Phantasy Star Gaiden FAQ / Walkthrough
 
by Rika Ashley ( neithird@yahoo.nospam.com )
                 You can figure out what to remove, if you want to
                 mail me.

v. .99 - 8/23/99  Original version, covers beginning to almost end of
                  game and a good bit of misc info.

Thanks to: Magic Translations Company(Taskforce, Wildbill, Faraday) for
           devoting their valuable time and effort to translating this game
           for us.  We now know what we missed, as little as it was. ^_^;



Phantasy Star Gaiden, or Sidestory, is a Sega Game Gear Role-playing Game.
It's based, -very- loosely, on the original Phantasy Star for the Sega
Master System.  I say loosely because, even though it's a Phantasy Star
game, the -only- thing it has in common with other PS games is the spells,
Alis, the laconian equipment, and a few of the monsters.  For all other 
intents and purposes, the game is -not- at all like a PS RPG.

Before you decide to play this game, there's something you really oughta
know.  The game is rife with annoying problems.  The most immediate, 
and the biggest, is the random encounter rate.  Frankly, the rate in this 
game is simply OBSCENE.  When it really decides to be a pest, you literally 
can't take a step without getting into -another- battle.  Most of the time, 
it's more like every four to five steps, with an occassional break where they
actually let you get somewhere.  If it wasn't for the next problem, this
would've rendered the game unplayable.

The second problem is that you can almost -always- run away from fights.
Each character in your party gets a chance to have the entire party run.
Chances are -extremely- good at having a successful escape attempt on the
first try.  And if you don't, chances are your next character will.  This
makes it so that almost omnipresent random battle is only a constant pain in
the ass, and not a complete game-killer.

The third problem is only a problem if you're unlucky enough not to have a
translated version to play on emulator.  The game was never officially
translated into english, so without a fan translation, you'll be having to
read Japanese.  Not that there's much reading to -do-, but...

The last problem is, the game is simply horrid about pointing you in the
right direction for the next step in your quest.  75% of the time, you won't
-know- what or where the next step is until you find it.

Now, if you're willing to forgive all these problems and still want to play,
or are already playing and just want more of an edge, keep reading.

<INFORMATIVE CONTENT AND BAD HUMOR=ON>

Button 1 - Cancel
Button 2 - Confirm

=============================================================================

ON THE WORLD MAP / INSIDE TOWNS/CAVES/DUNGEONS

Talking to people stupid enough to be -around- you is easy.  You just run
into them.  Sometimes they even convienently hurry their pace to pass a few
words with you.
 
*la la la, happy jaunt through sticksville*
*BUMP*  
*Oh, excuse me!  By the way, did you know I'm very happy we make
 donuts here?*
*What?  We're saving the world; we don't have time for this crap.*
*PIMP-SLAP!*

Games like this are more fun when you imagine the characters are surlier
then they were probably supposed to be.

Walk into open doors to enter stores or bust into people's homes.  Unlike
most RPGs, you can't ransack their places while you're there, but the
occupants will pass a few words with you despite your tresspassing.  Makes
you wonder if this whole planet is full of emotionally needy people who just
-have- to have your companionship for a few minutes.

Press button 2 to bring up the main menu, and you get the following options:
 
STATUS ( Did anyone ever tell you you look like a gimp, Alec? )
 
This will let you pull up the status screen for a character of your choice
who's currently in the party.  What everything on the status screen means:
  
   Level - What level the character is currently on.
   EXP   - The total experience points you've accumulated to date.
   MST   - Your party's meseta total(Meseta is money.)
   HP    - XX/XX - Current Hit Points / Total Hit Points.  You lose hit
           points when monsters successfully attack, or cast a damaging spell 
           on the character, and regain them when a healing spell or item is
           used on the character.
   MP    - XX/XX - Current Magic Points / Total Magic Points.  You lose MP
           whenever you cast a spell, and regain it when you use a spell or
           item that restores it.

   STR   - Strength.  This is the damage you can do in a regular attack in
           battle.  The higher, the better.
   AGL   - Agility.  I believe this influences your ability to avoid getting
           hit by the enemy.  Higher = better.
   INT   - Intelligence.  I think this is how effective your spells are.
           Higher = better.
   PRT   - Protection.  This is your 'armor class', your ability to resist
           damage.  The higher it is, the less damage you take when an
           enemy successfully attacks you.

You may press button 2 on the status screen, to toggle back and forth between
seeing your four combat stats, and your current equipment.
 
ITEMS ( Where you keep your drugs. )
 
This is a simple list of what items you're currently carrying.  Pressing
button 2 while an item is highlighted(Use the direction buttons to move) will
prompt you if you want to USE it.  Many items can only be used once, while
some can be used many times, or can't be used at all.
 
MAGIC ( Get your hand out of my pocket, Mina, that's -not- the magic wand
        I meant. )
 
Select a character using button 2, and you'll bring up a list of all the
spells they 'know'.  Press button two again to cast a spell, and you'll be
prompted for who you want to cast it on(If it's a spell you can cast outside
of battle).  Casting spells can only be done if you have enough MP.
 
EQUIP ( Let's get naked! )
 
Select a character using button 2, and you'll bring up their current
equipment.  Pressing button 2 on their weapon / armor / shield will unequip
it.  This option really should've been named 'UNEQUIP'.
 
ORDER ( I like to be on top. )
 
Press button two to switch party order.  You can only change whether Alec
or Mina is in front, and not whoever your third character is(if you have
one).
 
SPEED ( Hey!  If we go really really slow, maybe this game will seem longer
        then it really is... )
 
Message speed.  Move the direction buttons to change the number.  6 is the
slowest(Very slow), 1 is the fastest(Instant message display).
 
END ( Screw you guys, I'm going home! )
 
Exit the menu.  You can also just push button 1.
 
=============================================================================

IN BATTLE
 
Once in battle, you'll see a menu on the left, a display window with the
terrain and your opponents on the right, and your characters' names,
and HP/MP on the bottom.  Both HP and MP are represented by a number,
and a colored bar, to indicate how much you have left.  The bars will turn
red gradually as your HP or MP goes down.  The bottom window is also used
for displaying selection lists(Items/spells), and messages.
 
When you kill your opponents, you gain money and exp points.  Money remains
constant, however, as you raise in levels, you gain less experience points
from weaker monsters.  So you eventually -have- to move on to tougher areas
if you want to get stronger.

ATK
 
Attack.  Select an enemy and smack it over the head.  Bad antlion!
 
MAG
 
Magic.  Select a spell, and who to cast it on.  Many spells can only be
used in battle, such as attack spells.  Mmmmn, flaeli-roasted mammoth...
 
DEF
 
Duck down and cower. ^_-  This 'defends' for one turn instead of doing
anything, but the randomness of damage makes it difficult to tell if it
actually helps your defense, or if you're just wasting a turn looking for
loose change.
 
RUN
 
Scream like a woman and head for the hills. ^_^  You use this to get away
from battle.  Each character in the party gets a chance, and if one succeeds,
everyone books outta there.
 
ITEM
 
Hold on a sec, lemmie hit my stash...  this brings up a menu of the items you
have.  Press button 2 on something to use it, and select on who if
applicable.
 

=============================================================================
 
WEAPON / ARMOR / SPELLS
 
Weapons, armor, and spells in PSGaiden are restricted by two factors.
The first, of course, is cost.  If you can't buy it, you can't use it unless
you find one lying around.  The second, is -level-.
 
Characters -cannot- use weapons, armor, or spells, unless they are at or
above the level it requires.  This keeps you from buying the most powerful
stuff you can until you're further along.

On the other hand, anyone can equip anything, as there are no classes or
anything of the sort.  I guess it's kind of amusing to see a warrior of
yore tromping about with a sword, shield, and spellcasters robe, but it's
a dumb way to work a game in my opinion.

The following is a list of the equipment and spells, and their benefits and
level requirements.

WEAPON NAME         LEVEL REQ         STRENGTH

Wood Staff             1                 3
Short Sword            1                 5
Iron Sword             3                 7
Psycho Wand            4                 10
Silver Sword           5                 15
Iron Axe               6                 20
Titanium Sword         8                 25
Ceramic Sword          10                35
Stun Star              12                40
Heat Gun               14                50
Laser Gun              15                55
Bastard Sword          16                60
Rapier                 17                70
Slasher                18                80
Pole Axe               18                85
Battle Axe             19                90
Laconian Sword         ?                100
 
ARMOR NAME          LEVEL REQ         PROTECTION
 
Leather Armor          1                 3
White Robe             1                 5
Light Armor            2                 7
Iron Armor             4                 10
Wind Robe              6                 15
Reflect Armor          8                 20
Magic Robe             10                25
Draconia Armor         12                35
Royal Robe             14                40
Diamond Armor          16                45
Frade Mantle           18                50
Laconia Armor          ?                 75

SHIELDS             LEVEL REQ         PROTECTION
 
Leather Shield         1                 3
Iron Shield            4                 10
Ceramic Shield         8                 15
Perseus Shield         12                20
Laser Shield           16                30
Laconian Shield        ?                 50


=============================================================================
 
WALKTHROUGH
 
There really isn't -too- much to the game, but this should save you some of
the trouble involved in figuring out where to go in the game, when. If you
have trouble with a location, hang around near the nearest town and wander
around the countryside building levels, collecting money, and then buying
equipment and spells if you can.  Even though you -can- get to place to
place without fighting a single battle, there are a few fights you -have- to
do to progress the story, and you naturally won't be able to survive them
unless you're strong enough.
 
[ TEDO VILLAGE - Least you coulda done was buy me a -good- sword, you cheap 
                 ass... ]
 
The story starts here.  Alec and Mina are two teens who love the story
of Alis and Odin.  Alec's father is off mining Laconia for a living,
and Mina is an orphan, raised by the village elder.  One day they're talking 
and a man comes back bringing the news of Alec's father, Morg, having been 
abducted by bandits.  He'll give Alec the Wisdom Mirror.  You'll then have a
chat with the village elder about it, and get a wood staff, short sword,
leather armor, and 50 meseta.  He'll also tell you to go talk to old Rob
before you go.  Rob's an antisocial old fart living in the northeast
corner of town(There's a small path through the woods). He'll ramble about 
some legends involving the Light Pendant Mina possesses.  He then sends you 
off to fetch a scroll for him.  He'll give you a telepipe so you can come
home quicker.

Don't go further then the area outside of town until you build a few levels
and get some better equipment.  At the -least- a full set of level 1 stuff
for both Alec and Mina.  Avoid the red slimes until you're level 2 or 3, 
as they can cast Flaeli, and 11 points of damage is pretty harsh at this
point.

Once you feel you're prepared, head to the cave in the northeast to
get that Scroll of Truth.  Don't bother buying any torches.  Mina's Light
Pendant can be used to create light, and if you take the time to raise a few
levels higher(which you should), the light'll last long enough to be worth
it.
 
The monsters in the cave are harder then the ones outside, and this early
on you won't be able to escape -quite- as often, so don't expect to waltz
in and out of the cave without fighting a single battle.  If you get stuck
once, they could kill you in one hit if you're low-level and unequipped.
Also take care, as some of them can STUN a character, rendering them unable
to attack.  The 'Quinine' spell will cure the stun condition.  In the depths
of the cave you'll find a door, but you can't do anything about it now.
 
Once you have the scroll, take it back to old Rob, and he'll tell you Mina's
name is on there, Alec's her champion, and they'll save the world and all
that rot.  Then he kicks you out and doesn't tell you anything -useful-.
Times like this make you wish this -was- an RPG where you could loot houses.
Stealing Rob out of house and home would at least ensure you didn't leave
emptyhanded.

By this time, you should be about ready to move on, so head south and a
little bit west, crossing the bridge over the river.


[ MEKTOR CITY - We don't need no stinkin' carriage ride; leave us alone.
                *slash* ]

There's not a lot to do in Mektor plot-wise.  Some goon tells you he saw
Morg heading for Karkato.  The monsters here are about at the same strength
as the ones in the scroll cave, although if you head a little south of the
city, you'll run into stronger ones(That you probably can't deal with too
well yet).  Build some levels and stock up on equipment if you want, and head
northwest along the southern edge of the river when you're ready to move on.

There -is- a place in town that looks suspect, where you can pay for a
carriage ride tour of the city, but it's just a waste of money.  These people
don't deserve your charity when you're already killing things for them. ^_^
 
[ TINYVILLE - If it's TINYville, why is this guy such a lardbucket... ]
 

Here in tinyville, the people are talking about this chump who lives in town
named Popo, and a hermit who lives in the mountains nearby.  The hermit is
said to be Popo's teacher, and someone apparently stole Popo's map.  Popo's
bragging that he's smart, and that he'll use the map to make lots of money.
I guess there aren't many cartographers on this planet.
 
Do your usual routine: build levels, buy crap, then head to the mountain cave
immediatly north.  One thing you -must- have before you go though, is at
least one of you, if not both of you, with the PROTECT spell.
 
In the cavern, you will encounter a crotchety old bastard named Lao-tse with 
a really bad attitude, attacking you in every fight.  You need to beat him, 
so you may as well fight him the first time you see him.  This guy hits 
fairly decently, but the real danger comes from his use of the MINDWARP 
spell, which will confuse a character and render them outside your control.  
They might attack him, they might attack the other character.  PROTECT will 
seal up his ability to cast spells, so you won't need to worry about it.
 
Once you beat him, you find out he's Popo's teacher, and he's -extremely-
displeased with him, so he stole the map, which he then gives to you.
The map shows the entire world except one little part in the southwest
corner, the location of towns, and a handy 'YOU ARE HERE' arrow.

Take a little time to explore the cave before you go.  In one section you'll
find the Cave Key, and in another you'll find the door you saw earlier in
the Scroll cave.  Use the Cave Key at the door, and you can pass through the
cave back towards Tedo if you want.  Unless you want the free healing at
Alec's house though, there's really no reason to.  Instead, head south from
Tinyville towards the coast city.

[ KARKATO VILLAGE - Sushi joints are a dime a dozen. ]


Karkato is a fishing village.  Unfortunatly, since they don't seem to have
any boats left, they're not doing such a good job of it.  They do for some
reason have some really good equipment for sale though.  You'll find out
they also make Ouzo - a type of liqour - here.  Buy a bottle, you'll need
it shortly.

Once you're done exploring the town, head to the east and you'll come across
some ruins.  Try to go in and a guard with a HUGE nose will stop you.  He'll
also tell you his weakness is Ouzo.  I suppose you could find -stupider-
NPC characters in other games, but it'd be really hard.  Anyway, outside the
ruins, use the Ouzo you bought(You did buy it, right?).  You'll get him
good and s**tfaced, and get inside.  Further in the ruins you'll find an ATV, 
which you can use to cross the desert to the southeast of Tedo, but don't
head that way yet.  Stick around the area and build some levels and money.
Especially keep a lookout for the Gold Slimes, and Vampires.  The Vampires
are a little hard, but give you lots of money.  The Gold Slimes are easy,
and give you lots of money, -and- lots of EXP points.  Once you feel
you're ready, head back towards Mektor, across the river, and to the east.
 
[ GYPSY ENCAMPMENT - You all've had sunstroke, haven't you? ]

Not much of note here aside from the fortune teller.  Remember her.  For now,
just head south into the desert.  Once you step foot into it, you'll
automatically use the ATV.  Roll around in the desert awhile to judge your
current strength.  If you have no trouble with the sandworms, antlions, and
other desert monsters, go ahead and cross the double-bridge to the south.
If they give you a tough time, don't cross until you're stronger, because
the enemies on the other side will be a lot tougher.

Across the bridge, you'll find a cave almost right off, a little further
south.  There's nothing -important- in here, but you can explore it if you
want.  The monsters are the same as you find around Kakroto, and there's
a Perseus shield deep within(Second best purchasable shield).  Once done,
follow the south side of the river to the east, and you'll eventually come
across:

[ PORUM CITY - Bandits blew up your bridge?  How about I burn your church
               down then? ]

Porum is a major city, with a twin, Tarrytown, on the other side of the
river.  Unfortunatly, as they're fond of pointing out to you, the bandits
blew up their bridge, so you can't currently pass between the two cities,
or the northeastern area.  You can get good equipment and spells here if you
have the money.  Spend some time getting stronger.  If the monsters start
getting easy, head just a -little- to the east of Porum, and you'll change
'encounter zones', and run into stronger, more rewarding monsters.  To the
northeast you'll find a cave, but it's locked and you can't get in yet.
There's another cave much farther to the southeast that you -can- enter,
but it's not important yet, and there's nothing worthwhile inside it.
 
Whenever you feel you're ready, head to the south.  Take plenty of healing
drugs with you, just in case.  You'll eventually come to a forest maze which
you need to work your way through.  Once done, you'll switch sections to
a little house where you can save.  Explore the area, and you'll find Dirk,
a relative of Old Rob.  He'll join your party, and you'll get the Sluice
Key to open the locked cave.  Dirk will be with your party for awhile.  He's
good at spells, and -horrid- at physical combat.  Don't buy him any spells
though.  He'll eventually leave the party, and while you can keep whatever
equipment he had, he'll take the spells with him.  All you really need from
him is ROPE anyway, which he handily comes with.

Leave the forest and head back to the gypsy encampment.  The second reading
the fortune teller does will give you the 'combination' to the sluice
control.  With that noted, head to back to the locked cave and use the sluice
key to unlock it.  Use the combination to turn the wheel in the right
directions, and you'll dam up the river, allowing you to cross to Tarrytown
on the other side.

 
[ TARRYTOWN CITY - Mmmn, doughnuts... ]

Tarrytown is the doughnut capital of the world.  Like you care.  There's some
good equipment and spells here though, but most of it you could've gotten in
Porum.  Whenever you feel you're equipped, venture out into the countryside
and get a feel for the monsters.  They're -much- stronger on this side of the
river.
 
At this point, your goal is to nab the Laconia equipment, and then to knock
the bandit leader around.  There are four caves in the crags to the north of
Tarrytown.  Three of them have one of the laconia items within, the fourth
is the Daedalus mines, where you'll go last.  It's easy to tell which the
mines are, because it's guarded by robocops.
 
You'll want to be in your mid-twenties levelwise by the time you have the
equipment and head into Daedalus, if you don't want to spend a lot of time
running away.  It'll also make the boss you're about to face easier.

You'll find Daedalus within the mines and pick a fight.  He's not really
-that- hard, but he might give you some trouble anyway.  Make sure to
lower his attack power and prevent his casting of spells, and trade hacks
with him, and you'll eventually beat him.  Once you kick his ass, you learn
he's really called Lars, and is some type of guardian for Alis.  Dirk leaves
you here, to go visit Old Rob, and Lars takes his place.  Lars can't use
magic, but that's ok, because you won't have him for hardly any time at all.
 
 
[ ALIS REVIVES - *WHY* did you get a dye job during your cryosleep? ;_; )
 
Remember that cave to the southeast, near the forest?  Go back there now.
Take Lars to the weird machine deep within and you'll wake up Alis, who
confirms that she's Mina's mommy.  Lars leaves you here, and turns into your
transportation instead, and Alis joins the party.  Leave the cave and you'll
find you're -always- in Land-Rover-Lars mode.  You move a little faster, but
the best part is, Lars will turn into a boat when you try to walk on water,
enabling you to explore the big lake south of Karkato.
