User:Dilsency/Guide/Breath of Fire/III/1


 * Spoilers.

Intro

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So if you waited around on the main menu, you'd have seen those two dudes talking about dragons for some reason. If you haven't, go do it. It kind of sets the mood for the beginning of the game.

Create a new save and name your character. I usually use the default name as it is that the game designers had in mind while making it. Feel free to name him "Jerk" if you want to, but I'll be referring to him as "Ryu".

Pyromania

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So the two dudes (Gary and Mogu btw) talk about the huge crystal and how they should blow it up. And they do. What they didn't expect to find was the dragon somehow living in it. And boy is it angry.

So to start off, I should just say that none of the battles in this first segment can be won without using the ability "Whelp Breath", and that you will counter all attacks with said ability. Due to this I will not give you battle info as all battles will be won after the first round regardless, even though you're technically fighting a lot of bosses. Prepare to see a lot of burning corpses btw.

So after the first homicide, examine one of the bodies to find a Melted Blade. It'll be handy when you have hands (spoilers!).

As there is no other treasure to speak of, simply continue through the mine to progress. There are some optional battles to be fought if you'd like, but there really is no point unless you like to see more people set on fire.

So you'll end up outside the giant dragon skull we saw in the intro, and will be assaulted by the foreman. But you'll be, for some to me unexplained reason, unable to kill these two like you've done the other 6 people you just met, and will be suckerpunched by a crane. Ouch.

After your defeat you will be abducted and put in a cage like an animal, ready to be transported by train to a completely unknown location. After you regain consciousness, start wiggling the d-pad like crazy to fall down the hill like a madman.

Big bro

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We find ourselves in Cedar Woods, watching an anthropomorphic tiger stalk a boar behind a bush, but due to you falling down from a mountain his target is scared off. The tigerman (known as Rei) investigates your crash site to find a naked youngin' on the dinner menu of two currs (the hyenas of Breath of Fire?). After seeing that his throwing knife missed the target completely, he gives them both a good smacking and leaves you to your doom. After having a second of doubt however, he carries you back home with him like a good feline.

Back in his ridiculously large house for an orphan we meet the other brother from another mother, Teepo (who should really get a haircut). After B-ing about how Rei can't put food on the table, they put Ryu to bed, then leave the infant alone in the woods as he has hallucinatory dreams probably out of fear and loneliness.

The two ghosts of Christmas visit him, telling him to trust no one and drive safe. After he wakes up, we save (at the diary in the room), and go downstairs and check both drawers to find a Vitamin and a Worm.

Outside, you can talk to the two monsters who will be very unhelpful, then open the chest to the East (top right) to find a Skill Ink. Check to the North West of the chest to find a bag with an Ammonia hidden by the trees. Go to the South and examine the pond to find an endless supply of Croc Tear, and if you go to the spot you fell down from (to the west from the house) you can find the first Green Apple behind the tree, and the second if you look to the South of the cage. Exit the forest and enter the village.

Cozytown

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When you approach the village, you'll see Rei and Teepo being chased out of some poor woman's house they've been trying to rob, laughing like maniacs in the process. Once they notice the kid in pajamas they had abducted, they come up with the great idea to turn him into a criminal as well, instead of leaving him to the social services.

Of course you'll do no good without some armor (which makes absolutely no sense if you're aiming for stealth), so Rei decides to rob a weapon store for some protection (no, not that kind). This is also the only time in the game you'll get something for free. These robbers suck.

While Rei is busy ruining the community, Teepo freaks you out by calling Ryu by his name despite no introduction. He suggest that he might have dreamed it, and despite this being a sentence of no importance, keep this in mind for way later in the game. Anyway, Rei gets the attention of the store owner and you're all forced to flee to the Farm five meters over, completely losing all possible assailants.

Scarecrow

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Having fled from imprisonment, we find our favorite blue-haired boy in a suit of armor (still with that ridiculous haircut, which somehow looks good in artwork and on his portrait). Rei and Teepo urge you to go down to the Yraall Road in order to steal from travelers. You might ask yourself why they won't just steal from the billion of farmers around, but apparently the harvest and taxes has gotten so bad that they're all in poverty. Sad. What is funny though is that you can gain zenny at any time by using to slash them with your sword. The effect is random and you'll gain so very little that it's never worth the effort, but still.

Our destination is just down the road, but we won't go there just yet. You can talk to the farmers if you like, they'll tell you about the monster up on the mountain that keeps killing off their cattle, and how the mayor is a greedy S.O.B. I'm starting to get some Robin Hood-vibes up in this B. Talking to the scarecrow will reveal that you either have psychic powers or is a complete lunatic. I'm putting my money on the latter.

Anyway, go back to town and look to the very left of the entrance. You can't see it, but the small passage next to the bushes leads to a Vitamin. You can buy equipment if you feel like it, but there's no need yet and you still don't have any money, so you can ignore the fact that the store owner doesn't recognize Rei on the spot, despite him being sort of unique to this world. The cupboard inside the item store has a Molotov</tt>, by the way.

Look inside the cupboard of the houses to find a Healing Herb</tt> and a Antidote</tt>. Go back to the farm, take the East road and go into the nearby hut. Opening the drawer nets you another Vitamin</tt>. Nothing else to do here besides talking to NPCs, so return to the farm and take the Eastern exit.

Hidin'

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Since this is the first time you actually have playable characters, I think its time we introduce the fellas! First, we have the boy with the freakishly inconsistent hairstyle.

Next up, the golden furry.

And finally, the boy whose gender we all have questioned.

So, time for the first actual battles of the game! Actual meaning that you'll get a ghastly Game Over if your characters die, so try to avoid that. If you've read the above enemy table (which you should have), you'd notice that all but one enemy in this area teaches Skills. To make things simpler in the long run, you'll want to learn them all (except for Unmotivate, which is useless). As explained in the intro, you'll do this by using Examine on the enemy and hope it uses the Skill.

After you've done so (it might take a while), run down to the main road. The thieves will mention a place named Wyndia, which you'll go to later. Anyway, run up to the bushes (if I recall correctly, that hand-target is only used once or twice throughout the entire game) and hide.

Before long, the woodsman you might have seen earlier (Bunyan, by the way) walks by all innocent and what not, so the team decides to attack him (poor guy). Instead of doing the clever thing and jump him together, they decide to send out Ryu, the infant (what can he be, 10?). Of course their ingenious plan fails (inconceivable!), but Bunyan can't punish a child so he lets him off with a warning. In response to his kindness, the team decides to break into his house. I'm really starting to doubt which team to cheer on.

Before you leave, look to your right to find a whopping 40z</tt> (no sarcasm detected). If you missed it the first time, Bunyan lives in the Cedar Woods, so just backtrack back into the forest.

Thievin'

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As you enter, you may notice how there are now enemies. They are exactly the same ones you've fought earlier though, so they shouldn't be that much of a problem. A general tip is to never run away from the enemies you can fight, especially not when you have Rei to steal some goodies for you.

Go to the most South Eastern place of the map to find Bunyan's hut, unless you're in the wrong part of the woods that is. The door is locked, but switching to Rei using L1 allows you to pick the lock. Nifty.

The team spreads out in the cabin, and though Rei urges you to stay quiet knocks over a plate with his tail. What a klutz. I wonder how they ever got anything done. Anyway, the top floor is empty, so use the ladder in the back to enter the cellar. Inside the cupboard is a Beef Jerky</tt>, which'll surely come in handy later. I like how the newbie is a better burglar than the thieves-4-life, but I digress.

The team gather downstairs, only to hear loud noises from above, signifying the homecoming of Bunyan. Rei offers to check it out, but the cat-yelp hints toward him messing things up again. Teepo follows, and Ryu is left alone. You can't just leave your friends in danger, can you? Follow them outside only to get knocked out. T-these guys are actually useless!

Bunyan ties everyone up and begins giving ya'lls a lecture. Finally justice is being served! He ends the speech by whispering tenderly into Rei's ear, sending him off to the mountain up North West. Hmm, where have we heard that place being mentioned before? Anyway, with Ryu and Teepo being left alone, it's time for Bunyan to take advantage of some child labor. Seems like he wasn't so goody-goody after all. Time for the first minigame!

Teepo thinks actual labor excuses his past crimes, for which Bunyan sets him straight. You tell him, ! Since you can't just leave your friend all lonely on that chilly mountain, we're going to help him out. With only the two weakest party members this is going to be slightly harder, but hopefully you didn't escape the battles so far, so you should be fine. Leave the forest through the nearest exit.

Travelin'

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Unless you highly overestimate yourself you should be fine here. Just make sure you go into this area in tiptop condition, that is by camping before entering. Keep Teepo's health in check with Ryu's Heal, and if Ryu's HP or AP is running out just Snooze.

In groups featuring Eye Goos, remember to always target those first as they will likely go down in one hit, but may still inflict unwanted damage on your party. As with the previous locations, Teepo should target any Goo with Blind.

Right off the bat you'll see a large boulder being held up by a smaller rock. Use L1 to switch to Teepo, and use to Kick the smaller rock out of the way, causing the boulder to plummet into the stream. Take advantage of the lowered water to find a Weather Vane</tt>. I personally never use attack items, but seeing as you can clear the game just fine without them you may use them whenever you feel like it. I won't judge.

As you progress East you'll find plenty of small rocks lying around. Use Kick and examine the hole on the rocks in the center, East and North to get a Vitamin</tt>, 120z</tt> and a Coin</tt> respectively. In the tree next to the last rock is a chest with an additional 80z</tt>.

This area is relatively short, so should only have time to get into around 4-5 encounters unless you get lost somehow. I usually just escape every battle out of fear, but you're going to be the bigger man/woman and fight your way through. The exit is in the North West.

Climbin'

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This place looks a bit more confusing than it is (don't worry, except for a certain desert later, none of the locations in this game are especially hard to navigate), but I'll guide you through it. At the start, circle counter-clockwise to find yourself an Antidote</tt>. Return to the bridge and from there go directly North West to a steep hill. If you look to the left you'll see a path going up to the top.

From here you're going to want to slide down the hill no less than two times to find a Heavy Caro</tt> and a Cloth Shield</tt>. If you aim for the blotches at the right-hand side of the hill you should get there just fine.

Proceed to the East over the bridge to initiate a cutscene. Since it has now gotten dark Teepo suggests for you to rest at the nearby cabin (boy, that's convenient (unless he's been here before, that is)). And imagine our surprise when Rei is there too! That wasn't a very long solo mission, was it? Just be glad our party's reunited.

We find out that Rei was sent here to kill the monster that has been screwing up the town, and that the children were being held for their own safety rather than as hostages. That only makes me wonder why he let them go in the end. Anyway, Rei hints towards some mysterious power he possesses, one that he can only use when he's alone. Since we showed up that plan is down, so the party goes to sleep.

Good morning Vietnam! Is there a nicer way to wake up than to have a giant monstrosity pounding on your front door? I think not, so here we go!

Yay! Landmark! Before we go after the beast, go inside the cabin again and rest up. Afterwards, approach the dragon statue (the one of two in the game for some strange reason) to save. Go up, but don't go into the cave just yet. Go around the cliff to the left to find a Vitamins</tt>. Now enter the caverns.

Cavin'

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Adventure! No? Ok.

Start off by ignoring the blood all over the cave (wow, that's graphic). Take the first fork to the North West and enter the room. Examine the hill of bones (whoa) to find a Bent Sword</tt> and the bag next to it to find a <tt>Molotov</tt>.

Return to the main road and follow the trail of blood into a new room, only to find out that the track ends by the water. Examine the corpse (geez) for <tt>200z</tt> and leave. Teepo will figure out that the monster must have jumped into the water to escape (duh, where else would he have gone?), but since they are complete fools they didn't notice the huge opening upstream. So we'll have to get to the top.

Return to the main road and go forth just a few meters, before going into the first opening to the South East. Examine the corpse (what's wrong with this game?) to find a <tt>Ballock Knife</tt>. Continue up and take the next South Eastern fork to find another corpse, this one holding a <tt>Talisman</tt>. It increases your resistance to abilities using the Death stat, which isn't very many of them (I think Gloom might use it). Equip it on anyone, I don't care. About the Talisman, not you. I love you.

Take the only path left to find yourself further up from the entrance to that opening we saw earlier. Teepo wants us to jump into the stream to float gently down to the spot, completely ignoring the very possible chance of us being crushed against rocks and drowning. Oh Teepo, you daredevil. Rei asks if this is a wise decision, which it's not, but since we don't have anything left to do here, roll with the insanity. Rei wants the infant to go first, what a hero. Approach the edge and jump off. Geronimo!

Somehow landing safely inside the cave beneath the waterfall (how???), we quickly dry off and throw caution to the wind. Now is a good time to use those Berries and Healing Herbs if you are injured, as we are attacked as we try to go deeper. Fight for my honor, disciples!

After the battle, the Nue will throw itself backwards and position its dead body like a statue over the entrance. Weird. Approach the Nue to go through it (ew) and into the cave it was guarding with its life. We find out that the he-Nue was a she-Nue (plot twist!), and was only trying to feed its cubs by bringing them cattle from the village. Even though they were all dead. This game.

With our mission completed, go back through the Nue (ew) and out into the stream. Jump into the waterfall (wait, I thought that was the thing they were just afraid of might happen? They have literally no idea of how this stream looks. Write this down on the list of "dumb ways to die", disciple) and find yourself miraculously unharmed. You guys, you. Having me worry over nothing.

Bunyan appears right on time (what the hell, has he just stood here waiting? Couldn't he have helped, he looks really burly. If Ryu, the infant malnourished orphan, can fight, couldn't the grownup lumberjack?) to tell you that this is what real work looks like, and that we have made it possible for spring to return to the forest, bringing with it animals and good times. Apparently Bunyan knew that the Nue was trying to feed its children, and apparently Rei seems to think that this makes a difference and apparently Bunyan asks straightforward questions that are supposed to be rhetorical. This game.

Mission Completed
This brings an end to the first chapter of our journey, dear disciples. Do not fret, we'll meet again on the very next page.