Krosse Region - Enemies
- Lizard Axman - 135 HP
- Thieving Scum - 100 HP
The adventure is underway, and Claude and Rena's first stop - aside from Salva, that barely counted - is Krosse, a castle town of great size. Before you travel to Krosse, however, there are a number of things to note nearby:
- If you follow the path west as soon as you leave Salva you'll come to a chest containing three Blackberries.
- To the southwest of Krosse, up a narrow trail, you'll find the Lasgus Mountains. This is a side area that's important to the quests of a few characters whom you have yet to meet. The enemies here are way stronger than you, and you'll likely get demolished - though if you get lucky and fight only two foes, it's possible to chip them down and earn a looooot of experience, much earlier than normal. Save your game at the entrance before you give this a try. We'll explore the Lasgus Mountains in its own guide.
- Next to the entrance of the Lasgus Mountains is a chest containing a Gold Cross.
- If you travel far to the west of Krosse you'll see a chest sitting by itself on the edge of a narrow, rocky cliff. It contains five Eggs and Dairy.
- Southeast of the entrance to Krosse is a bridge that leads north. On the south side of the bridge and to the east is a small forest, and inside the forest is a chest containing a Lunar Talisman.
- To the east of Krosse you'll find the entrance to Krosse Cave, on the edge of a sandbar. Krosse Cave is our next destination after Krosse, so we won't bother visiting it yet - though you can find a chest out front of the cave containing four Artemis Leafs, if you make the trip. It's possible to run into enemies from inside the cave, and they're stronger than what you've fought up to this point, so watch your back.
- South of the entrance to Krosse Cave is a beach. You can only get at this beach if you know the Bunny Call Super Specialty. On the beach you'll find a chest containing four Magic Canvases, as well as the A Coral Paradise Unique Spot. Check the Unique Spot for a Blue Talisman+. Climb the mountain range next to this beach and you'll find a chest containing two The Bestiaries.
It's also important to note that getting this far will unlock the Improve submenu. Here you can allocate Battle Points, earned by winning battles, to your characters' Combat Skills (passive skills that trigger at random) or to their Special Arts and Spells. As long as you fight on a regular basis you'll earn lots of BP, so don't forget to visit the Improve submenu.
You can find several more towns if you decide to explore to the north and / or east of Krosse. Those will jump us too far ahead in the plot, however, so we're headed for the big city.
Krosse City
When you first arrive in Krosse it will be nighttime, and Claude and Rena will decide to settle down at the Inn for the night. You'l find the Inn to the north and on your left. Head inside to trigger a cut scene - it's ever so slightly different depending on which character you chose - then head outside to explore the city.
Krosse is substantially larger than Arlia or Salva, and it will take a while to explore. (Check the bottom of this guide for Private Actions, if you're here for that.) Let's start with the services on offer, most of which are on the west side of Krosse.
- You'll start off at the Inn, which, of course, you can use again as needed. You'll need to pay for subsequent stays.
- The first store in the west is the Weapon / Armor Shop. Claude can pick up a new Broadsword here, and there's a variety of armor for Claude and Rena alike.
- The next store will teach you Skills. We'll get to Skills in a bit, as this place is currently closed. (It's a big topic. If you've been wondering what a lot of the items you've picked up are for, the answer probably has to do with crafting via Skills.)
- In the northwest of Krosse is a restaurant. The cook closest to the door will sell you ingredients for crafting your own foods.
- On the west side of the square with the other stores you'll find a roadside vendor. He serves as Krosse's Item Shop, and has plenty of useful crafting items on sale as well.
- In the north of Krosse is the castle, which we'll discuss next. Once you've learned the Fishing Specialty you can catch fish from the bridge leading into the castle.
There are no chests to find in the city section of Krosse, so once you're done looking around head north from the main entrance. A... curious... man, will run past you as you wander this direction, and he is, unsurprisingly, rather important. (Potentially.) Continue up this street to enter Krosse Castle.
Krosse Castle
The seat of power on the continent, Krosse Castle is a sizable location. You'll start off in a large reception hall, and you'll need to check in before you can enter the upper floors. First, though, there are hallways to the east and west to check. If you check in the east wing you'll find a watery basin where you can do some Fishing, oddly enough, and if you check to the west you'll find an armory with chests containing a Leather Helmet and a Wooden Shield.
Return to the reception area and speak to the receptionist on the left, behind the desk in the northwest corner. He'll book Claude and Rena an appointment with the king. That done, you can head upstairs. Go up the left set of stairs and you'll find a Unique Spot, the Portrait of Prince Clauzer, which will earn you 100 FOL and a Unique Portrait A. Clauzer plays a part in a side quest a bit later on.
The castle branches out a bit when you head upstairs, assuming you go through the door on your left before climbing to the throne room. You'll find a lengthy hallway up here that also connects to the throne room, though you can't get at it from any angle but the main staircase. You should still check this side area out, as you'll discover the prince's bedroom in the west wing. He's not home, but you'll find a chest in here containing 400 FOL.
Use the main staircase to climb to the throne room and trigger a cut scene with the king. You can ask him a number of things regarding the state of the world, though he has... little substantive information to provide. Ask about all three topics to push the story along. The king will give you 600 FOL for new equipment, if you needed it, as well as a Travel Permit that will allow the party to travel off-continent.
With these items in hand you can head out of Krosse City. As you head back to the entrance, however, you'll run into a bit of a fracas between two Symbologists (mages), one of whom may have been spying on your meeting with the king. The confrontation ends with the more pleasant Symbologist, Celine, asking Clade and Rena to accompany her on an excursion to a nearby cave. You can turn her down, but... it doesn't work. Guess you're headed spelunking with your new Treasure Map.
The third member of your party, Celine is a spellcaster, like Rena, though of the offensive type. Celine remains in the back row, using her Spells to blast opponents from afar. As she gains levels Celine also receives a few buffing Spells that are quite handy. Celine is a terrible frontline fighter, and under no circumstances should you try to attack enemies with her weapons. Put Celine on autopilot and let her wreak havoc on her own. For the moment Celine is a Guest, but you'll gain the opportunity to permanently recruit her a bit later.
Once Celine enters the party you'll gain access to something we referenced earlier: Item Creation and Specialties, listed as IC / Specialty on the menu. Item Creation allows you to craft items using Specialty Skills, found under the Improve menu. You can use the Skill Points (SP - note that SP and BP are different) earned during combat to upgrade each character's Skills, earning them stat bonuses (displayed on the right side of the screen) and the ability to use Specialties. Specialties are the primary method of Item Creation.
We'll discuss the particulars of Item Creation in another section of the guide, as it is a lengthy, complicated topic (though the process itself is quite simple). The only suggestion I'll offer is that you invest your initial SP into the Determination Skill, as it lowers the amount of SP needed to upgrade every other Skill. Very handy.
In addition to unlocking Item Creation, recruiting Celine also unlocks the Guilds in most of Star Ocean The Second Story R's settlements. Here you can accept small Missions which require you to use your Specialties to craft an item. Do so, then return to the Guild and report your success for a reward. Missions get unlocked after completing story events, and can be accepted at any of the game's many Guilds.
That's all for Krosse. Leave the city, then head east, crossing the nearest bridge. There's a small mountain range over here, and if you follow the south end of the mountains you'll come to Krosse Cave, your next destination.
Krosse City - Private Actions
Currently incomplete. As I unlock more Private Actions I'll add them. (Note that the encounter with Ernest is not a PA at this point - it just happens.)
- Rena - Claude only. Available after staying the night in Krosse for the first time. Claude can find Rena in Krosse Cathedral, a short walk northeast of the entrance. Rena ponders having a wedding here one day. Choose 'I hope my wedding's in a church like this, too' for a relationship boost. (Though 'So you're a girl after all' has some funny results.)
- Rena and Celine - Claude only. Available before the visit to Kurik. Claude can find Rena and Celine talking about something in the alleyway to the east of Krosse's main square. You can either eavesdrop or join the conversation, but Claude's relationship with the two women will suffer no matter what your choice. The only way out without harming the friendship is to leave when you get the chance.
- Celine - Rena only. There are three PAs that are exclusive to Celine and Rena that you can only access before entering the Lacuer Armory Contest:
- In the first you'll find Celine out front of the restaurant, in the west of Krosse. Agree to have some tea with her to continue the event, then, once you see the fight that's happening inside, agree to pay the bill for the confused man. If you choose any of the other options this chain ends.
- The second, which you can get immediately after the first, is again outside the restaurant. Rena will catch Celine speaking to Clyde, the young man from the first PA. Wait and watch. You'll complete the PA when you attempt to leave Krosse.
- The final PA in this chain only takes place if you choose to permanently recruit Celine. Return to Krosse City and look down the alleyway in the east of Krosse, past the church. This triggers a scene with Celine and Clyde. Force Celine to follow Clyde after he leaves to receive a big friendship boost between Celine and Rena. This also unlocks a special ending for Celine that supercedes any other endings you might get for her, so don't do this PA if you want Celine to wind up with someone else.
- Ashton and Welch - Claude and Rena. Check the tiny park to the north of the entrance. Ashton and Welch are here, and Welch has taught Ashton's dragons a 'trick'. Agree to see it for a relationship boost with both characters. If you pass your relationship with Welch will suffer, but Ashton will approve. (You can speak to Welch to watch the, uh, performance, again, if you like.)
- Bowman - Claude and Rena. Your main character catches Bowman girl-watching. If you're playing as Claude you can choose one of two women. If you're playing as Rena you'll find both guys girl-watching, and you get to chastise them... with a hit to Rena's relationships with both, regardless of your choice.
- Dias and Noel - Rena only. Available in VR Expel. Check the tiny park to the north of the entrance. Noel is here with a dog, though it flinches away when Dias shows up. A nice lesson shared by the three improves their relationships with each other.