Game: Shining Force 1 (strateguy guide)

System: Sega Genesis/Megadrive

Year of Release: 1993

Author: Sephirstein

Version: 1.0

Current Size: 106 KB (at least on my computer)

E-Mail: Sephirstein@hotmail.com

ICQ: 46582842

Message Boards: GameFAQs, Shining Force Central

Date Started: August 2, 1999

Date Completed: December 31, 2001

Latest Version Available at: www.gamefaqs.com

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T A B L E  O F  C O N T E N T S
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            	 1. Introduction
                   2. Revision update
                   3. Walkthrough
                   3. Battle guide
                   5. Character guide
                   6. Class and promotion guide
                   7. Items and weapons
                   8. Monster guide
                   9. Boss guide
                  10. Spell guide
                  11. Cheat codes
                  12. Useless item guide
                  13. Frequently Asked Questions
                  14. Futre Progress
			15. Credits
                  16. Links
			17. Disclaimer

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1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
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Some of you may know me as one of those people who posts messages on GameFAQs Shining Force
Centra. Shining Force is an excellent game for me to write an FAQ on because I find the
FAQs on GameFAQs to be incomplete (no offense to the authors as they actually
did seem to put quite a bit of work into them and I actually took a lot of info
from one of them. I just felt like they were missing information.) and because
there is no actual strategy guide on Moogie's Shining Force page
Besides, it's an awesome strategy/RPG that deserves a good Strategy Guide. Naturally, this work is as
much a gathering of information as it is strategy, for I have included many important pieces of
information from other sources (with permission). If anyone has any suggestions about how
to make my FAQ better, don't be afraid to E-Mail me, post me a message on
Moogie's board or ICQ. Hopefully, this FAQ is able to help you with any problems you may have with
this game, and teach you a few new things about it at the same time. Now, let's cut the crap
and get down to the important stuff.

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2. R E V I S I O N  U P D A T E
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Version 0.5b: Everything is complete expect chapters 3-8 of the walkthrough,
chapters 3-8 of the battle guide and a proper strategy on defeating Dark Dragon.
I will add this as I replay more to the game.  Tell me what else you
want me to improve or add. You can also help me by telling me how to justify
(not left, centre or right by justify) text in Notepad or Wordpad or directing
me to a program that does this so that it looks right in Notepad.

Version 0.51b: Removed some underlines and all the hyphenation because it looked
horrible in GameFAQS. This should allow you to read this without seeing hyphens
in the middle of words. I also fixed a couple of spacing problems and mentioned
in on of my FAQs that Moogie's Ultimate Shining Force Guide also includes info
on how to get Shining Force 2.

Version 0.8b: Lots of new stuff this version. Finished the walkthrough and
battle guide up to Chapter 5 and added a difficulty rating out of 10 for each
battle. Also added an FAQ on how to gain levels quickly ad easily, a guide to
getting Kokichi to join the force (added to one of my FAQs) and some more info
about Arthur and Earnest in the character guide. I also explained a very cheap
way to beat Elliot, Balbazak and Ramladu as well as an FAQ on the best way to
promote characters. I proceeded to make a couple fixes to the item guides and
other stuff including spacing, spelling and hyphenation and I added Karl Plouffe
to my credits list for some of his info regarding Arthur and easy level ups.
This could be the last update in a while as I start school on September 7th.

Version 0.85b: Greatly improved the format and the readability of my FAQ thanks
to tips from Kao Megura's FAQ writing suggestions. Also changed my disclaimer to
a slightly modified version of one of his disclaimers because it was a lot
better than the one I had.

Version 1.0: The final version is ready. Sorry if it is almost a month late. I
honestly could have finished it at pretty much anytime, but I just never really
felt much like doing it. In this version, I continued to do minor formatting
improvements (including the much needed Word Wrap), and I dotted a few "Is" and
crossed a few "Ts" in my disclaimer and credits section. I also corrected a
couple of grammatical errors.  Now, for the good stuff. I overhauled my
character section, improved my boss guide, added a couple of FAQs, and, as I'm
sure you've all been waiting for, I have completed my Walkthrough and my Battle
Guide. Let me know if there are any information errors or major grammatical
errors or if there is anything you feel needs to be added.

Version 1.1:

-Rewrote much of the introduction
-Fixed up most of the countless spelling, grammar, and wording problems that plagued this guide
-Added an FAQ and updated some others
-Updated the Special Thanks
-Added a Links section to make the websites I discuss easier to find
-Added a future progress ection
-Added some more information to the battle guide
-This guide looks best in MS Wordpad
-Maded the preliminary information before the introduction easier to read

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3. W A L K T H R O U G H
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Don't be afraid to go outside the boundaries of my walkthrough, and explore everything this game has
to offer or you will miss out on a lot of the gaming experience as well as some easy-to-
find items that I can't remember where to locate or that I can't be bothered to discuss. Keep in mind
that chests can be opened both while exploring and while battling. It is imperative to open chests as
soon as you can, as you may not be able to later. Also, realize that I won't tell you when to change your
active force. All I'll say is that Balbaroy and Amon are the first characters who start in headquarters.
Finally, don't follow my recommended levels to the tee. They are on the higher side, and the game can
be enjoyed at lower levels, as I have done on numerous occasions. Remember that some characters
only have one class. Thus, my recommended levels do not apply to them.

Chapter 1
---------

Guardiana: You start outside the side door of Guardiana's chapel. Talk to Varios, enter
the chapel and talk to Lowe. Afterwards, exit the chapel from the side door and talk to Varios again.
He'll be sent to the castle by a guard. Go to the
castle and listen to the King and Varios, and afterwards, talk to the King. He'll send you to
the Shrine of the Ancients. Now exit the castle and Lowe, Ken, Tao, Luke and
Hans will join the force. Don't forget to visit the bar and talk to one of the people there.
His name is Gort and he'll join you later. You may have to talk to him now to
get him, however. Save your game in the chapel and exit town. You'll ride a cart to the
Shrine of the Ancients.

New Force Members:

-Max (SDMN 1)
-Lowe (HEAL 1)
-Tao (MAGE 1)
-Luke (WARR )
-Ken (KNTE 1)
-Hans (ACHR 1)

Shrine of the Ancients: You'll fight your first battle here. When it is your
leader's turn, (I'll be referring to him Max, his default name, from now on.) cast
Egress to exit the battle and return to Guardiana. Leave town on foot, and head to the small house next
to the shrine. You'll find a monk who serves as a friar.  You can also talk to Gong, who joins
you at this juncture, and to Jogurt, to trigger the events that can him to join you much later  in the game.
Save your game and return to the first battle at the shrine and win it.

New Force Members:

-Gobg (MONK 1)

Recommended level after Battle 1: 3

Road to Guardiana: After this battle, you'll leave the shrine and see Guardiana
attacked by soldiers. You have to fight another battle to get into
Guardiana. Egress if anyone died during the first battle, or if you wish to save your game at the monk's
house.

Recommend level after Battle 2: 4

Guardiana: After you win the battle, enter Guardiana. You'll see that the
town's been severely crippled by an attack from Runefaust. Go to the bar to get
Gort (the old dwarf with the axe) to join you, and proceed to enter the castle. Explore
the castle area to find the treasury and collect the treasure. (You couldn't
do this earlier because there was a guard stopping you.) Afterwards go to the
throne and you'll see Kane attacking the King and Varios. Talk to the King and
his daughter, Mae will join the force. The armoury is now open. Check it out and
buy any better weapons that you find.  Save your game and leave town.

New Force Members:

-Gort (WARR 2)
-Mae (KNTE 2)

Road to Alterone: There's another battle here. Win it and enter Alterone.

Recommended level after Battle 3: 4-5

Alterone: Explore the whole town as there is A LOT of treasure. When you're
done, go to the armoury/bar and talk to the people there. One of them will ask
you if you're from Guardiana. Answer yes to this question and to the guy's other question
so that the guards will let you enter Alterone castle. Enter the castle, and explore it
throughly for treasure. Again, there's quite a bit. Talk to the King and he'll ask you to follow him to
meet
Kane. Talk to Kane and you will be imprisoned in the dungeon. Talk to the
imprisoned friar to raise dead characters and save your game. Then, search the
cell door. A young Elven healer named Khris will come to unlock the door and she
will enter the cell. She'll open up a secret passage to allow you to escape. She also joins the Force at
this point. Enter the passage and you'll end up in headquarters. Exit to the town, and you'll find yourself
in the final battle of the
chapter. Win the battle, and return to the castle. Explore the castle again, as there are a
few chests which you could not previously access. Afterwards, speak to the King
and he'll apologize for betraying you. Accept his apology and he'll tell you to
pull the chain that looks like a dragon's head southwest of the throne. Find it
near a waterfall and pull it. Enter the passage that appears and go through it.
When you reach the end, and exit, Chapter 1 will come to a close.

New Force Members:

-Khris (HEAL 2)

Recommended level after battle 4: 5-6

Chapter 2
---------

Rindo: You'll start the chapter just outside of the town of Rindo but the only
thing you can do is enter town as the paths to the north and to the west are both blocked by
fences. Upon entering the town, head to the theatre and watch the play for a
good laugh. When you're down exploring town (remember to go to the house where you meet Guntz,
as you may need to if you want him to join the force later on), head to the armoury. (Didn't I say to
do that in every town? Oh well this is the last time I'll tell you, unless I have a good reason to.) Upgrade
your weapons, remembering especially to buy Power Staffs for your mages and healers. They will now
be fighting machines for the balance of the chapter. Afterwards, go to the mayor's mansion and talk to
the mayor. He'll tell you that you
can't have his boat. Leave town and the west fence will be gone, allowing you to
exit the area. You'll enter a battle as you head to Manarina.

Recommended level after Battle 5: 6

Manarina: After winning the fight, enter Manarina and go to the chapel to save
your game. Afterwards, talk to one of the mages not far from where you entered
the city (I think his name is Onat or something).  He'll tell you to get the Orb
of Light from the Cave of Darkness. Explore this city of mages and look for Anri
(she talked to you when you first entered) and she will join the Force.  Also
find the Domingo egg in a room with a mage and an odd machine by searching the
machine. Don't forget to talk to Arthur so that he'll join you after the next battle.
Now, head to the Cave of Darkness.

New Force Members:

-Anri (MAGE 3)

Cave of Darkness: Fight the battle and win. Search the chests along the battlefield for some nice
items, including the Orb of Light which you need to proceed further in the game.

Recommended level after battle 6: 7

Manarina: Go north of the stairs by which you entered the cavern to talk to the
Spirit of the Holy Spring. Use the Orb of Light on the big silver thing that
looks like it has an eyeball drawn on it to here what she has to say. Now go talk to Arthur again to get
him
to join the force. Afterwards, leave town and return to Rindo.

New Force Members:

-Arthur (KNTE 4)

Rindo: Enter the town and talk to the mayor again. He'll tell you that he'll do
whatever you want if you bring his grandson back from the circus. Exit the
mayor's house and head for the circus tent near the docks.

Circus Tent: Enter the tent and you'll run into Mishaela (whom you may have
spoken to in Alterone) and she'll send Marionette and some other monsters after you. Defeat
Marionette, and you'll rescue the mayor's grandson. Search
the chest for an iron arrow (thank God) and some other nice stuff.

Recommended level after battle 7: 8

Rindo: Talk to the mayor and he'll let use his ship. Proceed to the ship
and Mishaela will burn it.  Return to the mayor and talk to him and his SON (not
grandson). They'll tell you to head to Shade Abbey. If you want to, you can
watch the new version of the theatre's play for another laugh. Leave town, and head
north (the north fence is now gone) until you reach a small building. Enter this
building.

Shade Abbey: You are now in Shade Abbey. Talk to all the people including the "friar",
and head due north from the entrance. Keep going until you reach a large
chapel. Enter the chapel and all the people will follow you and block your
escape. (Hopefully you'll be able to figure out that something nasty's goin' on
by now.) Head towards the stoned Balbaroy (heh heh) and the friar will teleport in. It's Kane! It's
Kane! Kane will leave you to fight another
battle. After you win this battle, Amon and Balbaroy will join you.

New Force Members:

-Amon (BDMN 5)
-Balbaroy (BDMN 5)

Recommended level after battle 8: 9-10

Chapter 3
---------

Bustoke: You begin this chapter in the town of Bustoke. Explore the town (the armoury and item
shop have no logo here), and speak to the Queen to find out about
Runefaust and the Quarry. Afterwards, speak to Diane to get her to join the force. Also find
out about Moon Stone, Lunar Dew and how they'll help Zylo. When you're done, head to the Quarry.

New Force Members:

Diane (ACHR 6)

Quarry: Fight and win the battle and enter the cave. You'll find a chest with
the Moon Stone. Return to Bustoke afterwards.

Recommended level after Battle 9: 10-11.

Bustoke: Talk to the old alchemist and he'll make Lunar Dew from the Moon Stone.
When done, head to the jail cell where Zylo is found and talk to the girl just outside
of the cell. She'll open it. Now talk to Zylo and use the Moon Dew (from the
item menu) on him. He'll join the force, and is a valuable asset. Head to one of the houses and find
Kokichi trying to make a flying machine. Search the machinery and
talk to Kokichi. He'll offer to test it for you. Follow him, and he'll fly around
and fall off Bustoke Mountain. Now, leave Bustoke.

New Force Members:

-Zylo (WRWF 9)

Road to Pao Bridge: Win this easy battle and head to Pao Bridge.

Recommended level after Battle 10: 11

Pao Bridge: Defeat the Laser Eye battle to win the chapter and Pelle will join
you.

New Force Members:

-Pelle (KNTE 8)

Recommended level after Battle 11: 11


Chapter 4
---------

Pao: Explore the town and talk to Elliot. Afterwards, explore the new wagons that
the guards now let you enter. Once inside, talk to the Princess, the engineer, and than the
Princess again to get Pao to move. Once again, the armoury is unmarked and
remember that you must buy new weapons before Pao moves to use them in the next
battle. Make sure to buy a Power Spear for Pelle because it's easy to forget
like I often do. Leave Pao.

Elliot Battle: Get one Heat Axe from one of the Lizardmen and Egress back to
Pao.

Pao: Talk to Vankar to get him to join and then enter the Chapel. Stand left
of the Friar to see Jogurt fall over (assuming you met him in Chapter 1). He'll now be in your force.

Elliot: Leave Pao and defeat Elliot, making sure to kill the Heat Axe wielding
Lizardman again. You'll notice that Pao has moved to a new location. Return to
Pao's original location to get Kokichi if you met him in Bustoke. You
can also get Vankar to join by talking to him if you haven't done so already.

New Force Members:

-Jogurt (YGRT 1)
-Vankar (KNTE ?)
-Kokichi (WGKN 7)

Recommended level after Battle 12: 12.

2nd Pao: There are new chests abound, as well as a man that will warm your Domingo Egg (assuming
you remembered to find it in Manarina) to
allow Domingo to hatch and join you. The armoury may also have new stuff, but I can't remember
Head to the Pig Pen and Guntz will join the
Force. Now leave town, and it's onward to the Wimpy Fortress of Balbazak.

New Force Members:

-Domingo (MGCR 1)
-Guntz (SMKN 8)

Fortress of Balbazak: Win the easy battle.

Recommended level after Battle 13: Train to Level 13 or 14, promote all
characters currently having weapons available which require promotion, as well as all character who
fight unarmed, and train them to about Level 3. The others are fine at 13 - 14

Uranbatol (Nice pun...:)): Nothing to do here. Earnest will join you and you
have to talk to a guard to get him to open the shipyard. Now remember your two Heat Axes from tghe
Elliot battle? Equip 'em on Gort and Luke now that
they are promoted to make them fighting machines.

New Force Members:

-Ernest (KNTE 8)

Shipyard: Kill Balbazak and get the ship to win the chapter.

Recommended level after Battle 14: 4 Promoted, 14 for unpromoted characters


Chapter 5
---------

Ship: Wimpy monsters attack your ship. Beat them and your now-damaged ship will drift to
the island town of Waral.

Recommended level after Battle 15: 5 Promoted, 14 - 15 for unpromoted characters.

Waral: Uh oh, your ship is damaged and you cannot sail onward. Talk to the King (who is also the
weapon and item shop salesman)
and explore the town on foot before getting on guest boat. Note that you need to use the guest boat to
access the chapel. At this point it may be a good idea to promote everyone who is still first class,
because the next two battles are EASY, and new weapons requiring promotion are now available.
Now head to buoys and talk to the Mermaid blocking the opening. She'll move
out of the way if you answer yes to her question. Go through the opening and
you'll drift and get knocked out.

Ring Reef: You'll wake up in a house. Talk to the friar and exit the house to find yourself on Ring Reef.
Enter this little blue thing in the walled area to go to
the Shining Path area.

Shining Path Area: Follow the Skeleton and you'll fight a battle to gain access
to the Shining Path. Win the battle and the Master Mage boss will sacrifice its life
to block the Shining Path. If you Egress you'll wind up back in Waral. Just go
to where you originally got the guest boat and a new one will magically appear, allowing you to return
to Ring Reef. This time, you must get there on your own without getting knocked out.

Recommended level after Battle 16: 7 Promoted.

Waral: Talk to the King to get your ship back and you'll leave Waral. Answer his
question however the heck you want.

Ship: Another easy sea battle (yawn). Just win to complete the chapter.

Recommended level after Battle 17: 7-8 Promoted

Chapter 6
---------

Rudo: You start Chapter 6 in the town of Rudo, which has been overrun by
children. The layout of the town may be slightly confusing at first, but you'll
get the hang of it after exploring thoroughly, which you will have to do anyways
as you are blocked off from leaving the town. Pay special attention to the
buildings, as Lyle can be found in one of them and he will join the force. When
you're done doing that, talk to Karen, who will tell you about Bleu, visit Krin
in the library, and talk to Karen again. You will now be able to leave Rudo. Do
so after getting all the chests and upgrading your weapons as necessary.

New Force Members:

Lyle (ASKT 9)

Road to Dragonia: Win this battle. It's not too bad.

Recommended level after Battle 18: 9 Promoted

Dragonia: (Note, do not enter the city until you are ready, you cannot leave
until you defeat Kane) Explore the town, getting all the chests. Talk to
Bleu when finished. Follow him as he runs away and he will eventually be attacked by Kane.
When the scene is done, talk to Kane, who will announce his intent to fight you
after giving you time to prepare. Bleu also joins the force at around this juncture. Go to the local
Headquarters to resurrect dead
characters, save your game, and make any necessary changes to your party before
leaving. Kane will attack you when you exit HQ. Defeat him in battle.
Afterwards, follow Kane to the gate in the middle of the city where a Hero of
Light and of Darkness is needed. Proceed through the gate until you see a chest.
Darksol will appear and take the contents of the chest and then proceed to
severely injure Kane. After the scene, leave Dragonia and return to Rudo.

New Force Members:

-Bleu (DRGN 9)

Recommended level after Battle 19: 10-11 Promoted

Rudo: Return to the library and talk to Karen and then to Krin. They will tell you
about a castle that appeared somewhere outside of town. Leave town to fight another battle.

Recommended Level after Battle 20: 11 Promoted

Skull Castle: Defeat Mishaela. Just be careful not to get the Sword of Light
until you have gotten all the other treasure chests (It's in the chest closest
to Mishaela's throne). Defeating Mishaela AND retrieving the Sword allows you to
continue you to Chapter 7.

Recommended Level after Battle 21: 11-12 Promoted

Note: Do not worry as much about levels any more, just be sure to train any
character you use to at least Level 20 Promoted before the end of Chapter 7.
Level 30+ would be nice for Domingo.

Chapter 7
---------

Prompt: You begin the chapter in Prompt. Head to the Castle and talk to the King
after having explored the city. You will be imprisoned, and some guy named Boken whom
you may have met over the course of your travels will save you. When you are
freed, talk to the King again and you will be forgiven. As well, the King will request that you talk to
Kane, who is severely injured in bed. Talk to Kane and then  leave the castle
and look for a big building in the city with two doors and a white sign. Search
the sign to get Musashi to join your force. Don't forget to add him to the battle roster, as he is God-
like. Leave town after checking out the
weapon shop and go to the Tower of the Ancients.

New Force Members:

-Musashi (SMR 10)

Road to the Tower: Win the battle and head East.

Tower of the Ancients: Enter the Tower, get the chests, and win the battle. Note
that there is a chest in the battlefield that I believe can only be gotten
during the battle. It contains the almighty Valkyrie, the best Spear in the
game. You may need a flying character to get it. After winning the battle, you will encounter Alef and
Torasu, a wizard and
a priest from Prompt. They join the force, but are in desperate need of levelling up (15
unpromoted...lol). You must then proceed to a
certain place in the tower where you will again encounter Darksol trying to get
an important item for the release of Dark Dragon (I think he was named Lucifer in the Japanese
version. The name was changed to avoid offending any redneck Christian fundamentalists). Kane will
appear and Darksol will kill him as he tries to save your butt. After you have finished
with the tower, return to Prompt.

New Force Members:


-Alef (MAGE 15)
-Torasu (HEAL 15)

Prompt: Return to the King, who will tell you about another way to the Shining Path that can be
reached from the castle. He will also give you the Sword of Darkness. Talk to
the scholars in the castle library and then go through the Shining Path, which
and be accessed on the floor just below the Castle, to reach Metapha.

Metapha: Metapha is not a town. It actually feels like an extension of Prompt
Castle. Explore the area until you find a pool. Use the Orb of Light to contact
the Sprit of the Spring as you did in Chapter 2 and she will tell you about the
Chaos Breaker (CB) (the most powerful sword in the game) and about your quest.
Leave the area where the spring is located at Adam the Worthless Robot will join
you. Explore Metapha until you reach an area where Chaos and
some other monsters attack you. Defeat Chaos and you will be able to progress
into a new area of Metapha, in which you can create or summon or
whatever the CB by using the Sword of Light and the Sword of Darkness as
prescribed by the sign. Unfortunately, you will lose the two swords, but the CB
looks a Lightsabre. When you are finished, return to
Prompt.

New Force Members:

-Adam (RBT 9)

Prompt: Talk to the King and then leave town.

Road to Runefaust: Head South and you will see a gate guarded by enemies. This
is the gate to the Kingdom of Runefaust. Kill all the enemies to win the
chapter.

Chapter 8
----------

Runefaust: You will now be inside the gate. Enter the city of Runefaust and
explore the city, upgrading your weapons if necessary (though I doubt you'll
need to). Next, look for a bush somewhere in the city with a glowing starry or
shurikeny shaped thing on it. Search it, and Hanzou the Ninja will join you. When finished, head
West to what looks like an exit out of the city. In reality, it leads to
Ramladu's Castle (Not to be confused with Runefaust Castle).

New Force Members:

-Hanzou (NINJ 10)

Ramladu's Castle: In the first battle and get all the chests in the area. Then,
head farther up to fight King Ramladu. When you defeat King Ramladu, leave the
castle and you will be back in Runefaust.

Runefaust: Enter Runefaust Castle (in the North end of the city) and talk to some guy named
Mahone. He will tell you about a secret passage in Runefaust castle.

Ramladu's Castle: Head west from the are where you first enter the castle, and you should
find an alcove with stairs. Climb down the stairs and you'll be in the wilderness
west of Runefaust. Now go to the westernmost point of the coast and use the
Chaos Breaker as an item to raise the Castle of the Ancients in the middle of
the sea.

Castle of the Ancients: Enter the Gate of the Ancients (which looks like
the first one near Guardiana) near Runefaust and head North. You will
teleport to the Castle of the Ancients and fight Colossus. Defeat Colossus and
continue through the Castle of the Ancients to fight Darksol. Defeat Darksol and
he will resurrect Dark Dragon and you will battle him right away. Defeat Dark
Dragon to finish the game. Remember, however, that Egressing while fighting Dark
Dragon will force you to rebattle Darksol.

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4. B A T T L E  G U I D E
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Read the FAQs for a trick or two about battle that I won't bother mentioning
here. Remember though, that if Max dies, you'll return to the last town in which you
saved , and lose half of your gold. You'll keep experience and items earned in battle, however. The
names of the battles were invented by me, the
number of enemies in each battle was taken from Col. G. L. Sicherman's FAQ and
the strategies, difficulty, and recommended levels are all my own work. Please
note that you should actually play this game a couple of levels below the
recommended levels unless you have trouble. Finally, a word of caution. When gaining a level in this
game, you do not carry over excess experience like in future Shining Force games. In other words, if
you have 99 experience points (XP), and your next attack earns you 23 XP., you will gain a level, but
will start with 0 XP on your new level, rather than 22 XP. If you remember this, your levels will be far
more balanced, and you will not to level up as much, for there are fewer wasted XP.

Chapter 1
---------

Battle 1: The Ancient Shrine

Enemies: Goblin x5, Dark Dwarf x2, Rune Knight (mini-boss) x1

Difficulty: 3.5/10

Winning Conditions: Nighty-night Rune Knight!

Strategies: As it is the first battle, This battle is not too tough. Follow the directions in the walkthrough
(with regards to getting Gong) before you fight. Use everyone to fight but cast
Blaze with Tao and heal with Lowe and Gong when necessary. The Goblins are passive and tend not
to attack you unless your next to them. Use this to your advantage. Be careful
when you approach the Rune Knight because the Dark Dwarves will go after you.. They do more
damage than Goblins and have high defense. The Rune Knight is even stronger and has high HP, but his
defense is only slightly higher than that of the Goblins. Watch out for him, however, as he is quite
aggressive. Killing the Rune Knight wins the battle.

Recommended level after Battle 1: 3


Battle 2: The Return to Guardiana

Enemies: Goblin x6, Dark Dwarf x3, Rune Knight x2

Difficulty: 2.5/10

Winning Conditions: Defeat all enemies or enter Guardiana with Max.

Strategies: This should be an easy battle if you levelled up on the first
battle, and even if you're only at 1 - 2, you should still win without much difficult. At the beginning, the
terrain is bad so there will be a few turns where
nothing happens. Just approach your enemies keeping your force close together
with Hans, Tao and maybe Max going ahead of everybody else to slaughter the
goblins. Hans fights well in the forest and you gotta use that loser for
something. Tao is also useful as she may already have Blaze 2 if your levels are high, which is good
against the goblins because they are bunched together. Your leader can protect Hans and Tao, but I
doubt you'll need him to because Goblins are weaklings and will barely hurt you.
After taking care of the Goblins, move up to the Dark Dwarfs with the whole
force and take 'em out. The Rune Knights are extremely harmless in this battle
because of a little trick. Hans and Ken have a range of two so have them stand
across the river from the Rune knights and bombard them with spears and arrows.
They won't attack you cause you're not next to them, and they are not programmed to move until you
cross the bridge. This is the first of many examples of this game's pathetic AI. Killing every enemy or
entering Guardiana with Max will steal the day.

Recommended level after Battle 2: 4


Battle 3: The Road to Alterone

Enemies: Dark Dwarf x5, Rune Knight x5, Giant Bat x5

Difficulty: 6/10

Winning Conditions: Kill all the enemies or enter Alterone with Max.

Strategies: Unfortunately, this battle is quite a bit tougher than the first two. The Giant Bats will attack
you from the river area, while the Dark
Dwarves will mount an attack on you right away. Send a few people to take out the bats, while  the rest
of the force takes out the dwarves. Watch out, however, as the bats, while almost as puny as Goblins,
can put to sleep with their attacks. When finished, move your
entire force up as a group and go after the Rune Knights and the bats that
cowered to the top of the screen. Watch out for the knights, as they are still
very dangerous and seem to like ganging up on a
single character. Make damn sure that no one important falls asleep because of the bats. Win this battle
by killing all the enemies or by entering Alterone with Max.

Recommended level after Battle 3: 4-5


Battle 4: The Battle of Alterone

Enemies: Dark Mage I x1, Rune Knight x4, Sniper x2, Dark Dwarf x4, Giant Bat x4

Difficulty: 4.5/10

Winning Conditions: Slaughter then all!

Strategies: This battle is still a bit tough but is easier than the last one.
Early on, the Giant Bats will go after you. Slaughter there wimpy behinds and
continue on with the fight. Move up a bit, and the Dark Mage and the Snipers
will taunt you by going into a position where you can attack them with ranged
attackers but they'll have the advantage.  Remember that Snipers have arrows and
Dark Mages can cast Blaze 2 four times before running out of MP. Ignore them for now, and
take them out later. Two Rune Knights will charge you. Kill them, but heal if
anyone is hurt after you defeat them. The other 2 knights guard the bridge you need
to cross to progress. Take them out with long-range attacks as they won't move
to attack you, and you can kill them with nary a scratch. Continue towards
the remaining enemies who will be all bunched together. Hit them with Blaze 2s
from Tao and use physical attacks to finish 'em off. Again, watch out for the
Snipers and especially the mage. Killing all the enemies wins this battle.

Recommended level after Battle 4: 5-6


Chapter 2
---------

Battle 5: The Road to Manarina

Enemies: Dark Mage I x3, Zombie I x4, Giant Bat x4, Dark Dwarf x3, Sniper x2

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Winning Conditions: Kill everything or enter Manarina with Max,

Strategies: This outdoor battle can really be a doozey towards the end. Luckily
the beginning is extremely easy and just consists of bats and dwarves guarding a
bridge. Take 'em out, but be careful to not be put to sleep by the agile bats.
Move up through the desert (which is excruciatingly slow) and take out the
Snipers. As you approach Manarina, you'll have 4 Zombies and 3 mages to deal
with. Zombie's are extremely strong with high defence and the ability to poison.
I'm sure you're already sick of Dark Mages. Anyways, use a couple Blaze 2s on
the Zombies, as they are weak against fire and take out the mages with physical
attacks while being careful to protect Max and your weak characters. It might also be advantageous to
not allow your characters to make horizontal or vertical contact with one another so that the Dark
Mages can only target them one at a time with Blaze 2. This strategy is any time you face multiple magic
users in a small area of a battle field. DON'T FORGET IT. Win the battle by
reaching Manarina with Max or by sending your enemies to an early grave.

Recommended level after Battle 5: 6


Battle 6: The Cavern of Darkness
--------------------------------

Enemies: Skeleton (mini-boss) x1, Zombie I x3, Dark Mage I x4, Giant Bats x5, Snipers x2

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Winning Conditions: Rattle the Skeleton's bones!

Strategies: The beginning of the battle consists of a couple zombies guarding a
passage. Kill them with Blaze and physical attacks from strong characters.
Afterwards continue across the bridge and you'll fight some Giant Bats, Snipers and a Dark Mage.
Take them out with Blaze 2s, attacks and Anri's Freeze 1 or Blaze 2 (if she has
already learned it). Next, you'll run into 3 Dark Mages which is very dangerous if
they get you before you get them. Don't let them do so, and use your magic defense formation, and you
should be able to kill
them without much trouble. Now you still have Mr. Bones left to deal with. Use
Blaze 1 to annihilate him .
but try not to use physical attacks unless it's absolutely necessary. The
Skeleton is even stronger than those darn Zombies, but never moves (a problem it shares with many
bosses). Killing good ol' Mr. Bones
wins this fairly challenging battle.

Recommended level after Battle 6: 7


Battle 7: Rumble in the Tent

Enemies: Marionette (boss) x1, Dire Clown x2, Mannequin x3, Evil Puppet x3,
Giant Bat x3

Winning Conditions: Snap Marionette's strings!

Difficulty: 9/10

Strategies: Don't let the unimpressive number of enemies fool you. This is
definitely the hardest battle so far, and easily one of the toughest in the whole game.
The bats fall easily and give you just about no experience so you can ignore
them unless they make you feel sleepy. The puppets look like pushovers but
they have Freeze 1 and Ominous Incantation. (10-15 damage!!). Get rid of them!
The Mannequins aren't too bad because all they have is poison, which is weak and
easily treatable. The Dire Clowns are almost as tough as Zombies so be careful.
Now, after you take out the henchmen, it's time for Marionette. She is HARD.
Watch out for her Freeze 3 with can hit up to 5 characters for 14-18 damage,
usually killing them in one hit. Remember to keep Max FAR, FAR away from her! For more
tips on how to beat her, read my Boss Strategies section, but don't forget the magic defense formation.

Recommended level after Battle 7: 8


Battle 8: Church of the Living Dead

Enemies: Zombie I x2, Skeleton x3, Zombie II x4, Ghoul (boss) x1

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Winning Conditions: Give that Ghoul some ghastly treatment!

Strategies: Once again, bad things come in small packages. This tough battle
only has 10 enemies. You'll notice that Max starts away from the rest of your
force. Move him towards them as soon as you can or he'll perish rather quickly,
costing you the battle. Since the undead baddies here are extremely strong but
weak against fire, Blaze 'em to death and protect your mages, as they are the key
to victory. Don't worry about the Zombie IIs because they have the same stats as
Zombie's, but give you more gold and much more EXP. After taking
out the enemies, go after the Ghoul with a barrage of physical and magical
attacks. The Ghoul is basically a Skeleton on steroids, but it can put you to sleep. Watch out! Killing
the Ghoul gets you out of this evil Chapel and
into Chapter 3.

Recommend level after Battle 8: 9-10.


Chapter 3

Battle 9: The Rocky Quarry

Enemies: Skeleton x6, Dark Priest x4, Master Mage (mini-boss) x1, Lizardman x1, Dark Elf x2,
Dark Mage II x2

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Winning Conditions: It's mage mashing time!

Strategies: This battle is fairly tough, but if you won the last two, it shouldn't
be much of a problem. You'll run into with a couple of skeletons early on, which
are easily dealt with now that you got better weapons. After that you'll fight
some Dark Priests, which are pretty weak but can heal and some, Dark Elves, a
more powerful archer, but with poor defense. Go after the elves, being careful not to stand 2 squares
from them, and take out the priests. Continue down and you'll fight a few more
wimps before dealing with the powerful Lizardman and the dangerous Master Mage.
Take 'em out but watch out for the Master Mage because he has 33 attack and can
cast Freeze 2. Kill this evil wizard and victory is yours.

Recommended Level after the battle, 10-11.


Battle 10: The Road to Pao Bridge

Enemies: Lizardman x2, Pegasus Knight x4, Sniper x2, Dark Mage II x2, Skeleton
x5

Winning Conditions: Bridge or massacre...your choice.

Difficulty: 3/10

Strategies: This is an easy battle. Just move up and take out the enemies. Watch
out for the Pegasus Knights, who are quick and fairly strong, and use Zylo to his
full potential because the terrain here slows almost everyone down but gives him a BIG
advantage. Kill all the enemies or have Max reach the bridge to win.

Recommended level after the battle: 11.


Battle 11: We'll Cross that Bridge When We Come to It...

Enemies: Dark Elf x3, Silver Knight x2 (mini-boss), Laser Eye, Pegasus Knight x3, Lizardman
x5, Dark Priest x2

Difficulty: 6/10    (or 1/10)

Winning Conditions: As insulting as it sounds to the might of your Force, you must kill that puny Silver
Knight on the far side of the battle filed.

Strategies: This battle isn't as difficult as you'd think. Basically, you should
just wait about a gazillion turns for the Laser Eye to kill the Dark Priest and
the 3 Lizardmen. After that, charge the bridge and go after the Laser Eye
quickly while taking out Pegasus Knights that get in your way. Kill the Laser
Eye or just go past it and then defeat the boss, the Silver Knight that's the
farthest from where your characters start the battle. Again, watch your position
regarding the Dark Elves. I don't know why the heck the Silver Knight's boss because
he's actually the wussiest enemy in the battle.  Alternatively, you can ignore almost everything in this
battle, and kill the Silver Knight with Balbaroy right away (assuming you're using him).

Recommended level after the battle: 11.


Chapter 4

Battle 12: General Elliot's Last Stand

Enemies: Elliot (Boss), Artillery I x1, Pegasus Knight x4, Lizard Man x5, Silver
Knight x4, Dark Priest x3

Difficulty: 5/10

Winning Conditions: You can figure it out on your own...I hope.

Strategies: This battle is not that hard. Move across the prairie and
take out the Pegasus Knights and the Lizardmen. One of the Lizardmen is very strong and will give
you a Heat Axe. It is recommended that you fight this battle at least twice to
get 2 Heat Axes so that Gort and Luke will each have one when promoted. It pays off big
time! Anyways, continue on by taking out the Silver Knights and the Dark Priests. You'll be left
with an Artillery, Elliot and a Dark Priest. Kill the Dark Priest and the
Artillery (realizing that the Artillery is an archer type and can only attack
from 2 squares) and then use your range attackers to kill Elliot without getting
hit, as he cannot move.

Recommended level after Battle 12: 12.


Battle 13: The Wimpy Fortress of Balbazak

Enemies: Silver Knight x6, Artillery x1, Hell Hound x2, Dark Priest x3, Pegasus
Knight x3

Difficulty: 1/10

Winning Conditions: I think one of the door guards is a sub-boss...

Strategies: Just annihilate everything, Egress to do it again, and
gain a ton of levels. This is and extremely easy battle with enemies that give a
lot of EXP (except the Dark Priests). The only threat to the force (and th only reason this battle did not
get a 0) is the Hellhounds
occasionally breathe fire which can hurt you between 9-13. I think one of the enemies is a mini-boss,
but I can't remember whom.

Recommended level after battle: 3 Promoted, 13 - 14 for unpromoted characters


Battle 14: Rumble in the Shipyard

Enemies: Balbazak (Boss), Hellhound x2, Artillery x3, Silver Knight x2, Seabat
x5, 1 Evil Puppet, 1 Dark Priest

Difficulty: 2.5/10

Strategies: This guy's even easier than Elliot. Just annihilate the enemies and
use the same strategy you used to defeat Elliot. Seabats are weak versions of
Pegasus Knights, yet they give more EXP for some reason.

Recommended level after battle 14: 4 Promoted, 14 for unpromoted characters.


Chapter 5

Battle 15: Lost at Sea

Difficulty Level: 0/10

Winning Conditions: It's more challenging to lose than to win...

Enemies: Shellfish x2, Conch x3, Seabat x4, Pegasus Knight x3

Strategies: This battle doesn't need strategy because it's so pathetically easy.
Just kill everything.

Recommended level after Battle 15: 5 Promoted, 14-15 for unpromoted characters


Battle 16: The Reef and the Path

Enemies: Hellhound x5, Skeleton x5, Seabat x4, Worm x3, Master Mage x1

Difficulty: 1.5/10

Winning Conditions: Mash that mage again!

Strategies: This battle is more challenging than the last, but it's still a cinch.
Just divide your characters and slaughter the insanely weak enemies. This Master
Mage can't heal like the first one, but still has Freeze 2. Kill the mage to win.

Recommended level after Battle 16: 7 promoted.


Battle 17: Sailing Away to Prompt

Enemies: Gargoyle x1, Conch x6, Shellfish x4, Seabat x5, Pegasus Knight x2

Difficulty: 0/10

Winning Conditions: How stupid are you?

Strategy: See Battle 15 except that wimpy monsters appear during the battle
(reflected in the enemies section of this battle). Just a warning that the
enemies are about much stronger next chapter, so don't sit on your rear end and
expect to breeze through the rest of the game.

Recommended level after Battle 17: 7-8 promoted


Chapter 6
---------

Battle 18: Road to the City of Dragons

Enemies: Durahan (Shouldn't that be Dullahan?) I x1, Artillery II x5, Golem x5,
Master Mage x3, Worm x4, High Priest I x1,

Difficulty: 6/10

Winning Conditions: All your mistranslated enemy are belong to death.

Strategy: This one is more challenging than it looks, but is still relatively
easy. Head through to the rough terrain towards the enemies guarding Dragonia,
but be careful, as enemies will magically appear to block your path. The Worms
and Artillery II are pathetically weak, but the Golems have good defense and the
Master Mages still have deadly spells. Win by defeating the Durahan guarding
Dragonia or by entering Dragonia with Max.

Recommended Level after Battle 18: 9 Promoted


Battle 19: Am I Kane or am I Cain?

Enemies: Kane/Cain (boss), Gargoyle x3, Golem x4, High Priest I x2, Durahan I
x2, Master Mage x3

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Winning Conditions: Mistranslated boss have no chance to survive make his time.

Strategy: Although Kane himself is deadly, many of the enemies do not pack much
of a punch. The Gargoyles are harmless, the Golems do not cause much damage
despite their defense and even Master Mages are showing their wear, though their
Freeze 2 is still brutal. Don't be lulled though, as Kane has 2 Durahans and a
Master Mage to protect him, as well as a High Priest to kill him. When you
finally get to Kane and his little posse, kill the High Priest first, kill the
Master Mage afterwards, and then kill the Durahans. With his defenders out of the way, Kane
should be less deadly. But watch out for his high attack power and his Desoul
magic which he can use through his Dark Sword. For safety reasons, keep Max
FAR away. Eventually, you will win with
a coordinated effort from your entire force.

Recommended Level after Battle 19: Level 10-11 Promoted


Battle 20: The Endurance Trek

Enemies: Bowrider x2, Belial x3, Gargoyle x2, Master Mage x4, Golem x4, High
Priest I x2

Difficulty: 5.5/10

Winning Conditions: Just survive the trek. I'm sure you can figure out the two wins to win this battle...:)

Strategy: As the lame name suggests, this is one LONG battle! Although many of the
enemies present are pretty much cannon fodder, the Bowriders have fairly high
attack power and the Belials can screw you over with a couple of nasty Bolt 2
spells. The terrain is also bad, but this makes the battle more long that it is
hard. Keep it up and you'll eventually reach Skull Castle.

Recommended Level after Battle 20: Level 11 Promoted


Battle 21: Misfortune of the Fortune Teller

Enemies: Mishaela (boss), Gargoyle x3, Master Mage x4,  High Priest x1, Bowrider
x3, Durahan II x2, Belial x3

Difficulty: 7/10

Winning Conditions: The title of this battle says ut all...

Strategy: Without Mishaela, this would be one of those relatively easy battles.
Most of the enemies are weak, although the Belials, the Master Mages (which can
Freeze 2 you 4 times in a row because of their positioning), and even the
Bowriders can cause problems if you are not careful. Take out Misahela's
flunkies quickly and then proceed with caution towards Mishaela. When you reach
her, watch out for her Bolt 2, and use the Power Ring on the character attacking
her, as only one character can hit her from one square a way. Obviously, archers, flyers
and mages help a lot as you can hit with more than one character at a time, which
makes her HP recovery far less annoying. Just remember to get the Sword of
Light after you've open every other chest, otherwise the chapter will end and
you will miss out on some nice items.

Recommended Level after Battle 20: Level 11-12 Promoted


Chapter 7
---------

Battle 22: The Trail to the Tower

Enemies: Minotaur x1 (mini-boss), Wyvern x2, Torch Eye x2, Jet x2, Durahan II x4, Belial x2

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Winning Conditions: Kill big dumb barbarian.

Strategy: This is another battle in rough terrain that also introduces some
deadly new enemies. Pretty much enemy here can be dangerous except for the
Durahan II and Belials. The Torch Eye is especially deadly, as it has an attack
range of 2 and can hit for around 20 HP of damage regardless of your defense.
The wyvern has lower attack power but features a more powerful version of the
Hellhound's Flame ability, while the Jets are fast (duh) and packs some decent attack,
good defense, and above average magic power. The big, slow, strong Minotaur
guarding the Tower of the Ancients is the boss here and you should be able to
come through if you are well-levelled or plan an intelligent strategy.


Battle 23: The Ordealic Climb

Enemies: Demon Master II x1 (mini-boss), Ice Worm x5, Wyvern x2, Torch Eye x3, Steel Claw
x4, Jet x3

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Winning Condition: Whip that Demon Master good...

Strategy: Ah, dreaded "climbing the tower" battle found in both this game
and its sequel. Luckily, although still challenging, it is considerably easier
here. Despite this fact, the battle is no creampuff. Every enemy here has a
dangerous attack and is a worthy opponent. Thus, unless you have a wide variety of
fighting styles, you are at a disadvantage. The Demon Master, who is your
target, is especially bad, as it has Freeze 3, and because of its positioning,
it can often hit you 1 or 2 turns before you can even attack it. Unless you have
good fliers and ranged attackers, you will only be able to use one attacker at a
time. Remember to get the chest containing the Valkyrie, as I believe you will
be unable to obtain it after this battle.


Battle 24: The Chaos Theory

Enemies: Chaos (Boss), Minotaur x2, Demon Master II x3, Torch Eye x4, Ice Worm
x4, Jet x4

Difficulty: 4/10

Winning Conditions: Break Chaos' circuits.

Strategy: Don't let the enemies fool you, this boss battle is not difficult at
all for one reason only: Chaos will come charging right at you.
Chaos, although fairly strong, is a weakling compared to Kane (which is
unacceptable for this stage of the game...imho). Therefore, he should fall within a
couple of turns before many of the enemies can even touch you. Nevertheless, watch out
for the Torch Eyes and don't get cocky and fight everything unless your levels
are high. Otherwise, you may be overwhelmed.


Battle 25: Ramming the Gate

Enemies: Armed Skeleton x5, Horseman x3, Cerberus x4, Demon Master I x2,
Minotaur x3, High Priest II x1

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Winning Conditions: Die, die, die!

Strategy: This battle is not all that bad. The Cerberuses are like Wyvern's except
they cannot fly, Minotaurs should not be very intimidating anymore, and the
Demon Masters and High Priest are placed in positions were they are not all that
dangerous. The Horsemen are moderately powerful archers with horrendous defense,
but the Armed Skeletons make this battle fairly challenging if you're
not careful. They can attack from up to 2 spaces with a laser-like power that
hurts for 30 - 35 and they have 62 in attack power with their Great Axes. Just
be careful and you should have little problems defeating all the enemies to win
this battle and finish Chapter 7.

Chapter 8
---------

Battle 26: Castle of Horrors

Enemies: Blue Dragon x3, Chimera x5, Armed Skeleton x3, Cerberus x3, Horseman
x3, High Priest II x2

Difficulty: 8/10

Winning Conditions: The monsters must do what they do best...

Strategy: This one's a toughie. The Chimeras have excellent all around stats,
can fly, and evade frequently. Take them out quickly with powerful before they
wreck havoc on your ranks. Watch out for their Firebreath as well. Blue Dragons
are like Chimeras, only they are ice-based and significantly less dangerous. When you take
them out though, watch out for the Horsemen backing them up. They can reach you
but you can't reach them unless you have Lyle or a good mage. The Armed
Skeletons are as dangerous as ever, but the High Priests and the Cerberi are
far from worthy opponents. Take out everything cautiously and efficiently and
you should get to King Ramladu in the next battle.


Battle 27: Ramladus's Technological Trap.

Enemies: Ramladu (Boss), Torch Eye x6, Steel Claw x6

Difficulty: 5/10

Winning Conditions:

<Chumbawamba>

Farewell the jewelled crown,
Farewell to the velvet gown,
Watch it all come tumbling down,
Goodbye to the Crown

</Chumbawamba>

Strategy: There are two ways to beat this battle: The easy way and the fun way. The
easy way consists of charging up and slaughtering Ramladu, whilst the fun way
consists of busting up his robo-guards as they chase you. If you go the easy
way, kill Ramladu quickly, as he recovers 24 HP per turn and has 95 attack!!!!!
If you choose to kill the Robo-guards, Ramladu himself will cause a lot less
trouble. Use Bolt 3 and powerful attacks to kill the robots, cast Aura 4 to heal
your party to full power, and defeat Ramladu using the infamous Elliot/Balbazak
cheat (see boss strategies for more info).


Battle 28: Three Heads Are Better Than One

Enemies: Colossus x3 (Boss), Chimaera x6, Blue Dragon x3, Jet x3, Horseman x2,
Armed Skeleton x3

Difficulty: 7/10

Winning Conditions: Topple Collosus.

Strategy: The beginning can be quite difficult, as Jets, Blue Dragons, and
Chimeras will surround you from the air while Horsemen and Armed Skeletons will
pepper you with ranged attacks. Once you manage to defeat the Blue Dragons and
the Chimeras, this battle becomes a lot easier. The Jets are honestly not much
to worry about anymore, the Horsemen often fall to one blow, and the Armed
Skeletons are much easier to deal with if you destroy their back-up. Colossus
himself isn't too bad either. He consists of three heads which can move
independently to different sections of the battlefield. One head casts Blaze
3, the other casts Freeze 3, and the only that cause any real trouble is the
third which casts Bolt 3. Kill All three heads to proceed to Darksol.


Battle 29: Caller of the Dragon

Enemies: Darksol (Boss), Torch Eye x8, Steel Claw x5, Blue Dragon x2, High
Priest II x2

Difficulty: 8/10

Strategy: This battle is all about strategy if you do not have Archers and
Fliers to help you. First off, you should wait a couple turns for the Torch Eyes
to position themselves. Move up towards Darksol with your characters, being
careful to stop out of range of the Torch Eyes. When you reach Darksol, the
worst is over, but the battle is still no walk in the park. Darksol has quite a
few powerful flunkies around him and has a powerful attack of his own: Demon
Breath, which can hurt a small group of characters for 30 - 35 points of damage.
Take him out quickly with powerful attackers and be careful not to get anyone
killed, as you will not have an opportunity to heal before you fight Dark Dragon (unless you feel like
challenging Dark Sol again).
That fact alone makes the battle considerably harder.


Battle 30: The Unsealed Evil

Enemies: Dark Dragon x3 (Boss), Armed Skeleton x2+

Difficulty: 5/10

Strategy:  Compared to almost all of the last bosses that I have fought in RPGs,
this guy's not very challenging at all, especially if you fought well against
Darksol and have all your characters alive. First off, kill the two Armed
Skeletons and start attacking Dark Dragon's centre head, as it has some fairly
nasty attacks including a more powerful version of Darksol's Demon Breath
attack. As soon as you kill the skeletons (which should only take 1 or 2 hits),
stand on the point where they spawned at the beginning of the battle with your
healers so that they will not respawn in a few turns. If you have Torasu and Khris, use
Aura 4 if you get weak would give them something to do as they keep the Armed
Skeletons at bay. Keep beating on the centre head with physical attacks and
Level 4 magic spells and use characters that cannot get to the centre head to
start attacking the two side heads. The centre head will die after you do 200 -
250 points of damage. After the centre head is dealt with, this battle should be
a piece of cake. The side heads only have Blaze 2, Freeze 2, and Desoul 1 and
they are also very vulnerable to magic. I believe that they can also use Bolt 4,
but it's never happened to me. They too have 200 - 250 HP. After you kill the
side heads, take a deep breath, relax and give yourself a pat on the back for
completing the second easiest Strategy-RPG ever made.


=====================================================================
=======
5. C H A R A C T E R  G U I D E
=====================================================================
=======

If any one would like to add something or offer a different opinion about these
characters please E-Mail me and I may put it into the description if I have
time.

Max (8.5/10): You're main character. He has high attack, very high HP and decent agility throughout
the game. His defence becomes really good when he's promoted but it's only about average
before promotion.

Start: SDMN, Promoted: HERO.

Lowe (6.5/10): Lowe is a good healer with great healing magic, and he gets to use
it a lot. His fighting ability is not that bad either and he has fair HP and
defence.

Start: HEAL, Promoted: VICR

Tao (6/10): A decent mage with great fire magic but poor fighting and defensive
ability. She has lots of MP. I personally prefer Anri.

Start: MAGE, promoted: WIZD

Luke (8/10): A good warrior with high attack, high defence and decent HP. He's a
bit slow though.

Start: WARR, promoted: GLDT.

Ken (4.5/10): A knight with high HP, decent attack, decent agility  but very low
defence. I tend not to keep him past Chapter 5 because Pelle, Mae, and Guntz are
A LOT better.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN.

Hans (2/10): A very crappy archer. He starts off good but all he winds up with
is a lot of speed because he only gains agility when he goes up levels and
almost never earns attack or defence. I don't think I've ever kept him long
enough to promote him.

Start: ACHR, promoted: BWMS.

Gong (7/10): A decent healer with great fighting ability and defence. Be careful
not to let him lag in levels and don't promote him too early or at the wrong
time. Otherwise, he'll suck.

Start: MONK, promoted: MSMK.

Mae (8.5/10): Another knight. Though her attack is only above average and her HP
is only all right, she has extremely high defence and agility. Her defence is
so high that most physical attacks only hurt her for 1 point of damage. By the
time she reaches level 8-9, her attack is higher than Ken's and her attack and
HP get high once she becomes promoted.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN.

Gort (6.5/10): Like Luke but better early on yet not quite as good towards the
end. Start: WARR, promoted: GLDT.

Khris (7.5/10): A lot of people think she sucks but she's a lot like Lowe if you
keep her levelled up with the rest of the force. She has a bit more attack and
defence but has less MP. She also has some different (imho better) spells.

Start: HEAL, promoted: VICR.

Anri (8/10): She starts off very weak and is similar to Tao but with a better
balance of attacking spells. Her defence becomes high when she gets
promoted but she's not quite among the best. Pretty low HP though.

Start: MAGE, promoted: WIZD.

Arthur (1.5/10): Sucks, sucks, sucks. He's a wimpy knight with low attack,
defence and very crappy agility and HP. His only redeeming quality is the
ability to kick him out of your fighting force. The instruction manual worships
him because he learns a few wussy spells at high levels. Someone also said he's
the best fighting knight in the game at high levels. Ha, ha, ha. He makes Ken
look like Pelle. Karl Plouffe informed me that Arthur eventually becomes a
strong member of the force. A few others have agreed, so use consider that.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN.

Balbaroy (7.5/10): Don't be fooled. This Birdman starts off weak but that's only
because he joins at a very low level. His attack gets high and his agility is
the best in your party. His defence isn't the greatest but he has good HP and
dodges a lot of attacks. Besides, he can fly, so he can move over anything and has
a huge movement range. He's also the only character besides Max who can use the
Sword of Darkness. I used to never take him because he sucked at first. His Sky
Warrior attack also looks really cool.

Start: BDMN, promoted: SKYW.

Amon (1/10): Even worse than Arthur. A very weak version of Balbaroy with whom I
never bothered. Take her if you want the game to be harder but otherwise, throw
this ugly birdlady in the trash heap with Arthur and Hans. The saddest part is
that she's Balbaroy's wife, so you'd expect her to be useful.

Start: BDMN, promoted: SKYW.

Diane (6/10): A big improvement over Hans. Her attack is actually strong enough
to damage the bad guys and she won't die in one hit like her pathetic sparring
partner Unfortunately, she won't survive the long haul..

Start: ACHR, promoted: BWMS.

Zylo (8/10): This Wolf dude starts off a lot better than Diane or Balbaroy and
is much more experienced so you don't have to train him as much. He has high
attack, high defence, lots of HP and incredible agility and movement range. He
can move through forest and mountains with no movement range penalty. Be careful
though, if you promote him too early, he'll fight like he's been a practicin'
with Arthur and Amon. You might also not wish to take him as you fight many more
battles indoors than outdoors, and his movement range goes WAY down.

Start: WRWF, promoted: WFBN.

Pelle (9/10): Forget about Mae cause if you only take one knight, it better be
Pelle. His attack is very high, his defence is incredible,  he's fast until he
gets promoted and his agility falls behind everyone else ,and he has high HP.
Oh, and he was at Level 8 unpromoted when I got him while the rest of my
frontliners were at 11-12 unpromoted. Mae catches up with him pretty close after
promotion though and if you train a lot of characters, you may find that there
are slightly better characters. All in all though, keep him on your team unless
you have a lot of time to spend training Bleu, Alef, and Torasu. Even then,
you'll probably keep him.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN.

Vankar (3/10): I never took him and I heard he's horrible. His stats aren't that
good. If anyone knows more about him, please contact me.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN.

Kokichi (4/10): A Winged Knight. In theory, he should a good knight-birdman
combo but his stats are so crappy that you may as well just take both Pelle and
Balbaroy. Apparently, some of you like him.

Start: WGKN, promoted: SKYL.

Jogurt (0/10): Did I say Arthur and Amon suck? God I'm stupid! This is the worst
character in any RPG that I've ever played. He has 1 in every stat and can get
no higher than level 1. If by some miracle, he actually kills an enemy, you get
a Jogurt Ring which makes another character look like Jogurt for one battle if
it is equipped. Whoopee. If you like him, maybe you should play a loser game
like Barbie's Dream Vacation.

Start: YGRT, promoted: N/A.

Guntz (9/10): He is GOOD. His defence gets so ridiculously high that if you
train him a lot and gain good levels, the only enemy that could hurt him for
more than 1 damage with physical attacks is Ramladu and possibly Kane. His
attack is also high. He's slow though and has fairly low HP so be careful around
magic users. Please give him a darn mobility ring as his movement range is only
4.

Start: SMKN, promoted: SBRN

Domingo (8/10): A special magical creature with a screwed up sense of humour
(really, I prefer Kyle from Lunar: SSSC). His starting stats are a little low
but he gets incredible magic and his defence gets very high. His attack is below
average but he is quick and can last quite a while in battle. He floats
when he moves and he gains levels quickly which could be why all his stats get
so freakin' high, although he does become a little weaker by the end of the
game.

Start: MGCR, promoted: N/A.

Earnest (4.5/10): A lot of people really like him but I don't take him cause I
have better characters and I don't need another darn knight. Besides, his stats
are actually a bit worse overall than Vankar's, which is pathetic. A few people
told me that Earnest is a useful character, so try him if you want.

Start: KNTE, promoted: PLDN

Lyle (9/10): Lyle may start off VERY weak but if you train him, WOW!!!!! You got
an archer with 65+ plus attack and 40+ defense by the end of the game.
Definitely worth it for the more patient players.

Starts: ASKT, promoted: SKNT

Bleu (10/10): No, this is not a typo. Bleu may seem completely worthless, but
please do yourself a favour and take the time to train him up to Level 10
promoted the first battle you get him by having him kill Gargoyles and then
stronger enemies as he becomes the Orlandu of this game(do not promote him until
he reaches Level 20). By the time he reached Level 25 promoted for me, he had
Attack, Defense and HP of 80+, good enough to beat Darksol in a one-on-one
battle if he gets at least one critical hit!!!!!!!!! Note that using Bleu in
this way completely unbalances the game as he can also fly over walls and the
like.

Start: DRGN, promoted: GRDR.

Alef (9/10): The best mage in the game, but like Bleu, she takes a lot of
training. She is a Bolt specialist who is also competent in Blaze and
Her physical stats only slightly below Anri's.

Start: MAGE, promoted: WIZD.

Torasu (9.5/10): Like Alef. he's the best at what he does after he is trained
for a couple of hours. Torasu becomes an Aura specialist after gaining a few
levels. For a cost of 18 of his  65+ MP, he can cast Aura 4 and bring all living
characters back to full HP. Another el cheapo character.

Start: HEAL, Promoted: VICR.

Musashi (9/10): A samurai. His attack and defence are incredible. Take him or
else but please let him have a mobile ring or a turbo pepper!

Start: SMR, promoted: N/A.

Adam (2/10): A robot. He starts at level 9 unpromoted and has an attack and defense in the low 20s.
Did I mention that you get him in Chapter 7?

Starts: RBT, promoted: CYBG

Hanzou (9.5/10): Imagine a Musashi clone who uses magic at the cost of a couple of attack and
defense. Enough said. Take him to make your Shining Force into a real force.

Start: NINJ, promoted: N/A

=====================================================================
=======
6. C L A S S  A N D  P R O M O T I O N  G U I D E
(Taken from Col. G. L. Sicherman's FAQ)
=====================================================================
=======


                RANKS - symbols, names, and moves

      unpromoted              promoted               move

       ACHR  archer            BWMS  bowmaster         5
       ASKT  assault knight    SKNT  strike knight     7
       BDMN  birdman           SKYW  sky warrior       7
       DRGN  dragon            GRDR  great dragon      5
       HEAL  healer            VICR  vicar             5
       KNT   knight            PLDN  paladin           7
       MAGE  mage              WIZD  wizard            5
       MGCR  magic creature                            5
       MONK  monk              MSMK  master monk       5
       NINJ  ninja                                     7
       RBT   robot             CYBG  cyborg            4
       SDMN  swordsman         HERO  hero              6
       SMKN  steam knight      SBRN  steam baron       4
       SMR   samurai                                   5
       WARR  warrior           GLDR  gladiator         6
       WKNT  winged knight     SKYL  sky lord          6
       WRWF  warwolf           WFBN  wolf baron        7
       YGRT  yogurt                                    7

=====================================================================
=======
7. I T E M S  A N D  W E A P O N S
(Taken from Moogie and Sir Fil's Shining Force Page except for the shop guide
which was taken from Col. G. L. Sicherman's page. Some small corrections and
changes were made to Moogie and Sir Fil's info.)
=====================================================================
=======

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Weapons
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Swords
                            --------

 Weapon                Equip On                Attack         Notes
 ------                --------                ------         -----

 Short Sword          SDMN, WARR, BDMN          +5              -

 Middle Sword         SDMN, WARR, BDMN          +8              -

 Long Sword           SDMN, BDMN                +12             -

 Steel Sword          HERO, NINJ, SKYW, SMR     +15             -

 Broad Sword          HERO, NINJ, SKYW, SMR     +20             -

 Doom Blade           HERO, NINJ, SKYW, SMR     +25             -

 Katana               HERO, NINJ, SKYW, SMR     +30             -

 Sword of Light       HERO                      +36           Bolt 2

 Sword of Darkness    HERO, SKYW                +40          Desoul 1

 Chaos Breaker        HERO                      +40          Freeze 3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       Spears and Lances
                       ------------------

 Weapon             Equip on              Attack        Notes
 ------            ----------             ------        -----

 Spear             KNTE, WGKN, SMKN         +6            -

 Bronze Lance      KNTE, WGKN, SMKN         +9            -

 Power Spear       KNTE, WGKN, SMKN         +15           -

 Steel Lance       PLDN, SBRN, SKYL         +18           -

 Chrome Lance      PLDN, SBRN, SKYL         +22           -

 Halberd (Lance)   PLDN, SBRN, SKYL         +25         Bolt 1

 Valkyrie (Spear)  PLDN, SBRN, SKYL         +35           -

 Devil Lance       PLDN, SBRN, SKYL         +35         Cursed

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                              Axes
                              ----

 Weapon       Equip on       Attack      Notes
 ------      ----------     --------    -------

 Hand Axe     Warr             +7          -

 Middle Axe   WARR             +11         -

 Battle Axe   WARR             +16         -

 Heat Axe     GLDT             +22      Blaze 2

 Great Axe    GLDT             +26         -

 Atlas Axe    GLDT             +33      Blaze 3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Staves
                             ------

 Weapon              Equip On        Attack         Notes
 ------              --------        ------         -----

 Wooden Staff        HEAL, MAGE        +4             -

 Power Staff         HEAL, MAGE        +12            -

 Holy Staff          VICR              +26            -

 Guardian Staff      VICR, WIZD        +18            -

 Demon Rod           WIZD              +35     Steals MP, Cursed

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Arrows
                             ------

 Weapon              Equip on         Attack        Notes
 ------              --------         ------        -----

 Wooden Arrow        ACHR, ASKT         +8            -

 Iron Arrow          ACHR, ASKT         +13           -

 Elven Arrow         ACHR, ASKT         +18           -

 Assault Shell       BWMS, SKNT         +27           -

 Buster Shot         BWMS, SKNT         +35           -

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Items
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Restoring Items
                        ---------------

 Item                 Use
 ----                 ---

 Medical Herb         Restore 10 HP

 Healing Seed         Restore 20 HP

 Antidote             Cure poison

 Shower of Cure       Heal all characters

 Angel Wing           Return you to last town you saved in

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         Boosting Items
                         --------------

 Item                   Use
 ----                   ---

 Bread of Life          Increase max HP

 Power Potion           Increase attack

 Defense Potion         Increase defence

 Legs of Haste          Increase agility

 Turbo Pepper           Increase movement range

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Rings
                             -----

 Item             Equip      Spell       Location
 ----             -----      -----       --------

 Speed Ring       AGI +4     Egress       Rindo

 Power Ring       ATT +4     Boost 1      Cavern of Darkness

 Mobility Ring    MOV +2        -         Waral

 Shield Ring      DEF +4        -         ???

 White Ring       DEF +6     Aura 1       Demon Castle

 Black Ring       ATT +6     Blaze 3      Demon Castle
                             Cursed

 Evil Ring        ATT +8     Bolt 3       Demon Castle
                             Cursed

 Yogurt Ring      Figure it     -         Kill monster with Jogurt
                  Out Yourself

Note: Spells can be used without equipping the rings. Useful when using a
cursed ring to cast a spell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           Key Items
                           ---------

 Item            Use                 Location
 ----            ---                 --------

 Domingo Egg     Hatch it to         In a room with a mage and a machine in
               get Domingo         Manarina. Search the machine to find

 Orb of Life     To speak to the     In a chest in the Cave of Darkness
                 Spirit of the
                 Holy Spring

 Moon Stone      To make Lunar dew   The Moonstone Cave in Bustoke Quarry
                 needed to cure
                 Zylo

 Lunar Dew       Cures Zylo          Give the Moonstone to the old man in
                                     Bustoke

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           Shop Guide

                    Guar Alte Rind Bust Pao  Uran Wara Rudo Drag Prom Rune

WEAPONS

Short Sword     100  x    x
Middle Sword    250            x    x
Long Sword      750                      x
Steel Sword    2500                                x    x
Broad Sword    4800                                               x    x
Spear           150  x    x    x
Bronze Lance    300            x    x    x
Power Spear     900                 x    x         x
Steel Lance    3000                                x
Chrome Lance   4500                                     x         x    x
Hand Axe        200  x    x
Middle Axe      600                 x    x
Battle Axe     2600                                x    x
Great Axe     10000                                               x    x
Wooden Staff     80  x    x    x
Power Staff     500            x    x    x         x
Guardian Staff 3200                                     x
Holy Staff     8000                                               x    x
Wooden Arrow    320  x    x    x
Steel Arrow    1200                 x    x
Elven Arrow    3200                                x    x
Assault Shell  4500                                               x
Buster Shot   12400                                                    x

  ITEMS

Medical Herb     10  x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x
Healing Seed    200  x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x
Antidote         20            x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x
Angel Wing       40  x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x    x

=====================================================================
=======
8. M O N S T E R  G U I D E
=====================================================================
=======

                 HP  MP  Atk. Def. Move Agl. Cns.
Armed Skeleton   36  --   36   33    5   32 2120
Artillery I      14  --   24   15    4   14  180
Artillery II     14  --   24   15    4   14  450
Balbazak         65  --   16   18    5   20  520
Belial           21  35   26   20    6   22  680  BOLT I; MUDDLE I; demon
                                                                smile
Blue Dragon      50  --   63   32    5   42 2500  cold breath
Bowrider         18  --   13   11    7   14  900
Cain - see Kane
Cerberus         27  --   42   26    7   38 1700  fire breath
Chaos            65  --   50   35    6   32 2000  laser
Chimaera         56  --   65   30    6   40 2300  fire breath
Colossus         65  ??   50   40    4   37 2500  BLAZE, FREEZE, or BOLT III
Conch            21  --   20   15    6   16  230  poison
Dark Dragon L R 240  ??   65   40    0   60 ----  BLAZE II; FREEZE II; BOLT
                                                                         IV;
            M   280   "    "    "    "    " ----  DESOUL II; demon blaze
Dark Dwarf       12  --    5    8    4    5   25
Dark Elf         16  --   13    9    6   10  160
Dark Mage I      13  26    6    6    5    9   92  BLAZE II
Dark Mage II     14  26    7    8    5   12  170  BLAZE II
Dark Priest      16  25    9    9    5   10  125  HEAL I
Darksol         150  ??   40   35    6   54 ----  demon blaze
Demon Master I   27  46   17   24    6   45 1520  FREEZE III
Demon Master II  27  46   17   24    6   50 1850  FREEZE III
Dire Clown       15  --   18   11    5    7  130
Durahan I        22  --   19   28    5   13  700  sleep
Durahan II       22  --   19   28    6   13  840  sleep
Elliott          60  --   20   17    5   16  450
Evil Puppet I    14  15   14   10    5    7  100  FREEZE I, ominous incant.
Evil Puppet II   14  15   14   14    5    7  100  HEAL I, ominous incantation
Gargoyle         18  20   26   15    6   20  440  MUDDLE I; sleep
Ghoul            25  --   23   14    6    9  200  sleep
Giant Bat        14  --   11    6    7    9   60  sleep
Goblin           12  --    4    6    5    5   12
Golem            17  --   28   28    4   16  380
Hellhound        19  --   10   13    7   13  200  fire breath
High Priest I    20  33   13   14    6   13  750  HEAL IV
High Priest II   20  33   13   14    6   13 1340  HEAL IV
High Priest III  20  33   13   14    7   13 1340  HEAL IV
Horseman         24  --   18   16    7   17 1550
Ice Worm         30  12   40   25    5   26 1030  cold breath; sleep
Jet              28  --   45   32    7   33 1430
Kane             70  24   25   30    6   29 1200
Laser Eye        30  --   14   19    0   27  350  laser blast
Lizardman        20  --   13   12    6   12  150
Mannequin        16  --   16   10    5    8  125  poison
Marionette       35  ??   25   13    6   13  200  FREEZE III
Master Mage      22  32    7   13    5   26  850  FREEZE II; sleep
Minotaur         31  --   46   30    5   31 1500
Mishaela         65  ??   42   30    6   35 1500  BOLT II
Pegasus Knight   18  --   12   16    7   12  180
Ramladu          99  ??   67   40    6   49 3000  AURA III
Rune Knight      14  --    7    7    7    7   45
Seabat           22  --   20   14    7   14  350
Shellfish        25  --   23   16    6   23  270  poison
Silver Knight    16  --    9   12    7   11   75
Skeleton         15  --   13   16    6    7  140
Sniper           13  --    7    5    5    7   80
Steel Claw       25  --   43   31    5   31 1220  laser
Torch Eye        28  --   42   32    6   27 1350  laser
Worm             17  --   20   16    4   16  400  sleep
Wyvern           32  --   39   30    7   31 1350  fire breath
Zombie I         15  --   18   13    5    7  100  poison
Zombie II        15  --   18   13    5    7  140  poison

Attack does not include weapon. (Don't ask me why, I took this from Col. G. L.
Sicherman's walkthrough with a couple of very minor changes as he welcomes
additions and corrections.)

=====================================================================
=======
9. B O S S  G U I D E
=====================================================================
=======

Note: All bosses expect Laser Eye and some of the later ones are extremely
resistant to magic. Magic can still be useful to inflict an extra couple of damage, however.

(Number in brackets indicates the number of HP recovered by this boss per turn.)

Marionette (7): The first real boss. She's a real **censored** as she can kill
most of your characters in one hit with her Freeze Level 3 spell. She also
regains HP and MP. To beat her, kill all the other enemies and surround her. If
someone dies, replace that character immediately as she doesn't cast Freeze
Level 3 as often when she is surrounded. This boss is still tough because her
attack is pretty high. Oh and one more thing, keep Max as far away from her as
possible.

Laser Eye (0): Though you don't have to kill it to win the battle, it's very
dangerous because it can wipe out weaker characters in its line of fire. Kill it
quickly and then do whatever you want to win the battle. You can also use
Balbaroy to fly around it and kill the wimpy Silver Knight that you must kill in
order to win the battle.

Elliot (15): He's easier than Marionette and Laser Eye, but still packs a good
punch if you're not careful. Kill all his wimpy friends first and then surround
him with strong dudes before proceeding to beat the crap out of him. You can
also just use range attacks and magic to beat him from a distance as he doesn't seem
move and won't be able to hurt you.

Balbazak (15): Fight him the same way as Elliot. He's really easy and I cannot
understand why he gives so many people trouble.

Kane (15): Now you're in trouble. Thank God his little buddies usually only hurt
you for 1 point of damage. His attack is extremely high as is his defence.
He also has the Sword of Darkness which can cast Desoul, possibly killing one of
your characters automatically. Fight him like Elliot and Balbazak but be very
careful and don't use your leader on him. In fact make your leader stay far, far
away. Don't worry if he gives you at least as much trouble as Marionette. He's
tough. For some reason though, he is called Cain in this battle and Kane
everywhere else. Hmmm... maybe Sega should have let Working Designs translate
this game. Oh well, at least the translation's better here than in the sequel.
Right Evil Spilit?

Mishaela (15): Her attack sucks but watch out, you can only attack her with one
character at a time (unless you have fliers, archers, and magic users) and her defence is quite high.
Watch out for her Bolt Level
2 and use the Power Ring if you need it to hurt her. Heck, don't be afraid to
break the ring if you have too. Like Kane, thank God, this battle has weak
enemies. I think I'm the only person who actually has trouble with her.

Chaos (15): He has high attack but it's not quite as high as Kane's. Kill him
fast because the other enemies are a lot stronger than before and can pulverize
you. Your prizes for beating him are Adam(whoopee) and the Chaos Breaker (Whoo
Hoo!).

Ramladu (24): He has the highest attack of any enemy in the game (arrgh! 95
attack). He also has Aura 3 so he can heal a lot of damage in addition to his
boss heal ability, although I do not think he has ever used the spell. Ignore the
extremely strong enemies and kill him ASAP, or you'll probably die unless
you're at Level 20+ promoted. Once again though, you can also kill him using the
same cheap strategy that works on Elliot and Balbazak which makes this battle a
lot easier to win, but be forewarned, it will take a while as he recover 24 HP
per round.

Colossus (0): He's actually not too tough, but he does have strong enemies with
him. He splits into three heads. One with Blaze 3, the other with Freeze 3 and
the greatest with the dreaded Bolt 3, making him a weak version of Dark Dragon.
Take out the enemies before you take him out than deal with each Colossus one at
a time. (They're all spread out which makes this quite easy because you won't
get bombarded with spells from all cylinders.)

Darksol (0): He's pretty much a wimp in terms of physical attacks but watch out
for his Demon Breath ,as it can do 30+ damage to a small group of characters.
There are High Priests here which can fully restore his HP with Heal 4 (although
they're positioned horribly and never seem to do much besides stand halfway
across the battle field from Darksol). Defeat Darksol as quickly as possible and
Be careful not to have any characters die. Do not use important items, as
you'll have to fight Dark Dragon without a chance to regroup back in Runefaust.
(although your MP will be restored between the two battles). If you do regroup
during the Dark Dragon battle, you'll have to fight Darksol all over again. I
think Darksol's the last boss in Shining in the Darkness, but I didn't like the
game so I'm not sure.

Dark Dragon (0): Compared to some of the last bosses I fought in RPGs, this
guy's not very challenging at all. First off, kill the two Armed Skeletons and
start attacking Dark Dragon's centre head as it has some fairly nasty attacks
including a more powerful version of Darksol's Demon Breath attack. As soon as
you kill the skeletons (which should only take 1 or 2 hits), stand on the point
where they spawned at the beginning of the battle with your healers so that they
will not respawn in a few turns. Keep beating on the centre head with physical
attacks and Level 4 magic spells and use characters that cannot get to the
centre head to start attacking the two side heads. The centre head will die
after you do 200 - 250 points of damage. After the centre head is dealt with,
this battle should be a piece of cake. The side heads only have Blaze 2, Freeze
2, and Desoul 1 and they are also very vulnerable to magic. I believe that they
can also use Bolt 4, but it's never happened to me. They too have 200 - 250 HP.
After you kill the side heads, take a deep breath, relax and give yourself a pat
on the back for completing the second easiest Strategy-RPG ever made.

=====================================================================
=======
10. S P E L L  G U I D E
=====================================================================
=======

(Taken [again] from Col. G. L. Sicherman's FAQ.)

Note: Promotion preserves advancements of level and adds 1.

Level:    I        II       III      IV

<leader>
 EGRESS  <>

Alef
 BLAZE   <>        <>
 BOLT    <>        L12      L17      L25
 DESOUL  L21
 FREEZE  <>        <>

Anri
 BLAZE   <>        L8
 BOLT    L19       L26
 FREEZE  L5        L13      L16      L23
 MUDDLE  L10

Arthur
 BLAZE   L15
 BOLT    L25
 FREEZE  L20

Domingo
 BOOST   L20
 DESOUL  L17
 FREEZE  <>        L4       L13      L26
 MUDDLE  L7

Gong
 AURA    L30
 HEAL    <>        L8       L16      L24

Hanzou
 DESOUL  L25
 DISPEL  <>
 SHIELD  L15
 SLEEP   <>

Khris
 AURA    L20       L28
 HEAL    <>        L5       L16      L21
 QUICK   L12
 SLOW    L8

Lowe
 DETOX   L4
 HEAL    <>        L7       L16      L22
 QUICK   L13       L25
 SLOW    L10       L19

Tao
 BLAZE   <>        L4       L12      L20
 BOOST   L27
 DISPEL  L16
 SLEEP   L8

Torasu
 AURA    <>        L14      L18      L22
 DETOX   <>
 HEAL    <>        <>
 SHIELD  <>

=====================================================================
=======
11. C H E A T  C O D E S
(Taken from Col. G. L. Sicherman's walkthrough and Moogie and Sir Fil's Shining
Force Page.)
=====================================================================
=======

1. Name all characters:  Start a new game and go to the "Name Your Character"
screen.  Press and hold Start, A, B, and C on controller 2 and press Start, A,
and C on controller 1.  Another character appears. Now you can cycle through and
name every character in the game.

2. Message Test: You can also access a special "Message Test" simply by holding
the B button at Simone's "Good Luck" message.  Now you can read all of the
game's dialogue.

3. Whole game access: press Up and Start on the second joypad, then turn on the
Genesis. Keep the buttons pressed until the Sega Logo comes up. Now press A and
C (still holding down Up and Start) and press Start on the first joypad to begin
the game. When Simone appears on the option screen, carry on from where you left
off and press A, B or C. A will give you Chapter select. Button B gives you a
Battle select and Button C will take you to the ending of the game.

Note: you can't actually save your game when you use this cheat, unless you
statesave using an emulator.

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12. U S E L E S S  I T E M  G U I D E
(Taken from G. L. Sicherman's walkthrough with one very minor change.)
=====================================================================
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1. Search a wall of the Moon Stone Cave in Bustoke Quarry to find a chest with
the Sugoi Mizugi (Awesome Swimsuit). Give it to Tao and she will wear it.

2. Search a corner of the archers' butte near Pao Bridge to find a chest with
the Kitsui Fuku (Daring Dress). Give it to Anri and she will wear it.

3. A chest hidden in an alley outside Balbazak's Fortress contains the Kenji
(Public Prosecutor), which has no known use.

4. A chest hidden in the port bow of the ship on the second voyage contains the
Teppou (Rifle), which has no known use.

5. Search a wall in the northwest part of the Colossus Room during Battle 28 to
find a chest with the Kaku-chan (Papa Doll), which has no known use.

6. There is said to be a pair of sunglasses (forbidden box?) hidden somewhere on
a battlefield.

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13. F R E Q U E N T L Y  A S K E D  Q U E S T I O N S
=====================================================================
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1) How do I beat (insert boss here)?

See my boss section.

2) How do I get these cheat codes to work?

I don't know. I was never able to get them to work on a real Genesis or on an
emulator.

3) Where can I find SF1?

Try your local used game store or go to a specialty store dedicated to gaming. I
think Microplay, a franchise in Canada, may have used copies at some of their
stores (assuming there still are some Microplays open). You can get more info about places to find the
game and its sequels and
spinoffs in the US and UK at Shining Force Centra;. Don't forget to check out online auctions at
Yahoo or EBay.

4) Where can I find the ROM?

Moogie has them at Shining Force central. I recommend using Gens to play it, as it is exponentially
better than any other Genesis emulator in existance.

5) Do you have a website, Sephirstein?

I'm sure nobody cares, but no, and I don't think I will in the near future.

6) Where is the Forbidden Box?

No one knows, so don't ask. You can use some hacking programs to get it though. Supposedly it
messes around with your characters' levels when you use them.

7) What about the other useless items?

See the useless item guide.

8) Where do I find Hanzou, Musashi, Jogurt, Domingo and Kokichi?

Hanzou: In Runefaust, look in the bushes for something that looks like a
shuriken. Search it and Hanzou will join.

Musashi: On one of the buildings in Prompt, there is something that looks like a
small white piece of paper with black text. Search it AFTER you are imprisoned
by the King of Prompt, and Musashi will be in HQ.

Jogurt: He's somewhere around the chapel in the first Pao. Stand to the left of
the friar and he'll appear just outside of the chapel. He will now be in
headquarters. I think you can't get him until the town moves.

Domingo: In the town of Manarina, there's a room with a mage and a strange
machine. Search it for a Domingo Egg. Keep the egg with you until you get to the
second Pao and give it to a guy looking for weird eggs. He'll get it to hatch
and Domingo will emerge from the egg and join your force.

Kokichi: After you beat the Quarry Battle in Bustoke, explore the houses. One of
the houses will have a guy trying to make a device to fly. Search the machinery
and he'll ask you to follow him. The man, who is Kokichi, will test the flying
device and fall into the fields of Pao. Wait until the next Chapter and head
back to the first Pao after the wagons move. Kokichi will automatically join
you. Vankar can also be found upon returning to the first Pao.

9) I want my characters to level up, how do I do this?

Kill everything in a battle except one enemy and cast Egress to leave the
battle. Keep fighting the battle over and over until you reach the desired
level.

10) Where is the dragon head with a chain that the King of Alterone talks about?

Southwest of the throne not far from a waterfall. Note that it cannot be pulled
until after you win the battle in the city of Alterone.

11) How many times have you completed this game, Sephirstein?

Many times on a Genesis but I no longer have my Genesis and I have only completed once or twice
using emulators.

12) Is there an advantage to giving knights both a spear and a lance?

Though lances are often more powerful than spears, it's also a good idea to give
a knight a spear as a secondary weapon so that they can equip it and attack
enemies from a range of two squares if need be.

13) I have a new character and they're not appearing in battle, how do I get
them to join?

Egress from the battle and return to the headquarters of the nearest town and
talk to Nova to be given the option of changing characters. Note that you can
only take 12 characters into battle at once.

14) There's a chest in Alterone that's on an island surrounded by water. How do
I get it?

I told you to explore everything. See what happens if you don't listen? There's a
girl near the water. Push the nearby cart towards her and it will splash mud on
her. Talk to her and she'll push you in the water. You can swim in the area
you're in and onto the island. Open the chest (it contains a Power Potion) and
swim back to the mainland of the town.

15) When and on whom should I use Power Potions and Defence Potions?

Don't use them until you're promoted, otherwise, your stats will be lowered more
than usual by your promotion. Just use them on whatever character you feel will
most benefit from it. It's a judgement call really.

16) Why do my stats go down when I promote characters?

It's part of the game. Don't worry though, because you get massive stat
improvements when you level up. Just wait until at least Chapter 4, Battle 3 to
start promoting characters.

17) Are there any cheap tricks to make my characters stronger?

Yes, when using an emulator, save you're state when you're about to gain a
level. If you're not satisfied with your stat improvements, load your state and
keep trying till you get a good level since level gains are random. Since this
is a form of cheating, I advise you to actually beat the game at least once
before you start doing this.

18) Some enemies have Shield Rings. How do I get one?

You can't, as far as I know. Hack them in if you must.

19) What are the URLs of all the websites you mention above without giving the
URL?

Read the links section.

20) How do I use a special ability of an item or a weapon while in battle?

Select use from the item menu and select the item you wish to use. Make sure to
repair the item at a weapon or item shop if you are warned of damage (ie. smoke
rises from the heat axe or the ring cracks). You can load your state if your piece of equipment is
damaged and try again to make sure it doesn't get damaged.

21) What do I do to finish the game after I've done everything that I needed to
in Runefaust and Runefaust Castle?

Leave Runefaust and go to the westernmost point on the outdoor map. Now use the
Chaos Breaker from the wilderness and a castle will appear in the water. You can teleport to it from
the nearby shrine.

22) What are good areas to traun ridiculously strong characters?

Any battle from the second battle on Chapter 4 to the last battle of Chapter 5
is good because the enemies are insanely weak and give a good amount of
experience until your levels are quite high. Another good idea to train
characters with ranged weapons is too stand two squares from a boss who doesn't
move and has no ranged attacks or has run out of magical ranged attacks. Since
the boss will recover HP and won't hurt you, you can do this indefinitely. I got
Diane to Level 16 unpromoted in the first battle of Chapter 3 by using this
trick on the Master Mage boss. The battle against Ramladu also works for this
trick. Keep killing the robots and than Egress. I heard you can get up to Level
40 Promoted with this trick. Thanks to Karl Plouffe for the Ramladu trick.

23) When should I promote my characters?

Don't promote them right away when they hit Level 10 or the game will be
extremely tough. Get them up to Level 13 or 14 and promote them at Battle 2 of
Chapter 4 (Battle 13). You may also be better off waiting until there is a
weapon available for a characters that is only usable when he or she is promoted
(middle of Chapter 5, usually). This does not apply to characters who fight
unarmed.

24) Why are General Elliot and Balbazak more resistant to magic than Darksol or
Dark Dragon?

I know it makes no sense, but ask the programmers.

25) What's the deal with Cain?

Like they did with much of the Phantasy Star series, Sega of America probably
butchered a lot of the translation. The error in which Kane was referred to as
"Cain" when you fought him was particularly glaring. I do not know why Sega did
this.

26) Sephirstein, what's you're A/S/L?

16/Male/Canada.

27) Sephirstein, how did you first find Shining Force?

I was bored one day during the summer and rented it at Microplay a year or so
after completing the sequel. I believe it was the summer of 1995.


28) Why are Chapters 4 and 5 so much easier than the rest of the game?

This is a questions I have pondered countless times while playing Shining Force or working on this
guide. Fortunately, Sashanan proposed an interesting theory in his magnificent Shining Force review
(available at GameFAQs). Basically, he argues that Chapters 4 and 5 were dumbed down to
compensate for the fact that you lose stats once promoted. Unfortunately, this dumbing down was
taken to a ridiculous extreme, and characters start gaining levels extremely quickly for doing next to
nothing upon being promoted. Since promoted level gains bring HUGE statistical increases, these
enemies quickly become outgrown, and will provide no challenge whatsoever to the force.

29) Why isn't the entire guide your original work?

Put it this way, what's the point in going through the game to copy enemy, spell
and item lists if its already been done? Besides, give ma a break. I did correct
any errors that were found and I did have permission.


=====================================================================
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14. Future Progress
=====================================================================
=======

Note: There is no guarantee that any of these things will happen or
that nothing else will happen.

-I hope to eventually include a statistical analysis of the game's
characters, as a opposed to just the subjective qualitative
analysis I have now.

-I hope to eventually HTMLize this guide, now that I have more than
enough skills to do so.

-I hope to update Col. G. L. Sicherman's enemy guide so that it includes enemy
statistics with weapons instead of without weapons.

-I hope to fix any errors currently in the guide.


=====================================================================
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15. Credits
=====================================================================
=======

Moogie: For letting me use the information from Moogie and Sir Fil's Shining
Force 1 Page (now defunct, though she has a new one) and for being the leader
of the online Shining Force cmmmunity

Sir Fil: For working with Moogie on Moogie and Sir Fil's Shining Force 1 Page.

Col. G. L. Sicherman: For allowing people to make additions or corrections to
his walkthrough which gave me access to some information that saved me at least
a few days. His E-Mail addresses are gls@atpsol.cvu.lucent.com and
gls@hrcms.att.com.

CAmerica: For his excellent Shining Force walkthrough even though I didn't end
up using it. (Captain-America3@yahoo.com)

CJayC: For putting my guide on his webpage, GameFAQs and for working his ass off
for the gaming community.

Sega: For creating the Genesis, publishing SF1 and releasing it in North
America. Too bad I can't remember the name of the developer. I think it was
Sonic Team and Climax.

Sardu (Bloodlust Software): For making Genecyst, my original emulator of choice
and the best DOS Genesis emulator

Steve Snake: For making another great DOS-based Genesis emulator that I've used
in the passed, KGEN 98.

Stef: For creating Gens, the best Genesis/SegaCD/32x emulator ever made. It's
even Win9X/2K based.

All other emulator authors and emulation website maintainers: For making great
programs and allowing the emulation community to grow. All emulation fans go to
Zophar's Domain or Emucamp if you've never
been there as they are both great sites with links and downloads of the
aforementioned emulators.

All ROM dumpers: For dumping many ROMs (such as SF1) for many older videogame
consoles.

Corel: For making Corel WordPerfect 8 and 10, which I used to write this guide
before converting to a .txt file. 9 also kicks ass, but I never used it for this
guide.

Karl Plouffe: For telling me that trick to gain levels in the Ramladu fight and
for telling that Arthur doesn't suck if you actually promote him. E-Mail him at
Flame77@hotmail.com.

Kao Megura: For writing an FAQ guide that helped me greatly improve the
appearance, readability, format and disclaimer of my FAQ. Hey Kao, thanks for
helping me with that darn Gold Chocobo a few years ago.

For anyone else who has helped me with this guide or who has posted my
guide with permission.

For everyone in the Shining community for allowing such an increible
game series to live.

Me: For writing this guide.


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16. Links
=====================================================================
=======

Moogie's Shining Force Central: shining.zophar.net (includes
pages for many different shining games)

GameFAQs: www.gamefaqs.com

Zophar's Domain: www.zophar.net

Emulation Camp: www.emucamp.com

Genecyst: Defunct, get it at Zophar's Domain

KGen/KGen 98: Defunct, get it at Zophar's Domain

Gens: go.to/gens

Sega: www.sega.com

Sashanan's Review: www.gamefaqs.com

Kao Megura's Page: Defunct


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17. Disclaimer
=====================================================================
=======

This guide and everything included within this file cannot be reproduced in any
way, shape or form (physical, electronic, or otherwise) aside from being
placed on a freely-accessible, non-commercial web page in it's original,
unedited and unaltered format.  This guide cannot be used for profitable purposes
(even if no money would be made from selling it)or promotional purposes.  It
cannot be used in any sort of commercial transaction.  It cannot be given away
as some sort of bonus, gift, etc., with a purchase as this creates incentive to
buy and is therefore prohibited.  Furthermore, this guide cannot be used by the
publishers, editors, employees or associates, etc. of any company, group,
business, or association, etc., nor can it be used by game sites and the like.
It cannot be used in magazines, guides, books, etc. or in any other form of
printed or electronic media (including mediums not specifically mentioned) in
ANY way, shape, or form (including reprinting, reference or inclusion), without
the express written permission of the author, myself.  This guide was created and
is owned by me, Joshua Frappier (Sephirstein@hotmail.com). For information by
Moogie, you must get her or Sir Fil's permission as well as mine if you intend
to use the modified versions present in this file. Col. G. L. Sicherman has
given permission for the contents of his walkthrough to be added to or corrected
so go ahead and use his information however you want as long as you give him
credit. Just don't copy his walkthrough and try to pass it off as your own. Also
realize that I am not responsible for any harm that comes to you, your Genesis,
your PC, your game or your loved ones that is caused by this guide,
the Shining Force game or the Shining Force ROM including any legal consequences
that may arise from the illegal use of said ROM. Shining Force is a trademark of
Sega Enterprises) 1993 and all other copyrights and trademarks are
acknowledged and respected that are not specifically mentioned within the
contents of this file.

Unpublished Work Copyright Joshua Frappier (Sephirstein) 1999-2003


