Tales of Eternia FAQ/Walkthrough
for the Sony Playstation
by Zhou Tai An (kain@pacific.net.sg)

Version 1.0

This is a VERY preliminary version. Only the first parts of the walkthrough have 
been done, very little system information has been added etc. Expect a lot more 
and better updates in future. This FAQ right now is basically announcing to 
people that one is being worked one, it should be pretty damn good when it's 
done, and help will be appreciated. ^_^

******

Some ramblings before I begin...feel free to skip this if you want, it's just me 
talking. ^_^

---

First off, let me start by saying this - I love Tri-Ace. Not love as in "I'm 
going to marry you" sort of way (though that should be immediately obvious) but 
love in a "this company produces kick-ass games, they rock" kinda way. And they 
do. To use a rather picturesque analogy, when my loyalty to Square faltered due 
to their harsh betrayal, in the long years without good RPGs - they appeared, 
like a shining light in the darkness.

Because yes, I'm actually going to say it (even though I know I will get flamed) 
- I don't like Square. Once, they were good. Once, their games were everything a 
gamer desired - graphics, story, music, gameplay and even considerable replay 
value. Once, they created art where people saw only bits and pixels. They were 
the heroes, fighting valiantly on in a land where lousy games abounded. Then, 
Square was pure. Square was holy.

How the mighty have fallen.

Now, they have sold their artistic talent for money. They hire Tetsuo Nomuras 
instead of Yoshitaka Amanos (yes, I know Amano still does work for them, but he 
doesn't have as active a creative hand in the process as before) They produce 
games with flashy graphics, hoping that they will save them from the dismal lack 
of story. Their gameplay suffers, becoming ridiculously easy and utilizing weird 
systems. Even the king of aural bliss, Nobuo Uematsu, no longer evokes the same 
power as before. 

(Before you start going ballistic on me, let me say a few things...the piece 
above is written in that way mainly to keep the flow of the words going. I'll be 
the first to admit that Square HAS produced quality games in the past few 
years...but sadly few (Vagrant Story and FFT come to mind) So while you can take 
what I say with a pinch of salt, remember that I actually believe most of it)

So there I was, bereft of good games to play. Der Langrisser had been satisfying 
- had been excellent, actually, giving me a look into a good solid, tradtional 
game. Xenogear's story appeased me for some time. There were some other games 
which had promise. But I needed more. A great game is like a fine wine...it must 
be savored, enjoyed. And like any connisseour, I was searching for that rare 
beverage - that elusive elixer.

Then I found it.

It was an old game. In fact, it was a remake of a Super Famicom game, but it was 
considered a classic even then. Standard but pretty graphics, a catchy score, 
cool gameplay...it was with the realization of it's innovative combat system 
that it dawned upon me. This was a good game. Then I played somemore. I heard 
the voice acting, and the funny scenes, and more of the story. No, this was a 
great game.

Well, it was Tales of Phantasia, and it was the game which introduced me to Tri-
Ace. It wasn't a revolutionary game...heck, it didn't really that that many new 
aspects in it. It didn't have super-crisp movies, or a classical soundtrack, or 
anything really that cool. What it was was an old-school RPG made especially 
well, and it quickly became one of my favorite games. So began my search for 
Tri-Ace games.

I quickly discovered, along with my newfound respect, things to dislike about 
them as well. As you play more games, you eventually grow more precise and in 
some ways finicky...their plot wasn't always good. They sometimes did really 
weird things with the games. They occasionally needed some graphics and music 
work. But their characterization was excellent, their voice casting was superb, 
and most importantly - they were fun. I accepted their faults, and moved on.

Then came Valkyrie Profile, and I was converted. I consider that game the single 
best PSX game in all of creation. I literally cannot find anything bad to say 
about that game. With VP, Tri-Ace had broken new ground and created a solid, 
great RPG all in one, deserving of respect and accolades. I had finally found 
another company to follow. 

So that's basically the reason for this FAQ. I didn't really like Tales of 
Destiny (Yume de Aru You ni is NICE, though) but Eternia promises to be 
good...and so, in homage to this great company, I'm going to write this FAQ. Of 
course, it's primarily for all you gamers out there who need help, but my love 
for Tri-Ace is also a factor. And now, I have talked long enough and will begin. 
Thank you for reading. ^_^

******

Opening Prologue 

(I couldn't get everything because the words were scrolling a bit fast...excuse 
any errors.)

When you start, you hear a conversation between a girl and an old man in some 
strange language with a strange ship in the background, and the old man tells 
her to be careful on her journey. She reassures him cheerfully, but as she 
leaves, he remarks sadly that whatever happens after this is out of his control. 

******

Then, we switch to a boy walking down the path, then meeting his friend at the 
top of a tower. Farah (the girl) tells Rid (your hero) that the sky looks 
strange and that something might fall from Celestia. Rid brushes it away 
carelessly and they chat awhile before there is a flash of bright light and when 
the screen clears, the tower is smashed and Farah runs off to check out whatever 
fell from the sky despite Rid saying that it isn't safe. 

Go down two screens and pick up a pair of spectacles and a wood shield, then 
head left two screens to get an apple gummy. Go right to continue the story and 
follow the blue animal to a broken down thing. Rid wonders who (they don't 
understand the girl's speech) and what is everything until the 'spaceship' 
starts to glow and blows up soon after. The girl still cannot be understood, but 
she hugs Rid and Farah makes a couple of comments about the fact that she seems 
to like him. A flustered Rid then brings her to the villages elder, who tells 
them to leave her be... and not let her stay in the village as she will bring 
disater. 

His prophecy comes true, as a guy soon blows up the wall in order to get to the 
girl but you fight him and fend him off. The elder says that the girl will make 
a tradegy of the past come about again, and that she must go away. Farah says 
that she will accede to his wishes, as long as she is alowed to go along with 
the girl. The elser tells her to do as she wishes, and Rid, pissed with 
everybody, follows Farah.

At Farah's house, Farah wants to taske to girl to Keel (not the head of SEELE in 
EVA ^_^) because she believes that he will know her language and be able to talk 
to her. The girl, however, calls Rid "fuiburiru" (it's the only word she can 
say) and hugs him again, communicating her desire to be with him, and he 
complains that his name is NOT "fuiburiru." Farah then says that having a cute 
girl like him is a good thing that many would want, but he declines this 
'honour.' Then, they set out.

In the first house on the left, you clock on the pink pig and you will meet the 
'wonder chef' who will teach you how to make sandwiches - you need bread, 
lettuce and cheese. Talk to the townpeople and you will find out that the place 
you ewant to go to is to the west. 

When crossing the bridge, introductions are made despite the obvious language 
barrier. The girls name turns out to be "Meredy" and her pet is "Kyuki." Farah 
then says foolishly, "Maybe we don't have to see Keel anymore.. we quite 
understand each other!" But this optimistic view is stumped when Meredy starts 
talking in long sentences of gibberish again. 

A bit further down the road is Regles Dojo, which you can enter to buy weapons 
and armor, but Farah won't let Rid join it (according to him, he doesn't want to 
join anyway). Next to that is Regles Hill, which the gate to is locked. Head 
down a bit more and you'll find the Lashuan River Bridge, which in unfortunately 
covered by rocks further down, making travel to Mintz impossible, to Farah's 
dismay. Rid thinks you should stay for a night whereas Farah thinks they should 
find another way across. Their discussion is interrupted by a movie of a large 
eye materializing in the sky and projecting some sort of energy around itself. 
The people there tell you it's another manifestation of the Plane of Olbas, and 
advise you to head back to the Dojo to ask the master there for help on getting 
to Mintz. Farah thanks them happily and they leave, but not before the last kid 
there (Paolo) expresses some interest in her...

Before you leave the bridge, you'll have another discussion where they wonder 
where Meredy is from (and she gets the "Travelling Artist?" Appellation) They 
discuss somemore, and Rid wonders what is "fuiburiru," which appears to be the 
only word she knows. The moment you get inside the dojo, eight martial artists 
attack you and you must fight them off alone. The dojo master thinks that Rid is 
here to learn from him, but Farah clears up the misnderstanding. (The dojo 
master knows Farah.) She explains everything, including their desire to reach 
Mintz to help Meredy. The Dojo master gives you a healing technique to help you 
get to Mintz, and Paolo offers to accompany you there. (As his blush probably 
means, he likes Farah.) In the next room, a guy will ask you if you want to 
fight against him, and choose the first option to fight. The next few rooms 
teach you advanced fighting techniques, and you will get the book Of Manual. 

The last room is Paolo's room. Enter, and he proceeds to explain some stuff to 
you. If you have a Coolmel gaug, you are a spirit crystal user like him.  

Head to the Lashuan River Bridge and the bridge there to find Paolo. He will use 
his power to calm the waters and incidentally chants in the same language that 
Meredy speaks. You'll also find out that Paolo is Farah's senior in the dojo. 
And now it's time to play a mini-game!

The controls for this one are simple enough - steer the raft with the 
directional buttons and increase speed with the Circle one. Note that you will 
be unable to steer much when increasing speed, though. 

Finally, you reach Mintz. Rid comments that it will be hard to find Keel in this 
mass of people, but Farah retorts that since he's a childhood friend, it'll be 
easy to spot him...maybe. ^_^ Head left to the main part of the university and 
from there to the right. Farah will meet an old friend of hers (I missed most of 
this part because I wasn't concentrating, sorry) and then, you can head up to 
play Coolmel Ball!

Here are the rules : 

To actually play, you pick the first option, then the second, then the first. 
You can select either Rid (topmost choice), Farah (middle choice), or Meredy 
(bottommost choice). There is no noticable difference in their playing styles. 
The aim of the game here is to get your opponent run over by the big ball. You 
need three hits to win one round, and vice versa. 

At the start of the game, several coloured (pink or blue) triangles will appear 
at different places. Pick one up and your cokour will be that color, and if your 
opponent picks up the same colour as you your colour will change to the opposite 
colour. (Example :- if you picked up a pink crystal, and you're pink, and your 
opponent picks up a pink crystal too, you'll change to blue.) 

The ball will eventually turn to pink or blue, and then we can truly start! If 
the ball is the same colour as you, pressing on the circle button will shoot it 
away from you, if t is a different colour, pressing the button will draw it to 
you. Note that after you press the button, you will have no colour and must 
collect a coloured crystal again. Also, the ball might change colour suddenly 
and bash you when you want it to go away.

There are two strategies to this game - one where, you change to the same colour 
and blast the ball away and into your opponent, the other where you are of a 
different colour, go near to your enemy, and draw the ball to you before running 
away so that it hits your emeny and not you (tthis is a harder strategy.) 


>From there, go back and head left to eventually get to Mintz University. They 
try to find Keel...the clerk asks some questions, to which Rid gives normal 
replies which get them nowhere until Farah takes charge of things and says that 
they are family of Keel's and have to bring him back because of a family 
accident. ^_^ Meredy suddenly jumps on the desk, causing a scene and making Rid 
and Farah beat a hasty retreat. 

If you continue up to the second-top floor, and enter the left door, you can 
reach a staple of the Tales series games...the quiz game! Here, they will ask 
you questions from Tales of Destiny, Phantasia, and Eternia. I'll be working on 
correct answers and will hopefully have a full list for you after I'm done with 
it. Entering all the other rooms gets you some funny scenes, which unfortunately 
I am too busy to translate. 

Back down on the bottom floor, enter the left room. Farah will head in to ask 
about Keel and tell them to wait...however, Meredy runs into the room and 
somehow causes all the machines there to go haywire. The school head comes in 
and tells them all to get out, along with the person Farah was talking to, 
Keel's friend named Sanc. After some discussion, you find out a few things :

1. Keel is on study leave in the mountains somewhere because his theory on the 
collapse of the world met with stern opposition from the principal and most of 
the faculty.

2. Spirit Crystal Wielders speak the same language (Melnicus) that Meredy does, 
but they only speak a high variant of it used for spells, and cannot use it to 
communicate normally.

3. Based on Meredy's speech, clothing and etc, Sanc thinks that she might be an 
Imperial Spirit Crystal Wielder...but why would one of them be here?

You then leave to find Keel and get to the bottom of the mystery. Meredy also 
gets the "High-Level Spirit Mage?" Appellation. 

Go south of Mintz to find the Mintz Crags. In the first screen, if you move the 
boulders to where the flashing ones are (you can push and pull with the Circle 
button) you'll stop the monsters coming out. Do the same thing in the next 
screen, and don't forget the chests and bags. Once through, you'll be at Keel's 
mountain cabin.

Upon entering, no one will be in...suddenly, Keel appears and gives a terribly 
technical explanation about his theory and what he is doing, until he realises 
that you're not from Mintz at all. Farah then greets him joyfully, and Rid less 
so...anyway, later on, he is able to understand a little bit of Meredy's speech, 
but not enough to know what is going on. However, you do get the world explained 
to you - the sphere of Eternia is divided into Celestia above, and Inferia below 
and is divided by the Plane of Olbas. Meredy coming from Celestia (they 
understand that much) causes some confusion, because according to the old 
records, everyone from Celestia is violent, inhumane and consumes human flesh. 
Meredy also manages to communicate to them about a massive explosion which will 
come about if something is not done.

After your story is told, Keel lets you look into his telescope and points out a 
black object in the sky, coming ever closer to Inferia...he says that this is 
why Meredy came to warn them - the destruction of the world is imminent. Keel 
then agrees to come along to bring you to someone who is an expert in Meredy's 
language, despite the fact that it is obvious that he and Rid do not get along. 
On the path down later when he gets tired, you learn more about his motivations 
- he wants to reinstate himself in the school by proving that his theory of 
world collapse (supported by Meredy, living evidence) is valid. Rid doesn't 
think much of that as he views it as a selfish goal, but Keel insists that he's 
just searching for the truth.

Head to the end of the peninsula and you'll come across the Cave of Lost Hope. A 
merchant will appear and warn you about the Eggbears in there, which killed his 
companion. Buy supplies from him and then head on inside. Halfway through, 
you'll fight your first "boss" - a single Eggbear, which Rid and Keel have to 
fight with alone. It should be simple, especially if Rid has gotten Raijinken 
and Kogahazan; just use them repeatedly and it will die in no time. 

You then get a flashback from the past...an Eggbear is chasing the three of 
them, and Keel falls down, crying. Farah is about to fight it when Rid fires an 
arrow and draws it away, leaving Farah and Keel crying. (Well, I guess the 
stress got to her too.) Later on, while Rid wants to skin the Eggbear for food, 
Keel disagrees with him, giving another technical explanation about why it's 
flesh cannot be stored for too long. Farah manages to break up the argument, but 
not before Rid and Keel's dislike for each other has been made quite clear.

Make your way to the Tree Village of Morl and all the way up. You will meet 
Keel's teacher, who hands them a set of earrings which will apparently let them 
understand Meredy's speech. It doesn't seem to work, though, and Meredy runs 
off. Chase her (take the vine leading downwards) and you'll eventually meet your 
first boss. Now this guy is slightly tough. It's two worst attacks are producing 
a swarm of bees and rushing towards you...there's nothing much you can do about 
the latter, but if you use a few well-placed Kogahazans you should be able to 
deal with the former without too much difficulty. If you're really having 
trouble, gain a few levels first (increase your Slash and Thrust until Rid is 
able to use more skills) then come back. 

After the fight, you amazingly can understand Meredy now, even if it takes some 
time for Rid to cotton on. ^_^ Keel takes the opportunity to question her 
(rather roughly, though) about various things, including the stone that she 
wears...he goes a bit too far and gets pushed back by her. They then settle down 
a bit and Farah asks Meredy if there is any way to prevent the catatrosphe - 
what Meredy calls the "Grand Fall" - that will destroy the world. According to 
her, there is - using her Celestian Coolmel Gauge, she will get a Great Crystal 
Spirit to enter it, thereby stopping the Fall. Keel is initially distrustful, 
saying that Great Spirits will not enter just any Gauge, but the fact that hers 
has different materials than his own finally convinces him, and he tells the 
rest to head back to his teacher since he knows where the Spirits can be found. 
Meredy is excited that Keel is actually helping her, but the latter gets angry 
and says that he's only coming along because  he!
 is searching for the truth.

Back at Keel's teacher's house, he examines her Coolmel Gauge and says that what 
they propose can be done...but they need a Great Spirit first. To aid their 
quest, he teaches Farah the Antidote skill, gives you a World Map AND tells you 
where to find a Great Spirit - in the River of Great Spirits. (Quite a helpful 
old geezer, hmm?) He also has some parting words for Keel - he tells him that in 
order to become a great scholar, he must study that which cannot be 
learnt...most of this goes over the latter's head, though.

Head upwards and walk through the forest to get to the river. (You will be 
walking on its banks for quite a long time, but the river itself is surrounded 
by a cluster of stones and noticably small.) Don't miss the feathered robe in 
the first screen, it leads you to a chest. In the next screen go past the log 
and get the chest at the bottom. Then head around the edge of the lake and get 
the blue chest containing an Iron Wrist. Then continue until you enter a cave, 
where a voice will comment that it is good that you have come so far. It is an 
undine, and Keel asks if the Grand Fall will really occur, but the undine says 
that she will have nothing to do with humans. Rid and party try and persuade her 
to enter the Coolmel gaug, but she tells them that she must see their worth and 
invites them to fight the spirits deeper inside the cave. Continue right to 
enter.

The enimies in ths area are pretty difficult, so level up before you enter.

*****

Fighting System :

The fighting system in Tales of Eternia is very similar to that in the two 
earlier games in the series - Tales of Destiny and Tales of Phantasia. So if 
you've played either or both of them, you'll be able to jump right in. If not, 
I'll provide a short explanation. 



Skills and Techniques :

Every skill (much like in Star Ocean : The Second Story and Tales of Phantasia) 
has a Count which indicates the amount of time the character has used that 
particular skill. A high Count will be better for you, because the damage and 
hit rate of the skill increases with more usage.

Rid's Skills :

Mashinken - (Demon God Sword) 
*Demon Blade*

Description : Rid shouts "Mashinken!" and creates a wave of blue energy which 
shoots forwards.

Evaluation : Standard move which has been with us since the days of SFC Tales of 
Phantasia. It's a basic long-range move and can keep enemies back/attack from 
afar, but in most cases you're better off simply attacking.

Raijinken - (Thunder God Sword)
*Thunderblade*

Description : Rid shouts "Raijinken!" and thrusts his sword forwards, creating 
an explosion of energy. A lightning bolt then comes down from the sky to deal 
additional damage.

Evaluation : Pretty decent move early on in the game. Because it hits twice, it 
does stun the enemy, but Rid has some lag after the thrust. 

Kogahazan (Tiger Fang Breaking Blade)
*Tiger Break Slash*

Description : Rid does a uppercut with his sword, then brings it down in a 
slashing motion.

Evaluation : Not bad. It has the added advantage of occasionally knocking down 
flying enemies. Besides that, it comes out pretty fast and moves you 
forwards...be careful not to get stuck in the middle of the enemy when using it, 
though, because the move can take you too far forward and there is some lag 
later.

Chirisazame - (

Description : Rid does a series of several quick thrusts, ending with a longer 
one.

Ryugadendan - (Dragon Fang 

******

Face Chats and Camping Scenes :

Since there appears to be no method of archiving of re-viewing these, my 
translations are going to have some room for error, and I'm going to have to say 
- live with it. ^_^ Sorry, but I can't be 100% accurate under these conditions.

Farah : Mintz is far south from here...alright, let's go, let's go!

Rid : "A girl from a strange place...weird clothes...intelligible language. 
Hmmmm..."

Meredy : "%*983(&*#&($&$?"

Farah : "Have you thought of anything?"

Rid : "No, nothing at all." (The way he says this is kinda funny, though the 
joke doesn't come out in translation.)

Farah : "We have to get to Keel as soon as possible!"


Farah : "Hey, hey, Rid, we're finally adventuring in the world together!"

Rid : "What do you mean "adventuring?" We're just travelling to Keel and 
delivering the girl, right?"

(forgot this part)

Farah : "No, you have to take responsibility right to the end!"

Rid : "What a "kind" and "nice" person...(Farah's face bashes him) gaaah!"


Farah : "Do you remember, Rid? When the three of us were small, we promised to 
go on an adventure to explore the world. The three of us, together...Rid, are 
you listening? Ah, he's gone to sleep. At that time, I thought that there would 
be a place in the world where I could do something...and I still think it even 
now."


Farah: "Ha! Huh! Ha!"

Rid: "Did you learn that stuff at the dojo?"

Farah: "Yes, this is just the warming up exercises. After this, there's more..."

Rid: "Stop! Just hearing about it makes me tired!"


