco/dominus agony union
switch gear for str and break the back leg joint
switch gear for int again, wait for him to stand back up and kill him to death with weapon/nitesco/dominus agony union
get arma custos from statue
warp to exit near forsaken cloister
get volaticus from winged skeleton room
get judgement ring from second room on right side of final approach
dracula - use nitesco/nitesco/sapiens fio, nitesco/weapon/dominus agony, and dominus hatred/dominus anger/dominus agony
equip for int with death ring and judgement ring
attack first form with nitesco - don't jump over him
for fireballs, dive kick off them
for "dark inferno", jump over them (double jump can clear four)
when he goes to center, sometimes this is for "fatal ray" - stand close and attack
on form change (he says something and turns forward), nuke him
and then plotdeath the third form with dominus union
Shanoa normal seems the best place to begin. In general, the stuff you find along the way is plenty to beat the game with, and bosses give all the exp you'll really need. With those in mind I came up with a clear time of 1:43:19, although that was without any particular effort or planning.
Land-cancel seems to apply to any weapon glyph, so the "combo" feature is probably unneeded, although you might still use it if you're set up for a weapon union.
Also, you can "cancel" Dominus Agony - if you begin an attack while it's active, and then turn it off, the attack will still be buffed. It costs 66 hp on activation as well as per whatever time increment, so you still have to use it sparingly. Mostly, I think this would make its use feasible against Barlowe and probably a few other bosses where you only have ~300 hp - that burns up pretty fast if you just leave Agony active.
As many hp/mp/heart max ups as possible should be collected, since all of these stats apply directly to how fast you can kill.
Laura's third quest is likely the only worth doing, for the option to buy pins and rings for the two most important elements, light and dark. These are pretty expensive, but there are plenty of tarot-name rings scattered around the game that would otherwise be useless which you can sell for thousands apiece. Only issue is coming up with a lapis lazuli, which is found in random boxes.
Some notes:
(Any rings that aren't directly useful are noted anyway, for selling. Probably missed some convenient max ups as well, it's been a little while since I did these.)
route 1: ecclesia
get confodere from tutorial
route 2: monastery
visit warp room on bottom floor
skip book of spirits
get mp max up before boss
route 3: ruvas forest
get macir from statue
route 4: kalidus channel
rescue jacob
get magical ticket
route 5: minera prison island
giant skeleton - use macir/macir/magnes
burn all hearts on macir union
stay at least at end of weapon's swing length, jump away from attacks
use air attacks normally, use ground combo after he kicks
use magnes to jump over him when he's about between the middle and left magnets, go far right and hold the right magnet until he passes underneath, go back left to make him stand upright again
get priestess ring from hidden room on opposite side from first save point
get hp max up from invisible man room
visit warp point off of guillotine room
get dominus hatred
rescue abram
get falcis from statue (just outside lightning room)
trigger alarm in last outside room and kill everything for a strength ring (use macir union on tin man)
get glyph sleeve by exit
route 6: lighthouse
brachyura - use macir/macir/magnes
stand on top left platform (backdash into wall for leftmost position) while waiting for claw, also avoids wall smash and anger "pose" contact damage
hit claw five times while it's extended, then drop down and duck, swing a few more times during claw attack
also attack during ceiling smash after first phase
lead bubbles to one side, go to the other, do not attack
after first phase, use magnes to avoid bubbles - hold the magnet and "hover" right, then fling left after the bubbles pass (this will provoke the wall smash, do not attack yet)
for first ceiling smash, stand far right and wait for claw "clang", then move aside, repeat
for other ceiling smashes, stand in same position as waiting for claw, and wait for claw to retract before jumping
elevator of death
rescue eugen
get serpent scale by exit
route 4: kalidus channel
get heart max up in second big room
get sapphire from behind fish heads after second big room
get mp max up and emerald from sunken ship, also bags of money
get magician ring from dry area under sunken ship (duck in the middle where the specter is)
rescue monica
route 7: tymeo mountains
get empress ring from hidden room
rescue laura
route 8: misty forest road
steal umbra from black fomor
get vol macir from statue
route 9: skeleton cave
maneater - use vol macir
hit skull and tongue with one swing for two hits
rescue george
exit with magical ticket
route 7: tymeo mountains
get crimson mask from paries room
steal ignis from flame demon
get pneuma from wind room
get ruby from right side vertical cave
rescue marcel
route 5: minera prison island
get tower ring from top of tower
rescue aeon
exit with magical ticket
route 10: somnus reef
get reinforced suit from room before anna
rescue anna
get heart max up from last big room before rusalka
rusalka - use pneuma/pneuma
stand in front of a pillar, do combo (big gale)
rescue serge
route 11: giant's dwelling
get temperance ring from ladycat room
rescue daniela
goliath - use pneuma/pneuma
attack with combo
run under when he jumps
stand away from ground punch - has long windup
counter ceiling punch with pneuma union
duck under stompy thing
get dominus anger
route 12: tristis pass
get vol grando from waterfall
get heart max up from behind waterfall
rescue irina
get lovers ring from under waterfall (duck)
get onyx from ectoplasm room
get body suit
route 13: oblivion ridge
get sapiens fio from statue
gravedorcus - use vol grando/vol grando/sapiens fio
stand on block, wait for jump, then attack
watch sand for enemy's position
when he sticks his head out to attack, hit him with combo and then union
after both blocks are broken, move away and stand away from the far wall so he hits it, then use combo->union while he's vulnerable
get diamond from room after boss
get hermit ring from church
exit with magical ticket
do laura's quest and buy onyx pins
route 14: argila swamp
route 15: mystery manor
steal vol luminatio from white fomor
albus - use acerbatus/acerbatus/sapiens fio and umbra/vol secare/sapiens fio
chase him until he prepares to fire, slide through him, hit him with dark/weapon union
steal acerbatus (has long obvious charge up, will probably use before running out of hearts)
equip acerbatus to another set for when hearts run out
jump over torpor when he uses it
get dominus agony
exit with magical ticket
route 1: ecclesia
barlowe - use vol luminatio/weapon/dominus agony
"de-dt" with dominus agony to not die horribly when using light/weapon union
stealing globus is probably slower than just attacking and avoiding it
for ice spell (he stands on floor), bounce on his head
for fire spell, dive kick through gaps in fireballs
for lightning spell, begin by ducking under him when he casts, dive kick over him, hold down to duck under him at spell end
for teleport thing, jump away - he alternates sides, and lines up horizontally before charge, stand on ground and jump away after he starts charge, ends with "...disciple"
route 16: dracula's castle
wallman - use whatever (tower ring?)
steal paries to kill him
get melio confodere from statue
get dextro custos from dining hall
use warp point near exit to forsaken cloister, go to entrance and to basement
steal nitesco from nova skeleton
blackmore - use nitesco/weapon/dominus agony
"de-dt" thing again
for overhead claw attacks, stand at far left - watch for beam
for forward claw, jump over it
meteors aim at the last place you were standing, or at the far left
if he lives past his taunt, attacks change - forward claw attacks low/high/low (jump, then duck, then jump), he uses a single forward claw (jump over) during spread meteors, and follows far meteors with spread meteors
get mercury boots in basement room thingy
get rapidus fio from statue
exit castle and reenter from main entrance, hit warp point
get valkyrie mail from room near barracks warp point
get moon ring from hidden room near other door in barracks
get vis fio from statue
get death ring from hidden room past bugbears
death - use nitesco/weapon/dominus agony
boom
don't forget to backdash-cancel
get sinestro custos from room behind death
warp back to barracks and go to arms depot
eligor - use vol macir/vol macir/vis fio and weapon/nitesco/dominus agony
attack the shin with vol macir, divekick through gap in arrows
after shin breaks, switch gear for int and break the crossbows with weapon/nitesco/dominus agony union
switch gear for str and break the back leg joint
switch gear for int again, wait for him to stand back up and kill him to death with weapon/nitesco/dominus agony union
get arma custos from statue
warp to exit near forsaken cloister
get volaticus from winged skeleton room
get judgement ring from second room on right side of final approach
dracula - use nitesco/nitesco/sapiens fio, nitesco/weapon/dominus agony, and dominus hatred/dominus anger/dominus agony
equip for int with death ring and judgement ring
attack first form with nitesco - don't jump over him
for fireballs, dive kick off them
for "dark inferno", jump over them (double jump can clear four)
when he goes to center, sometimes this is for "fatal ray" - stand close and attack
on form change (he says something and turns forward), nuke him
and then plotdeath the third form with dominus union
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