The third port town the team has visited, Hilton is a quick rest stop before you set off for Lacuer, where the story picks up again. The boat from Harley will bring you straight to Hilton, and you might as well have a quick look around before leaving for the world map.
Here are the services on offer in Hilton:
- Check down the stairs nearest the ship in the west, before entering the town. You'll find a little fishing spot.
- There's a Guild location in the north, next to the Bar. It offers what you would expect.
- In roughly the center of Hilton is a stall that sells items for the Music and Orchestra commands. The chances are good that you already have a Harmonica, but you may want to grab the Cemballo. (If you can spare the FOL, anyway. It's expensive.)
- The Inn is in the marketplace. Nothing special, though a few Private Actions revolve around the Inn.
- There's a food stall out front of the Inn. It has what you would expect.
- There's also a Weapon / Armor Shop out front of the Inn. You'll find a selection of items that you may or may not already have. Most notable is the Cestus for Rena, the Venomous Stingers for Ashton, and the Splinter, for... someone. (You won't be recruiting them for a while, if ever.)
- The final shop before you leave Hilton is an Item Shop. They sell a large number of Item Creation materials. Of note is the Relax Perfume, which helps you when Pickpocketing.
The only items you can find in Hilton are obtained by inspecting the Unique Spot in the middle of the eastern marketplace, not far from the town's entrance. This reveals Hilton's Open-Air Market, and inspecting the spot will earn you three Cinderella Glasses.
That's all for Hilton, aside from some Private Actions. Check below. We're off to the world map, and then over to Lacuer.
Return Trip - Recruiting Opera
For the most part Hilton is an unremarkable little settlement, and you won't spend much time here, given that you can Fast Travel around without needing to use a ship to move between continents. There's nevertheless one very important reason to revisit Hilton, and that's to recruit Opera.
Return to Hilton after the Lacuer Armory Contest is over. If you visit the Bar - not during a Private Action, mind - you'll find Opera inside. After a brief conversation she'll leave, headed to Krosse City. If you follow her there to Krosse Castle and speak to the king he'll point you to the Mountain Palace. He'll also grant you access. If you head there you'll find Opera, exploring the east wing of the dungeon, and she'll join the party.
It's important to note that you can only find Opera in Hilton if you did not recruit Ashton. If you did, well... tough luck. (He's a solid character, so don't feel too bad.)
Private Actions
- Claude / Rena. Enter the Inn. You'll automatically spend the night. That evening Rena will spot Claude doing something suspicious that confirms his otherworldly origins. (As far as I know this cut scene is available to both Claude and Rena, though I could be wrong. I got it while playing as Rena.)
- Claude only. South of the Guild is a Young Boy with a Locket. Pickpocket it to trigger a cut scene where you can give the Locket back or just throw it away.
- Claude only. Available in VR Expel. Enter the Inn and Claude will notice all of the women in the party talking about... something... highly suggestive. If Claude barges in he'll boost his relationships with Opera and Welch, assuming they're in the party, but there's no change for anyone else.
- Rena only. Check in Hilton after visiting Lacuer, but before the Lacuer Armory Contest ends. There's a little girl named Nonnie by the docks who can't find her mom. Agree to help her and you'll need to track down the mother, who is inside the Inn, in the room next to Celine's. If you take the time to lead Nonnie to each of your party members and speak to them Rena will receive a relationship boost with each character. Nonnie is slow, and you'll need to plod through Hilton so Nonnie can catch up.
- Celine - Claude and Rena. Enter the Inn and walk by Celine's room. She'll be annoyed by her weight - especially when she notices someone overheard her. Telling her not to stress over it as Rena will improve their relationship. This scene hurts Claude's relationship with Celine either way, though choosing 'Um, sorry, what?' does less damage.
- Celine - Rena only. Available after completing the previous PA with Celine, and if you completed the PAs with 'Clyde' in Krosse City. Check with Celine by the dock and she'll suddenly run into an old friend. Say you don't think Celine is seeing anyone for a relationship boost.
- Celine and Leon - Claude only. Available in VR Expel. Enter the Bar in Hilton and you'll find Celine giving advice to Leon. Choose '(You can do this, Leon!)' for the best results.
- Bowman and Leon - Claude and Rena. Available in VR Expel. Enter the Bar in Hilton and you'll find Bowman and Leon chatting about Leon's parents. This will improve their relationship.
- Ernest - Claude and Rena. Only available if you fought the Vissayea bosses in the Sacred Grounds of Linga, recruited Bowman, and spoke to him about them in Linga's library. Ernest is in the Bar in Hilton, and you can learn more about the Sacred Grounds of Linga by speaking to him.