Table of Contents Shrine location....................[HBSLOC] Elemental Shrines and Orbs.........[HBSORBS] Preparing an Attempt...............[HBSPREP] The Actual Walkthrough.............[HBSLV01] through [HBSLV13] This is version 1.0 of this guide, so please pardon its rough nature. Feel free to use any portion of this guide however you like provided you credit it to me, Sakura Hikari, alias "Tamrael". (ignore the GameFAQS account name) Comments and questions on things within the scope of this guide welcome at: nightsilver (at) san (dot) rr (dot) com Include something about the Holy Beast Shrine in the message title. -- What is the Holy Beast Shrine? Simply, a location with several high-test Golems ripe for the plucking. It requires extreme character strength to even get to, however, considering that you need the Orbs of Fire, Water, Wind, and Warth to enter. -- Where's the Shrine located? [HBSLOC] From Junk City, head South on the West side (past the palace house) and you'll come to a gate which leads towards the Rocks. Follow the path all the way out (it's totally linear) to the "Holy Beast Shrine Approach." This area has no map or minimap, but is linear as well. You'll come to an open area with a circular platform at the far end and four pedastals -- place your Orbs in the pedastals to unlock the giant glowing lock, walk down the Corridor of Doom, and take a Teleporter ride into the Shrine proper. -- What are these Orbs and how do I get them? [HBSORBS] The Orbs are rewards for defeating the four Guardians, one in each of the four elemental Shrines/Temples. You probably found/saw several of these Temples by accident in your travels -- they're the teleporters that give you a warning about "Powerful enemies" when you get close. Fire Shrine Fire Temple: Located in the North Forest outside of London City, right near the Military Base enterence that you come to when going to Yokohama from London the first time. The boss is Phoenicia, a Fire-type Golem with 9000-some HP and some relatively nasty attacks who is relatively easy to beat if you're prepared. The easy way to win is to bring Ruby Butterfly (or any other Fire-type Golem with a Reverse immunity support skill) along. Phoenicia will try to Reverse all the Fire type characters you have into Water types so she can seriously injure you... but providing you have an immune character, she doesn't seem smart enough to ignore it. Ruby Butterfly's great because she can act as your healer the entire time (which you may well need if Phoenicia decides to attack Atsuma after he's Reversed). Keep slugging away at her while she innefectually tries to Reverse and you'll beat her. Water Shrine Water Temple: Located in the Abandoned Mines. Set the Switch that controls the mine carts to the right side (away from the Rebel Hideout) and climb down the ladder, then follow the Cart's rail line (do not ride the cart) until you find a teleporter. The boss here, Divine Turtle, is a 9000+ HP divine pain in the rear. He'll scrub any status ailment you can hit him with and will usually Barrier himself (-50% damage) fairly early on. His offensive attack hits 3 rows wide and all the way back for 672 water-type damage, as well as a 100-some point EP drain. Have Raigar use Ethereal Armor ASAP to make the fight marginally survivable for any Fire-types you may have brought along (like Atsuma or Ruby Butterfly). While not an absolute necessity, having Atsuma with Wide Range is severely helpful. Drop your fighters into the back row for a turn to try to lure Divine Turtle to the front of his pen, then use Mega Flare Rush or Atsuma's Fire Punch EX for some major damage. Be prepared to use God's Liquids and Standby a few times to keep your EP such that you can actually fight. Wind Shrine Wind Temple: Located in Yamashiro (name?) Marsh, outside of Sayaka's Village. Follow the fork away from Iwato and you'll come upon the teleporter to the Shrine in moments. Be wary of bringing Earth-types into the fight -- Raigar was almost more trouble than he was worth, for me, and Galirya was virtually useless. Equipping Cancel Gravity on one or more of your characters is a smart bet as well. Aero Dragon, the boss here, is another 9700-some HP beast with an affinity for, as his name suggests, Aero attacks. He'll also use a nasty Gravity attack that will likely render your main damage dealers useless if you're not prepared for it. Raigar with Ethereal Armor will make this fight much more survivable. The boss is capable of using a Reverse ability, but I didn't try exploiting it like I did with Phoenicia -- taking a Wind-type with Reverse immunity might confuse the boss into pursuing that route of attack rather than actually hurting you (someone try and let me know if it works, please?) Nevertheless, as long as Atsuma has Cancel Gravity, you should be able to Charge him and start beating Aero Dragon into the ground. Earth Shrine Earth Temple: Located on the first leg of Vorbis Volcano's path, you'll run right past it on the way to Sage's tower. The boss here, White Tiger, has 10000+ HP and a slew of nasty Gravity- and Earth- attacks. Any Wind-type you bring will likely be made into swiss cheese in moments, so don't bother. Do, however, being a couple strong Earth types if you have them available. Raigar and Galirya will do nicely. Be sure to have Calcen Gravity on your main characters, and just start whacking away. You'll most likely need a healer along (Ruby Butterfly and Archangel work great) for this one if you want to avoid wasting items. -- What do I need to bring to the Holy Beast Shrine? [HBSPREP] * A full compliment of all the healing items. You won't need them early on, but as you descend, they're vital. Also, BRING NINE GOD'S VIGOR. That's a non-negotiable point, especially if you neglect to bring the next item. * Someone with Evade Encounter support skill. This dungeon is LONG. It took me ~4-5 hours to clear, even using this skill. If you're running into random battles, you easily face 10 hours of joy down here, and your VP will be empty on every character you have long before you reach the rest stops every third level. * A solid 4+ characters of extreme power. My recommendations: Atsuma, 6500+ HP, 900+ EP, 999 Direct. He's your main damage dealer in most fights, and though his HP count might seem extreme, a couple fights really require someone of that caliber to carry the day. He's pretty much non-negotiable. Raigar, 2500+ HP, 750+ EP, 750+ Direct and Ranged. Ethereal Armor is an absolute must in many encounters here. As with Atsuma, he's non-negotiable. A solid healer, 2500+ HP, Cure for 650+, EP enough to use it 5-10 turns straight. I like Ruby Butterfly for this due to good supporting attack power as well, not to mention that there aren't a whole lot of high end Water attacks down here to kill her. Karin works fine, but her Water element is sketchy. Healing won't be necessary early on, but later fights require it. Someone else capable of putting the hurt on, preferably over a wide area, again with 2500+ HP and EP to keep fighting for a while. For this, Galirya is purpose-built. You can even skimp on his HP thanks to the Drain (2000 is enough for him). Do NOT bring any character with under ~50 VP. It won't work (even with Encounter Evade), unless you want to waste a bunch of cash on God's Vigor (which is a perfectly acceptable solution, but one I'm too cheap for). -- Those requirements are pretty high, can I fudge them? A little. Not really. HP Totals are negotiable, but not so much -- some of the fights down here pit you against groups of enemies capable of doing 800-900 damage a turn (sometimes over a wide area), each. Since almost every fight here begins with you being caught off guard (enemy goes first), you need to be able to handily survive the opening salvo without falling into madcap heal mode. Items are at a premium down here -- plan to be able to restock once every three levels (that's 6-ish boss fights between resupply runs. -- What can I expect to face in the Holy Beast Shrine? Nasty enemies. Random encounters seem to have virtually every enemy ever, but tended toward being on the weaker side (Spooky Boo, Yokohama Guard, Vandog, etc.). NOTE: Almost every single fight here will begin with you being Caught Off Guard. Reasonably high HP totals are a must to survive, even the weaker ememies you're initially seeded against. As soon as you're inside, you'll be on the first of thirteen levels of enemies. Keep Encounter-Evade on someone in the group as you explore. When you come to emplaced battles, stand right in front of them and swap Evade out for Cancel Gravity (in most every case) or some other useful skill (No other status conditions beyond the odd Reverse are present down here). Level 1: [HBSLV01] The emplaced battles are, taken clockwise from the enterence: Earth Guardian: You'll face 1 Earth Guardian (3800 HP, Earth type) and 3 Spooky Boo's (~700 HP, Dark type). The Boo's have a 3x3 Gravity attack that they like to use, so be sure to have Cancel Gravity. Guardian himself has two nasty straight-line Earth attacks for ~700 each. Still, given low HP totals, it's a simple fight compared to what you faced to get here. Victory nets you his Core, of course, which makes a level 60 (!) Golem with worthwhile stats (but only questionale usefulness) for the endgame. Mammoth: You'll face 2 Mammoth (4000 HP, Earth type). These guys will abuse Gravity Gasp, a 3-wide, 2-deep attack that does ~400-some Earth damage and Gravity status. As usual, put on Cancel Gravity. Fortunately, their attacks are all Earth type, and all in the ~450-600 (449 for Gravity Gasp, 599 for two other Earth attacks that differ only in effect-range shape) damage range. Given that, just put Raigar and Galirya out front, toss up Ethereal Armor, and whack away. They'll go down like a sack of bricks. From what I saw, they will keep using Gravity Gasp (their weak attack) as long as anyone is free of Gravity status. Victory, of course, nets the Mammoth Core, a level 46 Earth-type. Once you've killed those two, the center area will open up. Take the elevator down and hit the teleporter to go to Level 2 of the Holy Beast Shrine. Level 2: [HBSLV02] This level seems to be a maze designed to annoy rather than confuse -- equip Evade Encounters if you haven't already. Thorough exploration will net a chest with a Scythe Core (lv 55 Golem "Death Scythe", Dark type) and a Garnet Core (lv 52 Golem "Garnet Kitty", Dark type). Emplaced battles include: Lenialis: You'll be faced with 4 Lenialis (3x 785 HP, 1x 1307 HP, all Earth type). They can Reverse elemental affiliation, and will try to convert Earth types to Wind. Taking a Reverse immune Earth type may be helpful (I didn't try). The 1307 HP enemy has marginally stronger moves than the other three. Nevertheless, their low HP makes them easy targets if you kill them in one turn. Why one turn? They can Cure for 300-some HP a pop. They also have Earth Sonic and Null-Sonic (removes DMG reduction barriers) attacks. Nevertheless, even a marginally competent group could take these four down. Ignore defense and waste them. Victory, of course, nets Lenialis Core (lv 45 Golem "Lenialis", Earth type). Proceed through to the Teleporter to reach Holy Beast Shrine Level 3 Level 3: [HBSLV03] Immediately on your left and right are chests carrying 120-some Mind and Speed gems. As well, there's a teleporter that takes you back to the Approach. You'll be able to use a teleporter in Approach to return anytime you like, so stock on items, go synthesize, do whatever you need to, then come on back down. Proceed forward to meet Fire Guardian: You'll face 1 Fire Guardian (14,000 HP, fire type) and 2 Minotaur (1643 HP, Fire type). Activate Ethereal Armor early and mind your HP totals, especially if you brought a Water type along. Just keep dealing damage and healing as needed (Ruby Butterfly works great as a healer due to being Fire-type), and he'll drop, netting you the Moon Fist Core (Atsuma weapon, +511 HP, +255 Direct, Support, Ranged, and EP, +10 AGI). Move past him, through the gate, to the teleporter to Level 4 Level 4: Notice the change in decor. [HBSLV04] Move to the end of the hall for chests on the left and right containing 160 each Mind and Power gems, respectively. Take the elevator up and use the grapple point -- a chest on this side contains Medusa Core (lv 57 Golem, "Medusa", Water type). There's nothing else here, so take the linear path around to the teleporter. Level 5: [HBSLV05] The beginning is straightforward and linear, then branches some. Emplaced battles include: SG Dominion: You face 1 SG Dominion (3100 HP, Wind type) and 2 Vampires (1650 HP, Dark type). The Vamps can cast Gravity and absorb health, and SG won't waste any time going straight for your Earth-types with Aero Impulse. He also has Mega Slash and X Cutter, so watch out. Ethereal Armor is great here, and after that, abuse the enemy's low HP totals with heavy offense. Winning is good for a Dominion Core (lv 50 Golem "SG Dominion", Wind type). There are two nearby chests containing 160 Power and Speed gems, respectively. Another chest later contains 5800 TB. Ground Breaker: You face 1 Ground Breaker (12400 HP, Fire type) and 3 Kunoichi (1849 HP, Fire type). Blessedly, Gravity isn't an issue here. However, getting killed is. Ground Breaker has Mega Shot, which'll hit for 600-some HP, as well as N-Barrier and N-Power shots, which do 201 damage and will null DMG reduction barriers and Powerups respectively. The Kunoichi will annoy you with Flare Blades, so I recommend damaging them first and using Galirya to clear them out while your main damage dealers work on wasting Ground Breaker himself. Having one character spam a powerup skill in the corner may well distract Ground Breaker into using less powerful moves for a short time, but you'll still probably need to heal eventually. Any characters with 2000-some HP or less are in the danger zone -- if you have a ~4000+ HP character, then ignore the low HP ones and focus on killing Ground Breaker. If not, mind your health carefully. Victory nets a Cloud Core (lv 1 Golem "Ground Breaker", Fire type. This one rocks if you spend time beefing him up). Chests around this area include: Gods Ambrosia x2, Return Powder x2, Amei Core (lv 56 Golem "Knight Avei", Dark type), and Grenadier Core (lv 45 Golem "Knight Grenadier", Dark type). Take the final elevator down to the teleporter to reach the next level. Level 6: [HBSLV06] Identical floorplan to Level 3, minus the chests. There's a Teleporter to Approach, which I suggest using to replenish VP and Synth and whatnot. Proceed onward to fight: Hydra You face 1 Hydra (17000 HP, Water type, absolutely identical to the one you fought in the Ascetic Court save for being bigger and meaner), 2 Medusa (1413 HP, Water type). The Medusas are Gravity-happy, and have really nasty EP-drain dances. Kill them first, then set in on the Hydra. I highly discommend bringing Galirya to this fight. Anyone with Fire attacks will be worth their weight in gold. The easiest thing for me was to just let Atsuma rampage with High Flare Rush and virtually ignore incoming damage. A link attack between Ruby Butterfly, Atsuma, and whoever else you want to throw in with Fire attacks is good for massive quantities of damage (I got an ~8000 combo between Mega Flare Rush, Mega Flare Shoot, and Mega Blade alone). Watch your health the whole time (Ethereal Armor works miracles) and whack away. Victory is good for a Moon Leg Core (Karin Weapon "Moonlight Legs", +511 HP, +255 Direct, Ranged, Support, and EP, +10 AGI) and a clear route to the next level. Feel free to return to Approach to replenish and Synth, then move on to the next level. Level 7: Notice another decor change [HBSLV07] Immediately on your left is an emplaced battle with: Aqua Jelly: You face 1 Aqua Jelly (4200 HP, Water type). Basically all this guy can do is try to kill your Fire types. The downside is, he's very adept at doing so. Ethereal Armor any Fire types around ASAP, then move in with Mega Flare Rush and the like for the quick kill. That's really all there is too this guy... beefed up characters can waste him in one round, easy. Victory nets an Aqua Jelly Core (lv 55 Golem "Aqua Jelly", Water type). Three chests on the way through contain 96 Power, Mind, and Speed gems total. Woodian: You face 4 Woodians (2557 HP, Earth type). These guys have a Barrier (-25% DMG) fetish something fierce. They can also null out your Barriers, so don't bother with Ethereal Armor. Fortunately, their attacks are relatively weak Earth-Element hits, so focus on taking them limb from limb. Being Earth types, they're vulnerable to Wind, but it's unnecessary to bring a Wind character -- given their HP, Galirya, Raigar, and Atsuma can more than manage it with AoE hits (Stampede, Blade, and Drain). Watch out for enemy Link attacks, as the 300-damage hits can quickly add up. Victory nets a Woodian Core (lv 46 Golem "Woodian", Earth type). Chests ahead contain a total of 6400 TB, 96 Power and Speed Gems, Dabrad Core (lv 35 Golem "Dabrad", Dark type). The teleporter lies ahead, taking you to the next level. Level 8: [HBSLV08] Immediately on your left, you'll find a battle with: Pegasus: You face 3 Pegasus (2122 HP, Wind type). These guys aren't much for offense (they have a physical and Light type attack for around 300 each), but can heal for 800 and have a group Powerup ability that is annoying. Still, low HP totals make this a simple fight. It shouldn't be necessary to bother with Ethereal Armor, just go all out and they'll fall quickly. Victory is good for a Pegasus Core (lv 53 Golem "Pegasus", Wind type) Continuing on finds chests containing a total of 96 Speed and Mind Gems, followed closely by one of the funniest-looking Golems in the game and what may well be the toughest battle in the Holy Beast Shrine so far: Folly Carol: You face 1 Folly Carol (2787 HP, Water type), 1 Lilly-Lilly (1504 HP, Wind type), 1 Belladona (1092 HP, Dark type) and one Floresia (1443 HP, Light type). Folly herself is Gravity-happy, as well as having a pair of seriously strong (1000+) Water attacks. Lilly-Lilly is arguably stronger, but limited to 1 tile range on her strongest (1500+) attack. Belladona and Floresia are both hardcore healers, so taking them down in a single round is priority. If you came into the fight with Fire types, guarding their health is paramount. My suggested kill order is Lilly-Lilly (who keeps your fighters out of the front line very effectively), Folly Carol (who can hit basically the whole board for a ton of damage), then the healers. If the healers are preventing you from killing Folly and you can't Link her down for some reason, detour a round to waste one of them. Watch yourself in this fight -- largely due to not knowing what I was in for and being unable to keep up with Folly's damage because of it, I managed to lose Ruby Butterfly and Galirya in this fight and almost lost Raigar as well. Nevertheless, victory is worth a Folly Carol Core (lv 42 Golem "Folly Carol", Water type) A little farther on will find Raiko: You face 1 Raiko (13500 HP, Dark type) and 3 Samurai (1380 HP, Fire type). The Samurai are annoyances to be dealth with as possible, but focus your attention on Raiko. If at all possible, keep any high-HP characters out of the front row -- Raiko and the Samurai all have Iron Cut, which will drop your HP by half. Apart from that, they aren't too dangerous -- beat away and they should drop quickly. Victory is good for a Raiko Core (lv 1 Golem "Raiko", Dark type) Chests on the high side of this area contain 96 Mind and Speed gems, respectively. Proceed downwards to find chests with 96 more Speed and Power gems, as well as a total of 6 Mega Skill Gems on the upper levels. Proceed down to the teleporter. Level 9: [HBSLV09] This level has a new floorplan than we're used to, but it's the same concept. 1 Teleporter to the Approach, and 1 tough boss. Teleport back out and Replenish, then continue on to fight: Wind Guardian: You face 1 Wind Guardian (19000 HP, Wind type) and 2 Lilly-Lilly (1504 HP, Wind type). If you're caught off guard, you may well lose any Earth Types you have with you, so be prepared to pick them up in head. Your first priority is to get Ethereal Armor on, as it's all that will save your Earth types. Second priority is wiping out the Lillies, since they're actually more powerful, offensively, than the Guardian himself. Once they're down, it's just a question of trading blows. Galirya may be a waste of space here, but Raigar is worth bringing. Link Attacks (and EX, if you're desperate) will whittle the Guardian's HP quickly enough to win the day. Mega Flare Rush and the occasional God items were pretty much the answer to this fight for me. Victory wins a Moon Gun Core (Yuki weapon, +511 HP, +255 Direct, Ranged, Support, and EP, +10 AGI) and a Wind Core (lv 1 Golem "Wind Guardian", Wind type). Check your items at this point. If you're below full on healing items, or are nearing 999 in any Gem type, Teleport out and return to Junk town, even if you're like me and didn't see fit to actually leave the Approach (and thus never went to a Shop) prior. Synthing weaponry and Golems will be helpoful here. Once you're fully restored, head back down to the teleporter and beam yourself into the next level. Level 10: Note the decor change. Again. [HBSLV10] A short ways down, you'll find chests containing 96 Speed Gems and 3 Return Powder. Strangely, that's all that's on this level. Take the teleporter down to... Level 11: [HBSLV11] From where you enter, going straight leads to an elevator that takes you to a dead-end with an Alibarad Core (lv 40 Golem "Alibarad", Dark type). Backtrack and take the other elevator. As you're leaving this elevator room, heading North leads to another elevator and another dead-end area. This area contains a total of 394 (4 groups of 96) Mind Gems, 5 Friend Gems, and 5 Mega Skill Gems. Backtrack again to the other elevator. From here, the North elevator leads to another dead-end area. There are no chests down here, but there is a fight with: Executioner: You face 1 Executioner (19000 HP, Fire type), 1 Palace Gunner (1895 HP, Water type) and 1 Yokohama Guard (1095 HP, Wind type). These guys HURT. Executioner has two nasty attacks (both of which look spectacular), and the other two enemies will chip in with their weight of fire as well. Ethereal Armor is a must, as is solid healing. Dropping the aides is a must, but don't drop your defense when you do so. Executioner's main attack, Justice ("RICHAAARD!" --Executioner, when firing Justice. I have no idea what this is from, but it's funny enough that I'd love to know.), hits for upwards of 800 (which outpaced my healing ability), and his friends are capable of dealing some hurt as well (Palace Gunner has a 400 damage water-based shot to watch out for). Your eventual victory will net you Executor Core (lv1 Golem, "Executioner", Fire type). Backtrack and take the other elevator. From here, the North passage leads to an elevator which dumps you at a treasure chest with an Apostle Core (lv52 Golem "Light Apostle", Light type). Backtrack to the other elevator, which finally dumps you at the teleporter to the next level. Level 12: [HBSLV12] Another multiple of 3, another teleporter to Approach. Go ahead and resupply if you need it (you do.), then move up to your fight with... Sphinx: You face 1 Sphinx (22000 HP, Earth type) and 2 Lenialis (785 HP, Earth type). The Lenialis can cast Reverse, Cure, and Null-Protect, and Sphinx has a nasty Gravity Drain (Gravity attack + severe HP Drain) and Earth Strike (800-some points of strangely-shaped earth damage). Ethereal Armor off the bat is a must, followed by a cautious offensive. Take down the Lenialis first, then heal up as best you can. Once you start on the Sphinx, you don't want to stop for anything or its Grav-Drain could outpace your damage. There's a simple, though risky way around this: bring a Wind type (or allow an Earth type to be Reversed by the Lenials). With a Wind target available, Sphinx will almost guaranteedly use Earth Strike every round against the Wind. As long as you can outheal the damage (799 with Ethereal Armor on), you can avoid having to outdamage Sphinx's heals, which actually makes this fight winnable. Characters who can attack from long range and one side (that means Yuki) are invaluable here, as they'll remain out of range of Grav Drain and Earth Strike while dealing damage. My party for this fight was Atsuma, Raigar, Karin, and Yuki. Immediately use Ethereal Armor, then deploy your characters away from one another (to minimize targets for Sphinx attacks) while you waste Lenialis. Once they're dead, I settled on a broken S pattern (Raigar in the front right, Atsuma to his left, Yuki two rows behind Atsuma, with Karin to her left). Raigar had been Reversed, so was taking hits from Earth Strike hard, but Sphinx chose Grav Drain (which hit Raigar much more lightly) much of the time. Given that, it was basically a crapshoot, with all my characters attacking as much as possible and healing only when absolutely necessary (<800 HP for anyone). Karin handled healing Yuki, which allowed Yuki to use High Aero Pain virtually every turn for a free 700-some damage. Adding in an attack from Atsuma or Raigar was enough to negate Grav Drain healing, and adding in the attack from the other one of the two would actually deplete health. It took a good long while, though, and left me real low on healing items. If you wish, remember that you have Yuki's Sniper Shot available, which should shave large quantities of boss HP in its initial use. As expected, the reward is a Moon Sword Core (Raigar Weapon, +511 HP, +255 Direct, Ranged, Support, and EP, +10 AGI). Before moving on, REPLENISH YOUR STUFF. YOU MUST DO THIS OR YOU WILL DIE LIKE THE FOOL YOU ARE. Why, you ask? Because, immediately ahead lies... God Shrine (aka Level 13) [HBSLV13] Run down the ramp to find your battle materializing, an enormous enemy named... OMEGA: You face 1 Omega, short for "Enormous freaking robot that can kill you. Like, he's not even kidding, just turn off your X360 now." In true JRPG fashion,the "hidden" boss is an absolute beast. He's got 99999 HP and EP and will, with all probability, render you a gibbering wreck in moments. This enemy does not have an elemental affiliation. Do NOT bring any Size 4 Golems to this fight -- why will become apparent when you see his attack patterns. Here, you've got to have a plan to conquer basically 100,000 health (that's like 40 rounds of combat for most parties on a good day) while absorbing thousands of damage a person: in short, it can't be done. Sort of. If any of your characters has less than 1800 HP (at an absolute minimum), they will probably die, effectively ensuring that you will die thanks to lack of damage. Go ahead and take a shot at beating him on your own, just to see how fantastic this Golem is. Now for the down-and-dirty. Though you probably wouldn't believe it at first, your party comes ready-made with two abilities that can grind this enemy into powder quickly enough that the fight is actually winnable (and rather easily so, too...). First -- your party MUST contain one of two characters at the minimum: -- Samurai / Raikoh. These two have a skill called Iron Cut, which slices the enemy's current HP in half (can anyone confirm it works? I used the second route...). The downside of this is that the attack only hits one tile, meaning you have to lure Omega onto the front row -- not a simple task in many instances. -- Yuki, equipped with Sniper Shot and a ton of (at least 640) EP. Sniper Shot, untrue to its description, does not kill in one hit. It does, however, shave a massive percentage of enemy HP. In Omega's case, that percentage happens to be a little over a third. That's right, a third. Before moving into the actual fight, his attacks are as follows: --God Scream. 1758 damage, set pattern. This hits the outer tiles of the front row, the inner tiles of the second row, and the outer tiles of the back row. It also inflicts Grav status, so be sure to have Cancel-Grav on everyone. Mobility (aka "Being able to run from his attacks") is the first step to winning this fight. --Burning Blade. 899 Damage, 4-wide, 2-deep. There's nothing special to this beyond the big, pretty number. This is not a Fire attack. --Near Death Edge. In addition to nulling out HP Barriers, this will reduce anything it touches to 1 HP, and is the main source of aggrivation. Burning Blade and Impulse are survivable, but this will burn through your Nectars. --Impulse. ~450 damage, 2-wide, 4-deep. Again, nothing special here. Note that Omega does not have an elemental affiliation. All elemental attacks do full damage, and attacks that are neutral (Mega Blow, for instance) will do half damage. My party for tackling this beast: Atsuma, Raigar, Yuki, Karin. The blow-by-blow: First turn -- you will have been caught off guard and, as best I can tell, he will always God Scream here. Heal everyone to over 500 HP and put them in position in the front and back rows, with Atsuma in the front, and Yuki / Karin in the back. Raigar should completely ignore the danger and stand wherever he has to to use Ethereal Armor. Yuki should be the first person to move on every turn, and should be using Sniper Shot exclusively. The first blast of this alone is good for 37999 HP. Use Karin's Mega Cure Dance when needed. Second Turn -- hopefully, you didn't lose Raigar, but if you did, it's probably best to leave him on the floor. His attacks are only useful near the very end of the fight, and Atsuma's just as good for this. Assuming Raigar is alive, stick him in the front row with Atsuma and start using Mega Earth Shake. Yuki can keep abusing Sniper Shot -- if she can't get the angle to hit him, move Karin to one of the side squares in the middle row for a turn. With Barrier on, you can afford to wait to heal until 500 or so HP on all characters. Use Karin to heal Yuki, and let Atsuma and Raigar use Nectars when necessary. Yuki should keep using Sniper Shot here. Settle into the rythm of healing as necessary and using Sniper. Remember, Sniper always comes first on a turn, followed by Atsuma and Raigar's attacks, and then Karin's healing. If you need to move Karin to let Yuki hit Omega, have her move out of the way first and Standby. Conserve Raigar and Atsuma's EP as best as possible -- you need enough for 2-3 continuous turns of attacking, ideally. Yuki should abuse God Liquid or Ambrosia when she's low on EP, with other characters standing by or using Recovery Powder. In short order, Sniper will be down to doing ~2800 HP, which means Omega's now at ~5000. That's a killable number. Unleash Mega Flare Rush/Wave, and High Earth Slash, and keep using Sniper -- chances are it'll hit harder still than anything else Yuki can shoot off. Within a few simple turns, then, Omega will drop and you'll recieve: Omega Core (lv1 Golem "Omega", None type (according to the status screen)). Congratulations, you conquered the Holy Shrine!