Enemies
- Southern Officer - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Lightning - Drops Olive of Life
- Southern Soldier I - Weak to Sword, Polearm - Drops Healing Grape
Son of a desert nation that's ever at war, Hikari, warrior, prince, begins his tale in the middle of a battle-in-progress. After speaking to his comrade-in-arms Ritsu Hikari joins the fray, and you immediately get your first taste of combat against two Southern Soldiers. They're vulnerable to Hikari's weaponry, and will go down almost instantly.
More action interspersed with cut scenes will follow, and Rai Mei, another warrior, will join the party mid-combat. By the time you reach the third fight you'll be in a boss battle. (Though one right at the beginning of the scenario, so how difficult could it be?)
Southern General
Shields: 4 (Southern General) / 2 (Southern Soldier II)
Weakness: Sword, Lightning (Southern General) / Sword, Polearm, Lightning
Drops: Energizing Pomegranate
Weakness: Sword, Lightning (Southern General) / Sword, Polearm, Lightning
Drops: Energizing Pomegranate
Yep, not too difficult. Your three foes stick to melee attacks, though the Southern General can use an AOE swipe called Crescent Sweep against your whole party that's a bit painful. Still, not a big deal. Your greatest asset here is Rai Mei, who can use her Thunderous Stab skill to inflict both Polearm and Lightning damage on the Southern Soldier IIs, instantly Breaking them. Take them out first. The Southern General won't last long against a sustained attack from your three party members. Use Healing Grapes if anyone's HP gets low.
Hikari's brother, Mugen, will finish off the general after the fight, and their father, the king, will proclaim victory... though he doesn't look so well. Much will follow, and time will pass in the kingdom of Ku, now apparently at peace.
Ku: Castle Town
Jump to the present. Hikari is busy training the citizens of Ku - and putting uppity guards in their place - when he learns of a brawl in the tavern. You're meant to head right there, but... you might as well have a look around the castle town a bit first.
- There's an item shop and a weapons shop on the street, east of the tavern and near HIkari's starting point. You can either splurge on fancy new weapons that will make Hikari much stronger or spread your money out and purchase some armor along with your weapons. Either approach is fine, though you may want to buy a few Healing Grapes if you neglect armor.
- There are two homes on a side street just north of the shops. The second house on your left has a chest containing a Healing Grape.
- North of the shops you'll find the entrance to Castle Ku. We'll go there soon enough. You can climb a ladder beside the nearby save point to walk along Ku's outer walls. Check the next guard tower over to find a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum.
There's more to see, but the brawl takes precedence. Check the west side of the castle town to find the tavern. One of Mugen's captains is inside, and he's raising a ruckus. Hikari decides to shut his mouth with a Field Action.
Challenge
Hikari's daytime Field Action is Challenge. He can approach eligible NPCs and force them into a one-on-one duel (which means more once you have additional party members). Defeating them will teach Hikari additional Skills that he can use in combat. Mugen's Soldier, for example, knows Double Slash. He's also weak to both of Hikari's weapons, so you won't have an trouble putting him down for the count.
Hikari will continue to learn Skills as he Challenges more NPCs throughout his travels. You can only equip five Learned Skills on Hikari at any one time, however, so get to know each of them and deploy them strategically as you explore the world. Overwritten Skills will need to be relearned by Challenging NPCs again.
After stopping the guard Hikari is approached by an associate named Benkei, who insists that Hikari meet him on the western walls. Sounds like a plan. First, though, you should put Challenge to good use by speaking to the people of Ku, and, uh, beating them up. There are some useful Skills to equip on Hikari that will expand how many weaknesses he can target. Here are a few recommended Skills:
- Tsuki, the woman who told Hikari about the brawl, knows Throwing Knife, a Dagger Skill. She's standing outside the tavern.
- A Tavern Patron inside the tavern and a Carpenter outside both know Sever, an Axe Skill.
- A Horse Lender by the stairs in the east knows Disciplinary Strike, a Staff Skill. Another Horse Lender closer to the castle knows Brain Bash, another Staff Skill.
- The Guard Hikari chastised earlier in the story knows Piercing Arrow, a Bow Skill. The Ku Soldier atop the castle wall knows Arrow Volley, a stronger Bow Skill, though you need to get Hikari to level 5 before you can challenge him.
- An Apothecary on the middle side street knows First Aid, a handy Skill for healing Hikari without the need for items.
- An Elderly Man on the road to the castle knows Ignition, a Fire Skill.
Collect four Skills - keep Hachimonjigiri, it's quite good - then head to the west side of the city. Stairs here will take you up onto the walls, where you'll find none other than King Jigo waiting. It appears that he's come around to Hikari's way of thinking... though Mugen has not. Hikari will need to investigate Mugen's potential plot to seize power.
Head to the castle and you'll spot a shady Castle Merchant in the courtyard. Follow him into the building on your left. This opens up Hikari's nighttime Path Action.
Bribe
Hikari is an information-gatherer by night, and he can Bribe people for useful tidbits. Pop open the chest near the Merchant for 1,600 leaves, then use 300 leaves to learn the Castle Merchant's Information. He'll tell you that Mugen has been stockpiling weapons, and should be somewhere called the Crest of Heroes.
You now have a destination. First, though, why not Bribe some more people? You can use Bribe on many NPCs throughout Hikari's journey, and what they know can prove useful. That said, not everyone is useful, so be prepared to occasionally waste leaves. If nothing else you get to learn the secret lives of people, which can provide some fun world-building.
The Guards outside the castle are no use. The people of the town, however, have plenty of information to share for a small Bribe:
- The Ku Soldier near the castle gates will tell you about a hidden item. It's a Healing Grape, and you'll find it on the staircase to the west.
- There are three people in the left-most house down the side street by the castle gates. The Boy knows of a hidden Candy in his house.
- An Apothecary on the street near the tavern knows of a hidden Herb of Light on the road to the castle gates.
- A Citizen up on the western walls knows of a hidden Critical Ring. It's inside what appears to be Hikari's house, at the highest point on the east side of the city.
That's enoug Bribing for one night. Time to leave Ku for a little while. You can find the next area, the Southern Ku Sands, via the southern bridge - or by hopping onto a canoe from the dock in the southwest and sailing east. Both methods will take you to the same place.
Southern Ku Sands
Enemies
- Army Ant - Weak to Sword
- Desert Ape I - Weak to Sword, Polearm
- Desert Ape II - Weak to Sword, Polearm
- Ivory Ammonite (water only) - Weak to Polearm
- Skull Roller - Weak to Polearm
This area will put you on the outskirts of the desert, and on the front defensive lines of Ku. The enemies out here - specifically the Army Ants - get pretty nasty in groups, so watch yourself and don't skimp on Healing Grapes. You're meant to head to a ridge in the southeast, but there are a few things to collect in this area first.
- There's a dock in the east of this area, and if you sailed out of Ku you'll go right past it. Float your boat west, beneath the bridge leading into Ku, and you'll find a chest containing an Energizing Pomegranate in the northwest.
- West of the two tents in front of the city you'll find a chest containing a Fire Soulstone.
- As you head towards the southeast corner of the area you'll see a wooden watchtower. Near its base is a chest containing an Herb of Light.
In the southeast you'll come to a hill leading to the lookout spot where Hikari began his chapter. Near the top you'll find a save point and a Peddler, a sign that a boss is on the horizon. Look east of the Peddler for a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum, then ply the Peddler for goods, save, and approach the Crest of Heroes. An ambitious jerk will decide to take a shot at bringing Hikari down.
Ritsu Mishuyo
Shields: 5 (Ritsu Mishuyo) / 1 (Ritsu's Footman)
Weaknesses:
- Sword, Fire (Ritsu Mishuyo)
- Sword, Polearm, Fire (Ritsu's Footman)
Drops: Healing Grape Bunch
What a tool. Ritsu brings two Footmen along to corner and kill Hikari, and you'll need to drive them off. All three enemies have a preference for melee attacks, though only Ritsu will throw any curveballs. His moves are as follows:
- A normal melee attack
- Heavy Slash, a more potent melee strike
- Trifold Slash, three melee slashes
- Heave Sand, which Blinds Hikari and lowers his accuracy
- Armor Cleaver, which debuffs Hikari's defenses
- Blade of the Sands, a heavy charged attack
Ritsu and the Footmen will largely use their normal strikes for the first section of the battle. Once the Footmen are gone Ritsu will begin charging up, and if he isn't Broken by his next turn Blade of the Sands will go off and do a little over 100 points of damage. Once Hikari has been Broken he'll start to use his debuff moves to irritate Hikari.
This fight is fairly straightforward. Wipe out the Footmen early, saving your BP when possible, then use all of your stored-up BP when Ritsu begins to charge up Blade of the Sands. Continue to hold back BP where possible, slashing at Ritsu with a sword until he Breaks or you're forced to expedite a Breakage. A charged Hachimonjigiri can put serious hurt on Ritsu whenever he's broken. Use a Light Herb on Hikari if he gets broken so you don't start missing attacks.
Partway through the fight Hikari will unlock his Latent Power, Shadow's Hold. This will allow Hikari to use one of three powerful Skills at no SP cost. If Ritsu is already Broken, then a powered Tenretsuzan may well finish him off. If not, Hienka and another of your moves can push him to the Breaking point instead. Either way, once you reach this point the fight is almost over.
Hikari will drive Ritsu off without killing him. You'll then return to Ku and find it is... in rough shape. Head towards the castle, pausing to speak to the Guard along the path who's holding an Empowering Lychee for Hikari. Run straight into the castle to watch a cut scene between the king and Mugen.
Take a left from the entrance of the castle. You'll see a chest in the west containing a Thunder Soulstone. Look directly south of this chest and you'll find a path into a building from earlier. Here you'll find a chest containing a Critical Ring. Proceed to the second level and you'll find a room on your left, and inside is a chest containing a Healing Grape. A ladder to the east of the stairs leads to a chest containing a Fortifying Nut. Check the sparking pot near this second chest for Oboro's Journal.
Climb to the throne room. Things will not end will for the kingdom of Ku, and Hikari is forced to retreat and search for allies elsewhere. One day, though, he will almost certainly come back here. Chapter complete.