Suikoden Beginning : Gregminster : Rockland : Lenankamp : Sarady

The original Suikoden for Playstation One. What a game. Name your character and you’ll start off with your dad Teo in the Gregminster Palace. Talk to him and you’ll go up and meet Windy and Barbarossa, leaders of the Imperial Army. Go through the dialog and then leave and meet Kraze. You can get 100 potch in the far east statue. Return home with Teo now and you’ll meet Gremio, Pahn, Cleo and Ted. Nice people. Go through the dialog and you’ll be eating dinner and then you can control your army the next day (after your dad leaves).

You’re supposed to report to Kraze but you can leave and do some other things. I tend to do that, as building up now is risky but allows the next few things to be easy. You can go to Rockland to the east (Mt. Seifu further east) or Lenankamp to the south. Definitely build up a few levels around Gregminster if you attempt this, as even the random encounters can kill your level 1 party. Your best bet would be to go to Rockland and talk to Margo (who plays the gold coin under the bucket contest).

You can earn a ton of money early on if you figure out her trick. Not sure what the exact patterns are, but she always does the middle and then left one. After you choose those two correctly (for any betting price), get out of the game and talk to her again. Now you can choose the center one and the left one again and quit. With the 10,000 bets, you can do this for as long as you want and be able to upgrade all your weapon / armor / rune needs. Not much to do in terms of runes but you can get level 5 weapons in Lenankamp and decent armor. I managed to run across a Holy Rune from some Mosquitos. That was useful (for Gremio).

When you’re ready to continue, talk to Kraze in the Gregminster Palace. He’ll have you go to Leknaat via the Dragon Knights. So leave the palace and go east towards the horse stables to meet Futch and his dragon Black. They’ll take you northeast of Gregminster into a forest that you will have to traverse. Head north past the Futch / Black screen. Go straight north in this screen also. In the next screen, go west for a Medicine and continue north. In this next screen go north a bit, then you’ll be left with going north via the west or east passage.

Take the east passage first for a Leather Coat and then the west for a boss. If you built up/bought weapons/etc this will take one turn. Even if you went straight here this battle won’t be hard. Just attack and use Pahn/Gremio’s Unite. Afterwards Luc (who summoned the monster) will take you to Leknaat.

Follow him and it’ll be a long but linear path. Leknaat will have you go talk to her alone to the north. She’ll hand over the Astral Conclusions and tell you about your destiny playing a large role in this area. As you leave Leknaat will give you a Fire Rune meant for Cleo. Luc will teleport your group out, sans Ted. Well, he’s a little late. You’ll leave to Gregminster.

Return the Astral Conclusions to Kraze in his office. Kanaan will be there and you’ll learn that you are to go to Rockland to the east and bitch at Grady for not paying his taxes. Kanaan will accompany you.

When you show up at the north Rockland house (Grady’s mansion) he’ll talk about the bandits robbing him and Kanaan will believe him.

So you are to go east to Mt. Seifu to liberate the bandits. Go into the mountainous area when you enter. Inside the cave, go north and northeast for some Boots and Medicine. Head west and now you’ll be in a room with several paths. Take the southwest one first for an Antique (? Pot). The first path on the west going north leads to 1,000 bits. The far right path is a dead end while the path left of it is a Defense Rune Piece. Take the middle path (third from the right) and go north.

Now you’re in another multi-path room. Grab the Medicine to your immediate left and then the Escape Talisman north of it. Leggings are a bit south and east, and then north leads to a few short screens. You’ll then be in an really open area with one path to go. When you go to the center of this room you’ll fight a Queen Ant. You’ll have no answer for her so Ted will use a powerful spell (and Kanaan will take note). Continue along the next few paths and get the Thunder Rune Piece in the northeast of the next room and continue south and Save. You may wish to heal as a boss battle of sorts looms.

Kanaan will talk shit to Varkas and Sydonia, the two bandits, but cowers when they send troops. This is an easy battle so mow them down and then it’s a battle vs. Varkas and Sydonia. Focus on one of them, I usually do Sydonia first as Sydonia is easy to kill in one turn. Varkas has some HP and is best left for last. After the battle you’ll capture them and will automatically start at the beginning of Mt. Seifu. Leave and return to Grady and the bandits will say it’s Grady that is the wrong-do-er. You’ll notice Imperial Soldiers beating up some kid in the east part of Rockland. You can fight or not fight this, it doesn’t matter, although it is interesting to kill the soldiers in front of Kanaan and have him not say anything.

Back in Gregminster, Kanaan will take Ted to the palace area for some unknown reason (pertaining to his spell on the Queen Ant obviously). So head back to your house and rest. It’ll be nighttime and you’ll get to control McDohl, so head back downstairs to find Ted injured downstairs. A scene shows he got hurt by Windy. He can’t get out what happened to him but Pahn goes out to look for medicine. Eventually Ted wakes up and asks you to take his rune, the Soul Eater rune. You must do so, and from then on your fate changes. Now Pahn, Kraze and Kanaan storm in with soldiers demanding to know where Ted is. Ted comes out himself, knowing the Soul Eater is with McDohl and not him anymore.

You’ll be outside with Gremio and Cleo, with no where to go but the Inn to the southwest. Marie will take you in and the next day you should try to leave the Inn. Imperial Soldiers will come in at the same time and it’ll be trouble. Doesn’t matter what you say, but Viktor will bail you out with some trickery. He’ll leave you once you’re out, so follow him north and agree to his plan to escape Gregminster. He’ll offer Gremio’s wallet in exchange for the guard to turn a blind eye to your group, and you’ll be out. Viktor wants you to check out Leninkamp but you’ve probably already been there. Anyway, stay at the Inn there after Viktor leaves.

As you discuss your fugitive status with Gremio and Cleo, you’ll find they’ll be loyal to you no matter what. When Imperial Soldiers break in, you’ll hear someone from the grandfather clock in the room. Inspect it to find stairs leading down! Quickly enter to flee from the guards and go talk to the group, the Liberation Army. They fight the Imperial Army (Barbarossa, your dad Teo, and those evil bastards Kraze and Kanaan). Humphrey, Sanchez, Flik, Viktor and Odessa are the five, with Odessa being the leader. The decisions you make don’t really matter here, but this will be the beginning of the hero’s dissention towards the Imperial Army.

Try to leave and you’ll see a bandit. After further explanation, he comes on behalf of Vargas and Sydonia, who you just captured. It is now decided that you are to help and Viktor will come with. Back to Rockland with the hero, Gremio, Cleo and Viktor. You don’t need to do anything special beforehand, save for upgrade Viktor’s armor and his weapon maybe. Continue to utilize Margo at Rockland for money, you’ll lose this opportunity after a bit.

Go up to Grady’s mansion when you’re ready and the guard will show up Varkas and Sydonia to you. Viktor gets the idea to burn the house so you can go in without being seen. Head left and soldiers will fight you. Go in where they came from for some Medicine and continue along. Two more soldiers in this next battle, then you’re giving some choices. Head in the first right as you go south for a battle against four Empire Soldiers and the treasures is a Brass Armor. The room on the left is four more soldiers but no treasure, while the right has an Antique (? Ornament) and no soldiers. Enter that last room before the soldiers for 700 bits and 1000 bits, then go all the way to the left for a battle against five Empire Soldiers and one Empire Captain. Nothing too tough, if Cleo has that Fire Rune equipped this battle can be very easy. Go up to Varkas and untie him, while Sydonia unties herself.

Grady will be pissed, but what’s he gonna do? Back to the hideout in Lenankamp now, since Varkas and Sydonia leave. Odessa will go over the Fire Spear blueprint to you and ask you to go with her to Sarady, which is through Mt. Tigerwolf to the west. You have no choice but to go along, although Gremio, Cleo and Viktor will also accompany you. Odessa doesn’t need much and you might as well not build up her weapon.

Mt. Tigerwolf isn’t too tricky; head along and get the Medicine along the way. Further along, take the west path for some Gloves and then north. You’ll go through another screen and get to another fork, where you should go west for a Wind Rune Piece and then north to the next screen. This is the halfway point and you’ll meet Ledon outside his Inn. He’ll get you to come and spend the night, and he’ll drug your party with tea. Fortunately Kessler comes by and he’s a good man, telling Ledon that that is Odessa, leader of the Liberation Army. Ledon will apologize and you can get on your way the next day.

Continue along and you’ll see a treasure in the next screen to the northeast. This is an Antique (? Pot), and go into the next screen. Grab the Medicine and take the eastern path going north for a Clone Rune (great rune for Viktor) and then take the west for 1000 bits and the exit. North is Sarady where there is nothing to do. The item shop sells a Water Rune though, and the Inn is to the east (unlabeled Inn). Spend the night there and go on the deck to talk to Odessa, where Kage will show up and get the Blueprints. Nothing more to do here so leave Sarady and head back to Lenankamp.

Back at the Inn you’ll find the Innkeeper knocked out and saying something about the Imperials. Go to the hideout area. The first path west leads to five soldiers, as does the second. The very south path that goes west leads to more soldiers and a screaming Odessa. Beat the soldiers and Odessa will reveal a kid she was laying on top of. She saved his life, but ended her own. Odessa is then put into the stream to not affect the Liberation Army’s morale. She’ll also give you an earring to give to Mathiu in Seika.

Further Reading:

• Suikoden II 2 recruiting 108 Stars of Destiny list

So you’re escaping Lenankamp after the attack on the Liberation Army “base” and Odessa’s subsequent death. With Earrings in hand, you are to meet Mathiu, who seems to be of importance. Heading south is the Fortress of Kwaba, where you will decide a name to sneak in (doesn’t matter). The guards will question you and Ain Gide will let you through, although it seems he recognizes you. You can meet Chandler before you leave.

South a short ways is Seika, where you should go to the northeast. Talk to the guy who has a character face, and he’ll tell you Mathiu lives there. Talk to the kids inside to find out that that was really Mathiu you just talked to! Return to him and talk, but he won’t help and will shun you and Odessa for her actions. Try to leave and some Imperial Soldiers will come towards Mathiu’s house. Follow them and intervene (you can be passive and you’ll still fight), it’s not a tough battle. Afterwards Mathiu will understand that he must take the right said (yours). He doesn’t accept the earrings but joins you and suggests you go to Kaku in preparation for the trip to the empty castle in Lake Toran.

Note that Mathiu doesn’t come with immediately as he needs to give his students a years worth of homework.

You’ll meet a lot of recruitable characters in Seika and Kaku (to the southwest). You can’t recruit them yet but make note of their whereabouts. To the southeast of Kaku is the bar. Talk to Camille and she’ll recognize Gremio and yell at him since he’s in debt to her. Since he doesn’t have the money she’ll join. She knows where Tai Ho is, so go downstairs now. You definitely want to save before you do this game as you can lose a lot of money. Basically you role dice and try to get the highest score. Each person rolls three times (Tai Ho first). 1, 2,3 is a double loss, 1,1,1 is a triple loss, while it’s the same for 4,5,6 and 6,6,6. Also if you roll two fives and a one, then your score is one. That is how the scoring goes. You can also throw the dice out of the bowl if you’re unlucky. This can be a hard game or you can win it in the first round.

After winning, Tai Ho and Yam Koo will take their boat to Lake Toran. To do this go to the port. When you are there, Tai Ho will join your active party and you can talk to Yam Koo to return to Kaku. I’d do this. Generally at this point, with six characters and a ton of money from the Rockland game, I load Camille and Tai Ho up. You can head south from Kaku to visit Kouan, Garan and the Great Forest in the southeast. The Great Forest is of importance as you can get Counter Runes and also you can fight really tough monsters (in the forest that you can’t pass through to the east). If you fight just a few battles around here you’ll be more than ready for the Lake Toran battles. In leveling up, Cleo gets the third level Fire Rune spell which is a godsend at this juncture in the game. When you’re ready and fully restored, head on over to Lake Toran to get your HQ.

Go east when you land via boat but don’t go in the door north yet. Go south for a Mega Medicine. Enter now and work your way east, keeping south so you can get those Toe Shoes. Enter the next room now and grab the two treasures within plain view for an Antitoxin and 2000 bits. Continue along to the next path, and then the next one. In this section, go south for a Power Rune Piece, then go east a little and north for a Pointed Hat and south of that for a Medicine and the exit.

Continue along for a few screens until you get to a save point and another Antitoxin. Go up, and then through that room. Now quickly head south in this next room to go through the wall via the east and then south for a Hazy Crystal. Tricky to get, may take a while. East of this is another imaginary wall but an easier one to navigate; it nets the Wind Crystal. South is the exit. Now you are in the castle area; hit the first door right away. Go through this corridor to another castle floor. Go through the door you see, and then the next corridor (be rested).

Here you’ll bump into the Zombie Dragon. Uh oh. He’s a toughie, but if you built up at the Great Forest you should be more than okay. Just utilize Cleo’s Fire Rune and Viktor’s Clone Rune. I had a Water Rune affixed to Cleo for added healing. With a little luck, he should go down and the castle is then yours. You’ll get a chance to name it; Dragon Castle, White Castle, YuanShu castle? Your choice, and this is a staple in Suikoden games in the future. The scene then shifts to the future, with Mathiu present. The Liberation Army’s morale is high, and Leknaat teleports in. She gives you the 108 Stars of Destiny Tablet and also gives you Luc’s services.

The next day you are to talk to Mathiu and then go to Kouan to recruit Lepant, a powerful man in this area.

Cleo, Gremio and Viktor come with. For the other two slots you can choose between Tai Ho, Yam Koo, Camille and Luc. Doesn’t really matter although Tai Ho and Yam Koo have a devastating Unite Attack. Anyway, sail to Kaku and go to the bar. Talk to Sergei the elevator maker and he’ll join. Gaspar downstairs will complain about you stealing Tai Ho but remember where he is. Leave and go northeast to the Fortress of Kwaba to recruit Chandler, the Item Shop merchant. South a little to Seika. Talk to Marie in the Inn to get her to open up an Inn at your place. Antonio is in the Inn also but he won’t join until later (until Marie asks for a cook). The house north of the Inn is Onil’s, and she’ll join also. She gossips about characters, pretty pointless recruit. Go southeast now to the Great Forest (still more recruits to get before you acquire Lepant in Kouan). The blacksmith Maas will join you (although the weak bastard can only sharpen up to level 5). West of his house is Sansuke, the bath-man. Recruit him also and he’ll build a bath at your place. Nothing else to do here unless you want to build up some levels.

Before you go to Kouan, go west to Garan and get Kai, Tir McDohl’s old trainer. He has a brilliant unite with the Hero that attacks all enemies.

Finally it’s time for Kouan. Try to enter Lepant’s mansion and Giovanni will turn you down. Go to the Inn (ignore Lorelai, you can’t get her yet) and talk to Krin. He’ll devise a plan to get you inside. Climb the rope outside and you’ll be in. Grab the Shoulder Pads that you see along the path. When you get to an area with several options and a person, talk to the person. It’s the warehouse guard Rock, and he’ll defect to your side. Now you can place items with him. Get the 700 bits and Medicine next to him and enter the door to the far east. You’ll see a bunch of robots now. Basically you don’t want to walk in their line of vision otherwise you’ll be transported outside of the room (from whence you came). It’s really not too hard to navigate though, and the southeast lies a Counter Crystal and north lies the exit. East for a Speed Rune Piece, then head south for the exit. Work your way to the northeast part of this room now a Fire Rune Piece and Leather Armor.

West of this is some Medicine and White Paint (south is the exit, which is locked). Talk to the Joker guy, this is Juppo. He’ll say he can shut off the robots but “not the big one”. Hmm, well he joins here. Go west and enter this room to see a spinning wheel that you must stand on to decide your fate.

Pretty self-explanatory, just keep getting on until you get to the north part. The ? mark sometimes yields Dragon Incense or a Fortune Rune Piece, while the monster faces result in battles against robots. The other treasures are usually worthless items, like Medicine. This can take a long time or a few minutes. This time through, it took me around 20-30 minutes. Whenever you get across, grab the Kirinji and get the hell out of here. Krin will try to get you to drink some “tea”, but instead he’ll be the one who drinks it. Lepant will eventually come in and confront you and you can do nothing but give him the sword back. When you do though, Giovanni will rush in to tell him that his wife Eileen has been captured by the new Commander, Kraze. Lepant storms through a bunch of troops in that northeastern building. Before you follow him on that first floor, go to the southwest room for a Water Rune Piece and then go up to him to aid him in battle.

Not a tough battle, rush upstairs after it is over. Go in the western room for an ? Ornament, and then the east to confront Kraze. He’ll send soldiers after you, nothing you can’t dispatch though. Afterwards he’ll call out Pahn, who betrays Kraze and re-joins you. With Eileen now protected, you have the option of killing Kraze or letting him run away. You won’t see him again either way, so why not kill the fella? You know you want to

After the battle, talk to Lepant to get him and Eileen to join. Then talk to Pahn and forgive him, and he’ll join you too. If you want to try to skip them, you can’t because the storyline won’t progress. Also, from this point on it’d be wise to keep Pahn at the highest level with the best defensive gear and weapon level possible. Later on, you’ll see why. With all these new characters, it’s time to head back to HQ.

Further Reading:

• Persona 3 III Summer Walkthrough: Kirijo Beach, Amada
• Dragon Warrior 2 II Rhone Hargon Erdrick Walkthrough
• 8 – Suikoden I 1 End Walkthrough Shasarazade Barbarossa
• Buy Dynasty Warriors 6
• Final Fantasy VII 7 Jenova Ultima Weapon Walkthrough

Attacking Kwanda Rosman and defending the Elves : Great Forest : Elves Hideaway : Dwarves Hut : Dwarves Vault : First War Battle

After Lepant’s Mansion in Kouan, return to the HQ. On the second floor you’ll see Varkas and Sydonia who join you. They have a sweet Unite Attack that rivals the Fisherman Attack of Tai Ho and Yam Koo. A banquet will be suggested and you’ll eventually be at the banquet. As you leave the area you’ll be attacked by an Assassin. Heal if you need to but he probably won’t kill you, and he’ll flee after two turns. Pahn and Viktor come in to help you, and they’ll be paranoid after this and will be outside McDohl’s bed.

The next day Gremio will join you, so go out to the docks. You’ll see a passed out elf named Kirkis looking for the Liberation Army’s help. Kwanda Rosman is going to exterminate the Elves, so you are to go there on a reconnaisance mission and see for yourself. Kirkis joins and you can choose three other characters. At this point you have enough characters to make your own judgments, but bring Juppo and Lepant along for recruits and talk to Marie a bunch of times at the Inn until she mentions needing a cook. Also talk to Rock and get used to Detaching your backups in order to get the best defensive gear for your current party members. Honestly, this warehouse is easier to navigate than ANY of the other four in the Suikoden series. Now leave out for Kaku after this.

Go to the northeast and talk to Meg (with Juppo in the group). She’ll recognize him and ask to join, so you should let her. Save at the Inn now, and then go to the bar. Talk to Gaspar in the basement and he’ll play that game that Tai Ho played with you. If you win, he’ll join you. I got lucky and he rolled a 1, 2, 3 first round and he joined. Go to Seika to the northeast of Kaku. With Lepant along, you can go to the Inn and recruit Sheena. Lepant will then leave your group. Talk to Antonio the cook now, and if Marie mentioned that she needs a cook, he’ll join. Otherwise, go back and talk to her until she does. Return back to the castle now and reform. For the record, I have Eileen, Lepant and Sansuke

Back through Kaku and through the Great Forest. With Kirkis, you can now navigate your way through it this time. Continue along until Viki teleports in and you can recruit her. She can teleport you anywhere that you’ve been from the HQ (you’ll get her in the next four Suikoden’s also). Continue all the way east from here for a Gauntlet, and then return to that Viki screen. Go south and east quickly for an Escape Talisman, and then back west. Another screen west and you’ll have a Needle, and a Water Rune Piece a little south of that. Go east for a few screens now and grab the Fortune Rune Piece to your north along the way. Further east is the Kobold Village but it is empty. Kuromimi (a Kobold) does come behind you and says a few things. Leave and go southeast to the Elve’s Village.

The elves don’t really like you. They have some nice things at the Armor Shop though. Talk to the Chief and he’ll throw you in jail, then talk to your two jailmates. Search the bars and Sylvina will let you out. Leave Elve’s Village and Valeria will join (I dropped Sansuke, Valeria is really good with the Falcon Rune anyway). Go to the northeast to the Dwarve’s Trail.

This is a long and rewarding trail. Head through the first path and go west to get the Feather in the second one. Continue north to the next path, where you should go east immediately for a Karate Uniform and then north a little and west a little for a Sacrificial Buddha. Back north and then go north when you can, up a ladder. This leads to a Guard Robe, so now return to the previous passage and go all the way east for a Killer Crystal (a little hard to see). Go up the ladder north of you and through the next passage. Now, get the treasure you see for a Medicine and then north for a Fortune Rune Piece. Continue along this path and then you’ll meet Kuromimi in the next passage. Save in the next screen and then just continue along and then you’ll be on the World Map, where you should go north to see the Dwarves.

Inside, go to the southeast to see the Blacksmith. They can get your weapon up to level 9 and Meese will join you also (if Maas has been recruited). Meese can upgrade your weapons to level 9 at your place now. Not much else to do here so go to the northeast and talk to the Dwarf Chief. He won’t believe that Kwanda stole the Burning Mirror so he says if you can break into the vault and get the Water Root he’ll believe your story and aid you.

Go downstairs a few times once you get in. You’ll get to an area with three switches and lots of boulders blocking your way. I hit the middle one, left one then right one and it was all good from there. Grab the Sunbeam Crystal on the east side of this room and go south to exit. Down some more stairs and into a room with several walls that are easy to navigate. Make your way to the southeast for a Blue Ribbon and in the central part for a Medicine. Now, just go to the southwest corner for a Magic Robe and the northeast for the exit. Down some more stairs, and then into a room with platforms. Go straight south to get on one, and then straight south to get on another. This will take you to a Thunder Rune Piece. You’re going to want to get on the platform to the east, and then hit the platform facing the south. This will take you to the exit.

You’ll now be in an area will blue floors. Cool looking room, head east upon entry for a Pointed Hat, and north a little for a Skill Rune Piece. Continue along the path now, getting the Medicine along the way, and you’ll get to an area with two lights that you have to rotate using. First, hit the left one, and then the right one twice. Now use the left one three times and the right one twice and it’ll be open. A four-way fork now. West for a Mega Medicine, east for 5,000 bits and north for more stairs. Go south when you can, then to the southwest for an Escape Talisman. Enter the stairs in the central-south area (the stairs in the NE and SE are dead ends). This path will lead to a battle against a boss named Gigantes, so be prepared. Use your best runes and utilize your medicine. Eileen’s Voice of Earth won’t work as it is a flying creature. Melee attacks are just fine, and Valeria’s Falcon Rune does a lot of damage. When it is done, you’ll get 3,000 bits and you can continue north. Take the west fork for a Defensive Rune Piece, ignore the right path and take the middle for that Running Water Root. I hope to god you got that Escape Talisman shortly before this, if so use it to leave.

The Dwarf Chief will believe you now, so rush back to the Elve’s Village with the good news. Along the Dwarf Trail you’ll see the Elve’s village on first and Kirkis will say “After returning from Dwarves’ Village” and that’s it. Classic 1996 Suikoden translation. Make your way to the Elve’s Village and Kirkis will be depressed, although you must trudge on. Exit and re-enter to find Templeton, the mapmaker. She’ll join and give you the Suiko Map, a brilliant map to see your location around the land. Back at Kobold Village you’ll see Kuromimi and then be surrounded by Imperial Soldiers! Valeria will leave your party but Kuromimi will join, even though Kuromimi ends up in the back row and is un-usable for the fight. Just use Eileen’s Voice of Earth to get the easy win. Despite how easy the battle is, Gremio and your party will act like you’re losing.

Mathiu and Humphrey will save you however, and it’ll be time for a war battle whether you like it or not. Nothing too hard, although this is actually one of the harder battles you’re going to face. This is simply because you can tell the enemy’s attacks later on with the amount of Ninja’s you acquire, but you can only use Krin and Giovanni to see the enemy’s attacks and they sometimes fail (Giovanni fails often for me). It’s simple rock, paper and scissors, and Kwanda tends to use Charge more often than not. If you’ve recruited everyone up to now you’ll be well off. Kwanda will be done and you are to charge Pannu Yakuta castle. You’ll have a set party here, with the hero McDohl, Gremio, Valeria, Viktor, Kirkis and Kuromimi. Hopefully they have decent equipment, they have some moderately difficult battles ahead.

You can save at the Elve’s Village. At Pannu Yakuta, you can enter the east door to rest or the west to get a Steel Shield. Taking the west also results in a Thunder Rune Piece on the second floor. Both paths lead to the second floor of the Pannu Yakuta fort. In the east room is a Gale Crystal, the west room is empty. The Northwest room has some Medicine, the northeast has the Old Book Volume One. Go down to the first floor now. Northeast corner of this floor is empty, northwest has a Half Armor though. The west room is empty and the east has a Gauntlet. You should probably rest now and then go up to the third floor. It’s time to battle “Dragon”. Hopefully you have someone with a Water Rune or lots of Medicine. Use your powerful melee attacks, and abuse the Falcon and Clone Runes. The Dragon will eventually die, and then have the hero rest up and give him the best equipment that your party has.

On the rooftop you’ll meet Kwanda, who challenges McDohl to a duel. The first duel in the game in fact, and also goes by the paper, rock, scissors theme, but you have to guess whether Kwanda will use a Desperate Attack, Attack or Defend by what he says. Can be tricky, especially in the earlier Suikoden’s with the translation issues. Anyway, once defeated you’ll have some choices. You can choose to kill Kwanda or say “Something’s Wrong” and then “I Want you to join us”. That way you can recruit him, the ideal scenario. Kwanda is a physical specimen, great for front-line fighting. After he joins (or dies) you’ll be out front, where Kuromimi, Valeria, and the Elve’s will join you permanently. Mathiu will ask you to come back, but tell him you have some unfinished business. Still more recruits before you return.

At the Great Forest / Kobold Village, you can recruit Fu Su Lu at the Inn if you have 10,000 potch. Rubi is there also but he won’t join yet. In the southern house is Gon, Kuromimi’s brother. He’ll join with Kuromimi with. Go through the Great Forest now and stop at Kouan. Talk to Lorelai now, and since you’re level 25 or higher she’ll finally join you. Go to Seika now and to Mathiu’s house, where Apple (veteran of Suikoden 2 and 3 also) will be. Talk to her and she’ll join you. Back to Kaku and then Lake Toran castle, where you will fast forward to three months after Kwanda Rosman’s defeat.

Further Reading:

• Suikoden I 1 PS1 108 Stars of Destiny Walkthrough Guide

Suikoden Index : Walkthrough / FAQ

Moving west through Milich’s Land : Teien : Rikon : Antei : Soniere Prison : Liukan’s Hermitage

So after returning from the Kwanda Rosman campaign, head to the strategy area to see Flik has returned. He is upset about not finding Odessa and Mathiu tells him and everyone else the truth about what happened. Flik is pissed and leaves to Kaku. Viktor joins, so go visit Flik. A few quick words with him and he’ll join, so return back to headquarters. Save and talk to Flik at the strategy area. He’ll bring up Milich’s Domain and suggest attacking the Fortress of Garan to the southwest, something the Liberation Army should easily be able to do.

This battle is easy, just use your thieves to see what the enemy is doing. If they pick bow attack and you use Mathiu’s ability to increase Charge Attack, you can nearly wipe out the enemy’s 6000 soldiers in one attack (5300 or so for me). Easy battle, you’ll be at the fortress afterwards. Another battle ensues at Milich’s place despite Mathiu’s protests, and you get wiped out by the poisonous flowers. After one turn you flee and decide on having a reconnaissance team after all. Viktor and Flik join, and then Gremio does despite Viktor saying he shouldn’t. Strange, well choose your other two (Pahn should probably be one, need to keep building him up).

Go to Teien to the northwest a little, on the coast. In the Inn you’ll meet Hellion, who will join and give you the Blinking Mirror. Now you can use this to teleport back to your HQ whenever from the World Map, which combined with Viki’s skills will make travel very easy. At Teien you can also sharpen your weapons to level 12. You for sure want to do this with Pahn as he has a very very important duel after the Milich Domain stuff. Also the Item Shop has a Killer Crystal (arguably the best you can buy for your fighters) and a Yellow Seed and Yellow Paint. Don’t worry about those two yet but do at least talk to the Item Shop guy to get Chandler to have these Items in his shop regularly. You can meet Eikei in the very northeast of Teien. He’ll ask you if you’re strong and then say “No, you’re 11 levels (or however many behind level 40 you are) too short”. Quality guy, he’ll be good when we can recruit him.

Rikon is south of Teien and you should probably pay a visit.

The Item Shop has Earth Runes and Blue Flower Seeds / Blue Paint The appraisal shop guy is Jabba and he’d join you if you found the Nameless Urn (randomly dropped outside of Rikon / Teien). The girl in the upstairs room at the Inn will be looking for her cat Mina; use the Blinking Mirror and teleport to Kaku and catch the cat on the east end of town (Holy Rune helps but isn’t necessary). Return it to Lotte in Rikon to recruit her.

Now head west to Soniere, although you can’t enter this prison. Instead go north to Antei. Inside the Inn (if you have Toe Shoes on your hero) you can recruit Mina the dancer. Go to the west now and into the Armor Shop, where you can recruit the owner Chapman. Now go to the Rune Sage and Jeane will join you also! Not much else to do so go to Rikon, board the boat, and south as far south as you can. You are trying to get to Liukan’s Hermitage, although the “rapids” will stop you. Blinking Mirror back to HQ then go to Teien and talk to Gen (house northeast of Inn). He’ll join, as will Kamandol next door. Take those two to Rikon and travel again and you can make it.

At Liukan’s Hermitage, go inside his house and take his Black Paint before talking to him. Then go talk to Liukan and he won’t join, but instead Milich will swoop in and steal him and then lock him up in Soniere Prison. Poor Liukan. Return back and talk to Mathiu, who needs Kimberly and Tesla in Antei. Kimberly will do it but she needs to go on a date with Flik first. They drink and Flik acts nervous. Afterwards she says to go talk to Tesla in the house to the north, so do so, and despite his attempts to lie about his identity he’ll eventually join. Back at HQ, you have some forged documents from those two, allowing you to get into Soniere Prison.

Rest up and be prepared, this can be a tough place although there is no boss. Go north and then east, taking the first path south for a Silver Necklace and then returning back to the west. Get the Old Book Volume 6, hit the switch, and go through. You’ll have to go through a series of long corridors and stairs, but fight all the battles you get in as you’re looking for an Opal (to recruit Esmeralda in the Antei 2nd floor Inn). You’ll eventually get to an Antitoxin and then a path leading east and north and south.

You’ll be in the next room and you’ll have to face a series of guards, who aren’t too difficult. Now you can continue west after the first two sets of guards, but why skip the others? You’d be missing treasures. Starting from the southeast corner, the guards yield a Half Helmet and then Sound Setting 0. Now go to Liukan’s cell at the very end and get him out.

IMPORTANT SPOILER

As you get to the exit where the door switch is, you’ll be stopped by Milich. Gremio sacrifices himself so that the door can be closed off and the rest of the party can leave. The spores eat Gremio alive and Mathiu saves the locked-in army after a long time.

END OF SPOILER

Back at your HQ everyone will try to console you, but now it’s time to attack Scarleticia. Talk to Mathiu and unless the hero’s rage on Milich’s army. This battle can also be tough, as you still only have Giovanni and Krin to help you figure out the enemy’s move.

Be careful of Milich’s Attack, it is not a charge attack but a magic attack and a devastating one at that. Once done, you’ll be inside Milich’s place where you can choose three members (to go along with Flik and Viktor). Go inside, take the left path for Red Paint and the right for a Magic Robe. In the back of the first floor now, the west side has a portrait of Milich. You get a choice, so say that he is a victim and a stairway will open up (otherwise you miss it). Inside is a Magic Rune Piece and Window Setting 1. Go up and then to the east side of this room to meet Ivanov, a painter whom you can recruit after the Milich liberation. Upstairs now, go east to meet Kasios, a singer who you can recruit afterwards by bringing Milich to her. But go to the west side of the second floor to get a valuable Spark Crystal (everyone on your party attacks after the person with that rune). Now go south onto the rooftop (make sure everyone is healed and that Pahn is ready to go).

On the roof you’ll see Milich as you’re about to burn the flowers. Instead, Milich’s Black Rune gets burned and he comes to his senses. Say that he is not at fault and accept his request to join you. The rest of your army won’t understand but you can obviously tell Milich is different without the Black Rune.

Afterwards Stallion will run by to tell you that the Liberation Army is being attacked!

Further Reading:

• Sale: Grand Theft Auto IV PS3 Rockstar Games
• Legend of Cao Cao Status Tactics LoCC
• Final Fantasy 6 VI Narshe, Banon, Figaro Walkthrough
• Dynasty Warriors 5 195 Imperial Rescue
• Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom released

Teo Attacks! : Kirov : Kalekka : Secret Factory : Pirate’s Hideaway : Pahn and McDohl Duel Teo

As you get back to the castle, you find out that it is Teo leading the charge. Kasumi of the Rokkaku ninjas is there to inform you and Mathiu on the specifics, she also joins. The time for battle looms, again, make sure Pahn has level 12 weapon and early 30’s levels and the best armor possible.

The war battle itself is impossible to win, and it’s impossible to put a dent in Teo’s army. You’ll go down eventually and have to flee. Alen, Grenseal and Teo are hot on your tail. Pahn will ask to hold them off. If you didn’t build him up, he’s as good as dead. And this isn’t automatic; this is the difference in Pahn living or dying for the rest of the game, so you better save before and get it right. If you mess up, the 108 stars bonus, special ending, blah blah is then unachievable. Even with a built up Pahn this duel isn’t a pushover; it’s probably the toughest duel to win in the entire game. With a level 12 weapon and good defensive armor, you’ll have some room for error, and that should be enough to get you the win. You absolutely HAVE to guess right on his quotes, because even one Desperate Attack mess-up and you’re in trouble.

If Pahn wins, Teo will make Alen stand back and they’ll all retreat. You’ll be back at the castle either way, just with a dead Pahn or a still living Pahn. If you won, congratulations, you just passed the hardest part of the game. Now SAVE. No one will have an answer for those Armored Cavalry though. Head to your bed to rest and talk to Flik the next day. He will remind you of those Fire Spears from long ago at the Secret Factory, but no one knows if that Factory is still around. Bring someone who is boat-fluent (Tai Ho or Gen) and go to the dock. Kamandol will have a high-powered boat ready to go past the north rapids, allowing you to get to Kirov. Before that, let’s do some recruiting.

Back at Scarleticia, bring Milich. Talk to Ivanov and recruit him, and Kasios will just join you upstairs without you needing to ask. Give Ivanov all the paint you’ve accumulated (buy the Paint at the nearby item stores). Now fight around these areas on the World Map until you find a Nameless Urn for Jabba at Rikon. You can recruit him with that (don’t ask for his money!). Now go to Soniere Prison and fight around until you find an Opal. Give this to Esmeralda at the upstairs Inn in Antei. Both of these can take a VERY long time, or they can take no time at all. Depends on how lucky you are.

Anyway with Jabba and Esmeralda, that goes a lot of tedious work. Now go to Antei and talk to Qlon at the entrance to get her to join. This should be about it in this area, since you still can’t get Eikei at Teien. Might as well continue on your way to Kirov, northwest of Lake Toran Castle.

Kirov is a pretty liberal place. Go to the Inn and rest first, then talk to Georges just east of the counter. He’s an “idler” (dealer) and he challenges you to a card game. Pick the lowest amount of matches (5) and just go at it. Very simple game, just pick cards in the middle and it’ll expand towards the exterior. Then, just match up the faces. Buy some Sugar at the item shop in the west and talk to Melodye in the southwest. Can’t get her yet unfortunately. Go in the two houses by the girl washing clothes (Sarah) and check the fires. You’ll taste the stews. Do this in those two houses and return to the center house by the boat port and you’ll see Lester the cook. He’ll join and he’ll be at HQ with Antonio and Marie. Now talk to Sarah the clothes washer and she’ll ask for some soap. Talk to the guy north of her, and he asks for some Soy Sauce. Talk to the guy west of him and he asks for Salt. Jeez. Talk to the girl in the southeast and she’ll ask for a yardstick. Now talk to the guy in the Inn and he’ll ask for some Sugar. Hopefully you bought this at the Item Shop here. Give it to him, then work reverse order, giving each person the item they want. Eventually you’ll get the Soap and you can give it to Sarah and recruit her.

Time to go north to Kalekka. There are tough monsters here so be rested. The first house north of you lies Leon Silverburg. Can’t do anything with that fool yet. Go east a little and enter that place, grabbing the Earth Rune Piece and leaving going north. Enter the bar area and talk to the lone townsman. Get the Old Book Volume 8 to the west of him and leave. Go in the building immediately west for an Antique (? Painting). North of this building is a guy with some plants; DO NOT STEP on the plants, otherwise he won’t join you. If you didn’t trample his plants, Blackman joins. Coincidentally, you can walk all over his little field once you recruit him (and each seed says “Snap” “Crackle” Pop”). East of this is the Sound Crystal, which you must give to Melodye to get her to join. Once she does you can give her your Sound Settings and she’ll change them. That’s it for Kalekka, go north and exit out, leaving towards the Secret Factory.

Upon entering the Secret Factory you’ll see Ronnie Bell and Ledon / Boss Kessler. After the exchange, talk to those two and they’ll join. Enter the main building and go to the northeast to recruit Kage. He asks for 20,000 until the end of the war, but you gotta pay it. Trust me, it’s worth it, he’s a solid fighter and another ninja for those ever-important war battles. Get the Window Setting 0 and talk to Ronnie and Mose, and you’ll take the Fire Spears over to Kirov. Tai Ho has a friend named Kun To that can take all the Spears over to your castle. Return to Kirov now and enter that center building (after recruiting Melodye). Kun To will borrow your boats and decides to join as he talks to your group outside. Now you have the boat and spears.

Before I return to Lake Toran Castle, I’ll usually stop by the Pirate’s Hideout where Anji and friends are. You can actually do this much earlier but now is a solid time in terms of the level you are at. I had Hellion with and her Mother Earth Rune (Earthquake spell) absolutely demolished these three. They join afterwards, and then it’s time to return to Lake Toran Castle with those Fire Spears and take out Teo!

This war battle is easy. Just use Mathiu and Apple’s Charge boosting tactic, and then use your best Charge groups. Lepant, Pirates and the Bandits should be enough to take out Teo’s group. Afterwards, your beaten dad will come up to you and challenge you to a duel! You must accept….his health is halfway gone, so you have that advantage. Realize that you’ve defeated Teo before with Pahn with no handicap, so you can do it with a more leveled-up hero. Teo is generally pretty aggressive and uses Desperate Attacks like nuts, so do whatever you can to beat him. Afterwards he dies and tells Alen and Grenseal to join your cause.

Further Reading:

• Destiny of an Emperor Wu Sun Quan
• Destiny of an Emperor II Jing Zhou Generals
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Zhao Yun; DW6 ZhaoYun musou
• Dragon Warrior IV Chapter 2
• Dragon Quest IV DS Torneko Taloon Chapter 3 FAQ

Neclord The Vampire : Warrior’s Village : Lorimar Fort : Qlon Temple : Hidden Rune Village : Neclord’s Castle

So after the Teo war you’re back at your castle. Go to the strategy room and everyone will be talking about going towards the Warrior’s Village and taking out Lorimar. Accept this proposition and you’ll be at an empty Lorimar, which Kasumi scouts. Inside, Viktor and Cleo will join and you can choose three more. I take Mose, Maas and Meese, for a reason to be explained shortly. Exit and re-enter to recruit Kirke.

Go south towards Warrior’s Village and you’ll have an event with Hix, Tengaar and Zorak. Afterwards, go to the northeast and talk to the orange blacksmith Moose. With the previous three blacksmiths along, Moose will join your cause. You can also recruit Marco to play her game at your castle, you just need to beat her. One game of 10,000 should do the trick. Afterwards, talk to Zorak at the northwest house. He’ll give you some background on the Warrior’s Village and also on Neclord’s attacks on the village.

After a long night of talking, you’ll find Neclord and his goons are at the town gates in the morning.

They want girls, specifically Zorak’s daughter Tengaar. Viktor will charge him but you won’t have a shot, you can’t even hit him. Take note of the power of hit attacks, you’ll have to deal with it later. Afterwards, Tengaar will go with Neclord and you’ll have to go save her. Zorak suggests checking out Qlon Temple to the west first, so do that.

Qlon Temple is a peaceful little place. Morgan is in the northeast part of the building and he’ll join. To the northwest is Hugo the librarian, and he has the Old Book Volume 3 behind him on one of the bookshelves. Fukien is in the front of this building and he’ll open up the back of Qlon Temple, leading to the cave. East of this is Zen, a gardener, and if you give him the Blue, Yellow, and Red Flower Seeds, he’ll join. They are at Teien, Rikon and Warrior’s Village.

Qlon Temple itself is a great cave to level up. The monsters are tough and the items inside are nice. In the first room, go north a little then east to Save. North some more and through some screens, then work your way south and west to go up some stairs for a Crimson Cape.

Now go to the east part of the room and you can go north or south. Go north first for a Medicine and a Flowing Crystal. Back south and you’ll be in the next room. Go immediately south and walk through the wall, you’ll get a Window Crystal on the other side. Give this to Window at the Warrior’s Village Item Shop and he’ll join, allowing you to change your window colors. Back north through the wall and east a little, then north on the platform for a Headgear. Further east and then north, you’ll get the Old Book Volume 2. South through two screens and then all the way west for 5000 bits, then north for an Escape Talisman and the stairs. Through the next few screens and go all the way south through the wall when you get the chance. This is a huge wall to navigate but on the other side is Crowley, a master sage. He won’t join yet, in fact he’ll be one of your last recruits, but remember where he is so that you can get him easily when the time comes.

Northeast of this Crowley room is an exit leading to the War Scroll.

When you exit Qlon Temple, give this to Hugo the librarian and he’ll join you. Now take the south route, a long route, and follow it as it goes east and then north again. Take the east path first to get a Medicine and a Silverlet. Exit and continue on north and enter the first room you see. Grab the Mega Medicine and Skill Rune Piece and continue east. There won’t be any more turns, just walk a good distance and you’ll come to the Star Dragon Sword, and it’ll teleport you back to the past.

Where exactly? Well it’s the village of the Hidden Rune, aka the Soul Eater’s home. And you’ll meet a little boy named Ted, and you’ll see Windy and Neclord there. Evidently, this is where young Ted got his hands on the Soul Eater, via the village chief. After the fire, you gain control of the hero again. Head back into the Chief’s hut to get a Mega Medicine. The house south of this has a Champion’s Crystal that is especially worth getting since it’s the only one in the game. It allows you to not fight monster’s that you can “Let Go”, making you nearly invincible. Anyway, go north through the chief’s hut and then work your way to the south to find Yuber. Neclord will interrupt and they’ll both have to leave.

The scene shifts to the middle part of the village, but go back to where Yuber and Neclord went off to in order to get the Boar Crystal (even though it’s worthless). Anyway, return to the light where you came, and you’ll return to the present sans Ted. Go south and get the Star Dragon Sword for Viktor, as we can now defeat Neclord. Escape Talisman out, recruit Hugo, then go to the Warrior’s Village.

Give the Window Crystal to Window, and then talk to Zorak. He’ll lead his men to Neclord’s Castle before you go. At this point, I’d return back to Lake Toran to give Hugo and Window the Old Books and Window Settings, respectively. Also, prepare for the final battle against Neclord. It’s going to be tough, arguably the toughest boss battle in the entire game. So who do you bring with the Hero, Viktor and Cleo? Well as you enter you’ll have to bring Hix, which is a huge detriment as he sucks. This leaves you with two spots. I like to use a good team like Varkas and Sydonia or Tai Ho and Yam Koo. This leaves us a little thing in terms of healing though, so instead I’m taking a good magician with the Flowing Rune attached to heal. For this, I pick Luc. And a good member just to attack, so I take Valeria.

Go to Neclord’s Castle when you’re ready, and at the entrance only you will be permitted.

Right before you enter, that worthless bastard Hix comes and demands to join your party. So reduce one of your good members and put this slug in. Return to Lake Toran and put a Holy Rune on him as that’s about the only useful thing he’ll be able to do for you. Enjoy his regular attacks that miss or end up in him being counter-attacked. The undead monsters in Neclord’s castle are very tough random encounters, but you get solid experience and bits for your efforts. Obviously, the more leveled up your weapons are, the easier Neclord will be.

Time to navigate Neclord’s Castle. Take the west door first and Save, then take the east one for a Full Helmet and a zombie. This zombie will tell you information for bits. You can screw around and ask the first two because it’s not too pricey, but I wouldn’t waste too much money on this guy’s worthless prognostications. Head north through the main door and then follow the path and you’ll be on the exterior of Neclord’s Castle. Follow this west and enter until you get to some choices. Enter the first building you see, to your east, and get the Antitoxin. The southeast room had Medicine, while the northwest had the Sound Setting 1.

To advance you need to figure out the picture puzzle in the northeast room. You need to pick these pictures in a certain order. You’ll know if the one you picked was right as it will say “click” and you can search the other ones. If you can’t search the other ones, then you picked the wrong one and have to leave the room (just go in the nearest passage, doesn’t matter as long as you refresh it). So what’s the order you ask? Pick the third one from thet left, then the second one from the left, then the far right one, and finally the far left one. A passage will open, so take it through a few screens. As you can see, it’s getting darker as you get higher in the castle. On this new floor, enter the southeast room for some Earth Boots. The southwest room has Green Paint, while the middle room has some tombs that you can pass through and go north. New floor now, head east and enter the first building for an Antitoxin, while the south building has an Earth Rune Piece. Your exit to the next floor is in the northeast. This is the last floor before Neclord so DON’T GO UP THE STAIRS unless you’re ready. The room west of the stairs has a Cape of Darkness, and north of that has a Magic Rune Piece.

Now it’s time to put up or shut up. Have Mega Medicine’s or Medicine’s evenly spread out, and MAKE SURE to have someone to heal, preferably with a Flowing Rune. Luc has ours and he’ll be using it every turn if he can survive in the back. Valeria and Viktor up front provide the brute force, while Hix is more useful as a physical-attack decoy than anything else. Basically any Neclord turn that attacks Hix is a wasted turn, although Hix can’t provide anything offensively with that Holy Rune equipped. The Hero can attack and heal if necessary, Cleo should use her best Fire Rune spells and hopefully that’s enough. This is the more defensive-minded approach, one that is more likely to survive the battle but will take significantly longer. A group that includes a great Unite attack like the Fisherman or Bandit (Tai Ho/Yam Koo or Varkas/Sydonia) Attack can make this go much faster, but can also result in things blowing up if you don’t have an adequate healing strategy.

On the top floor, you’ll see Neclord pumping away at the organ with Tengaar dressed up in a dress. What an evil tune Neclord was playing. Viktor and Hix will show off their swords and then it’s time to battle.

Viktor MUST attack him before physical attacks and some magic attacks can work (although a few attacks I’ve seen take off damage before Viktor hit Neclord). Again, Luc or another good mage with the Flowing Rune can just sit in the back and use Rain of Kindness and Water of Kindness 13 times and you can never lose basically. Most magic is pretty weak against him though, especially Cleo’s Fire Rune. Barring the catastrophic, with this approach you should be able to withstand his all-party attacks, and afterwards Viktor will slice him up. Note : Let it be known that Neclord doesn’t die here, this is a “doppleganger” Neclord according to Suikoden II Neclord. Viktor does manage to kill him then though.

Unfortunately after killing Neclord, you have to walk all the way out. This is nothing more than a victory lap around his castle though as you can Let Go of every monster at this point. At the front of the castle, Viktor will take a leave of absence to tell everyone at his home, while Tengaar and Hix will join you permanently. Time to return home.

Further Reading:

• Suikoden Tierkreis Walkthrough Porpos Kin Chronicles
• Dynasty Warriors 5 XL Items Walkthrough
• Legend of Cao Cao Attack Spells LoCC Walkthrough
• Destiny of an Emperor Zhang Jao Scarves Walkthrough
• Vandal Hearts XBL PSN Tobias Act I Walkthrough

Recruiting Dragon Knights Converting Kasim Hasil : Dragon’s Den : Dragon Knight Fortress : Seek Valley : Northern Checkpoint : Moravia

Neclord is dead and you are back home. At the strategy room, everyone will be talking about the alliance with the Dragon Knights. Unfortunately they aren’t letting anyone into their territory, but you should check out for yourself. At the Dragon Den border west of Antei, you’ll find you can’t go through. Go to Antei and meet Vincent and pay 200 bits for his meal, then return to the border. Vincent will show you a secret way in, east of the guard. Do some recruiting before you go in though. If Kirkis is leveled up in the forties, go to the Great Forest and talk to Rubi again at the Inn (Kobold Village). He’ll join. Eikei at Teien will now join as well, as will Quincy at Garan Fortress. That’s it for now, you still can’t get Leon, Pesmerga, Crowley, etc.

Go north a screen or two and east when you can for a Goldlet. Follow the path and you’ll come across the Old Book Volume 5. Again, just follow the path for a long while and take the east at the fork for Power Gloves.

West and follow the path and you’ll fall down a cliff near some sleeping dragons. Milia and Futch show up and scold you for being around, and they leave to tell Joshua of your arrival.

Head west on the World Map, and once at the Dragon Knight Fortress, head north and meet Fuma the ninja. He’s kind of hard to see, but his red head will stick off to the north. He joins, and then head inside the building. Go to the north and talk to the maid to rest and save, then talk to Kreutz in the northwest corner. Humphrey knows him so he joins, now go upstairs. Talk to Joshua, who isn’t sure about joining with you as the dragon’s are powerless. He mentions Liukan being able to find a cure so bring Liukan to the Dragon Knights Fortress.

When Liukan is there, you’ll go take a look at the Dragon’s. Evidently they’ve been poisoned intentionally by someone and Liukan sends you off to Seek Valley to retrieve one of the ingredients to wake them. Return to the Dragon Knight Fortress and go by the red dragon, Thrash. He’ll take you (with Milia) to Seek Valley. There are some tough monsters here, another great place for building up. You’ll see the Queen Ant back from the Ted Soul Eater days.

Upon entering, head east and get the Master Robe. You’ll make your way to a split now, where you should go east first to meet Mace, the ultimate blacksmith. He can sharpen your weapons to level 16 but he won’t join you just yet. Remember his location though. Take the west fork now for a Sound Setting 2, and then go north through the middle path. Continue north for a Mega Medicine and then west for a tough boss.

It’s the Crystal Core. Tough boss, hopefully you have some healers present. I currently have none at Tai Ho and Yam Koo don’t do that sort of thing, but provide their usual ridiculous amount of offense with that tandem attack of theirs. After the crystals are destroyed, he’ll start to do more powerful attacks. Before this he did nothing but physical attacks. When it turns into a little red ball, that’s when the dangerous all-party attacks come in. It’ll continually use a spell similar to Judgement (4th level Soul Eater) on the entire party that takes off around 200 each. That’s why you need that healing. I didn’t have it and nearly died because of it, but the offensive firepower of Tai Ho and Yam Koo prevailed. Hurry and save and get the Cyclone Crystal.

Go north and then west for a Gold Necklace, and then east and north for the Moonlight Weed.

However Windy prevents you from getting it and calls upon Ted. Ted talks to the hero secretly via Soul Eater communication. Don’t give him the rune. Eventually, Ted will regain his senses again and have the Soul Eater take over his body. Soul Eater will now be level four and Windy’s plan will be thwarted yet again. She tries to override the process but the rune rejects her. Milia will grab the weed and then you can Escape Talisman out and return to Dragon Knights Fort. Talk to Joshua and the scene will shift to Futch getting the Orchid in Barbarossa’s garden. He’ll let him go after Futch explains himself, but Windy won’t be so generous. She shoots down Black and then the scene is back at the Dragon Knight’s Fort as Futch is in bed.

The dragons have all the ingredients, with the third being a liver from Black (who died on the way back). With this being done, Joshua and the Dragon Knights will join you permanently. Back at the castle, Krin and Kasumi will be bullshitting over something. Go to the fourth floor to find out, and you’ll meet Taggart. He hasn’t said anything to anyone but he talks to you.

Warren and Viktor have been captured by Kasim Hasil evidently, and Mathiu suggests training for the upcoming battle. Agree to it, and then you’ll have some free time.

Put all the blacksmiths in your party and return to Mace at Seek Valley. He’ll join you finally and now you can get level 16 weapons (although you can’t afford that sort of stuff now probably). You should also talk to Leon at Kalekka now, and he’ll comment on how big the Liberation Army is and tells you to tell Mathiu he thinks so. Talk to Mathiu (it’s important to do this now since he’s not busy with plot-line stuff) and he’ll write you a letter to give to Leon. Return to Kalekka and drop off the letter and he’ll join. Time to go back to Neclord’s Castle. Here, if you return to the very top floor where you fought Neclord, you will find Pesmerga. He is hunting Yuber. Recruit him and if you have enough Stars of Destiny (this applies for all of these last few characters actually) he’ll join. Since you are in the area, why not drop by Qlon Temple and see how Crowley is doing. He will join at this point and he is pretty much the best magician you’re going to find in the game. Pesmerga by the way is probably one of the best fighters in the game.

Now time to go to the Rikon Inn. You may or may not see a black figure to the northwest of the Innkeeper. If he is there, that is Clive, and he’ll join you. He wasn’t there at this point for me so I continued on with the story. This is about it for the optional recruits, although there are a few more I’ll point out later.

To continue the story after the Taggart stuff, go to your room where Mathiu will talk to you privately. He’ll alert you of a spy and say that instead of training you will be attacking Kasim Hasil. Sneaky, this way the spy within the ranks can’t do anything. The next morning, talk to Mathiu in his room and it’ll be time to go “training”. Instead Mathiu will press the attack and Griffith (the guy holding the imperial fort) will try to stall. Don’t buy it though, this is the easiest war battle yet. Recruit Griffith after the battle and he’ll be used as bait for Kasim.

The hero’s task is to take Kasumi and Krin (fuck yeah) and three others to sneak into Moravia Castle while your army attacks other areas.

Choose your party and you’ll be at the Northern Checkpoint. Re-enter the Northern Checkpoint and get the Old Book Volume 7, then use the Blinking Mirror back to the Lake Toran Castle to arm your party (since you couldn’t do this before). At Moravia, you’ll witness enemy soldiers going off to the fortresses that your allies are attacking. Griffith and Mathiu will go inside to stall with Kasim while you go up and save Warren and Viktor. First of all, get that Pink Paint east of you and rest to the northeast. You’ll want to fight around here for a while since Krin is probably level 2 or something. Fortunately you fight large groups of enemies at Moravia and can gain a ton of levels in a short time span. Time to get going now, so go west and get the Taikioku Wear and then go north through a bunch of screens until you get outside. Go east and then north to get in the building on the other side. Continue along until you get to a Mega Medicine, and then go outside again. Krin will be tricky and tie a rope to both sides allowing you to cross. Keep going, grab the Needle, and soon you’ll come to Warren, Viktor and Vincent De Boule in prison!

You’ll save them and then the scene will shift to Kasim and Mathiu.

They’ll be talking about the past, but soon enough Lepant and Humphrey will reinforce Mathiu, and McDohl and Viktor will be right behind. Kasim then surrenders. Re-enter the place, rest, and go to the top floor to let Vincent out and get a Mother Earth Rune. You can’t use an Escape Talisman, so walk down and go to the Northern Checkpoint. You’ll meet some interesting mates, Max and Sancho. They seem a little odd but in all actuality they are a part of the best “Charge Attack” in the game. Also note that Sancho has a pedophile ’stache.

Further Reading:

• Dragon Warrior IV 4 Taloon Chapter 3
• Growlanser Haschen Walkthrough Screaper Ziekwalt
• Dynasty Warriors 5 184 Lou Sang Village Walkthrough
• Rogue Galaxy Planet Alistia Ocean Lab Walkthrough Guide
• DW6 Hulao Gate; Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo vs Yuan Shao led allies

Suikoden Index : Walkthrough / FAQ

Vanquishing the Imperial Empire : Shasarazade : Gregminster : Barbarossa Golden Dragon Rune

After taking Moravia, there isn’t much left of the Imperial Army. While you’re back, check to see if Clive is at Rikon (he wasn’t for me yet). Also, since you got the Pink Paint at Moravia and the Green Paint at Neclord’s Castle, you should be able to complete Ivanov’s picture. For retrieving all that paint for him he’ll give you the Binoculars.

At this point, if you recruited everyone I told you to, you’ll be missing two stars. One is Clive at Rikon, and we’re working on him. The other is someone we haven’t met yet. Gremio’s will be blacked out because he’s dead (as with Pahn if you lost the Teo fight, or anyone that died in a war battle). Talk to Mathiu at the strategy area and he’ll suggest going after the floating fortress of Shasarazade. Agree, and you’ll see some people preparing. Humphrey talks to Mathiu, Kamandol gets a visit from his buddy Gen, Cleo and Pahn talk, as do Tai Ho/Yam Koo and Kimberly. Hix and Tengaar will be in front of a fire, while Sanny (Sanchez) talks to Flik. Krin is then shown fantasizing about treasure the night before the big battle, while Fukien and Liukan talk about how old they are and how it’s bad to see young people die. Viktor will then visit you in your room, and drop off Gremio’s Axe that he brought with from Soniere. Then it’s the morning and it’s time to go.

Go out front to see that Milia’s dragon just made 500 boats from it’s breath! Wow! You’ll be upstairs with some of your army and it’ll be time to attack Shasarazade. The battle begins, and it’s not too tough with the amount of officers you have (106). You’ll be fighting Sonja. Utilize your Ninja’s and Dragon Knights and you should have absolutely no problem, as you’ll know exactly what the enemy is doing before they do it. After the battle is over, it’s time to set Shasarazade on fire. Pick your party, return to HQ to equip them, and then head back to Shasarazade.

Tough battles loom inside, including TWO bosses. Conserve your MP and items, you’ll need it. Anyway, enter and get the first treasure you see for a Chaos Shield. Keep going along until you see another treasure within plain view, it’s a Guard Ring. In the southwest of this room is a Master Garb, and the exit to the east. Follow this path until you see a east/west/south split, where you should go west for a Mega Medicine and then south for the gate. Actually it’s a boss called Shell Venus, and it’s really tough. Use your best attacks but save some of your MP. Fortunately I have Crowley and Luc with and they have so many spells it doesn’t really matter. Stay healed though, this thing can do lots of damage to everyone in one turn. Worse yet it has a ton of hit points, so this will be a while. You’ll get 100,000 for your efforts and Viktor will close the gate. Grab that Thunder Crystal before you leave though, and be healed up as a battle will ensue soon. As you near the exit of the Shasarazade fortress, Sonja Shulen will approach you. Then the fire hits right after that, and that’s a mistake because your army was supposed to wait until you got out. Sonja gets pissed and attacks you. Now is the time to use everything you got. The hero’s Judgement spell is pretty damn useful right here. Just keep going at it with Viktor using the Clone Rune and your other characters using their best attacks. Her magic defense is pretty good, her physical defense is normal. Sonja will go down with some luck, and you’ll take her out of the fortress with you.

As you get out of the fortress you’ll see an injured Mathiu and a pissed off Flik. Evidently Sanchez tried to kill Mathiu and Flik wants him dead. Sanchez was the spy this whole time. And really, with his name not on the Star of Destiny tablet, who would have thought otherwise? Sanchez even confesses to being responsible for Odessa’s murder and this infuriates Flik even more. Mathiu though tells Flik not to do it, as it’d ruin morale. After the war is over, Sanchez will get the death he deserves but until then he’ll hang out at your castle and change your party members

Back at home, go downstairs into the basement to see Cleo talking to Sonja. Go talk to Sonja and ask her to join and she will after a while. This leaves Clive at Rikon. Teleport over there and recruit him. If he’s still not there, leave the town and re-enter. Keep doing this until he appears, don’t worry, it’ll happen eventually. With him recruited that should be all 108 (with only Gremio dead).

Go upstairs and talk to Mathiu. Despite his injuries, he knows it’s time to deliver the deathblow to the Imperials while things are still dire for them. You’ll assemble the troops, and everyone will be hanging around the strategy area. If you have all the characters alive except for Gremio, Leknaat will appear and revive Gremio! What a moment. The rest of your army will be increasing their morale around the various parts of the castle. Talk to Mathiu, and as Commander Yuan Shu, you must give the order.

After you do, the battlefield will show that the Imperials have over 100,000 enemies thanks to the monster help from Lady Windy. Leknaat can’t overcome it, but Joshua will help and the monsters will vanish. It’s up to the Imperial soldiers vs. yours now. At this point, with all the characters you have, you should be able to do anything you want against the Imperial Army, regardless of the fact that they have more soldiers (and not by much). After you trounce the Imperials, Yuber will ditch them and you’ll have some people who stopped by to thank you. Hanzo, the leader of the Rokkaku Ninjas, even stops by to say hi.

It’s time to charge Gregminster now. Flik and Viktor will join you and you’ll have them for the rest of the game. Choose your other three wisely, but you can still back out and return to HQ to rest so don’t worry about committing to anyone. Work your way north and at the bridge you’ll see Ain Gide. He’s the last friend of Barbarossa, and like he says, if he betrays him who will Barbarossa have left? He fights you, but you’re well rested and can use your most powerful runes to dispatch him. He has some powerful attacks, so have a healer with the Flowing Rune present. Once dead, move north and into the castle area.

This is THE best place in the game to build up levels and especially gold. You should probably buy the best armor and sharpen your weapons to 16. Weapons get pricey in the higher levels so this will take a lot of time fighting at Gregminster. For the record, I’m taking Varkas (Holy), Sydonia (Gale), and Luc (Flowing). Sydonia and Varkas are especially important in terms of having their level at 16 to do maximum damage with their unite attack. Often times I’ll switch in Tai Ho and Yam Koo for those two. Anyway, you’re in the castle, so head east and get the Windspun Armor and then continue north. Follow through to the castle area where you met Barbarossa and go northwest to exit.

Keep going north and you’ll fight one set of soldiers, then another, then you’ll be in the next room. Three more sets of soldiers run at you, but continue working your way north. Now you are going left, and there are Five sets of soldiers here. New room now, and you’re going right and you’ll meet another set of soldiers. Keep going right for a Horned Helmet and then go north. Take the west path for a Power Ring and a Save Point, and then east to get to a long path that takes you to Barbarossa. Are you prepared? Always remember that the soldiers you fought in abundance (and couldn’t run from) WON’T be back if you leave and return. That said, it’s in your best interest to leave and then rest/save, and then come back. If you have a Champion’s Crystal you can go through without fighting anyone.

So now you’re at Barbarossa. Are you rested, do you have a healer? You don’t need someone with a Flowing Rune but you at least need Mega Medicine then. Barbarossa splits into three dragon heads. You want to take out the leftern-most one (yeah, that’s the dragon’s right head). This needs to be done because it can heal. Afterwards, take out the other two in either order. It’s really not too tough, it only has one attack per round despite having three heads. Some of the fire-based ones are tremendously powerful, but again, that’s why you have a Flowing Rune / Mega Medicine. There are no level up’s after this battle. Witness the end of Windy and Barbarossa (I won’t spoil that), and then you have to run out! Kasim, Sonja, Kwanda, and Milich will come by to see the end. On the way out, Flik and Viktor will bail and hold off the enemy for you. Eventually you’ll make it out. Enjoy the ending.

If you beat it with all 108, you’ll see Gremio with the Hero at the end leaving Gregminster.

The real hero of Suikoden, Krin. Okay, I just lost some credibility….

Further Reading:

• 4 – Suikoden Milich’s Domain
• Dynasty Warriors 5 184 Lou Sang Village Walkthrough
• Dynasty Warriors 5 228 Shi Ting
• Suikoden II Kyaro Muse Jowy Riou
• 2 – Suikoden I 1 Acquire HQ Walkthrough Guide

Suikoden I 108 Stars of Destiny recruit list

I’m listing the 108 Stars of Destiny based on how early you can recruit any given character. This should make the walkthrough easier to follow as you go through the game recruiting stars. Generally speaking, character’s will be analyzed on their base statistics with attack power / magic power being probably hte prime categories for determining dynamic potential in battle.

1 – Tir McDohl – The very first Hero in Suikoden history. Naturally, Tir McDohl is good at just about everything. His attack is solid, but it is his technique that is otherworldly. McDohl is skilled with magic as well – he’ll get plenty of uses out of the Soul Eater Rune.

2 – Gremio – The caretaker for Tir McDohl. Constantly worrying about Hero’s wellbeing throughout their journey. Gremio joins automatically at the beginning, but is lost for a while in the middle of the game. Fear not. There is a way to bring him back, but you need all 108 Stars of Destiny recruited before taking on the last battles. You then get Gremio back in your army. Even more incentive to use this guide and make sure you recruit everyone…

In battle, Gremio is quite mediocre however. Not really capable with magic, and his attack is decent but not great. His 1.5 x damage Unite with Pahn helps, but still, Gremio’s ability is lacking by the time he ‘leaves’ at Soniere Prison. This is why I tend to stick him with a Holy Rune so he’s at least allowing us to run faster

3 – Cleo – Another companion of the Hero, one who seems to possess a more calm disposition compared to Pahn and Gremio. She joins automatically early on, and is given a Fire Rune. This is a good rune for her – she is decent using long-range physical attacks, but she has decent magic power so it’s good to make use out of it. Her Fire Rune is especially needed heading through Toran Lake to the castle.

4 – Viktor – The first member of the Liberation Army that Tir meets. You will see him in the Inn at Gregminster as you are attempting to leave. Gremio, Tir, Cleo and Viktor then flee Gregminster city and Viktor is at your side from that point on pretty much.

Viktor is good at one thing, utilizing his attack power. Early on at Mt. Tigerwolf, you will come across a Clone Rune. This is only used by Viktor, for about 2x damage except he’s unbalanced the next turn. Still, it is worth it to use all the time because it’s an automatic 100% hit. This is good considering Viktor’s skill is not that high. And second, it allows him to ‘defend’ the second turn to prevent damage.

5 – Mathiu Silverberg – Wise in war, but moved to the peaceful village of Seika to get away from it. As per Odessa’s last wish, Hero and friends are sent to Mathiu for help. After some pleading, Mathiu finally decides he cannot escape his fate and joins as the tactician for your army. He plays a heavy role in the story and the direction of your army the rest of the game. Not usable in battle, of course.

6 – Camille – Camille is at Kaku, a port town. She is in the southeast part of town, at the bar. Camille knows Gremio, and after the scene joins your party for the time being.

Not sure why, but I like Camille. She has about average strength with a medium ranged weapon, and provides some magic ability.

7 – Tai Ho – Here is my Suikoden I favorite. After recruiting Camille, you will hear about Tai Ho. Save first, then go downstairs at the bar and talk to Tai Ho. He will join you, but you have to be lucky and beat him in a game of Chinchirorin. You can either win in the 1st round or lose for a long time. It depends. Anyway, once you win, Tai Ho joins you on your way to Lake Toran.

A good officer. A great officer. Tai Ho has good strength and a medium weapon. Little magic ability. So why is he so good? The Fisherman Attack with Yam Koo takes off an astounding 3x damage!! Suikoden learned their lesson and stopped making dominant unites in later Suikoden’s, but take advantage of it with Yam Koo and Tai Ho. As said before though, Tai Ho is a strong character even without that unite.

8 – Yam Koo – Joins with Tai Ho above.

Not quite blessed with Tai Ho’s statistical dominance, but he is a bit above average with strength. Lacking in magic as well, but combined with Tai Ho, his 3x damage Fisherman Attack Unite is too good to pass up. Yam Koo and Tai Ho are one of my most used duo’s in the game along with Varkas and Sydonia.

9 – Luc – Joins automatically after liberating Toran Castle. Apprentice to Leknaat the Seer.

I used to despise this guy when I first played the game. It was much later when I realized sticking Luc in the back row was a better idea. Luc is not quite as ridiculous as he is in Suikoden II, but he is a strong magician in this one nonetheless. Luc starts with a Wind Rune.

10 – Chandler – You first meet Chandler after escaping Ain Gide’s clutches at Kwaba Fortress. He is at the south end of the fortress.

Once you acquire Toran Castle and are told to go recruit Lepant, make a trip to Kwaba Fortress quick (among other places). Talk to Chandler and have him open up his item shop at your HQ. Chandler’s item shop will have items that you have looked at around the Suikoden World, at other item shops.

11 – Sergei – A Kaku resident. You will find Sergei at the southeastern bar. Talk to him after you have Toran Castle and he will join you. Sergei’s main contribution is the elevator he creates at your headquarters. Sergei can be used in battle, but starts off at an extremely low level and is terrible statistically anyway.

12 – Marie – Marie is the Gregminster Innkeeper, who helps hide Tir McDohl. After it is found out, she is banished from the city. You then find her at Seika Village. After you have your own castle on Lake Toran, talk to Marie and have her open up her Inn at your HQ. Marie is recruited.

13 – Onil – The gossip character in Suikoden I. She is in a house in the middle of Seika, and joins willingly. Talk to her at HQ if you wish to get some random gossip.

14 – Maas – A blacksmith at the Great Forest. Hopefully you went to the Great Forest to build up before Lake Toran. It is to the far southeast of Kaku, Seika, etc. Enter the blacksmith shop at Great Forest after you have your Toran Castle, and Maas will be recruited. He can only sharpen weapons to level 5, but he can be used in battle. Granted, he can only really do regular attacks and he’s not that strong, so he’s another somewhat useless character in battle.

15 – Sansuke – The bath guy at Great Forest. His house is just west of Maas’ Blacksmith place. Enter and talk to Sansuke, and have him join to make baths at your HQ. Sansuke starts off on level 1, and really never gets that great anyway.

16 – Kai – The last character to recruit before going to get Lepant. You can find Kai to the far southwest of this region, at the Fortress of Garan. Talk to him, he is Tir McDohl’s old master. He will gladly join.

Kai is actually quite skilled. His Unite Attack with Hero does 1x damage on all enemies, much like Riou / Jowy’s Unite in Suikoden II. Kai is not especially skilled except in technique, but still may provide some value early on considering his unite and decent overall ability.

17 – Krin – Wow, what a personality. You meet him at Kouan, after you realize it’s not going to be easy getting into Lepant’s Mansion. Krin is sneaky and devises a plan to get in. He tries to get you drunk later, but it’s all good. Krin joins after all this.

Krin is a long ranged character, who is fast but very weak. Funny part is, I actually use him. Even funnier, the games makes you use Krin real late in the game at Moravia Castle.

18 – Rock – Shortly after sneaking into Lepant’s Mansion, you see Rock in his own room. Talk to him and have him join you. He opens up a vault at your HQ, which is useful because it lets you strip armor off of characters not in your active party so it is easy to manage your roster and have the best armor on whoever you like.

19 – Juppo – The goofball trickster who has set stuff up at Lepant’s Mansion. Towards the end of the mansion you’ll run into him. Be nice to him and have him shut down the machines. He joins after this.

Juppo is a joke in battle, but I still use him sometimes if I’m just messing around. He is of course dreadful statistically…but he has a unique rune, and a Unite with Meg.

20 – Lepant – After getting Kirinji, Lepant storms off to save his wife. Go to Commander Kraze’s building in northeast Kouan, and aid Lepant. After saving his wife and the rest of the events, Lepant will join you.

Lepant is a strong front line character. Defense could be a bit more stiff, but what can you do. He also has one of the best melee units in War Battles, once you are able to recruit Sheena. Oh, and Lepant has a unite attack with Eileen for 2x damage. Which is good, except Eileen is not skilled with physical attacks so it’s usefulness is limited.

21 – Eileen – Joins automatically with Lepant after the events.

Eileen is weak, but a good magician. I believe she starts off with an Earth Rune, and this is good. Earth Runes get worse in later Suikoden’s…but in Suikoden I, Earth Rune is powerful especially the level 2 earth rune spell. Earthquake can take out a large group of enemies. So she is a good long-range option with her magical ability, and even better if you have Lepant to take advantage of their unite attack.

22 – Giovanni – The greeter at Lepant’s Mansion. He too joins after the above events.

Giovanni is just the greeter at Lepant’s Mansion. He doesn’t do much for you, certainly not in normal battles. He does act as a ‘thief’ in War Battles; he either steals Potch or (hopefully) can tell you what the enemy is going to do next.

23 – Pahn – One of the more significant characters in Suikoden. One that goes through many transformations at least. After Pahn’s betrayal at Gregminster, you meet him again at Kouan. This time, he sides with you and takes out Kraze. Pahn then joins, if you forgive him (which the game makes you do, anyway).

Pahn plays an even more important role with acquiring all 108 Stars of Destiny. There is a point in the game where Pahn is likely to die, unless he is built up tremendously. So pretty much before taking down Milich at Scarleticia, you will need to have Pahn in the low 30’s for level and a level 11 or 12 weapon (thanks to the Teien Blacksmith). Not to mention elite armor – Pahn has a tough duel to win, and he must do so.

In battle, Pahn is quite good. He lacks technique so he will miss, but his power is high. Combined with Gremio, his 1.5 x damage unite is nice in that it’s an automatic 100% hit in addition to the extra damage. Once you recruit him at Kouan, use him often so he is prepared for the above incident. We can’t have him die if we want all 108 Stars.

24 – Varkas – Bandit who you meet really early in the game. Varkas is falsely accused of stealing from Grady of Rockland, and after you apprehend Varkas you end up freeing him for the aforementioned reason. A bit later in the game, after you have your castle and recruit Lepant, you will find Varkas and Sydonia back at your HQ. They both join automatically, before the banquet.

Varkas in battle is like Tai Ho. Not that they are similar in what they do, but they’re both underrated. Varkas can equip the heaviest armor (and is versatile enough to attack in the back row too, but keep him in the front to soak up damage). Varkas cannot use magic but his 2.5 x damage unite attack with Sydonia is one of the very best in the game, doubly so considering they are not ‘knocked down’ the next turn. Varkas and Sydonia get the call for me all the time and often are two that I use against one of the tougher bosses in the entire game, Neclord.

25 – Sydonia – See above. She is recruited with Varkas after the Lepant events.

Sydonia is a powerful long-range attacker. Quick acting and can dodge attacks well too. Not skilled with magic, but when she has that 2.5 x damage unite attack with Varkas, who cares? They are a formidable duo – decent characters by themselves but pair them to get the most out of them.

26 – Kirkis – Kirkis is found after returning from Lepant’s Mansion. You will see an elf passed out by the boat at your castle – this is Kirkis. He tells of Kwanda Rosman’s behavior, and eventually your army decides to go help and Kirkis joins to act as the guide.

Kirkis is okay, but like most long-range users, he has a weaker attack. Give him some versatility with a Water Rune. You will need to have Kirkis leveled up to near 40 to get a recruit later on.

27 – Meg – Meg is in Kaku, remember? Now that you have Juppo, put him in your squad as soon as you leave with Kirkis to the Elve’s place. As you sail to Kaku, go by the Inn with Juppo. Meg will annoy him, and eventually want to come with. Let her, and you will recruit Meg.

Meg is feeble, not at all unlike her uncle. They do have their own little unite, of course.

28 – Sheena – Sheena is a normal looking guy, hanging out at Seika Village. As you leave with Kirkis, put Lepant in your party and drop by Seika. Lepant will knock some sense into Sheena and force him to join your army.

Pretty solid overall, actually. Not great at attacking or magic, but decent at both. He’s a bit vulnerable defensively though. Sheena has a 2.5x family attack unite with Lepant and Eileen.

29 – Gaspar – The gambler guy who appears in the Kaku bar basement after you recruit Tai Ho and Yam Koo. If you talk to him as you are going to Lepant’s Mansion, he won’t join you but complain about you taking away Tai Ho. But after the Lepant stuff, go there on the way with Kirkis and Gaspar will challenge you. If you make 5000 potch he joins. Save before starting the game since it is so unpredictable.

Gaspar cannot be used in battle, but you can make a horde of potch by saving and then playing his game for a max bet.

30 – Antonio – Antonio the cook is at the Seika Inn. Talk to him after the Lepant Mansion events, and he will mention he wishes he had a place to cook. Now return to your Lake Toran Castle. Speak with Marie until she mentions she could use a cook. Then go back to Seika and you can recruit Antonio.

Antonio is a joker in battle. He’s up there with Sergei and Sansuke as far as characters that are really, really bad in battle. Only use him if you want to entertain yourself (However, it should be said Antonio’s weapon actually gets quite powerful by level 16).

31 – Viki – Viki makes her first of many appearances in Suikoden I. You find her at the Great Forest, as you make your way through with Kirkis. Viki will eventually teleport in – have her join you.

Despite being a powerful magician in other Suikoden’s, Viki cannot be used in battle in Suikoden 1. Viki is in the basement at your HQ, able to teleport you to places you have been before. Once you acquire the Blinking Mirror, you will also have a way to return back to your HQ, allowing you to go around and recruit characters very easily.

32 – Valeria – Valeria is a good one. You meet her at the Elve’s place, as you are thrown in jail with her. You get out, and she joins you automatically.

At the time you get her, few will be as useful as she is in battle. Her Falcon Rune is unfair – basically acts like the Clone Rune without the user getting imbalanced (2x damage to single enemy). Her weapon is also sharp when you get her. You’ll come across front line fighters with higher attack power, but her automatic 2x damage Falcon Rune is one of the best.

33 – Meese – When you get to the Dwarve’s City, check out the blacksmith. They can level you up to 9, plus you can recruit Meese. But you have to have recruited Maas earlier.

Meese is much like Maas in battle – slightly above average power / technique / hp, but can’t really offer anything but regular attacks.

34 – Templeton – Templeton is at the Elve’s Village, after the Burning Mirror incident. You have to enter, exit, and re-enter to see Templeton. He gives you the Suiko Map, making world travel much easier on you.

35 – Kuromimi – You see this kobold as soon as you get to the Great Forest. He joins you automatically at Kobold Village after the incidents with the Dwarve’s Vault and then the Elve’s Village.

Kuromimi is okay in battle, but nothing flashy. Probably has an attack slightly above average, and has a decent defense with shields. Oh, and he can equip Gold Necklaces which are some of the best accessories in the game. His skill is not great though and he tends to miss / get countered, not to mention he has no magic ability.

36 – Sylvina – Kirkis’ elf lady. She joins automatically after fighting the Empire Soldiers at Great Forest.

Unfortunately, she’s quite mediocre. Her magic is good enough that she’ll get some spells, but she’s certainly not elite. Her attacks are weak – she’s at least accurate, fast and lucky though.

37 – Stallion – The speedy blue elf. He also joins automatically after fighting the Empire Soldiers at Great Forest.

Terrible in battle, since he cannot equip a second rune. He’s fast and accurate enough, but his power is low. His only value is that True Holy Rune, which acts as a normal Holy Rune in towns and dungeons, but on the world map it also allows him to burn all over the place. Having him in your party thus saves a lot of time.

38 – Humphrey Mintz – The big guy who you initially meet with Odessa early on. Eventually he joins at the Great Forest after defeating some Empire Soldiers.

Humphrey is a true tank. High defense, good attack power, and can equip the strongest pieces of armor around. In particular, you will want to give him a Windspun Armor, as you can transfer that Windspun Armor to Humphrey in Suikoden II. It’s pretty much the best piece of armor but you won’t get it until the end of Suikoden I. A few negatives about Humphrey – of course, no magic value, and his skill is quite low so he’ll miss often.

39 – Kwanda Rosman – Kwanda Rosman the Insurmountable has been protecting Barbarossa for a long time, and he is the first Imperial general you clash with. After beating him in a war battle, traverse through Pannu Yakuta Castle. You will then have to heal up and duel Kwanda at the top of the castle. After the duel, be sure to spare Kwanda and you can then recruit him.

Kwanda is naturally very stout defensively. Plus, he can equip heavy armors. His attack is good, and even though his skill is not great, his defensive brilliance more than compensates.

40 – Gon – After defeating Kwanda Rosman, tell Mathiu you want to walk back to the castle. Since you have Kuromimi in your party, stop by the Great Forest and go to the southern house. Gon is inside. Kuromimi is pretty much his hero, so let him join your army.

Not much we can say about Gon that sticks out. Well, except his absurdly high luck stat. His attack is quite average, and he can’t provide anything magically. He has a 2x damage unite with Kuromimi that doesn’t result in being imbalanced. Can’t imagine many use both of them for prolonged periods of time though.

41 – Fu Su Lu – An absolute terror. You meet him at the Great Forest Inn. You can recruit him, but you have to pay his 10000 meal ticket. Do so though, and not just because you want all 108 stars of destiny. Fu Su Lu is one of the strongest allies in the entire game, and his HP total is monstrous too. Nothing in terms of magic / skill / speed, but few can get close to his raw power.

42 – Lorelai – The Sindar seeker who you met at Kouan Inn earlier. She doesn’t join that early. But after returning from the Kwanda Rosman campaign, she should join you (assuming you’ve recruited all the above characters beforehand).

Lorelai unfortunately is not that good in this one. She is powerful in the second one though (plus her level in S1 might transfer over too, so more incentive to use her). Lorelai in this can has a high skill, can attack in the back row, and has a slightly above average attack power. Her low magic power does her in.

43 – Apple – On your walk back from Pannu Yakuta after the Kwanda events, make a stop to Seika. Go to Mathiu’s classroom to see Apple. Talk to her for a bit and have her join you. She doesn’t really do much except go around and admire Mathiu. She can be used in War Battles alongside Mathiu to build up your attack power, but that’s about it. She has a larger role in the next two Suikoden’s, actually.

44 – Flik – Flik is the immature guy who throws a fit when he gets back to your headquarters after the Kwanda events. Go to Kaku and talk to him and have him join you (he has to join to continue on anyway).

Flik is unlike anyone you have seen to this point. He is a front line, sword-wielding brute. But at the same time he can cast high level Lightning Magic. His defense is a bit low, but his combination of Speed / Skill / Attack Power / Lightning Magic is great. Definitely one of the best characters statistically, which is good since you are forced to use him early and often.

45 – Hellion – Hellion is at Teien after you take over Garan. Go to the Inn and talk to her and have her join. You also get the Blinking Mirror from her, which allows you to teleport back to your HQ (along with Viki, you can go places really fast now).

A personal favorite in the mage class. Like Luc, she is best used in the back row despite her short weapon. Her value is in that Mother Earth Rune. Compared to the greater magicians like Crowley she is inferior at stat besides defense, but her Mother Earth Rune can dominate early on.

46 – Lotte – Lotte is at Rikon, looking for her cat Mina. Hmm. There is a cat running around Kaku – equip a Holy Rune, and go catch that cat. Bring it back to Lotte and she will join you.

Lotte is more of a magician than anything else. Not a great one, but her magic is in that tier below. She does have good overall stats, making her attacks marginally better than what you’ll get from other mages.

47 – Jabba – Jabba is the appraiser at Rikon Village. He can be one of the most annoying characters to recruit in the game, because you have to fight Holly Boys forever until they drop a Nameless Urn. People around Rikon and Antei give some hints, but I don’t think they make the Nameless Urn any more likely to be dropped.

48 – Mina – There was Mina the cat, now there is Mina the dancer. She is at Antei, west of Teien. Go to the Inn, and make sure you have the Toe Shoes equipped on McDohl (Hero). Your first pair of Toe Shoes should have been found at Castle Toran when you initially stormed it and fought the dragon. I’m sure you can run across another pair somewhere. Anyway, have the pair on and talk to Mina, and you will dance with her. She joins afterwards.

Mina is a short ranged character, with high luck and high magic. Her power is weak and she’s not that skilled, so she’s best off casting magic. Still, she’s vulnerable on the front lines.

49 – Chapman – As you first get to Antei, go to the Item Shop. Chapman is here and you can recruit him. He opens up an armor shop at your HQ which collects armor that you’ve seen at other towns.

50 – Jeane – Like Chapman, just go to Jeane at her rune shop and you can recruit her. She opens up a rune shop at your HQ. And unfortunately, like Viki, she is a future elite magician who can’t be used in battle in this one.

51 – Gen – Gen is at Teien, in the left-most house on the north end of town. After you check out the rapids south of Rikon, return to your HQ and people will talk about trying to clear the rapids. This is your cue to go to Teien and to Gen’s house. He has an idea, to go to Kamandol’s house, so he joins.

This guy is no good. His attack is poor for a front line fighter. His skill is his best stat but that won’t do us much good when he can’t do much damage anyway. And no magic ability.

52 – Kamandol – After you get Gen above, go east to Kamandol’s house and he will be recruited.

Kamandol is very bad. He is a front line fighter, but is weak defensively and with his attack power. He is extremely skilled, but again, he just doesn’t do enough damage to warrant a front line spot. Not to mention he can’t cast magic. Let the poor guy hang out at your HQ instead. But he does have a Fatal Attack Unite with Gen.

53 – Kimberly – Liukan will get flown away to prison, and after you fail trying to enter the prison, go back to HQ. Mathiu sends you to Kimberly at Antei, and she joins.

Kimberly is not great in battle. She is one of those characters that gets stuck with a subpar attack and magic. Her high luck and skill don’t compensate.

54 – Tesla – Joins with Kimberly after some hassling by Viktor. He does not do much, just forges some stuff for you.

55 – Dr. Liukan – You first go by the rapids to see him at his Hermitage. He is carried away to prison, so break into Soniere Prison and rescue him at the very bottom.

Liukan is very similar statistically to Kamandol. Liukan is actually weaker, but is luckier by a lot and has more skill slightly. But they both stink at magic so they can’t really do damage.

56 – Esmeralda – She is like Jabba in that you have one of those crappy pray-the-enemy-drops-an-item quests. For Esmeralda, it is the Opal and it is dropped at Soniere Prison. Hopefully with little effort you can find it as a random drop. Esmeralda can be found on the second floor of the Antei Inn.

57 – Milich Oppenheimer – This flamboyant imperial general is often missed as a recruit. That’s because most people choose to have him killed, but choose to spare him after his defeat at Scarleticia.

Milich is solid overall. Not great, but he has a good magic, slightly above average attack and defense, and decent enough skill.

58 – Ivanov – A Painter at Scarleticia. After you defeat Milich, return to Scarleticia and talk to Ivanov to recruit him. Not much he does. Just bring the different colored paint you find to him and he’ll have a huge portrait eventually.

59 – Kasios – Kasios is the singer obsessed with Milich. She is at Scarleticia. After you defeat Milich and spare him, put Milich in your party and go back to Scarleticia. You need Milich in your party as you talk to Kasios to recruit her.

60 – Qlon – She is the greeter at Antei. Return to her after defeating Milich and she’ll be glad to join your army. She does the same thing at your castle. However, she is a part of the Maximillian Knights which is the strongest war battle group.

61 – Anji – One of the pirates northwest of Castle Toran. After the events at Scarleticia, bring Tai Ho and Yam Koo over there. Have a good party, because you will have to fight the three pirates. They are tough, but if you have someone to heal you should be fine. Focus on one of them at a time to reduce the amount of enemies you have to fight quickly.

Weak defensively and with magic, but he’s strong and skilled. His Pirate attack with Kanak and Leonardo does 2.5 x damage to an enemy.

62 – Kanak – Joins with Anji above.

Probably the weakest pirate to join you. He is lucky, fast, and skilled, and his attack power is not bad, but his defense is weak and terrible magic.

63 – Leonardo – Joins with Anji above.

Tougher than Kanak for sure, defensively and with attack power. Not as skilled by far though. Overall it’s close between Leonardo and Kanak actually, but it’s clear Anji is the only worth using pirate.

64 – Kasumi – Once you return to HQ after Scarleticia, at the meeting room you will meet the Ninja Kasumi. She joins automatically.

Much better than she is in Suikoden II. She is not constricted to the front row with a short-range weapon in Suikoden I. Her attack power is higher and her speed is off the charts, not to mention her Shrike Rune is nice. That said, her decent magic count is wasted by having the Shrike Rune on (a fair price to pay for a good rune). So you’ll have to make sure her weapon is sharpened if you are using her since that is Kasumi’s only recourse.

65 – Sarah – The girl washing clothes with the blue dress in Kirov. She is running out of Soap so you need to find that for Sarah. Thus begins a chase going all over the village talking to seemingly every random villager, getting one item and delivering another. After about 5-6 deliveries you finally get the Soap for Sarah, and she is recruited.

Sarah is better than you would think. Her attack is stronger than just about every other long-range character except Clive. And her magic ability is good enough to competently wield her own rune. She is vulnerable defensively but she’d be in the back row if you used her anyway.

66 – Georges – The goofball at the Kirov Inn. You have to play a card game with him, but this one is easy compared to the luck based Chinchirorin. Just get a card match in the middle of the cards, and watch how the other opens fan out and get many more matches. This should allow you to win easy and recruit Georges. Georges cannot be used in normal battles.

67 – Lester – Lester is a cook at Kirov. Go into the Kirov houses and check the fire pots aka the stew. After you test it in a few houses, return to that big center house in the far south of Kirov. Lester will be inside. Recruit him since he can tell you appreciate his soup.

Lester is like Antonio in battle – terrible in every way. His frying pan can level up to 170 attack power that’s about the best thing (and with the crappy attack power, he is still bad).

68 – Blackman – Farmer at the destroyed village of Kalekka, north of Kirov. At the northwest end is Blackman and his crops – whatever you do, don’t step on his field (at least until after you recruit him). Talk to Blackman and he will be recruited.

A medium-ranged attack-only character. Probably best suited with the Killer Rune since he has no magic ability whatsoever. Strong defensively (much like other medium-ranged attacker Kwanda). But his skill and speed are not up to par, and his power is not that great for someone that just uses regular attacks. Granted, his sharpened weapon reaches 170 attack points at level 16! Still, just average at best.

69 – Melodye – Melodye is at the southwest part of Kirov. We need to find the Sound Crystal for Melodye, and we just have to go north to Kalekka. In the northeast part of Kalekka is a building a lot of people forget about – inside is a Sound Crystal. Bring the Sound Crystal to Melodye at Kirov to recruit Melodye. Give Melodye all of your Sound Settings that you have found from treasures or battles. Melodye cannot be used in battle.

70 – Ledon – Crazy looking innkeeper from Mt. Tigerwolf. After poisoning you at Mt Tigerwolf, you will run into him at the Liberation Army’s Secret Factory, which is north of Kalekka. You have to go here through the story anyway, and you’ll see a scene with Kessler and Ledon as you enter. Let Ledon join. He will not be used in battles but acts as another Thief in War Battles.

71 – Kessler – Or Boss Kessler as Ledon would say. He joins at the Secret Factory, just ask him.

Kessler is like a poor version of Varkas. A tad more skilled than Varkas but by level 60 Varkas has Kessler on power by 30, defense by 20 and hit points by almost 100. Not to mention, no unite attack for Kessler. He will only be effective if you sharpen his weapon often (it does go up to 170 attack power) or give him an attack based rune like the Killer Rune.

72 – Kage – Ninja you see earlier at Sarady. Kage is at the northwest part of the Secret Factory – you have to pay him 20000 bits to join the rest of the war, so do so.You have recruited Kage.

Kage is not that good in normal battles. His power is mediocre, skill is good but only average for long-range types. Good speed, but his weak attack and no magic ability make him a liability in battle – he simply doesn’t do enough damage. However, Kage has immense value in War Battles as a Ninja, who can automatically see what type of attack the enemy will use.

73 – Ronnie Bell – Also joins automatically after leaving Secret Factory for Kirov with you and Mose.

Ronnie is like a female version of Pahn. She is weaker than Pahn, but Pahn has one of the highest attack power in the game. She is stronger and more skilled than the other martial artists like Eikei and Morgan. Her Hate Rune takes off good damage and doesn’t cause her to go unbalanced the turn after. Like the other martial artists her magic ability sucks, but at least she has the best rune.

74 – Mose – Joins along with the other half-dozen characters above at the Secret Factory.

Mose is your third blacksmith, and he can sharpen your weapons to 12 or so (I think). Mose is actually the best Blacksmith besides the final one. At least in terms of attack power, defensive power and hit points (which are the three most relevant stats for blacksmiths). Still, you can find better characters who can attack-only.

75 – Kun To – Kun To is the ship warlord at Kirov. Tai Ho knows him. Eventually, KunTo is convinced and gives you plenty of boats to bring the Fire Spears to HQ. Kun To then joins. He cannot be used in regular battles but acts as a unit to bribe enemies in War Battles.

76 – Grenseal – After the defeat of Teo, Hero then recruits Grenseal.

Grenseal is one of those front-line magicial-type fighters. Like Flik but more versed in magic ability and defense, and less capable with attack power and skill. One big advantage is having a Thunder Rune locked in for some of the best attack magic in the entire game. Flik / Alen / Grenseal have a Pretty Boy Unite attack but it’s not that great and probably rare that you have all three on your front line at once (though not a bad idea).

77 – Alen – After the defeat of Teo, you recruit Alen.

Alen is more like Flik than Grenseal (not as magic-heavy, but more competitive in the attacking abilities). Alen does have a higher defense and Magic ability compared to Flik, and a slightly higher attack power (though they’re basically equal there). Alen also has a Rage Rune embedded, as he is lucky to have a high-level rune like Grenseal. One of the best all around characters in the game.

78 – Kirke – Once you defeat Teo, your army will go after the Fortress of Lorimar. Take Lorimar Fortress and then leave / re-enter. You will see the gravedigger, Kirke. Ask him to join.

This guy is really generic. Very similar to Griffith, Gen, Gon, etc. Average attack power, skill and defense. But no magic ability, mediocre hit point total and a horrendous luck make him only usable if you’re experimenting.

79 – Moose – After taking Lorimar, put all three blacksmiths in your party (Maas, Meese, and Mose). Southwest of Lorimar is the Warrior’s Village – enter the northeast blacksmith building. Talk to Moose with the above three blacksmiths, and Moose will be recruited. Now that you have recruited Moose you can level your weapons up to level 15.

In battle, Moose is actually one of the worst blacksmiths. Tied for the worst attack power with Maas. Worst in magic (though they all stink), and really only has skill to his credit.

80 – Marco – You met Marco at Rockland, and hopefully abused the pattern in his game to win tens of thousands of bits. Anyway, you meet him again later in the game at the Warrior’s Village. Win just 10000 bits and you will recruit Marco, and can play his game at your HQ. Problem is, the trick used before to abuse the game even on the highest speed, you cannot do anymore.

81 – Rubi – Once you reach Warrior’s Village and recruit the blacksmiths, return to HQ and put Kirkis in your party and return back. Fight around Warrior’s Village until you reach the high 30’s in level for Kirkis. Now return back to HQ and go to the Burnt Elve’s Village, and walk north to the Kobold’s Village / Great Forest. Go to the Inn and talk to Rubi. Now that Kirkis is in the high 30’s for a level, Rubi now respects Kirkis. You then recruit Rubi.

Rubi’s stats are eerily similar to Cleo’s in terms of attack power, magic power, skill, and speed. Rubi’s defense is a tad worse and Rubi has a horrendous luck, but overall his comparison to Cleo is a good thing. Rubi is one of the more effective long-range users because of his overall ability – decent attack but good magic skills for his class.

82 – Quincy – Quincy is the red-head over at Garan Fortress. He won’t join you for a while after you first meet him. You can probably recruit him earlier but I usually swing by there after entering the Warrior’s Village area.

Great skill and good luck. Strong defense for a long-range character, but only a mediocre attack with no magic ability. Quincy has some use as a long-range attacker but just doesn’t offer much dynamic offensive potential.

83 – Zen – Find Zen at Qlon Temple. He is in the northeast part of the temple exterior, planting some stuff. However, he needs some Red Seeds, Blue Seeds and Yellow Seeds. You can buy these seeds at Rikon, Teien and Warrior’s Village. Bring all three back to Zen and you can recruit Zen. He cannot be used in battle, just plants stuff at your HQ.

84 – Morgan – Morgan is a blind fellow at Qlon Temple. Talk to him to recruit Morgan.

In battle, Morgan is like a poor version of Pahn. Morgan is much weaker than Pahn and a tad weaker than Ronnie Bell (not to mention her rune is much better than the Boar Rune). His biggest problem though is his awful skill – he will miss quite often. This is why the Boar Rune is actually effective for him since it will connect at least. Terrible magic but that’s to be expected from this class. Morgan does have a unite with Pahn and Eikei for 3x damage.

85 – Fukien – Fukien shows you the way into the Qlon Cave. He then joins automatically.

Fukien is an interesting character in battle since he comes with the rare Resurrection Rune. Rare in Suikoden I at least, it becomes more mainstream in Suikoden II. Anyway, his rune has a low level attack spell, a revival spell (very useful), Scream for 300 HP healed for everyone and Charm Arrow for 500 damage to all. Pretty versatile rune, though the down point is that Fukien’s magic power isn’t really that high for a magician – not to mention the two best Resurrection Rune spells by far are the level 3 and 4 ones. Fukien has a high defense for a magician but is still better in the back row.

86 – Hugo – The librarian at Qlon Temple. Inside the Qlon Cave, you will find a passage that leads to a room with the War Scroll. It is near where you walk through the wall to get to Crowley, but you go northeast into the room instead. This is near the end of the cave / the Hidden Rune Village. Return to Qlon Temple and talk to Hugo by the bookshelves. Hugo will now join once you give him the War Scroll. Hugo is on the third floor of your castle and you can give him your Old Book Volumes.

87 – Window – Window the Window Setting guy. He needs a Window Crystal, naturally (just like Melodye and the Sound Crystal). The Window Crystal can be found in the Qlon Temple – it is near the beginning, in one of the first rooms. You have to walk south through a winding passage in the wall to get there.

88 – Eikei – Eikei is at the Teien port. He tells you how many levels you need to gain to be able to recruit him. It will probably take you until you reach the Warrior’s Village / Qlon Cave before you reach level 40 (which you need to be to recruit Eikei).

Eikei is over-rated anyway. The worst attack power out of all the martial artists, somehow. You’d think he’d be a lot more formidable than that. He does have the Double-Beat Rune which helps but still, his value is not what you would think it is.

89 – Hix – I hate this guy. Definitely one of the most annoying characters in any Suikoden. Hix joins automatically at Neclord’s Castle and you have to use Hix on the front line for this mission. Terrible.

Outfit him so at least his defense is decent – his attack and skill are slightly above average at best. No magic ability. Hix isn’t any better in Suikoden II.

90 – Tengaar – The real prize from the Neclord and Warrior Village quest. She joins after you save her at Neclord’s Castle (ie have defeated Neclord).

Tengaar is like a Cleo-type, but more of a magician. Still somewhat gifted physically, but her low HP count and weak defense mean she has to be in the back row. Her attack is serviceable at least, but her real value is her magic ability. 180+ magic power in the high 50’s! She’s one of the best long-range attackers / magician hybrids. A good choice for a magician that can at least provide some value with physical attacks.

91 – Kreutz – Kreutz is an old warlord that has battled against Humphrey Mintz. He now stays at the Dragon’s Den with Joshua. You will visit with Humphrey and Flik, so talk to Kreutz on the 1st floor of the Dragon Knight’s Castle. Humphrey will convince Kreutz to join.

A good fighter, but generic and passable at this point. Very close to Humphrey in most stats, but lacking a bit in the statistics that matter (attack power and defense by a little). Terrible magician and terrible luck – give him a Killer Rune to increase his value on the front line.

92 – Fuma – Fuma is another ninja. Fuma is at the Dragon Knight’s Fortress, on the east exterior – you can vaguely see him head sticking out. Talk to him after you find him and have him join you.

Fuma is terrible in battle just like Kage. Stronger and with more hit points than Kage, but lacking in skill and speed a bit. That said he’s probably better than Kage if you want to use one of them. Anyway, his value comes from War Battles, being able to see what the enemy will do next.

93 – Milia – Milia is one of the leaders at the Dragon Knight’s Fortress. She initially joins you to go to Seek Valley to acquire some ingredients, and then joins permanently a bit later.

Nothing flashy from Milia in battle, but she’s a personal favorite. Very fast for an attacker, and her attack power and defensive power are competitive with Humphrey, Kwanda and other attack-types. No value as a magician though.

94 – Joshua – Joshua is the leader of the Dragon Knight’s and the possessor of the True Dragon Rune. After you save the Dragon’s after the Seek Valley events with Liukan, Joshua and the Dragon Knight’s join you automatically. He cannot be used in battle but his Dragon Knight’s attack in War Battles is quite powerful against non-bow-using units.

95 – Futch – Futch is the little Dragon Knight who takes you on the tour to see Leknaat real early in the game. You then see him later on at the Dragon Knight’s Fortress as he goes to acquire an ingredient. After the event and the Dragon’s being saved, Futch too joins.

I don’t like Futch in Suikoden I or II either. Too mediocre – speed is his best asset, but it’s not that great, and it doesn’t make up for his relatively weak attack power and his lackluster magic abilities. He can equip some good armor but that’s about it – oh, and if you level him in Suikoden I some of his stats will transfer over to Suikoden II.

96 – Taggart – Taggart appears once you return from the Dragon Knight’s Fortress. He tells you Viktor and Warren are captured at Moravia. Then he joins automatically. He has no use in battle or anywhere else really.

97 – Leon Silverberg – Leon is the reknowned war tactician now hiding out at the destroyed village of Kalekka. You need about 90 recruits to recruit Leon (which is basically right after the Dragon Knight’s side quest). Mathiu will mention going to ‘train’ near Moravia – at this point, you have some time to burn before you actually go and do this. Return to Kalekka and with 90+ recruits, Leon will say something like ‘My, how the Liberation Army has grown. Tell Mathiu’. So go to Mathiu on the fourth floor in his room, and he will have a letter for you to give to Leon. Return to Kalekka and with the letter and Mathiu’s appearance, Leon Silverberg will join your army.

Leon acts as a third tactician with the power-boosting ability Mathiu has. Make absolutely certain you get Leon after the Dragon Knight episode. There are not many opportunities where Mathiu is free to get the letter to send to Leon.

98 – Clive – Clive may or may not be available this early in the game. He is at Rikon, at the Inn (1st floor). It may be difficult to get him to show up – keep enterining and exiting Rikon and checking back if he’s not showing up. With 90+ recruits he should eventually start showing up.

Clive is not quite as powerful as he is in Suikoden 2, that said he is still an asset as a powerful long-range attacker. Good hit points, great skill, decent speed. Terrible defense and luck, but oh well. Just use him for regular attacks in the back row.

99 – Crowley – The hermit-looking Magician at Qlon Cave. He is near the end of the cave – in the third area or fourth area, you will enter a room and go south and you can walk through a big wall – much bigger than the one with the Window Crystal earlier. This winding path leads to Crowley at the far south – you if have enough recruits (90-100+) you should be able to recruit Crowley.

Crowley is absurd in battle. It’s too bad you can only equip 1 rune in Suikoden I, or he’d be even better. Still, give him a Thunder Rune or keep that Cyclone Rune on him – he can do massive damage with the highest magic attack in the game not to mention he has a million spells to use. Stick him in the back row to hide his attack / defense.

100 – Mace – You need all the other blacksmiths recruited and in your active party when you go to visit him (Moose, Mose, Meese, and Maas). You also need 90+ recruits to recruit Mace. He is at Seek Valley – travel through the first few areas and at the three-way split going north, take the northeastern path. This leads to Mace’s house. With all the blacksmiths and the right amount of recruits, Mace takes on this last job and you recruit Mace.

If you are going to use a blacksmith, Mace is the most gifted in terms of statistics. This makes him an average attacker, better than the below-average work we get from the other blacksmiths. Still, you probably don’t want to use Mace in battle. He can only have his weapon sharpened to level 15 (since Mace is the only one you can talk to and sharpen a weapon to level 16).

101 – Pesmerga – You have to travel to the top of Neclord’s Castle to recruit Pesmerga. Having a Champion’s Crystal helps to do so since you won’t be fighting random battles then. Like the last few characters above, you need 90+ characters to even get Pesmerga to show up and be recruited. Anyway, meet him at the top by the piano and he will join your army in search of Yuber.

Pesmerga is a terror. Few have the attack power and hit point total that Pesmerga does. His defense is good and he can equip some of the best armor in the game – not to mention he of course looks cool. No magic ability, but he’s elite at what he does so that makes up for it. Some stats may carry over to Suikoden II but he’s so skilled in both Suikoden I and Suikoden II that that likely doesn’t matter.

102 – Griffith – Imperial General who you meet as you travel through the Northern Checkpoint to Moravia. After Griffith’s defeat to Mathiu’s surprise attack, recruit Griffith. He aids you in getting through Moravia and joins afterwards.

Mediocre character in battle. I kind of like him just for novelty sake and because he looks cool, but he’s not actually good. Defense, attack power, skill and hit points are all mediocre, and he’s an awful magician.

103 – Warren – Warren is Viktor’s Friend, and Viktor goes to visit him after the Neclord incident. Later on you find that they were captured by Kasim Hazil, so you have to break into Moravia to save them. At the top you save and recruit Warren.

Very much like Griffith actually, except he can fight in the back row (medium-ranged). Decent attack and defense, but not anything special for someone who just uses regular attacks. No magic ability. Pass.

104 – Kasim Hazil – Takes over Moravia castle, home of Warren. After reaching the top and saving Warren, you have Kasim Hazil surrounded by your troops. Spare him and recruit Kasim Hazil – he is a tough hand-to-hand fighter.

Great attack power for a swordsman, and good defense and HP too. Not as skilled as you would think, and no magic ability. But still, he is quite powerful and must be considered for a front-line spot accordingly.

105 – Max – Max is the leader of the Maximillian Knights. After saving Warren and recruiting Kasim Hazil, return to Northern Checkpoint. Max and Sancho run in – let them join.

Max cannot be used in regular battles. But look at his ‘Charge’ attack – it is the highest in the game!! Somehow it is. So you will certainly be using him in late War Battles.

106 – Sancho – Joins with Max above. Is a part of Max’s award winning Charge Attack in War Battles.

107 – Vincent De Boule – The tricky aristocrat who you meet at Antei. He helps you get into the Dragon’s Den just northwest of Antei. Later on you see him with Warren at the top of Moravia – you can’t save him upon initially getting to the top, but go to the top again to recruit Vincent and get the Mother Earth Crystal.

Vincent cannot be used in battle, he just prances around with Milich.

108 – Sonya Shulen – Sonya is in love with Teo McDohl. She is the last character you can recruit, after the Fortress of Shasarazade battle. Once you defeat her in battle and return to HQ, visit her in her cell and keep asking her to join you. She will.

Sonya is competent with the sword and magic, much like Flik / Alen / Grenseal.

Further Reading:

• Suikoden II 2 recruiting 108 Stars of Destiny list
• Suikoden II 2 Walkthrough Radat Shu Kuskus
• Suikoden II Kyaro Muse Jowy Riou
• Suikoden III Chapter 4; Flame Champion True Rune
• 3 – Suikoden Kwanda Rosman