The Vagrant Story Ultimate Weapons FAQ ver 1.1
or
So You Want To Kick Some A$$
by
Matt Hamand
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Contents
1. Legal Stuff
2. Introduction
3. Training
4. Assembly
5. Notes
6. Tips
7. Alleviating The Boredom
8. Thanks
9. Revision History
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1. Legal Stuff
All Text Copyright 2000 Matt Hamand
I wrote this. Feel free to read it, distribute it, copy it, whatever. Just give
me credit.
Any questions or comments please email me at
[email protected]
Vagrant Story is copyright Square.
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2. Introduction
*What is an Ultimate Weapon?*
An Ultimate Weapon is a weapon with 100 in all classes and affinities. Ideally
the weapon will also be made of Damascus.
*Why should I make an Ultimate Weapon?*
The first time I played through Vagrant Story I did okay. But the final battle
with Guildenstern was a bear. I did not use combos for most of the game which
was a mistake. So I spent a couple of hours nickel and diming him to no avail.
Then I hit upon using a Heavy Shot/Crimson Pain combo and that worked much
better. But I was still only doing about 15 points of damage on a critical
hit. I eventually beat him but it was a pain.
Fast-forward to my first replay game. After spending a lot of hours building an
ultimate weapon (Hagane Romphaia, Spiral Hilt, Tertia, Tertia, Braveheart) the
final battle with Guildenstern went much better. I killed his final form in one
5 chain combo (Heavy Shot/Crimson Pain). I was pleasantly surprised. I expected
to do well but this was terrific. Some credit has to go to my increased stats,
but most of the credit I think has to go to the weapon.
Before I continue I should say that my weapon isn't even quite as ultimate as it
could be. It is not Damascus and I really would like to have Arturos gems. But
after at least two dozen hours of spelunking in Iron Maiden B2/B3 I could not
come up with one lousy Holy Win Blade. My girlfriend can attest to the hours I
wasted on this quest. So I settled for Hagane and lower quality gems. But the
results cannot be argued with.
The GameFAQs Vagrant Story message board has a lot of info on ultimate weapon
building. That's where I got the method I used, the method I'm writing about
here. But to get to the info you have to wade through thousands of posts over
2 or 3 months. So I decided to write this and put all it in one place.
Here it is.
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3. The Method
The method I used is a four blade method. There are some three blade methods
out there. I like the four blade method. It ensures that there will be no
conflicting classes/affinities. And once you have the blades it doesn't take
any longer that a three blade method. You still have to spend the same amount
of time whacking away at training dummies no matter how many blades you are
going to eventually combine.
Blade 1 - Dragon / Beast / Physical
For the first blade head to The Boys Training Room in City Walls South. Attack
the Dragon dummy there until your Dragon class and Physical affinity are up to
100. Then travel to The Dark Tunnel in Abandoned Mines B1. Use the Beast dummy
there until your Beast class is up to 100. Set that blade aside.
Blade 2 - Phantom / Human / Earth / Darkness / Water
For the second blade go to From Boy To Hero in City Walls North. Attack the
Phantom dummy there until your Phantom class is up to 100. Then travel to the
Worker's Breakroom in The Wine Cellar. Attack only the Right Arm, Left Arm,
and head until your Human Class and Earth, Water, and Darkness affinities are
up to 100. Set that blade aside.
Blade 3 - Human / Fire / Air
For the third blade stay in the Worker's Breakroom in The Wine Cellar. With the
same dummy attack only the Body and Legs until your Human class and Fire and Air
affinities are up to 100. Set that blade aside.
Blade 4 - Undead / Evil / Light
For the fourth blade go to the Hall Of Sworn Revenge in The Catacombs. Attack
the Undead dummy until your Undead class is up to 100. From there go to Gharme's
Walk in Town Center East. Attack the Evil Dummy there until your Evil class and
Light Affinity are up to 100.
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4. Assembly
The best place to assemble your weapon is the Godhands workshop. This workshop
is only available on replay. If you want to build an ultimate weapon on first
play I suggest Junction Point workshop. Just make sure none of the blades you
will be combining are Silver or Damascus.
Combining these blades and assembling this weapon is similar to combining and
assembling any other with just a couple of key differences.
I will now go into detail on how to combine and assemble the ultimate weapon of
each weapon type.
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Ultimate Dagger
Blade 1 - Baselard
Blade 2 - Baselard
Blade 3 - Stiletto
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Spiral Hilt
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
First combine the two Baselards to get another Stiletto. Then combine the
two Stilettos to get a Jamadhar. Then combine the Holy Win with the Jamadhar.
This should create a Damascus Jamadhar with 100 in all classes/affinites.
Assemble the blade with a spiral hilt, and 3 Arturos gems.
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Ultimate One-Handed Sword
Blade 1 - Romphaia
Blade 2 - Romphaia
Blade 3 - Romphaia
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Spiral Hilt
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
Combine the three Romphaias. Then combine the Romphaia with the Holy Win. This
should result in a Damascus Romphaia with 100 in all classes/affinities.
Assemble the blade with a spiral hilt and 3 Arturos Gems.
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Ultimate Two-Handed Sword
Blade 1 - Holy Win
Blade 2 - Holy Win
Blade 3 - Holy Win
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Spiral Hilt
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
Combine all four Holy Wins. This results in a Damascus Holy Win with 100
in all classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with a Spiral Hilt and affix
3 Arturos Gems.
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Ultimate One-Handed Ax
Blade 1 - Tabar
Blade 2 - Tabar
Blade 3 - Bullova
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Elephant
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
Combine the two Tabars. This should result in another Bullova. Caombine the
two Bullovas. This results in a Crescent. Combine the Crescent with the Holy
Win. This should result in a Damascus Crescent with 100 in all
classes/affinites. Assemble the blade with an Elephant grip and 3 Arturos gems.
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Ultimate Two-Handed Ax
Blade 1 - Balbriggan
Blade 2 - Balbriggan
Blade 3 - Sabre Halbred
Blade 4 - Sabre Halbred
Hilt - Elephant
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
Combine the first Balbriggan and Sabre Halberd. This results in a Double Blade.
Combine the second Balbriggan and Sabre Halberd. This results in a Double Blade.
Combine the two Double Blades. This results in a Halberd with 100 in all
classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with an Elephant grip and 3 Arturos gems.
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Ultimate One-Handed Mace
Blade 1 - War Hammer
Blade 2 - War Hammer
Blade 3 - Bec De Corbin
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Elephant or Grimoire Grip
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos or Arturos, Arturos
Combine the two War Hammers. This results in a Bec De Corbin. Combine the
two Bec De Corbins. This should give you a War Maul. Combine the War Maul
with the Holy Win. This should result in a Damascus War Maul with 100 in all
classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with either an Elephant or a Grimoire
Grip. Affix either 2 or 3 Arturos Gems.
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Ultimate Two-Handed Mace
Blade 1 - Hand Of Light
Blade 2 - Hand Of Light
Blade 3 - Hand Of Light
Blade 4 - Hand Of Light
Hilt - Elephant or Grimoire Grip
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos or Arturos, Arturos
Combine all four Hands Of Light. This should give you a Hand of Light with
100 in all classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with either a Elephant grip
or a Grimoire Grip. Affix either 2 or 3 Arturos gems.
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Ultimate Staff
Blade 1 - Shamanic Staff
Blade 2 - Summoner's Baton
Blade 3 - Bishop's Crossier
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Elephant or Grimoire Grip
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos or Arturos, Arturos
Combine the Shamanic Staff with the Summoner's Baton. This gives a Bishop's
Crossier. Combine the two Bishop's Crossiers. This results in a Sage's Cane.
Combine the Sage's Cane with the Holy Win. This should result in a Damascus
Sage's Cane with 100 in all classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with either
an Elephant grip or a Grimoire Grip. Attach 3 or 2 Arturos Gems.
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Ultimate Polearm
Blade 1 - Pole Ax
Blade 2 - Pole Ax
Blade 3 - Pole Ax
Blade 4 - Pole Ax
Hilt - Spiral Pole
Gems - Arturos, Arturos, Arturos
Combine the two Pole Axes. This results in another Bardysh. Combine the other
two Pole Axes. This results in another Bardysh. Combine the two Bardysh. This
gives a Damascus with 100 in all classes/affinities. Assemble the blade with
a spiral pole grip. Attach 3 Arturos gems.
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Ultimate Crossbow
Blade 1 - Lug Crossbow
Blade 2 - Lug Crossbow
Blade 3 - Seige Bow
Blade 4 - Holy Win
Hilt - Sonic Bullet
Gems - Arturos
Combine the two Lug Crossbows. This results in a Seige Bow. Combine your two
Seige Bows. This results in an Arbalest. Combine the Arbalest with the Holy Win.
This gives you a Damascus Arbalest with 100 in all classes/affinities. Assemble
the blade with a Sonic Bullet Grip and attach 1 Arturos gem.
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5. Notes
*Obtaining The Holy Win & Romphaia*
On second play or later the Iron Maiden B2 and Iron Maiden B3 are accessible.
If you enter these areas with 150 or less hit points you encounter different
enemies. Normally there are shriekers, ogres, and liches. With less than 150 HP
you run into Dark Crusaders and one Last Crusader. The Dark Cruaders are armed
with Romphaias, the best one handed sword available. The Last Crusader carries
the Holy Win blade, the best two handed sword. They will drop these swords rarely.
Very rarely. I spent at least 20 hours in the IMB2/3 and only had 6 Romphaias and
no Holy Wins to show for it. I've heard of others obtaining as many as 6 Holy Wins
in only 2 hours of trying. As far as I tell there is no sure way of getting them
to drop what you want. With the rarer items, at least, it appears pretty random.
*Obtaining The Hand Of Light*
The Hand Of Light is the best two handed mace in the game. It is obtained by
battling the various Minotaur Bosses. They drop it rarely. About as rarely, I
hear, as the Holy Win is dropped. I didn't spend as much time looking for one of
these as I have little interest in two-handed weapons, I like using shields.
*Combining With The Holy Win Blade*
The most useful thing about the Holy Win blade is its use as a metal converter.
When certain sufficiently powerful blades are combined with the Holy Win the result is
that blade in the superior Damascus material. This is the best way to make most
weapon into Damascus.
*Limitations Of The Holy Win*
You cannot make use a Holy Win to convert a Hand Of Light blade into Damascus.
The Holy Win also will not convert two-handed axes, two-handed maces, or polearms
into Damascus. The best way to make ultimate weapons of these types Damascus is to
start with Damascus components. I know this is not easy, but its the best I can do
within the scope of this document. I suggest Jay Tilton's Combination Guide.
*How Many Holy Wins Do I Need?*
To make a complete set of ultimate weapons you will need 10 Holy Win blades.
This is enough to convert all the weapons that you can to Damascus and to
create an ultimate Holy Win blade.
*Alternate Ultimate Two-Handed Mace*
An alternate method of creating an ultimate two-handed mace is to use four
Mjolnir blades. This gives you a Destroyer blade with 100 in all classes/affinities.
Not having a Hand Of Light or a Destroyer to compare I don't know which one has higher
base stats. I suspect it will be the Hand Of Light, but if you really enjoy the
ultimate weapon making process or are having problems getting Hands of Light
here's how to make a non Hand Of Light ultimate two-handed mace.
*Elepahnt or Grimoire Grip*
When choosing a grip for your maces and staff you have a couple of choices. The
Elephant grip is not the best for blunt weapons but it does have 3 gem slots.
The Grimoire Grip is the best grip for blunt weapons but it only has 2 gem slots.
It's your call but I'd go for the Elephant.
*Arturos Gems*
Another reason to spend some time getting Holy Win blades is the gems they
come with. Specifically the Arturos gem. This gem adds 30 to all
classes/affinities and boosts STR, INT, and AGL as well. This is the
preferred gem for ultimate weapon building.
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6. Tips
*Training Dummies*
When attacking training dummies to gain class/affinity bonuses do not use
chains. The dummies give out the bonuses based on hits received and chains
only count as one hit. Chaining will only make a long hard job harder.
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7. Alleviating The Boredom
This could be the most important section of this whole document. Ultimate
weapon building is a tedious process. Just the time with the training dummies
takes hours, to say nothing of the time spent seeking the blades involved.
I recommend setting a second TV up next to the set that the PSX is hooked up to.
This way you can still use the controller and have something to pay attention to
other than which part of the dummy you are hitting next.
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8. Thanks
The first person I need to thank is a poster on the GameFAQs Vagrant Story
Message Board, whose name I can't remember. The post was from back in June
and has since been purged from GameFAQs. This person spelled out how many
blades to use and which dummies to hit. His post also said that he planned to
write it up as a FAQ. I haven't seen that FAQ yet. I took it upon myself to put
that info into FAQ form. I feel guilty about not properly crediting this individual.
My guilt is somewhat alleviated by the fact that other posters to the message
board reiterated this info, so its not exactly proprietary. I hope that if that
person reads this they treat me kindly.
Also worthy of mention is the awesome FAQ written by Zy Nicholson. This guide is
the best resource out there for the Vagrant Story Player. I considered buying an
Official Strategy Guide at one point, then I found Zy's FAQ and never looked back.
If you are reading this and haven't viewed Zy's guide stop right now and hit your
back button.
The information on the limitations of the Holy Win blade's metal conversion powers
comes from Jay Tilton's Combination Guide. This is the best guide out there for
information on what to combine with what.
Thanks go out to my friend Mark Coleman who pulled me back into the console
gaming world after a long absence.
Thanks to my friend Michael Martin. Gaming is just one of many topics upon
which his opinions have been invaluable to me.
Thanks to my girlfriend Michelle for putting up with me while I was building
my weapon. Patience is golden.
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9. Revision History
August 23rd, 2000 - Wrote Version 1.0
August 31st, 2000 - Changed the method for two-handed maces, two handed axes,
and polearms to reflect the correct metal converting powers of the Holy Win
blade. Updated the notes to reflect that change. Added new introductary
paragraph. Added Tilton to Thanks.