========================================
Phantasy Star Online HUcast Guide
written by Balken (balken119@yahoo.com)
Version 1.1 dated 3/25/01
========================================

----------------
|AUTHOR'S NOTE |
----------------
     Sorry about the long update. Too much school, so little time. :P  I hope
that in this version that you will be pleased. I've taken the time to add a few
more sections and change some of the sections into better stuff. I wasn't very
happy about the previous version, so I basically rewrote the guide. I've been
getting way too many E-Mails about the same info I was asking for a long time
ago (MAG info: IQ, Synchro) but it's been answered over a hundred times. If I
haven't replied to your E-Mail, I apologize. From now on, don't send in any
info that I can easily find in another FAQ, but rather send me unique info that
would be very interesting and helpful. It's also my fault since I asked for MAG
info that I could easily find myself; I knew there were going to be alot of
people going to answer since it's obvious. If I haven't credited you, chances
are that someone might have sent in the same info before you. E-Mail me with
your original E-Mail and I'll be sure to add you in the next version.
     In the next version, there will be a much bigger update than this one.
(Hopefully) it will have a complete bestiary, a better MAG guide (other than
just tips on MAG evolution), and some more stuffs.
     Also (thanks to nozedive13 for letting me use his idea), you can subscribe
to the HUcast Guide. If you subscribe, you can get the newest version of the
HUcast Guide before it even hits GameFAQs or wherever I have it up. Oh yeah, if
you've already sent me stuff about wanting to subscribe, please, send me
another request cause I've been too busy to start my subscription list. :( 
That is all.

Sites authorized to use this guide:
GameFAQs
Neoseeker

=================
Table of Contents
=================
1.) Revision History
2.) Introduction
3.) Frequently Asked Questions
4.) Character Analysis
5.) Customize
6.) Weapons and Items
7.) Enemy/Boss Strategies
8.) Beginners Guide
9.) MAG Evolution
10.) Tricks and Tips
11.) Troubleshooting
12.) Needs
13.) Credits
14.) Contact Info

====================
1.) Revision History
====================
-----------------------------
| Version 1.1 dated 3/25/01 |
-----------------------------
-Added/changed questions on FAQ.
-Added max stats to Character Analysis section.
-Worked on explainations for Customize settings.
-Worked on Weapons and Items section.
-Changed Strategy section into Enemy/Boss Strategies.
-Changed Starting Out section into Beginners Guide.
-Changed Hints and Tips section into Tricks and Tips. Added few tricks.
-Worked on MAG Evolution section.
-Changed About the Author section into Contact Info.

----------------------------
| Version 1.0 dated 3/7/01 |
----------------------------
-First version of the guide.

================
2.) Introduction
================
     Hello, and welcome to my Phantasy Star Online HUcast Guide! Here I will
give you a better understanding about the HUcast class of PSO, how to become a
better HUcast player on PSO, and a give many useful tips for those who are and
aren't a HUcast. This is the first FAQ that I've written, so please don't blame
me if there are a few errors. Please do not rip off anything from my guide. I
have never ripped off anyone's work and have only taken a little bit of
information on the GameFAQs Phantasy Star Online Message Boards. Please do not
E-Mail me with anything that is already clearly explained in the guide. Only
E-Mail me if you would like a better understanding of something that was in
this FAQ that I didn't state well. Also, only E-Mail me if I there are spelling
errors, grammatical, false statments, or if you would like me to add something
to this FAQ. If there is something wrong with my guide and you want to
criticize, please use CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM. Don't say "oh ur guide sucks,"
give me a reason why and what can I do to make it better. Also, if you're going
to E-Mail me, use the title "HUcast FAQ" or something of the like that so that
it doesn't end up in my trash bin. If you're going to subscribe, then use the
title "Guide Subscribtion" so I can quickly add you and your name doesn't get
lost. I don't check my E-Mail often, so don't expect a fast response. If you
contribute to this guide (that isn't obvious), I'll give you credit. I'll give
you credit even if it's something as little as a spelling or grammar error.
PLEASE, I repeat, PLEASE do NOT link to this guide. If you see someone not
listed on the sites list above linking to my guide, please report it to me
ASAP. If you would like to use something from my guide, be sure to E-Mail me
and get permission. If you would like to use it on your website, please E-Mail
me first telling me where and when it will be up. Now that that's out of the
way, let's begin!

==============================
3.) Frequently Asked Questions
==============================
Q: What exactly is a HUcast?
A: A HUcast is a combination of a Hunter and an Android. Their growth rate is
higher than the other classes (in ATP and HP), can excel in both close and
ranged combat (their ATA is the highest of the Hunters) and they just look so
darn cool. :P  The only bad thing about HUcasts is that they don't get magic.

Q: WHAT!? No magic??
A: Well.. you since you don't get any magic, don't let that cloud your
judgement! There are a few pros and cons to this. When I used to play as my
HUmar, I only used magic for healing and opening up boxes quicker. You can
still be a powerful team-player by replacing magic stuffs with items and
weapons. Instead of using Gizonde to open up boxes, you can use Swords or
Partisans instead. The only problem would be that you have to be up close, and
you might not hit all the boxes. If you want to fully heal people, later on in
the game, Trimates won't do much so you'll switch to Star Atomizers. Star
Atomizers heal others around you too.

Q: Can I do ANYTHING with magic?
A: Nope. You can't even equip or use magic items. There is a good part to this,
because if you can't use magic items, you can just sell them. More magic items
= more selling = more dough! This can be useful to you if you're the kind that
wants alot of money. If you don't want to sell the items, then you can just
give them to friends online. Especially if the item is something like a Mind
Material or a TP Material, or a very powerful Force weapon.

Q: What kind of players should choose a HUcast?
A: HUcasts are fun to play and are good for both beginners and expert players.
Beginners can learn the basics about PSO and learn to kick butt with a
powerhouser. Experts that rely alot on magic can get a little kick out of
playing a HUcast, since they will no longer have no magic and have to rely
solely on items.

Q: Which Section ID would be best for a HUcast?
A: I would say either Purplenum or Yellowboze. Purplenums tend to find
Mechguns, Daggers, Swords and Partisans more often than other classes. These
weapons are essential to a HUcast's aresenal. If you want to find those kinds
of weapons more than others, then try to pick a name that will get you a
Purplenum Section ID. If you're in it for the money, then choose Yellowboze.
Yellowbozes find more money than others in more amounts.

Q: What advantages to HUcasts get over other classes?
A: Well, Hunters in general can use the most weapons types. Androids have some
neat features like Poison and Paralysis immunity (two of the most ANNOYING
status ailments in the game), 24-hour Trap Vision, and can get more money off
of magic items. HUcasts ATP and HP grow the fastest, have the most HP, and
don't have to worry too much about MAGs. The only sad thing is that once they
max out their stats, they become very boring very fast. People who can use
magic also have an advantage over HUcasts. Once they get boring at the high
levels, you can always start over. I would recommend transferring your old
items to your new char. If you need any help, I'm always available.

======================
4.) Character Analysis
======================
HUcast
Hunter + Android

Character Attributes Graph:
     0  1  2  3  4  5
HP:  |==============|5
Hit: |========|3
TD:  |0
TP:  |0
AC:  |========|3
AD:  |==========|4

--------------------------------------------------------------
| HP: 5/5 | Hit: 3/5 | TD: 0/5 | TP: 0/5 | AC: 3/5 | AD: 4/5 |
--------------------------------------------------------------

Max Stats:
ATP  :710     Max HP  :???
DFP  :310     Max TP  :  0
MST  :  0
ATA  :150
EVP  :450
LCK  :100

Pros:
-Excel in both close and ranged combat. (HUcasts have the most ATA of the three
Hunters)
-Have the highest HP growth rate.
-Have the highest ATP growth rate.
-Are immune to poison and paralysis.
-Can automatically detect traps.

Cons:
-Cannot use magic. (Have 0 TP)
-Cannot equip or use any magic items.
-Are not immune to status ailments like slow, confusion, freeze, and
"Shock-Alysis".

=============
5.) Customize
=============
     When you first start out, you should customize the controls to whatever is
comfortable for you. Here, I will list a few settings I found quite comfortable
and very useful. From now on, I will call anything that is a customize setting
a "toolkit". Below, here are my settings:

     Normal Attack                     Special Attack
                       Hard Attack

R Button:

     Monomate/Dimate/Trimate/Star Atomizer                       Telepipe
                                               Moon Atomizer

     I find that one to be the best for team-players because those are the only
items you actually use alot during gameplay. There are a couple others that
could have replaced them, but the occasion to use those items don't happen very
often. This is the best for team-play because:
1.) With a Star Atomizer, it's just like casting a Resta on others. Make sure a
cursor appears on a teammate before you use it if you want to heal.
2.) Moon Atomizers can revive fallen allies. Just be careful not to use it too
close or you might accidentally take their item/Meseta. To avoid this, stand a
away from them. Press the R button, and if you see a tiny box in the
bottom-right corner that has their name, use the Moon Atomizer and continue
playing. You don't have to be on top of their corpse to use a Moon Atomizer.
3.) Telepipes can be useful for quick escape.

     Here is another toolkit I find useful. This one is best for offline play.
From now I, I will only list the R button settings. All the attack buttons (X,
A, B) will remain the same.

     Monomate/Dimate                              Telepipe
                         Dimate/Star Atomizer

     This one works just like the above one, except no Moon Atomizers. You
won't need it since this one is best for Offline play. You have two healing
items instead of one. If you chose to use a Star Atomzer instead of a -mate, it
is helpful on the harder quests which require the safety of an NPC.
     In the next setting, if you don't really care about having Telepipes for
quick escape, you can use all three slots for healing. It doesn't really work
if you're in a very high level and don't need the use of Monomates or Dimates.

     Monomate                Trimate
                  Dimate

     The next one is another good one for team play except you don't have a
Telepipe. This one is good since you can revive, heal others, and keep yourself
out of those annoying status ailments like confusion and shock-alysis.

     Star Atomizer                       Sol Atomizer
                       Moon Atomizer

=====================
6.) Weapons and Items
=====================
---------
| Items |
---------
MESETA
     Meseta is the currency in the world of PSO.  It's not a good idea to keep
alot of it around because if you die online, a thief can take it as well as
your weapon. Also, if you die in a difficult area, it'll be tough getting it
back. When you start out, you should save up your money for healing items.
Never buy weapons at the store because there are either way better weapons you
can find, and most of the weapons they sell have negative enemy percentages.

MONOMATE/DIMATE/TRIMATE
     The three most important items to a HUcasts. Since Androids can't use
magic, we have to rely on items to heal. They're sort of common when fighting
in areas, so you'll probably be reimbursed if you use one. Don't fight in an
area with too powerful monsters, or else you'll be eating these up like
popcorn. It would be very wise to keep at least one of these in your customize
menu.

MONOFLUID/DIFLUID/TRIFLUID
     These are similar to the -mate family, but these restore TP instead of HP.
These have no use to us, so if you find one, you should just either sell it, or
lend it to someone if you're playing online. If you need to clear up space so
you can pick up an item or weapon that you need, you should just drop all of
them.

ANTIDOTE/ANTIPARALYSIS/SOL ATOMIZER
     Other than the Sol Atomizer and Antiparalysis, the Antidote is a very
useless item. If you ever experience shock-alysis, use either the Sol Atomizer
or the Antiparalysis. Antidotes can either be fed to your MAG, or just sold. If
you have alot of Sol Atomizers, you can just sell all of your Antiparalysis,
and let the Sol Atomizers cure all of your different status ailments like slow
and confusion.

MOON ATOMIZER/STAR ATOMIZER
     If you're a team player like me, these two items would be used alot. Moon
Atomizers revive dead players while the Star Atomizers completely heal your HP
and the HP of anyone near you. You'll know how to heal someone if the color of
courser matches the color of the button you have the Star Atomizer equipped.
Once Trimates stop doing you good, then you should use Star Atomizers instead.
They're only a bit more expensive than the Trimates, and they do more.

TELEPIPE
     These are very useful for many reasons. If your inventory is completely
full, and you need to drop off or sell some items, then you should go use these
to go back to the town and do whatever you need. These are also useful for
quick escapes. For example, if you are surrounded by a bunch of tough enemies,
then use this and hit the A button to quickly go to town and heal. It would
only work if you have it set in your customize menu, or else it will take way
too long to use these.

TRAP VISION
     These has got to be the most absolutely USELESS item for a HUcast, or any
android. If you ever pick these up, you might as well drop them, since they
don't give much Meseta when you sell them. The reason why these are completely
useless is because that androids can automatically detect traps.

SCAPE DOLL
     If you've ever played Wild ARMs for PSX, you'd see a similarity between
these and the Goat Doll items. These are uncommon, and randomly appear in the
shops. The way these work, is that when you die, the Scape Doll will
automatically resurrect you. Each Scape Doll is only single-use, so if you
don't want to waste one, then leave them in the bank. These are useful against
thieves, but be warned; you will still drop your items when you die. Scape
Dolls just give you a faster chance to pick up your items if the thief isn't
nearby.

MONOGRINDER/DIGRINDER/TRIGRINDER
     These items increase the level and attack power of your weapon. The level
of the weapon would be shown like this: Saber +1. The +1 is the level.
Monogrinders increase the ATP +2 and +1 level. Digrinders incease the ATP +4
and +2 levels. Trigrinders increase the ATP +6 and +4 levels. They only come in
1-packs, and show up in the shops randomly.

POWER MATERIAL/MIND MATERIAL/EVADE MATERIAL/HP MATERIAL/TP MATERIAL/DEF
MATERIAL/HIT MATERIAL/LUCK MATERIAL
     I wish I had a million of these. ;)  What these do is increase one of your
stats by whatever. There are only two useless materials: Mind Material and TP
Material. Don't sell them or toss them though, because they can be very useful
to people online. If you don't really care about them, find a friend online and
let them have it, because it would be a complete waste to someone who could
have used it.

TECHNIQUE DISK
     Another useless item to a HUcast. These teach you techniques and if you
already have them, if the disk is a higher level, it will increase it to
whatever level it says, just as long as you have the required MST. Still, these
are useless to a HUcast and only consider keeping one if it's a high level one
and if you know someone who could use it.

-----------
| Weapons |
-----------
SABER/BRAND/BUSTER/PALLASCH/GLADIUS
     A very basic weapon. I would only recommend these to people starting out.
These only hit single targets, so if you are into weapons that can take out
multiple enemies, then go for it. I would only use these if they were they had
the highest ATP of my arsenal of weapons.

DAGGER/KNIFE/BLADE/EDGE/RIPPER
     These are my FAVORITE weapons! Not only do these weapons make HUcasts look
cool, they're really powerful and combo-happy! They can do up to 6-hits (2 hits
per button-press) and if you do all hard attacks, it's time for some serious
damage! A must have for a HUcasts arsenal! It's even good to have them there if
you're not going to use them! I call these the "Mechguns" of hand-to-hand
combat.

SWORD/GIGUSH/BREAKER/CLAYMORE/CALIBUR
         Another must-have in the HUcast inventory. I don't use these as much
as Partisans, since these are a little slower, but they are more powerful. You
can attack as many things in front of you as you want, just as long as they're
close enough. I also use these to open up groups of boxes. It's either these or
Partisans; you choose.

SPINNER/CUTTER/SAWCER/DISKA
     These weapons make you look sort of like a ninja. The way you attack, the
way the weapon looks (it looks like a katana, might I add), and it even shoots
out little ninja stars! I wouldn't recommend these though, since they are weak
in attack power. These can hit multiple enemies if you're close enough. If you
were to add a sword + a handgun, you'd get these. Try these if you want, but I
wouldn't recommend these.

PARTISAN/HALBERT/GLAIVE/BERDYS/GUNGIR
     See the swords section. Sword + speed - attack power = Partisan.

HANDGUN/AUTOGUN/LOCKGUN/RAILGUN/RAYGUN
     Even though the HUcasts are really good at close-hand combat, they also
excel in ranged combat, since they do have the highest ATA of the three
Hunters. These are pistols that fire one-by-one, and they do fire pretty slow,
so use these if you must. I'd prefer mechguns, since they fire 3-at-a-time,
shoot much faster, but they have a little lag time if you stop the combo. You
might want to keep these around to pick off those little bomb traps that spring
up when you go near them, so these could be a must-have.

MECHGUN/ASSAULT/REPEATER/GATLING/VULCAN
     See above. Handgun + speed + more bullets per shot = Mechgun.

PHOTON CLAW/DOUBLE SABER
     These aren't EXACTLY rares (some people find these very common and would
just toss them), but they are cool when you first find them on your own. I
haven't really seen Photon Claws in action except for in that one quest with
Sue, but she doesn't even use it that much. The Double Saber, on the other
hand, has the most coolest combo in the game! It's much more cooler than the
dagger combo! The Double Saber works just like the dagger; you can keep
attacking one enemy, and when it dies, if there's another enemy within striking
distance, you'll continue your combo on the next one. These look very cool,
just like the double lightsaber that Darth Maul had in Star Wars. Even though
they're not that powerful, try to get one if you can!

--------------------------
| Unusuble Items/Weapons |
--------------------------
MONOFLUID/DIFLUID/TRIFLUID
TRAP VISION
MIND MATERIAL/TP MATERIAL

Rifles: RIFLE/SNIPER/BLASTER/BEAM/LASER
Shots:  SHOT/SPREAD/CANNON/LAUNCHER/ARMS
Canes:  CANE/STICK/MACE/CLUB
Rods:   ROD/POLE/PILLAR/SCEPTER
Wands:  WAND/STAFF/BATON/STRIKE

=========================
7.) Enemy/Boss Strategies
==========================
-----------
| Enemies |
-----------
-Don't let Boomas/Sharks/Gillchics/Dimenians (or any large group of enemy)
surround you! There will be no way to attack them unless if you're fast enough.
If you need to make a quick escape, create a Telepipe. Telepipe out quickly and
come back. The enemies will be back in their spawning position, and you will
have time to get out of there.

-Always bring at least one weapon with a (positive) area percentage. (ex: On
one of the weapon stats screen, it would say Native 0%, A.Beast 0%, Machine
30%, Dark 45%.)

-When fighting in the forest, after you kill a Rag Rappy and when he's still
laying there, hit it again when it gets up. An item will be your reward. Don't
try to kill the Rag Rappies from far away, since you won't get any EXP for your
time. If you've just killed a bunch of them all close by, use a sword and
you'll get a bunch of items. :)

-In the caves, there is no need to fear the Lilies. The only way that they can
hurt you is if you're close and when they start clawing at you. Their poison
and paralysis attacks have no effect on you, so go ahead and take em down!

-When fighting a Grass Assassin, sometimes it'll raise it's head in the air.
Watch out, because when it does this, it's going to do a ramming attack. It's
easy to avoid; just walk to the side of it and attack it, since you can't
attack it in the front.

-When fighting those little slime puddles, (usually Caves 2 or 3) you should
wait for it to come up and do your heavy attack instead of a regular, since
you'll do more damage. It's just common sense. If you have a weapon with a
A.Beast percentage, you have a good chance of killing it in one hit. Those
things can be annoying.

-When fighting the Pan Arms (Caves 2 or 3) it'll drop down in it's normal form.
The only way you can hurt it is use magic, or use a weapon with a magic attack,
like a Shock Saber or a Fill Pallasch. You have to use a special attack though,
since normal attacks are just plain normal, while specials actual use the
special power of the weapon.

-In the Mines, the Dubchic robots can get very annoying since they just keep
coming back together. The main idea is to look for a little black
bucket-looking thing and hit it a few times. It will come down and form a disk
with yellow spikes sticking out of it. Be sure to hit all the Dubchics at least
once to get the EXP, and kill off the disk-machine. It will make all of the
Dubchics explode!

-Keep Sol Atomizers or Antiparalyses with you when venturing the Mines. Some
enemies have a shock attack that will paralyze you ("Shock-alysis"), so keep
either of those items on you at all times.

-Watch out for the Garanz as they are very powerful. The more damage you do to
them, the more damage their little missiles will take up on you! Don't get too
close to them when attacking or else you'll be eating missile.

-In the Ruins, there is an enemy called Bulk that is a rack that holds alot of
Claws (or in this case, Bulclaw). If you let the Bulk let go of it's Bulclaw,
you can kill off all the Bulclaw (about 6 EXP each) and then the Bulk for 24
EXP.

----------
| Bosses |
----------
DRAGON
RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 5-10 and up
RECOMMENDED WEAPON(S): Dagger, Handgun/Mechgun
STRATEGY:
     Before you enter, be sure to pack alot of Monomates, and keep a Telepipe
right outside of the boss entrance, just incase if you die. Also, be sure to
have your Daggers equipped. If you don't have any Daggers, then equip a really
good saber with some kind of Native percentage. When you enter, (if you're
lucky) your MAG will cast Shifta/Deband on you. This is good, since it will
increase your attack and defense power. Start out by running up to it's foot.
Make sure not to get trampled over, since this guy can cause damage even when
he's not really attacking. If he flies up, watch out for him. When he starts to
charge up some flames, run towards him and the fireballs will land behind you.
When he lands, make sure to keep clear or the earthquake will hurt you. With
the Daggers, do a 6-hit combo on either of his feet. This will knock him out.
When he's knocked, out, run up to his head and start comboing his head like
crazy. When he wakes up, he'll fly up and do a dive into the ground. This part
you should be very careful of, especially if you're a low level. When he dives
into the ground, he burrows at you Bugs Bunny style. If you want to easily
avoid this, run to the edge of the room and keep running along the wall. This
way, he'll never get the chance to even hit you. The Dragon only has a 75%
chance of hitting you if you use this tactic. When he comes up and lands, do
another combo on his foot, and if you're lucky, he'll die. If not, then do your
combo till he gets knocked out, then hit his head alot until he dies. On
Hard/Very Hard mode, you can't hit him with the Daggers since they'll do
nothing. First, get in front of him, making sure to hide when he starts
shooting his flames. When you're in front of him, shoot him with the Mechguns.
It's better to use Mechguns instead of Handguns because if you use Handguns,
you won't do as much damage and you won't do as many times of damage as the
Mechguns. When he collapses, equip the Daggers and start attacking away. Then
do the strategies above.

DE ROL LE
RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 10-15 and up
RECOMMENDED WEAPON(S): Sword/Partisan, Handgun/Mechgun
     Again, open up a telepipe before you enter the boss fight. Be sure you
have ALOT of Monomates and Dimates (and Star Atomizers if you're doing the
quest with Mome; you'll NEED THEM BADLY). Be sure to have your Mechguns
equipped or something that has a fast and rapid attack rate. When you enter,
you'll be on a large hovercraft and you'll be chased by a huge waterworm. When
the worm launches those spiked bombs at you, run into one corner, destroy the
closest bomb, and run back into the corner as far in as you can and you won't
take the damage. The bombs have a large blast radius, so it's best to use that
tactic. When the worm starts shooting little photon balls at you, be sure to
heal since the balls can take up alot of damage. When it jumps onto the boat,
stand a little close to the right of the skull-head and use the sword to hit
multiple targets. You'll do more damage that way, but watch out for the little
bone-things the worm stabs you with. If you're on Hard mode, make sure you're
HP is at least over 150, or you'll die easily. To avoid the bone-things,
attack, run to the other side of the head, then attack again. If you're using
Mechguns, you have a better chance to dodge the bones. Shoot at the head, run a
little, shoot again. The bones-things will just hit the position you were
previously in. When the worm clings onto the ceiling, it'll drop rocks on you.
These rocks take up as much damage as the photon balls, so be sure to heal.
After that, the lights will flicker off. Be prepared for more spike-bombs.
These spike bombs are more difficult to destroy, since they're surrounding you.
It's not too much to worry about, since there's only three of them. Get out the
fast, rapid-attacking weapon and destroy them one-by-one, but be quick; they'll
go off if you're not quick enough. After that, it's head will stick out of the
water and start shooting straight beams of photon balls at you. To avoid it,
just run from side to side of the boat, being close to the head. When you're
close, it usually aims at the middle of the boat. The lights will flicker back
on, and he'll jump onto the boat again. Make quick work of him or else you'll
be repeating the same thing above. When he's dead, congrats! :)

VOL OPT
RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 20-25 and up
RECOMMENDED WEAPON(S): Handgun/Mechgun, Dagger/Double Saber
     This boss comes in two forms. For the first form, be sure to have the
Mechguns equipped. It'll be annoying to run from one screen to the other just
to hit the stupid computer-head to hit it up-close. When it's face shows on the
red screen, shoot the middle mini-screen so you can get a better shot at the
bigscreen. Once the middle one's destroyed, aim for the big one. It'll go to
the next screen. Repeat. When the head disappears, small electrical pillars
will rise up from the ground. Be sure to shoot the red one, and do it quick or
else it'll cast an electrical attack on you. Sometimes the electrical attack
will cause "Shock-alysis," so have some Antiparalysis or Sol Atomizer items
around. Keep repeating the above steps until it turns into its second form. The
second form is much more dealier. Two of the sides have a little shield-looking
thing with a laser that tracks you and drops three huge pillars on you that
causes major damage. Another side has a large missile pack that shoots missiles
like the Garanz. The other side, which is the head, has another shield-looking
thing with a blue thing in the middle. This one is the most easily avoided, but
don't stay in front of it too long; it'll shoot a little blue spark which when
it hits, will surround you in a little round stone cage. You can't do anything
inside, and it'll aim a laser at you and fire and you'll be seriously hurt, if
not, killed. If you're online, get a friend to break open the cage before it
fires, or else you'll be in serious trouble. A good way to trick the
pillar-dropping lasers is to have your online buddy dodge the pillars while you
take out the one on the opposite side. After it takes enough damage, you win!

DARK FALZ
RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 30-35 and up
RECOMMENDED WEAPON(S): Handgun/Mechgun, Dagger/Double Saber, a miracle or two
     This boss can be VERY difficult if you're playing Offline. If you can't
handle the damage he inflics on you, you'd better take some Trimates or Star
Atomizers with you before you fight. When you enter the arena, it looks like a
quiet peaceful little area. Happy but eerie music plays, sun out's, la la la.
Run towards the pillar and, oh-my-god, what the? It turns all dark and there's
a hundred whirling spikes just spinning around you! It is VERY IMPORTANT that
you DO NOT use a close-range weapon! Why? Cause you'll get yourself killed,
that's why! You need to hit at least 3 spikes for it to go into it's next form.
Just use your Mechguns, and if you're lucky, when you do a combo, you can take
out all three. When it changes form, the pillar will explode into a huge
monster! Your first task is to shoot one of the heads, any of them. It'll shoot
out about 5 spikes from time to time, but if you kill them, you'll get 5 EXP
each (Normal mode). Don't let your HP get below half of it. If you really want
to be careful, don't let it go under 1/4th of your HP. Once you've inflicted
enough damage, it'll change into the next form: a darker, more PO'ed version.
This time it'll be a little different since it's no longer on the field, but in
the cliff area around the field. If you want to do damage, you need to get
close to it. Now would be a good time to equip your Dagger or Double Saber.
When it's up, attack the belly. When you see it making sparks, that would be a
great time to run since it's about to cast a spell. If you get frozen from it's
ice spell, there's a large chance you'll die, which will cause further
frustration. If it doesn't end up killing you while you're frozen, consider
yourself one of the lucky ones. Heal everytime you get hit, or else you'll die.
Keep hurting it and keeping yourself healthy and you'll get by. I haven't
beaten it on Hard mode, so I can't give you any strategies in the third form.
All I know is to keep a Scape Doll or two so you don't die from it's Grants
spell. If you survive, I salute you! Congrats, you've beaten the game! "Now for
to challenge next skill difficult!" :)

====================
8.) Beginners Guide
====================
Step 1.) The first thing you should do is configure your controls to your
liking in the customize menu (read the Customize section in this guide for good
control settings). Also set up your options. For Map Direction, you should use
Non-fixed, because it's too hard to read the Fixed map. You can't tell wheter
you're going north or south, left or right or whatever. It's also hard to see
where the enemies are at, so stick with Non-fixed.
Step 2.) The first thing to do is to get some Meseta. Run off to the shop and
sell all your Monofluids (when you start out, you should have 4x Monofluids).
Run out of the shop and go to the bank and deposit your Meseta, or you can use
it to buy Monofluids.
Step 3.) The next thing to do is to kill some enemies and get some items. For
it to be easier on you, go to the Hunters Guild (right next to the big door
that lifts up and reveals a teleporter) and accept the quest 'Battle Training'.
You'll be teamed up with a level 36 HUcast named KIREEK.
Step 4.) After the chit-chat with the client, go down to Forest 1. Make sure to
hit all the enemies at least once so you can get the EXP needed for your
leveling. He won't open the boxes and take the items, so after all the enemies
in the room are dead, go ahead and open up all the boxes and take all the items
and Meseta.
Step 5.) If you pick up a Handgun, Saber or Dagger, save them! If you pick up a
Saber with green text and/or have a +#, equip it! If a weapon is green, it
means that it has an enemy percentage. Notice when your courser is on an enemy,
a box will pop up with enemy stats? It would say "Booma, Type: Native" or
something like that. If your weapon has a percentage against native, equip it!
If it has one against A.Beast, save it for later. You might want to deposit it
into the bank when you get back. Also, if you end up picking up an item called
"Barrier," equip it immediately! It's good for protection!
Step 6.) Feed your MAG from time to time. (For more info on MAGs, go to the
Magnitude of Metal quest or read my section below)
Step 7.) As you venture Forest 1, KIREEK will give you useful battle tips.
Listen to him carefully. If you're lost, pull up your Area Map (items menu) and
look for a room that has a portian of a hall sticking out of the it. Continue
step 4 until the entire map is wiped clean of enemies and items/boxes. Go find
the unconcious boy (ASH) and get the shiny object that's past him in the same
room. Kill off the enemies and take the Telepipe back to Pioneer 2.
Step 8.) Before you go back to the Hunters Guild, sell off items you can't use.
Sell off Monofluids as well, and if you want, restock on Monomates. You can
tell that you can't use them if they have a red X next to its name. Deposit any
weapons you want to save, deposit Meseta, and you're done with the bank.
Step 9.) If you want to repeat the quest again, go to the lady at the counter
in the Hunters Guild and have her cancel the quest. Otherwise, if you want to
finish the quest and go onto another one, talk to the guy near the counter and
he'll tell you to get your Meseta at the counter. Get it, and the quest is
over. You might want to deposit the Meseta after the load screen is done. This
concludes the Beginners Guide, and be sure to try out Online mode; there are
alot of helpful people online that can help you out in many ways.

=================
9.) MAG Evolution
=================
------------------
| Evolution Tips |
------------------
-MAGs are just like stat-boosting accessories. If you've played older RPGs,
there must've been an item that you can equip that increases a certain stat by
whatever. MAGs are just like those items, except the stats grow as you feed it.

-Sol Atomizers are a MUST for MAGs. When starting out, don't feed it alot of
these. Just start out with Monomates. When it gets to later levels, start
feeding it Sol Atomizers. If you feed it Sols in its earlier stages, you'll
spoil it and it won't give you the stats you want. Sol Atomizers are sort of
like the Star Atomizers for HUcast MAGs, since they give DEF, POW and DEX and
no MIND.

-Since HUcasts have the highest ATA of the Hunters, it would be a good idea to
raise DEX (DEX is good if you to have better accuracy with
guns). Antidotes are a good source for DEX.

-At first, Monomates are good for DEF and POW. Once they evolve, start using
Dimates to get DEF and POW up. I haven't got mine up alot yet, so I'm still
using Dimates. Over time, switch to Trimates.

-Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT raise the MIND on your MAG! HUcasts cannot use magic,
and MIND raises the magic stats. A HUcasts magic stat will always be at 0, so
don't waste any levels on MIND cause it'll be just a waste.

-Work on your stats first, then when you max it out, work on IQ and Synchro. I
don't know what these do, but I have been told that these keep the MAG happy
and makes it more useful. IQ and Synchro are MAG bonuses. IQ is the frequence
the MAG will cast bonus stuff on you. When you get hit, depending on the IQ,
sooner or later it will either cast a spell like Deband and Shifta on you
(during normal play or before boss fights), cure you, revive you if you die, or
even give you invincibility! Synchro is how fast your Photon Blast meter will
charge up. IQ maxes out at 200, Synchro maxes out at 120%.

-Don't feel too down if you're a big tough-looking HUcast running around with a
pink girly wing MAG. It happened to me once, as it has happened to many. :P

-----------------
| Photon Blasts |
-----------------
     Just like in the Customize section, I will display a few helpful
'settings' of Photon Blasts. Right now, mine is:

     Pilla                Golla
               Farlla

     I find this to be very useful for offensive and defensive players. For
offensive, you got Pilla which takes out everything in the same room, and Golla
to do massive damage to one enemy. This is very useful in boss battles. For
defense, Farlla is very useful if you're being ambushed and have to take out
everything within a blast radius.
      The next scheme is based more on defense than offense.

     Pilla                Mylla & Youlla
               Farlla

     This one is similar to the above, but replaces Golla with Mylla & Youlla.
You still have Farlla to defend yourself in close combat, and you have Mylla &
Youlla to boost much needed offense and defense by it casting Deband and Shifta
on you.
     The next scheme is based entirely on offense, but in order for it to work,
you need to have a Ranger character get your first Photon Blast for you.

     Pilla                Golla
               Estlla

     Again, you have Pilla to take out everything, Golla to take out a huge
mass of damage on bosses, and you have Estlla. Estlla looks like a dolphin and
will attack in a straight row. This is very powerful and useful againts "just
spawning" rows of enemies.

     For more info on MAGs and how to raise them, check out nozedive13's MAG
guide on GameFAQs.com.

====================
10.) Tricks and Tips
====================
-To get the HUcast's 2 extra outfits, at character creation, name yourself
RUUHANGBRT.

-It is a good idea to keep a gun with you at all times. You can use them to
shoot bombs that pop up out of nowhere (even though you can see them since you
have trap detect), you can use them to shoot boxes in straight rows, and it's
good to use a "keep-away" tactic, which is very useful to kill off things
tougher than you.

-A GREAT way to avoid bombs is when you see them, press Start to bring up the
menu. This glitch will let you run past bombs or traps, rather than having to
walk through. This is VERY VERY useful in areas with lots of traps, so use it!

-Another good weapon to keep around is a sword. Just like the tip above, you
can use it to take out groups of boxes. I wouldn't recommend using the sword to
kill of tougher enemies, but I would use the sword to kill off chunks of
enemies that I can take out normally.

-Sometimes, enemies with projectile attacks can hurt another enemy. If there is
an enemy that's distant from you (i.e., a Nano Dragon), try to stand behind an
enemy and the Nano Dragon will try to hit you, but it will end up hitting your
'shield' for some damage.

-If you need item space for an item you need, drop a magic item or any item
that you can't use that is worth nothing to you.

-It's a good idea to store rare weapons in your bank in online mode. You can't
always trust anyone online. Same thing with Meseta.

-Here is a good Telepipe trick. It's useful if you have alot of people going
back and forth from town to your area. Just create one Telepipe, and have
someone else create a Telepipe, and you go in their Telepipe and they go in
yours. This is useful because when you enter your own Telepipe, it'll disappear
when you return, but if you go through someone else's, it won't disappear until
they go through it and come back.

-An easy way to get EXP is to venture Ragol with some higher leveled characters
online. Bring a sword or a gun with you and attack each enemy at least once and
let the higher leveled person finish them off. It's polite to at least fight
with the others rather than hit everything and run away into the doorway,
because it's just not nice.

-Very few know of this, but this is a VERY GOOD way to get easy EXP. For this
to work, you must be on Hard or Very Hard mode. Fight your way through the
Forest until you reach a Monest. Whatever you do, DO NOT ATTACK IT!!! Each bug
it shoots out is worth 36 EXP (Hard mode). Now for the real trick: Once it
stops shooting out the little Mothmants, create a Telepipe. If you're Online,
make sure everyone is off of the Forest map, or else it won't work. Return
throught the Telepipe, and BOOYA! The Monest will have a fresh new batch full
of bugs! Go ahead and kill off the new batch for some EXP! To get another new
batch up bugs, repeat the Telepipe stuff, or use the Telepipe trick I stated
above. When you get bored, just kill off the Monest and find a new one. Very,
VERY BIG special thanks to Dark Horse on this one! :)

====================
11.) Troubleshooting
====================
Q: "HELP! I can't beat the quest with that idiot Mome/Ash! He always dies and
wastes half an hour of my life!" or "I that Mome guy hes a retard!"
A: It's okay. These quests are difficult for alot of people, especially
androids. I suggest leveling up to a very high level. Before you get to the
boss, make sure you have ALOT of Star Atomizers on you. It would be best to
make them part of your toolkit (customize) before you enter the boss fight.
When his HP drops below half or goes near a quarter, use your Star Atomizers.
You'll need alot though, cause Mome is pretty stupid and doesn't even use his
Monomates when he NEEDS them, and sometimes he'll run into the huge laser the
worm boss shoots out. To avoid the huge laser, run back and forth and he'll
follow you. There's also a chance he'll be hit, so watch out. If you're having
trouble getting to the boss, take some hits for him. When he's about to be hit,
run in front of him and chew the fat. It takes time and patience to beat these
tough quests, so don't feel too down if you can't beat them the first few
times.

Q: "Something casted an electric attack on me and now I'm paralized! I though
you said HUcasts were immune to paralysis!"
A: HUcasts ARE immune to paralysis, but that's only normal paralysis. Somehow,
thunder attacks seem to screw up the HUcast's circuits, being an android and
all. Just use a Sol Atomizer or an Antiparalysis, or just wait a little bit and
it'll go away. I call this "Shock-alysis," and it can get pretty annoying since
it mostly occurs in the Mines which is pretty tough.

Q: "Aww man, I really screwed up my MAG by putting alot of levels into it's
MIND? What should I do?"
A: If your MAG has too many MIND levels and you want to start over, there are a
few ways to get another fresh MAG. Get online and ask a high-level player if he
has any spare MAGs that he wouldn't mind giving away. If so, they'd most likely
be kind enough to give them to you. Also, it would be a good idea to start over
your MAG is you have some REALLY crummy Photon Blasts. If you can't get online,
I would recommend getting on Hard mode since MAGs are more common there than
Normal. Sooner or later you'll find one, and you can start over. My other way
is if have an extra memory card without a PSO file on it and a friend you can
trust online, create a game on Normal with him. Quit out and make sure he stays
on. Save your game and turn it off, then switch to your other memory card.
Start a new game, go online to the same game with your friend and drop your
fresh MAG. Get back online with your other char and VOILA! Brand new MAG!

Q: "I've just beaten the Mines a million times on offline mode! When do I get
the Ruins? I'm tired of this! ARGH!"
A: To get the Ruins, you must activate three pillars. When fighting yourself
from the Forest to the Mines, didn't you notice a brown pillar somewhere? They
couldn't be touched before, but now they can. Go to the second stage of each
area (Forest 2, Caves 2, Mines 2) and fight your way up to the pillar. After
activating you, you can Telepipe out and go onto the next area. When all three
pillars are activated, beat Vol Opt again and you can walk through that door in
that strange area that you were at before this 'Ruins quest'. That will
activate the Ruins.

==========
12.) Needs
==========
-Max HP for HUcasts
-Photon Claw info
-Photon Claw
-Anything that can be added to any of the sections
-Spell/grammar check

============
13.) Credits
============
CJayC for putting my guide up. :)
nozedive13 for letting me use some of his info (and his idea of guide
subscription). :)
The GameFAQs Message Boards
GameWinners.com
The people that took the time to read my posts on the GameFAQs Message Boards
The people that answered my questions on the GFAQMB
SEGA for making such a kick-arse game
And YOU for taking the time to read my guide. :)

To the buds I play with online:
Sephiroth1125
DarkGibbon
White Knight
Dark Horse

Big thanks to all the people who E-Mailed me with info n' stuff:
john van der wall, Neil Mackey, Arthur Times, Jr., ChaosHunter,
Darktakeshi@aol.com, Casey Aichholz, Cronos, Colin Milliken, Paul Schraff,
Daniel Chen, Duckman101187@ aol.com, Chris Henson, Shiningforce123@ aol.com,
Mark Thomas, Linesc@aol.com, Sharif805@cs.com, Kelvin H.,
IIXIDyNaStYIXII@aol.com, Erik Doren, reinholder_t0@hotmail.com, Chris Wright,
Wesley Blankenship, Michael Ashcroft, Supersonic, anex, Maitrakh@aol.com, Lewis
colley, Jared Edwards, sir Dias, Kai Tak, Alkain_00, ewanbleiman, Atwight
Griffin, Jeremy Conser, Offthesak@aol.com, Peter Judson, Mikeyjin68@aol.com,
DevilGabrielX@aol.com, LordWombat@aol.com, OopsionicoO@aol.com, bob
weaddababiizzaboy, Davis Family, Shoku, v. hamasaki, wendy, Joshua Cox,
Bonethugg0@aol.com, ZarathosX@aol.com, Josh H, Gameguy00@aol.com, and auphil.

     If you want your name/E-Mail to be removed, send me an E-Mail. If I
haven't added you to the list, send me an E-Mail with the original message you
sent me and I'll make a change to it in the next version.

=================
14.) Contact Info
=================
E-Mail: balken119@yahoo.com
ICQ UIN#: 15691383
AIM SN: HyperkineticSpaz
GameFAQs Message Board SN: Balken
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/balken119

     You can usually see me online on the Miranda server. I'm a black HUcast
with the ninja helmet, normal proportion. As of 1:23 PM (PST) 3/25/01, here are
my stats:

Balken
Lv 38
WHITILL
Meseta (in bank): Over 600k

STATS:
ATP  :609(399)
DFP  :159( 89)
MST  :  0(  0)
ATA  :125(101)
EVP  :302(196)
LCK  : 16( 16)

EQUIPMENT:
Weapon: Claymore +5
Armor:  Shock Frame
Slot 1: General/Power (+9 ATP)
Slot 2: General/Power (+9 ATP)
Shield: Solid Shield
MAG:    Kama

=====================================================
"Don't ever assume. It makes an ASS out of U and ME."
This guide is Copyright 2001 Max Contreras.
All rights reserved.
=====================================================
