Combat Fundamentals:
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Fight, Don't Run
When you move your party in for a fight, your angle of attack makes a difference. Attack monster parties from behind or from the side, and you can take the first shot. If an enemy is about to attack you, press the joystick quickly toward them - never let an enemy surprise your party from behind.

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Watch Your Six
The position of your party plays a key role in gaining surprise on the enemy. Always engage enemies from the rear or the side. This gives you the first attack once you jump into combat. The same applies to you - don't let monsters chase you down from behind. If you can't flank them, it's best to face monsters head on.

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Freeze Frame Free-For-Alls
During combat, the IP Gauge freezes the onscreen action so you can select a move. Always scan the scene to see which adversary is closest to attacking someone. You can also use the onscreen arrow to display an enemy's Combat Status Window, which reveals the character it's targeting in the lower right-hand corner. In the screen above, the Giant Mantis is about to nail Ryudo. Use Defend or Evade to avoid a direct hit.

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Gauge the Battlefield
The IP Gauge is a handy tool for analyzing the enemies' next target. When the Gauge signals one of your characters to make a move, take this time to check the monster's Combat Status Window. It tells you which of your characters that monster is attacking next - in the case above, you can see the Giant Mantis is ready to tear into Ryudo. Now you know to use another character to attack while Ryudo defends himself.

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Aggressive Evasion
When you face multiple enemies, sometimes you can get more bang for your buck by attacking one to evade another. When a character in your party comes up to bat at the IP Gauge, you can tell by looking at the game screen or the Combat Status Window whether a beast is about to bust you. Rather than using Evade or Defend, find an enemy that's far away and attack it. Your character might dodge an oncoming hit while doing some damage, too.

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Rollin' Out the Hits
One more effective - yet riskier - defense is a solid, well-timed attack. When it's your character's turn to attack, check the game screen or the Combat Status Window to see if any monsters are lining up to hit you. Instead of Evading or Defending, try attacking the monster that's furthest away. With the right timing, your character will move to attack before getting hit - avoiding damage and inflicting some of their own.

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Create a Healer
Choose one character to be a healer, and focus on using him to recharge or revive the others during fights. Roan is a good choice (although he leaves your party later in the game). Equip your healer with the Holy Egg as Mana since it contains few attack spells. Max out the power of the healing spells, and fortify his defense (DEF) rating as he's going to take a lot of hits, too.

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The Power of Healing
To prevent your adventurers from exhausting themselves in combat, devote one character to the arts of healing. Even though he leaves your party eventually, Roan is an ideal candidate to patch your party back together or even bring them back from the edge of death. When equipping a healer, take a defensive scheme and give them the Holy Egg for Mana. Crank up all their healing spells and boost that DEF rating as high as you can.

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Don't Yield, Use a Shield
If you use Defend to protect yourself during battles, you build up a few Move Points every time and enemy hits you. Check your Move/Magic menu during fights because a move you depleted earlier might be available later.

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Tenacious D
Run out of Move Points during combat? Defense is the answer. Remember that you gain Move Points back whenever you use Defend against an attack. This becomes key in long, epic battles, where you might earn back some of the Move Points you previously exhausted - and thus cap off the fight with a destructive finish.

Beginnings:

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Elena
Grandia II is all about Ryudo the Geohound's efforts to help Elena the Songstress free herself after evil god Valmar possesses her. They team up in Carbo Village for a long trek to St. Heim, where Elena hopes the Pope can help her. Elan's basic move is the Impact Bomb, which can be supercharged effectively, but you should always upgrade her staff weapons and you must shore up her defense with armor accessories.

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Meet Elena
Ryudo, the hero of Grandia II, begins his adventure when he takes on the task to protect the Songstress Elena as she struggles to stave off possession by the God of Darkness, Valmar. The adventure quickly spirals into a peril greater than either of them could fathom, and Elena must learn to handle herself in combat. Equip her with primarily defensive upgrades like armor and accessories, but don't hesitate to increase her Staff power or supercharge her offensive mainstay, the Impact Bomb.

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Who's Millenia?
At Garmia Tower, Elena is possessed by the Wings of Valmar, which manifests itself as Elena's alter ego: Millenia. When Elena transforms into Millenia, she's more powerful . Her potent Fallen Wings move puts big-time hurt on multiple opponents, but Elena appears more frequently. Remember that when you gear up. Make Millenia strong, but don't equip Millenia with Armor, Headgear, Footwear, or Accessories that you want to use frequently.

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The Possession Begins
Elena doesn't journey far before she's overtaken by the Wings of Valmar, and transforms into a new being who derives her power from Chaos - Millenia. More combustible and rash than fair Elena, Millenia wields great power with her highly destructive Fallen Wings move. But Elena will be back soon enough, as her character commands the majority of the adventure. Consider this when equipping Millenia, and avoid gearing her up with items you want to use on a regular basis.

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The Durham Cave Minotaur
After you survive the Trog fight, you search for Roan's medal, which leads you into the Durham Cave Depths. There you battle the Minotaur and two Troglodytes. It's the last fight before you exit, so use your most powerful moves and magic.

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Open up with Millenia's awesome Fallen Wings to zap all three creatures simultaneously. Ryudo's Tenseiken Slash or Roan's Golden Hammer can then eliminate one Trog each. With luck, Critical moves can counter the Minotaur's attacks while allowing minimal damage. Skill moves damage the Minotaur more the magic or attack items. If you defeat him, you'll earn the Adventure Book.

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Facing the Minotaur
Ryudo and Millenia's travels lead them into Agear Town, where they encounter the diminutive Roan and are led to retrieve his memento in a most treacherous place: Durham Cave. This subterranean wasteland is domain to vicious Troglodytes, and most deadly, a behemoth Minotaur. You'll encounter a pair of Troglodytes first - Millenia's Fallen Wing and Ryudo's Zap work best here.

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Then it's off to take on the Minotaur and two more Troglodyte henchmen. Again, Fallen Wing works best from the get-go, then Ryudo's almighty Tenseiken Slash and Roan's Golden Hammer should mop up the Trogs. Facing the Minotaur, use Skill moves instead of magic or attack items. And if you can develop uncanny timing with your Critical moves to counter the Minotaur's attacks, you should be able to topple the beast and discover a powerful tome, the Adventure Book, in the process.

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Sandblasting the Sand Men
On the Baked Plains, Ryudo, Elena and Roan encounter Sand Men, the first six-creature enemy gangs. The Chaos Egg Zap spell is powerful enough to take out all six at once, but you have only enough magic points to use Zap twice. If Zap is depleted, beat up the lead Sand Man with single special attacks, and then use Critical counterattacks to defeat the rest.

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Enter Sand Men
They don't carry gaffi sticks, but these sand dwellers can still deliver the pain; they travel in groups of six - the biggest creature groups you've seen yet. You can fell all half-dozen of them with a Chaos Egg Zap spell. But if you want to save your magic points, go for the head Sand Man with special attacks, then clean up the rest of the pack with Critical counterattacks.

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Mareg, the Beast Man
You must defeat Mareg on baked Plains 3. He's mistakenly driven to destroy Ryudo. Mareg is very strong here, but he won't attack Elena or Roan until Ryudo is down. They can use magic or items to heals and protect Ryudo. As Mareg attacks him, Elena Roan can wear him down with their strongest magic, special attacks, or attack items. If you beat him, you'll discover why he tries so hard to slam Ryudo.

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In the Shadow of the Beast Man
Outside the village of Liligue, our trio is roused from slumber by an irate Beast Man. There's just no time to negotiate with this devastating creature, who appears enraged solely at Ryudo. Use this to your advantage by using Roan and Elena to heal Ryudo and attack the Beast with magic or special attacks. Beware the tremendous force of the Beast Man's Beast-Fang Cut.

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Mareg Comes Correct
You beat him down on the Baked Plains, but Mareg the Beast-Man joins the party in Liligue City after you visit the church. If you power-up Mareg's Beast-Fang Cut move, it is a very powerful offensive weapon. Mareg moves very quickly for someone his size.

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The Turning of Mareg
If you defeat the Beast Man, he'll eventually seek you out again - this time as Mareg, an able fighter who was misdirected to attack Ryudo before. Mareg now becomes the heavy artillery of your party, so be sure to power-up the Beast-Fang Cut attack and take advantage of his surprising speed in combat.

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Ghoul Gangs
Your first encounter with Ghouls occurs in Liligue Cave. They like to use Gravity to draw you party close together so that their Ice Prickle moves can stab everyone at once. Try to stay spread out, and then hit them all at once with Burnflame or Howl.

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Waking the Undead
Nosing around in Liligue Cave will rouse an enemy your party has yet to face - the undead. These Ghouls wield a nasty array of death magic including Power Drain, which steals HP from your characters and heals damaged Ghouls. They thrive on using Gravity to pull your party into close range, then blast you with Ice Prickle. Stay loose in your formation, bust out the Burnflame, and if you triumph, you'll score some Yomi's Elixir.

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Gunning Down Gadan
When you met Gadan in Liligue City, he was just another disgusting slob. Now he's a disgusting … er, something called the Tongue of Valmar. Millenia reappears here, and that's a good thing. Before you chase Gadan from the chamber in the Temple Ruins, look for the chest. It contains a Burning Bow and a Flare Dress for Millenia. Also, give your party as much protection against fire as you can.

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Gadan has four parts. Try to zap each part as quickly as possible in the order: Right Hand, Left Hand, Head, Valmar's Tongue. You can also use powerful multihit attacks like Millenia's Fallen Wing or Zap. Use your healer to keep the rest of your party healthy during this fight.

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The Tongue of Valmar
Remember the repulsive Gadan your party met in Liligue City? Now prepare to meet his hideous new form, the bloated and ravenous Tongue of Valmar. With Millenia back in the fray, equip her with the Burning Bow and Flare Dress, which can be found in a chest within the Liligue Caverns. Take this time to outfit everyone with any fire protection you might have, too.

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This foul behemoth consists of four body parts you must destroy separately. Go for the Head first; it contains no treasure and attempts to Heal the other parts. Then go after the Left Hand, Right Hand and Body, respectively. Falling Wings and Zap will damage all parts simultaneously, and when you run out of those, rely on physical attacks to counter Gadan's mercilessly potent Huge Leap and Starving Tongue attacks.

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Lumir Forest
When you enter the cavern, you'll find six tree roots. Move Ryudo to a root and press A to chop it. An entrance opens up. The first root you find actually leads you out of the cavern; just follow the path and move left. However, the cavern is worth exploring. Cutting the third root reveals the Oracle Staff, a lethal weapon for Elena. The fifth root just leads you back to the beginning, but the sixth root is another exit.

You also meet the little girl Aira in the forest. Remember the location of her Garden of Dreams just outside Mirumu Village.

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Into Lumir Forest
The tree roots in this area can be chopped away to reveal new passageways, as well as a powerful new weapon - the Oracle Staff, which Elena can wield with devastating results. Using Ryudo, hit the A button to chop away the third root, and scoop up the Staff. Then slice away the other roots to find your way out.

You'll then encounter Aira, a young girl who keeps a Garden of Dreams in Mirumu Village. Keep this encounter fresh in your mind.

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Blinding Eyeball Bats
In Mirumu, you must solve the mystery of Aira and the sleeping spell that curses the village. You dive into the Mysterious Fissure where you spy the four Eyeball Bats. The Eyeballs try to drop a deadly Delta-Burst on you. They have to surround you to do this, so try to concentrate your firepower on one Bat at a time. If you get one, the rest can't team up for the Delta-Burst. Take your best shot because you exit the cavern after this battle.

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Eyes Wide Bat
Your prime objective in Mirumu is to free the village from the grasp of a sinister sleeping spell. This effort finds your party slipping into the Mysterious Fissure, where the next enemy Boss awaits - the Eyeball Bats. These nefarious mutations have a furious attack pattern, one that you can foil best with moves like Tenseiken Slash, Beast-Fang Cut, Golden Hammer and the Crackle spell. Fan out and destroy the Bats one by one. This strategy works best to thwart the Delta-Burst, the Eye Bat's formidable group attack.

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Star Mage
You leap from the Garden of Dreams into the dream-like Aira's Space. You face weird creatures there, the first of which are the Star Mages, They attack in groups of six, and the damage builds up if you let them gang up on you. Use attacks that tag multiple targets like Zap, Tremor, or Howl. Two of these back-to-back will do it.

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Deadly Mirage
From the Garden of Dreams, you'll enter the hallucinogenic nowhere land that is Aira's Space. The creatures there are equally strange. Star Mirages, faceless shapes that descend from the fog, can be quite deadly if not dispatched quickly. Multi-hit attacks like Tremor, Howl and Crackle are most effective.

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Hellhounds
The Hellhounds are odd beasts that power up with Wow spells so that they can unleash humungous blasts. Just before you reach the boss area of Aira's Space, you're trapped with a gang of four Hellhounds. You can power up right after this fight, so weaken them as a group with Zap, Tremor, or Howl. Finish them off with Millenia's Fallen Wings if you've got it; if not, beat them off with Critical attacks, then hit 'em with timely Combos.

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Who Let the Hell Out
Just before you face the next incarnation of Valmar, a pack of no-good Hellhounds threatens to run you out of Aira's Space. Let loose with any multi-hit spells you have now, since you can power them up afterwards. Hellhounds use Wow spells to build up enough power to release massive attacks, so feel free to have Millenia tear it up with her Fallen Wings to end things quickly. Critical attacks and well-timed Combos can also work.

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Poking Valmar's Eyes
To save Aira, you need to knock out Valmar's Eyes. This evil eye-plant monster boss is surrounded by a quartet of Eyeball Bats, but it whomps your team with sleep, poison, and confusion, too. Before engaging the Eyes, make sure everyone's equipped with protection, such as Snake Earrings, the Raincoat, or a Sleep Charm.

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Blast the Eyeball Bats first. The four gang up to generate a deadly Delta-Burst, so prevent that move by knocking at least one out in your first attacks . When you bust the Bats, get the two Tendrils next, and the Vlamar's Eye last. Bomb away with your strongest magic or special attacks. Keep your healer focused on strengthening the team. You may have to resort to using Yomi's Elixir to revive fallen comrades.

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Valmar's Eye
Finally comes the confrontation with Valmar's Eye, a grotesque triple-threat of two Tendrils and one Body. What's worse are the Eye's guests - four more Eyeball Bats, who make it tough to get a clear shot on the Eye. Steel yourself for this battle with protections like Sleep Charm, Raincoat, and Snake Earrings to belay the Eye's battery of confusion, sleep, and poison spells.

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First, take out at least one Bat as quickly as you can (before they get a chance to team up for a Delta-Burst), then mop up the rest. Then focus your firepower on one Tendril at a time, saving the Body for last. The battle is a grueling one, so don't hold back on your most powerful attacks - or the Yomi's Elixir, if you have to.

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Using Multihit Magic
Reaching the St. Heim Mountains means you're almost to the holy city. Your party members should be strong enough now to refine their combat technique in these mountains. When you use magic that can hurt several foes at once, such as Howl, Tremor, or Zap, try to aim at the creature in the pack that enables your magic to affect the most other creatures even if the IP Gauge indicates that that is not the first creature preparing to attack the party. That way you get the most bang for your buck, while sustaining the least amount of damage.

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Mutiple Targets and Beyond
With the defeat of Valmar's Eye, your party is now on the verge of reaching the much-revered Granas Cathedral, where Elena can hopefully purge the dark lord from her body. But first you must breach the mountains of St. Heim, an ideal place to hone your combat techniques on the creatures that roam here. Practice your efficient use of multi-target magic (Zap, Howl, Tremor, etc.) by selecting the target that will spread the damage around to the most surrounding creatures. This technique will serve you well on your path to Granas Cathedral, and beyond into the latter half of the Grandia II saga.
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