Temple Shalina

Size: 4x4 (Large) Overall Terrain: Snowy archipelago Daylight Hours: Normal Stage Music: Wall of Defense Overall Difficulty: 6 Stage Boss: ????

City & Roshian Temple Information Cities (14) Hidden Cities (3) Roshian Temples (5) Buried Treasure (2) Aqure-Ri Azoreth RT #1: SE of Pillary; on 1) \NW of Fanba & NE of Rebel Base Slightly NW of Urangelz & RT #2: S of Issa Fils R.T. #3; on the large, Shalina NE of Fanba; on the island RT #3: W of Fanba; on the rubble free island Boss Castle between these two towns NW corner of the final 2) Slightly SE of R.T. #2; Baffin above the middle of the island in between the two W of Elsmiya mountain RT #4 (H): SW of Bol’ Ey; mountains on the Bol’ Ey Danji in the clearing between elongated island SW of Suffon SW of Azoreth & SE of the moutains & the river   Elsmiya (Shop) Fanba; below the ‘knob’ in RT #5 (H): S of Hebliji; on   S of Kubandal & SE of the mountain the island near the snowy   R.T. #2 Hebliji land extention   Fanba SE of Azoreth & E of     W of Urangelz; on the tiny Danji; below the ‘knob’ in     plains island the mountain     Gyulpyol       Slightly SE of Aqure-Ri         Issa Fils         SW of Kubandal & N of         R.T. #2         Kausauften         S of R.T. #1         Kubandal         W of Suffon; on the other         side of the river         Novas Kot         S of Kausauften         Pillary         SE of Aqure-Ri         Suffon         NW of Aqure-Ri         Urangelz         S of Novas Kot

Stage Shop Wares

Elsmiya “HEAL” (Cure Stone) 700 Goth “ALL HEAL” (Cure Ankh) 2,000 Goth “BELL” (Dinner Bell) 2,000 Goth “REVIVE” (Ethereal Flute) 2,000 Goth “JOKER” (Joker Tarot) 2,000 Goth

Now do you see why I warned you to buy some “BOOTS” (7 League Boots)?  They aren’t here! Ah well, at least the good curative items are here, as well as “REVIVES” (Ethereal Flutes).  You will need to restock on some of these possibly...

Neutral Encounters

LV: 25 Gold Dragon LV: 25 Ice Giant LV: 25 Seraphim Snow Snow Anywhere?

You are on the last stage. If you still need more characters, maybe you aren’t chosen by the Gods after all... In spite of that bode of confidence, however, any extra Seraphim that you might come across will fit right into any unit that you’ve got. Anything to win, and their White magic will most certainly come in handy!

Enemy Units

Different Types of Units: 9 Total Enemy Unit Deployed: - - Enemy Level Threshold: 24 - 27 Unit# 25-1

Here it is, the last stage of the game.  If you are thinking that you can just sit back, take your time, defeat all of the enemy units completely, and then waltz over the the shrine of Shalina, there’s a surprise waiting for you.  There is no end to the flow of enemy units!!  Some scouts say that are an ungodly number of 20+ for each tyoe of enemy deployment, and maybe even more than that! Rashidi is indeed powerful, and is able to summon effectively an endless supply of minions to send at you. Each unit here is composed of the very best class types, so you most definitely won’t  be seeing any Fighters or Amazon here! There is a big variety within these units as well, so be ready for anything! Since this is the last stage, go gangbusters with Tarot Cards, as you should be able to burn through “JOKER” (Joker Tarot) and not worry about having any Goth left over for the next stage.  As for your character classes, use as many top tier ones as possible.  ALL of the special characters that you have gotten to join your rebellion should be deployed in your units.  Your Back Rows should be lined with the very finest spell casters, such as Liches, Sorcerers. Doll Masters, Muses, Sylphs, Seraphim, & Princesses.  Your Front Rows should be stocked to the teeth with Dragoons, Generals, Ninja Masters, Vampyres, Werewolves, Wraiths, Paladins, and whatever catches you fancy.

Beat The Stage!

Prologue:  The dark Empress Endora has fallen, and the Empire has finally been defeated. Rashidi, the root of all evil of Zenobia, has fled to the temple at Shalina.  It was he who killed King Gran and used the Empire for evil, invading and subjugating the four independent kingdoms. In his quest for ultimate power, he hunted for the 12 Zodiac Stones, and deceived the angel Mizal to obtain the 13th stone, the dreaded Black Diamond.  If he ever gets this power, he will conjure forth the God of Destruction, and peace will never return...

Here it is.  the final showdown! You’ve made it this far, but don’t expect them to hand you the keys to the gate and just let you walk right in! There are three main reasons why this last stage will be a marathon:

1) What a huge map! The terrain is very unforgiving, as there are snow covered plains, winding rivers that empty into large seas, & expansive mountain ranges, all designed to block your way. But, like the old post office slogan, you will deliver in all kinds of weather!  You must; all of Zetegniea is counting on you now!  Take a second to look at where your goal lies.  All the way on the other side of the map lies the fallen temple city of Shalina.  Your straight line shot to the boss castle is a river valley that leads to the open sea right on the doorstep of the main island.  The island itself is protected with mountains around its entire perimeter.

2) The number of enemy units that are deployed do not end!! Sure, there are only 9 different types of units that will be deployed, but there is no limit to how many of each type will be deployed. So, there will be no “eliminate every unit and then fight the boss” strategy this go around! You will have to force your way in with swords drawn!  Want to see how high the levels of character can go?  This is the way to do it!

3) Getting to the boss castle of Shalina is hard enough, but once you arrive, you’re in for a super shock. There’s not one, not even two, but three total bosses on this stage!!  You’ll be confronted with a series of boss battles, with each one tougher than the next. So, just when you think it could be over, like a Ninja Gaiden game, another boss shows itself and attacks! To find out what exactly is going to happen, read on, you battered warrior, you!

Deployment Time!
You’re path to victory moves from right to left, or NE to SW.  This corridor has extremely rough terrain, and has many rivers trickeling through it, so you will have to take a slight detour with your non-flying units. If you have enough flying units, however, it will not be nearly as bad for you.  You know that the enemy will come right through this corridor, so you will need units here to defend anyway. As for the cities on this final frontier, besides a random city here or there, the towns are grouped into three main clusters.  One grouping is located along the eastern edge of the map, the second cluster is in the NW region of the map, and the third batch is a triangle of hidden towns on the snowy island east of Fanba.  They are on the large-ish snowy island with two entwined mountains on it.  Send a city liberator or two directly west, with your target the far area of towns in the NW corner of the map.  The shop town of Elsmiya is over there, and you will most definitely want a garrison on this town at all times for one-stop shopping.  The rest of your liberators should move east, and then south, in order to liberate the cities over there. You can then use these units to eventually make a run at the hidden cities nearby Fanba.  As for your more speedy city liberators, like Canopus, you could try a risky maneuver.

Bum-rush the town of Fanba with the rest of your units. Your high flying fighting units can support him along this trek, and will need to! The enmy will send 6 of its initial 9 units through this pathway, and they will sometimes deviate from the diret route to your main base, and get more in line with the town of Bol’ Ey.  They can drift more west than you’d think or like them to on occasion, so don’t move in too quickly until you can clearly see the line of enemy units and know where they are headed.  The enemy units can pass right by you and ignroe you completely, because they’re focused in on your main base. As a result, you might not be able to get back and play defense. Once you’ve got the enemy fenced in around Fanba howver, you can liberate the rest of the towns at your leisure. As for the more rouge towns, you could probably use your Opinion Leader to liberate these, provided they are not too close to the battle lines.

Step 1:  There is no real need to liberate the towns on this map as far as the plot goes, but there are two reasons why you should.  The first is that you might spend a few in-game days on this stage (or real days if you’re playing this on the non-emulator SNES!) , and it would suck greatly if you suddenly could not afford to pay for your deployed units!!  The other reason is that many of the inhabitants of these cities are rooting for you completely, and have sweet-ass gifts for you!  The towns that are giving and the item that you will receive will depend upon your Reputation.  Some of them are ultra powerful class promotion items, so if you are low on any of the elite classes, such as Princesses, Liches, Vampyres and the like, you will totally want to make sure that you liberate these towns!  Well, they also make good healing stations and teleporting locations with the ever so useful “BOOTS” (7 League Boots).

Step 2:  Get your first free gift right of the bat at the town of Pillary!  Liberate this town, and you’ll get a “CROWN” (Dream Crown), the only way to get Princesses!  Use it on any female special characters that aren’t already Princesses.  Rauny, Aisha, Norn, Deneb, any of them make supremely powerful ones!  If your Reputation is low, the town of Gyulpyol will give you a “BLOOD” (Blood Spell).  This is great if you want or need another Vampyre.  The town of Elsmiya will give you one of two items. You will either get a “CHA POT.” (Heart of Leo), or recieve a “PROMOTE” (Promotion).  The item that you get is dependent upon your Reputation.  You will probably find the second item more useful here, as you will only need Charisma if your Opinion Leader is not as you want.

Step 3:  Once you are settled in and made the town of Fanba your own, you will see the conga line of enemy units heading north, and notice that it does indeed not stop.  You have to be very careful, because sometimes enemy units will try and take over the shop town of Elmiysa and the surrounding places, so have a unit or two nearby.  It will usually be a High Sky unit that they use too, so it will need to be a quick unit you use to defned with if it’s not stationed right on the town or towns.  After beating on the enemy units for a while while you liberate the rest of the towns & temples, you probably will want to start thinking about your final run. Things to consider:

1) This is the last stage, after all, so you don’t have to really worry about 'ruining' anyone's Charisma & Alignment, except for your Opinion Leader.  There are still ending requirments, after all!  Soooo...  Every character is a viable option for battle. You will probably want to gather all of your good units to one spot, and then create an uber-unit, capable of annihilating anything in its path.  A great place to do this is to “BOOTS” (7 League Boots) almost every unit over to the town of Fanba, or move your Opinion Leader there, and use a “SUMMONS” (Mass Summons).  Units that you don't plan on using you should “BOOTS” (7 League Boots) to strategic towns that you think the enemy can get to while you prepare.

2) You more than likely have the ability to create two or three of such uber units, so have a little fun here!  Think of this as your reward for building up these monsters!  Another reward for you is that many of the special characters that you have discovered throughout the game will have boss dialogues with the first two bosses, Gares & Rashidi.  If you would like to see some of them, use the characters that are positioned next to the boss potraits below in the Boss sections. Besides, these guys are much more powerful than some regular choad that you just recruit from a town!

3) Obvioulsy, some character classes are better than others, and there are some that will make the ending go that much more smoothly. Character classes that you should use are Dragoons, Generals, Liches, Seraphim, Sylphs, Muse, and any other powerhouse class like these. Once you’ve got your unit(s) created, get ‘em into position....

Step 4:  The hidden town of Tanji has some forboding news.  Rashidi was unable to collect the 12 Zodiac Stones, so he used Mizal to get the 13th Zodiac Stone for him, the supreme Black Diamond.  It is much more powerful than the other 12 stones, and allows the user to sommun ofrth demons. Temple Shalina is known to be the place where Diablo, the God of Destcution is worshipped, so that can only mean one thing. Rashidi is trying to summon Diablo!! A trip to R.T. #5 will confirm this.  Your old Paladin friend Gawain will appear, and he will warn you to stop Rashidi at all costs.

Step 5:  The enemy ranks are daunting to be sure! How will you ever get through? You will need to send whichever unit or units that you propose to use for the bosses around to the side of the island to avoid the rush of enemy units. Before doing this, you will want to assemble an “All Star” list of Tarot Cards. You will need then for two purposes. The first is obviously for fighting the bosses, but the other is to get past the enemy units, should you manage to create a commotion as you approach. It is unrealistic to think you’ll make it unscathed, so it’s better to be ready. You should have a whole house of “JOKER” (Joker Tarot) items at this point, so don’t be afraid to burn through them looking for these cards to help you acheive victory. It’s good thing the shop town sells “JOKER” (Joker Tarot)!

Approach Cards:  The cards that you want here are cards that will help you avoid fights or damage completely.  These cards include “Fortune,” “Lovers,” “Hierophant,” & “Fool”.  If you just want to blast your way through, you can do that to, but bear in mind that it could adversely affect your Opinion Leader.  “Fortune” cards are by far the way to avoid fights.

Boss Cards:  You MUST have a total of 2 “World” cards, a “Fool” card, & 1 or 2 “Judgment” cards.  You’ll want to keep these in your back pocket for the boss fight as you approach. Other cards that are not necessary, but extremely helpful are “Emperor,” “Justice,” “Magician,” & “Empress” cards.  Any others should probably get pitched. It is pretty safe to assume that both the “Devil,” “Tower,” & “Hanged Man” cards are rather worthless (kinda like how they are in the regular game!).

Step 6:  As you are getting close, be quick with the pause button whenever you are about to fight.  This will allow you to check not only your current deck of Tarot Cards, but also change the type of elemental weapons that your Front Row characters have. You may not care to micromanage to this extreme, but you should at least make sure that you have the right card or cards that you plan on using for the next fight!  There will probably be a stack of enemy units sitting on the boss caslte, so just plow through them or bounce them away with “Fortune” Tarot Cards.  You should have a bottomless supply of jokers with all the Goth you’ve got stored up.
“Are they amphibious?  Well, there’s only one way to find out! We can always by more!”
Sorry, little Simpsons quote for the folks! Anyway, once the pile of enemy units has been cleared away, take a deep breath, and get ready for your first encoutner...

Fight It Out!!

Final Bosses!!

Round #1

LV: 24 Wraith LV: 24 Wraith Gares Dark Prince HP 246 LV 26     LV: 26 Dark Prince       LV: 24 Wraith LV: 24 Wraith 10 Direct, & 2 Direct & 1 Hit-All

You’re first encounter is none other than the dastardly dark Prince Gares!  Remember that when you sniffed him out of his little hidey hole on Zeteginea how he claimed that he would defeat you himself?  Well, now’s the time to talk the talk & walk the walk! Or however that goes...  Anyway, there’s no escape this time!  The characters with the most vested interest to see this monster get put down for good are, in order of priority, Aisha & Debonair.  Aisha's mom Foris was killed by him on Island Avalon, after all! And Debonair was held prisoner on Shangrila by Gares!  Both deserve to inflict some payback, but it actually is not required that you use either of them.  Just call it a ‘bonus’ if you will... Surprisingly, this boss fight is not very difficult at all.  The reason why is because Gares decided to surround himself with 4 Wraiths, which can easily be taken down with either a “Judgment” Tarot Card, or a White Hit-All attack by Aisha (as a Princess of course!), Seraphim, or Sylph.  The unit should be pretty simple after that.  You will, however, want to use a “World” Tarot Card, because since this is not the final boss fight, you will want to conserve as many Hit Points as possible.  If your Front Row is equipped with White weapons, that will make this battle end even faster!  To help out, you could toss in a “Star” to help you guys hit better, even a “Strength” for a little more D, or bring out an “Emperor,” card for some overkill action. And with so many “JOKER” (Joker Tarot), who’s to say you can’t do all of the above! Hell, you could even heal your characters up to full Hit Points before the next fight!

Good Guys:1  Bad Guys:0!

Now just because you’ve won a boss battle don’t think it’s over! Sure, you get to see Gares crumble to dust for good, but here comes his master, Rashidi!  He will appear right after you’ve defeated Gares. You will get a generic tuanting messag from him first, and then the oh so popular “FIGHT IT OUT!!” balloon will appear.  You’ve got numerous people who have been waiting patiently for this moment!  There is of course yourself, the Opinion Leader, who started this whole rebellion off.  There is also Tristran, rightful heir to the throne. He has lost his father, brother, and most recently his mother at the hands of Previa on Fort Shulamana.  He is ready to shake it! Lest us not forget poor Yushis, who had to slay her own sister Mizal at the Tundra as a result of Rashidi’s treachery.  And there is Saradin, former pupil of Rashidi who turned his back on the dark arts while there was still time, but was turned to stone because of it by Rashidi on Balmorian Ruins.

If you have more than one of these characters in your party, the order of priority is your Opinion Leader, Tristran, Yushis, & Saradin.  For some interesting fun, if you use a unit that does not contain any of these special characters, he will ask your unit to join his army. This is exactly what Empress Endora tried to pull with you on Zeteginea.  If you say “YES,” you will not only lose some Reputation, but lose the entire unit for good!  So remember kids, just say no!

Round #2

Rashidi Wiseman HP 328 LV 29   LV: 27 Evil One LV: 29 Wiseman     LV: 27 Evil One     4 Direct & ? Targeted & ? Hit-All

Simply put, this guy is the best spell caster in the entire game, and a magic machine! He will do a total of 6 attacks all by himself, and it is somewhat random whether they are Targeted or Hit-All. it is probably about 85% Hit-All though. Be VERY careful about the Wind Shot attack that he does (the one that looks like a Titan’s), because it will hit your characters even if you use a “World” Tarot Card!!! Yes, it is that strong!  And, since he does 6 attacks, the chances of him doing this attack at least once per battle are fairly good.  Sometimes he will even do a Life Suck instead of a Hit-All, which can sucky greatly if he is close to death. So, this battle should be lots and lots of Tarot Cards.  You know that standard by now. “Fool” right off the bat, followed by “World” & “Judgment” thrown in pretty soon after. If you need to use any buffing cards, go ahead.  An “Empress” will be a life saver if he gets frisky. All in all, you should do fine if you’re prepeared...

Good Guys:2  Bad Guys:0!

So...  You think it’s over...  Rashidi seems so calm for being slaughtered in battle like he was! how come?  There is more to this than meets the eye to be sure, but it will ahve to be told in another saga... but you’ve got more important things to worry about. Like the demon that Rashidi was able to summon before you put an end to his madness!  As Rashidi falls, an even bigger and more intimidating foe awakens, and he is no early riser! Get ready for your final test...

Round #3

Diablo God of Destruction HP 415 LV 30 HP 410 LV 30 HP 412 LV 30 4 Direct & ? Hit-All

This rather large creature has three seperate entities.  There is a main body torso, complete with razor-sharp blade, and two dragon-like heads.  It is only necessary to defeat the main body, but if you can kill one of the two heads, it will not regenerate if you need a second battle. The heads will prevent any direct attacks from hitting the main body, and are almost tougher than the main body!  The exact number & type of attacks that are sent your way by this triple headed demon are slightly different for each battle. But know this. Even with a “World” Tarot Card in effect, the bastard will still be able to damage you! That's right, this guy is so nasty that he can go right through your “World” card as though it wasn't even there!

Here's a breakdown of what you should expect:
The lower head is a fiery beast, as it will propel Targeted Fire Breath attacks at your characters that can do upwards of 90 to even 100 damage! It will also do an "earthquake" attack that hits your entire party. And, both of these attacks can pierce the “World” card’s effect!  The upper head is a frosty cretin, which is the 'polar' (get it!) opposite of the lower head by coughing up an Ice Breath attack. This head, however, will also occasionaly throw out a Petrify attack, so watch out! Likewise, neither of these attacks can be blocked with a “World.” And, to top the whole battle off, the main body has the hellish ability to unleash the effect of the “Death” Tarot Card!!  He also can swing his sword for a Direct attack that is capable of doing damage in the <gasp> 130's!  A formidable opponent to say the least!

The wide variety of attacks makes it even more important to talor your unit to face his weaknesses.  Direct Pyshical attacks are completely worthless here.  Sure, they do some damage, but maybe only 20 or so per hit! It's pretty much like trying to take out a Coffin with Front Row characters!  Magical attacks are totally the way to go here.  Make your unit have only two Front Row characters, and make them strong classes! Generals and/or Dragoons are your best shot. Now, equip the top one with a Fire elemental weapon, like the “BOLEAS” (Boleas) or “ESKENDALE” (Eskendale Blade), and equip the bottom one with an Cold elemental weapon, like the “Malachite” (Malachite) or “EUROS” (Euros).  Now they can actually do some damage back!  It is a safe bet that the entire hell-spawn is supremely weak to White attacks, so have your whole Back Row filled to the brim with power classes, such as Princesses, Seraphim, Sylphs, and Liches.  The cards that you will want to have for this battle are an “Empress” (or maybe even two!) a “Magician,” a “Justice,” and as many “Judgments” as you are able to fit into your deck!  It should be obvious that effect cards like “Fool” or ”Hierophant” are not going to be helpful here! When in doubt, just blast him away with any damage cards you've got. Eventually he should fall, and go back to the pit from hence he came...

Available Items

There are not as many items to find here as the other sky island, but still a few notables.  Like that crazy “CAKE” (Ginger Cake)!  Even though it seems like it’s worthless, it’s actually very important!

SNES Name: BLOOD Selling Price: 31,000 Goth PSX / Full Name: Blood Spell Buying Price: - - Description: “Unholy blood. use it on a Knight and...”

SNES Name: CHA POT. Selling Price: 5,000 Goth PSX / Full Name: Heart of Leo Buying Price: - - Description: “A stone that contains honor.  Raises a character’s CHA.”

SNES Name: CROWN Selling Price: 24,000 Goth PSX / Full Name: Dream Crown Buying Price: - - Description: “Use this item on an Amazon and...”

SNES Name: PROMOTE Selling Price: 6,800 Goth PSX / Full Name: Promotion Buying Price: - - Description: “Whoever obtains it becomes stronger in all areas. Raises a character one level.”

Aftermath

You’re still here? It’s over! Go home. Go’on... Shoo!