Soulcalibur IV Walkthrough --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version: 2.00 - October 21st, 2009 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2008-2009 Elixym - All rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is intended for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or distributed publicly on any other form of media without advance written permission. Other than for personal use, reproduction of this guide or any part of it without permission is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Before requesting permission to post this guide please make sure you agree to these terms: 1. You cannot sell, commercialize, or place ads with the guide. 2. You must leave it exactly as it is, complete and unmodified. 3. You must be willing to take the guide down if I ever request it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: E l i x y m (at) Y a h o o (dot) c o m XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sections: XXXXXXXXXXXXX0XXXXXXXXXXXXX 0. Sections 1. Introduction 2. Contact Info 3. The Tower of Lost Souls 4. Descending the Tower 5. Honors 6. Unlockables 7. Arcade Mode 8. Story Mode 9. Credits Search for "X#X" to jump to the section you want, replacing the # with the section number shown above. Press CTRL+F to search. Many thanks to [@U] RealmOfKreation, who suggested indexing the guide. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Introduction XXXXXXXXXXXXX1XXXXXXXXXXXXX Hello and welcome! This is my attempt at writing a walkthrough for Soulcalibur IV. Having never written a walkthrough before, I may have gotten in over my head a little, but it's definitely been interesting, and fun. This walkthrough, which began simply as a bunch of notes about the Tower of Lost Souls, eventually grew to cover all the different modes of the game, how to unlock all of the extra characters, how to earn the Honors, etc. It's been over a year since the last time the guide was updated; there was always one more thing to finish, and then one more thing, and then. . . well, you get the idea. But, after finally finishing all the rereading, rethinking, and rewriting that had to be done, and overcoming many difficulties (like when my X360 fried itself, leaving me, in the midst of my efforts, with nothing but a Red Ring of Death), the new and possibly final update to this guide is complete. You'll notice that in a lot of places an item, strategy, etc., will be marked with "[@U]". This indicates that I didn't discover it myself, it came from tips people sent to me. For strategies and suggestions, which already require a lot of space, the contributors' names are listed along with the "[@U]" marker. For things such as items or entries in a list, the names of the contributors will be listed down in the Credits section. I arranged it this way to keep everything easy to read. One last thing, the guide was written while playing the game entirely offline, so anything involving patches or downloadable content couldn't be covered. Well, that's about it. I hope the guide is helpful to you! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Contact Info XXXXXXXXXXXXX2XXXXXXXXXXXXX Contact: E l i x y m (at) Y a h o o (dot) c o m I believe that this guide may finally be finished, but, of course, you're still welcome to send me a question or suggestion if you feel like it. Just keep in mind that new suggestions might not make it into the guide unless further updates become necessary. If you do send me information of some sort, please also include a name to credit you by, just in case. If you don't receive a reply from me, it doesn't mean that I didn't find your e-mail helpful or that I'm ignoring you. It simply means I'm getting a lot of mail, and I may not be able to reply to all of it. Many thanks to all who have sent contributions! Requests to post this guide on other sites will probably take some time to consider. Also, make sure you've seen the terms at the top of the guide. (Basically I want you to treat the guide as Gamefaqs does.) If you agree to the terms, contact me and I will consider your request. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Tower of Lost Souls XXXXXXXXXXXXX3XXXXXXXXXXXXX Welcome to the Tower! May you not become a Lost Soul in your quest through this fun but frustrating mode. There are two paths to choose from in the Tower of Lost Souls; Ascending, and Descending. However, before you can choose to Descend, you must first Ascend to the 20th Floor or beyond. This section is about Ascending the Tower. In Ascending, you'll make your way up through the Tower's 60 floors by fighting the many foes that guard them. Most of the floors are grouped in sets of two or three, and you must clear the whole set to move onward. Each floor has a treasure, a prize you can unlock by fulfilling a specific acquisition condition. Exactly what that condition is will not be made clear until you have fulfilled it; instead, you are given a hint to help you figure out what you must do. While some of these hints are obvious, others are very obscure. To be honest, there are some I might never have figured out, if not for all the help I received from others (thanks, guys!) The equipment you can acquire in the Tower of Lost Souls can also be made available for purchase by earning certain amounts of Honors. (See the Honors section for more detail.) If you've already purchased the item that was a particular floor's treasure, you will receive a reward of Gold in its place. However, the amount you receive will usually be quite a bit less than what you spent on the item. Acquiring treasures from the Tower is a much thriftier way to go. All right then! I'm going to list each floor, then the treasure you can acquire there, then the hint for that floor, then the actual acquisition condition, and, lastly, some suggestions on easy (possibly cheaty) ways to fulfill this condition. Since each floor in a set will usually have a different acquisition condition, you'll need to go through each set several times, using whichever characters, skills, and attacks are most effective for a specific floor. As you read through the guide, you'll see "[@U]" in a lot of places--this means the idea didn't come from @me. :) If you don't see a name by the marker, just check out the Credits section to see who contributed the info. Good luck, and happy ascension! Floor 1 Item: Soldier's Hat OR 1000 Gold Hint: "Do not part with your vitality." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with no damage taken. Suggestions: It might be a good idea to choose a character with a long weapon, such as Siegfried, Kilik, or Seong Mi-Na. The enemies on this floor aren't very difficult to defeat, though, so anyone you like would probably be fine. With characters who don't have a long weapon, you might want to try repeatedly using throws. This seems to work fairly well, but since throws require you to be close to your opponent, there is a chance that you might get hit. [@U] Wyhdis suggested using Siegfried's Thrust Throw attack to Ring Out the opponents while maintaining a safe distance. Floor 2 Item: Warrior Trousers OR 1000 Gold Hint: "Only weak fools perish in the darkness." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with no Ring Out from either parties. Suggestions: This is pretty simple. Just stay away from the edges of the stage, and be careful to avoid using attacks that are likely to send your opponent out of the ring. Also, you might want to have one of the Nullify Ring Out skills, just in case something goes wrong. Floor 3 Item: Pauldrons OR 1000 Gold Hint: "You are not alone." Acquisition Condition: Switch with an ally 2 or more times. Suggestions: This is the easiest acquisition condition there is. All you have to do is switch characters a few times, and you're done. To switch, simply press whichever button is set as "SWT" in the controls. The default setup would have this on the Right Bumper (or R1, for the PS3). You'll have your treasure almost instantly. I wish more of the floors were like this. . . . Floor 4 Item: Warlord's Belt OR 1000 Gold Hint: "Unleash attacks that strike and seize." Acquisition Condition: Performed 3 attack throws. Suggestions: I did this with Siegfried, using his Thrust Throw attack. Flap Jack (while crouching, A+G) and Over Toss (while crouching, B+G) are also attack throws, and they're even easier to perform. If you want to use a different character, but you don't know their attack throws, just check the Move List (attack throws are marked by AT in an orange circle). You can select the Move List from the Pause Menu during battle. Floor 5 Item: Clergy Clothes OR 1000 Gold Hint: "Lure into the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Defeated an enemy by Ring Out. Suggestions: Siegfried and Raphael both have attacks that are great for getting Ring Outs. Siegfried's Thrust Throw, Flap Jack, and Over Toss all work quite well, and Raphael's B+G throw, Unending Stings, is just plain awesome. Floor 6 Item: Wonder Jacket OR 1500 Gold Hint: "Catch the enemy with your own hands." Acquisition Condition: Threw an opponent. Suggestions: There isn't much to say, is there? ;) Floor 7 Item: Warrior Trousers [@U] OR 1500 Gold Hint: "Strike with precision." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without missing any attacks. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Ushinotane advised selecting a character who is slow and has a long reach, recommending Nightmare's combo, down-back and B, A+B, down+B. My favorite attack to use here is Siegfried's Maelstrom (while rising, press the horizontal attack button twice). Maelstrom has a very wide range, and even though there are two swings to it, the first one can miss without causing you to fail the condition, as long as the second swing hits. Also, there's a chance that it might Ring Out the opponent if they're near the edge of the ring--which is a good thing, because if you can end the battle quickly, you'll have less opportunities to fail. Another good option would be to use throws to get Ring Outs on purpose. [@U] elemental_drago said that Vader's A+G throw is good for this, if you're standing with your own back to the edge of the ring. [@U] Elitany recommended using The Apprentice's B+G throw, Force Impact, for a Ring Out (and, as with Vader's, you should be standing with your own back to the edge). So if you don't have Vader, try this instead. Floor 8 Item: Armor Ring: Ice Mirror OR 1500 Gold Hint: "You are not alone." Acquisition Condition: Switch with an ally 2 or more times. Suggestions: Another easy one. Cool! But don't get used to it. . . . Floor 9 Item: Scarlet Blossoms OR 1500 Gold Hint: "Become a shield to repel the blade." Acquisition Condition: Guarded the opponent's attack 3 times in a row. Suggestions: This isn't necessarily easy, but there isn't much to be said about it, either. Just keep trying. [@U] jordlittle pointed out that you should use a character who has a lot of HP, and whose Soul Gauge recovers easily. Soul Gauge Boost A and Soul Gauge Recovery would be good skills to have. Floor 10 Item: Silver Boots [@U] OR 1500 Gold Hint: "The best offense is a good defense." Acquisition Condition: Guarded the opponent's attack 10 times in a row.[@U] Suggestions: Like the last floor, only much, much harder. If you have Yoda, [@U] HolyPenguin18 had the excellent idea of using him for this condition, so that you won't have to worry about throws interrupting your guarding, and you can just concentrate on watching the opponent. Guard normally against mid attacks, guard low if you see a low attack coming, and if the opponent uses an Unblockable Attack, just move out of the way. (High attacks won't hit Yoda at all.) Also, [@U] jordlittle pointed out that you should use a character who has high HP, and whose Soul Gauge recovers easily. Soul Gauge Boost A and Soul Gauge Recovery would be good skills to have. Floor 11 Item: Grim Horn OR 2000 Gold Hint: "Use your ultimate attack without reservation." Acquisition Condition: Defeated all enemies with Critical Finish. Suggestions: The easiest way I've found to get a Critical Finish is by repeatedly using Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack (forward, vertical, vertical). Just keep at it until the opponent's Soul Gauge flashes red, and then once or twice more after that. Eventually, the opponent will flash with reddish lightning for a second, and their Soul Gauge will shatter, turning from red to black. This is your opportunity to perform a Critical Finish, but you'll have to do it quickly. Press the Left Bumper, or L1 for the PS3. (It can also be customized to a button you choose.) If you did it in time, you get to watch as your character delivers the finishing blow to your opponent in a short cutscene. After that, you'll have to start over again with the next foe. Getting Critical Finishes against all of them is going to be pretty difficult, since they'll probably start Guard Impacting your Avenging Claws at some point. Just keep trying, though, and eventually it should work out. Floor 12 Item: Magus Cloth OR 2000 Gold Hint: "Lure them all into the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Defeated all enemies by Ring Out. Suggestions: Siegfried's Over Toss is especially useful for this battle, since it will allow you to toss opponents over the low walls in the stage, meaning that you can get Ring Outs without having to break down the other walls. Just back up to one of the low walls, crouch down, and use Over Toss to throw the opponents out of the ring. If you end up on the inside, you can use Flap Jack instead, but remember that this attack doesn't throw them as high as Over Toss would, so it will be more difficult this way. Floor 13 Item: Pegasus Sallet OR 2000 Gold Hint: "Do not let the walls contain your rage." Acquisition Condition: Destroyed all the walls within the stage. Suggestions: I'd recommend taking Siegfried. Back up to the wall you intend to break, and then use Thrust Throw. If you manage to stab the opponent, Siegfried will then swing them up and smash them down on the opposite side, right into the wall. Repeat the process with the remaining wall, and then you'll have your treasure. Floor 14 Item: Phantom Pavilion-Seesaw (It's a stage). Hint: "A true warrior does not seek protection; repel the blade." Acquisition Condition: Performed 3 or more Guard Impacts. Suggestions: If you have trouble performing Guard Impacts, just customize a character with the skill Auto Impact A, and keep guarding until you get the treasure. Floor 15 Item: Submission Belt [@U] OR 2000 Gold Hint: "Devote your strategy to a singular strike." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage only with A & G. [@U] Suggestions: You can use horizontal strikes and guard, and also A+G throws. You can't use vertical strikes or kicks without failing the condition. Floor 16 Item: Warlord's Pauldrons OR 2500 Gold Hint: "The victor emerges at the final moment." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with time remaining at 0. Suggestions: I couldn't find a way to make this easier myself. . . the opponent always seems to know enough to attack you right at the last instant, interrupting you just enough to ruin everything. [@U] Jake suggested that you attack the opponent until their health is low enough for one more hit to defeat them, and then use Cervantes's Shadow Flare attack when the remaining time is down to one second. If the opponent runs toward you or gets close to you, however, Jake suggested using Dread Slash, an Unblockable Attack that sweeps in front of you. Another option, suggested by [@U] Beejinator, Wyhdis, and YHChang, is to use a throw with a lengthy animation. The time will continue to run down as the throw is taking place, so you can do it a little early, say with about two or three seconds left. That way, if something goes wrong, you may still have time to try something else. A good throw to use might be Astaroth's Maelstrom Divide, which is his A+G throw. If you use this when there are two seconds left on the timer, it should hit when the time remaining is 0. The first few times you try, something will probably go wrong. Ah well. Just keep at it, and take a break to cool off if you start getting the impulse to throw your controller at something. . . . ;) Floor 17 Item: Arm Bandages [@U] OR 2500 Gold Hint: "Master the ceaseless dance." Acquisition Condition: Executed a 5+ combo. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Ushinotane suggested using Amy's Stocatta Rampage Crescendo attack (back+B+K) for a 9 hit combo. Floor 18 Item: Kouchu Kabuto OR 2500 Gold Hint: "Explore the boundaries of the stage." Acquisition Condition: Stood on all corners of the stage. Suggestions: It might be a good idea to choose a character who can move quickly, so that you can get where you're going faster. Nullify Ring Out A would be a good skill to have, because in order to stand at the corners of the stage, you'll need to be very close to the edge of the ring--prime Ring Out territory. Not nice. Floor 19 Item: Demonic Kabuto OR 2500 Gold Hint: "Fight with your allies." Acquisition Condition: Switched with an ally 5 or more times. Suggestions: You have to switch characters five times rather than twice, but this really doesn't make much difference. It's still easy. Floor 20 Item: Life Gem: Sun OR 2500 Gold Hint: "Hand down judgement with one swing." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with a Critical Finish. Suggestions: In order to fulfill the condition, you must defeat the last opponent in this battle with a Critical Finish. Repeatedly using Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack is the best way I know of to do this. Use this attack to damage the opponent's Soul Gauge until it starts flashing red. This means you're getting close, so be ready. Keep using Avenging Claws until you see the opponent stagger and flash with reddish lightning. That's when you can perform your Critical Finish. Floor 21 Item: Longhua Qipao OR 3000 Gold Hint: "Give in to the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Voluntarily performed a Ring Out. Suggestions: Simply moving to the edge of the ring and jumping out can fulfill this condition, as long as the opponent doesn't hit you while you're doing it. An easier way, suggested by [@U] ShadowSlasherZ, is to take Cervantes and use Geo Da Ray, while you're near the edge of the ring and facing it. Another good option, suggested by [@U] Wyhdis, BlueZero4, and nick Alcatarion, is to use The Apprentice's Force Flip (A+K and a direction). And, last but not least, Yoshimitsu's Manji Dragonfly is also an effective way to give in to the abyss. Just press up+B+K, and then fly back out over the edge of the ring. Floor 22 Item: Honor Boots OR 3000 Gold Hint: "Interrupt your opponent's attacks with your own." Acquisition Condition: Performed 4 or more Counter Hits. Suggestions: Counter Hits (Attack Counters, Side Dash Counters, and Back Dash Counters) occur when you strike an opponent while they're attacking you, moving sideways, or moving backwards. It might be helpful to choose a character whose attacks are fast, such as Taki for example. Still, I did it with Siegfried, so even slow characters shouldn't have too much trouble with this. If you do have trouble with it, though, customizing your character with the skill Auto Counter A might help. Floor 23 Item: Frilled Skirt OR 3000 Gold [@U] Hint: "Become a shield to repel the blade." Acquisition Condition: Guarded the opponent's attack 3 times in a row. Suggestions: Just keep an eye on the opponent, and guard their attacks as well as you can. [@U] jordlittle pointed out that you should use a character who has a lot of HP, and whose Soul Gauge recovers easily. Soul Gauge Boost A and Soul Gauge Recovery would be good skills to have. Floor 24 Item: Protect Gem: Cardinal Direction [@U] OR 3000 Gold Hint: "Surpass the limit of power with one attempt." Acquisition Condition: Performed a combo with a total damage over 240. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] xxGroomexx suggested using Astaroth's Discus Breaker attack for this condition, and it works very well indeed. You should probably customize Astaroth with as high an Attack stat as you can manage, to make sure enough damage is done. Floor 25 Item: Zhuque Changpao OR 3000 Gold Hint: "Apprehend with your hands multiple times." Acquisition Condition: Threw 5 times. Suggestions: Nothing special to this. I love the easy ones, don't you? Floor 26 Item: Warthog Cuirass [@U] OR 3500 Gold Hint: "Master the never-ending dance." Acquisition Condition: Executed a 10+ combo. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Chaos ZX suggested using Amy's Dread Coffin~Stocatta Rampage Crescendo attack for the 10+ combo. You have to walk back and press the vertical attack button, have it hit an attacking opponent, and then press the vertical attack button again. Another option, suggested by [@U] TheKench, is to use Amy's Falling Prayer and then Stocatta Rampage Crescendo (forward B+K, back B+K, B). Either way works well, so choose the one that's easiest for you. Floor 27 Item: Iron Gauntlets [@U] OR 3500 Gold Hint: "Do not part with your vitality." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with no damage taken. Suggestions: This will be more difficult than the last floor that had this acquisition condition, since the foes here are more skilled, and therefore much more likely to part you from your vitality. As I said for that earlier floor, choosing a fighter who has a long weapon could be a good idea; repeatedly using throws might also work. [@U] Wyhdis suggested using Siegfried's Thrust Throw attack to Ring Out the opponents while maintaining a safe distance. Floor 28 Item: Aculeus Suit [@U] OR 3500 Gold Hint: "Keep jolting the opponent's defense." Acquisition Condition: Opponent guarded a Guard Break attack at least twice. Suggestions: Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws is the attack I'd use, since it's fast and very easy to perform. If you'd prefer to use another character, just look in the Move List for attacks marked with GB in a blue circle. Floor 29 Item: Menghu Boots OR 3500 Gold Hint: "Fight with your allies." Acquisition Condition: Switched with an ally 5 or more times Suggestions: Another easy one! Yay! Floor 30 Item: Spirit Gem: Nonuple Heads OR 3500 Gold Hint: "A fearless warrior triumphs." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without guarding. Suggestions: Ouch. This can be a pain, simply because guarding gets to be such a habit. Any character is as good as any other for this condition, so choose anybody you like. The battle itself isn't particularly hard, but since you can't guard, you still might take a pounding. Because of this, you might want to customize your chosen character with some extra HP. Floor 31 Item: Longming Qipao [@U] OR 4000 Gold Hint: "Rely on impeccable timing for victory." Acquisition Condition: Performed 5 or more Just Inputs. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Vordred discovered this awesome way to fulfill the condition. Take Maxi, and use his Fury~Right Outer attack (B+K,B,B,B,A). If you press B+K, and then simply mash the vertical attack button, you will often get a Just Input (or sometimes two or three). Maxi will flash white for a second when you successfully do the Just Inputs. Another awesome way to do it, suggested by [@U] Rude Samurai, is to use Nightmare's Quick Revenge (Additional Attack). To perform the attack, press forward and the vertical attack button, then press the vertical attack button again as the stab hits. It's quite easy to get the timing right, and works nearly every time. Both of these ways are easy and work extremely well. Maxi or Nightmare--choose whoever you like better. ;) Floor 32 Item: Vane Mask [@U] OR 4000 Gold Hint: "Apprehend the yielding enemy." Acquisition Condition: Performed a low throw. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] DigiLuigi informed me that a low throw is a throw that will only work against a crouching opponent (in the Move List, low throws will specify "Against crouching opponent"). DigiLuigi recommended using Astaroth, who has four low throws, and also mentioned that Cassandra, Xianghua, and Rock have low throws as well. I used Cassandra's Seraphim Cyclone, because it was easier for me to get past the first two floors of this set with her. Floor 33 Item: Battle Dress OR 4000 Gold Hint: "Unleash attacks that strike and seize." Acquisition Condition: Performed 3 attack throws. Suggestions: Siegfried's Thrust Throw, Flap Jack, and Over Toss are all good attack throws. Like I said before, though, if you'd rather use someone else, just look at the Move List and use attacks that are marked by AT in an orange circle. Floor 34 Item: Power Gem: Warrior Princess OR 4000 Gold Hint: "A true warrior does not seek protection; repel the blade." Acquisition Condition: Performed 3 or more Guard Impacts. Suggestions: Create a character with the skill Auto Impact A. After that, all you have to do is keep guarding until the skill performs the Guard Impacts for you. Before long, the treasure should be yours. Nifty, isn't it? Floor 35 Item: Warthog Pauldrons OR 4000 Gold [@U] Hint: "Do not escape, hide, or seek protection." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without switching characters. Suggestions: Since you won't be able to switch out for healing, you should make sure your characters have another way to heal themselves--the skill HP Drain A would be very helpful, and of course you should try to give them as much HP as possible. [@U] Duck of Doom noted that if one character is defeated and another takes their place, it doesn't count as switching, so you will be able to use both characters if necessary. As you're going through Floors 33 and 34, you should try to keep your first character out of battle as much as possible. Then, once you get here, you will be able to use the healthier character while the one who took most of the damage has a rest. Hopefully, by the time your first character falls, the second will have regained a fair amount of health. Floor 36 Item: Parlor Blouse [@U] OR 4500 Gold Hint: "The victor emerges at the final moment." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with time remaining at 0. Suggestions: This is a pain, just like the other "victor emerges at the final moment" battle. [@U] Jake suggested that you attack the opponent until their health is low enough for one more hit to defeat them, and then use Cervantes's Shadow Flare attack when the remaining time is down to one second. If the opponent runs toward you or gets close to you, however, Jake suggested using Dread Slash, an Unblockable Attack that sweeps in front of you. Another option, suggested by [@U] Beejinator, Wyhdis, and YHChang, is to use a throw with a lengthy animation. The time will continue to run down as the throw is taking place, so you can do it a little early, say with about two or three seconds left. That way, if something goes wrong, you may still have time to try something else. A good throw to use might be Astaroth's Maelstrom Divide, which is his A+G throw. If you use this when there are two seconds left on the timer, it should hit when the time remaining is 0. Floor 37 Item: Siren's Helm [@U] OR 4500 Gold Hint: "Use your ultimate attack without reservation." Acquisition Condition: Defeated all enemies with Critical Finish. Suggestions: Yun-Seong, it's your turn again! Ha ha. Anyway, remember; repeatedly using Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack is a very effective way to get Critical Finishes quickly. And quickly will be necessary, because you've got very limited time to do this in. (Same goes for all the battles in this set.) Even with Yun-Seong, it's still very hard, so you should probably customize him with the skill Soul Gauge Damage A. It can make a big difference. Floor 38 Item: Gorgon Fauld OR 4500 Gold Hint: "Lure them all into the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Defeated all enemies by Ring Out. Suggestions: At first glance, this doesn't seem so bad, does it? Ring Outs? Well, think again. First there's the time limit, which is a big problem. Second, there's the fact that ALL of the opponents in this battle have the Nullify Ring Out A skill. Unbelievable, isn't it? This makes it very hard to get the Ring Outs you need. You've got to try again and again--with the time ticking away all the while. Combine that with the fact that most of the foes have an Auto Grapple Break skill as well, and you've got a heck of a tough condition to meet. Siegfried to the rescue! Flap Jack and Over Toss are very helpful here, since Auto Grapple Break skills do not affect them. Stand near the edge of the ring and just keep using them, Flap Jack if the enemy is on the side near the edge, Over Toss if you are the one on the edge side. Other useful attacks include Thrust Throw, (if you're on the edge side) and Maelstrom (when the opponent is near the edge). Keep in mind that these attacks deal more damage than Flap Jack and Over Toss, so be careful that you don't defeat the opponents before you can send them out of the ring. Good luck. Floor 39 Item: Kingfisher Greaves [@U] OR 4500 Gold Hint: "Do not give up the place you stand." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without changing position. Suggestions: This acquisition condition is a little confusing. What exactly does "changing position" mean? Well, basically, it means walking, running, etc. You can pretty much use any attacks you want, even if they seem to make you change position pretty drastically, as long as you only press the attack buttons and the guard button--no directionals. If your opponent knocks you down, use the guard button to rise, don't roll. Floor 40 Item: Deer Head [@U] OR 4500 Gold Hint: "Master the ceaseless dance." Acquisition Condition: Executed a 5+ combo. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Ushinotane suggested using Amy's back+B+K attack, Stocatta Rampage Crescendo, for the earlier floor with this acquisition condition. It works very well for this floor, too. Floor 41 Item: Minotaur [@U] OR 5000 Gold Hint: "Rely on impeccable timing for victory." Acquisition Condition: Performed 5 or more Just Inputs. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Vordred discovered this awesome way to fulfill the condition. Take Maxi, and use his Fury~Right Outer attack (B+K,B,B,B,A). If you press B+K, and then simply mash the vertical attack button, you will often get a Just Input (or sometimes two or three). Maxi will flash white for a second when you successfully do the Just Inputs. Another awesome way to do it, suggested by [@U] Rude Samurai, is to use Nightmare's Quick Revenge (Additional Attack). To perform the attack, press forward and the vertical attack button, then press the vertical attack button again as the stab hits. It's quite easy to get the timing right, and works nearly every time. Both of these ways are easy and work extremely well. Maxi or Nightmare--choose whoever you like better. ;) Floor 42 Item: Demonic Gloves OR 5000 Gold Hint: "Suppress your opponent's abilities." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without letting opponents invoke a skill. Suggestions: Zasalamel is the only character in this battle who has a skill to invoke, namely HP Burst. You need to get rid of him before he uses it. The simplest option would be to try for a Ring Out, but you'd have to get lucky for this to work, since Zasalamel has Nullify Ring Out A. Raphael's Unending Stings and Siegfried's Flap Jack and Over Toss are good attacks to use for this. If you don't want to depend on luck, though, another option would be to use the Soul Gauge Vamp skill to drain Zasalamel's Soul Gauge. If you can keep it low enough, he won't be able to use his HP Burst. If you decide to try this, you should give both of your characters Soul Gauge Boost C as well as Soul Gauge Vamp, so that they can both use it several times. Before you damage Zasalamel (and thus before he has any reason to use his HP Burst) use Soul Gauge Vamp until the white glow around his Soul Gauge disappears. This means that it's too low for him to use HP Burst. After that, just try to defeat him. When his attacks hit you, his Soul Gauge will recover, so keep an eye on it. If the white glow reappears, use Soul Gauge Vamp to lower it again. Floor 43 Item: Repel Gem: Iron Shell OR 5000 Gold Hint: "Seize from the enemy's blind spot." Acquisition Condition: Performed a back throw. Suggestions: You could try using Ivy's Embrace of Guilt or Embrace of Lust attacks. (They're practically the same thing, except that one is with her weapon in its Sword State, and the other is with her weapon in its Coiled State.) When they hit, these attacks turn the opponent away from you. Combine that with a throw, and you've got a good chance to fulfill this condition. Floor 44 Item: War Cloak [@U] OR 5000 Gold [@U] Hint: "Only weak fools perish in the darkness." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with no Ring Out from either parties. Suggestions: Remember this? From way, way back on Floor 2? Wow, it's been a while. Anyway, remember to stay away from the edges, avoid using attacks with high Ring Out potential, and maybe customize your character with the skill Nullify Ring Out A. Floor 45 Item: Tiger Lily Kabuto OR 5000 Gold Hint: "Earn victory with only your raw strength." Acquisition Condition: Defeated enemies without equipping any skills. Suggestions: To fulfill the condition you'll need to customize a character without any skills. That's easy enough to do, but the problem is that the enemies on Floors 45 and 46 take very little damage, making it difficult to defeat them within the time limit. One way to get around this might be to take Yun-Seong and go for a Critical Finish by repeatedly using his Avenging claws attack. However, if this doesn't work for you, I'd advise using attack throws, since they seem to hit for as much damage in this battle as they would in any other. A good one that does a lot of damage, suggested by [@U] Matt, is Raphael's Preparation Parry~Cranial Scraper, which is performed by walking back and pressing the vertical attack button. Astaroth's Poseidon Tide Rush (Attack Throw) is another good option. It's a horizontal attack, so it can hit an enemy who's walking around you, and it does quite a bit of damage as well. And then, there's always the old favorites, Siegfried's Flap Jack, Over Toss, and Thrust Throw. Floor 46 Item: Butterfly Sallet OR 6000 Gold Hint: "Earn victory with only your raw strength." Acquisition Condition: Defeated enemies without equipping any skills. Suggestions: See the suggestions for Floor 45. Floor 47 Item: Succubus Boots OR 6000 Gold Hint: "Apprehend with your hands multiple times." Acquisition Condition: Threw five times. Suggestions: Like the other throw-related acquisition conditions, this isn't too hard, but it will be a little trickier this time because the opponents in this battle have the Invisible skill. You can still throw them, but figuring out where they are can be a pain. Keep an eye on your own character, because the closer their head is to the HP bar, the closer you are to the opponent. By watching for this, you can figure out when the opponent is close enough to be thrown. Floor 48 Item: Life Gem: Jade OR 6000 Gold Hint: "Fight while unseen." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with a character equipped with the skill "Invisible." Suggestions: All you have to do here is customize your characters with the Invisible skill--you don't even have to actually use it. Technically, only the character who wins the battle has to have the skill, but you should probably give it to both of them anyway, so that you won't have to worry about which one you're using at the end of battle. Floor 49 Item: Horns of Calamity [@U] OR 6000 Gold Hint: "Strike with precision." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without missing any attacks. [@U] Suggestions: There are three opponents on this floor, and they can all turn invisible, which makes this floor much harder than the last one with this condition. It's difficult to say whether a high Attack stat or high HP is more important here. Theoretically, the higher your Attack stat, the fewer times you will have to swing, and the less you swing, the less opportunities you'll have to miss. However, surviving against invisible opponents isn't easy. Since you can't see what's going on, you'll probably walk right into a lot of attacks, which makes HP pretty important too. A particularly useful attack to use is Siegfried's Maelstrom (while rising, press the horizontal attack button twice). The first swing of the two can miss without causing you to fail the condition, as long as the second swing connects (and because of Maelstrom's wide range, it usually does). Since it's a low attack, the opponent can't duck under it, and since it's a horizontal attack, it isn't easy for them to sidestep it, either. As an added bonus, Maelstrom might Ring Out the first two opponents if they happen to be standing near an edge. Just use this attack over and over again. As long as they aren't behind you, or all the way on the far side of the screen, it should work. Another thing you could try, suggested by [@U] Elitany, is the Apprentice's Force Impact throw. It's very handy, because you might be able to Ring Out the first two opponents with it (they have Nullify Ring Out A, but not S). Plus it does a lot of damage, so it's also useful against the third opponent, who can't be defeated by Ring Out. When the opponent turns invisible, you can still get an idea of where they are by looking at how close your own character's head is to the HP bar. The closer it is, the closer your character is to the foe. In addition, [@U] marauder340 noted that you can see Zasalamel's golden eye even when he is invisible; it leaves behind a trail of light, so you can use this to tell where he is if you look closely. Floor 50 Item: Tiger Lily Breastplates [@U] OR 6000 Gold Hint: "Master the never-ending dance." Acquisition Condition: Executed a 10+ combo. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Chaos ZX suggested using Amy's Dread Coffin~Stocatta Rampage Crescendo attack for the 10+ combo. You have to walk back and press the vertical attack button, have it hit an attacking opponent, and then press the vertical attack button again. Another option, suggested by [@U] TheKench, is to use Amy's Falling Prayer and then Stocatta Rampage Crescendo (forward B+K, back B+K, B). Either way works well, so choose the one that's easiest for you. Floor 51 Item: Tiger Lily Fauld OR 7650 Gold Hint: "Interrupt your opponent's attacks with your own." Acquisition Condition: Performed 4 or more Counter Hits. Suggestions: To get Counter Hits, try to hit the opponent while they're attacking you, moving sideways, or moving backwards. You'll most likely fulfill this condition just by fighting as you normally would, but if not, try giving your character the skill Auto Counter A. Floor 52 Item: Feathered Wings [@U] OR 7650 Gold Hint: "Hand down judgement with one swing." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage with a Critical Finish. Suggestions: An easy way to get a Critical Finish is to repeatedly use Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack. Customizing him with the skill Soul Gauge Damage A will make it work even faster. Remember, you have to get a Critical Finish against the final opponent in order to fulfill the acquisition condition. By the way, if you're just trying to win this set of floors and you're not worried about getting the treasure, The Apprentice is probably the best character to choose. His B+G throw, Force Impact, is a great way to Ring Out Amy's three henchmen (none of them have Nullify Ring Out or Auto Grapple Break skills). It's also useful against Amy herself, because even though you can't ring her out, Force Impact does A LOT of damage, and seems to ignore her high Defense. Floor 53 Item: Blade Ring: Demon Lord OR 7650 Gold Hint: "Lure them all into the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Defeated all enemies by Ring Out. Suggestions: Raphael's Unending Stings throw, and Siegfried's attack throws Flap Jack, Over Toss, and Thrust Throw are all very handy for Ring Outs. Floor 54 Item: Leviathan Pauldrons OR 7650 Gold Hint: "Do not let the walls contain your rage." Acquisition Condition: Destroyed all the walls within the stage. Suggestions: Siegfried might be a good character for this. Position yourself with your back to the wall you intend to break, and then use Thrust Throw. If you manage to stab your opponent with it, Siegfried will then smash them into the wall behind you, breaking it. Floor 55 Item: Priestess Kimono [@U] OR 7650 Gold Hint: "Unleash attacks that strike and seize." Acquisition Condition: Performed 3 attack throws. Suggestions: Siegfried's Thrust Throw, Flap Jack, and Over Toss are all good attack throws. But. . . you're probably pretty tired of hearing about them by now, considering that I've mentioned them for almost every floor in the Tower. ;) If you'd like to use some other character, but you don't know their attack throws, look in the Move List for attacks marked by AT in an orange circle. Floor 56 Item: Leviathan Burgonet [@U] OR 10000 Gold Hint: "Surpass the limit of power with one attempt." Acquisition Condition: Performed a combo with a total damage over 240. [@U] Suggestions: [@U] Reiko Sama suggested customizing Yoshimitsu with the Asura Helm, Executioner's Gorget, Nightmare Pauldron, Leviathan Gauntlets, Demonic Trousers, Nightmare Greaves, and Mechanical Hands Yin, as well as the weapon Hihiirokane, and the skills Auto Counter C, Auto Unblockable Attack A, Start Dash A, and HP Drain C. (If you don't have the Leviathan Gauntlets yet, the Executioner's Braces might work instead.) Then, he said to use Yoshimitsu's vertical attack until the first Lizardman is defeated, and then, after the announcer says "K.O.," use Yoshimitsu's Sword Impale attack (walk back and press the vertical attack button). This should defeat the next Lizardman in one hit, as he comes running in. Reiko Sama also mentioned that using this trick on the previous floors of this set can make it easier to get here. Another attack that can deal enough damage to fulfill the condition, suggested by [@U] xxGroomexx, is Astaroth's Discus Breaker. Make sure you customize him with as high an Attack stat as possible. Floor 57 Item: Voodoo Armlets OR 10000 Gold Hint: "Give in to the abyss." Acquisition Condition: Voluntarily performed a Ring Out. Suggestions: The next three floors are quite possibly the biggest challenge Ascending has to offer. They're so difficult, in fact, that I've decided to devote the suggestions space to a strategy for simply surviving them. *I've even added some alternate methods. (See Floor 59.) They're a bit less complicated, so you might want to check them out first.* Well anyway, here goes. Take The Apprentice and Tira as your team. They should each have almost two full bars of HP. The Apprentice should have the skill HP Drain A, and Tira should have the skills HP Drain B, Strengthen Vertical, and also Appeal. In order to get these skills and the HP, give them both the special equipment called Life Gem: Sun. Equip Tira with Soul Edge and give The Apprentice his fourth Lightsaber from the top of the weapon list. On Floor 57, your opponents are Cassandra, Sophitia, and Talim. This floor is where The Apprentice comes in handiest. By using his B+G throw, Force Impact, while you're standing fairly close to an edge, you can Ring Out these three pests before they do too much damage. . . hopefully. It can be a pain, because Cassandra is difficult to grab, Sophitia has Nullify Ring Out B, and Talim has Nullify Ring Out A. Still, it's the easiest way to get through this floor without losing too much HP. If either member of your team ends up with less than a full green HP bar, it might not be worth your time to continue with it. You should probably just go back and try again if this happens--you'll be needing every drip of HP you can get for the next two floors. To Be Continued. . . (By the way, if you've already finished these floors and you're looking for suggestions on how to get the treasure, check out Floor 21.) Floor 58 Item: Tiger Pauldrons OR 10000 Gold Hint: "Earn victory with only your raw strength." Acquisition Condition: Defeated enemies without equipping any skills. Suggestions: . . .Continued from Floor 57. On this floor, the opponents you will face are Setsuka, Mitsurugi, and Cervantes. This floor is Tira's specialty, so switch out the Apprentice and let him rest for a bit. :) It's time to try out the move I like to call "All right! This is fun! Here I go! How's that?!" (press up+B+K, and keep mashing it). (If Tira is gloomy, she'll say some other lines instead.) "All right! This is fun!" is actually a combination of moves, which I'll describe now in a bit more detail. The first time you press up+B+K, you will perform the move Updraft, where Tira leaps high into the air. Pressing them again makes Updraft become Diving Talon Thrust, a Guard Break attack that hits as she comes back down. This attack will often leap you over the opponent, leaving you facing away from them. When you press up+B+K a few times while you are facing away, it performs the attack Retro Noise, which slashes behind her twice. (These moves don't all require ALL of these buttons, however, pressing a few extra buttons doesn't hurt, and this way you can just keep mashing the same ones over and over again.) Updraft/Diving Talon Thrust is handy, because Tira leaps up into the air, which moves her out of danger and can also sneak in an attack on the way down. Retro Noise is especially useful for damaging your opponents, since they'll walk right into it a lot of the time. (Maybe since you're facing away, they don't expect to be attacked?) Have Tira use these moves against Cervantes and Mitsurugi. Whenever Setsuka appears, switch The Apprentice back in and have him use throws against her. (Tira probably shouldn't fight Setsuka if you can help it, since Appeal will lower her stats.) To Be Continued. . . (By the way, if you've already finished these floors and you're trying to get the treasure, you can still use this same strategy, you'll just have to do it without the help of any skills--this includes weapon skills, so Tira will need a different weapon.) Floor 59 Item: Voodoo Greaves [@U] OR 10000 Gold Hint: "The best offense is a good defense." Acquisition Condition: Guarded the opponent's attack 10 times in a row.[@U] Suggestions: . . .Continued from Floor 58. In this, the final floor of the set of doom, we continue our Force Impact and "All right! This is fun!" party. Your opponents in this battle will be Tira, Astaroth, and Nightmare. Tira is the first opponent. You should use The Apprentice and try your best to ring her out before Astaroth comes in (if you can get rid of Tira in the beginning, neither Astaroth nor Nightmare will be able to switch out for healing). When Astaroth shows up, you have an opportunity to heal yourself a bit. If you use Force Impact while you're standing at the center of the ring, it should send Astaroth flying to the far edges. You can wait for him to run back in, and then repeat the process, healing The Apprentice with HP Drain and allowing Tira to rest at the same time. If you don't need healing, just use Force Impact to Ring Out Astaroth, and Nightmare will appear. He's the last psycho standing between you and Floor 60, so go get him! I'd start by bringing Tira in and having her use "All right! This is fun!" while The Apprentice has a breather. Appeal will raise her stats against Nightmare, so it should be pretty effective. Be careful, though, because Updraft/Diving Talon Thrust can send you right out of the ring if you do it near an edge. When Tira gets hurt, switch the Apprentice back in and keep on throwing until it's Tira's turn again. Keep in mind that you'll need to improvise a bit here and there--any strategy will only get you so far. Good luck, hope to see you on Floor 60! ;) (By the way, if you've already finished these floors and you're looking for suggestions on how to get the treasure, check out Floor 10.) <================> Alternate Methods: If the Tira/Apprentice suggestion doesn't work very well for you, here are some alternate strategies for Floors 57, 58, and 59. <================> 1. [@U] Nickoli suggested using a team of two Cervanteses, customized with 200% Attack and HP Drain A. After that, just keep using Shadow Flare, and see how it goes. <================> 2. [@U] Disdamn suggested using a team of Amy, (customized with about 185% HP, Shave Damage B, and HP Drain A) and the Apprentice or Zasalamel to Ring Out opponents with throws. For Amy, he mentioned three simple moves you'll need: Heavy Mandritti (back+A) a side-step high attack, Falling Prayer (forward+B+K) a lunging mid attack that ducks high attacks at the same time, and Stocatta Rampage Crescendo (back+B+K, B) a 9 hit combo. Here's how he said to use them: from outside attack range, begin with the Falling Prayer to lunge into the opponent and hit with a mid attack. If it lands the opponent will be stunned, and you can continue with the Stocatta Rampage Crescendo for a 10 hit combo. This will drain health if the opponent fails to guard, but even if they do guard it will still wear them down because of the Shave Damage. If they guarded the lunge, you should guard their counterattack, and then use Heavy Mandritti to evade their follow up and smack them in the back. Then follow up with Stocatta Rampage Crescendo again. The final (B) of Stocatta Rampage Crescendo will move you towards the opponent as they fall. If you wait a moment to see if they’re going to roll, you can immediately begin Stocatta Rampage Crescendo again before they stand up. For some reason, 8 out of 10 times they will not guard it, or they'll stop guarding before the combo finishes. This will stun them and drop them to the floor again, allowing you to wait a moment for their roll, and then follow up with the combo as they’re standing up. Do this over and over again until they die. If you time it properly, you can also nail the next opponent as they run in. <================> 3. Raphael is another good character to use for these floors. His Assalto Montante Crescendo attack (A+B.A) is very effective against the opponents on Floor 57, especially Cassandra, and on Floor 58 absolutely shreds Mitsurugi. It works pretty well against everybody else, too. Also, Raphael's B+G throw, Unending Stings, is handy for getting Ring Outs if the opponent is standing near an edge. This would be useful on Floor 57, and it's also handy for getting rid of Tira and Astaroth on Floor 59. You could use a team of two Raphaels, or substitute him for one of the team members of the Tira/Apprentice strategy. He can replace either of them quite well; Unending Stings is a good substitute for Force Impact, and Assalto Montante Crescendo is a very effective attack to replace Tira's "All right! This is fun!" combo, since you can just mash the horizontal and vertical attack buttons repeatedly to perform it. Floor 60 Item: Voodoo Breastplate OR 50000 Gold Hint: "Do not escape, hide, or seek protection." Acquisition Condition: Cleared the stage without switching characters. Suggestions: This is the final floor of the Tower, and the final boss, who is very difficult to defeat. First of all, he has the skill Nullify Ring Out S, making it impossible to just throw him out of the ring. Then, he has the skill HP Drain S, which means that every time he successfully hits you, he gets about the same amount of HP that you lose. Also, if you want to get the treasure, you can't switch out your characters (fallen fighters being replaced is okay though, as [@U] Duck of Doom said). You might be able to use an easy, cheaty trick to beat Algol--simply lying near the edge of the ring may cause him to ring himself out. This method was my original suggestion and also my favorite, because after running the gauntlet on Floors 57-59, you really need some comic relief, and it doesn't get much better than watching Algol send himself flying out of the ring. One Ring Out to rule them all! But then [@U] The Ron informed me that this method didn't work for him, so that's how the longer, more detailed strategy below came about. After devising the longer method, I heard from [@U] AZNsupermarket, who had figured out why the Algol Ring Out trick might not be working for some people; he said that you must not attack Algol even once, because if you damage him at all, he will not be able to ring himself out. It turns out that this was true even before the patches came along, so I guess I can't blame those accursed auto-downloading patches for it anymore. . . whatever, I still miss my PS2. Anyway, just because the Algol trick might work for now doesn't mean it won't be patched in the future. So, if it doesn't work for you, or if your sense of honor simply won't allow you to just let the man jump, read on. The second best way I have found to make this battle more possible, is to make use of the Venom Fang A skill. The basic idea is to knock Algol down, run away long enough for Venom Fang to work its magic, and then come back and repeat the process, over and over again. A good thing about this is that it lets you deal damage from a distance, so that Algol can't hit you and steal your HP to heal himself. The downside is that it takes a long time. *If you want to try something faster first to see if you can get lucky, check out the alternate methods further down.* You could probably use whichever character you're most skilled with for the Venom Fang strategy, but I'd recommend Raphael. Equipping him with his Holy Antler weapon and the special equipment called Strength Ring: Warlock would allow you to get Venom Fang and still have high HP. Or, you could give him the Holy Antler and the Protect Gem: Cardinal Direction instead; this would allow you to get Venom Fang and also Run Speed Up, which can help you stay away from Algol. You'll have less HP with this setup, though. The best attack to use is Assalto Montante Crescendo (A+B.A). Just mashing the vertical and horizontal attack buttons will perform it. Assalto Montante Crescendo, hereafter referred to as AMC, is very quick, can be performed repeatedly, and will trigger Venom Fang. Start out by running up to Algol and attacking him a few times. Right now, you don't have anything to lose, it won't matter if he hits you since he has full health at this point anyway. Once you've done some damage, it's time to knock him down with AMC. The best time to hit Algol with AMC is when he is moving sideways, but not attacking or shooting at you. Backing away from him while circling around the ring seems to make this more likely to happen. Unless he guards your AMC, you should see purple smoke appear around him, which means Venom Fang is in effect. Now quickly run away. Avoid going straight backwards, as it's very slow and you'll probably get hit if you try it. Instead, zigzag as much as you can, or maybe dance to the music. You'll move much faster, and you may confuse Algol a bit in the process. Try to circle around the ring and stay as far away as possible for as long as you can, so that he'll take lots of poison damage. Venom Fang vanishes if you get hit, so guard if necessary, but remember that the best thing is just to stay away. Venom Fang will eventually wear off even if you don't get hit, but if it's allowed to run its course it should lower his HP by about half a bar. When the poison runs out, or if Algol hits you ahead of time, ending the Venom Fang effect, just run away until you see an opening for another AMC and then let him have it. After that, its keep-away time again! Just keep on doing this over and over. When you get him down to a single green HP bar, you have a choice to make; you could keep using the slow death by poison method (you'll still need to strike the final blow, though, since poison won't finish him off entirely), or you could decide to unleash everything you've got and fight it out the old-fashioned way. At this point it should at least be a semi-fair fight, so go get him if you want! Just beware that if it doesn't work out, you'll have to go through the tedious poison process again. . . . <================> Alternate Methods: If the Venom Fang strategy doesn't sound inspiring to you, here are some fairly quick, simpler methods that may also be able to help you win this battle. They're definitely worth a shot. <================> 1. Try using the Apprentice you made for Floors 57-59. Just use his Force Grab (A+B), followed by either of his throws, Dark Widow (A+G) or Force Impact (B+G). Dark Widow seems to work more often. I was able to win like this, just by alternating his throws over and over. <================> 2. Check out [@U] Disdamn's suggestion for Floor 59, Amy's moves outlined there can also win this battle. You might want to use throws as well, since they'll also let you follow up with her Stocatta Rampage Crescendo, when the opponent stands up. <================> 3. Try the Tira suggestions from Floors 57-59. Her "All right! This is fun!" combo has a chance of winning this battle too. (Adding Venom Fang A will make it even more effective.) Don't forget to mix in some throws when the opportunity presents itself. Here, kitty kitty! <================> 4. Take Raphael and perform Assalto Montante Crescendo, again and again, as fast as you can. I have been able to win with this move alone, even without Venom Fang. Well, now it's time to pick your poison (pun intended) and get started! One way or another you'll triumph, and when you do, I offer you my sincere congratulations on finally reaching the top of the Tower of Lost Minds--uh, I mean the Tower of Lost Souls! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Descending the Tower XXXXXXXXXXXXX4XXXXXXXXXXXXX In Descending the Tower, you'll fight a series of opponents randomly chosen from the foes that guard the Ascending floors, as well as some that can only be found here. Unlike Ascending, you won't get a break between battles. This is a survival mode; you fight for as long as you can and then. . . you die. Grrr. As if it wasn't already frustrating enough, you also have a time limit to worry about. At the beginning of every battle, a certain amount of time is added to the time that remained at the end of the previous battle. If the time runs out, you lose. (Which I consider to be incredibly unfair.) Anyway, instead of receiving treasures for fulfilling specific acquisition conditions, you get them for winning the battles at certain floors. There's a treasure for the 5th Floor, the 10th Floor, the 15th Floor, and so on, all the way to the 40th Floor ([@U] Jukain informed me that the last treasure is on Floor 40, after that, you will only get Gold). You receive the treasure only if you win the battle on that floor; simply reaching it doesn't count. There are certain floors where you will always face the same opponents. For example, on Floor 5 you'll always fight Ellie, on Floor 15 you'll always fight Silvia, and on Floor 25, you'll always fight BOTH. These exceedingly annoying, cat-suit wearing girls are like Olcadan from Soulcalibur III, in that they can use many different weapon styles. I've seen Ellie fighting with the styles of Voldo, Seong Mi-Na, Xianghua, and Ivy. I've seen Silvia fighting with the styles of Nightmare, Astaroth, Yun-Seong, and Raphael. They may be able to use other weapons, too. Anyway, you get the idea. Girl in cat suit = big trouble. Watch out for Ellie and Silvia. Below is a list of the treasures you receive for Descending the Tower. Next, you'll find some suggestions to help you reach Floor 20 for the Never Ending Advance Honor, and finally a strategy for reaching Floor 40, the final challenge of the Tower of Lost Souls. ------------- The Treasures ------------- Floor 5 Item: Dark Knight's Cloak OR 1000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 5f. Floor 10 Item: Blade Ring: Raging Thunder OR 2000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 10f. Floor 15 Item: Lapin Chapeau OR 3000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 15f. Floor 20 Item: Repel Gem: Fox Demon OR 4000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 20f. You receive the Honor "Never Ending Advance" for reaching this floor. Floor 25 Item: Succubus Gauntlets OR 5000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 25f. Floor 30 Item: Demonic Armor [@U] OR 6000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 30f. Floor 35 Item: Demonic Pauldrons [@U] OR 7650 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 35f. Floor 40 Item: Voodoo Crown [@U] OR 10000 Gold Acquisition Condition: Cleared up to 40f. ------------------------------------- Descending to Floor 20, for the Honor ------------------------------------- A good team to choose might be Raphael and The Apprentice, since their B+G throws should allow you to win most battles by Ring Out. Both should be customized with the best Nullify Ring Out skill you can give them, and either HP Drain A, or HP Burst (using HP Burst is more complicated, but potentially more effective; see the Descending to Floor 40 Setup section for more info). One simple setup is to give Raphael the weapon Estoc, give The Apprentice his fourth lightsaber, and equip them both with the special equipment called Spirit Gem: Ebony Butterfly. Raphael's B+G throw, Unending Stings, is excellent for driving an opponent over to an edge and then for getting a Ring Out. Wicked Thrust, a stunning stab, is helpful for stunning foes beforehand if they're difficult to throw. And, when you're facing a foe you can't Ring Out, Assalto Montante Crescendo (A+B.A) is a lifesaver. You can perform it simply by mashing the vertical and horizontal attack buttons. The Apprentice has two important moves; one is Force Grab (horizontal+vertical) which will pull an opponent forward and knock them off balance for a second, and the other is his B+G throw, Force Impact, which will send the opponent flying behind him. Because Force Impact and Unending Stings send the opponent in opposite directions, you can switch in whoever has the right throw to send your opponents out of the ring, hopefully letting you win most battles quickly and easily. <================> [@U] paulision suggested taking a pair of Yoshimitsu(s) customized to have about 150% HP and about the same amount for the Attack stat. Also try to get them enough Special to add the Nullify Ring Out A skill. Then, simply press back and the kick button and then immediately afterwards press and hold the vertical attack button until the sword is ablaze, then release it to perform Yoshimitsu's Bullet Cutter (Hold) attack. He said that using just this one move repeatedly can easily get you to Floor 25. Perfect for those just looking to get the Honor ASAP (I made it all the way to Floor 32 with this, so it works extremely well). He also said that you can heal Yoshimitsu by pressing down+B+K twice and holding it on the second press. (This move is aptly named "Healing.") Just don't try it against fast characters. ------------------------------------- Descending to Floor 40, for the Glory ------------------------------------- Let me start out by saying that Descending to Floor 40 is worth your effort only if you're after the glory of it. If you're just trying to get the treasure, a MUCH easier way would be to earn thirty Honors and then simply purchase it. That said, for those of you who want to reach Floor 40 for the sake of reaching Floor 40, here's a strategy that might help. --------- The Setup --------- I used a team of two custom characters. One was a guy with Siegfried's style, customized with the Horns of Calamity, Thief's Mask, Juok Chaplet, Leviathan Pauldrons, Usurper's Suit, Changpao, Usurper's Gauntlets, Guimian Yecha, Shinobi Tabi, Ashigaru Greaves, and the weapon Gram. He had the skills HP Burst, Hysterical Strength, and Nullify Ring Out A, and his stats were 155% Attack, 98% Defense, and 135% HP. The other character was a lady with Raphael's style, customized with the Winged Circlet, Feathered Wings, Tiger Lily Pauldrons, Full Leggings, Gorgon Cuirass, Roman Armlets, Gorgon Fauld, Shinobi Tabi, Honor Boots, and the weapon Queen's Guard. She had the skills HP Burst, Soul Gauge Boost C, and Nullify Ring Out A, and her stats were 132% Attack, 119% Defense, and 119% HP. (In addition to having good stats, both of these characters look pretty cool, too. . . especially if you paint the guy red, and the lady, white.) Here's the reasoning behind this setup. First of all, HP Burst is a lifesaver in Descending, because it allows you to quickly heal yourself whenever your Soul Gauge is high enough. Whenever you see a pulsing white glow around your Soul Gauge, you can invoke HP Burst. A downside to this skill is that it will continuously deplete your Soul Gauge after it is used, right down into red-flashing peril. However, switching out the character who used HP Burst will remedy this, because when that character returns, their Soul Gauge will be exactly as it was when you switched them out, and will no longer be draining away. Nullify Ring Out A is a skill you should always have when you Descend, because no matter how careful you are, you can always find yourself on the brink of the abyss. Nullify Ring Out A won't save you every time, but whenever it does, it saves a lot of time and effort that would otherwise have gone to waste. Soul Gauge Boost C ensures that the character will always start out in battle with a full blue Soul Gauge, instead of green. This means that you can perform about three HP Bursts right away, instead of just one. Hysterical Strength raises or lowers your stats depending on your Soul Gauge, raising them when the Soul Gauge is low and lowering them when the Soul Gauge is higher. This works well for characters who don't have Soul Gauge Boost, since they begin with a green Soul Gauge, where your stats will be about normal. By using HP Burst to lower your Soul Gauge, you can dramatically increase your stats. Having a character with a very high Attack stat and Hysterical Strength will help you get through the early floors quickly, allowing you to save up time for the more difficult battles to come. And, in those later battles, being able to deal more damage means winning faster, and the faster you win, the less chance there will be for some stroke of bad luck to ruin it all. Meanwhile, the other character has a higher Defense stat, and also the ability to use HP Burst several times in a row at the start of every battle. She is more of a survivor, and can act as a shield when your attacker gets hurt. If you'd rather use characters other than Siegfried and Raphael, this setup could probably be modified to work for whoever you like, though some changes will be necessary because of the differences in weapon stats. ----------- The Attacks ----------- I recommend taking a team of Siegfried and Raphael (or their weapon styles, at any rate) for many reasons. First of all, they both have very handy ways to get Ring Outs, which will help you store up a lot of extra time early on. In addition, Siegfried and Raphael each have an attack that is quite effective even when used repeatedly, which is very helpful on the later floors. Performing these attacks over and over again can work against even the most difficult enemies. Below is a list of the attacks I found useful, along with an explanation of how to perform them and what to use them for. For Siegfried: Assault Slap (running forward+horizontal). A wide sweeping slash that sends the opponent flying to the side (left, from your character's perspective). I like to use this right at the start of battle, because unless they duck under it or guard, it will send them a fair distance away, putting them closer to the edge for Ring Outs and also giving you time to use your HP Burst if you wish. Quick Spin Slash (forward+horizontal). This attack is similar to Assault Slap, except that it sends the opponent flying to the right (from your character's perspective). Quick Spin Slash also differs from Assault Slap in that it won't move the opponent if they're simply standing still. They must be moving or attacking in order for it to send them flying. Maelstrom (while rising, horizontal twice). This is Siegfried's most important attack, a wide horizontal double-swing. The first swing is a mid attack, the second low, and at least one of the two will usually hit. It deals a lot of damage, and will be your main weapon against foes such as Ellie and Silvia. You can begin Maelstrom by crouching, and then pressing the horizontal attack button twice as you rise, or by starting out with a downwards attack (down+vertical, down+horizontal, etc) and then pressing the horizontal attack button a few times afterward. Rock Splitter (running forward+vertical). This attack is a downward chop, which, in addition to dealing a lot of damage, will allow you to follow up with Maelstrom. If you simply press the horizontal attack button a few times at the end of Rock Splitter, you'll perform Maelstrom. Over Toss (while crouching, B+G). As the name implies, this attack throw tosses the opponent high over your character's head. It's great for getting Ring Outs if you crouch down by the edge of the ring and use it as the foe comes toward you. Flap Jack (while crouching, A+G). Similar to Over Toss, except that it tosses the opponent in the opposite direction, and doesn't send them as far or as high. Though not as useful as Over Toss, it can take the place of Raphael's Unending Stings when you're facing an opponent who has an Auto Grapple Break skill (Auto Grapple Break skills will not effect either Flap Jack or Over Toss). Earth Divide (down, down-forward, forward, vertical). This is a slow Unblockable Attack, and the only time you're likely to get a chance to use it is just after you've defeated one opponent. If you get the timing right, you can smash the next foe with Earth Divide as they enter the battle, dealing a hefty amount of damage before they even know what hit them. For Raphael: Unending Stings (B+G throw). With this throw, Raphael stabs the opponent repeatedly, driving them backwards some distance, with a final stab to send them even further back. Use Unending Stings to Ring Out your opponents when they are standing near an edge. Wicked Thrust (back+vertical). This attack will stun the opponent if it hits. I found it to be particularly useful when the foe is near the edge of the ring, but won't let you get close enough for a throw. You can perform Wicked Thrust to stun them, and then run forward and use Unending Stings. Assalto Montante Crescendo (horizontal+vertical, horizontal). This is Raphael's most effective attack. He draws backward a bit with the first slash, moves forward again with the second, and ends with a low slash. I often noticed that when an opponent would attempt to Guard Impact this attack, they would get the timing wrong because the first slash usually didn't hit. Because of the failed Guard Impact, the opponent would then be unable to guard the rest of the attack. By the way, you can also perform this attack just by repeatedly pressing both buttons together. Fendante (down+vertical), and Advance Slicer (while rising, vertical). Fendante is a quick downward slash, and Advance Slicer is a slash that sweeps forward and upward. These two attacks are very effective when combined, and are what you should switch to whenever Assalto Montante Crescendo doesn't seem to be working. Heavy Mandritti (back+horizontal). Raphael will spin to the side as he performs this attack, making it very handy for evasion. It works especially well when used in combination with Cleaving Talon. Cleaving Talon (down+horizontal). This attack is a low slice, very quick but lacking in range. Alternating between Cleaving Talon and Heavy Mandritti can buy you some time when things start to go haywire. ------------ The Strategy ------------ These are the methods and tactics that usually worked out best for me on the different sets of floors. Nothing is set in stone, of course--you'll need to improvise to some extent, so it would be a good idea to look closely at the attacks mentioned above, practice them, and come to your own conclusions about how to use them, with the guideline below serving as a starting point. The strategies assume that Siegfried is your first character in battle, with Raphael being the second. (Note that I'll be referring to your characters as Siegfried and Raphael even though you're most likely using custom characters. Also, Raphael will be referred to as "him" even though, if you use my setup, the character with Raphael's weapon style will be a lady. I needed to simplify.) I've also listed the stages you'll be fighting on, as well as the amount of time that will be added to your timer at the beginning of every battle. Good luck! Floors 1-4: Start out with Assault Slap to send the opponent away from you and towards the edge of the ring. Then, run forward and press the vertical attack button to perform Rock Splitter, then press the horizontal attack button twice to perform Maelstrom. Continue to use Rock Splitter and Maelstrom (or just Maelstrom alone) until the first opponent is defeated. By then, you'll usually be fairly close to the edge of the ring. You should position yourself right at the very edge, but instead of heading straight for it, try circling around the fallen opponent; this will usually give you a better angle for Ring Outs. As the next opponent runs toward you, use Over Toss to send them out of the ring. If you end up on the wrong side for any reason, switch in Raphael and use Unending Stings. Stage: Tower of Remembrance-Ancient Gate Time: +100 at Floor 1, +50 at Floor 2, +50 at Floor 3, +50 at Floor 4 Floor 5: On this floor, you will face Ellie. Begin the battle with Maelstrom, and use it repeatedly until Siegfried has taken some damage, then use his HP Burst and switch to Raphael for Assalto Montante Crescendo. Also, remember Raphael's Fendante and Advance Slicer attacks (down+vertical, while rising vertical). Once Raphael gets hurt, use his HP Bursts and bring Siegfried back in, repeating the process all over again. Stage: Tower of Remembrance-Ancient Gate Time: +40 at Floor 5 Floors 6-9: I'd recommend using the same process as with Floors 1-4, but keep in mind that there will now be three opponents instead of two. Also, if you happen to use Raphael to get a Ring Out with Unending Stings, remember to back away from the edge afterward, so that hopefully the next opponent will arrive on the side near the edge, allowing you to use Unending Stings on them as well. Stage: Grand Labyrinth-Corridor of Suspended Time Time: +50 at Floor 6, +50 at Floor 7, +50 at Floor 8, +50 at Floor 9 Floor 10: The two opponents you face on this floor have very high Defense, so, to save time, it's a good idea to defeat them by Ring Out. Begin the battle with Assault Slap, heal yourself with HP Burst if you need it, then switch to Raphael, run forward, and repeatedly use Unending Stings until the first opponent goes over the edge. Back away from the edge, and when the next foe arrives, use Unending Stings on that one as well. If you have trouble getting close enough for a throw, or if they tend to grapple break, it might help to use Wicked Thrust to stun them first. Something else you could try if they grapple break a lot would be to switch in Siegfried and use Flap Jack. Stage: Tower of Remembrance-Encounter Time: +50 at Floor 10 Floors 11-14: If you have a good amount of time stacked up (about 350-400 seconds), you should probably stop using Over Toss now, since there is a possibility that you may get sent out of the ring yourself if you stay so close to the edge. Instead, make use of Siegfried's Hysterical Strength skill. Start out with Assault Slap, then use your HP Burst to heal yourself and lower your Soul Gauge, and after that keep pounding the opponents with Maelstrom. If there's some distance between you and the opponent, leading into Maelstrom with Rock Splitter usually works well. However, if they're close to you, you should probably just use Maelstrom on its own, or use a faster downward attack (down+vertical, for example) to lead into it. Once Siegfried's Soul Gauge turns yellow or red, but before it starts flashing, you might want to quickly switch him out and back in, so that you won't be in immediate danger of Soul Crush--although rare, it is possible for a foe to perform a Critical Finish on you. If you get an opportunity to hit an entering opponent with Earth Divide, go for it! Also, if the opponent is ever near an edge, bring in Raphael for Unending Stings. One last thing; on Floor 14, try to make sure you're as healthy as possible at the end of battle. You'll need to be in good shape for what's coming next. Stage: Kunpaetku Shrine-Dream Remnants Time: +60 at Floor 11, +60 at Floor 12, +60 at Floor 13, +50 at Floor 14 Floor 15: On this floor you'll be fighting the second exceedingly annoying, cat-suit wearing girl, Silvia. As with Ellie, you should probably begin the battle with Maelstrom, and keep using it as many times as you can. It's usually more effective against her if you begin it directly from a crouch. (This seems to work particularly well against Silvia when she's using Astaroth's style.) If you lead into Maelstrom with another attack, she seems to be more likely to catch on and guard it. Once Siegfried gets hurt, switch to Raphael for Assalto Montante Crescendo, and keep using it until Silvia starts to guard it, then try Fendante and Advance Slicer. Alternate between them and Assalto Montante Crescendo, and when all else fails, try alternating between Heavy Mandritti and Cleaving Talon. Adding in a throw every now and then can help, too. Once Raphael is wounded, use his HP Bursts and switch back to Siegfried, and try Maelstrom again. Also, Assault Slap and Over Toss can get her away from you if you need time to heal. Just keep at it until you defeat her. Stage: Egyptian Temple-Sacred Flame Time: +30 at Floor 15 Floors 16-19: I'd recommend the same process as with 11-14. Stage: Kunpaetku Shrine-Dream Remnants Time: +50 at Floor 16, +50 at Floor 17, +60 at Floor 18, +60 at Floor 19 Floor 20: As with Floor 10, start out by hitting the opponent with Assault Slap, then switch to Raphael and repeatedly use Unending Stings to send them out of the ring. After they go out, back away from the edge and repeat the process with the next foe if you can. Some of the possible opponents on this floor (Talim comes to mind) have the Nullify Ring Out A skill, which can make it tricky to get rid of them. So, you may want to use Maelstrom and Assalto Montante Crescendo to defeat them instead. But BEWARE. If one of your opponents is Astaroth with the skill Invisible S, RING HIM OUT AT ALL COSTS. You don't want to have to fight this guy. He is a destroyer. Stage: Wolfkrone Monument Time: +50 at Floor 20 Floors 21-24: Things will be getting quite a bit more difficult here. Since this stage has only one edge where you can get Ring Outs, it's often difficult to get the opponent into position, so you're probably better off making use of Siegfried's Hysterical Strength, and using the Rocksplitter and Maelstrom combo as much as possible (or just Maelstrom on its own). Remember to try and hit entering opponents with Earth Divide. If Siegfried gets hurt, bring in Raphael for Assalto Montante Crescendo, and Fendante and Advance Slicer, and remember Heavy Mandritti and Cleaving Talon if you're ever in peril. If it turns out that your opponent ends up near that one edge, see if you can use Unending Stings to get them out of the ring. By backing away from the edge, you may be able to get the next opponents to show up in Ring Out territory too. Keep on eye on the advancing suits of armor in this stage, because they come at you much faster than normal. If you take too long in the battles, there is a possibility that they may eventually push you over the edge. One last thing; try to make sure you're as healthy as possible at the end of the battle on Floor 24. You've got a very difficult fight ahead of you. Stage: Ostrheinsburg Castle Throne Room Time: +60 at Floor 21, +60 at Floor 22, +60 at Floor 23, +60 at Floor 24 Floor 25: On this floor, you must defeat both Ellie and Silvia. Yes, you read that right, you have to fight both of these psychos. Maelstrom is usually pretty effective if you begin it from a crouch. It can knock them down, and if they roll away from you to rise, it usually hits them again, allowing you to keep up with it until they finally catch on. Once Siegfried gets hurt, use his HP burst if you can and then switch to Raphael for Assalto Montante Crescendo, using it repeatedly until it starts to fail. Then, mix in Fendante and Advance Slicer, and remember Heavy Mandritti and Cleaving Talon as a survival tactic, adding in more Assalto Montante Crescendos now and then. Once Raphael's health falls below Siegfried's, use his HP Bursts and switch Siegfried back in, repeating the process. You'll probably need to switch back and forth very often in order to survive. Keep an eye on your Soul Gauge; watch for that white glow that means you can use HP Burst, and use it whenever you think best. Also, its worth noting that this stage has many open edges, meaning that you may be able to use Unending Stings to Ring Out the cat-girls. They have Nullify Ring Out A, but there's still a chance that a Ring Out may work, especially if you can attempt it several times. If YOU end up near the edge, you might want to consider bringing in Siegfried and trying Over Toss--if it works, you'll be back on the safe side. Stage: Thesmophoros' Imperial Garden Time: +50 at Floor 25 Floors 26-29: Getting Ring Outs on this stage is very difficult. There's one area that has low walls all around it (which the opponent is more likely to succeed in putting you over), and one narrow little open space far at the back. Unless you end up in the right position during the course of the battle, it will usually cost more time and effort to get there than it's worth. I'd recommend using the same process as with Floors 21-24, but things will be getting even harder here. The biggest danger is that you may occasionally encounter foes that are normally found on Floors 31 and up, which is very bad news. Klemens, Heath, Cassius, Rufina, Ellis, and others. There's even a slight possibility that you may run into Ellie (with Maxi's style) or Silvia (with Cervantes' style). Just remember all the techniques you've learned up to this point, and use them as you see fit. If things went well earlier, you should have a quite a bit of extra time stacked up, so just worry about survival now. Stage: Hall of the Warrior God Time: +60 at Floor 26, +60 at Floor 27, +50 at Floor 28, +50 at Floor 29 Floor 30: This floor is your chance to get yourself healed up and prepared for the coming insanity. Start out the battle with Assault Slap, or, if that's guarded, a Quick Spin Slash, to send your first opponent away from you. Then, heal Siegfried with his HP Burst, quickly switch in Raphael, and heal him as many times as you can (usually three if you've got the Soul Gauge Boost C skill). If your team isn't fully healthy yet, you may want to attack enough to refill their Soul Gauges, so that you can heal them some more. When you're ready to move on, take Siegfried and use Maelstrom to drive the opponent to the edge, then switch to Raphael and use Unending Stings to ring them out. Back away from the edge of the ring and grab the second opponent as they enter the battle, hopefully sending them over the edge as well. Just keep trying until it works, possibly adding in a Wicked Thrust to stun the foe if necessary. There will be a third opponent, and some of the possible foes have the skill Nullify Ring Out S. If this is the case, try to get back into the safety of the center of the ring, and take things from there. However, once again, if you're facing Astaroth with the skill Invisible S, RING HIM OUT. The last thing you need now is for him to ruin all that healing. Stage: Tower of Remembrance-Encounter Time: +60 at Floor 30 Floors 31-34: Every floor from here on out will be incredibly challenging. The good news? These fights are as hard as they come, meaning you don't have to worry about them getting any worse. The bad news is that the first time you get here, you'll probably die. I know I did. The tenth time you get here, you'll probably die. I know I did. You get the idea, right? The strategies I've mentioned up to this point can get you here fairly consistently, but nothing will make these last nine floors easy. You will need every trick in the book, and you should treat every fight as if you were facing Ellie and Silvia. Maelstrom Maelstrom Maelstrom, and did I mention, Maelstrom? When the foe is far away from you, running forward and using Rock Splitter tends to work fairly well. If you need to buy time, Assault Slap can get them out of your face for a few seconds (as long as they don't guard it). Using Over Toss now and then comes in handy too, not necessarily for Ring Outs but just to get you a little space to breathe. Following up a successful Over Toss with Rock Splitter, and from Rock Splitter to Maelstrom, worked pretty well for me sometimes. After an opponent is defeated and as the next one is entering the battle, you have a chance to deal some hefty damage, so try your best to hit them with Earth Divide. Once you switch to Raphael, Assalto Montante Crescendo is usually the most effective attack to use, and it may work even better than Maelstrom here. If your Assalto Montante Crescendo is guarded, try alternating between it and Fendante and Advance Slicer. When nothing else seems to be working, pull out Heavy Mandritti and Cleaving Talon. If you ever get a chance when the opponent is near the edge of the ring, try to send them out with Unending Stings. Stunning them first with Wicked Thrust can make it easier. Every time you get rid of a foe by Ring Out, you'll be saving yourself a lot of effort and your characters a ton of health. Speaking of health, switch characters often, and remember to make the most of your HP Bursts. If you back away from the foe a fair distance, they may just stand around for a bit, possibly giving you an opportunity to heal yourself. Lastly, don't worry about time anymore. These are the floors you've been saving it for. Stage: Distant Marsh Time: +50 at Floor 31, +50 at Floor 32, +60 at Floor 33, +60 at Floor 34 Floor 35: Here, you get to fight Ellie, Silvia, and Tira. I'd begin the battle with Maelstrom (started from a crouch) and repeatedly use it until Siegfried takes some damage, then use his HP Burst and bring in Raphael. As usual, perform Assalto Montante Crescendo repeatedly until they start to guard it consistently, then mix in Fendante and Advance Slicer. You may be able to get away with some extra throws if you use Raphael's A+G throw, Death Puppet, instead of Unending Stings (if they've come to expect Unending Stings, they might not grapple break it). If you start getting pummelled, using Heavy Mandritti and Cleaving Talon in combination can help turn things around. When you can, bring in Siegfried for more Maelstrom action, and remember that Over Toss can sometimes help to get the opponent away from you. Also, after successfully performing Over Toss, you may then be able to follow it up with Rock Splitter and Maelstrom (or just Maelstrom alone). Use HP Burst whenever you can, and switch as often as you need to. One last thing. I'd advise against trying to position yourself specifically to use Over Toss for a Ring Out over the low walls. Firstly, the foes will usually really decimate you as you try to get into position for it, secondly, they tend to expect it and grapple break anyway, and thirdly, the foes can sweep you over the low walls fairly easily, even though you wouldn't think they should be able to. I'd only recommend trying this if you happen to be near the low walls already, or as a last resort when you think you're about to lose. Stage: Phantom Pavilion Time: +60 at Floor 35 Floors 36-39: Much like Floors 31-34, except that you'll be fighting on a different stage. You'll likely encounter many of the same foes here as you did there, and they'll be as tough as ever. Pull out all the stops and make use of your HP Bursts at every opportunity. If you get forced back to the low walls, using Over Toss might save you--and if you're really lucky, you might even get a Ring Out with it. But like I said before, being near the edge is risky, so putting yourself there on purpose is probably not a good idea (unless you think it's your only chance). This is the final stretch, so hang on, you're almost there! Stage: Phantom Pavilion Time: +60 at Floor 36, +60 at Floor 37, +60 at Floor 38, +60 at Floor 39 Floor 40: It took me forever to get to this point, so let me just say congratulations here and now. Okay then, moving on. You've finally reached the goal of your endeavor, Floor 40. On this floor, you will face a single opponent; Algol. Tough as he may be, after what you've been through to get here, one guy probably won't seem so bad. For once, YOU outnumber the bad guys, so take full advantage of the fact. You know all the attacks, all the strategies, all the tactics I'd recommend. The only thing I have to add is that this stage has no walls whatsoever. Every edge is a Ring Out waiting to happen, which can actually work in your favor. If you begin the battle by using Maelstrom, and use it over and over again, you may force Algol to the edge of the ring and possibly even over it. That's what happened for me. In fact, every time I've been to this floor I've won by Ring Out (almost accidentally, really) so that may be well worth trying for. Good luck! Stage: Phantom Pavilion-Seesaw Time: +40 at Floor 40 Descending to Floor 40 is an incredible challenge. The fact is, you just don't get to this point without doing all the right things at all the right times. It doesn't matter what strategy you use, it takes skill and effort and time and most of all, persistence, to get here. If you made it to Floor 40, you rock. Period. :) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Honors XXXXXXXXXXXXX5XXXXXXXXXXXXX These "Honors" are awarded for doing certain things such as, say, winning a battle with an Unblockable Attack, amassing a certain amount of Gold, collecting all of the equipment, moving a certain distance in battle, etc. You can only get Honors in the single player modes, such as Story Mode, Arcade Mode, and the Tower of Lost Souls. Nothing that occurs in a Versus battle counts toward earning Honors, except for the few that specifically mention "Online." There are fifty Honors in total. Every five Honors you collect, up to the 30th, unlocks a bunch of new items to buy for character creation, some of which could also be unlocked in the Tower of Lost Souls. The items that can be unlocked by the Honors are listed in the Unlockables section. In this section, I have listed the Honors, and I've added some tips on how to get them as well. On with the Honors! Start of a New Era Honor Detail: Welcome to the new world of SOULCALIBUR! Tip: [@U] Let the opening movie play without skipping it. Encounter with the Unknown Honor Detail: Fight against Yoda. Tip: You have to go through Arcade Mode as The Apprentice. When you reach the seventh battle, you'll face Yoda. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose; you'll get the Honor just for fighting him. Pursuer of the Secret Honor Detail: Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: NORMAL. Tip: This one speaks for itself. Mystery of the Swords Honor Detail: Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: HARD. Tip: This one speaks for itself. May the Force be with You Honor Detail: Clear STORY MODE with Yoda. Tip: This one speaks for itself. War Veteran Honor Detail: Clear ARCADE MODE. Tip: This one speaks for itself. Hero on the Battlefield Honor Detail: Clear ARCADE MODE with over 450,000 points. Tip: See Arcade Mode section, "Getting Hero on the Battlefield." Legendary Hidden Treasures Honor Detail: Acquire over 30 treasures in TOWER OF LOST SOULS. Tip: See Tower of Lost Souls section. Never Ending Advance Honor Detail: Descend 20 floors in TOWER OF LOST SOULS. Tip: See Descending the Tower section. Tower's New Guardian Honor Detail: Clear all upper floors of TOWER OF LOST SOULS. Tip: See Tower of Lost Souls section. You'll have to go through the whole Tower, from Floor 1 to Floor 60. Good luck! Scorpion's Sting Honor Detail: Win a battle with Critical Finish. Tip: It's easy to get a Critical Finish by using Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack repeatedly, and adding the skill Soul Gauge Damage A would make it even easier. Use Avenging Claws on an opponent until their Soul Gauge (the little colorful jewel-like thing next to the HP bar) starts flashing red. This means that you're getting close. After that, perform Avenging Claws a few more times, but watch carefully. When the opponent staggers and flashes with reddish lightning, that's your opportunity to perform your Critical Finish. You have to press the button set as "A+B+K+G" in the controls (the default setup would have this on the Left Bumper, or L1 for the PS3). You can also do it by pressing all four buttons yourself, but that would be more difficult. Smasher Honor Detail: Destroy all of the opponent's equipment. Tip: You could try to do this on Floor 45 of the Tower of Lost Souls, since the enemy there takes very little damage, meaning you can attack enough to break all of the equipment without having to worry about the opponent dying in the meantime. If you haven't gotten to Floor 45 of the Tower yet, another option is to take Yun-Seong (equipped with Soul Gauge Damage A) through his Story Mode on Normal. In the fourth battle, one of your opponents will be Hilde, who guards a lot. Use Avenging Claws to lower her Soul Gauge until it flashes red, (this will make her equipment break faster) and then switch in Seong Mi-Na and use her down+A+B attack Sweeping Blade, which will allow you to break Hilde's boots fairly easily. Next switch in Yun-Seong for more Avenging Claws action. When Hilde's Soul Gauge is flashing again use Yun-Seong's back+B attack, Illusion Blade, to break her helm. At this point all you have to do is continue using Avenging claws until you win (you'll break the mid section armor as you go). Iron Hammer Honor Detail: Land an attack on a taunting opponent. Tip: This one will probably just happen as you play. Death on the Battlefield Honor Detail: Perform 100 Critical Finishes. Tip: You'll probably get a lot of these just by playing, but if you want to hurry it along, use Yun-Seong's Avenging Claws attack repeatedly to get Critical Finishes quickly. Equipping Soul Gauge Damage A might be a good idea. Like a Flowing Stream Honor Detail: Perform 200 Impacts. Tip: A good opponent to Guard Impact against is Nightmare, since his attacks are pretty slow and you can usually see them coming. Another thing to try would be to equip the skill Auto Impact A, and just stand around guarding. With this, the Impacts will happen on their own, but it will take a long time. However, if you give your character Auto Grapple Break A as well as Auto Impact A, you can be working towards getting the Water Moon Honor at the same time. Lost in the Moment Honor Detail: Perform 20 Just Impacts. Tip: If you equip the skill Master Impact, all Guard Impacts become Just Impacts. It will be a little more difficult to get the timing right, but not as difficult as it would be to get real Just Impacts. I did it against Nightmare, at the end of Yun-Seong's Story Mode. Since Seong Mi-Na is on your side as well, you have two characters to use, which means that you can survive longer, allowing you to perform more Impacts per battle. Once you've been defeated, just retry and start again. The Just Impacts you perform in the battles you lose will still count towards getting the Honor. Quick Strike Honor Detail: Perform 5 First Attacks in a row in Arcade. Tip: Kilik is a good character to use for this. He can attack from very far away, so you'll probably be able to land an attack on your opponent before they get close enough to hit you. Kilik's regular vertical attack will reach pretty far, but to make it reach even farther, walk backwards and press the vertical attack button. Swift Strike Honor Detail: Perform 100 First Attacks. Tip: You'll probably get a lot of these just by playing, but if you want to hurry it along, repeatedly use the tip for Quick Strike, above. Mad Destroyer Honor Detail: Perform 100 Soul Crushes. Tip: Give Yun-Seong the skill Soul Gauge Damage A, and use Avenging Claws over and over and over again. Every time you see a flash of reddish lightning appear around your opponent, you've done another Soul Crush. Instead of performing a Critical Finish then as you usually would, just go back to using Avenging Claws to lower the opponent's Soul Gauge again. This way, you can usually get several Soul Crushes per opponent. Violent Storm Honor Detail: Perform 50 Wall Hits. Tip: Back the opponent up to a wall, and then use Mitsurugi's A+G throw, Sea of Madness. Repeat as many times as necessary. 10,000 Strikes of Proof Honor Detail: Land 10,000 attacks. Tip: You'll probably get a lot of these just by playing (especially if you're going through the Tower) but if you want to hurry it along, take Maxi through Story Mode on Normal. Mashing the vertical attack button and the kick button simultaneously will perform an attack that doesn't do much damage, but hits many times. (This attack is the first part of Maxi's Fury~Right Outer attack.) You can get about 450 hits per trip through Story Mode, if you use this. Guarded 1000 Honor Detail: Guard 1000 times against attacks. Tip: This one speaks for itself. Water Moon Honor Detail: Perform 30 grapple breaks. Tip: You can perform grapple breaks manually, but I think it's much easier to give your character the skill Auto Grapple Break A, stand near an opponent, and just keep guarding. They'll probably try to throw you before long, and when they do, a grapple break may happen automatically. It won't work every time, though, so it will take a while to get enough grapple breaks for the Honor. However, if you give your character the skill Auto Impact A as well as Auto Grapple Break A, you can work towards earning the Like a Flowing Stream Honor at the same time. Distance will not Betray Honor Detail: Reach over 10,000 meters in total movement distance in battle. Tip: If you're going through the Tower, you'll most likely have this Honor by the time you're done. If you don't want to wait, though, you could try equipping the skills Step Speed Up and Run Speed Up, and run circles around your opponents in a Normal Story Mode. First Step as an Artist Honor Detail: Customize a Regular Character. Tip: This one is as easy as they come, just customize one of the regular characters (in other words, any character you didn't create yourself). Chosen by History Honor Detail: Create a Custom Character. Tip: This one is also extremely easy. If you don't want to take the time to make a cool character, just go into custom character creation and accept the randomly generated one it gives you to start with, and then select "Finish." Sharpened Teeth Honor Detail: Maximize a style's level. Tip: A style's level rises as you finish battles using that style. Winning and losing will both work, but winning seems to work more quickly. The following method is the fastest way I know of to raise a style's level. First, customize a character with as much Attack as possible. You can just go into custom character creation, select the style you want, and then tell it to generate a character with "Maximum Attack." You should probably make the character a guy, because even their earliest available equipment will let you get a very high Attack stat. Once you have your character, make a copy of him, and then take the not-necessarily-evil twins through the very first set of floors in the Tower of Lost Souls (Ascending). The opponents on these two floors are probably the least powerful you can find in the game, and with a character who has such a high Attack, you can take all five of them down very quickly. By repeatedly doing this, I can usually take a style from Level 1 to Level 9 in about half an hour. By the way, if you want to maximize the level of a style that can't be selected for custom character creation (Algol, the Star Wars characters, or the special characters like Shura), you'll have to use special equipment and weapons to get their Attack stat high enough. Around 149% should be good enough. Equal Skill and Power Honor Detail: Use all skill points and set up 4 skills. Tip: Select Taki for customization, and remove everything she has on. Then equip the Twisted Headband, Pi Bo, Leggings, Tight Shirt, and Belle Skirt. When that's done, equip the skills HP Drain C, Start Dash C, Hysterical Strength, and Switch Speed Up. Paint her black so she looks cool and then select finish. Tada! Engraved into History Honor Detail: Fight 100 times (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. World Class Fighter Honor Detail: Fight against 20 different fighting styles (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. World Traveler Honor Detail: Fight on all stages (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. Gladiator Honor Detail: Win consecutive Ranked Matches (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. Unknown Swordsman Honor Detail: Win 10 times (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. Hero King Honor Detail: Level up to 20 (Online). Tip: This one speaks for itself. Divine Punishment Honor Detail: K.O. with an Unblockable Attack. Tip: Unblockable Attacks are marked by a U in a red circle in the Move List. A good one to use might be Zasalamel's Tiamat's Rampage (walk back and press B+K). The first battle of Story Mode on Normal is a good place to try it. Lower the opponent's HP until they're one hit away from being defeated, and then use Tiamat's Rampage (or any other Unblockable Attack you like) to finish them off. Reversal Wizard Honor Detail: Win 20 matches with low HP. Tip: First of all, you should lower your opponent's HP until it's low enough for one more hit to defeat them. This way, you won't have to do much fighting while you're in peril. ;) After that's done, allow the opponent to attack you until your HP is about as low as theirs, and then win the battle. Repeat this twenty times, and you'll have the Honor. Story Mode on Normal is a good place to do it, since the opponents there aren't as difficult to defeat as the foes in other modes might be. Phoenix Honor Detail: Win with all equipment destroyed. Tip: Customize a character with the skill HP Burst, and also a high Defense stat. Use HP Burst to lower your own Soul Gauge (equipment breaks much faster when the Soul Gauge is low). Then, attack the opponent until they're one hit away from being defeated, so that it will be easy for you to win when the time comes. After that, just keep guarding their attacks until all of your equipment breaks. Once everything is broken, win the battle and you'll get the Honor. I did it with Mitsurugi in his first Story Mode battle on Normal. I found that Setsuka and Yun-Seong had a good chance of breaking high equipment, and Seong Mi-Na was likely to break low equipment, if you guard low. Mid equipment should just break as you go. Wandering Assassin Honor Detail: K.O. opponent with over 20 types of weapons. Tip: Go into Arcade Mode, win the first round, then go back out and select a different character. Repeat twenty times. :) Repel All Blades Honor Detail: Win 30 times with a Perfect. Tip: An easy way to get Perfects is to go through Story Mode on Normal difficulty using a character who will have an ally on their side. Fight with your main character until the opponent is one hit away from defeat, and then switch in your minion to strike the final blow. Then switch back to your main character and repeat the process with the next foe. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if you get hit, as long as you have full HP at the end of the battle it will still count as a Perfect, so it might be a good idea to have HP Burst or HP Drain A. Also, remember not to win with Ring Outs or Critical Finishes, as these won't count as Perfects even if you do have full HP. Numeric God Honor Detail: The last two numbers of total play time and remaining time in a victorious battle were the same. Tip: This is one of the ones that will probably just happen eventually. There really isn't much you can do to control it. Two Cannot Exist Together Honor Detail: Exhaust each others' power. Tip: For this Honor, you need to get a Double K.O. The following method exists thanks to [@U] iNSOMNiAQ, who suggested using Yoshimitsu, since his attacks can damage both himself and the opponent at the same time. I had tried this at one point, but was unsuccessful. I had given up on it, but when iNSOMNiAQ informed me that it could work, I went back to figure out what I had been doing wrong. I never did figure out exactly WHY the Double K.O. sometimes counts and sometimes doesn't, but I did find a way that worked fairly often, so here it is. Go into the first floor of the Tower of Lost Souls (Ascending). Choose Yoshimitsu for both members of your team. In order for the Double K.O. to work, you have to do it while there are still two characters on each side, so make sure you don't accidentally defeat one of the opponents ahead of time. The attack that worked best for me was Reflection (back B+K), and then Suicidal Thoughts (during Reflection A+K). Reflection makes Yoshimitsu turn around, and Suicidal Thoughts makes him stab himself. If the opponent is standing close behind him, it will hit them as well. So, first of all, you need to attack the opponent until his HP is low enough for the Suicidal Thoughts attack to defeat him, and then allow him to damage Yoshimitsu until his HP is also low enough. Then, move far away from the opponent and perform Reflection. Since you are far away, the opponent will probably run up to you. Once he's right up close, perform Suicidal Thoughts. With a little luck, you should get the Double K.O. and thus your Honor. I wouldn't have discovered any of this without iNSOMNiAQ's help. Thanks! Gathering of the Best Honor Detail: Complete CHAIN OF SOULS. Tip: Unlock every character, and then go into the Chain of Souls section of Museum Mode, and you'll get the Honor. Observer of Souls Honor Detail: Collect all illustrations in Art Gallery. Tip: You have to buy everything in the Art Gallery, which will cost you about 89,000 Gold. You'll have to unlock every character, too, since some of the illustrations aren't available until you unlock certain characters. Sword Hunter Honor Detail: Collect all weapons for 5 characters. Tip: When you complete a character's Story Mode for the first time, you unlock two new weapons for them. So, you'll need to play through Story Mode with five different characters, and then buy all of their weapons. You might want to play as Siegfried, Nightmare, and Yoda as three of the five, since each of these will get you another Honor. And if you do one on Normal, and one on Hard, that scores two more Honors! :D The Controller Honor Detail: Get Soul Calibur (Final Form). Tip: Complete Story Mode with Siegfried, and then buy Soul Calibur (Final Form) in character creation. Wild Run to Tragedy Honor Detail: Get Soul Edge (Final Form). Tip: Complete Story Mode with Nightmare, and then buy Soul Edge (Final Form) in character creation. Looter of the Battlefield Honor Detail: Collect all accessories. Tip: Accessories are the special equipment, like "Life Gem: Sun." You will need to earn 25 Honors in order to make them all available for purchase. (Some can also be acquired as treasures in the Tower of Lost Souls.) Note that special equipment can only be used by the 1P or 2P versions of the regular characters. Special equipment cannot be used by custom characters, nor by the "Customized" version of the regular characters. The top option in character creation lets you choose between the 1P, 2P, or Customized versions of the regular characters, while the lowest option lets you buy and equip the special equipment. Wandering Weapon Merchant Honor Detail: Collect 350 pieces of equipment. Tip: Earn Honors to make new equipment become available, earn Gold so that you can buy it, and then go on a shopping spree. If you're going for the Transcend History and the World Honor, you don't have to worry about this one, since you'll get it on the way. Tower of Gold Honor Detail: Acquire over 1,000,000 Gold. Tip: Finish the Tower. You'll likely have this one by the time your done. Transcend History and the World Honor Detail: Acquire all weapons and equipment. Tip: See Unlocking All Equipment below. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Unlockables XXXXXXXXXXXXX6XXXXXXXXXXXXX This section is about everything that can be unlocked in Soulcalibur IV; equipment, weapons, characters, stages, etc. Here's the breakdown. . . Unlocking All Equipment is a quick list of what exactly you will need to do in order to obtain all of the equipment and weaponry in the game. Unlockable With Honors is a detailed list of all the equipment that becomes available when you earn specific amounts of Honors. Unlockable Characters lists--you guessed it--how to unlock all of the extra characters. Unlockable Stages (another stunningly original title, eh?) should be pretty obvious by now. And lastly, Unlockable Weapons details the names and stats of the weapons that become available after completing each character's Story Mode. ----------------------- UNLOCKING ALL EQUIPMENT ----------------------- To obtain all of the unlockable equipment in the game: Earn 30 Honors (see the Honors section for tips). Buy all 11 purchasable characters to unlock their 2P equipment. Complete Story Mode with every character, including the 18 unlockable characters; this will unlock two new weapons for each of them. Purchase every weapon for every character. Purchase all character creation equipment and all special equipment. Purchase Voldo's masks, Imprisoned Face and Submission Belt (usable by Voldo only). Buying all of these things will cost you about 3,012,650 Gold. However, you can save quite a bit by acquiring treasures in the Tower of Lost Souls instead of buying them. (The prize of Gold you receive in the place of an item that has already been purchased will usually be far less than the actual cost of the item itself.) Keep in mind that you'll need 30 Honors whether or not you choose to take on the Tower. ---------------------- UNLOCKABLE WITH HONORS ---------------------- These are the items that become available for purchase as you collect the 5th through 30th Honors. ------------------------------------------- Achieving 5 Honors unlocks these new items: ------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Thief Bandana, Mitre, Leather Mask, Hermit's Hood, Thief's Mask, Warlord's Shoulders, Viking Shoulders, Hero's Breastplate, Engraved Gauntlets, Bandages, Magus Boots, Lord's Greaves. Ladies' Equipment: Ashigaru Headband, Mawari Hachigane, Kongtian Zhuangmao, Witch's Hat, Jester's Hat, Burgonet, Thief's Mask, Fox Mask, Ribbon, Jolly Roger, Ring Trousers, Dancer's Breastplate, Frilled Blouse, Jester's Clothes, Sleeveless Kimono, Arabesque Vest, Warrior's Robe, Bladed Armlets, Ashigaru Gauntlets, Bandages, Snake Armlets, Warrior's Fauld, Goth Skirt, Prayer Breeches, Velvet Trousers, Jester's Breeches, Bandages, Sandals, Village Sandals, Kung Fu Shoes, Merchant's Boots, Ashigaru Greaves, Jester's Boots, Barbarian Greaves. Special Equipment: None. Voldo's Masks: Imprisoned Face. -------------------------------------------- Achieving 10 Honors unlocks these new items: -------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Kojikan, Sedge Shade, Ninja Mask, Leather Mask Comb, Great Helm, Kishin Mask, Hannya Mask, Juok Chaplet, Lord's Mantle, Dark Knight's Cloak, Pauldrons, Frilled Shirt, Changpao, Venatic Gloves, Iron Gauntlets, Warlord's Belt, Warrior Trousers, Guimian Yecha, Protected Greaves. Ladies' Equipment: Corsair, Prayer Helm, Sobek Vizard, Pince-nez, Opera Mask, Choker, Scarf, Skulled Fur, Priestess Mantle, Pauldrons, Punishment Spaulders, Sarashi, Bordered Suit, Clergy Clothes, Prayer Robe, Wonder Jacket, Scarlet Blossoms, Engraved Gauntlets, Scaled Fauld, Embroidered Drawers, Warrior Trousers, Ashigaru Hakama, Scarlet Hakama, Silver Boots, Scorpion Greaves. Special Equipment: Blade Ring: Raging Thunder, Strength Ring: Warlock, Armor Ring: Ice Mirror. Voldo's Masks: Submission Belt. -------------------------------------------- Achieving 15 Honors unlocks these new items: -------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Soldier's Hat, Caretaker's Barbute, Pegasus Sallet, Demonic Kabuto, Kouchu Kabuto, Lusca Armet, Griffin, Werewolf, Warlord's Pauldrons, Lusca Spaulders, Protective Tattoo, Zhuque Changpao, Monk's Garb, Lusca Cuirass, Magus Cloth, Lusca Gauntlets, Lusca Tassets, Lusca Sabatons. Ladies' Equipment: Grim Horn, Capeline, Lapin Chapeau, Menghu Helm, Horus Vizard, Bast Vizard, Griffin, Werewolf, Priestess Hood, Short Shirt, Menghu Clothes, Longming Qipao, Longhua Qipao, Breastplate, Kongtian Armor, Arm Bandages, Lily Armlets, Frilled Skirt, Slacks, Short Socks, Lily Greaves, Honor Boots. Special Equipment: Blade Ring: Night Blade, Strength Ring: Tiger, Armor Ring: Aegis, Power Gem: Karma, Repel Gem: Fox Demon, Life Gem: Sun, Spirit Gem: Nonuple Heads, Protect Gem: Cardinal Direction. -------------------------------------------- Achieving 20 Honors unlocks these new items: -------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Vane Mask, Warthog Bascinet, Deer Head, Minotaur, Mad Eye Patch, Japanese Eye Patch, Oval Glasses, Warthog Pauldrons, Aculeus Suit, Warthog Cuirass, Demonic Armor, Warthog Gauntlets, Warthog Fauld, Warthog Boots. Ladies' Equipment: Winged Circlet, Officer's Hat, Siren's Helm, Gorgon Armet, Deer Head, Minotaur, Oval Glasses, Flight Necktie, Necktie, War Cloak, Gorgon Spaulders, Parlor Blouse, Velvet Jacket, White Shirt, Flight Jacket, Battle Dress, Gorgon Cuirass, Menghu Cuirass, Succubus Gauntlets, Longpao Hualin, Gorgon Gauntlets, Iron Gauntlets, Gorgon Fauld, Rogue Trousers, Polar Boots, Menghu Boots, Succubus Boots, Kingfisher Greaves, Gorgon Greaves. Special Equipment: Power Gem: Warrior Princess, Repel Gem: Iron Shell, Life Gem: Jade, Spirit Gem: Spring, Protect Gem: Multiple. -------------------------------------------- Achieving 25 Honors unlocks these new items: -------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Horns of Calamity, Demonic Mask, Demonic Pauldrons, Demonic Gear, Demonic Gloves, Demonic Trousers. Ladies' Equipment: Head Dress, Cat Ears, Tiger Lily Kabuto, Butterfly Sallet, Kittymeow Head, Neck Ribbon, Feathered Wings, Tiger Lily Pauldrons, Tiger Pauldrons, Tiger Lily Stockings, Hunter's Suit, Tanned Leather Armor, Priestess Kimono, Drum Corps Jacket, Frilled Apron, Nurse's Uniform, Kittymeow Suit, Tiger Lily Breastplates, Tiger Lily Gauntlets, Tiger Lily Fauld, Pleated Skirt, Tiger Lily Greaves. Special Equipment: Blade Ring: Demon Lord, Strength Ring: Artemis, Armor Ring: Dragon God. -------------------------------------------- Achieving 30 Honors unlocks these new items: -------------------------------------------- Guys' Equipment: Leviathan Burgonet, Leviathan Pauldrons, Leviathan Cuirass, Leviathan Gauntlets. Ladies' Equipment: Voodoo Crown, Voodoo Pauldrons, Voodoo Breastplate, Voodoo Armlets, Voodoo Fauld, Voodoo Greaves. Special Equipment: None. --------------------- UNLOCKABLE CHARACTERS --------------------- Here are the characters that you can unlock. Some of them are available from the start and need to be purchased with Gold, while others have to be fought in Story Mode (or in one case Arcade Mode) in order to unlock them. There are eighteen unlockable characters; the eleven that must be bought, Algol, The Apprentice, and the five special characters who are grouped together in the top right corner of the character selection screen, in the black space marked with a star. These are characters you have to purchase with Gold. Lizardman------4000 Gold Sophitia-------4000 Gold Amy------------4000 Gold Setsuka--------4000 Gold Yun-Seong------4000 Gold Seong Mi-Na----4000 Gold Rock-----------4000 Gold Cervantes------4000 Gold Talim----------4000 Gold Yoshimitsu-----4000 Gold Zasalamel------4000 Gold Here are the ones you have to fight to unlock, and the characters you could play as to get into a fight with them. To Unlock Shura Play Story Mode as: Raphael, Taki, Seong Mi-Na, Kamikirimusi, Setsuka, Ivy, Cervantes. To Unlock Ashlotte Play Story Mode as: Maxi, Sophitia, Lizardman, Astaroth, Rock, Angol Fear, Talim. To Unlock Kamikirimusi Play Story Mode as: Yun-Seong, Amy, Tira, Shura, Mitsurugi, Cassandra, Xianghua. To Unlock Scheherazade Play Story Mode as: Hilde, Nightmare, Yoda, Siegfried, Ashlotte, Voldo, Yoshimitsu. To Unlock The Apprentice [@U] Clear Arcade Mode as: Yoda (X360) or Darth Vader (PS3). To Unlock Angol Fear Play Story Mode as: Scheherazade, Kilik, Algol, The Apprentice, Zasalamel. To Unlock Algol Play Story Mode as: Sophitia, Kilik, Seong Mi-Na, Scheherazade, Setsuka, Astaroth, Rock, Angol Fear, Kamikirimusi, Ashlotte, Cervantes, Yoshimitsu, Zasalamel, Talim, [@U]{Yoda, Vader, The Apprentice, Cassandra, Mitsurugi}. ----------------- UNLOCKABLE STAGES ----------------- Here are the stages that can be unlocked. Tower of Remembrance-Ancient Gate Unlocked by: Clearing Story Mode as any character. Tower of Remembrance-Spiral of Time Unlocked by: Clearing Story Mode with two different characters. Tower of Remembrance-Encounter Unlocked by: Clearing Story Mode with a character who fights Siegfried or Nightmare as the final boss, after you have unlocked Spiral of Time and Ancient Gate. It can only be done with a character who hasn't been through Story Mode yet. Tower of Remembrance-Degradation Unlocked by: Clearing Story Mode as a character who fights Algol as the final boss, after you have unlocked Spiral of Time and Ancient Gate. It can only be done with a character who hasn't been through Story Mode yet. Star Destroyer Docking Bay-Bridge Overhang Unlocked by: Unlocking the Apprentice. Phantom Pavilion-Seesaw Unlocked by: Fulfilling the acquisition condition of Floor 14 of the Tower of Lost Souls (Ascending). ------------------ UNLOCKABLE WEAPONS ------------------ These weapons are unlocked by completing a character's Story Mode on either difficulty. Yoda's Weapons: Lightsaber Lightsaber (Auto Counter A Version) (Guard Breaker Version) ATK-180 DEF-65 HP-30 ATK-90 DEF-40 HP-25 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-30 GGE-0 SPC-30 GGE-60 SPC-40 Skill: Auto Counter A Skill: Guard Breaker Gold: 22000 Gold: 13000 The Apprentice's Weapons: Lightsaber Lightsaber (Nullify Aerial Control Version) (Invisible Version) ATK-175 DEF-65 HP-30 ATK-115 DEF-35 HP-30 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-20 PWR-50 IMP-30 BST-0 GGE-30 SPC-30 GGE-0 SPC-50 Skill: Nullify Aerial Control Skill: Invisible Gold: 22000 Gold: 13000 Lizardman's Weapons: Soul Edge Meat on the Bone ATK-210 DEF-60 HP-40 ATK-65 DEF-30 HP-45 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-30 GGE-0 SPC-40 GGE-30 SPC-30 Skill: Evil Sword Berserk Skill: HP Burst Gold: 20000 Gold: 11600 Sophitia's Weapons: Soul Edge Love ATK-160 DEF-70 HP-40 ATK-80 DEF-60 HP-40 PWR-0 IMP-40 BST-40 PWR-50 IMP-50 BST-50 GGE-0 SPC-0 GGE-50 SPC-50 Skill: Soul Gauge Boost A Skill: None Gold: 20000 Gold: 16000 Amy's Weapons: Soul Edge Magic Wand ATK-180 DEF-20 HP-60 ATK-85 DEF-40 HP-35 PWR-20 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-30 GGE-0 SPC-30 GGE-30 SPC-30 Skill: Start Dash A Skill: Charge Cancel Gold: 20000 Gold: 17000 Setsuka's Weapons: Soul Calibur Lizard Umbrella ATK-150 DEF-70 HP-40 ATK-90 DEF-35 HP-20 PWR-0 IMP-30 BST-30 PWR-50 IMP-0 BST-50 GGE-20 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 Skill: Charge Cancel Skill: Strong Impact Gold: 20000 Gold: 14900 Mitsurugi's Weapons: Oniyukiyasu Hard Practice ATK-170 DEF-60 HP-40 ATK-70 DEF-40 HP-40 PWR-30 IMP-20 BST-40 PWR-80 IMP-0 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 GGE-50 SPC-50 Skill: Auto Unblockable Attack B Skill: None Gold: 22000 Gold: 11800 Cassandra's Weapons: Soul Calibur Baker's Daughter ATK-180 DEF-55 HP-45 ATK-100 DEF-35 HP-20 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-30 PWR-50 IMP-0 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 GGE-40 SPC-40 Skill: Nullify Aerial Control Skill: Hysterical Strength Gold: 20000 Gold: 13800 Raphael's Weapons: Amy My Beloved ATK-150 DEF-75 HP-45 ATK-125 DEF-30 HP-40 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-20 PWR-50 IMP-50 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-10 GGE-60 SPC-0 Skill: Charge Cancel Skill: Evil Sword Berserk Gold: 22000 Gold: 12900 Taki's Weapons: Kris Naga Battledore ATK-160 DEF-50 HP-40 ATK-60 DEF-50 HP-40 PWR-40 IMP-0 BST-0 PWR-50 IMP-50 BST-50 GGE-40 SPC-40 GGE-50 SPC-50 Skill: Invisible Skill: None Gold: 18000 Gold: 12400 Siegfried's Weapons: Soul Calibur (Final Form) Take Off ATK-160 DEF-70 HP-40 ATK-80 DEF-45 HP-25 PWR-40 IMP-40 BST-0 PWR-0 IMP-30 BST-30 GGE-20 SPC-0 GGE-30 SPC-50 Skill: Nullify Aerial Control Skill: None Gold: 30000 Gold: 12500 Nightmare's Weapons: Soul Edge (Final Form) Giant Squid ATK-180 DEF-60 HP-40 ATK-80 DEF-35 HP-35 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-0 PWR-0 IMP-70 BST-0 GGE-40 SPC-20 GGE-70 SPC-70 Skill: Auto Unblockable Attack A Skill: None Gold: 30000 Gold: 12800 Hilde's Weapons: Ga-Derg & Ga-Boi Eighteenth Hole ATK-160 DEF-55 HP-45 ATK-95 DEF-35 HP-30 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-0 PWR-30 IMP-50 BST-50 GGE-30 SPC-30 GGE-0 SPC-0 Skill: Soul Gauge Vamp Skill: Auto Counter A Gold: 22000 Gold: 13500 Maxi's Weapons: Soul Edge Maracas ATK-160 DEF-55 HP-60 ATK-80 DEF-40 HP-30 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-20 PWR-40 IMP-90 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-80 Skill: Strong Impact Skill: None Gold: 20000 Gold: 12800 Voldo's Weapons: Soul Edge Pasticcere ATK-140 DEF-90 HP-40 ATK-100 DEF-50 HP-30 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-0 IMP-60 BST-60 GGE-20 SPC-0 GGE-60 SPC-0 Skill: Will Power Skill: Auto Counter B Gold: 20000 Gold: 12800 Tira's Weapons: Soul Edge Hula Hoop ATK-180 DEF-70 HP-50 ATK-80 DEF-40 HP-35 PWR-0 IMP-30 BST-0 PWR-30 IMP-50 BST-30 GGE-40 SPC-30 GGE-30 SPC-0 Skill: Slow Feet Skill: HP Drain A Gold: 20000 Gold: 14500 Xianghua's Weapons: Soul Calibur Foxtail ATK-150 DEF-65 HP-50 ATK-80 DEF-45 HP-25 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-0 IMP-30 BST-50 GGE-20 SPC-20 GGE-0 SPC-50 Skill: Start Dash A Skill: Nullify Ring Out A Gold: 20000 Gold: 14500 Kilik's Weapons: Embrace of Souls Haneman ATK-135 DEF-80 HP-40 ATK-90 DEF-40 HP-25 PWR-0 IMP-30 BST-0 PWR-60 IMP-30 BST-0 GGE-40 SPC-10 GGE-0 SPC-30 Skill: Strong Impact Skill: Auto Counter A Gold: 23000 Gold: 12000 Astaroth's Weapons: Soul Edge Pow Hammer ATK-190 DEF-55 HP-40 ATK-140 DEF-40 HP-20 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-0 PWR-100 IMP-0 BST-100 GGE-0 SPC-30 GGE-0 SPC-0 Skill: Hyper Mode Skill: Double-Edged Sword Gold: 20000 Gold: 15800 Ivy's Weapons: Soul Calibur Magical Sausage ATK-130 DEF-75 HP-50 ATK-70 DEF-20 HP-50 PWR-20 IMP-0 BST-20 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-30 GGE-40 SPC-0 GGE-30 SPC-30 Skill: HP Burst Skill: HP Recovery A Gold: 20000 Gold: 12600 Yun-Seong's Weapons: Soul Edge Sorghum ATK-200 DEF-60 HP-50 ATK-80 DEF-25 HP-40 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-50 IMP-50 BST-50 GGE-30 SPC-40 GGE-50 SPC-50 Skill: Evil Sword Berserk Skill: None Gold: 20000 Gold: 12500 Seong Mi-Na's Weapons: Soul Calibur Open-Handed Slap ATK-150 DEF-60 HP-50 ATK-100 DEF-30 HP-20 PWR-0 IMP-40 BST-20 PWR-30 IMP-60 BST-0 GGE-30 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-40 Skill: Soul Gauge Recovery A Skill: Knock Down Gold: 20000 Gold: 13500 Rock's Weapons: Wayakin Iron Fist ATK-160 DEF-60 HP-50 ATK-200 DEF-(-20) HP-(-10) PWR-40 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-0 Skill: Hyper Mode Skill: Shave Damage A Gold: 18000 Gold: 11800 Cervantes' Weapons: Soul Edge Gurgitator ATK-220 DEF-50 HP-35 ATK-75 DEF-5 HP-70 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-0 IMP-20 BST-0 GGE-20 SPC-0 GGE-40 SPC-40 Skill: Impact Edge Skill: HP Burst Gold: 20000 Gold: 12400 Talim's Weapons: Soul Edge & Soul Calibur Ocarina ATK-125 DEF-60 HP-70 ATK-80 DEF-45 HP-25 PWR-0 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-50 IMP-50 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-40 GGE-30 SPC-0 Skill: HP Burst Skill: Auto Grapple Break A Gold: 22000 Gold: 12500 Yoshimitsu's Weapons: Soul Calibur Omikuji ATK-145 DEF-40 HP-70 ATK-90 DEF-30 HP-40 PWR-20 IMP-0 BST-40 PWR-30 IMP-50 BST-0 GGE-0 SPC-20 GGE-30 SPC-30 Skill: Invisible Skill: Auto Unblockable Attack B Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 Zasalamel's Weapons: Irkalla Beak ATK-165 DEF-45 HP-55 ATK-85 DEF-40 HP-25 PWR-30 IMP-10 BST-0 PWR-50 IMP-0 BST-30 GGE-40 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-50 Skill: Venom Fang A Skill: Soul Repel Gold: 20000 Gold: 12500 Algol's Weapons: Soul Edge & Soul Calibur Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Hyper Mode Version) (Nullify Aerial Control Version) ATK-155 DEF-60 HP-55 ATK-80 DEF-45 HP-25 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-50 IMP-0 BST-30 GGE-30 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-50 Skill: Hyper Mode Skill: Nullify Aerial Control Gold: 25000 Gold: 15000 Angol Fear's Weapons: Lucifer Spear Black V Lucifer Spear Black VI ATK-150 DEF-60 HP-50 ATK-100 DEF-30 HP-20 PWR-0 IMP-40 BST-20 PWR-30 IMP-60 BST-0 GGE-30 SPC-0 GGE-0 SPC-40 Skill: Soul Gauge Recovery A Skill: Knock Down Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 Kamikirimusi's Weapons: Denryu Bakuha Pine Denryu Bakuha Red Pine ATK-180 DEF-60 HP-40 ATK-80 DEF-35 HP-35 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-0 PWR-0 IMP-70 BST-0 GGE-30 SPC-0 GGE-70 SPC-70 Skill: Auto Unblockable Attack A Skill: None Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 Shura's Weapons: Raijin & Fujin: Komokuten Raijin & Fujin: Asura ATK-220 DEF-50 HP-25 ATK-75 DEF-5 HP-60 PWR-30 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-0 IMP-20 BST-0 GGE-20 SPC-0 GGE-40 SPC-40 Skill: Impact Edge Skill: HP Burst Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 Ashlotte's Weapons: Krnielk West Krnielk Earth ATK-190 DEF-55 HP-40 ATK-140 DEF-40 HP-20 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-0 PWR-100 IMP-0 BST-100 GGE-0 SPC-20 GGE-0 SPC-0 Skill: Hyper Mode Skill: Auto Counter A Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 Scheherazade's Weapons: Alf Layla Wa Layla Khamsa Alf Layla Wa Layla Sita ATK-180 DEF-20 HP-60 ATK-85 DEF-40 HP-35 PWR-20 IMP-0 BST-30 PWR-30 IMP-30 BST-30 GGE-0 SPC-30 GGE-30 SPC-30 Skill: Impact Edge Skill: Soul Gauge Vamp Gold: 20000 Gold: 13000 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Arcade Mode XXXXXXXXXXXXX7XXXXXXXXXXXXX In Arcade Mode, you fight a series of eight battles with no skills, no equipment effects and no weapon effects. The battles increase in difficulty as you go along--the early ones are fairly easy, while the later ones are significantly harder. Your opponents in the first six battles can be any of the standard characters, but your seventh opponent will always be The Apprentice, and the final opponent will always be Algol. (There is one exception to this--if you play as The Apprentice, you will fight Yoda in the seventh battle. This is how you acquire the "Encounter with the Unknown" Honor.) You receive points for accomplishments such as landing the first attack, having a certain amount of health left at the end of battle, winning with a Critical Finish, winning with a Perfect, etc. Below is the list of point values. First Attack: 1000 points Last Attack: Varies Attack Counter: 200 points Side Dash Counter: 200 points Back Dash Counter: 500 points Stun: 100 points Ukemi: 100 points Stage Clear Bonus: 2500 points Health Bonus: Depends on your remaining health, 10000 points for 1 full bar, 20000 if you have full bars for both rounds. Soul Gauge Bonus: Varies depending on your remaining Soul Gauge Time Bonus: Varies, usually between 6000 and 2000 points Perfect: 15000 points Guard Impact: 500 points Grapple Break: 500 points Impact Counter: 500 points Equipment Destruction-High: 1500 points Equipment Destruction-Mid: 1500 points Equipment Destruction-Low: 1500 points Overkill: 100 points (per hit) Ring Out: 2500 points Guard Break: 300 points Unblockable Attack: 1000 points Critical Finish: 10000 points Soul Crush: 1000 points Wall Hit: 500 points Consecutive Win Bonus: 1000 points for the first, 2000 for the second, etc. (The bonus doubles with each consecutive win, up to 64000, as noted by [@U] MrST4404.) --------------------------------- GETTING "HERO ON THE BATTLEFIELD" --------------------------------- In order to get the "Hero on the Battlefield" Honor, you must clear Arcade Mode with over 450,000 points. That means you need just about 56,250 points per battle. There are numerous ways to accomplish this, but here are two that are worth considering. <================> The Quick and Easy Way: This method, discovered by [@U] hakitaki, is to take a character who has a fast Unblockable Attack that doesn't do much damage, and use it over and over again. He recommended taking Taki, and using her forward+A+B attack, Ninja Cannon: Fury. Since it's an Unblockable Attack, you get 1000 points every time it hits, and since it does such a small amount of damage, you can do it many many times per battle. This is a great way to quickly get the points you need. [@U] kingsi7e noted that the later battles become very difficult to win if you limit yourself to a single attack. So, he recommended losing one round of each of the first five battles, after getting as many points as possible with Ninja Cannon: Fury (or a similar attack). You will keep the points you have earned from the round you lost, and you'll still have two more rounds to go. This way, you can earn enough extra points during the early battles that from the sixth battle onward, you should be able to just fight normally. <================> The Longer, More Challenging Way: To be honest, the previous method makes this one much less appealing. But you know, I put a lot of work into this strategy way back when, so I decided I'd leave it here anyway. Besides, if you've got some spare time and you're up for a challenge, you could try it out. And if you succeed, you'll deserve to be called a Superhero on the Battlefield! ;) This way involves winning almost every round with a Perfect. For every Perfect, you get a 15000 point bonus, and you'll also get the maximum remaining HP bonus--10000 points. If you win both rounds of a battle with a Perfect, that's 15000 points per Perfect and 10000 also for the remaining health in each round--a total of 50000 points. You'll usually get a few thousand points for the remaining time and remaining Soul Gauge you had, too, which should cover the extra 6250 points needed. Here's a few things to remember if you're going for Perfects: 1. Don't win by Ring Out. Even if you have full HP left, you won't get the "Perfect" bonus for a Ring Out. 2. If the opponent hits you and messes up your Perfect, all is not yet lost--just lose that round and try again, although if you got one Perfect and then you lose two in a row you'll have to get the first one over again. 3. When you lose two rounds and "Retry," you'll lose the points you earned in those rounds, but you'll keep the points you received from the previous battles. So you can try as many times as you need to--losing doesn't hurt your score. (Unless you were going for a Consecutive Win Bonus.) 4. As Kilik would say, "You'll never stand a chance without dedication." This is going to take time, effort, and most of all, a LOT of patience. You never know when a wimpy little kick is going to come out of nowhere and spoil your Perfect. 5. Overkill is an easy way to get a few hundred extra points (100 per hit after the opponent is defeated), but more importantly than that, it's a great way to vent your frustration. :) 6. You can afford to win a round or two without Perfects--I missed two Perfects once and still finished with a score of 471,339. So if you get halfway through and accidentally finish a battle without getting a Perfect on one of the rounds, don't immediately give up on it. (If you miss more than two, though, you're in trouble.) Congratulations when you succeed. . . you're a hero now! wOOt! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Story Mode XXXXXXXXXXXXX8XXXXXXXXXXXXX In Story Mode, you choose a character, read their story intro, play through five battles, defeat the final boss, and watch the ending. You can choose to play on either Normal or Hard, and depending on which difficulty you choose and how well you fight on your way through, you receive a certain amount of Gold at the end. The first time you play through Story Mode with a particular character, two new weapons for this character become available to buy in character creation. (These weapons and their stats are listed in the Weapons part of the Unlockables section.) Other than that, there isn't much to say about Story Mode. This section lists each of the battles in each character's story, including any allies you have on your side, the opponents you will face, and the skills they have. ------------ Yoda's Story ------------ Stage 1, Visitor Yoda vs. Raphael - Soul Gauge Damage C Auguste - Will Power Marienbard - Nullify Ring Out C Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 2, Premonition Yoda vs. Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Maxi - Alignment Stage 3, The Deep Yoda vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Yoda vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Stage 5, Algol Yoda vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Yoda's story unlocks the weapons: Lightsaber [Auto Counter A], and Lightsaber [Guard Breaker]. ---------------------- The Apprentice's Story ---------------------- Stage 1, Visitor The Apprentice vs. Lizardman - Venom Fang C Yun-Seong - Start Dash C Talim - Run Speed Up Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Stage 2, Roar The Apprentice vs. Ukon - Auto Grapple Break C Sakon - Master Impact Yoshimitsu - Invisible Yoshimitsu - Invisible Stage 3, Hands of Judgement The Apprentice vs. Angol Fear - Soul Gauge Rate Up C and Soul Gauge Damage C Stage 4, Within the Turmoil The Apprentice vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Stage 5, Algol The Apprentice vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing The Apprentice's story unlocks the weapons: Lightsaber [Nullify Aerial Control], and Lightsaber [Invisible]. ----------------- Lizardman's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Arrival Lizardman and Lizardman vs. Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Talim - Run Speed Up Yun-Seong - Start Dash C Stage 2, Minions of the Cursed Sword Lizardman and Lizardman vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Lizardman and Lizardman vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Wielder of the Spirit Sword Lizardman and Lizardman vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Schwertleite - no skills Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Lizardman and Lizardman vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Lizardman's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Meat on the Bone. ---------------- Sophitia's Story ---------------- Stage 1, Slave of the Cursed Sword Sophitia and Azola vs. Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Gerhilde - Nullify Ring Out B Siegrune - no skills Stage 2, Hariti Sophitia vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Taki - Step Speed up Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Sophitia vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Point of No Return Sophitia vs. Cassandra - Strengthen Horizontal Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Stage 5, Impatience Sophitia vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Sophitia's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Love. ----------- Amy's Story ----------- Stage 1, Premonition Amy vs. Gargantua - Appeal Dvergr - no skills Shark - no skills Picks - no skills Stage 2, Point of No Return Amy vs. Cassandra - Strengthen Horizontal Rock - Knock Down Stage 3, Wandering Demon Amy vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Instigator Amy vs. Revenant - Charge Cancel Skeleton - Slow Feet Skeleton - Slow Feet Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Amy vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S. Completing Amy's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Magic Wand. --------------- Setsuka's Story --------------- Stage 1, Premonition Setsuka vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Ortlinde - no skills Rossweisse - no skills Stage 2, Blade of Vengeance Setsuka vs. Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Durer - Soul Repel Azola - Strong Impact Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Setsuka vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Setsuka vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Stage 5, To be Human Setsuka vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Willpower, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Setsuka's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Lizard Umbrella. ----------------- Mitsurugi's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Live By the Sword Mitsurugi vs. Setsuka - Auto Impact C Yun-Seong - Start Dash C Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Stage 2, Dwellers of the Demonic Capital Mitsurugi vs. Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Durer - Soul Repel Azola - Strong Impact Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 3, Wandering Demon Mitsurugi vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Mitsurugi vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Nightmare - HP Drain B Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Stage 5, The Apex Mitsurugi vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Willpower, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Mitsurugi's story unlocks the weapons: Oniyukiyasu, and Hard Practice. ----------------- Cassandra's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Creature of the Night Cassandra vs. Raphael - Soul Gauge Damage C Auguste - Willpower Marienbard - Nullify Ring Out C Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 2, Black Giant Cassandra and Rock vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Helmwige - no skills Ortlinde - no skills Stage 3, Wandering Demon Cassandra and Rock vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Roar Cassandra vs. Sophitia - HP Drain C Durer - Soul Repel Azola - Strong Impact Stage 5, Resolution Cassandra vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Willpower, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Cassandra's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Baker's Daughter. --------------- Raphael's Story --------------- Stage 1, Lord of the Night Raphael vs. Auguste - Will Power Marienbard - Nullify Ring Out C Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 2, Premonition Raphael and Marienbard vs. Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Maxi - Alignment Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Raphael and Marienbard vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Azure Knight Raphael and Marienbard vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Tira - Double-Edged Sword Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 5, Spirit Sword Soul Calibur Raphael and Marienbard vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Raphael's story unlocks the weapons: Amy, and My Beloved. ------------ Taki's Story ------------ Stage 1, Resurrected Ghost Taki vs. Cervantes - HP Burst Valmiro - Shave Damage C Phantasm - Slow Feet Stage 2, The Gathering Taki vs. Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Ivy - Auto Counter C Sophitia - HP Recovery C Yoshimitsu - Invisible Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Taki vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Azure Knight Taki vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Tira - Double-Edged Sword Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Stage 5, To Be Human Taki vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Taki's story unlocks the weapons: Kris Naga, and Battledore. ----------------- Siegfried's Story ----------------- Stage 1, First Sin Siegfried vs. Frederick - Slow Feet and Evil Sword Berserk Revenant - Charge Cancel Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Stage 2, Minions of the Cursed Sword Siegfried vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Shadow - Magnet Shadow - Magnet Stage 3, The Deep Siegfried vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Atonement Siegfried vs. Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Ivy - Auto Counter C Sophitia - HP Recovery C Stage 5, Destined Battle Siegfried vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Siegfried's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur (Final Form) and Take Off. ----------------- Nightmare's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Invasion Nightmare and Tira vs. Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Gerhilde - Nullify Ring Out B Siegrune - no skills Stage 2, Feast of the Wasted Nightmare and Tira vs. Cervantes - HP Burst Valmiro - Shave Damage C Phantasm - Slow Feet Stage 3, The Deep Nightmare and Tira vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Cup of Souls Nightmare and Tira vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Sophitia - HP Recovery C Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Stage 5, Destined Battle Nightmare vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Nightmare's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge (Final Form), and Giant Squid. ------------- Hilde's Story ------------- Stage 1, Creature of the Night Hilde and Gerhilde vs. Raphael - Soul Gauge Damage C Auguste - Will Power Marienbard - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 2, Dwellers of the Demonic Capital Hilde and Gerhilde vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Shadow - Magnet Stage 3, The Deep Hilde vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Minions of the Cursed Sword Hilde vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Sophitia - HP Recovery C Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Stage 5, Azure Knight Nightmare Hilde vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Hilde's story unlocks the weapons: Ga-Derg & Ga-boi, and Eighteenth Hole. ------------ Maxi's Story ------------ Stage 1, Blade of Vengeance Maxi vs. Lizardman - Venom Fang C Lizardman - no skills Lizardman - no skills Stage 2, Demonic Capital Maxi vs. Sophitia - HP Recovery C Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Shadow - Magnet Azola - Strong Impact Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Maxi vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Farewell Maxi vs. Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Doppelganger - Soul Gauge Vamp Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Maxi vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Maxi's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Maracas. ------------- Voldo's Story ------------- Stage 1, Uninvited Guest Voldo and Shadow vs. Yoshimitsu - Invisible Ukon - Auto Grapple Break C Sakon - Master Impact Stage 2, The Gathering Voldo and Shadow vs. Dvergr - no skills Shark - no skills Picks - no skills Stage 3, The Deep Voldo and Shadow vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Wielder of the Spirit Sword Voldo vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Waltraute - no skills Schwertleite - no skills Stage 5, The Master's Wish Voldo vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Voldo's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Pasticcere. ------------ Tira's Story ------------ Stage 1, Uninvited Guest Tira and Solnhofen vs. Yoshimitsu - Invisible Ukon - Auto Grapple Break C Sakon - Master Impact Stage 2, Resurrected Ghost Tira and Solnhofen vs. Cervantes - HP Burst Valmiro - Shave Damage C Phantasm - Slow Feet Stage 3, Wandering Demon Tira and Solnhofen vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Carnival of Souls Tira vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Sophitia - HP Recovery C Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Stage 5, Spirit Sword Soul Calibur Tira vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S. Completing Tira's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Hula Hoop. ---------------- Xianghua's Story ---------------- Stage 1, Minions of the Cursed Sword Xianghua and Kilik vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Durer - Soul Repel Stage 2, Unwavering Conviction Xianghua and Kilik vs. Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Revenant - Charge Cancel Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 3, Wandering Demon Xianghua and Kilik vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Xianghua and Kilik vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Maxi - Alignment Stage 5, Algol Xianghua and Kilik vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Xianghua's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Foxtail. ------------- Kilik's Story ------------- Stage 1, Demonic Capital Kilik and Xianghua vs. Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Gerhilde - Nullify Ring Out B Waltraute - no skills Stage 2, First Sin Kilik and Xianghua vs. Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Xianglian - Slow Feet and Evil Sword Berserk Revenant - Charge Cancel Stage 3, Hands of Judgement Kilik vs. Angol Fear - Soul Gauge Rate Up C and Soul Gauge Damage C Stage 4, Roar Kilik vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Maxi - HP Drain C Stage 5, Algol Kilik vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Kilik's story unlocks the weapons: Embrace of Souls, and Haneman. ---------------- Astaroth's Story ---------------- Stage 1, Massacre Astaroth vs. Gargantua - Appeal Dvergr - no skills Shark - no skills Picks - no skills Stage 2, Betrayal Astaroth and Helmwige vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Sophitia - HP Recovery C Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Astaroth and Helmwige vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Resentment Astaroth vs. Maxi - Alignment Ivy - Auto Counter C Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Stage 5, To Hold All Astaroth vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Astaroth's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Pow Hammer. ----------- Ivy's Story ----------- Stage 1, Dwellers of the Demonic Capital Ivy vs. Azola - Strong Impact Durer - Soul Repel Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 2, Cursed Blood Ivy vs. Cervantes - HP Burst Valmiro - Shave Damage C Phantasm - Slow Feet Phantasm - Slow Feet Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Ivy vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Sinners Ivy vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Waltraute - no skills Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Ivy vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Ivy's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Magical Sausage. ----------------- Yun-Seong's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Circle of the Damned Yun-Seong vs. Lizardman - Venom Fang C Lizardman - no skills Lizardman - no skills Stage 2, Unwavering Conviction Yun-Seong vs. Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Talim - Run Speed Up Sophitia - HP Recovery C Stage 3, Wandering Demon Yun-Seong and Seong Mi-Na vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Wielder of the Spirit Sword Yun-Seong and Seong Mi-Na vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Schwertleite - no skills Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Yun-Seong and Seong Mi-Na vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Yun-Seong's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Sorghum. ------------------- Seong Mi-Na's Story ------------------- Stage 1, Circle of the Damned Seong Mi-Na vs. Lizardman - Venom Fang C Lizardman - no skills Lizardman - no skills Stage 2, Unwavering Conviction Seong Mi-Na vs. Talim - Run Speed Up Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Seong Mi-Na and Talim vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Impatience Seong Mi-Na and Talim vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Durer - Soul Repel Stage 5, Cursed Sword Soul Edge Seong Mi-Na vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Seong Mi-Na's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Open-Handed Slap. ------------ Rock's Story ------------ Stage 1, The Gathering Rock vs. Gargantua - Appeal Dvergr - no skills Shark - no skills Picks - no skills Stage 2, Black Giant Rock and Cassandra vs. Helmwige - no skills Rossweisse - no skills Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Rock and Cassandra vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Roar Rock vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Sophitia - HP Recovery C Stage 5, Algol Rock vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Rock's story unlocks the weapons: Wayakin, and Iron Fist. ---------------- Cervantes' Story ---------------- Stage 1, Dwellers of the Demonic Capital Cervantes and Valmiro vs. Durer - Soul Repel Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Ivy - Auto Counter C Stage 2, March of the Demon Lord Cervantes and Valmiro vs. Sophitia - HP Recovery C Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Cervantes and Valmiro vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Cervantes and Valmiro vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Nightmare - HP Drain B Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 5, The Apex Cervantes vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Cervantes' story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge, and Gurgitator. ------------- Talim's Story ------------- Stage 1, Change Talim vs. Lizardman - Venom Fang C Lizardman - No Skills Lizardman - No Skills Stage 2, Minions of the Cursed Sword Talim vs. Tira - Double-Edged Sword Sophitia - HP Recovery C Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Talim vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, Instigator Talim vs. Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Yun-Seong - Start Dash C Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Stage 5, Algol Talim vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Talim's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge & Soul Calibur, and Ocarina. ------------------ Yoshimitsu's Story ------------------ Stage 1, Premonition Yoshimitsu and Ukon vs. Hilde: - Strengthen Vertical Gerhilde - Nullify Ring Out B Grimgerde - no skills Stage 2, Creature of the Night Yoshimitsu and Ukon vs. Raphael - Soul Gauge Damage C Marienbard - Nullify Ring Out C Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 3: The Deep Yoshimitsu and Ukon vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Within the Turmoil Yoshimitsu and Ukon vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 5, Algol Yoshimitsu and Ukon vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Yoshimitsu's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Calibur, and Omikuji. ----------------- Zasalamel's Story ----------------- Stage 1, Creature of the Night Zasalamel and Revenant vs. Raphael - Soul Gauge Damage C Auguste - Will Power Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Stage 2, Within the Turmoil Zasalamel and Revenant vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Nightmare - HP Drain B Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 3, Hands of Judgment Zasalamel and Revenant vs. Angol Fear - Soul Gauge Rate Up C and Soul Gauge Damage C Stage 4, Uninvited Guest Zasalamel and Revenant vs. Cervantes - HP Burst Valmiro - Shave Damage C Phantasm - Slow Feet Stage 5: To Hold All Zasalamel and Revenant vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Zasalamel's story unlocks the weapons: Irkalla, and Beak. ------------- Algol's Story ------------- Stage 1, The Gathering Algol vs. Kilik - Impact Heal Rock - Knock Down Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 2, Azure Knight Algol vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Tira - Double-Edged Sword Solnhofen - Auto Unblockable Attack C Durer - Soul Repel Stage 3, Hands of Judgement Algol vs. Angol Fear - Soul Gauge Rate Up C and Soul Gauge Damage C Stage 4, Uninvited Guest Algol vs. Zasalamel - Hyper Mode Arcturus - Slow Feet and Evil Sword Berserk Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Stage 5, Last Key Algol vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B, Soul Gauge Recovery B, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Algol's story unlocks the weapons: Soul Edge & Soul Calibur [Hyper Mode], and Soul Edge & Soul Calibur [Nullify Aerial Control]. ------------------ Angol Fear's Story ------------------ Stage 1, Arrival Angol Fear vs. Yun-Seong - Start Dash C Talim - Run Speed Up Seong Mi-Na - Guard Breaker Stage 2, Premonition Angol Fear and Yun-Seong vs. Kilik - Impact Heal Xianghua - Nullify Counter C Amy - Soul Gauge Rate Up C Stage 3, Cult's Vanguard Angol Fear and Yun-Seong vs. Ashlotte - Auto Counter C and Magnet Stage 4, First Sin Angol Fear vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Schwertleite - no skills Ivy - Auto Counter C Stage 5, Algol Angol Fear vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Angol Fear's story unlocks the weapons: Lucifer Spear Black V, and Lucifer Spear Black VI. -------------------- Kamikirimusi's Story -------------------- Stage 1, Arrival Kamikirimusi vs. Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Setsuka - Auto Impact C Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 2, Creature of the Night Kamikirimusi and Taki vs. Jacqueline - Nullify Ring Out C Amy - Soul Gauge Rate Up C Auguste - Will Power Stage 3, Naked Twin Blades Kamikirimusi and Taki vs. Shura - Master Impact and Soul Gauge Recovery C Stage 4, Azure Knight Kamikirimusi and Taki vs. Nightmare - HP Drain B Cervantes - HP Burst Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 5, Algol Kamikirimusi and Taki vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Kamikirimusi's story unlocks the weapons: Denryu Bakuha Pine, and Denryu Bakuha Red Pine. ------------- Shura's Story ------------- Stage 1, Arrival Shura vs. Ukon - Auto Grapple Break C Sakon - Master Impact Yoshimitsu - Invisible Yoshimitsu - Invisible Stage 2, Unwavering Conviction Shura vs. Shadow - Magnet Shadow - Magnet Shadow - Magnet Voldo - Auto Grapple Break B Stage 3, Wandering Demon Shura and Shadow vs. Kamikirimusi - Venom Fang B and Nullify Ring Out B Stage 4, Live by the Sword Shura and Shadow vs. Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Taki - Step Speed Up Stage 5, Algol Shura and Shadow vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Shura's story unlocks the weapons: Raijin & Fujin: Komokuten, and Raijin & Fujin: Asura. ---------------- Ashlotte's Story ---------------- Stage 1, Arrival Ashlotte vs. Rock - Knock Down Cassandra - Strengthen Horizontal Lizardman - Venom Fang C Stage 2, Within the Turmoil Ashlotte and Lizardman vs. Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Nightmare - HP Drain B Siegfried - Shave Damage B Stage 3, The Deep Ashlotte and Lizardman vs. Scheherazade - Start Dash B and HP Recovery B Stage 4, Black Giant Ashlotte and Lizardman vs. Ortlinde - no skills Rossweisse - no skills Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Stage 5, Algol Ashlotte and Lizardman vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Ashlotte's story unlocks the weapons: Krnielk West, and Krnielk Earth. -------------------- Scheherazade's Story -------------------- Stage 1, Arrival Scheherazade vs. Setsuka - Auto Impact C Mitsurugi - Hysterical Strength Stage 2, Premonition Scheherazade vs. Astaroth - Auto Unblockable Attack B Ortlinde - no skills Rossweisse - no skills Helmwige - no skills Stage 3, Hands of Judgement Scheherazade vs. Angol Fear - Soul Gauge Rate Up C and Soul Gauge Damage C Stage 4, Roar Scheherazade vs. Siegfried - Shave Damage B Hilde - Strengthen Vertical Grimgerde - no skills Siegrune - no skills Stage 5, Algol Scheherazade and Hilde vs. Algol - Strong Impact, Will Power, and Nullify Ring Out S Completing Scheherazade's story unlocks the weapons: Alf Layla Wa Layla Khamsa, and Alf Layla Wa Layla Sita. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Credits XXXXXXXXXXXXX9XXXXXXXXXXXXX Okay, here are the credits for all the kind people who sent in their discoveries to help me out. . . the contributors behind the mysterious [@U] markers, finally unmasked! Thanks again to all of you! The credits are arranged under categories depending on what the sender mentioned, such as how to unlock a character, information on a particular floor of the Tower of Lost Souls, etc. For the floors, I also listed what type of information each person contributed (item, acquisition condition, and/or suggestion). And now, with no further ado, here are the credits! How to unlock the Apprentice: Ushinotane M.M.R. Additional ways to unlock Algol: WingedRegent General help / suggesting that indexing be added to the guide: RealmOfKreation Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 7: -"Strike with precision" Deciphered By- Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item / Suggestion corann_xo: Acquisition Condition Nightmare, who hit me with Soul Edge and filled me with knowledge*: Acq. Condition Nisutaria: Acquisition Condition spurs9: Acquisition Condition Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition Cheroro: Acquisition Condition / Item Pyode: Acquisition Condition Mono_Giganto: Acquisition Condition Synastren: Acquisition Condition / Item elemental_drago: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion Soldat Dizzy: Acquisition Condition Whoopin: Acquisition Condition / Item cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item juicifer89: Acquisition Condition Elitany: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 10: -"The best offense is a good defense" Deciphered By- Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item Synastren: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition / Item cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item jordlittle: Suggestion HolyPenguin18: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 15: -"Devote your strategy to a singular strike" Deciphered By- Jordlittle: Acquisition Condition Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item LUCYM0N0: Acquisition Condition / Item Nick: Acquisition Condition Sir Carrot: Acquisition Condition SonicTonic: Acquisition Condition theDING: Acquisition Condition afroman3wild: Acquisition Condition Synastren: Acquisition Condition / Item Tsunami: Acquisition Condition doa1987: Acquisition Condition Soldat Dizzy: Acquisition Condition cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition / Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 17: -"Master the ceaseless dance" Deciphered By- Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item / Suggestion xGRSx FRAGGZ: Acquisition Condition Gundamjehutykai: Acquisition Condition / Item Zeuz80: Acquisition Condition Ack I'm Dead!: Acquisition Condition / Item Synastren: Acquisition Condition / Item Mistroso + Tsunami: Acquisition Condition Zen Wolfang: Acquisition Condition / Item Coldeagle: Acquisition Condition / Item Tony Figueroa: Acquisition Condition Selrath_Althar: Acquisition Condition cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 23: nick Alcatarion: Alternate Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 24: -"Surpass the limit of power with one attempt" Deciphered By- xxGroomexx: Acquisition Condition / Item / Suggestion Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition Alex Hrywkiw: Acquisition Condition / Item Coldeagle: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596 : Acquisition Condition Dave S.: Acquisition Condition happikid : Acquisition Condition cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Ryan: Acquisition Condition Tom: Acquisition Condition jdltheking: Acquisition Condition DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 26: -"Master the never-ending dance" Deciphered By- cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition Selrath_Althar: Acquisition Condition Ronin: Acquisition Condition Chaos ZX: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion TheKench: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 27: cyberninja91: Item Musashi1596: Item LUCYM0N0: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 28: LUCYM0N0: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 31: -"Rely on impeccable timing for victory" Deciphered By- Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Vordred: Suggestion Rude Samurai: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 32: -"Apprehend the yielding enemy" Deciphered By- DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion Ushinotane: Acquisition Condition / Item cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition / Item Selrath_Althar: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 35: Kamisamaa: Alternate Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 37: cyberninja91: Item Musashi1596: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 39: Lord Mikal: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 40: -"Master the ceaseless dance" Deciphered By- cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition Mistroso + Tsunami: Acquisition Condition / Item Floyd: Acquisition Condition DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 41: -"Rely on impeccable timing for victory" Deciphered By- cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Musashi1596: Acquisition Condition / Item DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Vordred: Suggestion Rude Samurai: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 44: cyberninja91: Item Musashi1596: Item Grantisgrant: Alternate Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 45: Matt: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 49: -"Strike with precision" Deciphered By- spurs9: Acquisition Condition cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Elitany: Suggestion marauder340: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 50: -"Master the never-ending dance" Deciphered By- cyberninja91: Acquisition Condition / Item Chaos ZX: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion TheKench: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 52: cyberninja91: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 55: doa1987: Item Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 56: -"Surpass the limit of power with one attempt" Deciphered By- xxGroomexx: Acquisition Condition / Suggestion cyberninja91: Item happikid: Acquisition Condition DigiLuigi: Acquisition Condition Reiko Sama: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 57: Nickoli: Suggestion Disdamn: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 58: Nickoli: Suggestion Disdamn: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 59: -"The best offense is a good defense" Deciphered By- Synastren: Acquisition Condition cyberninja91: Item Nickoli: Suggestion Disdamn: Suggestion Tower of Lost Souls, Floors 35 and 60, replacing fallen characters doesn't count as switching: Duck of Doom Tower of Lost Souls, Floor 60, Algol Ring Out trick corrections: The Ron AZNsupermarket Tower of Lost Souls, "The victor emerges at the final moment" Suggestions: Jake Beejinator Wyhdis YHChang Tower of Lost Souls, "Give in to the abyss" Suggestions: ShadowSlasherZ Wyhdis BlueZero4 nick Alcatarion Tower of Lost Souls, "Become a shield to repel the blade" Suggestion: jordlittle Tower of Lost Souls, "Do not part with your vitality" Suggestion: Wyhdis Descending the Tower: Jukain: Items (Floors 30, 35, and 40) paulision: Suggestion Honors, "Two Cannot Exist Together" Tip: iNSOMNiAQ Honors, "Start of a New Era" Tip: F.F.G. Arcade Mode and "Hero on the Battlefield" Tips: hakitaki kingsi7e MrST4404 * In case you're wondering about the Nightmare bit, someone requested that I credit them that way, and I thought it was cool. :) ------------------ Special Thanks To: ------------------ Namco Bandai and the Soulcalibur IV Team, for making Soulcalibur IV, without which the guide could not exist. You (the reader) for giving the guide a reason to exist. Gamefaqs.com, for giving the guide its first place to exist. And Trixsant, who has helped with the guide from the very beginning, on everything from battle strategies to editing to play testing. (Way too much to mark it all with an [@U].) Suffice it to say, many improvements to the guide were due to Trixsant's efforts. In closing, I would like to thank everyone who ever e-mailed me about the guide, whether to offer comments, tips, or anything else, I really appreciate it! Without all the extra help, the guide would never have come so far. Even if I was unable to find a way to add your suggestions to the guide, I still appreciate the time it took to send them in. So, even if you aren't listed above, here's lookin' [@U]. ;) Thanks again!