LORES ACQUISITION GUIDE, FINAL FANTASY 3us/6j VERSION 1.58, 3/25/06, by Assassin If you'd like to see "Lores" and a form of "acquisition" used in a sentence: "Just strut over to Fifth Street and acquire me some fine lil' lores." ========================= || Table of Contents || ========================= 1. I set you suckas straight 2. Rest of introduction 3. Starting Lores 4. Conditions for learning Lores 5. List of Lores and all the ways to get them (alphabetized for your convenience) 6. Recommended way to learn each Lore 7. All About Dark Force 8. Pocket Lores Guide 9. Lore Walkthrough 10. Credits 11. Revision History 12. Contact 13. Jim Croce (R.I.P.) and Gordon Lightfoot are stellar singer/songwriters =============================================================================== Section 1 | \___________-+ Dark Force ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NEVER USES Big Guard, ForceField, Pep Up, and GrandTrain. In case we're unclear on linguistics: By "never", I mean NEVER. He will never use the attacks on a full moon; he will never use them on leap year (take heed, it's 2004); he will never use them to impress the exquisite Madams roaming Kefka's Tower; and he will ESPECIALLY never spontaneously rewrite the cartridge's ROM and use them just to lessen the embarrassment of poor saps who insist in a public forum that he possesses everything outside of GrandTrain. (Also note that Dark Force won't use CleanSweep in his normal sequence of attacks; if you want to learn that Lore from him, you'll have to resort to Rage, Sketch, Control, or Charm.) Skoobouy's Lore Guide and Atom Edge's Walkthrough are two of the very few FAQs to get this right. If you use any document for Lore locations besides the one you're currently reading, use Skoobouy's. The list in Atom Edge's guide gets an honorable mention. It doesn't have those irritating false positives, but it is missing a few monsters (nothing that should foil your attempts to learn the Lore, however), and Skoobouy and I go into more depth as to exactly HOW the monster provides the Lore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 2 | \___________-+ Now follow a bunch of things you should know before utilizing the rest of the doc. There's a lot of unrelated information that needs to be stated; I divide it into separate sections and paragraphs, so as to not give the impression of actual flow. :P This intro is longwinded, but you shouldn't need to read it more than once, as most of the guide's arrangement is self-explanatory. Use Other Guides, too --------------------- The next line possesses great potency, so wield it wisely: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/game/554041.html ... Can you feel the power surging through you? That high will last 3 weeks after the first time you follow that link. 3 WEEKS!! For what these Lores do, consult Master ZED's Attack Guide (and Terii Senshi's Algorithms FAQ for a few of the wackier ones). I'm not going to commandeer their work into my own guide, as that'd be discouraging you from reading FAQs made by two brilliant blokes, and it'd just mean one more guide that has to be updated should information on a Lore be revised or discovered. Ctrl+N opens another browser window in which you can view their FAQs, and is arguably the coolest Ctrl combo after Ctrl+F (which, incidentally, isn't learned by most GameFAQs users until their Karma passes 200...) Because the Colosseum is not a grounds for Lore learning, this guide does not indicate whether a monster is present there, nor what items to wager to face a particular monster. For that information, see Mnrogar's Colosseum Guide, Atom Edge's Item FAQ or walkthrough, or Mynock's walkthrough. All fine works. All on GameFAQs. For help finding a monster on the Veldt after you've met it elsewhere, use Terii Senshi's Algorithms FAQ or his Veldt Monster Finder; the newest of both can be obtained at http://www.rpglegion.com If you're seeking a different presentation of the Lore locations, want a document that's more readily printed, or just flat-out can't stand me, give Skoobouy's Lore Guide a look. Like this one, it's quite accurate and thorough. It predates this guide by nearly 11 months, but didn't make it onto GameFAQs until considerably later because its author went on hiatus for awhile, and the guide disappeared during that time. If I had to pick the main difference between the guides (besides their sizes), it would be that my "main" section (Section 5) groups the learning opportunities by Lore, while Skoobouy's "main" section (Section II) groups them by monster. Those are two notably different ways to present information, and between them, nearly every playing style should be accomodated. (Sure, my Section 9 gets chronological, and his Section III groups by Lore, but those sections are barebones compared to the aforementioned ones.) Notes on Sections 5 and 6 ------------------------- Each Lore in Section 5 has two subsections: a table for Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, and Charm; and an "Uses in battle" listing. Even if a subsection has no way to learn the Lore, I still list it for consistency. Each subsection has its own set of footnotes at the bottom, corresponding to symbols (like pluses, asterixes, and various others) that were listed therein. Here follows a description of the various fields in Section 5. Because Section 6 is based on Section 5, you'll need to understand everything presented here when reading that. Rage display: If a Lore can be used via a monster's Rage, a simple "X" will be present in the table cell. There's no need for a probability, as all Rages have a 1 in 2 chance of the applicable Lore being cast. Battle is always one of the possible attacks (though monsters CAN be hacked otherwise). Sketch display: Assuming Sketch is successful, the monster's first Sketch attack has a 25% chance of being used, while the second has a 75% chance (you can see a listing of Sketch attacks and everything else about a monster in Master ZED's Monster Statistics Guide). Thus, you'll see one of these percentages in the table cell when a Lore can be triggered by sketching a monster. Control, Muddle, and Charm display: A monster has 4 Control/Muddle/Charm/Colosseum slots, each of which can hold an attack or a null entry. When the enemy is Muddled, Charmed, or Colosseum fighting, each slot has the same initial probability of being randomly chosen. Should an empty slot be picked, the game will move backwards one slot until a valid attack is found, wrapping to the last slot as necessary. The final probability of an attack being chosen is what is displayed in the Muddle and Charm table cells (in percentage form). With Control, you can of course select the attack yourself, so its validity is simply indicated with an "X". The abilities for Muddle, Charm, and Control are ALWAYS the same. However, I make a point to give only the valid methods of seeing the Lore from each monster; if a creature is immune to Muddled status or possesses the "Can't Control" attribute, I'll leave those methods out. Also, note that a Colosseum enemy's attacks are the same as Muddle/Charm/Control, but they can also use the COUNTERattacks present in their normal script on top of those. I'm only mentioning the Colosseum for purposes of SEEING a Lore (some have really purty animations); you cannot LEARN any there. Success rates not shown in the document: Probabilities for Sketch, Control, Muddle, and Charm assume that you're able to use the ability successfully ALL of the time. This is oversimplifying things, but I want to keep this guide readable. Plus, I have no clue what level your characters will be, which prevents me from giving a concrete success rate for Sketch and Control. The actual regularities with which Muddle and Charm work depend on a combination of the attack's hit rate and the monster's M.Block -- to determine a certain attack's success against a certain monster, use a combination of Master ZED's Attack Guide, his Monster Statistics Guide, and Terii Senshi's Algorithms FAQ. The Muddle spell's hit rate is 94, and Charm's is 80. Since the vast majority of monsters have zero M.Block, the respective chances of them connecting should typically be 93% and 79%. (For why those chances aren't identical to the spell hit rates like one would expect, see the "Chance to hit" step of the "Hit Determination" section in Terii's Algorithms FAQ.) Of course, there are alternative ways to give an enemy Muddled status -- such as Stray, with its 128 hit rate, and NoiseBlaster, with a perfect hit rate -- whose likelihoods of connecting differ from Muddle proper's. Sketch's and Control's successes are determined by the attacker's level and the target's level; Terii Senshi's Algorithms FAQ has the lowdown. Footnotes: I will indicate when an ability used to trigger a monster's attack (like Sketch or Control) is not available for native meetings with a monster, but only for Veldt ones. In the "Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle and Charm" subsection, there will be a symbol (almost always "*") in the table cell of the corresponding ability and monster. Below the table, you'll see a matching footnote: * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. I NEVER give such a footnote for Rage, as learning a Rage obviously requires a Veldt visit anyway. I similarly show when there are issues related to Strago's availability against a beast. There will be a symbol next to the enemy's name (and in the "Uses in battle" subsection, parentheses around the symbol), with a brief corresponding footnote at the end of the subsection. Usually, it's one of these self-explanatory beauts: $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. % Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. "@" is used to indicate that an enemy lacks the MP to actually cast a lore, and is accompanied by a footnote like: @ Can't cast due to insufficient MP ... In the "Uses in battle" subsection, this symbol will appear next to the monster name. In the "Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, and Charm" table, it will appear in cells corresponding to the monster and various applicable abilities (specifically, Control, Muddle, and Charm, as Rage and Sketch don't necessitate the enemy itself using the lore). Finally, there are custom footnotes, which can vary from section to section and will use other symbols (mainly "!", occasionally "&"). In order to minimize footnotes, this guide assumes that you track down The Mohawk and The Mouth (nicknames I just coined for those wacky Thamasans -- think they'll catch on?) as soon as possible in the WoR. It also pretends you get Gau, NightShade, and FakeMustache immediately after that. I realize that tackling the WoR is very subjective, as it's far less linear than the WoB, and that I can't predict the exact sequence you'll take. Accordingly, I just assume the gameplay order which has me typing the least friggin' symbols. :) "Uses in battle" subsection: When I say a monster uses an attack "1 in 3 times" on a certain turn number, I mean a RANDOM 1-in-3 probability. So luck may have you seeing it every possible time, or you might end up waiting until the monster's gone through its script 20 times. In Section 5, if I say "uses randomly" in reference to when a monster casts a Lore, that just means to sit and wait for it. Since I'm looking at the scripts with FF3usME to write this document, I could tell you "the monster has a 1 in 3 chance of using it in the first of its 5 normal attack rounds." But that's longwinded, and fairly pointless, as the Lore WILL come just by waiting. I do try to let you know when you'll be waiting longer -- in the case of monsters with lengthy scripts like Dark Force -- and I'm understandably more specific when it comes to triggering a Lore as a counterattack. Section 6, in contrast with 5, DOES get more detailed on a monster's script, because I'm advocating that monster as (one of) the best ways to learn a Lore. When I talk about "monster timer" or "global battle timer" counts, I use DOUBLE the actual value that appears in the monster's script. The reason for this is that the game divides the accumulating timer's value by 2 before comparing it to the script's number. More ability notes ------------------ Charm can be cast via Gau's/Gogo's Nightshade Rage (be SURE to fight that painting before meeting Chadarnook), and has an effect like that of Muddle. But here's the kicker: Charm isn't an actual status, so nobody can be immune to it, and a smack to the head doesn't lift its influence. The only way to break its hold is to kill either the victim or the caster. Also, unlike the special "Can't Control" and "Can't Scan" properties often possessed by tougher bosses, there is no such (known) flag for Charm. Thus, its modest 80 Hit Rate is the only thing limiting it; given most foes have NO M.Block whatsoever, you'll truly dominate the game with Nightshade. Interesting that a *flower* has one of the most fearsome attacks in the entire game. Just the hippies: Flower Power! Just the girls: Flower Power! Just the dandies: Flower Power! All together now! Finally, Edgar's NoiseBlaster and Gau's Brawler Rage are free, early ways to confuse enemies. They're good only for Lore viewing until you get Strago, which is well after the Muddle spell becomes available, but even then, the thrifty will appreciate them. Regarding the Sketch Bug ------------------------ This was once mysterious. Some players would live in constant fear of using Relm, lest a save-scrambling lightning bolt come hurtling from the sky. Others would relentlessly hunt the anomaly, hoping to create a unique inventory, but it would prove as elusive as a Cheshire cat sitting in a pot of gold and dangling a carrot on a string in a desert mirage. Covered in grease. Thankfully, Master ZED has finally pinned down the bug that baffled the masses: http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com/GameDocs/ff3sktch.txt What you want to do to avoid this bug depends on the version of the game: - FF3us 1.1 has it fixed, so you'll be safe. - If you're playing on the FF3us 1.0 cartridge, arrange your first party member's Magic list so that Mute isn't in the 28th slot, and you should be reasonably safe. - If you're playing on the FF3us 1.0 ROM, get a bugfix from Master ZED's site: http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com - FF6j is technically susceptible to the bug, though it doesn't seem to happen as readily as in FF3us 1.0. I'd advise using Sketch as early in the battle as possible (since the known ways to trigger the bug involve one of the bytes in the first party member's 28th Magic slot getting changed over time). This version hasn't been studied nearly as much as FF3us. - Anthology is largely based on FF6j, but I have no idea whether it can experience the bug. Sketch is given as an option for many Lores throughout this guide. There's always an alternative, but Sketch is sometimes the fastest or earliest way, and it should be reasonably safe with these precautions. =============================================================================== Section 3 : STARTING LORES | \____________________________-+ Strago starts with these Lores: Aqua Rake, Revenge, and Stone. I still provide other means of seeing them in Sections 5 and 8, largely for the sake of curiosity. =============================================================================== Section 4 : CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING LORES | \___________________________________________-+ Pasted directly from Terii Senshi's Algorithms FAQ: ++++++++++ In order to learn Lores, Strago must be in the party when a lore is cast (Gogo can't learn lores). If Strago has any of the following statuses when the lore is cast, then he won't learn the lore: Wound, Petrify, Zombie, Dark, Sleep, Muddle, Stop, Hide, Rage, Freeze. Strago's status at the end of battle doesn't matter (he can even be dead). ++++++++++ Yes, this means that Strago can even learn a Lore that KILLS him. While Strago's status at the end of the fight doesn't matter, the battle still needs to end in a traditional and victorious manner (meaning any applicable GP, Experience, Magic Points, and spell/ability learning show up). Here are all of the battle outcomes I could think of; this should cover every possible scenario besides alien abduction: WON'T LEARN LORE ---------------- - Annihilated party - Colosseum matchups (win or lose) - Gau leaps - Gau returns from Veldt leap (one exception below) - Your entire party flees (or is Sneezed away, etc) - Some but not all of your party flees or gets Sneezed away, and the last person(s) standing is/are killed (ending the battle, but not annihilating you), whether Strago is among the fallen or not. - Win any stage of the final battle - Monster issues an "End Battle" command (FB 02) from its script rather than dying or running, so there won't be any victory messages. Examples are Sealed Gate Kefka, Chupon, and -- in most cases -- Phunbaba #3. - Battle ends due to a timer, but you don't get Game Over. Example: Nerapa and the Floating Continent escape timer reaching 4 seconds. WILL LEARN LORE --------------- - Normal, victorious battle (outside of Colosseum) - Enemy party flees - Win battle after just some of the party (even Strago) runs - Gau returns from a Veldt leap, and you zap him with an instant death attack (thus preventing both his friendly and insulted responses) =============================================================================== Section 5 : LIST OF LORES AND ALL THE WAYS TO GET THEM | \________________________________________________________-+ ++++++++++ + Aero + ++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ---------------------------------------- Harpiai | X 75% X 50% | +--------------------------------------+ Harpy | X 25% 25% | +--------------------------------------+ Rhyos | X 25% | +--------------------------------------+ Sprinter | X 75% | +--------------------------------------+ Storm Drgn # | 75% | +--------------------------------------+ Tyranosaur | 75% | ---------------------------------------- # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random and near the end of a large script, so be patient. Doom Gaze (!): Uses randomly. Harpiai: Uses randomly. Harpy: Uses randomly. Poltrgeist (#): Uses randomly, provided its HP is less than or equal to 32640 (of 58000 total). However, if any party members are stopped, it will keep trying to Blaster them until they croak (or Stop wears off) before falling into the normal attack pattern that has Aero. Storm Drgn (#): Uses randomly, provided its HP is less than or equal to 15360 (of 42000 total). ! Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along for at least one meeting, so don't defeat it too fast. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + Aqua Rake + +++++++++++++++ YOU START WITH IT! Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Actaneon | 75% | +---------------------------------------+ Anguiform | X 75% X * 50% 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Chimera | X 75% X * 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Enuo | X 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Suriander | X 75% X 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Vectagoyle | X 75% X 25% | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. Uses in battle -------------- Anguiform: Used randomly when there is only one monster remaining. Blue Drgn (#): Uses randomly, as long as HP is at or below 16384 (of 26900 total). Chimera: Used randomly, as long as there are multiple monsters remaining. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Enuo: Used randomly when there is only one monster remaining. Number 024 (%): Chosen randomly if WallChange makes him weak to Lightning elemental. Just put your party in the back row, and Imp the guy. While Imp does turn him into a critical hit machine, it's still better than facing his barrage of spells. Rhyos: Uses randomly, after several rounds into the fight. Ultros (Esper Mountain Cave): Used randomly after he's taken 8 steps forward. Vectagoyle: Used randomly a few rounds into the battle. % Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + Big Guard + +++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ------------------------------------------ EarthGuard | X 75% X @ 50% @ 50% @ | +----------------------------------------+ Guardian | | (Kefka's Tower) # | 75% | +----------------------------------------+ Mover | X 75% | ------------------------------------------ @ Can't cast due to insufficient MP (and therefore you won't learn by these methods). Note that spells don't actually cost controlled enemies anything, but the check is still made. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. Uses in battle -------------- Mover: Uses randomly when there is only 1 monster remaining. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + Blow Fish + +++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Brainpan | X 75% X * 50% 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Cactrot | X 75% X 50% ! | +---------------------------------------+ Phase | X 75% X 50% 50% | ----------------------------------------- ! A 250 M.Block and immunity to Clear status means you'll be hard-pressed to Charm this wacky cactus. It's about time you faced an enemy with evasion abilities! But it can be done: use either Stunner (the SwdTech, or the dirk paired with Sniper Sight), and the stoppage will prevent him from dodging the Charm spell. After Charm takes hold, Dispel Stop so Cactrot can use Blow Fish and so a Raging Gau/Gogo doesn't beat the thing to death. Casting Cure on the poor cactus at some point isn't a bad idea, either, as you've cut into its meager 3 HP. * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. Uses in battle -------------- Brainpan: Uses randomly if there is 1 enemy remaining. Cactrot: Uses every other round for the first several rounds, then busts out 10 in a row! Dark Force: It's random and near the end of a large script, so be patient. KatanaSoul (#): Uses randomly as part of normal attack script. It may spend some time laying on the counterattacks if you use the Fight, Magic, or Lore commands on it, but the fiend will eventually return to its "normal" sequence. You don't need this putz for the Lore, so just Muddle him and enjoy the show. :) Mover: Uses randomly if there is 1 enemy remaining. Phase: Uses randomly if there is 1 enemy remaining. Also uses randomly as a counterattack, but not against lethal strikes. Phunbaba (all 4 versions) (!)(#): Uses randomly. Presenter (shell) (&): Will use randomly, but only when the head isn't hiding. & If you ever want Strago to face this beautiful creature, you'll have to skip its treasure chest on your first visit to Daryl's Tomb. ! Strago can't fight the first version of Phunbaba. You can't learn lores from the third one due to it using the "End Battle" script command when its HP <= 16350 and bypassing any victory messages (unless you manage to bring it from 16351+ HP to defeat in one attack; Offering helps). # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + CleanSweep + ++++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ---------------------------------------- Dark Force | X 75% X 25% | +--------------------------------------+ Enuo | X 75% X 25% | ---------------------------------------- Uses in battle -------------- Atma (#): Uses randomly, provided its HP is at or below 32640 (of 55000 total). Blue Drgn (#): Starts the battle with it. Also uses every 80 global battle timer increments (which amounts to roughly 42.67 real-time seconds). Enuo: Uses randomly if there's 1 enemy remaining. Master Pug (#): Uses randomly when WallChange makes him weak to the Earth element. Since there's no reason to learn the lore from him, and he's nearly as mean as his plain cousin, just put Master Pug to sleep and blast him with magical attacks. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + Condemned + +++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Critic | X 75% X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Retainer | X 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Still Life $ | X ! 25% ! | +---------------------------------------+ Veteran | 75% | +---------------------------------------+ Zombone $ | X | ----------------------------------------- ! Will very likely have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Allo Ver (#): Uses randomly. Critic: Uses randomly. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Nerapa (#)(&): Starts battle by casting it on all 4 party members. Skull Drgn (#): Uses randomly, pretty frequently. Sleep (3rd tier of final battle) (!): Uses randomly, as long as its HP is above 10240 (has 40000 total). Still Life ($): Uses as counterattack (but not against lethal strikes). Veteran: Uses randomly, pretty frequently. ! You don't learn lores in the final battle, so this is just listed for curiosity. Besides, there's about as much bloody point to learning the Lore here as is there is to stealing Atma Weapon and Ragnarok. Or as to learning the macarena in 2004, unless you're able to impress some dazed vixen with it as she awakens from an 8-year coma. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. & If this battle is still going when the continent escape timer hits 4 seconds, the game will exit you from it intact, but you won't learn any lores (nor will you have the time to wait for a certain comrade). =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++ + Dischord + ++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Chaser $ | X * 25% 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Figaliz | X 75% X 25% 25% | +---------------------------------------+ IronHitman | X 75% X 25% 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Lizard | X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Scullion | X | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Chaser ($): Uses randomly. Crawler: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Figaliz: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. IronHitman: Uses randomly. Has tiny script, so you'll see it quite quickly. Telstar ($): Uses after every 3 times through its attack script, which amounts to after at least every 9 of its normal attacks (the alarm ringing will cause its script to reset from the top, so the actual wait will be closer to 13 attacks, or 17 rounds). Sealed Gate Kefka (!): Uses randomly. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. ! Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet him, and you wouldn't learn lores in this battle anyway, due to how it's ended without victory messages. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++ + Exploder + ++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Balloon | X 75% * X * 50% 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Bomb ! | 25% X * 25% 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Junk | X 25% 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Repo Man | X | +---------------------------------------+ Scullion | 75% | +---------------------------------------+ Wart Puck | X 50% | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. ! If you want Strago to encounter this without wandering the Veldt, visit the forest west of the WoB Veldt, as the monster's original meeting place is no longer available. Uses in battle -------------- Balloon: Uses randomly, as well as a random counterattack should one be dim enough to nonfatally hit it with the Fire element (You can fatally hit it that way through use of the mighty Debilitator). Bomb (!): Randomly counterattacks with it, but not against lethal strikes. Dark Force: It's random and near the end of a large script, so be patient. Grenade (&): Uses randomly as a counterattack against non-lethal uses of the Fight command. Junk: Uses when there is only 1 monster left, and also uses randomly as part of normal attack sequence. Pipsqueak ($): Uses randomly as a counterattack against non-lethal uses of the Fight command. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. ! If you want Strago to encounter this without wandering the Veldt, visit the forest west of the WoB Veldt, as the monster's original meeting place is no longer available. & It can be met in the forest west of the WoB Veldt, in case you defeated FlameEater before it could launch one. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + ForceField + ++++++++++++++++ Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm ------------------------------------ Nobody! Uses in battle -------------- Doom (#): Doom will use it every 40 Monster Timer increments (which amounts to roughly 21.33 real-time seconds), after she has flashed and displayed the "Doom's aura is shaking!" message. That happens when Doom's HP drops to less than or equal to 32640 of its 63000 total. She only bothers to use ForceField a maximum of 8 times, as there are only 8 elements. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + GrandTrain + ++++++++++++++++ Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm ------------------------------------ Nobody! Uses in battle -------------- Hidon: Uses when alone (after you kill all its Hidonites), and every time you finish the Hidonites off after they regenerate. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++ + L? Pearl + ++++++++++++++ [Tag for Ctrl+F users: "L.? Pearl"] Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ---------------------------------------- Innoc | 25% X 75% 75% | +--------------------------------------+ Red Dragon # | 25% | ---------------------------------------- # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. Uses in battle -------------- Critic: Uses randomly. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Dullahan (%): Uses at the start of battle, and randomly every 8 times you attack it. Innoc: Uses randomly. % Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + L.3 Muddle + ++++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Apokryphos | X 75% X * 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Dante | X 75% X 25% 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Trapper $ | X 75% * X * 25% 25% * | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Apokryphos: Uses randomly as counterattack (to non-fatal hits) if only 1 monster remains. Dante: Uses randomly in response to being hit with non-lethal use of Magic command. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Goblin: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. Trapper ($): Uses randomly. Ultros (Opera House) (%): Uses randomly when he's in monster slot #3 (the bottom left position). He moves around the slots quite regularly if you give him time, and I'm not about to document every move this jackass makes. So if you want to see the Lore from him that badly, you can wait. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. % Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + L.4 Flare + +++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Apokryphos | X * 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Mag Roader (brown) | X | +---------------------------------------+ Trapper $ | X * 25% 25% * | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Apokryphos: Uses randomly as counterattack (to non-fatal hits) if only 1 monster remains. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Dueller: Uses randomly. With only one normal attack round in its script, you won't wait long to see this. Goblin: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. Red Dragon (#): Uses randomly every 80 monster timer increments (which amounts to roughly 42.67 real-time seconds). Trapper ($): Uses randomly. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++ + L.5 Doom + ++++++++++++++ Spiffy method ------------- Joker Doom is implemented as a variant of this lore, so if you can get the 7-7-7 Slot combination, you'll teach Strago L.5 Doom. Yeah, that's undoubtedly a bug, but it's this guide's duty to be thorough. If you're like me and have never gotten lucky in your life, consult Master ZED's Slots Guide (available at http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com), which will tell you how to get the sli.. slots into a favorable position. Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Dark Force | 25% X 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Trapper $ | 25% * X * 25% 25% * | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Apokryphos: Uses as a random counterattack (to non-fatal hits), provided there is only 1 monster remaining. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Didalos: Uses randomly. Doom Gaze (!): Starts every encounter with it. Dueller: Uses randomly. Because its normal script is only one round long, you should see this quite often. Goblin: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. Sky Base: Always begins its normal script with this, so you'll see it at the start of the battle, and every 4 rounds. Trapper ($): Uses randomly. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. ! Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along for at least one meeting, so don't defeat it too fast. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + Pearl Wind + ++++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ------------------------------------------ Dark Force | X 25% | +----------------------------------------+ Ogor | X 50% 50% | +----------------------------------------+ Peepers | X 75% X @ 50% @ 50% @ | +----------------------------------------+ Storm Drgn # | 25% | +----------------------------------------+ Vectaur | X 75% X 50% | ------------------------------------------ @ Can't cast due to insufficient MP (and therefore you won't learn by these methods). Note that spells don't actually cost controlled enemies anything, but the check is still made. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. Uses in battle -------------- Abolisher: Provided there's more than 1 monster remaining, it will always use Pearl Wind on the 3rd turn in a 3-round script. But since it only has enough MP for one casting, try to make sure Strago is alive and free of bad statuses (as detailed in Section 4) for the first time. You can Tincture the big bird if need be. Curley (#): Will use randomly, as long as all 3 Stooges are alive, and Curley doesn't have Reflect status (he casts Rflect after every 4 times he's hit with the Magic command, provided he isn't already reflective). Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Girl (3rd tier of final battle): Uses randomly. You will see this a ton, as there's a chance of it being used in each of its 5 attack rounds. The only time the sequence is interrupted is to cast Life 2 on a fallen Sleep comrade (by fallen, I mean wounded, not the nice falling associated with slumber). Of course, this little paragraph has been purely academic, as you can't learn lores in the final battle, and you should've fueled up at the Pearl Wind oasis about 50 exits ago anyway. Harpiai: Uses randomly. Peepers (@): Can attempt to use randomly every turn in a one-line script. Sprinter: Uses randomly. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. @ The foe sounds nice for learning the Lore, but since a lack of MP prevents it from actually being cast, Strago won't learn it from Peepers without Gau or Relm (or Gogo) as intermediary. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++ + Pep Up + ++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Intangir | X X * 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Junk | X X 25% 25% | +---------------------------------------+ Muus | X 75% X 50% | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. Uses in battle -------------- Junk: Uses randomly, as long as there's more than 1 enemy remaining. Muus: Uses randomly, as long as there's more than 1 enemy remaining. Because its script is very short, you'll see it early. Also uses as a random counterattack against non-fatal instances of the Magic command, provided there're 2 or more monsters left. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++ + Quasar + ++++++++++++ Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm ------------------------------------ Nobody! Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Goddess (#): Uses randomly, as long as HP is at or below 32640 (of 44000 total). # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + Reflect??? + ++++++++++++++++ Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm ------------------------------------ Nobody! Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Didalos: Used at the start of battle, and after every run through its script (so every 4 rounds), provided there's one or more character targets with Reflect status. Dullahan (%): Used at the end of the script (so every 4 rounds), provided there's one or more character targets with Reflect status. Notice the triple D above, and let your mind drift momentarily... % Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++ + Revenge + +++++++++++++ YOU START WITH IT! Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Borras | X | +---------------------------------------+ Dragon | X 75% X * 25% * | +---------------------------------------+ Gigantos | X * 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Pan Dora | X 75% X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Red Wolf | 75% | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Dragon: Uses randomly. Pan Dora: Uses randomly. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++ + Rippler + +++++++++++++ WARNING: DON'T HAVE SHADOW IN YOUR PARTY WHEN LEARNING THIS! Due to a bug in the game, Rippler can steal Interceptor status. Unless the enemy is kind enough to swap it back, or you have somebody in the party who can do so, you'll lose him permanently when the battle ends! (Thankfully, FF3h -- available at http://www.angelfire.com/pq/jumparound -- makes it easy for ROM players to restore the dog. Better yet, get Terii Senshi's patch from http://www.rpglegion.com so Rippler only swaps what it's supposed to.) Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm ------------------------------------ Nobody! Uses in battle -------------- Blue Drgn (#): If he has neither Haste nor Safe status, he'll cast Slow on himself, then Rippler anybody who does have Haste status (checking party members #1 thru #4 in order). So if you must bring Shadow to this fight, keep relics like RunningShoes and Marvel Shoes OFF of him. Dark Force: It's random and near the end of a large script, so be patient. Gigan Toad (@): Tries to use randomly. Reach Frog: Uses randomly. # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. @ Unfortunately, the poor little tadpole lacks the MP to actually cast it, so he's not a possible teacher. =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++ + Roulette + ++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ---------------------------------------- Pipsqueak $ | 75% * | +--------------------------------------+ Veteran | X 25% X 25% 25% | ---------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. $ Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt. Uses in battle -------------- Critic: Used randomly. Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Nerapa (#)(!): Uses every 6 times you attack it with Fight command (normally a very stupid strategy for that battle, but this does help you get the Lore rather early, if you don't want to track down Pipsqueak on the Veldt or risk Sketch's bugginess). Veteran: Used as a random counterattack to Magic command (whether the spell came from your party or the enemies' -- that's no anomaly, but worth mentioning because Madam, a regular companion of Veteran, will cast all sorts of Magic on her allies, and Roulette can target anything). # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. ! If this battle is still going when the continent escape timer hits 4 seconds, the game will exit you from it intact, but you won't learn any lores (nor will you have the time to wait for a certain comrade). =============================================================================== ++++++++++++++++ + Sour Mouth + ++++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ---------------------------------------- Evil Oscar | 75% X 25% 25% | +--------------------------------------+ Mad Oscar | X 75% X 50% 50% | ---------------------------------------- Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Evil Oscar: Uses automatically when alone. Mad Oscar: Uses randomly. =============================================================================== +++++++++++++++ + Step Mine + +++++++++++++++ Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- Brachosaur | 75% | +---------------------------------------+ Crawler | X 75% X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ GreaseMonk & | X * 50% 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Intangir | 75% ! | +---------------------------------------+ Mesosaur | X 75% X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Tomb Thumb | X 75% X 50% 50% | ----------------------------------------- ! Make sure it's not Vanished when doing this (Stop works nicely), as it reportedly has one of the nastier manifestations of the Sketch bug. * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. & You can NoiseBlaster this guy crazy early just to see a Lore in action (or use Brawler Rage on him slightly later, or cast Muddle on him later yet), though it won't do you much good outside of amusement until Strago joins. Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random in a large script, so be patient. Master Pug (#): Uses randomly as counterattack. Pug: Uses every round, and uses whenever attacked. VICIOUS little brute! # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== +++++++++++ + Stone + +++++++++++ YOU START WITH IT! Rage Sketch Control Muddle Charm ----------------------------------------- 1st Class | X | +---------------------------------------+ Brawler | X | +---------------------------------------+ Iron Fist | X 75% X * 50% 50% * | +---------------------------------------+ Poppers | X 75% X 50% 50% | +---------------------------------------+ Prussian | X 50% | ----------------------------------------- * Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy. Uses in battle -------------- Dark Force: It's random and near the end of a large script, so be patient. Guardian (Kefka's Tower) (#): Uses randomly when it's running Ultros's battle program. Guardian uses battle programs in this sequence: basic, Ultros, basic, unnamed (has Shock Wave, throwing, and a string of Potions/Tonics), basic, Air Force, basic, Atma, repeats from start with basic. Iron Fist: Uses randomly if there is only 1 monster remaining. Poppers: Uses randomly. Ultros (Esper Mountain Cave): Can use randomly after every step he takes forward (excluding every 8th step). # Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along. =============================================================================== Section 6 : RECOMMENDED WAY TO LEARN EACH LORE | \________________________________________________-+ This section tells you the quickest and/or easiest way(s) to learn each Lore. Note that it's optimized for BENEFIT OF STRAGO: for example, learning a Rage generally requires some time, so I rarely recommend it here, even when the Rage is a staple for Gau. However, if a Veldt trip allows you to learn a Lore considerably earlier than you would otherwise (e.g. Trapper and L.4 Flare), I assume you'll make it. For many Lores, I list more than one "optimal" enemy if there's no clear-cut best way, or if learning it one way requires Strago in your party when you may not necessarily want him there (e.g. the Floating Continent). Obviously, you can learn 17 of the Lores from Dark Force (the 20 he uses minus the 3 you start with), making him a potent resource. But I won't list him in this section when you've already learnt the Lore, or when you can learn it from an easily accessible WoR monster that doesn't have you waiting through a script as large as Dark Force's. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aero: Find a Harpy outside WoR Thamasa (grass or forest areas). Muddle or Charm it for a 1 in 4 chance of Aero, as well as to save your party some damage. If you lack Charm and would rather not putz around with having to recast Muddle/NoiseBlaster whenever Harpy smacks itself, just wait for the giant bird to get gusty with it on its own. It'll use Aero in its second attack round of three, 1 in 3 times. Control is also great if you have it. Or you can find a Harpiai on the WoR Kohlingen continent (grass or forest areas). Sketch it for a 75% chance of Aero, Charm it for a 50/50 chance, or Control it. If you lack these abilities or aren't worried about your party taking some damage, just wait for the giant bird to get gusty with it on its own. It'll use Aero 1 in 3 times in the second attack round of four. Harpy is slightly easier to meet in its zone, but which bird is faster or more convenient can hinge simply on where your airship is when you decide to get the lore, as both enemies cough it up pretty easily. Depending on your airship travels, it's possible you'll see the attack from Doom Gaze first. He has a 2/3 chance of using it in his third turn every time you meet him (its fourth turn is Escape 2/3 of the time -- the coward!! should he do Nothing that turn, his script will repeat from the top). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aqua Rake: Strago starts with it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Big Guard: Since I'm sending you into Kefka's Tower to meet Dark Force, take Party #2 just past the room with Atma to find Mover (you'll know you're in the right place if you encounter Steroidites). Slay all the Movers but one, and it'll use Big Guard 1/3 of the time every attack round. If you don't fancy the risky Blow Fish platter, Control Mover instead, or use Charm for a 3 in 4 chance of seeing Big Guard. Alternatively, put RunningShoes / Marvel Shoes on Relm, fight in the Solitary Island desert, and hope for a preemptive attack against a group with EarthGuard. Sketch it quickly, and you'll get the Lore 75% of the time. If you fear Sketch, take a Hasted Gau to the Veldt and hope for a quick leap against EarthGuard. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Blow Fish: If you want to learn this in the WoB, bring Strago to the Floating Continent. When you encounter a group with Brainpan in it (which can turn up anywhere before Atma Weapon), Muddle that phrenologist's dream. It'll use Blow Fish half of the time. You can also Sketch it for a 75% chance of the lore. Or you can slay everything in the group besides one Brainpan, and it'll have a 1 in 3 chance of using the Lore every turn. They love using Smirk (or they just have no choice, since they can't *punch* you), so make sure you've cast the Remedy spell on Strago before Blow Fish occurs, as he can't learn Lores while Stopped (it'll wear off on its own, but waiting gets tiresome). For this reason, I'd recommend narrowing things down to a lone Brainpan even if you go the Muddle route; Smirk isn't part of its lonely attack script. Should you wait until the WoR, it's all about location. Find the desert south of Maranda, and you'll meet a being who'll gladly spare some needles for your quest, being a cactus and all. Cactrot is quite nimble for a plant, so be sure to have an unblockable attack in tow (Sniper Sight, Offering, and most Blitzes, SwdTechs, and Tools qualify). If you have Relm with, Sketch it for a 75% chance of Blow Fish (Aha! The old adage has a loophole: the shrub is faster than the hand, but not than the paintbrush..), or Control it. If you fear Sketch and lack Control, don't fret, as you're about to be showered with the object of your mission. Cactrot's attack script starts with this sequence: "Bundling up something!", wait a turn, Blow Fish, wait a turn used 3 times in succession. This is followed by an ominous "Work load up 10 times!" message, a tense pause, then 10 Blow Fish thrown at you in rapid succession! Muahaha! Like any monster, its script will repeat from the top, but hopefully you've taken the cue to FINISH THE BATTLE. If you came with the right attack, the cactus should've been uprooted long before letting loose its barrage. Or if you're feeling creative, you can Charm Cactrot for a fifty-fifty chance of the lore: to get around its staggering M.Block, stop it using the Stunner SwdTech or the Stunner dirk with Sniper Sight, have Gau/Gogo use the NightShade Rage, wait for Charm to be cast, then Dispel Stop so Cactrot can use Blow Fish and so the Rager doesn't beat it down. Casting Cure on the poor cactus at some point isn't a bad idea, either, as you've cut into its meager 3 HP. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CleanSweep: There are two methods which are both subterranean, but hardly subpar: Meet Enuo in the caves leading to the Ancient Castle. It'll use CleanSweep 1/3 times each turn if it's the only enemy remaining. Alternatively, you can have Relm Control it, her Sketch it for a 75% chance of the lore, or Gau use his almighty Nightshade Rage to yield a 1 in 4 probability of CleanSweep. If Strago's onboard for the whole Ancient Castle endeavour, make sure he's alive and thriving while you fight the Blue Drgn. The beast will start the battle with CleanSweep, as well as using it every 80 global battle timer increments (which amount to roughly 42.67 real-time seconds). If the old mage is in this battle, chances are he's already learned the lore from Enuo, unless he was out to lunch or Moogle Charm was involved. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Condemned: There are only two ways to get this in the WoB. None of the WoR ways come particularly quickly (unless you happen to have Strago for the Veldt Cave and Allo Ver), so they're not making it into this section. The Zombone Rage will use Condemned, so take Gau and Strago to the Veldt as soon as you can in the WoB. Zombones can originally be found practically everywhere in the Cave to the Sealed Gate, excluding the first room and Basement 1 (the second room). If you know you'll be bringing Strago to the Floating Continent, have him alive and free of bad statuses for the Nerapa battle; that fiend will start the fight with it: on all 4 of your characters. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dischord: If you want this puppy in the WoB, you must be willing to roam the Veldt. You can head there as soon as you have Strago and the airship. Chaser will have a 1 in 3 chance of using Dischord as the 3rd turn of its 4-round normal attack script. You can also Muddle it for a 1/4 probability of seeing the lore each turn. If you want Chaser to turn up on the Veldt, be sure to get into a battle with it in Vector after the minecart ride. Telstar uses Dischord after every 3 times through its attack script, which amounts to after at least every 9 of its normal attacks (the alarm ringing will cause its script to reset from the top, so the actual wait will be closer to 13 attacks, or 17 rounds). Telstar is a monster-in-a-box at the Imperial Camp in Sabin's scenario. Specifically, it's the left chest in the tent that has 3 crates to the right and 2 MagiTek armors parked outside. Just enter every tent and open every chest, and you'll be fine. Assuming you've met all the available enemy groups in the WoB, Telstar will actually turn up on the Veldt slightly more often than Chaser. On the other side of the coin, you'll have to wait longer on average for Telstar to use Dischord in a given battle. Just make a point to learn it from whichever you encounter first, so you can save yourself some tedium. If you waited until the WoR, getting the Lore is very simple. Lizard has a 50% chance of using it when Muddled (Charm and Control are also grand, although I'm not expecting you to necessarily have them this early in the WoR). You can find Lizard in the grassy and forest areas on the strip of land between Nikeah and Mobliz. Crawler has a 1 in 3 chance of using it when it's the only monster remaining. This spikey foe is incredibly easy to find in the WoR overworld; just roam the dry land areas on the Narshe, Kohlingen, Doma Castle, or Maranda/Jidoor/Zozo continents, or on the northeast island (it has the crazy old man's house and dinosaur forest). Crawlers also turn up on the grass areas of the Maranda/Jidoor/Zozo continent. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Exploder: You can get this Lore right after Strago joins up. In the burning house, encounter a Balloon. Not hard, given you're surrounded by flames. *Thinking* flames that seemingly seek you out... It'll randomly use Exploder 1 in 3 times on the third turn in a 3-round script. Alternatively, you can Muddle it for a 50% chance of seeing the Lore. The quickest way is probably to hit Balloon with a Fire-elemental attack; there's a 1/3 probability of it retaliating with Exploder. Of course, few players' pride can handle the combination of setting out to learn a crappy Lore, then attacking Fire with Fire. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ForceField: There's only one way. Pasted from the previous section: ------------------- Doom will use it every 40 Monster Timer increments (which amounts to roughly 21.33 real-time seconds), after she has flashed and displayed the "Doom's aura is shaking!" message. That happens when Doom's HP drops to less than or equal to 32640 of its 63000 total. She only bothers to use ForceField a maximum of 8 times, as there are only 8 elements. ------------------- Doom can be reached with Party #1 in Kefka's Tower; take the left path in the room before Guardian with the three switches that must be pushed simultaneously. If you'd rather meet her with Party #3, have Party #1 take the right path instead. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GrandTrain: This Lore is actually tied into the storyline (yet weaker than the incidental Ultima; go figure), so you can fittingly only learn it from Strago's boyhood nemesis: Hidon. For you fans of classic television, Hidon:Strago :: The Gooch:Arnold Jackson. Hidon unleashes the locomotive (emphasis on "loco", baby) when alone -- after you kill all its Hidonites, and every time you finish the Hidonites off after they regenerate. Keep a Ribbon on Strago so bad statuses don't prevent him from soaking up knowledge. Should you mess up, don't fret; you can always repeat this fight by returning to Thamasa and talking to Gungho until he mentions that "Hidon's appeared at Ebot's Rock again!". See, much like any childhood insecurity, Hidon cannot simply be killed. How poignantly metaphorical of Square... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ L? Pearl: [Tag for Ctrl+F users: "L.? Pearl"] The quickest way really depends on how you progress through the WoR. If you go to the Phoenix Cave fairly early and have Strago with you in the party that fights the Red Dragon, use Sketch on it for a 25% chance of seeing L? Pearl. If you bring Strago to Cyan's dream, wait for Critic to use the lore randomly. You'll see it 1/3 of the time in its second attack round of three. Critic is found in the first portion of the dream: the trippy background with the gray platforms. Finally, there's good ol' Dark Force. You can reach it in Kefka's Tower with minimal preparation, especially if you hold the Moogle Charm (Atma's cell block is an easy place to find it with Party #2; see Section 7 for more info). See Paragraph 4 of Section 7 if you need help dealing with any accompanying Retainers (which you'll probably want out of the way ASAP). Dark Force will have a 1 in 3 chance of using L? Pearl in the 4th of its 7 attack rounds. Using Haste can speed up the process, and you may want to regularly Tincture the magically adept foe to avoid more battles with those loathesome dental appliances. Once again, I'm giving the nod to Dark Force, as you don't need to rely on multi-party cooperation, or bring Strago into a nightmarish event with no ability to Warp out. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ L.3 Muddle: Find a Trapper on the Veldt in the WoB as soon as you have Strago and the airship. Wait for it to use the Lore randomly (on the third turn of 3, there's a 1 in 3 chance of seeing it). Or for your safety, Muddle it. That will give a 1 in 4 probability of L.3 Muddle. Since Trapper only has 80 MP, you'll want to Tincture it somewhat regularly. Sketch brings the Lore quicker (75%) and doesn't drain MP, but you risk The Glitch (tm). While you're in this battle, try to pick up L.4 Flare and L.5 Doom. Trapper can originally be found on the stairs leading from the Magitek Factory to the Research Facility, and in Vector after the minecart ride. If you meet the Vector formation where Chaser turns into Trappers after defeat, you'll net a crazy amount of Lores in a single Veldt battle. If you know you're bringing Strago to the Floating Continent and would rather wait a little to get the Lore than piddle around on the Veldt: Apokryphos uses it as a random 1 in 3 counterattack (to non-fatal hits), provided there is only 1 monster remaining. Alternatively, it will use the lore 75% of the time when Sketched. Apok can be found anywhere on the continent before Atma Weapon. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ L.4 Flare: Find a Trapper on the Veldt in the WoB as soon as you have Strago and the airship. Wait for it to use the Lore randomly (on the second turn of 3, there's a 1 in 3 chance of seeing it). Or for your safety, Muddle it. That will give a 1 in 4 probability of L.4 Flare. Since Trapper only has 80 MP, you'll want to Tincture it somewhat regularly. While you're in this battle, try to pick up L.3 Muddle and L.5 Doom. Trapper can originally be found on the stairs leading from the Magitek Factory to the Research Facility, and in Vector after the minecart ride. If you meet the Vector formation where Chaser turns into Trappers after defeat, you'll net a crazy amount of Lores in a single Veldt battle. If you know you're bringing Strago to the Floating Continent and would rather wait a little to get the Lore than piddle around on the Veldt: Apokryphos uses it as a random 1 in 3 counterattack (to non-fatal hits), provided there is only 1 monster remaining. Apok can be found anywhere on the continent before Atma Weapon. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ L.5 Doom: Technically, the quickest way to learn this is by putting Strago and Setzer in a party in the WoB, and having Setzer use the 7-7-7 Slot. Using Master ZED's Random Number Generator hijacking, you should be able to get it with minimal frustration (see the Slots FAQ at http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com). Sure, Strago learning L.5 Doom from Joker Doom is a bug, but I've included the option anyway. Find a Trapper on the Veldt in the WoB as soon as you have Strago and the airship. Wait for it to use the Lore randomly (on the first turn of 3, there's a 1 in 3 chance of seeing it). Or for your safety, Muddle it. That will give a 1 in 4 probability of L.5 Doom. Since Trapper only has 80 MP, you'll want to Tincture it somewhat regularly. Sketch has a decent 25% probability and doesn't drain MP, but you risk The Glitch (tm). While you're in this battle, try to pick up L.3 Muddle and L.4 Flare. Trapper can originally be found on the stairs leading from the Magitek Factory to the Research Facility, and in Vector after the minecart ride. If you meet the Vector formation where Chaser turns into Trappers after defeat, you'll net a crazy amount of Lores in a single Veldt battle. If you know you're bringing Strago to the Floating Continent and would rather wait a little to get the Lore than piddle around on the Veldt: Apokryphos uses it as a random 1 in 3 counterattack (to non-fatal hits), provided there is only 1 monster remaining. Apok can be found anywhere on the continent before Atma Weapon. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pearl Wind [pasted from the previous section]: ----------------- Abolisher: Provided there's more than 1 monster remaining, it will always use Pearl Wind on the 3rd turn in a 3 round script. But since it only has enough MP for one casting, try to make sure Strago is alive and free of bad statuses (as detailed in Section 4) for the first time. You can Tincture the big bird if need be. ----------------- Abolisher can be found on the grassy mountain areas of The Espers' Gathering Place near Thamasa in the World of Balance. There's ZERO excuse not to learn the Lore here, as the game forces Strago into your blasted party. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pep Up: Saying you want to get this is assuming a lot, but I'll keep typing anyway.. Get Intangir's Rage as soon as you have the airship in the WoB (it can actually be great defensively if you Mute Gau), then have Gau use the Rage the first time he and Strago can fight side-by-side. Intangir can first be met on the tiny triangular island in the northeast corner of the map; you'll encounter it slightly more in the forests than on the plains. Alternatively, you can wait until the WoR: find a group of Muus (would "Mees" be the plural?) outside Kohlingen, and have Gau bust out the Nightshade Rage to yield a 50% probability of Pep Up when Charm takes hold. Sketch is slightly quicker at 75%, if you're willing to take the limited risk. Control is also grand if you have it. Or you can save some effort and simply wait for Muus to use it randomly. Provided there's more than 1 monster left, you'll see it 1/3 times *every* attack round (its normal script is only 1 turn long). You can hasten this by hitting it with non-fatal doses of the Magic command, which will also draw a 1 in 3 chance of Pep Up. I recommend meeting Muus on the dry land areas; it'll only turn up solitary on the grassy plains, and it takes longer to encounter in the forest. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Quasar: Doom is the only monster who provides ForceField, and you can't bring Strago to both Doom and Goddess without making 2 separate trips deep into Kefka's Tower. Thus, you should get Quasar from Dark Force. Venture a bit into Kefka's Tower to find Dark Force (Atma's cell block is an easy place to encounter it with Party #2; see Section 7 for more info). See Paragraph 4 of Section 7 if you need help dealing with any accompanying Retainers (whom you'll probably want to eliminate sooner than later). Dark Force will use Quasar randomly -- a 1 in 3 chance -- in the seventh turn of seven rounds (provided he doesn't voluntarily combust before that). Using Haste can speed up the process, and you may want to regularly Tincture the magically adept foe to avoid more battles with those loathesome dental appliances. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reflect???: There're only two options, and I'm listing both. :P Dark Force has a 1/3 chance of using it in the 3rd round of its 7-round attack script, meaning you might see it every 7 rounds, if he doesn't use Exploder. Using Haste can speed up the process, and you may want to regularly Tincture the magically adept foe to avoid more battles with those loathesome dental appliances. Atma's cell block is an easy place to find Dark Force with Party #2; see Section 7 for more info. Didalos uses it at the start of battle, and after every run through its script (so every 4 rounds), provided there's one or more character targets with Reflect status. You can find Didalos in the Gold Dragon's room (reached by Party #2) and the room with Guardian (it's after the room where you have to press three switches simultaneously, and any party can access it). Both enemies require a trip to Kefka's Tower: Didalos will have you trekking further into the tower, while Dark Force will have you waiting longer into a battle. I'm leaning towards Dark Force, but be prepared to deal with any Retainers who accompany it (see Section 7, the fourth paragraph if you need assistance with that task). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Revenge: Strago starts with it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rippler: Remove the Shadowy one from your troupe, and find a group of Reach Frogs in the WoR. The quickest way is in the forests near Maranda (though they're also on the grass outside Narshe or Maranda). Wait for them to cast Rippler. They have a 1 in 3 chance of using it on the third turn of a three round script. With four flying frogs in the fray, you'll see Rippler rather readily. For a gold star, say that last sentence ten times fast! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Roulette: As soon as you have Strago and the airship in the WoB, find a Pipsqueak on the Veldt, and Sketch it for a 75% chance of the Lore. I think the low risk of Sketch is worth it here, as you won't be able to get this Lore for awhile otherwise. Besides, this Lore just plain rocks if you get the aiming down (try pausing and unpausing the game; the attack *will* hit whichever enemy the cursor was aiming at when you pressed A). Pipsqueaks can originally be found in the Magitek Factory, on the stairs leading to the Magitek Research Facility, and in Vector after the minecart ride. Given how much territory all that entails, there's no way in hell you're missing them. Alternatively: if you don't trust Sketch and plan on bringing Strago to the Floating Continent, get to Nerapa QUICKLY (that means dispatching the Naughties fast, preferably by casting Imp on them). It'll counterattack with Roulette every 6 times you use the Fight command on it. Depending on your strength, you may want to bounce Cures onto Nerapa, or downgrade/remove your weapons right before the brawl. To make up for the time wasted, you might have to dispatch Nerapa efficiently: reflect Doom, Rage Rhodox, Rasp it to death, or summon Ramuh and Shiva, followed up by reflected Bolt 2s or Ice 2s. BTW, I highly recommend marching into Kefka's Tower early in the WoR to get the Veteran Rage, as it turns Gau into a killing machine, and Rage means you don't have to putz with the aiming. This is just a side note, as Strago should've learned this puppy a long time ago. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sour Mouth: It's all about the Oscars. No no, not the brown-nosing awards show that drags on for an eternity and singlehandedly sustains the $90,000 shoe market. No no, not the likable green fellow who grumbles before retreating into his haven of sweet, sweet trash. I'm talking those plants resembling pirahnae (although *anybody* would've guessed that..) The quickest approach is arguably to find a Mad Oscar in Daryl's Tomb. It's located in Basement 2 and Basement 3 -- in other words, anywhere but the first room. :) Sketch is the single fastest method, as it'll bring Sour Mouth 75% of the time. If you're wary of ze glitching, simply wait for the beast to use it randomly: it emits the noxious blast 1/3 of the time on its 2nd of 3 attack rounds. For the best mix of speed and bug safety, Muddle, Charm, or Control Mad Oscar. Muddle and Charm both have a 50% chance of yielding the Lore, and it shouldn't knock itself out of Muddle too often. Alternatively, you can learn it from an Evil Oscar. They're in many of the reddish areas of Kefka's Tower, including where you first land, so safety is just a hook away. Any of your three parties can meet them there. Evil Oscar will use Sour Mouth 75% of the time when Sketched. Like with Mad Oscar, you can resort to other methods if Sketch bothers you. It'll automatically use the Lore every turn if it's the only monster left. That and Muddle, with its 1 in 4 probability, are probably the best way to learn the attack from Evil Oscar here. Charm and Control also work fine, but if you've already gotten those abilities before coming here, you've also had plenty of time to learn Sour Mouth in Daryl's Tomb. I realize that's a lot of different "best" methods to learn a Lore, but since none is the clear-cut winner in my mind, I respectfully defer to you, the player. :D +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Step Mine: As soon as you have the airship and Strago in the WoB, find GreaseMonk in the grass or forest (preferably the former) near South Figaro or the plains outside the Returners' Hideout. Muddle (or NoiseBlaster, etc) him to see the Lore. There's a 50% chance he'll use it in that state. Be eternally grateful this feller's not in the Colosseum: he'd get some sort of award for the funniest metamorphosis. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stone: Strago starts with it. =============================================================================== Section 7 : ALL ABOUT DARK FORCE | \__________________________________-+ Most of you know Dark Force as the evil bagpipe-playing shriner whose pants chafe far too much. While that assessment is entirely accurate, this document regards the foe much more amicably. His diversified wrath can impart much knowledge upon that studious geezer, Strago. Dark Force uses an impressive 20 of the 24 total Lores. Strago starts with 3 of these, meaning he can learn up to 17 from this one enemy. Thus, contrary to what rumor mongers may say, Dark Force does NOT use every Lore besides Grand Train; nonetheless, he's still quite a resource. The philosophy of this guide is to learn each lore as soon as possible so that you can take advantage of it in the most situations. As Dark Force is in Kefka's Tower, I won't have you relying on him as a one-stop-shop. However, I still recommend learning a number of Lores from him in Section 6, and his unique status as Strago's cantankerous professor alone merits giving him his own section. Dark Force is also quite valuable to negligent players who put off Lore acquisition. You can find the combusting sorceror in most imperial castle-like locations of Kefka's Tower; that means nearly every room with a brownish gray tile floor except for Gold Dragon's lair (also, this does not include rooms in factory settings or with floor tiles completely covered by bumps; those areas are home to sinister robots!). The cell block containing Atma, reachable by Party #2, is an easy site for encounters. It's likely Dark Force will be accompanied by Retainers, whom you should kill ASAP. They use the nasty, lethal Tradeoff special as a final attack, so you'll want to adequately protect whoever defeats them. There are a few ways: - Vanish the character, using the spell, Phantom, or if they're Shadow or Gogo, by throwing the Inviz Edge. - Give the character Image status, by wearing Mirage Vest, using Fenrir, or if they're Shadow or Gogo, throwing the Shadow Edge. - Raise the character's M.Block really high. 128+ will make him/her untouchable by Tradeoff (and many other attacks). - Summon Golem. Enemy Specials are in the category of physical attacks that it blocks. - Imp Retainer, and his final Special will just get swapped out for Battle. - Slowing + Bserking the Retainers will avoid their Wind Slash and lessen their hits, but if you kill them quickly, it's really not needed. The following information was provided by Master ZED, and I've modified it slightly. Remember that Colosseum data is given ONLY for curiosity, as you can't learn Lores in that venue. ----------------------------------------------- All Lores Used: Aero Aqua Rake Blow Fish CleanSweep (Rage, Sketch - 75%, Control, Charm and Colosseum - 1 in 4) Condemned Dischord Exploder L? Pearl [Tag for Ctrl+F users: "L.? Pearl"] L.3 Muddle L.4 Flare L.5 Doom (script, Sketch - 25%, Control, Charm and Colosseum - 1 in 4) Pearl Wind (script, Control, Charm and Colosseum - 1 in 4) Quasar Reflect??? Roulette Revenge Rippler Step Mine Sour Mouth Stone (Note that any of the Lores listed above without parentheses are just used in Dark Force's normal script, which is listed below.) Rage : Battle, CleanSweep Sketch : L.5 Doom (25%), CleanSweep (75%) Control, Charm, Colosseum: Battle, L.5 Doom, CleanSweep, Pearl Wind NEVER Uses: Big Guard, ForceField, GrandTrain, Pep Up Won't use in normal attack script: CleanSweep ------------------------------------------------ Main script F0 8B 8C 8E : Random attack; Condemned, Roulette, Aqua Rake FD : End Turn F0 92 93 94 : Random attack; Revenge, Pearl Wind, L.5 Doom FD : End Turn F0 95 96 97 : Random attack; L.4 Flare, L.3 Muddle, Reflect??? FD : End Turn F0 98 99 CD : Random attack; L? Pearl, Step Mine, Launcher FD : End Turn F0 9B 9C A3 : Random attack; Dischord, Sour Mouth, Imp Song FD : End Turn F0 8F 90 A2 : Random attack; Aero, Blow Fish, Exploder FD : End Turn F0 9E 9F A0 : Random attack; Rippler, Stone, Quasar FF FF : End turn, end script =============================================================================== Section 8 : POCKET LORES GUIDE | \________________________________-+ This document was intended to be a departure from the Lore sections provided by other FAQs. However, I do see some appeal to those simpler sections, which usually just have each Lore listed with its MP cost, a brief description, and the names of the enemies who use or provide the Lore. Knowing which enemy to fight but not the exact method of extraction has a nice balance of limiting frustration and preserving challenge. Some players may not like the blatant hand-holding that goes on in my guide. :) However, the other guides are rarely complete as enemy options go (except for Skoobouy's "Lore Guide", and JJohnson's "Rages and Lores Guide" is dang close), and a number are still littered with the Dark Force LIES (Atom Edge's walkthrough and Skoobouy's doc are refreshing exceptions). So for those who prefer that type of layout featured in general guides, I've decided to follow suit and provide a compact section that covers every possible monster user. True to form, I'm not giving the MP cost or any description; _acquisition_ is my sole calling. :P ----------- Global Key: * Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. ----------- AERO: Dark Force, Doom Gaze, Harpiai, Harpy, Poltrgeist, Rhyos, Sprinter, Storm Drgn, Tyranosaur AQUA RAKE: Start with it. Actaneon, Anguiform, Blue Drgn, Chimera, Dark Force, Enuo, Number 024 *, Rhyos, Suriander, Ultros (Esper Mountain Cave), Vectagoyle BIG GUARD: EarthGuard, Guardian (Kefka's Tower), Mover BLOW FISH: Brainpan, Cactrot, Dark Force, KatanaSoul, Mover, Phase, Phunbaba (all 4 versions) +, Presenter (shell) + Strago can't face the first version of Phunbaba. You can't learn lores from the third one due to it using the "End Battle" script command when its HP <= 16350 and bypassing any victory messages (unless you manage to bring it from 16351+ HP to defeat in one attack; Offering helps). CLEANSWEEP: Atma, Blue Drgn, Dark Force, Enuo, Master Pug CONDEMNED: Allo Ver, Critic, Dark Force, Nerapa, Retainer, Skull Drgn, Sleep (3rd tier of final battle) #, Still Life, Veteran, Zombone # You can't learn Lores in the final battle; just given for curiosity. DISCHORD: Chaser, Crawler, Dark Force, Figaliz, IronHitman, Lizard, Scullion, Telstar, Kefka (Sealed Gate) ! ! Strago never faces, and you couldn't learn Lores in this battle anyway due to how it ends without victory messages. EXPLODER: Balloon, Bomb, Dark Force, Grenade, Junk, Pipsqueak, Repo Man, Scullion, Wart Puck FORCEFIELD: Doom GRANDTRAIN: Hidon L? PEARL [Tag for Ctrl+F users: "L.? PEARL"] : Critic, Dark Force, Dullahan *, Innoc, Red Dragon L.3 MUDDLE: Apokryphos, Dante, Dark Force, Goblin, Trapper, Ultros (Opera House) * L.4 FLARE: Apokryphos, Dark Force, Dueller, Goblin, Mag Roader (brown), Red Dragon, Trapper L.5 DOOM: Apokryphos, Dark Force, Didalos, Doom Gaze, Dueller, Goblin, Sky Base, Trapper. And (due to a bug) Setzer, who may not be an enemy, but is just as bad-ass. PEARL WIND: Abolisher, Curley, Dark Force, Girl (3rd tier of final battle) #, Harpiai, Ogor, Peepers, Sprinter, Storm Drgn, Vectaur # You can't learn Lores in the final battle; just given for curiosity. PEP UP: Intangir, Junk, Muus QUASAR: Dark Force, Goddess REFLECT???: Dark Force, Didalos, Dullahan * REVENGE: Start with it. Borras, Dark Force, Dragon, Gigantos, Pan Dora, Red Wolf RIPPLER: Blue Drgn, Dark Force, Gigan Toad @, Reach Frog @ Lacks the MP to use the Lore, and doesn't provide it via Sketch or Rage; just given for curiosity. ROULETTE: Critic, Dark Force, Nerapa, Pipsqueak, Veteran SOUR MOUTH: Dark Force, Evil Oscar, Mad Oscar STEP MINE: Brachosaur, Crawler, Dark Force, GreaseMonk, Intangir, Master Pug, Mesosaur, Pug, Tomb Thumb STONE: Start with it. 1st Class, Brawler, Dark Force, Guardian (Kefka's Tower), Iron Fist, Poppers, Prussian, Ultros (Esper Mountain Cave) ----------- Global Key: * Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it. ----------- =============================================================================== Section 9 : LORE WALKTHROUGH | \______________________________-+ This section is for those who like the company of old men, want the greatest rewards for the least amount of effort, and aren't too good at thinking for themselves. In other words, your average gold digger. :D Seriously, what follows is a walkthrough of sorts for Lore enthusiasts who make a point to put Strago in their party, and want to get the worthwhile Lores as soon as they can. To facilitate quick collection, the Lores are listed in the order in which you should acquire them. I don't bore you with details like, "The enemy has a 33% probability of using this attack every 4 turns," because that information can already be found in Sections 5 and 6, and somebody who's interested in learning all the Lores won't mind waiting a few rounds. Also in the spirit of brevity, if an enemy will use a Lore naturally or via the highly available Muddle (from the Magic spell, Edgar's excellent NoiseBlaster, the Stray Esper summon, Strago's Stone or Sour Mouth Lore, and Gau's Brawler Rage), I won't bother recommending Control or Charm, as you might not have those abilities for a given encounter. Unless Sketch is the only reasonable way to get a Lore, I rarely mention it here either; it requires you to put Relm or Gogo in your party, and it can trigger an evil glitch. I do recommend Sketch a couple times below; follow the recommendations at the end of Section 2, and you'll put your game save in little or no jeopardy. The upcoming list just has one, sometimes two, ways to acquire each Lore. Priority is usually given to better Lores, though inferior ones may be listed earlier if they're "on the way." If you crave more flexibility or detail in how to pick up Lores, consult Section 5 or 6. This is streamlined, baby. --------------------------- Before we jump into the Lore acquisition, some prerequisites involving enemies you should meet: 1. Open all the treasure chests in the desert Imperial Camp, which will ensure you meet Telstar. 2. Meet Trapper on the stairways after Ifrit and Shiva in the Magitek Factory. 3. Walk around Vector a bit after the minecart ride to meet Chaser. If it's the formation where Chaser turns into Trappers after being defeated, this is better yet. 4. Don't use garbage "No Encounter" cheats. Several of the enemy encounters below are on the Veldt, which assumes you passed through their native habitats in a normal fashion and met them in the first place. --------------------------- Onto the learning! 1. Exploder (Balloon, Thamasa, WoB) - Burning house; uses naturally, when Muddled, or as a counterattack to the Fire element. 2. Pearl Wind (Abolisher, Espers' Gathering Place, WoB) - Meet this foe on the grassy mountain areas. Just wait, and it'll use the lore. 3. Step Mine (GreaseMonk, outside South Figaro or Returners' Hideout, WoB) - Head here as soon as you have Strago and control of the airship, and fight in the grassy plains. Meet GreaseMonk, and Muddle him. 4. Roulette (Pipsqueak, Veldt, WoB) - Take Strago and Relm to the Veldt, find a Pipsqueak, and Sketch it. 5. Condemned (Zombone, Veldt, WoB) - Take Gau to the Veldt, Leap a Zombone once you find it, and have him use its Rage while in a party with Strago. 6. Dischord (Telstar or Chaser, Veldt, WoB) - Meet Telstar or Chaser on the Veldt. Either will use Dischord eventually, and Chaser can be Muddled to speed this up. If you're fighting Chaser and it turns into Trappers after being killed, you'll be able to pick up 3 more lores! 7. L.3 Muddle (Trapper, Veldt, WoB) - Find Trappers on the Veldt. They'll either be by themselves, or appear after you beat a Chaser. Muddle them, or just wait for them to use the lore. 8. L.4 Flare (Trapper, Veldt, WoB) - Find Trappers on the Veldt. They'll either be by themselves, or appear after you beat a Chaser. Muddle them, or just wait for them to use the lore. 9. L.5 Doom (Trapper, Veldt, WoB) - Find Trappers on the Veldt. They'll either be by themselves, or appear after you beat a Chaser. Muddle them, or just wait for them to use the lore. 10. Blow Fish (Brainpan, Floating Continent, WoB) - Muddle Brainpan to see this lore. Or you can kill everything else, and it'll use it itself. It's best to narrow things down to a lone Brainpan regardless, as it'll cease using Smirk (Strago can't learn lores while stopped). 11. L.3 Muddle (Apokryphos, Floating Continent, WoB) - Kill everything else. A lone Apok can use the lore as a counterattack against non-fatal hits. 12. L.4 Flare (Apokryphos, Floating Continent, WoB) - Kill everything else. A lone Apok can use the lore as a counterattack against non-fatal hits. 13. L.5 Doom (Apokryphos, Floating Continent, WoB) - Kill everything else. A lone Apok can use the lore as a counterattack against non-fatal hits. 14. Condemned (Nerapa, Floating Continent, WoB) - Make sure Strago doesn't have any bad statuses before you reach the end of the FC. Nerapa will start the fight with the lore. 15. Roulette (Nerapa, Floating Continent, WoB) - Counterattacks with this every 6 times it's hit with the Fight command. If your characters are behemoths, you might have to cure Nerapa or equip wimpy weapons to permit six strikes before killing it. 16. Blow Fish (Cactrot, outside Maranda, WoR) - As soon as you get Strago, head to the desert south of Maranda. Make sure you have at least one unblockable attack (Sniper Sight, Pummel, Dispatch, Drill, etc) at the ready. Right after the cactus uses Blow Fish once, finish the fight before it gets too enthusiastic. 17. Rippler (Reach Frog, outside Maranda, WoR) - Visit the forests near Maranda. Reach Frogs will use the lore on their own. 18. Aero (Harpy, Thamasa, WoR) - Grass or forest outside Thamasa. Uses naturally or while Muddled. 19. Sour Mouth (Mad Oscar, Daryl's Tomb, WoR) - Get past the first room and into Basement 2. Uses naturally or while Muddled. 20. Pep Up (Muus, outside Kohlingen or Daryl's Tomb, WoR) - Fight on the dry land. Muus will use the lore provided that it's not by itself. 21. Big Guard (EarthGuard, Solitary Island / outside Tzen / Veldt, WoR) - Give Relm RunningShoes or Marvel Shoes, then find and Sketch EarthGuard in the desert on the Solitary Island or near Tzen. If you're too afraid of Sketch, bring Gau (with Hasting relics) and Strago to the Veldt. Leap EarthGuard, and its Rage can teach Strago the lore. 22. CleanSweep (Enuo, cave to Ancient Castle, WoR) - Step into the caves that lead to the Ancient Castle; you needn't go far. Kill everything on screen except for one Enuo, and it'll bathe Strago (thankfully, there's no sponge involved). 23. GrandTrain (Hidon, Ebot's Rock, WoR) - Give Strago protective relics, preferably a Ribbon. Hidon will use the Lore when alone after you eliminate his Hidonites (the first time, and after they regenerate). If you botch this, don't worry; you can bring back Hidon by repeatedly talking to Gungho in Thamasa. 24. L? Pearl [Ctrl+F tag: "L.? Pearl"] (Critic, Cyan's Dream, WoR) - Found in the first portion of the dream: the trippy background with the gray platforms. Just wait for the girl and her lucky anteater to use the lore. 25. L? Pearl [Ctrl+F tag: "L.? Pearl"] (Dark Force, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Party #2, Atma's cell block, uses randomly (be patient). (Obviously, this is pointless if you brought Strago to Cyan's Dream.) 26. Quasar (Dark Force, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Party #2, Atma's cell block, uses randomly (be patient). 27. Reflect??? (Dark Force, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Party #2, Atma's cell block, uses randomly (be patient). 28. Big Guard (Mover, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Take party #2 to the room right after Atma's cell block. Steroidites mean you're in the right place. Slay all the Movers except for one to see the lore. 29. Reflect??? (Didalos, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Take party #2 to Gold Dragon's room, or any party to Guardian's room (which is after the room where you have to press 3 switches simultaneously). Didalos starts the battle with the lore, provided at least one of your characters is Reflected. If they aren't, cast Reflect on them, and the charioteer will try again soon enough. 30. Forcefield (Doom, Kefka's Tower, WoR) - Is cast when Doom's HP drops to less than or equal to 32640 of its 63000 total, as evidenced by the "Doom's aura is shaking!" message. She'll cast it approximately every 21 seconds, up to 8 times. Must be fought with party #1 or #3. =============================================================================== Section 10 : CREDITS | \______________________-+ To fully know who contributed what and when, you'll want to use the Revision History along with this section. The list of changes under a given version number will include people's input toward that version. Mnrogar for his great input in making Version 1.2. Also, for notifying me that Nightshades will be gone if you didn't take the opportunity to fight them before beating Chadarnook, and refreshing my fossilized mind on the fact that meeting Still Life is a necessity to reach Chadarnook. These questions were posed while making Version 1.0 (though sly bastard that I am, nobody KNEW I was writing a guide at the time..). Also for some feedback in my topic preparing for Version 1.58. Master ZED for his great input on Version 1.2, and for the information on where to meet Dark Forces (it's been awhile since my last playthrough, so I couldn't remember most places). Also for giving his opinion over IM on a few changes I was considering for Version 1.58 (see what was decided under Revision History), and for making sense of one of Novalia's suggestions in my feedback topic. :) Terii Senshi for allowing me to use an excerpt of his Algorithms FAQ in Version 1.2. MeepleLard for proofreading. SharkESP for proofreading. MalcolmMasher for his great input on Version 1.3. Also for a change he suggested many moons ago (also leading up to 1.3), but whose merits didn't sink into my skull until Version 1.58. ;) Clearwine for suggesting I add where to find monsters (most locations weren't mentioned prior to Version 1.3). Contemptus for suggesting I add a Lore Walkthrough in Version 1.4, providing a couple example entries, and giving solid feedback so I didn't bloat the section too much. Novalia Spirit for his great input on Version 1.58. Imzogelmo for confirming that lores won't be learned when a monster finishes the battle with an "End Battle" script command; that fact was incorporated into Version 1.58. Also for finding a typo. TimmyVermicelli for giving feedback in my GameFAQs topic about section headers. (in preparing for Version 1.58) Novalia Spirit, Imzogelmo, and Djibriel for responding to my layout and footnote questions in the Mnrogar.com thread (and Imzo even withstood a followup email exchange that gave analysis a new name). Sure, I might have ignored some of their advice, but thoughtful replies are always valued. ;) (in preparing for Version 1.58) MeepleLard for voting on his preferred Section 5 table layout via AIM, and ArmorVil, bcks, Dragonsbrethren, Hollywood Narrator, Rabite, and alphasmart3000 for voting for table layout(s) in my GameFAQs topic. (in preparing for Version 1.58) Dragonsbrethren for giving feedback toward Version 1.58 in the Mnrogar.com thread. Karpah, TwistidSoul, BoyOfDestiny, PapaGamer, Drunky, Crazyreyn, FecalLord, Scottie theNerd, LinkFanatic, and Relle for giving feedback in my GameFAQs topic about shortening the giant revision history present in Version 1.58. Master ZED, Terii Senshi, Atom Edge, Mnrogar, Mynock, and Skoobouy for all the fine FAQs I mentioned in the introduction. Lord J for making FF3usME, which I used to view monster scripts to make the "Uses in battle" subsections, and to view monsters' Muddle/Charm attack slots so I could determine their probabilities. Master ZED for his extensive work in script decoding, which made it possible for others to understand what those crazy critters are up to under the hood. Also for his Monster Statistics Guide, which I used in making the "Rage / Sketch / Control / Muddle / Charm" subsections. Terii Senshi for the most updated command script documents. Their sites can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/pq/jumparound , http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com , and http://www.rpglegion.com , respectively. Zelgaddis for indirectly inspiring the creation of this document: in a GameFAQs thread, he said that another guide I was working on (a Rage Guide, now defunct; I was in over my head, and Djibriel's guide kicks its vaporous ass to the moon anyway) will obsolete the Rages and Lores FAQ. When I replied that wasn't quite the case, as my document would not have Lore info, I decided to tackle the acquisition of Lores in their own FAQ. :) =============================================================================== Section 11 : REVISION HISTORY | \_______________________________-+ Version 1.58 : June 2005 through March 25 2006 (worked on and off) - June 12: Started a thread on Mnrogar.com containing some corrections and improvements for the guide (which I probably came up with shortly before posting), and seeking more feedback. - mid June through early September: the thread collected all sorts of corrections and suggestions from helpful forum goers. Renewed activity in December thru March, and got some more feedback, largely on layout. - This update isn't as big as the below would suggest. :O It just takes a lot more space to list gobs of little miscellaneous changes than it does a few sweeping ones (e.g. "Added monster locations", "Added a new section"). - November 13-17, 21, 25, 27, 29; December 3-4, 10-11, 16-27; January 1-2, 7, 14, 24-29, 31; February 1, 4-8, 12-13, 18-19, 23-28; March 3-5, 9-18, 21-25: Finally started working all these changes into the guide (plus a few more inspired in the process). They follow below. - Added that Setzer teaching L.5 Doom via Joker Doom is a bug. Advocating it as a learning method without mentioning that was irresponsible. - Realized that the effective chances of Muddle and Charm hitting a zero M.Block target aren't quite identical to the spells' hit rates, and corrected that claim in Section 2. - In Section 5, Apokryphos' entries for L.3 Muddle and L.4 Flare were missing the "to non-fatal hits" clarification. Added it. - Adjusted my near-blanket condemnation of other guides' Lore acquisition info to exempt Skoobouy's Lore Guide. :) It's quite accurate and actually predates my guide by a bit (it fell off the planet for awhile, which is why I hadn't acknowledged it sooner). Also added his document to Section 2. - Incorporated Novalia Spirit's changes: - Clarified that Veteran will randomly counter the Magic command with Roulette whether the spell came from your party or the enemies', and said why that was helpful to know. - Pointed out that you can't use Muddle proper on GreaseMonk nearly as early as you can NoiseBlaster. My wording in Section 5 had sort of implied otherwise, so I cleaned that up and elaborated. - Replaced erroneous comment in Section 6 saying that Doom Gaze always Escapes on its fourth turn, as he'll randomly do Nothing 1/3 of the time instead. - Came up with a way to Charm Cactrot, which I had said couldn't be done, and wouldn't have realized myself in a million years... Corrected Section 5 accordingly, and later added method to Section 6. - In Section 9, changed "L.? Pearl" to "L? Pearl", as that's what the game calls the lore, and then added a "L.? Pearl" tag for Ctrl+F users like I have in other sections. - Added the Stray summon to the list of Muddling options in Section 9. - Added the counterattack method as a way to get Exploder from Balloon in Section 9, as it's simple to do and doesn't bloat the description. - Added more ways for dealing with Retainers to Section 7: high M.Block, Fenrir, Golem, and Imping them. - Expanded/clarified one of my "Won't Learn Lore" entries in Section 4, as it was overly narrow. - Added a new "Won't Learn Lore" circumstance to Section 4: battle ended by a timer. Also added footnotes for Nerapa in Section 5, for players who dare to dawdle. - Made some changes endorsed by Master ZED: - Added Harpiai as a way to learn Aero in Section 6. - Dropped Dark Force as a way to learn CleanSweep from Section 6. Blue Drgn is kept for Moogle Charmers, and Enuo is a better choice for everybody else. Between those two, there is no compelling reason to retain Dark Force. - Replaced a semi-crude comment. The new line is arguably more crude, but it lacks the borderline mean-spiritedness the prior one had. Ah, the best of both worlds. - Tidied up the section headers by moving the titles up to the same line as the section numbers. - Added notes in Sections 5 and 8 that Strago can't fight the first version of Phunbaba. - Added the following to Section 6: Sketch as a way to learn Blow Fish from Brainpan, Sketch as a way to learn L.3 Muddle from Apokryphos, and Control as a way to learn Pep Up from Muus. There was no good reason for leaving these out -- especially when I recommended Sketch and Control in comparable entries elsewhere in the section -- given that there's enough info available on the Sketch bug for Sketchers to avoid it, and FakeMustache is fairly easy to obtain. - Also in Section 6, indicated the chances of Apokryphos using the L.X lores as counterattacks (before, I had just said "random"). - Corrected error in Section 5 on Junk's chances of using Pep Up when Muddled/Charmed: they're 1 in 4, not 1 in 3. - Throughout the document, fixed the chances of a monster using an attack when Muddled/Charmed. Before, I had the probability as (Number of slots the attack is in / Total number of valid slots), as I had assumed that like characters, monsters wouldn't "pick" an empty slot. Well, they can, which results in a neighboring valid slot having a "weighted" probability (Section 2 now explains how this all works). Many monsters are unaffected by this change, as they have four valid Muddle/Charm/Control/Colosseum slots. - Belatedly incorporated MalcolmMasher's change: - Converted the Muddle/Charm chances in Section 5 (and some in Section 6) to percentages. Way back when, he pointed out that giving Sketch chances as percentages and Muddle/Charm chances as fractions was a bit inconsistent. I defended this on the basis that the Sketch slots are weighted, whereas Muddle/Charm slots each have an equal chance of being chosen. Unfortunately, the change above this shows the latter was plain wrong :P , and that a fear I had of repeating decimals (like 33.333%) is irrelevant. - Realized the multi-part final battle does not teach lores, due to its unique transitions and conclusion (both lacking victory messages). Likewise for monsters who end battles with a script command rather than dying or running (this finding bolstered by Imzogelmo's analysis of the code). Expanded Section 4 to include the different battle endings, and added appropriate notes to the Girl, Sleep, Sealed Gate Kefka, and Phunbaba #3 enemies in Sections 5 and 8. - Various improvements involving the "Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddle, Charm" tables in Section 5: - De-parenthesized the footnote symbols next to the enemy names. Now they look cleaner and match the table cells. - Upon Imzogelmo's suggestion, got rid of the dotted lines around monster names. It looks better this way, and makes sense because the enemy names were never meant to be table cells anyway, but table headers. - Narrowed the tables a bit, and reduced space between them and the enemy names. - Got rid of the tables' column borders, because the eye shouldn't stray without them unless you're highly intoxicated, and a full grid was kind of visually busy. - In Section 5, added symbols next to some enemies to indicate Strago will/may not be in the party for your first meeting: Zombone under Condemned, Pipsqueak under Exploder, and Doom Gaze under Aero and L.5 Doom. - Gordon Lightfoot is no longer hospitalized for health problems, and is performing concerts. I repeat, Gordon Lightfoot is touring! Updated Section 13 accordingly. - Updated warning on Sketching Intangir in Section 5 to be more correct. - Footnotes improved in Section 5! Specifically, two areas: - "Won't have Strago in party for first meeting" (or something similar) was noted for lots of enemies. A pointless reminder because it's obvious to the player that Strago isn't in the party, and most of these enemies can be revisited in their native areas (e.g. by using the airship) once he is enlisted. Replaced the footnote with "Strago can encounter it only on the Veldt" for the enemies where it holds true, and created a "Will be missed entirely if you don't bring Strago along" footnote. - "Won't have ability for first meeting" (or something similar) was indicated in any table cell corresponding to an ability and a monster the party would meet before acquiring that ability. Too bad that in many cases, like Bomb and EarthGuard, absence of Sketch (for instance) is rendered moot by a *lack of Strago*. For that matter, a footnote isn't really needed whenever you can revisit an enemy on its home turf after obtaining Strago and the ability in question. Replaced the footnote with "Will have to hit the Veldt to use ability on enemy" for the cases where it holds true. This reduces clutter, and should be of greater use to readers, as now only meaningful footnotes remain. - Also in Section 5, changed "Will never have Strago in party while facing" footnote to "Listed for completeness only, as Strago cannot meet it" for emphasis. - With Imzogelmo's help, standardized use of footnote symbols throughout Section 5, and got rid of double symbols (e.g. "**") there and in Section 8, as they were never necessary with all the single symbol options. - In Section 5's "Uses in battle" subsections, moved the information about enemies lacking the MP to use a Lore out of the main descriptions and into footnotes. Done to make presentation more consistent. - Rewrote Section 2's footnote descriptions to account for the above changes. - Added custom footnotes to Bomb and Grenade under Exploder in Section 5, because (re)visiting these enemies works differently than with others. - Added some indentation in Section 2 to better show separation. - Expanded talk of Muddle's hit rate in Section 2 to include alternative methods of inflicting Muddled status. - Changed any explanations of dealing with Retainers in Section 6 to just point to Section 7, as constantly repeating multiple strategies is pointless. - Added Phantom as one of the ways to vanish yourself to protect from Retainer's Tradeoff. - In Sections 5 and 6, revised description of how frequently Telstar casts Dischord to account for the alarm ringing resetting its script. - In Section 9, expanded on how to avoid the Sketch bug, as more's been learned about it since this guide was last updated. Then moved it to Section 2, as the topic's really not specific to Section 9. - Throughout Sections 6 and 5, got rid of a redundancy when describing how often a monster will use a Lore in its attack script. - Various minor changes (mainly in layout and formatting) that were too petty to list here. - Egads, I've been typing a long time. I'm bumping the version number up from the planned 1.5 to 1.58. I'll stop short of 1.6, in deference to the groundbreaking 1.0 -> 1.2 transition. Version 1.4 : July 8 through September 29 2004 (worked on and off) - Note that most of these changes were done by mid to late August, but I dragged my feet on bringing them all together and proofreading. - Fun fact: September 29 marks one year since some evil little slattern declared she was better than me and ended our friendship. Ah, but are you better at writing Super NES game guides?! I think not. - Removed a typo which Mnrogar pointed out in the most vile and insulting way possible. :) - Removed text that wrongly suggested you could run from Cactrot and still learn Blow Fish that battle. - Added Section 8, a "Pocket Lores Guide". Inspired by other FAQs. - Incorporated Contemptus' change: - Added Section 9, "Lore Walkthrough". - Very minor formatting changes to make the section headers more uniform. Version 1.3 : June 21, June 22, and July 4 through July 6 2004 - Incorporated MalcolmMasher's changes: - Replaced erroneous note saying Strago could never meet Presenter. - I'd been stumped as to how you could fatally hit Balloon with a Fire elemental attack; Debilitator is the answer. - Revised advice about using Imp on Number 024. - Gave into the allure of becoming a bonafide GameFAQs contributor, then performed the joyous conversion to 79-column lines. - Incorporated Clearwine's change: - Added monster locations to Section 6. Version 1.2 : March 27 through March 31, April 10, April 19, April 24, April 26, June 18, and June 21 2004 - Incorporated Mnrogar's changes: - Caught a couple spelling errors, and several grammar errors. - Got me to include all sorts of missing punctuation. - Advised me to rewrite part of ForceField description so it was clear that Doom CHOOSES to only use it eight times. - Gave description of how to learn Big Guard from Mover, whom I'd previously snubbed in Section 6 due to it being in Kefka's Tower. - I had stated that Strago couldn't learn both Quasar from Goddess and ForceField from Doom; Mnrogar kindly reminded me that isn't technically the case. - Convinced me to add a section for learning conditions. - Converted the Rage, Sketch, Control, Muddled and Charm information of Section 5 into tabular form. Should be far more readable now. - Scrapped most mentions of the Colosseum, as Strago cannot learn Lores there. - Created a "Conditions for Learning Lores" section, pasting Terii Senshi's description from Section 8.0 of the Algorithms FAQ. - Incorporated Master ZED's changes: - Added section titles from the Table of Contents to the actual sections themselves, so as to make life easier for users of Ctrl+F. - Convinced me to add a section on Dark Force, and provided the necessary information to do so. - Provided how to break Charm's hold, which I'd omitted in the introduction. - Section 6's advice on how to dispense of the Retainers found with Dark Force was lacking, and arbitrarily given only under Quasar and Reflect???. :P ZED told me to paste the Retainer strategies for all applicable Lores, and reminded me that Image is a great way to dodge their wrath. - Advised to cast the Remedy spell rather than Dispel on Strago when Brainpans Smirk him. It's cheaper, and won't remove beneficial statuses. - Pointlessly delayed for over a month, then read through it again. Fixed a few minor errors, expanded and reorganized the "Conditions for Learning Lores" section, and rephrased a few random sentences throughout the guide. - Skipped Version 1.1. A mere +0.1 would be an affront to the improvement of the century! +0.2, on the other hand, captures its all-transcending nature perfectly.. Version 1.0 : March 13 2004 through March 26 2004 - Decided to make guide on March 13, or a day or two before. - Started work on the 13th, and actually moved along at a decent pace, which is uncharacteristic of me. I would have finished even faster, were it not for that blasted schoolwork.. =============================================================================== Section 12 : CONTACT METHODS | \______________________________-+ Find me on the GameFAQs Final Fantasy 6/3us message board, reachable via: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/game/554041.html or on Mnrogar's Den: http://www.mnrogar.com Please DON'T mistake the absence of an email address for me not wanting to be contacted! Given the amount of spam my email accounts receive and how seldomly I check them as of late, I'm MORE likely to see a message posted on GameFAQs. Just give it a clear title ("Funny..." and "Hlep me!@!" don't qualify), and I'll be chewing your ear off in no time. ;) I've been on GameFAQs for over five years, and it's been up for over ten; neither of us is going anywhere. Conversely, a listed email address is *hardly* a sign of availability. You just TRY contacting half the FAQ authors about their (abandoned) works, and tell me how many flips of the egg timer are made before you give up waiting for a response... For FF6/FF3us, Secret of Evermore, and Zelda 3 goods, be sure to visit my website: http://www14.brinkster.com/assassin17/ OR http://assassin17.home.comcast.net/ =============================================================================== Section 13 | \____________-+ Jim Croce (R.I.P.) and Gordon Lightfoot are stellar singer/songwriters. ...Ain't that the truth! Since there's no way to bring back Jim (who left in his prime, damnit!), modern music's only hope is that Gordon continues touring, and his latest CD, "Harmony", becomes omnipresent. And on that note, I must slip off into the sunset on a carefree highway, movin' ahead so life won't pass me by. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document is copyright (c) 2004-2006 Assassin. No portion may be reproduced or retransmitted. It may not be altered in any way. It may not be printed and set afire, not even for survival purposes. This document is intended solely for personal use; personal pleasure is purely optional, and is no way an obligation of the author. Should the reader of this olde contract possesseth a Y chromosome, said pleasure is strictly prohibited. Any site that wishes to publish the guide must first obtain express written permission from the author (see Section 12 for contact information).