Part 6: Stonemasons Outpost
Main Walkthrough
Wind Tunnel Mines - Enemies
- Ant Bruiser - 35 HP - Weak to Moon and Sun, resists Blunt and Sword
- Bushtroo - 95 HP
- Drillbat - 44 HP - Weak to Blunt and Sword, resists Moon and Sun
Normally a source of work for the Molekin of the Stonemasons Outpost, the Wind Tunnel Mines have been taken over by some form of evil wizard. Better do something about that. You'll find the entrance to the mines in the north of the Stonemasons Outpost, and once you've stocked up in town you'll have no choice but to head inside.
Leap down the elevator shaft at the entrance and the group will land in front of the Molekin Elder, who gives a quick appraisal of the situation and sets the group loose. You can't leave via this elevator until you've done a bit of work in the mines, so if your group is ill-equipped you may not want to use the save point to the east just yet. If you check the cave to the left of the save point you'll find a campsite inside, as well as a Merchant with plenty of goodies.
Climb the ladder next to the save point and enter the mine shaft at the top. Inside you'll run into an Ant Bruiser, a returning enemy from the Moorlands, as well as some Drillbats, a new form of foe. Drillbats can use an AOE attack called Stalagbite if you don't disrupt their attacks, which is easily done with melee combat. Climb the ledges up and to the left of this battlefield to find a picnic basket containing three Eggs.
In the northeast of this room is a lever. Pull it to move a nearby platform to the south, then use the platform to climb to the east side of the chamber. Get up on the second level and you'll find a platform that will sink when stepped on, revealing a path to the east. Pull the lever again to move the first platform back into place so you can head east, shimmying along the wall. The path splits ahead, and if you take the upper path you can find some Mushrooms, as well as a chest containing a Green Leaf.
Hop down to the lower path for more Mushrooms, as well as the continued path to the east. Past another shimmy point you'll find a clearing with some enemies. Check the northwest of this clearing for ledges you can climb, which will get you onto narrow paths surrounding the clearing. The paths get you to a chest containing Teal Amber Ore, to the southeast. You can use these paths to skip the enemies and get to the east side of the area, where you'll find a picnic basket containing three Dairy.
You now have a few choices, but you're ultimately forced through the upper door and further east. This will lead you to a chamber with more Drillbats, along with a new enemy, the Bushtroo. If it isn't stopped the Bushtroo will use an attack called Teal Drop on the whole party, over and over until it's dead. The Drillbats are more of a nuisance, but you should do your best to break a few Locks regardless.
Defeating the Bushtroo will allow the wind to flow through the Wind Tunnel Mines again... or at least part of them. You still have more work to do. Hop into the hole the Bushtroo once occupied and you'll be swept back to the entrance of the mines. The elevator will start working again... and the Elder Molekin will use it to return to the surface, leaving you behind. Pssh. Use the elevator shaft to jump down another level once you've healed and saved.
You're now in the depths of the Wind Tunnel Mines. There's a tightrope above and on your left, and if you check beneath its anchor point in the north you'll spot a chest on your level. The chest contains a
Rainbow Conch. Look to the west and you'll find some Drillbats and an Ant Bruiser. Climb the ladder near the enemies and you'll wind up near a tightrope that will take you to the room's southern exit. You'll wind up in a windy chamber, and you'll have to hop and climb your way along the eastern path to proceed.
The next chamber contains a ladder. Use it to get at climbing points in the north, which will take you to the east. There's a campsite and a save point waiting at the other end. Use both, then jump off the cliff to the right of the campsite. Look north and you'll find a side chamber with a huge, ornate chest...
... within which you'll find the Mistral Bracelet. This is an incredibly important item that allows you to generate gusts of wind. With these you can push blocks around... like, say, the block directly outside this room. Blow the block south, then west, to clear your path - but be ready for a fight.
Salamander
Weakness: Moon, Sun
Well that was random. An oddball foe with some groovy boss music, the Salamander shouldn't take up too much of your time. It uses the following attacks:
- A single-target stomp
- Salamanger, where it eats one character then spits them at another character, inflicting damage to both
Pretty simple. Target Locks when the Salamander is charging up for Salamanger, then use either Moon or Sun attacks to inflict general damage. It won't stick around for long... and you're clearly not done with this beast just yet.
The block you blew west earlier has created a path for you, back the way you came. Follow it and you'll find a track with a crystal that you can blow around with the Mistral Bracelet. Blow the crystal up, right, down, left, up, and left. It will slide into the ground, replaced by a block you can climb to return to the west side of this chamber. Here you'll find a block that you can blow left and up, creating a path to a chest on the upper level. The chest contains the Mines Key.
Head outside to the windy chamber and blow the block to the east down the gap to its right. Climb the ladder on your right to find some Berries, then check the clearing down the stairs further east to fight some familiar enemies. Beneath the stairs you'll find Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, and north of the enemies is a chest containing Teal Amber Ore.
Backtrack a bit west, then climb the stairs heading east. There's some Lettuce to grab in the next clearing, as well as a tunnel to enter. Inside the cave you'll find two more Drillbats, an Ant Bruiser, and a Bushtroo. This fight can get pretty nasty, so try to enter the fight with high MP so you can wipe your foes out quickly. Hop in the Bushtroo's tunnel after the battle to return to the elevator room.
You're back where you started, but now you have more options. Climb to the upper level via the western ladder, then walk along the top of the elevator to find a small fan that was revealed when you entered the room. Use the Mistral Bracelet to blow the fan, lowering a crystal to the ground below. Blow the crystal along the nearby track until it hits a trigger at the other end, raising a block on the west side of the room. Push the block along and you'll create an easy path up to the far-left doorway. Head inside.
The next area will put you on a narrow pathway to the west. Check the edge of the path to find some Mushrooms, beneath a precipice, and some more in the west, as you climb to the upper level. There are Drillbats waiting up here which you can avoid if you move carefully. On the other side of them is a picnic basket containing Mushroom Soup. East of the Drillbats is a chamber with yet another Bushtroo, complete with cronies. This group is all piled up in one corner, making the fight a bit easier if you come in with AOE attacks off the bat.
Jump in the Bushtroo's hidey-hole to be swept back to the elevator room. You'll reveal another fan on the upper level, and activating it will lower a ladder. Climb it to return to the upper floor, right beside the campsite and save point. Success? Almost! There are a few more things to do before we're done with this place. Make sure you heal and save first.
We have a quick side trip to make before proceeding with the main dungeon. Climb the ladder by the save point and run back through the dungeon, towards the room where you fought the first Bushtroo. In the chamber with the upper walkways is a locked door that you can open with the Mines Key. Inside is another block-pushing puzzle, and you need to use two blocks to get it done. Do the following:
- Push the northwestern block down
- Push the eastern block right, up, left, down, and right - if done correctly this will raise a little blockade to the northeast
- Push the southwestern block up, right, and down
This will drop the moving block into the room's center hole. Hop down with it to find another sliding track near a chest. Move the block into place, then climb the ledges on the right side of the room to get at the chest. It contains a Trader's Signet, an item you'll get to use in a secret shop a few areas from now.
Make your way back to the upper floor. With the Mistral Bracelet you can now push the block near the save point to the south, creating a path to the puzzle to the south of the elevator shaft. There are two crystals to move around, and you need to slot both of them onto floor tiles. This checklist of moves will get the job done:
- Push the lower crystal down, right, and up, so it's sitting up and to the left of the eastern floor tile
- Push the other crystal down, right, up, and right, so it hits the first crystal and slides onto the floor tile and lowers the blockade to the west
- Push the upper crystal to the left, then follow
- Push the western crystal up, right, down, left, down, left, up, right, and up
If done correctly this will send the crystal onto the second floor tile, replacing it with a block. Use the block to climb up to the fan in the north of the puzzle. Spin the fan to open the door below it. Make sure you save before you enter said door, however, as you don't want to risk doing all that again. Boss time!
Malkomud and Salamander
Weakness:
- Blunt, Sword (Malkomud)
- Moon, Sun (Salamander)
- Moon, Sun (Malkomount
Resists:
What a pair. Malkomud and his Salamander buddy aren't the craziest opponents around, and you should find the first phase of this battle rather predictable. Malkomud and the Salamander use the following attacks:
- A single-target projectile (Malkomud)
- A single-target stomp (Salamander)
- Shovel Might, a melee attack against a single target (Malkomud)
- Salamanger, where it eats one character then spits them at another character, inflicting damage to both (Salamander)
Malkomud and the Salamander use a variety of melee attacks. Stop their charged attacks from going off by targeting Locks as best you can, and block when possible. Go after the Salamander, as it is generally easier to defeat.
Taking down either opponent will cause Malkomud and Salamander to join forces as the Malkomount. This phase has two new attacks for you:
- An AOE melee slam
- Geobress, a powerful single-target attack
For the most part Malkomount will move back and forth between its two moves, hitting your whole party one turn, then counting down to Geobress on the next. (Though you may get lucky and run into two shovel swings. More power to you.) Conserve your Live Mana and MP for the charge-up to Geobress so you can wipe out its Locks, then heal away any damage. Any move or item that heals multiple characters is very useful here. Not a complicated fight, but a little dicey if you fail to block on a regular basis.
Knock out Malkomount and you'll end the battle. Garl, ever-understanding, will smooth things out with Malkomud, and peace will return to Stonemasons Outpost. The Molekin Elder will give the party permission to use the lift in the south of the outpost, which leads to a lower section of the island. First, though, you should have one more quick peek around Stonemasons Outpost:
- There's a home on the east side of the outpost that you can only access by jumping off of a ledge. Inside is a fan. Shoot wind through it to activate a mill outside, then speak to Chi, the Molekin who is now sitting in a filled bathtub beside the running water. She'll give you a Rainbow Conch.
- In the northeast of the outpost you'll find a two-room home, accessible by the left side, which houses an artist. Check the artist's room and you'll find a crystal that you can blow out of the way. On the other side is a chest containing another Rainbow Conch.
That's that for Stonemasons Outpost. Head to the lift in the south and give its lever a pull. Next stop, Coral Cascades.
Part 8: Coral Cascades
Main Walkthrough
