******************************************************************************* ____ | _ \ __ _ _ __ _______ _ __ | |_) / _` | '_ \|_ / _ \ '__| | __/ (_| | | | |/ / __/ | |_| \__,_|_| |_/___\___|_| ____ | _ \ _ __ __ _ __ _ ___ ___ _ __ | | | | '__/ _` |/ _` |/ _ \ / _ \| '_ \ | |_| | | | (_| | (_| | (_) | (_) | | | | |____/|_| \__,_|\__, |\___/ \___/|_| |_| |___/ ___ _ / _ \ _ __| |_ __ _ | | | | '__| __/ _` | | |_| | | | || (_| | \___/|_| \__\__,_| ******************************************************************************* A Comprehensive Walkthrough/FAQ by Thuyker Version 1.4 E-mail: Thuyker AT aol DOT com ******************************************************************************* =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== 1. Introduction 2. FAQ 3. Gameplay Basics A. Game Controls B. Dragon Morph Forms C. Leveling Up D. General Strategies 4. Walkthrough A. Episode 1: City in the Storm B. Episode 2: Altered Genos C. Episode 3: The Fallen Ground D. Episode 4: Gigantic Fleet E. Episode 5: Eternal Glacies F. Episode 6: Legacy G. Episode 7: Forbidden Memories H. Episode 8: Imperial City I. Episode 9: Showdown J. Episode 10: The End of Destiny 5. Sub-Scenarios I. Scenarios (Iva's) A. Epeisodion 1: Death of my Father B. Epeisodion 2: Imperial Military School C. Epeisodion 3: Loneliness D. Epeisodion 4: Friends E. Epeisodion 5: Village of the Seekers F. Epeisodion 6: Vengeance G. Epeisodion 7: Inescapable Fate II. Missions A. Mission 1: A Shot in the Dark B. Mission 2: The Fury of Mobo C. Mission 3: Enemy Attack! D. Mission 4: Quick Shooter 1 E. Mission 5: Quick Shooter 2 6. Glossary 7. Guide Information A. Version History B. Email information C. Credits D. Legal Stuff =============================================================================== 1. Introduction =============================================================================== Released in January of 2003, Panzer Dragoon Orta certainly did not set any records for game sales. Then again, noone really expected it to; Panzer Dragoon games, and rail shooters in general, are widely regarded as niche games. Games that appeal more to the "hardcore," rather than the mainstream. Nonetheless, I decided to give the game a chance, and I discovered that this game is simply one of the best I have ever played. Months after it was released, I find myself spending more time with it than I do with other, more recent games. Panzer Dragoon Orta simply does everything well, in regards to graphics, sound, and most importantly, gameplay. It provides such a wonderful gaming experience that it would be a shame for any gamer to miss it, whether they are "hardcore" or "casual" when it comes to gaming. Having said that, I sincerely hope that my walkthrough is a helpful source of information for any Panzer Dragoon fan. Good luck! =============================================================================== 2. Frequently Asked Questions =============================================================================== Q: What kind of game is Panzer Dragoon Orta? A: It's a rail shooter. In other words, your path is, for the most part, controlled automatically. While you can move your dragon around the screen, you will still be moving towards a certain destination. One of the things that makes Orta really stand out, however, is the ability to choose between different pathways (although they still eventually lead to the same goal) throughout the game. --- Q: Wouldn't this be a better game if you could fly wherever you wanted? A: In my opinion, no. While the definition of "rail shooter" sounds somewhat limiting, the gameplay simply works. It provides non-stop action and a gaming experience that is unmatched. A great deal of strategy is needed to do well in this game, and with everything that is going on at once, pure freedom would most likely result in only confusion and frustration. If you still insist on pure flying freedom, however, you'll be able to do a little of this in the sub-scenarios. --- Q: What dragon form is the best? A: There really is no one best form - it really just depends on your style of play. In fact, the game will even categorize your style, depending on what forms you use most (a "Specialist," for example, uses the Heavy and/or Glide Wing more then 50% of the time). Each form has advantages and disadvantages, as explained in further detail below. --- Q: When should I use a certain dragon form? A: I personally switch forms quite often, depending on the situation. For example, I use the Heavy Wing almost exclusively during boss battles, with a little bit of Glide Wing thrown in when I need some defensive capability. Other timess, there are large numbers of enemies that are easily-killed; thus, the extra power of the Heavy Wing is not needed, and the Base or Glide Wing would suit the situation better. Having said that, it is absolutely possible to go through the game using a single, favorite form, although this would make things more difficult. --- Q: What are the differences between the Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties? A: There are quite a few differences. As you progress to harder difficulties, you'll find that enemies are oftentimes tougher, most notably the bosses. Not only can they take more damage, but they often fire more projectiles, forcing you to be on the defensive a greater percentage of the time. Also, you'll notice, especially on Hard difficulty, that your health does not regenerate completely from Episode to Episode, as it does in Easy. Fortunately, the number of enemies you face, and the patterns they appear in, do not change. --- Q: I need help with (Boss' name here). How do I defeat it? A: I describe strategies for each of the game's bosses (and mini-bosses) in the walkthrough below. Of course, feel free to try different things. Note, however, that in many battles, certain strategies are a must to succeed, i.e. boosting to get into position. Also, try checking out the Boss FAQ by "Lord Alan." --- Q: I want to unlock everything in Pandora's Box, and I know that playing for 20 hours will do that. Can I just pause the game during an Episode and leave it there? A: First off, let me say that it is much more rewarding (and enjoyable) to actually play for the whole 20 hours. Anyway, simply pausing the game during an Episode will not work. SPOILER WARNING: However, leaving the game running during Mission 3 in Pandora's Box will, as it repeats itself over and over even without your input. I really suggest you not do this, however! =============================================================================== 3. Game Basics =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3A. Game Controls = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -(A) Button- Hold down while moving your targeting reticle over enemies to lock-on your lasers (if in Base or Heavy Wing form). Repeatedly tap to fire Orta's manual weapon. -(X) Button- Boost to move your dragon into position and/or ram enemies. -(B) Button- Slow down your dragon to move into position, etc. -(Y) Button- Change to the next morph form (from Base Wing to Heavy Wing to Glide Wing and back around). -(Black) and (White) Buttons- Launch berserk attack (if the meter is full). -(Start) Button- Pause the game, bring up the game menu. -Left Trigger- Turn your view 90 degrees to the left. -Right Trigger- Turn your view 90 degrees to the right. -Left Trigger + Right Trigger (at same time)- Rotate your view 180 degrees. -Left Thumbstick- Move your targeting reticle and the dragon. -Right Thumbstick- Push in to launch a berserk attack (if the meter is full). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3B. Dragon Morph Forms = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are three morph forms that your dragon can take the shape of: the Glide Wing, the Base Wing, and the Heavy Wing. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you'll find that each will have its uses, depending on the situation. +------------ - Base Wing - ------------+ This is the most all-around form, offering a good balance between attack capabilities and defensive abilities. It can lock-on to quite a few more targets at once than the Heavy Wing, yet it does not do as much damage with each shot. It also has the ability to boost and/or slow down twice in a row with a full glide gauge, and Orta's manual weapon fires quicker than it does with the Heavy Wing. Finally, the berserk attack lets loose a countless number of lasers that can absolutely decimate any swarms of smaller enemies on screen. +------------- - Heavy Wing - -------------+ While the Heavy Wing cannot lock-on to nearly as many enemies as the Base Wing (at Level 1, it has a maximum of 3, compared to 8 for the Base Wing), it does far more damage per laser shot. Obviously, this is the form to use when there are only a small number of durable, powerful enemies on screen - not when there are swarms of weaker enemies. This is especially evident when using the berserk attack. The berserk must be manually aimed, and so it is not effective on large numbers of enemies, it does massive damage to a select few targets (i.e. most bosses). The Heavy Wing's defensive capabilities are the weakest of the three forms: not only does Orta's manual weapon fire slower, but the dragon does not have the ability to boost or slow down. Fortunately, you can quickly switch to the Glide Wing to better defend yourself. +------------- - Glide Wing - -------------+ The Glide Wing is easily the quickest and most maneuverable of the three morph forms. While it does not have the ability to lock-on to any enemies, the manual weapon fires at an extrememly high rate. This makes it an ideal form to use when you need to shoot down incoming projectiles, or for very weak targets. In addition, the Glide Wing has the ability to boost and/or slow down three times in a row with a full glide gauge. The berserk attack is similar to that of the Base Wing in that it does not have to be aimed. While it does not do as much damage, it has the added benefit of actually healing your dragon! I haven't quite confirmed this, but it seems that you gain more health if you destroy a greater number of enemies with the berserk attack. For instance, if you use it on a swarm of Purnam, you'll gain quite a bit of health back, as they are all easily killed by it. Use it on a boss, however, and you don't seem to gain much health back. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3C. Leveling Up = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Leveling up in Panzer Dragoon Orta is rather simple. Each of the above morph forms starts out at Level 1, and can reach a maximum of Level 5. Each requires a certain number of "gene bases" before it gains a level; they all level up independently of one another. For instance, if your Base Wing collects two gene bases, it'll reach Level 2, but the other two forms remain at Level 1. At Level 1, a form needs to collect 2 gene bases to level-up. At Level 2, a form needs to collect 4 gene bases to level-up. At Level 3, a form needs to collect 6 gene bases to level-up. At Level 4, a form needs to collect 8 gene bases to level-up. So where do you get these gene bases? Some people tend to think of gene bases as "experience points," which is somewhat wrong. You collect gene bases by destroying a particular enemy (or sometimes, a particular group of enemies) - NOT by killing a certain number of enemies. In other words, you could kill several dozen enemies in a particular battle, but if you miss just the one that is carrying the gene base, you're out of luck. Conversely, you could not kill a single enemy except for the one that is carrying the gene base, and still get it. Anyways, I make an effort to describe every location of gene base-carrying enemies in the walkthrough below. If you're interested solely in these gene base locations and none of the walkthrough stuff, however, please see my in- depth Gene Base Location FAQ/Guide instead. So, what are the advantages to leveling up? Cosmetically, the Glide and Heavy Wings change their appearance dramatically, although the Base Wing retains the same appearance throughout the game. More importantly, however, the dragon forms become immensely more powerful in terms of combat effectiveness, in addition to its increased life gauge. But in what ways? +------------ - Base Wing - ------------+ At Level 1, the Base Wing can lock on to a maximum of 8 targets, and gains an extra lock-on per level, for a maximum of 12 targets at Level 5. At Level 1, the berserk attack lasts for about 3 seconds, and reaches a maximum of about six seconds at Level 5. +------------- - Heavy Wing - -------------+ At Level 1, the Heavy Wing can lock on to a maximum of 3 targets, and gains an extra lock-on every two levels. For example, it can lock-on to 4 targets at Level 3, and a maximum of 5 targets at Level 5. At Level 1, the berserk attack lasts for about 3 seconds, and reaches a maximum of about six seconds at Level 5. +------------- - Glide Wing - -------------+ The Glide Wing can't lock-on to any targets of course, but the rate at which its gun fires increases dramatically as levels are gained. As with the other two forms, berserk attack length increases from about 3 seconds at Level 1 to about 6 seconds at Level 5. In addition, the boost attack seems to do more damage to enemies at higher levels, although I haven't confirmed this. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3D. General Strategies = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For the most part, lock-on to as many enemies as possible. First, this gives you a bigger score bonus: for example, you get more points for destroying a group of eight enemies all at once than you do if you destroy half of them with one shot, and the other half with a second shot. Perhaps more crucial, especially on harder difficulties, however, is that you'll end up taking less damage in the long run. The quicker you take down your enemies, the less chance they have to take shots at you. On the other hand, don't spend TOO much time trying to lock-on to as many targets as possible. --- Become very comfortable with morphing. Oftentimes, it is absolutely necessary to quickly switch forms in order to kill certain enemies. For instance, you may be facing large groups of weaker enemies, so use your Base Wing. But if a lone, more durable enemy flies in, you may have to switch to your Heavy Wing to do enough damage to destroy it before it gets away. --- Know when to boost or slow down. Oftentimes, you simply don't have enough time to lock-on to a group of enemies with your lasers. A well-timed boost may destroy them before they get away. Other times, boosting is absolutely crucial to avoid getting hit by certain attacks, especially during boss battles. And finally, some enemies are invulnerable from certain angles: you'll need to speed up or slow down accordingly to get into a position where you can target their weak spots. --- Don't forget about your manual weapon! Not only is it extremely effective when used to shoot down incoming projectiles, it does extra damage. Don't simply lock-on with lasers, wait for them to hit, and then lock-on again. Instead, start firing with your manual weapon as soon as you let your lasers fly, then lock-on again. Every extra bit of damage you do counts. --- Keep a close watch on your radar. As soon as you see radar contacts, turn to face the threat (unless they are approaching so rapidly that they will likely overtake and pass you). The sooner you start attacking, the more likely you will be able to destroy all of the enemies. --- Conserve your berserk attacks. Don't use them as soon as your meter fills up; rather, wait for a situation where using such a powerful attack would be more efficient. =============================================================================== 4. Walkthrough =============================================================================== The following walkthrough was written while playing through the game on Hard Difficulty. I'll often say which direction you should be facing, in reference to a clock face. For example, 12 o'clock would be facing forward, 3 o'clock facing right, etc. Also, make sure to read the general strategies above. There are certain things that you should always be doing, even if I don't mention it below. For instance, when I say to lock-on and fire lasers, you should always be using your manual weapon as the lasers fire, before you can lock on again. Finally, while I will make recommendations in regards to what morph form you should be in or what pathway you should take, feel free to use whatever you are most comfortable with or go wherever you choose. Have fun! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = A) Episode 1: City in the Storm = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= You'll start off facing backwards, in Base Wing form, with four Battleship Bhout and two Dragonmares immediately present. Take out the initial group of Bhout, as well as a second group that drops in behind and to your right (if you are still facing backwards). Shortly thereafter, another group of four Bhout quickly move from your front to your rear, and slightly below you. Destroy them, another group of three that fall in behind you, and then quickly destroy four that come from a gap in the canyon wall, at 9 o'clock. One of the four that just emerged is a Carrier Bhout, and drops your first gene base. Directly in front of you will be a Hovertank Dahra - destroy it and two more just a little further behind it. Use your manual weaponry to destroy any missiles they might have launched at you. Now, you should be flying over a gap again, where three additional Bhout will be flying in front and below you. Also note, there will be many times where a dragonmare will be in your general vicinity. While they mostly do their own thing, and while you can't kill them quite yet, it doesn't hurt to shoot them if there's no other enemies on screen, as every hit you score builds up your berserk meter, which you'll want filled up soon. Anyways, back to the walkthrough. Face backwards, as two Bhout and six Hovertank Dahra will pull in behind you. Destroy them, as well as an additional pair of Bhout that drop in, quickly. Now, keep a close eye out for another four Bhout that rapidly move from your rear to your front. Try to take them all out, especially the Carrier Bhout (it has green markings). Do so, and you'll receive another gene base. Hopefully, you'll have leveled up one form of your choice now. Still facing forward, destroy three more Dahra and Bhout. Eight Battleship Bhout move in behind you, but keep facing forward; they'll soon pass you and be in front. At the same time, another group should be in view if you're facing forward, moving from the left to right. One of the ships that came in from behind is a Carrier Bhout - destroy it for another gene base. If you've been able to build up your beserk meter, get ready to use it - it'll definitely make killing the next group of enemies much easier. A dragonmare will appear from the right, but keep your eye out for eight Bhout that come in at 12 o'clock, diving down from a higher altitude. If you can, take them all out at once. A total of 16(!) Bhout will now appear: four from the rear, the others moving from one side of the screen to the other (if you're facing forward). This would be an excellent time to use your berserk, but if your meter isn't full, don't worry about it. Just make sure to take out the Carrier Bhout, which will be in a group of ships moving from left to right in front and slightly below you - it drops another gene base. As soon as you're almost right above the ground again, look slightly to the left. You should see four Seeker Search Lights: one higher up on the wall, and the other three among some rocks on the ground. Take out the last one for another gene base. Two dragonmares should be in front of you at this point, but they'll quickly speed away. Soon, however, another will appear to your front, and take a few shots at you, while another that appears behind you does the same. Again, you can't kill them quite yet, but use them to try and build up your berserk meter. Once you enter the large, mechanical structure, you'll be facing backwards. Keep doing so, as five Bhout will appear behind you. Another three follow soon thereafter. After getting rid of them, face forward, and destroy another two. Now might be a good time to switch to your Glide Wing, as you'll have to avoid a few obstacles. You'll come upon a large, turning gear which will cause some damage if you run into it. Move to the bottom left corner of the small crevice below you, and maybe even use your manual gun to destroy the teeth of the first one. Once you're past it, move to the bottom right to avoid the second gear. There'll be two more gears - you should know what to do by now. Once you're past the four gears, switch back to your Base Wing. Three Bhout will quickly appear from behind, but don't turn around; they'll quickly accelerate past to your front. Now, face backwards, and take out another three that appear. Now, on to the Episode's Boss Battle: -Short Cutscene- +-------------------------------- - BOSS: Assault Carrier Vermana - --------------------------------+ You start off at the Vermana's front. I like to use the Heavy Wing primarily, but of course, feel free whatever form you're most comfortable with. Destroy the two emplacements on the right, and the three on the left. If you have a berserk available, now would be a good time to use it. Otherwise, keep locking on to the emplacements and firing, but use your manual weapon when missiles are fired at you. If you're not comfortable with your hand weapon, you can always quickly switch to your Glide Wing, take out the missiles rapidly, and then switch back. Once you've destroyed the emplacements, you'll move to the right (towards the Vermana's left). Quickly destroy the three round targets in the back, and then turn to your left. Continue locking on and firing at as many targets as you can. Three Battleship Bhout will soon drop - destroy them and go back to targeting the ship. Shortly thereafter, you'll move under the Vermana to it's other side, before moving above and to the rear. Here, you can target the ship's hull, as well as a pair of gun emplacements, on each side of the hull. I'd recommend ignoring the emplacements, and instead focusing on the hull with your heavy wing. Simply shoot down the missiles fired at you like you did at the start of the battle, and continue battering the hull. Use a berserk if you can. Soon, you'll move back down to the Vermana's level and then above and to its right. Continue attacking it, and five homing mines will then be released. There are several tactics you can try. One is to switch to the Glide Wing, destroy as many as you can (you should be able to take out all five if you're quick enough), and then continue attacking. Another thing you can try is to continue to attack the Vermana until the last possible moment, switch to Glide Wing, and then boost out of the way. If you time it right, the initial boost will help you avoid the first few, and when your dragon automatically moves back into position, you'll avoid the rest. Time it wrong, of course, and it's a different story. Soon enough, you'll move back to the ship's rear - continue attacking it. By now, you should have another berserk, which will quickly take down the rest of the Vermana's health. The above strategy usually gets me a time in the mid 2:00 range, which qualifies for an S rank. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = B) Episode 2: Altered Genos = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This Episode starts off with Orta flying through a canyon, just above a river. Flying alongside several Wormriders, your first radar contact comes in the form of eight butterfly-like Purnam. Lock onto and destroy all of them, just as you are passing underneath the first archway. As you approach the next archway after the first set of Purnam, nine more will emerge. Destroy them quickly, as well as another group of nine that appear right after you destroy them. An alternative to locking onto them with your base wing is to boost through them; not only is this easier, but it gives you a higher score. Just as you fly over another archway, you should catch sight of eight Golegs on the left wall. Destroy them with two rounds of Base Wing lock-ons, using your manual weapon to destroy any acid balls they might launch at you. After doing so, quickly destroy four Yarva that appear behind you and pass to your front. 16 Purnam will then appear - 8 each from the left and right sides of the wall in front of you. Another well-timed boost will make short work of most, if not all, of them. Finish off any leftovers with your lasers, and continue to face forward. As you approach a large archway, you'll see four Goleg drop down from it. Destroy them as you did before, facing backwards to get your second round of shots in. If you're using the Heavy Wing, only one round of lasers is necessary. Facing backwards as you pass under the arch, take out any acid balls they fire, as well as six Yarva that fall in behind you. Face forward again, and destroy another six Goleg hanging from another archway. Then, another six Yarva attack from behind. Very shortly thereafter, you'll pass another archway, with eight Goleg hanging from it, and a lone on on the right wall (if you're facing forward). Take them all out, especially the one on the wall, as that one drops a gene base. The Wormriders and a Yondo-Worm will now make their appearance. You now have your first pathway choice of the game. At the river junction, the Yondo-Worm will turn left, while the Wormriders turn right. Turning left will put you on Pathway B, while turning right will put you on Pathway A. You're free to decide which you route you will take, of course, but I would strongly recommend turning right, as this route provides a chance at another gene base. Skip down to whatever Pathway you chose... +---------------- - BA) Pathway A - ----------------+ Immediately after making the right turn, you'll see four Rokpur jumping out of the water. Target them quickly, as you only have two chances at them. Now, as you gain some altitude, four Yarva and a Carrier Yarva pass you. Destroy them, especially the Carrier Yarva, as it drops a gene base. Turn to your right, and you'll see a large herd of Baturn running on the ground. If you've built up your berserk meter, go ahead and use your Base Wing's berserk attack to destroy them all. Otherwise, lock-on to as many as you can as quickly as you can. As the river meets up again, you'll be back on the main pathway. +---------------- - BB) Pathway B - ----------------+ After you turn left, continue firing lasers at the Yondo-Worm as it leaps in and out of the water, in order to build up your berserk meter. Watch out for the large bridge in front of you, as running into it will damage you. Just as you pass underneath it, three Yarva fly into your front view from the left side - quickly destroy them and any acid balls they might have launched. Fly over the next bridge, and another three Yarva will repeat the same pattern, except that they come in from the right side this time. Then, as you pass underneath the next bridge, another three Yarva come in from the left side. Your dragon will then make a slight right turn, during which another group of three Yarva drop down in front of you. After taking care of the Yarva, move slightly to the left, to avoid a large rock on the right side of the river. As you pass it, another three Yarva drop down from above and slightly to the left. Quickly destroy them, then move to the right side of the river to avoid another rock. As you pass this one, another three Yarva drop down right in front of you. Take care of them in the same manner as before. Another rock on the right side, and another three Yarva from above and to the left. After you kill this group, your dragon makes another small right turn. As soon as you come out of the turn, move up and to the left, to avoid another collision with the scenery. A final group of three Yarva appears in front and slightly to the left of you. Kill them, then move to the right to avoid another rock. As soon as you pass this last rock, the Yondo-Worm comes back into view. Go ahead and fire at it, even though you can't do any damage to it yet. You'll have to avoid one final rock, by moving to the left and down. Once you've passed it, the Wormriders will come back into view, and you all follow the Yondo-Worm to the left, rejoining the main pathway. +--------------- - Main Pathway - ---------------+ Back on the main path, take some shots at the Yondo-Worm, just to start building up your berserk meter again. In the next area, you'll be in a large tunnel-like area. Use either the Base Wing or Glide Wing here. On a ledge to the left, you'll see two Shams and two hives - quickly destroy them and look to a ledge just past the previous one, but on the right. Destroy another pair of Shams and hives as soon as possible, as you'll then make a steep dive. During your dive, you'll see four Yarva circling in front of you. Destroy them for another gene base. Once you've pulled out of the dive, quickly destroy four more Shams and their hives, before going into a second steep dive. Once again, four Yarva will be circling in front of you, and destroying them and a second group of four yields another gene base. As you pull out of the dive, get ready to destroy four more Shams and hives on the left, and another two of each on the right. Unless you are extremely quick at locking-on, boosting might make destroying them a little easier. Be quick, as you don't have much time before automatically moving to the next area. +------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Yondo-Worms - -------------------------+ You'll start off facing backwards. Switch to your Heavy Wing, and continue firing your homing lasers as quickly as possible. The Yondo-Worms will each fire several acid balls at you, which you should take down with your manual weapon. After a little while, you'll see both Yondo-Worms leap up and close in on you - quickly switch to your Glide Wing and boost forward, before they dive into you. After avoiding the collision, switch back to your Heavy Wing and fire more lasers. The worms will them pass you to your front. Quickly face forward, firing with your manual weapon, as they fire more acid balls as they pass you. After doing so, they move back to your rear, so you should continue attacking them in the same manner as before. You may want to use a berserk if you have on ready, but it's not necessary, especially since this battle isn't timed. Of course, by the time the battle is over, you'll probably have built it up all the way again. Anyways, once they've passed you a second time (be ready for more acid balls!), they move back to your rear, and then split and move in separate directions. If you've been hitting them quickly enough, one should soon be dead, while the other moves back and forth among the sides. It'll then be back at your rear, where you should then finish it off. Once you've done so, you automatically move into the next area. As soon as you're in, turn slightly to the left and lock on to the Morli with your Heavy Wing. You can't lock on if the waterfalls are directly in between you, so try to target it before the waterfall gets in your way. Note, however, that you can still FIRE through the waterfalls - you just can't target through them. Anyways, take out the Morli as quickly as possible...before you've done so, however, a group of eight Yarva will appear towards your front, and move to the left. Quickly take them out, and go back to the Morli. Once you've killed it, continue facing towards the left. Six Yarva will appear from that direction - quickly take them out, as well as another group of six that appear at 12 o'clock. At the same time, five more Morli should now be on screen, all to your left. Attack them as quickly as possible, using the Heavy Wing. Shortly thereafter, a much larger Yondo-Morli should then rise into view. Hopefully, you've been able to build up your berserk meter again. If you have, use it on the newest enemy, as destroying it will give you another gene base. Once it's dead, continue attacking the other Morli. Be aware, however, that they leave the screen before the Yondo-Morli does, and that the time you have to kill everything is very limited. After a little while, you automatically move into the next area, where you face: +---------------- - BOSS: Ikrakav - ----------------+ You'll start off at the Ikrakav's front. Switch to your Glide Wing, and slow down twice, to move to its rear. A white flower-like object should now be visible - switch back to your Heavy Wing, and target it. After just a little while, the Ikrakav will leave the river and fly up into the air. Continue attacking it with your Heavy Wing's lasers, but if it turns around, switch back to your Glide Wing and boost twice, to get back into position. Also, keep an eye on the Ikrakav's large sacs...about this time, a purple one should be swelling up to your right. Get ready to use your manual weapon, as the sac bursts and lets loose a huge amount of acid balls. A second purple sac, also to the right, will also start swelling up and let loose more acid balls when it bursts. The Ikrakav should soon turn around again - slow down twice to move back into position. Also, keep an eye out for another swelling sac. This time, however, it's a blue sac, which releases six Yarva that circle the Ikrakav once before making a kamikaze run at you. Use your Heavy Wing's berserk on the flower if you can. The Ikrakav will probably turn again, releasing another purple sac of acid balls. Continue doing what you've been doing, boosting and slowing down as necessary to get into position. After another two acid ball sacs burst (making a total of three since the blue one burst), another blue one will start to fill up. Again, just keep doing what you've been doing, and the Ikrakav should fall really soon. The above strategy usually gets me a time of about 1:45, which once again, is good enough for another S ranking. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = C) Episode 3: The Fallen Ground = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As soon as the Episode starts, look slightly to the left and high up into the air. While it does not appear on your radar, there should be a lone Seba flying up high - quickly destroy it for a gene base. Seba take two Base Wing lasers (or one Heavy Wing laser) to destroy. Anyways, as soon as you've killed the lone Seba, get ready" a total of about 30 Seba will start popping up out of the ground in front of you, at various distances - some right in front of you, some further away. Not all at once, fortunately, but enough that they can be quite a nuisance. Use either the Heavy or Base Wing to destroy all of them as soon as possible. After the short cutscene... +----------------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Mobo and 3 Wormriders - -----------------------------------+ Mobo and the Wormriders will quickly pass to your front, and then immediately turn left, to circle you in a counter-clockwise direction. Use your Heavy Wing to fire lasers at them as they circle. After a little while, you'll hear Mobo say that he's going to use a smoke bomb. Continue firing, but get ready to use your manual weapon to destroy the bombs he and the Wormriders launch at you. They're relatively harder to shoot down than the acid balls you're probably used to, so if you're having a little trouble shooting them down (there are six launched in this first salvo), try switching to the Glide Wing to intercept them easily. The four will now be circling you in the opposite direction: clockwise. Once they're back at your 12 o'clock position, they'll launch six more smoke bombs - be ready for them. After you've shot the bombs down, the Wormriders will move back to your rear, where you should continue firing Heavy Wing lasers at them. They'll then close the distance between you, still remaining at your rear, and then each will fire several purple acid balls at you. These are easy enough to take down without having to switch back to a Glide Wing. After a second round of purple acid balls, they'll pass over you and start circling again, in a counter-clockwise direction. Mobo will notice that you're a little tougher than he expected. Continue punishing him as they circle, and they should decide to stop their attack in no time at all. Switch to either your Glide Wing or Base Wing before you move on to the next area. Immediately, you'll see three Kuru, as you start into a dive. Target them all with your Base Wing (if that's what you're using), making the top-most, middle one a priority, as that one is only in view for a little while. As you turn left, you'll see another three Kuru, one behind the other. Use either your lasers or a well-timed boost to destroy all of them. As soon as you're past the last of the three Kuru mentioned above, you'll make a small right turn. You'll initially only see one Kuru, but don't be fooled - there are two others that move out to either side. Destroy all three of them, before your dragon makes another right turn. You'll encounter two more trios of Kuru side-by-side. Don't let the last three Kuru take too much of your attention - above them is a Seba just sitting there. Destroy it for another gene base. Remember - they take two Base Wing lasers, or one Heavy Wing laser, to destroy. Once you've collected your gene base, you'll start a steep dive. Switch to your Glide Wing, if you haven't already, and as you level out at the bottom of your dive and make a quick right, three Kuru will be present, arranged in a vertical row (on top of each other). Destroy them quickly, and as you start to make another dive, be ready for several more groups of Kuru. If you'd like, boost through the groups of three, and use your Base Wing to target the group of five. You'll them level out shortly thereafter, and move on to the next area. Three Seba will come in from the right and hover in front of you - destroy them quickly with either the Base or Heavy Wing (I prefer the latter). Three more will do the same thing, only they come from the left, before hovering in front of you. Six Seba will then move directly in front of you; quickly destroy them. You should be rapidly approaching a tunnel in front of you. Above it is another stationary Seba, which you should destroy for another gene base. As you enter and move through the tunnel, avoid the beams of electricity, switching to a more maneuverable dragon form, if you feel the need to do so. Once you've exited the tunnel, however, you'll want to be back in Heavy Wing form. Three Seba appear from the right, and another three from the left, all six stopping in front of you. Then, another six appear and hover in front of you. Quickly destroy them, and decide which pathway you will now take. By boosting to the right, you'll take Pathway A (continue below with Section CA). Otherwise, you will automatically take Pathway B - skip down to Section CB if you decide to take that route. Personally, I'd recommend taking Pathway B, as it has more gene bases that you can acquire than Pathway A does. +---------------- - CA) Pathway A - ----------------+ Move through the tunnel, avoiding the electricity beams as before. At the end of the tunnel, however, are several rows of them, which you can't fly around. Use a well-timed boost to move through when the beams are off. Once you're through the tunnel, you'll soon encounter two large, jellyfish- like Churmachum. Use your Heavy Wing to destroy them. If your berserk meter is full, feel free to use it as well. You'll soon move to the next area, a narrow canyon-like place. There is only one enemy in this area: a Carrier Seba. Use your Heavy Wing's lasers on it as it trails behind you for most of the route. It'll then move in front of you, very briefly, before moving back to your rear. Continue firing at it, and destroy it as soon as possible, as you automatically leave the area after a short while. If you're able to kill it, you'll be rewarded with another gene base. +---------------- - CB) Pathway B - ----------------+ As soon as you enter the left tunnel, turn around and face backwards. A group of three Seba will be chasing you. Quickly destroy them, a second group of three Seba, and finally, a third group of three Seba that drops down from above. Then, face 3 o'clock as you exit the tunnel. Mobo should be in view, as well as another three Seba. Destroy the Seba near Mobo to receive another gene base. After Mobo decides that you must love him, face 3 o'clock again. Two Seba will fly in, followed by another four Seba. After destroying the four, turn 180 degrees, so that you are now facing 9 o'clock. The same pattern occurs: two Seba, followed by a second group of four Seba. However, keep a close eye out. Immediately after the group of four Seba appears, another lone Seba will quickly rise and lower back down, slightly to the right of where the other Seba are (you should still be facing left). Destroy the lone Seba to claim two gene bases! After picking up your gene base, face forward. You'll see three Ramjanaki, protected by small, green forcefields. Switch to your Glide Wing and boost through them. If you time it right, you should be able to destroy them. If not, simply face backwards and target the now unprotected creatures. Still facing backwards, another three Ramjanaki will fall in behind you. Slow down to get into position, and kill them. You'll now pass through a tunnel that puts you back on the main pathway. +--------------- - Main Pathway - ---------------+ You should now have rejoined the main pathway, where you will encounter another Churmachum. Destroy it, using the Heavy Wing again. Sometime during the battle, Mobo will come under attack from two Seba. Quickly destroy them to get another gene base. After Mobo tells you how beautiful you are, another Churmachum flys in for you to kill. Watch out for the large laser it fires from its rear, using a boost to dodge out of the way. Once you've destroyed it and once Mobo has told you that the area was once the site of a Elder War, turn around and face your rear. A large group of Seba will emerge from behind you; destroy them as quickly as possible, because you'll soon move on to the boss battle: +---------------- - BOSS: Catharp - ----------------+ You'll start off in front of the Catharp, facing backwards at it. Use your Heavy Wing to destroy the armor protecting its head. You'll also have to use your manual weapon to destroy the green, spinning projectiles it fires at you. Soon, it'll leap over you, sp simply turn around 180 degrees to face forward, switch to your Glide Wing, and boost twice, to get back in front of it. Be careful of the blue projectiles the Catharp will fire as soon as he leaps over you. Continue the above steps, boosting as needed to get in front of him, and then switching back to your Heavy Wing to fire at his weak spot. Use your berserk if you wish, but most likely, he won't catch the full brunt of the attack, as he'll leap over you. Once he's down to less than half of his health, you'll see a very brief cutscene where he sheds some more of his armor. After another shot or two he'll disappear, and you'll hear Mobo say that the Catharp will destroy the area if he isn't killed. Once it is back in sight, boost forward with your Glide Wing, so that its head is once again in view (it'll be standing on it's back legs). Fire at the head with your Heavy Wing, but as soon as you see the Catharp raise its arms, either boost forward or slow down to avoid his fists. Once you've dodged its attack, get back into position and attack. It'll probably start speeding off on all four legs again, so catch up, boost once to get back into position, and switch back to your Heavy Wing to attack. The Catharp should pretty much be dead by this point; just continue the above strategy until you get to see his nice death scene. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = D) Episode 4: Gigantic Fleet = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= You start the Episode facing right, with three Assault Hovership Taishak in plain view. I like to use the Heavy Wing for these, focusing on the large, curved part extending down from the front of this ship. After a few lock-ons each, they should be destroyed. Another three will likely have pulled in by now, so kill them as well. Even ff you have a berserk attack ready, it's not necessary for these - I'd save it for a little while. After destroying them, switch to your base wing as you go into a dive with the Wormriders. Six more Assault Hovership Taishak should be in view, along with a Homing Airship Ajati, but ignore them for now. Six Battleship Bhout fly into your front view - three from the left, and three from the right. Eight more Bhout then fly in, four from each side. Destroy them with your laser, and then quickly destroy the Taishaks, before focusing on the Homing Airship Ajati. Use your Heavy Wing for this floating platform, making sure to target each of the corners. Successfully destroy it, and you'll receive a gene base. Now, you will climb straight up. As you climb, you'll see four more Taishaks, but keep a close eye out for eight Airship Kartha that fly in. Hopefully, you have your berserk meter full, as it will make this next battle much easier. If you do, use your Base Wing's berserk attack after the Kartha fly in. Four fly in from the left, four from the right. Once those are dead, another group of six will fly in, three from the left, three from the right. One of the ships on the right is actually a Prototype Kartha (it trails a green flag, instead of a red one). Destroy it for another gene base, and then focus on the Taishak. If you timed your berserk right earlier, both groups of Kartha and a couple of the Taishak should have been destroyed, so just focus on the ones that are left. You'll zoom right past where the Taishaks are (or were), and then level out. Mobo will tell you to forget about the little guys and concentrate on the mothership. Ignore him, and destroy four pairs of Airship Kartha. The last pair includes a Prototype Kartha, which drops another gene base. You have a very limited time to get this one, so be quick. You should see it just as some Wormriders come into view in the far distance (you should be facing forward), just before another Homing Airship Ajati appears right next to you. Get the Kartha before they speed off in the direction of the Wormriders. As soon as you've destroyed them, focus on the Ajati, using the same strategy as before. This one is alot closer, though, so be especially careful of the projectiles it fires at you. Once you've destroyed it, you should receive another gene base. You probably won't be able to destroy them, but go ahead and fire shots at the large number of Taishaks in the area, just to build up your berserk meter. -Short Cutscene- Flying towards the wall of the huge Imperial Warship, switch to your Base Wing and destroy the Ceremonial Turrets that pop out, using your manual weapon to take down any missiles they might have launched. After you turn a left and start flying parallel to the wall, be ready for two Battleship Bhout in the far distance and another two rows of Ceremonial Turrets that pop out. After destroying them, keep an eye out for two lattice-like cranes, which extend out horizontally from the side of the wall. The second you see, which should be in between the second and third platforms you fly over (after you turned left) carries a gene base. Target it near its base, where it meets the wall, to destroy it. At the same time as you pass it, another two rows of Ceremonial Turrets will have popped out. Destroy them as well. On the next platform you fly over, turn right - two more rows of turrets will pop out as soon as you pass. Destroy them quickly, and face forward again. In front of you is a conveyor belt-like scaffold, which rolls out about eight Airship Kartha. Destroy them quickly, and then focus on the wall to your right. You'll see four rows of four missile launchers each. Take them out as quickly as possible with your Base Wing, using your manual weapon to destroy any missiles they launch. Face forward again, as four Battleship Bhout soon fly right over you, meeting up with a Shielded Warship Shaiha to your front. Destroy the Bhout quickly, because as soon as you make a small dive to the next level, you encounter four Airship Kartha. One of these contains a gene base. Boosting, if it doesn't kill the Shaiha outright, will at least put you in position to target its vulnerable spots. Do so. After the previous encounter, you'll come across four more Airship Kartha, flying from left to right, towards the Imperial Warship's wall. At the same time, that very same wall they're flying towards has four rows of five missile launchers each. Now wouldn't be a bad time to use a berserk, to quickly get rid of them. If you don't feel like using one, make sure to use your manual weapon to destroy any missiles they launch. As you pass the missile launchers, face backwards, and you'll see a large number of Airship Kartha being rolled out on some conveyor belt-like scaffolds. Target them as quickly as possible, release your homing lasers, and then swing back around to face forward. Eight Airship Karthas will fly straight down right in front of you, and your dragon will dive down after them. Quickly lock on with your Base Wing, and fire - one of these ships contains another gene base. Shortly thereafter, you'll level out again, and a Shielded Warship Shaiha will climb straight up across your view. Your dragon will climb right behind it; boost through it to destroy it, and then quickly target four more Kartha. After you level out again, six Floating Mine Mardai will emerge from the wall. Destroy them quickly to avoid any damage. After the first six, another group of five will appear, and you'll hear the Imperial commander make an order to prepare the defense forces for combat. Shortly therafter, another group of five Mardai will emerge - again, destroy them quickly. Switch to your Glide Wing. Two Shaiha, one just above the other, will come into view. Boost through them, and if either survives your boost, simply use the Glide Wing's rapid fire to destroy it. Once you're past the first pair, you'll see another pair of Shaiha, but this time, arranged side-by-side. No matter, just do the same thing as before. Finally, you'll see four more Shaiha. Again, boost when you're close to destroy some, and use your Glide Wing's weapon to destroy the others. -Short Cutscene- Once you're outside again, you'll see the large statue atop some stairs to your front. In Glide Wing form, stay to the middle or right side, as a pink laser is fired to your left. Then, move to either the left or right, as the next laser is fired right down the middle. As you continue to ascend, three more lasers are fired down the middle. You should have no trouble avoiding them. Once you get close enough, you'll face: +------------------------------------- - BOSS: Guardian of Imperial Warship - -------------------------------------+ Switch to your Heavy Wing, and fire a few rounds of lasers at the large spot right in the middle of the chest. As you see the Guardian's arms raise, watch out for the pink laser, which fires out of the eye. Quickly switch to your Glide Wing, and boost out of the way. Three laser shots are fired, after which you should move back into position, switch back to your Heavy Wing, and continue firing. Of course, whenever you can, use your berserk attack on the weak spot. After a short while, the Guardian's left arm (to your right) will lower. Switch to your Glide Wing and boost out of the way, when large boulders start flying out at you. After the last one is fired, move back into position while the arm raises back up. Again, switch to your Heavy Wing and continue firing. You'll receive word that the Dragonmare squadron will be arriving shortly. The Guardian will then swing his left arm (on your right) towards you, so boost to avoid it. Continue inflicting more damage, and the anti-laser system will then activate, masking the weak spot you've been firing at. Switch to your Glide Wing, and boost twice. You should now be above the Guardian. Use either your Glide Wing or Base Wing to destroy the rotating circles. Once they're all gone, the anti-laser system will be deactivated, so slow down twice to get back to the front. The Guardian will again attempt to fire its pink eye laser at you, but hopefully, it shouldn't take long to finish it off. After it keels over, you'll then face: +------------------------------------ - BOSS: Evren's Dragonmare Squadron - ------------------------------------+ I like to use the Heavy Wing for this battle as well, since there are only five targets. They all pull in behind you, where you should be battering them with homing lasers. After a little while, they'll fire some flaming missiles at you. Use your manual weapon to intercept them - it wouldn't be a bad idea to use your Glide Wing to do so. After firing, the five dragonmares will move slightly to the left (if you're still facing backwards), before quickly moving to the other side and far below you. As soon as they do so, they'll fire more flaming missiles, which you should destroy as before. Use your berserk whenever you have the chance against the dragonmares. Anyways, they should then move to your right (if you're facing forwards), but above you this time. Fire a few rounds of Heavy Wing homing lasers at them, but be ready for more flaming missiles. After a short while, they will then move back to your rear, fire more flaming missiles, and then close in on you. Once you hear them roar, switch to your Glide Wing (if you haven't already done so) and boost forward, to avoid their attempts to ram you. They will then fall back, and then quickly pass over you and move to your front. While in front of you, some will fire some bluish-colored bolts, while others will launch flaming missiles. Avoid/destroy these, and continue firing at them. They will then dive, and then rapidly climb, with you right behind them. During the climb, they'll fire more flaming missiles, so be ready. Once you've all leveled out, they will be back in front of you, firing blue spinning discs. Move constantly in Glide Wing form, with your hand pressed down on the trigger the whole time, to still do damage while avoiding some to yourself. After five rounds of the spinning discs, they'll dive, with you following again, and fire another round of flaming missiles. The dragonmares will then split off, and then each will try to fly right across your path, with a rainbow-colored trail that damages you. You should still be in Glide Wing form, and taking care to avoid their trails, continue firing. After a little while of this, a few dragonmares will move to your front, but then they will all regroup to your rear. Switch back to your Heavy Wing and fire more homing lasers. Most likely, a few of the dragonmares will have already been killed, making your task easier. They now repeat the same pattern as the very beginning of the battle. Again, use your berserk whenever possible, and the rest will all be dead in no time. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = E) Episode 5: Eternal Glacies = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As you make your way over a few small hills, look a little bit to the right and beneath the sun, which should be directly in front of you. As soon as you see the Pussa Bubo, lock on as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Repeat with several salvos, locking on to as many targets as possible each time. After a little while, it'll fire about ten large blobs at you, which you should take down with your manual weapon. Just after doing so, it'll leap over you to your rear (if you're quick enough, it won't even have the chance to do this). Quickly swing around, as one more round of lock-ons should destroy it. At the same time, a herd of twelve Didar will be closing in on you from the rear at a high speed. Again, lock on as quickly as possible with your homing lasers, while using your manual weapon to destroy any green acid balls they fire at you. You should be able to take down a good number of them before they run past you. After they run past, simply face forward again, and destroy the rest, before they run off to the left. Just after you kill them, you should spot another Pussa Bubo in the distance ahead of you. Kill it as quickly as you can, as another one comes in, and starts bouncing to your right. Turn to face him and repeat as before, but be ready for a third one that comes in next to him. The third one will probably fire a number of large blobs at you, so just use your manual weapon to avoid being hit. Once he's dead, face forward again. You should be coming up on some stone ruins, and here, you can choose between the Episode's two pathways. There isn't a huge difference, although I find that Pathway B is a little easier, at least for me. First, kill the four Urimasan near the ruins, and then move as far right as you can to take Pathway A, or to the left to take Pathway B. +---------------- - EA) Pathway A - ----------------+ You'll have turned right just before the ruins, and after a little while, will come upon another Pussa Bubo that leaps across your path from the right side, ending up to your left. A second one will do the same, ending up right next to the first. Almost immediately, another two will jump in from your left, ending up behind the first pair. Continue pummeling on one Pussa Bubo at a time until it dies, before moving to another one. The less of them are around, the less you'll have to deal with the large blobs they fire. You might have to switch between your left and front views to track them. Anyways, try to kill them quickly, before they are obscured by a large hill to your left and before you automatically move to the next area. It looks like night has fallen in the next area. Look slightly to your right, at the mountain range. About halfway up the mountain, you'll see a ledge. Watch the right side of the ledge closely, for a large of Didar to appear. As soon as they come into view, start firing your homing lasers, and using your manual weapon to shoot down any green acid balls they fire. As you pass them, you'll have to turn to your right, and then face backwards after some leap from the ledge. Keep in mind that some of them remain on the ledge, even after some leap down behind you. Once you have gotten rid of them, quickly face forward. You should see some shark-like "fins" moving through the snow, right past you and to your rear. Face backwards, and wait until the two Erkist leap out of the snow and dive at you. A few shots with your manual weapon works well against them. After the first two, another three come in from the rear. Repeat the above strategy for dealing with them. The one to the right (if you're facing backwards) leaps first, followed by the middle one, and finally, the leftmost one. You should then see another three coming from behind, but they quickly pass you, so face forwards again. As you near a small canyon, they leap out at you - the rightmost one first, then the middle, then the leftmost. Continue facing forward as you pass through the canyon, as three Didar from the right and two Didar from the left leap down in front of you. Fire as quickly as possible, as they are then joined by another six Didar that also leap down in front of you, closer to you than the first group. These are then joined by three Madidar, which look just like the Didar, but are a darker color. If they're still alive as you exit the canyon, they turn and run to the left, so face that direction and quickly finish them off. Once you've killed the Didar, another three Erkist approach from the rear before moving to your front and leaping at you. You'll soon be entering another canyon, where you should see about five Didar leaping back and forth above you. They don't jump down like the previous ones did, so be quick when locking-on to them. After they're dead, four Madidar do the same thing, starting from the left side and jumping to the right. If you missed any, look the the right after exiting the canyon. You should see them climbing to the top in the distance. At the same time, be ready for five Erkist that move to your front, and leap at you one after another. Again, use your manual weapon to easily take them down. As soon as you've killed them, you'll move over one last hill, and head down towards a bridge, towards the Episode's boss battle. +---------------- - EB) Pathway B - ----------------+ Moving past the ruins (which should be on your right), look straight ahead. On a small hill in front of you, eight Urimasan should pop out of the ground. Quickly lock on to all of them at once and fire. If you're quick enough, they won't be able to launch any green acid balls at you. If they do, however, simply use your manual weapon to avoid getting hit. After you pass where the first group was, another eight pop out of the ground, slightly to the left. Repeat as before. After your dragon moves slightly to the right, another eight Urimasan will pop out of the ground a little bit right of straight ahead, followed by a group of four right in front of you. The group of four appears way too close to quickly lock-on and destroy, so use your boost to destroy them. You'll move into the next area, where it is nighttime and where there are tons of pillars everywhere. To the left of you, about twenty Yarva-Maum appear, before moving directly in front of you and then to the right. They only take one laser each, so simply lock on to as many as you can, fire, lock on to more, etc. After you've gotten rid of the first group, turn and face right. Another group of Yarva-Maum, smaller than the first, appear. Lock on and fire homing lasers as they move toward your front. Still facing forward, look high up into the sky. You should see a large Vont-Morli above. Try to destroy it as quickly as possible, as it drops four Didar and then attempts to speed away. Once you've taken care of it, focus on the enemies it dropped on the ground. After the Didar have been killed, look back into the sky, still looking forward (but very slightly to the right). Another Vont-Morli carrying Didar flys in - once again, kill it before focusing on the ground enemies. Now, face left. A final Vont-Morli appears, but this one is carrying six Didar. Again, destroy the Vont-Morli first, and then the Didar. Face left again, keeping an eye out for a lone Madidar. Watch out for the green acid balls it launches. Once it's dead, you should face forward again, where another Madidar appears, as well as four Urimasan that pop out of the snow. Boost to destroy them, while focusing your lasers on the Madidar. Another three Madidar then appear in front of you, and another four Urimasan pop out of the ground. Repeat as before, using your boost to take care of them effortlessly. Finish off the Madidar (if you haven't already), and shortly thereafter, you'll move on to the Episode's boss battle. +------------------ - BOSS: Els-Enora - ------------------+ This boss battle is split into two parts, and the first is relatively straightforward. As you run along the bridge, look just to the left of it. You'll soon see the Els-Enora rise up, and as it does, lock-on as much as possible. Do so for several rounds, and you'll see it fire green blade- like projectiles at you. Either shoot them down with your manual weapon or boost just before they hit you to avoid them. Continue firing your lasers, and it'll speed away and cross over to the right side of the bridge. After a few more salvos, it'll speed up until it is directly over the bridge, and then decelerate, so that you're now in front of it. Turn around to face it, shoot down the four rounds of four projectiles each it fires, and continue your attack. The Els-Enora will move to your right for a little while, fire a few more rounds, and then move out of view, underneath the bridge and behind you. When it reemerges, it'll do so on the right side of your bridge (to your left, if you're still facing backwards), and then cross over to the other side. Be ready for more projectiles, and continue attacking while it moves to your front. Once you've damaged it enough, you'll move to the second phase of the boss battle. All your dragon forms, along with their berserk attacks, are not available for you to use. For the most part, you want to use either your Base or Heavy Wing here. While the extra number of lock-ons that the Base Wing has is wasted, as there aren't a large number of targets on the boss, it fires its manual weapon faster, making it easier for you to shoot down the projectiles the Els-Enora fires. The Heavy Wing does more damage per round of lock-ons, but again, might have a slightly more difficult time avoiding damage. Choose whatever form you prefer, and go to work on the Els-Enora's back targets. Most of the projectiles she fires at you miss, by the way, so don't worry too much about them, unless they're coming straight at you (usually the middle one). Once you've taken care of those targets, switch to your Glide Wing. Boost to either side of the Els-Enora, and turn to face it. Under each of the large wings is four targets, which you should use your Heavy or Base Wing to attack (again, use whatever form suits your playing style better). Be aware that almost as soon as you move to the side of the wing, she will fire over a dozen purple acid balls at you, one right after another. Take them down quickly to avoid damage, and fire at the wing targets as soon as you've done so. Once you've destroyed all four, you'll see the wing sag, and the Els-Enora will slow down so that it is right behind you. Quickly switch to your Glide Wing, and slow down to move out of its way. As you slow down, move to the wing that you hadn't attacked before. Again, you'll see another four targets underneath. Repeat the same strategy as above. This time, though, your task will probably be a little more difficult than it was for the first wing. The Els-Enora may decide to get behind you for another ramming attempt (just switch to your Glide Wing and slow down to get back under the wing), and then speed far ahead. If it does the latter, you'll see it pirouette, releasing countless white feathers. Switch to your Glide Wing, and point yourself in the direction of the wing you had been working on. As you head in that direction, keep your finger on the fire button, to try and destroy any feathers in your path. If you're not firing at a feather close to you, release the button and quickly press it again - you should automatically target the closest feather. Anyways, once you're through the feathers, boost to get back to wingside, switch to the Base or Heavy Wing, and continue attacking until the targets are destroyed. It wouldn't hurt to use a berserk if you have one ready. You'll find that the Els- Enora will repeat the speed-up-and-release-lots-of-feathers process quite rapidly from now on. Just repeat the above strategies if that's the case. As the wing finally sags, switch to your Glide Wing and slow down, so that you're once again behind the Els-Enora. Keep your finger on the trigger button, firing at the endless stream of projectiles she is now spitting out. I never really understood why, but shooting them down now damages her. You'll have to adjust your aim slightly every once in awhile, but just keep at it, and she'll go down. You can even try boosting to get right in front of her to shoot down the projectiles, which works just as well, if not better. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = F) Episode 6: Legacy = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Atish - -------------------+ Upon immediately starting the Episode, you'll begin a "boss" battle. Your dragon will be facing the onrushing Atish - switch to your Heavy Wing, and lock-on and fire as quickly as possible. If you see the blue exhaust of the rockets it launches, quickly shoot them down. I'm not quite sure, but I believe if you destroy them right after they launch, they help damage the Atish. Obviously, use the Heavy Wing's berserk as soon as you can. If you see it start closing in on you really fast (it'll come really close to you), quickly switch to your Glide Wing and boost away, putting more distance in between you. At this point, he should have less than a quarter of his health left. Switch back to your Heavy Wing, and continue firing until he's dead. You'll now be in a rather strange-looking tunnel. Once you get to the end of it, you should enter a small room with a large green blob in the middle. As you pass it, you'll encounter two Kot-War (blue) and one Gat-War (red) - they fly in a circle right in front of you. Only target the Gat-War, using any form you wish. Once it is destroyed, the two Kot-War are destroyed as well. In these corridors, watch closely for eye-like structures near the ceiling. These can also be destroyed, but cannot be locked on to, so use your Glide Wing. A short while later, another trio emerges. The Gat-War will emerge from right underneath you to your front, and the three will circle around you (as opposed to in front of you, as the first trio did) in a clockwise direction. Once again, destroy the Gat-War to get rid of all three. Just a little while after this encounter, you'll meet up with a third and final trio. This time, they circle around you in a clockwise direction, but then reverse and circle around you counterclockwise. No matter - just kill the Gat-War, and you'll receive a gene base! Quickly destroy the eye-like structures, and then switch to your Base or Heavy Wing. Destroy a group of four Nayak in the distance (they fire a green laser at you). As soon as you do so, swing around and face your rear to destroy another three Nayak. Turn 180 degrees to face forwards again, and you'll see a door closing from left to right. It might not be necessary, but go ahead and boost through the gap to be safe. Once you're through, there will be two Nayak that emerge from the right wall, and then two from the left wall. Destroy them with your homing lasers, then move to the left wall, as another door is closing, from right to left. Even before you're past the door, however, you'll see three Nayak in a vertical line along the left wall - kill them and boost through the gap. As soon as you're through that door, you'll see another door closing, from left to right. Boost through this gap as well, and quickly destroy three more Nayak, before moving to the left wall. Another door will be closing from right to left. Beyond this door is another door that closes from floor to ceiling, so try to time your boost so that you can get through both gaps at once. As soon as you're through the vertical door, four Degla will appear. Boost through them and under a door that is closing from ceiling to floor. As soon as you're through, you'll see Abadd drop down in front of you, and the two of you will enter the next area. You and Abadd will be in another small tunnel, where he'll talk to you for a little while. In this tunnel, you have your first choice of tunnels. Right after a small dive, you'll both level out, and Abadd will make a quick left turn. If you move to the far left and follow him, you'll take Pathway B. If you continue straight ahead, you'll take Pathway A. I recommend Pathway A: while it is quite a bit harder to kill every single enemy, that route offers the possibility of two gene bases that Pathway B does not. +---------------- - FA) Pathway A - ----------------+ After a series of quick turns, you'll enter a pinkish-colored room. You will probably want to be using your Base Wing for a little while. As soon as the short cutscene is over, a large number of Degla will enter. It's not that Degla are hard to kill; it's just that the view is rather disorienting, making them harder to locate than normal. At any rate, the first group of Degla lines up side-by-side. Without moving your view too far up or down, move your targeting reticle left to right. You should be able to target all nine in one round. As soon as you kill those, another group of about five Degla rapidly fly up past you. Turn to face them and target them as quickly as possible; meanwhile, eight more Degla zoom in from above. Try to take them out before they pass you. You want to keep facing in this direction, as five more Degla then rise into view. Destroy them as soon as possible. Now, get ready. Hopefully, your berserk meter is full and ready to use. Still facing up, towards the direction you came from (your radar will be facing 6 o'clock), you'll see your dragon speed through a series of bluish-colored tunnels, before you once again reemerge in a second pinkish-colored chamber. As soon as you enter, Degla will start swarming in. A few groups from the direction you're facing, then a small group from the other direction (don't turn around - they rise into view), and finally, a huge swarm of them. Use your Base Wing's berserk attack to hopefully get them all, and you'll be rewarded with two gene bases! Shortly thereafter, you'll once again speed through some more tunnels and rejoin the main pathway. +---------------- - FB) Pathway B - ----------------+ As you exit the tunnel, you enter a white corridor in which the walls start closing in on you. Face forward, and get ready to destroy two groups of four Degla that pass you to your front. Use either your lasers or a well- timed boost to easily take them out. After a brief dive, your dragon slows down, almost to a complete stop. Face forward, as five Churook under the ground pass you and pop out of the ground ahead of you. Destroy them all at once with your Base Wing's lasers, and then a second group of five that pop out of the left wall. Five more do the same from the right wall, and then another five from the ground ahead. Another group of five Churook pops out of the left wall, and finally, a last group of five out of the right wall. As soon as the last group is destroyed, a door ahead opens up and your dragon starts speeding up again. You'll enter another corridor in which the walls close in on you. Continue facing forward, and be ready for two groups of four Degla each. They pass from behind into your front view, one group slightly to the left, the other slightly to the right. Use lasers, boosts, or a combination of both to destroy all eight. Your dragon will slow down again, and you'll see five Churook burrowing underneath you as they pass to your rear. Swing around 180 degrees to face them, and destroy them in the same manner as before. Another five appear out of the left wall (if you're facing backwards), then five out of the right wall, another five out of the ground, then five out of the left wall, and finally, a last group of five Churook out of the right wall. Once you destroy the last of the Churook, your dragon starts speeding up again. Continue facing backwards, however. As you start climbing, four Degla appear from behind - destroy them with your Base Wing's lasers. A second group of four Degla then appears, also from behind, as soon as the first group is killed. Turn and face forward again, as your dragon reaches the end of the corridor and slows once again. You should know what's coming next - this time, however, things will be slightly harder, as they locate themselves on two surfaces at once, not just one. Three Churook pop out of the ground, and another three out of the left wall, at the same time. Destroy all six quickly, then immediately target another two trios that pop out of the ground and the right wall. Then, another two trios pop out of the ground and the left wall, and finally, two more groups of three that emerge from the ground and the right wall. Once they're dead, you rejoin the main pathway. +--------------- - Main Pathway - ---------------+ The main pathway joins up in a large, gold room. As soon as you enter, ten Nayak come in from the front, and start firing green lasers at you. Quickly destroy them. Switch to your Heavy Wing, and get ready for four Degla that drop down from the ceiling. Destroy them, and then you'll a large circular object in front of you. This is a lock, and the color of it depends which Pathway you will take. It changes color as you fire at it; I strongly recommend that you change it to blue, as doing so unlocks either Pathway A or B, which you choose between at the next lock. After you fly over the first lock, four Degla will pass you and enter your front view. Destroy them before they can release their green bombs, and you'll come upon a second lock. Once again, I'd recommend changing it to blue, putting you on Pathway A2 (if the first was also blue). You take Pathway B if the first lock was blue, but the second isn't, and Pathway C if the first was not blue. +------------------ - FA2) Pathway A2 - ------------------+ As you were firing on the previous lock (the one that put you on this Pathway), you'll probably have noticed some radar contacts at 6 o'clock. Turn around and quickly destroy them (they do pass to your front view, but drop their green bombs when they do, so kill them before they have a chance to). After you make a left, you'll encounter two Carrier Nayak, which fire a reddish-colored laser at you. Quickly destroy both (still using the Heavy Wing) for two gene bases. Switch to your Glide Wing as some horizontal black and gold beams come into view. Keeping your fire button pressed, weave up and down to avoid them. Some Degla should pass from behind to your front, and be automatically targeted by your Glide Wing's weapon. As soon as you're through the beams, switch back to your Heavy Wing, and destroy another two Carrier Nayak. Once again, you'll receive two gene bases for destroying them both! During your battle with the previous two Carrier Nayak, you may have noted that your view changed. So, instead of horizontal black and gold beams ahead of you, they are now vertical. Switch back to your Glide Wing, and weave left and right to avoid them, once again keeping your fire button pressed, to destroy the Degla that pass you. Once you're through the vertical beams, you'll come upon a third circular lock. Again, I'd recommend you changing it to blue (use your Heavy Wing), which allows you to choose between A or B for the third pathway, at the next lock. As soon as you've changed the lock to blue, turn around and face your rear, as another group of four Degla is approaching. Destroy them quickly, then face forward as you fly under the lock. You'll get a message that the security wall is opening. A final circular lock is in front of you - yes, you guessed it: turn it blue, and you'll take the third Pathway A. +------------------ - FB2) Pathway B2 - ------------------+ To enter this pathway, the first circular lock should be blue, the second any color but blue. Just before you start flying under the second lock, turn around and face your rear. Quickly lock on and destroy four Degla that approach at a high speed, then turn around and face forward (you should be in Heavy Wing form still). As you make a left turn, destroy three Carrier Nayak with your lasers, then switch to your Glide Wing. Keeping your finger constantly on the fire button, bob under and over five black and gold horizontal beams. As you do so, four Degla should pass you, but they are easily taken care of if you were firing with your Glide Wing. Immediately after you pass the last beam, switch back to your Heavy Wing and destroy another four Carrier Nayak. Once they have been disposed of, get back into Glide Wing form and weave left and right past six more black and gold beams, which are vertical this time. Again, keep firing your weapon at all times, to destroy another four Degla that pass. You'll then come upon another circular lock (the third you've encountered). Turn it blue to open either the third Pathways A or B; otherwise, you'll unlock Pathway C. Turn around and face your rear as soon as you're finished changing the color of the lock, and destroy another four Degla with your Base Wing. After you fly under the lock, you soon see the fourth and final circular lock. If you turned the third lock blue, turn this one blue as well to take Pathway A (skip down to Section FA3), or leave it any other color to take Pathway B (skip down to Section FB3). If you didn't turn the third lock blue, you end up on Pathway C no matter what (Section FC3). +------------------ - FC2) Pathway C2 - ------------------+ At the second lock, face your rear. As you start to pass underneath, four Degla come from that direction, so take them out with one round of Heavy Wing lasers or two rounds of Base Wing lasers. After they are dead, turn around and face forward. As you come out of the left turn, destroy four Carrier Nayak before switching to your Glide Wing. Firing your weapon at all times, bob under and over six black and gold horizontal beams, destroying the four Degla as they pass. Immediately after you clear the last beam, switch back to your Heavy Wing and destroy another four Carrier Nayak. Switch back to Glide Wing, and weave left and right past the now vertical black and gold horizontal beams (six total). After you bypass them, you should see the third circular lock straight ahead. Turn it blue to open either the third Pathways A or B; otherwise, you'll unlock Pathway C. Once you're finished changing the color of the lock, turn and face your rear. Switch back to your Heavy Wing if you haven't already done so, and destroy four Degla that approach from that direction. Turn and face forward as your dragon flys under the lock - directly ahead of you is the fourth and final lock. If you turned the third lock blue, turn this one blue as well to take Pathway A (skip down to Section FA3), or leave it any other color to take Pathway B (skip down to Section FB3). If you didn't turn the third lock blue, you end up on Pathway C no matter what (Section FC3). +------------------ - FA3) Pathway A3 - ------------------+ You'll fly over the lock, make a quick right, and then encounter several groups of Degla. Destroy them as quickly as possible, before you come across another set of horizontal black and gold beams. Repeat as you did before, switching to your Glide Wing to bob up and down past the beams, and keeping your fire button pressed to take care of the Degla. Once you are through the beams, switch back to your Heavy Wing. Another pair of Carrier Nayak await, and once again, destroying both yields another two gene bases. Also, there will also be a few Degla in here that you need to take care of as well. Congratulations, you've reached the end of this Episode! +------------------ - FB3) Pathway B3 - ------------------+ After you fly over the fourth lock (which should not be blue), you make a quick right turn. As quickly as possible, destroy a group of Degla near the ceiling, before they release their bombs. Almost immediately, another group of six Degla pass you from behind and fly into front view. Destroy them as well, then switch to your Glide Wing. Bob over and under another five black and gold horizontal beams, killing the four Degla that pass you with your Glide Wing's gun. Once you are past the beams, quickly switch back to your Heavy Wing. Destroy the six Degla (in two groups of three) that pass you from behind, and then a second group of six. You've now reached the end of the Episode! +------------------ - FC3) Pathway C3 - ------------------+ After you fly over the lock and turn right, you'll meet three groups of four Degla each. On this pathway, the corridors are extremely narrow, so destroy them before they release their bombs - if they succeed, you will certainly be hit. After the Degla have been taken care of, switch back to Glide Wing, and fire constantly as you bob over and under more black and gold horizontal beams. Destroy the four Degla that pass while you're doing so, then get back into Heavy Wing form. Once again, destroy another three groups of four Degla each, before they can release their bombs. Once they're dead, congratulate yourself: you've reached the end of the Episode! As you can see from the walkthrough above, I strongly recommend that you choose Pathway A for each of the three routes, the main reason being that there are a great number of gene bases that are only available this way. In case you are interested in taking different routes, for variety's sake, here is how you would go about doing so: First route: Pathway A: In the tunnel with Abadd, continue straight ahead, rather than following him to the left. Pathway B: In the tunnel with Abadd, move to the left, and turn right after he does. Second route: Pathway A: Turn both the 1st and 2nd circular locks blue. Pathway B: Turn only the 1st circular lock blue, leave the 2nd one any other color. Pathway C: Do not turn the 1st and 2nd circular locks blue. Third route: Pathway A: Turn both the 3rd and 4th circular locks blue. Pathway B: Turn the 3rd circular lock blue, leave the 4th any other color. Pathway C: Do not turn the 3rd and 4th circular locks blue. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = G) Episode 7: Forbidden Memories = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As soon as you start out (you should be in Base Wing form), lock-on to the four Interception Program ver 1.00s and fire your lasers. As soon as you've fired, turn around and face your rear. Two more will form a vertical row on the left, two more will do the same on the right, and three more will fly in just after them in a horizontal row beneath them, making a "U" like shape. Lock-on to all seven at once and fire, then turn around and face forward. As you fly through the tunnel, four more ver 1.00s will fly in from the rear and pass to your front. Quickly destroy them as before, then face backwards again. Six more will appear (three appear slightly after the first three), in two horizontal rows. As soon as you've destroyed them, face forward and switch to your Heavy Wing. An Interception Program ver 2.00 will appear right in front of you. It has three targets you can lock-on to: the central "eye," and a small point to each side of the eye. Three rounds of Heavy Wing lasers should destroy it, but be quick, as two more ver 1.00s appear in front of you as well. Shortly after you destroy them, you should exit the tunnel, and see a large golden door in front of you. The door soon opens, and you'll face: +---------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Diodopure Lv 1 - ----------------------------+ Note that the outcome of this battle determines what Pathway you will take next. Destroy the Diodopure, and you'll be placed on Pathway A; fail to do so, and you'll take Pathway B. I'd recommend killing it - switch to your Glide Wing. You'll see a jagged sensor moving over its surface. Keeping it within your targeting reticule, keep your fire button pressed while you bob and weave to avoid the big green laser that fires. If there's a pattern to where it fires, I haven't figured it out yet. Anyways, just keep firing at the sensor until the health bar is depleted. Once the first health bar is gone, you'll see it refill, and the circular field around the Diodopure disappear. Now, switch to your Base or Heavy Wing, and lock-on and fire as rapidly as you can, while avoiding the blue lasers that it fires. Once you've destroyed it (it doesn't take long), you'll receive two gene bases and a message that "the analyzation was successful." You'll now take Pathway A (if you killed it, of course). Otherwise, skip down to section GB. +---------------- - GA) Pathway A - ----------------+ You'll enter the Memory Cell, a bluish-colored corridor. Look for a blue, spinning object ahead of you, slightly to the right. Destroy it to receive a message. You'll see a second ahead of you, but slightly to the left. Once again, you receive a message for destroying it. Shortly thereafter, you enter the next area, where you'll encounter: +------------------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Central Data Unit Ofnir - -------------------------------------+ Look for glowing, white orbs beneath the "water" ahead of you. Using your Heavy Wing, wait for it to pass behind you. Swing around to face it, and then lock-on quickly once it jumps out. You'll see the health bar appear just as it does. Try to get off your lasers before the Ofnir dives back into the water. After a couple of rounds, the Ofnir will move back to your front. A few more shots later, you'll pass it again, so swing back around to face it. Try to be quick and fire some more lasers, but note that the Ofnir will now try to ram you, so you'll have to switch to your Glide Wing and boost away to avoid taking damage. It'll probably repeat the attack again, before leaping over you to your front. Now is a perfect time to do a lot of damage, as it stays above the water in front of you for a little while. Be ready for some spinning, green projectiles he fires at you, however. Most seem to miss regardless, but go ahead and destroy them with your manual weapon if they get too close. The Ofnir will then dive, move back behind you, and then leap again from your right side to your front. You will see four Interception Program ver 1.00s joining to form a ring ahead. Quickly destroy them before the Ofnir passes through, or he'll regain some of his health back! Hopefully, you'll prevent that from happening, but if he still lives, you may see him jump out to either your left or right side, and then swerve in an attempt to ram you. Boost out of the way, and continue attacking him as before until he's dead. You'll automatically move to the next area as soon as he is, where you'll now be on the main pathway. +---------------- - GB) Pathway B - ----------------+ Once the Diodopure reaches the end of the corridor (you'll have passed through about seven of the large, golden doors), you'll get the message that "more data is required." Switch to your Base Wing if you haven't already. You'll be in a small, white, square-shaped room (it kinda reminds me of those padded rooms mental patients are locked up in). This next sequence is somewhat random...keep an eye on your radar, and as soon as you see contacts, turn to face that direction. Destroy three ver 1.00s in a "V" pattern. Get used to quickly targeting them when they're arranged like this, because that's all you'll be seeing in this room. As I mentioned above, the direction that each trio appears at is randomized, so simply repeat until you've destroyed a total of ten groups. Destroy them quickly enough, and you'll get a message that the "analyzation was successful." Otherwise, you'll get a message that the analyzation is aborted. I'm not quite sure what effect this has, however. You are automatically sent to a Memory Cell. A spinning object will appear in front of you, slightly to the right. Destroying it yields a message, as does a second spinning object that appears shortly thereafter, slightly to the left. Also note that towards the sides of the rooms are "pillars" of blocks stacked upon one another, which can also be destroyed. Switch to your Heavy Wing before you move on to the next area. Quickly destroy the Interception Program ver 2.00 directly in front of you, as well as two ver 1.50s that appear just above it, then move to your rear. After you destroy the first ver 2.00, swing around 180 degrees and destroy a second ver 2.00 and the 1.50s, if you haven't already. The ver 1.50s fire and then quickly leave, so take them out first. Face forward again, and destroy another two 1.50s that pass you from the rear. As you start into a dive, another ver 2.00 appears. Again, destroy it with your Heavy Wing. As soon as it is dead, turn and face 6 o'clock, where another three ver 1.50s appear, followed by a second group of three. Swing around and face forward again, where a ver 2.60 appears. Destroy it with a few rounds of Heavy Wing lasers, and you'll receive a gene base as a reward. Just before you get to the large, golden doors, you rejoin the main pathway. +--------------- - Main Pathway - ---------------+ As soon as you're back on the main pathway, you have another opportunity to choose what route you will take. This plays out just like the first choice, where destroying the Diodopure will put you on Pathway A (recommended), and failing to do so will put you on Pathway B. +---------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Diodopure Lv 2 - ----------------------------+ There is really no difference between this battle and the first one. Go ahead and switch to your Glide Wing, and fire at the sensor the whole time, while you are dodging the green laser. As soon as the circular field is gone, switch to your Base or Heavy Wing and finish him off. You'll receive another two gene bases, and another message that "the analyzation was successful." You'll now be put on the second Pathway A. If you decide not to kill it, however, skip down to Section GB2 below. +------------------ - GA2) Pathway A2 - ------------------+ Once again, you'll find yourself in a Memory Cell. Strangely, it's had a different appearance during some of the many times I've played through. Sometimes, it'll look like the first Memory Cell, except that it is a whitish corridor. In that case, it also has two spinning objects that you can shoot for messages. Usually, however, I'm in a large room, with a gold, star-shaped oject in front of me. It'll talk to you for a little bit, and then you'll move to the next area. This next place is an expansive purple landscape - you'll see a large, floating object in the far distance ahead of you. Switch to your Base Wing, and quickly lock-on to four Sealance Images ahead of you and slightly to the right. Do the same for another four slightly to the left, and then a group of six that pulls in ahead of you. Note that one is pinkish- colored, while the others are blue. The pink one is a Carrier Sealance, and it drops a gene base. As soon as you've destroyed these, another two groups of six Sealance Images each appear. One comes in from the left, the other from the right, meeting directly in front of you. Destroy them quickly - you may need to face backwards, if any get by you. If you're not already doing so, face forward again. A large group of Sealance Images will appear in front of you, arranged in a circle. Make sure to get the Carrier Sealance, located in the middle of the circle, for another gene base. As you continue facing forward, below the large floating object I mentioned earlier, you'll see a huge group of Sealance Images appear. Just after you can see them, a group of about fifteen of them appear right in front of you. Now would probably be a good time to use your Base Wing berserk attack, if you have one saved up. Take out as many of the near and far Sealance Images as you can - you should be able to destroy all of them, actually. In the far group, somewhere near the left side, is another Carrier Sealance, which drops another gene base. Shortly thereafter, you automatically move on the the Episode's boss battle. +------------------ - GB2) Pathway B2 - ------------------+ If the Diodopure moves through the seven large, golden doors before you destroy it, you'll find yourself transported to a room exactly like the one in this Episode's first Pathway B. As with that chamber, the location where the enemies appear is randomized - the key is to keep a close eye on your radar, and immediately turn to face any threats that appear. I prefer using the Heavy Wing here, as the Base Wing lasers are not powerful enough to destroy the enemies that appear with one hit. The first group to appear consists of two Interception Program ver 1.50s, side- by-side. You'll face a total of seven pairs (including the first one), followed by a lone one. Once you've destroyed them all, you receive the message that "the analyzation was succesful," and are transported to a Memory Cell. The Memory Cell is a narrow and short corridor, which should be pretty familiar to you if you took the first Pathway B. Two spinning objects appear, first to the slight right, then to the slight left, and release messages if destroyed. Also, there are stacks of blocks piled upon one another that can also be destroyed. You're only in this room for a short while, so be quick if you want to try and get everything. Switch to your Base Wing before you enter the next area. Immediately, five Interception Program ver 1.00s appear, in front of you and in a straight, horizontal line. Destroy them quickly, and then another four that appear (two slightly left, two slightly right). After those are destroyed, another four appear, in the same pattern. However, they appear much closer to you, so you'll probably have to swing around and face your rear in order to target them all at once. Keep facing your rear, but switch to your Heavy Wing. As quickly as you can, destroy a ver 2.60 that appears, and then a ver 2.00 that appears right above where the ver 2.60 was. Turn 180 degrees and face forward again, as five ver 1.50s (arranged in a "U" shape) fly in. Destroy them, as well as another ver 2.60. Once the ver 2.60 has been destroyed, a group of eight ver 1.50s appear, also to your front, but in a square pattern. Finally, another ver 2.60 appears to your front. Destroy it, and shortly thereafter, you are automatically transported to the Episode's Boss Battle. +-------------- - BOSS: Abadd - --------------+ You start the battle facing backwards. Switch to your Heavy Wing, and fire a few rounds of lasers at him. He'll quickly zoom past to your front, so turn 180 degrees to face him and continue firing. Watch out for some white bolts that drop down before speeding towards you. When you see them, you should probably switch to your Glide Wing to avoid getting hit. If you boost, you'll move back in front of Abadd, where you should switch back to your Heavy Wing and continue attacking. Shortly after you do so, he'll move up alongside you, to the right of your dragon (to the left, if you're facing backwards). Once he does, switch back to your Glide Wing, boost forward, and get back into Heavy Wing form to fire more lasers. He'll then zoom past you to your front and slight left again, where he'll drop more of the white bolts. In Glide Wing form, boost past him again, switch to Heavy Wing, and fire more lasers. He'll now pull up alongside the dragon's left side, so once again boost out in front of him. After a couple more shots, Abadd should fly over you and stop in front of you - you'll notice that there is now a conveniently highlighted target in the middle of his back. Fire at the target with your Heavy Wing until he turns around and faces you; he almost looks like he's just lounging. Once he does, switch to your Glide Wing and boost to his side. You might have noticed that his head is also a target as well, now. Boost again to get in front of him (he'll be facing away from you), and fire Heavy Wing lasers as quickly as possible. Watch for any big movements by him, however. He'll move his torso and try to ram you with the back of his head. Once you see him start to move, quickly switch to your Glide Wing and slow down (not boost) to get back to his side. Then, boost to get back in position and continue your attack. Use your Heavy Wing's berserk attack on the large target if you can. After a little while of attacking his back and/or head, he'll change position and then explode into tiny pieces. He's not quite dead yet, however; he reappears behind you, where you should fire more lasers, and then quickly passes you. In the distance ahead of you, you should see three objects arranged in a triangle. Abadd will grab them, and then fall back behind you (the objects he picked up will now be circling him). Abadd will then move back to your front, slightly to the right, and release the objects directly in your path. It quickly spreads out into a big row of spiky blocks, that are about to fire some bolts at you. Switch to your Glide Wing and avoid the first round of bolts, which are arranged in a vertical row (move to the side). The second round is in a curved pattern (think an "S" on its side), and the third another "S." The next few shots are fired in a circular shape, so try and stay in the middle of the bolts. Once they've stopped firing, the spiky blocks will disappear and Abadd will be back behind you. Fire at him, until he speeds forward, grabs some more spiky blocks, and then moves behind you again. Continue attacking him with your Heavy Wing, until you see him release a large, black spiky block. The block will release three smaller blocks, which you can shoot down with your manual weapon. This will happen twice more, until the large block moves back to Abadd. Abadd will then move back in front of you, in the lounging position he was in earlier. Boost forward twice to get in front of him, and attack him as you did before. Hopefully, you'll be able to finish him off while he's in this position - giving you an S-rank time. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = H) Episode 8: Imperial City = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As soon as the Episode start, switch to your Heavy Wing. In your front view, just to your right is a Transport Tank Emden train. Destroy it as quickly as possible with your homing lasers. You may have to turn right to finish it off and shoot down any missiles it launches with your manual weapon. As soon as it is destroyed, however, face front. Another Transport Tank Emden train is in front of you. Quickly get off some shots before you pass it, then turn around and try to finish it off before you get too far away. Continue looking backwards, and up above you. You should see a third train speeding along - quickly destroy that one as well. As you are attacking it, you will probably find yourself turning, and eventually facing right and then forwards. Once you're facing forwards (the last train should be destroyeed by now), you'll see a fourth train. It is initially stopped, but soon starts speeding off. Quickly destroy it, then switch to your Base Wing and enter the next area. You'll be traveling through some narrow tunnels - turn around and face your rear. As soon as you're through the first tunnel, you'll see three Battleship Bhout (that are soon joined by a fourth). Quickly lock-on and destroy them. Continue facing backwards, and you'll come across another four Bhout. Destroy these as soon as possible, as at least one will try to ram you. Another two Bhout follow you, but are easy enough to destroy. As soon as you exit this tunnel, still facing backwards, you'll see another four Bhout give chase. Destroy them as you did the others. Now, face forward and take out a lone Bhout firing at you - you need to be quick to get this one. In the next large room, you'll notice a large number of contacts on your radar. Switch to your Heavy Wing, and turn to your right. You'll see three rows of ten Dragonmare Embryos each. In this room, you decide what Pathway you will take next. Destroy all of the Embryos, and you'll take Pathway A. Fail to do so, and you'll take Pathway B. Anyways, start firing and destroying them as quickly as possible. Focus first on the row closest to you, and use your berserk attack if you desire (you'll have to change your view to the left as you fly alongside the first row). As you move between the first and second row, you should have already gotten rid of most of the Embryos hanging from the first row. If you haven't, do so now. Each row yields two gene bases, by the way. Be on the watch for a large statue that rolls in quickly to the left. This is a Patrol Airship Vayu - destroy it with your Heavy Wing's lasers, and then continue working on the second row (which is now to your right). A second Patrol Airship Vayu appears on the right as well; quickly destroy it and continue. As you move in between the second and third rows, you should have destroyed the entire second row by now, and collected your two gene bases. Attack the embryos to your left, until your dragon circles around. Another Patrol Airship Vayu appears to your right, and then to your left. Destroy them before they hit you, then finish off the last row, collecting another two gene bases. You'll now take Pathway A if you destroyed all of them. If not, skip down to Section HB below. +---------------- - HA) Pathway A - ----------------+ As you enter another tunnel, you should hear a message that all of the Embryos have been destroyed. Switch to your Base Wing; after a series of quick turns, you'll enter an open room, where you'll appear to slow down a bit. A large number of Floating Mine Mardai appear, so quickly lock-on to as many as you can, fire, then repeat for the rest. Boosting won't get all of them, so rely on your weapons. As you enter the next series of tunnels, a lone Airship Vahra will join you. Destroy it with your Heavy Wing, and you'll claim another two gene bases. Switch back to your Base Wing, and face forward, if you're not already doing so. As you exit the tunnel, you'll see four Airship Kartha fly towards the middle and then veer off to the sides. Quickly lock-on to all four and fire before they get away. In the next tunnel, two more Kartha appear, zooming past you. Lock-on and destroy them as quickly as possible, before they drop their bombs. You should now be back on the main pathway. +---------------- - HB) Pathway B - ----------------+ As you fly through the tunnel, you'll hear a message that "the enemy is in the laboratory." Switch to your Base Wing, and as you exit the tunnel, quickly lock-on and destroy four Airship Kartha before they veer off to the sides. After entering the next tunnel, continue facing forward. Another two Kartha zoom past you to your front, so quickly destroy them before they drop their bombs. After exiting the tunnel, you'll see another four Airship Kartha that repeat the same pattern as the first four, veering off to the sides. Get them before they escape. Once again, another two Kartha will pass you in the next tunnel - repeat as before. You'll then exit, and then enter another tunnel, where another two Kartha pass. You know what to do. After exiting this tunnel, quickly lock-on and destroy a third group of four Airship Kartha, that repeats the same pattern as the other two. You will then enter another tunnel, destroy another pair of Kartha that zoom past you, and here rejoin the main pathway. +--------------- - Main Pathway - ---------------+ You now find yourself in large, open room. Switch back to your Heavy Wing, and face approximately 7 o'clock. You'll see two Hovertank Dahra on the ground, and they start firing at you almost immediately. Quickly destroy them, using your manual weapon to intercept any incoming projectiles. At the same time, be on the lookout for three Battleship Bhout that fly out towards the left side of the screen (when facing the Dahra). Destroy them quickly, then finish off the Dahra if you haven't already done so. As you pass a large pillar, you'll see several more Hovertank Dahra on the ground, at about 9 o'clock. Destroy them and the missiles they fire, as well as another three Battleship Bhout. As you continue circling the room, you'll probably have noticed a Catharp standing in the middle of the room. For now, though, worry about the Hovertank and a couple more groups of three Bhout that attack. Once the Hovertank Dahra and Bhout have all been taken care of, focus on the Catharp. While you can target a lot of different targets, pay particular attention to the head. You'll remember from Episode 3 that you had to destroy the armor protecting his head. Look for every chance you have to target the head, and fire on it as quickly as possible - you don't have many chances. If you're able to destroy the armor a second time, you'll be rewarded with another two gene bases! Switch to your Base Wing before you move to the next area. You'll now enter another tunnel. Shortly after entering, you'll see a radar contact. Boost to destroy the Floating Mine Mardai, and then use your lock-ons to destroy a group of four Airship Kartha. In the next tunnel, another two Kartha will pass you - destroy them before they drop their bombs. The same pattern repeats. Exit the tunnel, destroy four Kartha, enter another tunnel, destroy another two that pass. Once you're through this tunnel, however, you'll then encounter a group of about eight Floating Mine Mardai. Quickly lock-on to some of them and fire before they have a chance to damage you, then boost through the rest. In the next tunnel, another two Kartha pass you, so quickly destroy them once again. Soon thereafter, you should get a message that "the enemy is making its way to the airship production area." You'll now have to face: +------------------------------------- - MINI-BOSS: Assault Carrier Vermana - -------------------------------------+ You've met this ship before, in Episode 1. Switch to your Heavy Wing, and fire a few rounds of homing lasers as you pass underneath it. Once you're above the Vermana, destroy as many of the Hovertank Dahra as you can. You will then start to move to the other end of the ship and higher above. Watch out for a large number of missile that fire from below, slightly to the right. Switch to your Glide Wing if you need to, then go back to your Heavy Wing and continue attacking as you start to dive closer to the ship. While passing it and climbing, turn around to face the Vermana once again and fire more lasers at the hull. Use a berserk if you have one ready. At this point, the Vermana will likely fire five homing mines, which you should remember from before. If you switch to your Glide Wing and start firing early enough, you should be able to shoot them all down. Othewise, boost out of the way. Continue the same strategy of focusing on the hull, and the Vermana will soon be destroyed. Switch to your Base Wing, and face behind and slightly to the right. Five Battleship Bhout come in and start attacking - quickly lock on and destroy them. As you enter a tunnel, five Airship Vahra will pass you to your front. Switch to your Heavy Wing and destroy them as quickly as possible. At one point, they'll most likely drop behind you. Simply turn 180 degrees and keep firing, until they move back to your front. One of them drops another gene base. Now, switch to your Glide Wing. You'll be passing through a tunnel that has small fires along the side. Boost past a door that is closing from the bottom up, another one closing from right to left, a second one closing from right to left, and finally, one closing from left to right. You'll now face: +----------------------------------------- - BOSS: Imperial Defense Unit Bacharsuha - -----------------------------------------+ Switch to your Heavy Wing, and immediately start firing at the highlighted targets, using both your lasers and your manual weapon (while you wait for the lasers to hit). Move down as you see the arm to your left swing in your direction, then move up when you see the right one do the same, to avoid getting hit. Go ahead and destroy the arms that just swung at you, with a couple of rounds of homing lasers each. Watch out for missiles that fire from the Bacharsuha, however - they fire straight up, before speeding towards you. Use either your manual weapon (or Glide Wing, if you feel the need) to destroy them. After both arms are destroyed, go back to work on the highlighted target. The Bacharsuha will then turn around 180 degrees, so switch to your Glide Wing and boost twice to get back into position. Switch back to your Heavy Wing and continue attacking until you hear them say "you won't be able to dodge this!" You'll see some blue electricity charge up, so get back into Glide Wing form, and boost out of the way of the laser. Once you're back into position, more missiles will fire, so take care of them the same way you did before. After a little while, you'll see the Bacharsuha start turning again, in a clockwise direction. Slow down (not boost) twice to get back into view of the weak spot. Continue attacking with you Heavy Wing, and you'll soon see two large pink orbs where the arms were. They get bigger, and then dissipate, and you'll note that the arms are now back. The left arm will again swing at you first, then the right arm. By this point, it will only take a few more shots, and the Bacharsuha will transform. "Damn you!", he yells. Once you hear that, switch to your Glide Wing, and get ready to do a little bobbing and weaving. Fire continuously, as the eight arms start turning clockwise. Once you get the timing for moving over and under the eletrical beams down, this part isn't too hard. If you are feeling a little brave, try using your Base Wing instead of the Glide Wing! This will allow you to fire homing lasers at the arms as they pass you, doing extra damage! Once they've stopped turning, the arms will arrange themselves in two groups of four, one to the left, one to the right. Use your Heavy Wing to destroy them, but be mindful of more missiles that fire. After a little while, any remaining arms will rotate around, and the Bacharsuha will start climbing. Continue attack, but as soon as you hear "take this!", switch to your Glide Wing. Move in a large circle, as you keep your fire button pressed. If you keep moving, you'll avoid the large orbs that fire at you. Once you pull up to the same level as the Bacharsuha, you'll see the three targets highlighted. Try to build up your berserk meter to full again (if you've already used it this battle - otherwise, it should already be full). Don't use it just yet, however...use it when you see a vertical row of three lasers form and a bright pink flash. This will keep you from getting damaged, while you dish out quite a bit yourself. The Bacharsuha will now start turning clockwise again. Boost to the left twice (don't do it so fast that you run into the lasers!). The pink lasers should have stopped firing, and you can continue to work on the targets with your Heavy Wing. You'll then see the trio of lasers start charging up a second time. This time, they'll rotate counter-clockwise. Most likely, you haven't been paying any attention at all to your radar screen during this battle. Now would be a good time to start. You should be facing your 6 o'clock position - in other words, your rear. This means that you want to slow down, not boost to avoid the lasers! Do it once, and then again a second time when the lasers get close again. Back in front of the three targets, continue attacking with your Heavy Wing. You'll see the lasers charge up a third time. Switch to your Glide Wing, and boost twice to get out of the way. After you attack it a little while longer, you'll fly over the Bacharsuha, as it descends. Once you're level again, face forward, and switch to your Glide Wing. You'll have to bob over and under any remaining arms, but it should be much easier this time, as most of the arms should be destroyed. Again, feel free to use your Base Wing to do a little extra damage to the arms as they turn. Once they've stopped, more missiles will fire, and you'll see the large pink orbs again. The arms will be repaired as soon as the orbs disappear, and the Bacharsuha will start climbing again. Repeat as you did the first time, target the arms as you climb. Hopefully, you'll have your berserk meter full as you level out. The enemy will be charging up another trio of lasers, so use your Heavy Wing berserk attack just before it fires. This should finish it off. Congratulations! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = I) Episode 9: Showdown = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This is perhaps the hardest Episode to write a walkthrough for - it's pretty much just one massive, frantic dogfight. Hopefully, you'll have both your Heavy and Base Wings at Level 5, as it'll make getting an excellent score here much easier. Don't worry if they're not, however, as you get quite a few gene bases during this battle. Feel free to use your Base Wing's berserk attack at any time during this battle - there's always a lot of enemies around, so you won't be wasting it. As soon as you start the Episode, you'll be in Base Wing form, with the Cradle in the distance ahead. Four Dragonmare Embryos will already be out, and are soon joined by another two. Lock on to as many as possible (each Embryo has several targets each), and fire as soon as you've done so. If you don't kill all four in the first round, lock-on to any leftover as well as more that are dropping down. Including the groups that drop down and the ones that were present at the start, there will be a total of twelve Embryos directly ahead of you, and two of them (in the last and second to last groups that leave the Cradle) drop gene bases. Quickly destroy them before they get past you, as it will make things much easier. Once they're dead, turn to your left and look down. From a lower altitude comes another group of Dragonmare Embryos. Three will be visible initially, but another four soon come from the same direction. One of the Embryos in this group of seven drops, in particular one of the latter four to appear, drops another gene base. Once they're all dead, swing 180 degrees to face your right side. In the distance, you'll see another group of Embryos, this one numbering about five. Again, quickly lock-on and fire as soon as you see them, and repeat as soon as you can to finish the survivors off. These Embryos are spaced pretty closely together at the start, but one of the leftmost and last ones to appear drops another gene base. As soon as that group has been taken care of, face your rear. There are seven in this group, and they arrange themselves in a formation behind you. The first stops directly behind you, the others to the sides and below. Destroy them all quickly, but one on the left side (if you're facing backwards) drops another gene base. Now, face forwards. A total of ten Embryos start attacking - two initial ones to your front (one slightly left, one slightly right) and one each to your back left and right. You won't have time to kill all of these before the rest of them come in and swarm you from all directions. You might get the temptation to keep swinging around in all directions, trying to get them all. However, I think things are easier if you just keep facing forward. All of them will eventually enter your front view as they circle around you. Be careful not to miss them when they do, as this strategy won't give you many second chances. Anyways, if you succeed in killing all of them, you'll have been rewarded with an additional two gene bases! +-------------------- - BOSS: Dragonmares - --------------------+ This battle is almost identical to the boss battle from Episode 4. This time around, however, there are a total of ten enemies you'll have to deal with. I like to use the Heavy Wing for this encounter, but if you prefer the Base Wing, go ahead and keep using it. Anyways, the ten of them zoom past you to your front. Go ahead and start attacking them, even though you aren't doing much damage (note, the health bar hasn't appeared yet); you'll still build up your berserk meter. Use it whenever you have the chance during this battle, except for when they're using their rainbow trails. Once the health bar appears, they'll split off into different directions. Change to your Glide Wing, keep your finger pressed on the fire button at all times (to do a little extra damage to any that cross your path), and get ready to dodge the rainbow-colored trails again. Once they're done with the trails, the Dragonmares will regroup in front of you. Quickly switch to your Heavy Wing and start hammering them. The Dragonmares will start releasing spinning discs at you. If you're low on health, you might want to switch to your Glide Wing, to more easily dodge them. However, I find that if you just keep weaving back and forth, while you're still locking-on and firing lasers, they'll miss you. After a little bit of this, they slow down and you pass them. Face your rear, and continue attacking. One Dragonmare on the left side (if you're facing backwards) will release four flaming missiles - shoot them down with your manual weapon. Continue firing your lasers, but be ready for another one (towards the right) that also fires flaming missiles. The Dragonmares will then fly over you, so swing around and face forward again. As soon as they do so, they drop some type of weird mines or something. Whatever they are, they're quite easy to avoid. Once you're through them, the Dragonmares will have moved back to your rear, so turn around and face them again. Continue your attack, but beware of the green bolts they fire. Also, some of the ones on the right will fire more flaming missiles. A short while later, they move to your 9 o'clock position, far below you. While they're down there, continue attacking with your Heavy Wing. They'll fire a large number of flaming missiles, however, so you may want to switch to your Glide Wing to shoot them down. The Dragonmares then move to your 3 o'clock position, but far above you. Again, continue