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SPECIAL THANK YOU'S
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The people at The Verdite Inn (a club in Yahoo Land) and the Agetec Messageboard, as well as the occasional email have been essential in helping me revise and update the details of this FAQ. To them, the iron sharpening my iron, go the greatest thanks and kudos for helping make this work as accurate as possible.
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Also, a special thank you to JaMarc "Raistlin" Neeley, who has helped me immensely with finding items, getting their stats and Drop sites, Finding missing creatures, as well as helping to develop a FAQ on the Equipment we have found, to be submitted later. He has helped in the completion of this Walkthrough and in the design and development of the next FAQ to come.
Thanks a lot Buddy.
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Also, thank you to the many people who have emailed me over the past year with tips and ideas. I will be including their information in my web sites walkthrough soon.
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SECRETS
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I have it on VERY good authority that there are secrets in Shadow Tower that have not made it into this walkthrough. I am still trying to figure one of them out and I have a promise to be told about it after my source replays the game again. Until then, I will have to leave this section empty of any detailed information. Hopefully, sometime soon I can fill it with good news.
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SHADOW TOWER vs. KINGS FIELD
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Shadow Tower follows in the footsteps of the King's Field I & II series by From Software. It is a first person 'shooter' type of game with swords and magic, instead of guns and bombs. Those who are familiar with KF I & II (hereafter) will be very familiar with the general feel and moves to this type of RPG. There are notable differences and factors that I will elaborate for those unfamiliar to those 2 prior games.
>>>> No music in the background. For many, the lack of music is a BIG negative and frankly, it does make it easier to get bored without that soundtrack in the background to add momentum to game play. Still, it does add a bit of a different feel that is not all that bad if you can get into it. It actually gives a more 'realistic' edge to game play, because you do start using your senses more to hear and see what is coming next. If you were to really go into a dungeon with all your equipment, do you really think that there will be music mysteriously playing in the background that suddenly changes to something new when you drop down a hole and then returns to the old music after you climb a rope ladder 2 hours later? It made the game more 'realistic' for me. If I needed background noise I just turned on my favorite radio station or put a CD on and everything was fine.
>>>> No Experience Levels. Yep, you read it right. NO LEVELS. Not in experience or weapon proficiency nor levels of dungeon (they are actually called Regions and Realms in ST; a technicality but true). Each battle and discovery nets you experience which IMMEDIATELY affects your characters stats. Not too many games can claim that each battle makes you more proficient for the very next battle EVERY time. OK, yeah, we are talking mere points here, but if you walk into that large chamber with 10 creatures to take out, and after each one is dispatched you are a little more effective, then by the time you take out #9 you not only have down the moves to wipe out #10, but also the extra muscle and speed, etc.... We're talking no-brainer here.
>>>> Equipment has a durability rating and it will wear out. This durability rating never goes up, it has a set ceiling per item. It can and does go down though. This means that if you get bludgeoned to near death by an opponent, then that favorite armor of yours is going to come out of the battle with dents and breaks that need mending, making it less durable and less effective protection until you do. Nice sharp swords that are used to carve up heavily armored opponents can break or become chipped and dented themselves, needing to be repaired and resharpened. Use of magic items (rings) which have spells in them can be used a limited number of times before you need to re-energize them. This is just plain common sense and adds the factor of realism that even the prior KF games did not do. Does it get frustrating? Yep, it can. In other games, the swords were always sharp and never needed sharpening; you would never find a dull sword anywhere or a rusted armor anywhere. You can and do in the Shadow Tower. Magic spells came from within you, not out of objects alone. If you use weapons judiciously and use the item (Ashes) that can 'repair' them in game play or visit the 'smithy' that allows you to use Hit Points to repair the items, you will do fine.
An important thing to watch for is the red 'X' symbol that appears on the right side of the screen when an item has reached a durability rating of 3 or less. This occurs by regular use or by being damaged in an attack. This is your warning that some piece of equipment is about to break. It is MUCH more expensive to repair a zero-durability item than one that still has at least one point left. Be careful with items that reach this point.
>>>> Potions come in only one incarnation, not 3 or more. This means that the same healing potion you find in the first chamber of the Human Region (Level one equivalent) is the same potion you find near the last Boss at the bottom of the tower and they do exactly the same thing - they always bring you to your max HP's. The same is true for the magic potions. And in my opinion, the healing potion becomes the most important item in the game, because of both the maxing-out feature and also because it is hit points that are used to repair your equipment and rings. You NEED these to keep your equipment in top shape, so long as you know where the 'smithy's' are.
>>>> Movement. Pro and con with movement in Shadow Tower. The cons are when you enter a room with many creatures, the game play and movement becomes choppy as the Playstations CPU works to keep everything moving. Action slows down, recovery of the action bars for Strength and Magic slows down, turning around becomes a chore, etc. I just try to plot my attacks to minimize this problem. Most of the time I can, a few times you cannot and have to deal with being ganged up on. BUT THIS REALLY DOESN'T OCCUR OFTEN ENOUGH TO MAKE ANY REALLY BIG ISSUE IN GAME PLAY.
Pros are that this (movement) is an area you need to learn ASAP because it makes game play move faster, and no, that is NOT a contradiction from the cons mentioned above. The D-pad controls forward and backward movement and left-right TURNING. The L1 and R1 buttons control sliding/strafing left and right, respectively. By getting these controls down and combining them you will take fewer hits in battle, move around right angle corners smoothly, and be able to peek around a corner before getting nailed by that skeletons sword that was just waiting to gut you. For example, let's say you are walking down a corridor and it turns right ahead. While pressing the up key on the D-pad, press L1 also and you start a slow arc-turn that will allow you keep moving around the corner without having to stop at the intersection, use the D-pad to turn right and then resume forward motion. By using this type of combination, you can run circles (literally) around opponents, facing them the entire time and preventing them from getting a direct hit on you while getting hits on them with impunity.
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Using The Maps - Compass Directions
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In the walkthrough to follow, I will make reference to these maps because it is easier to visualize what I am indicating with them. I will be giving certain locations in a given Region an indicator like Chamber A, Cave B, The Pool Room, etc. These are entirely arbitrary and of my own creation and are not to be confused as the actual names of these locations, if there are any. I will try to make them logical and easily referenced by things found in the room or significant structures at that location. This is meant to aid the reader (and myself) in this walkthrough.
I will also be using compass directions (N, S, E, W) to indicate which direction to travel, where you enter the room, which wall has a secret door, etc. It is important to note that there is NOTHING in the game or it's options that help you figure this out or see which direction you are going, unlike KF I and II, which did have a compass. I am again arbitrarily using the maps and their images as they appear on my screen to determine NSEW directions. Some of the text on these maps is in English. Whichever way you have to hold the map to be able to read the words from left to right (the images all are in this position at the From Software website) determines the compass directions, with N being at the top, etc.
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MISC DETAILS
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How To Use Magic
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I have received multiple inquiries on this very important aspect of game play. You can have 2 spells equipped to use at any time, but to use magic you MUST first find a ring and equip it on either your left or right hand, one spell per ring per hand. Then chose from the spells available with that ring and equip it on the Equip or Equip Info portions of the Menu. Only after you have selected a spell to use will you be able to cast a spell.
Activation of the spell requires a 2 key combination. If you access the Options selection of the Menu and look at the Controller Configuration, you will find that Magic is dedicated to the CIRCLE, Right Hand is the TRIANGLE key, and the Left Hand is the SQUARE key.
So, if you want to cast the Magic spell that is equipped to your Left Hand, tap the combination CIRCLE + SQUARE, and the Right Hand is CIRCLE + TRIANGLE. Watch your angle, because some of the spells travel in direct line-of-sight. If you are angled to look down just a bit, that Fireball spell just may hit your opponent's feet instead of its chest.
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When Creatures Drop Items
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If my experience with this game and my interpretation of it is correct, then practically every creature you will fight has a percentage chance of dropping some item that is usable by you. There are creatures, like Bosses, that will drop SPECIFIC items EVERY time, but I found at least 2 bosses who drop 2 different items, 1 common and one unique, and several creatures that have dropped different unique items. But the rest seem to operate such that sometimes they drop nothing, sometimes they drop one specific item like a healing potion that is common to that specific creature type and sometimes they will drop a unique item like a unique ring, weapon or armor piece. Because of this I make the basic and understandable recommendation to SAVE OFTEN and always before you wipe out an entire room of creatures.
For example, there is one room in the Human Realm that has only one type of creature in it called a Blood Skull. At different times (due to the untimely demise of my character) I have encountered anywhere from 2 to 6 of these creatures in this room. One time I killed all 4 that appeared and each one gave me a different item. Another time I received 2 of the same 4 items and one other sword. I had died shortly after leaving that room, so my repeated attempts to visit again have yielded that new sword only once. There is another room in one of the Earth Realms that has one main type of creature that drops rings, but only rarely and then only some of the creatures do. They do not appear to drop any other item except rings. This is why I think there is a small percentage with some of the creatures to drop something special.
This process of dropping items will net you the most number of items in the game. There are plenty of things to just find, but taking the time to fight the same creatures several times may (and will) reveal which creatures drop rare items. My ring collection by the time I finished was probably very complete due to this process. I will mention those that I know drop specific items but I am sure I missed some of the special items.
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**** STATUS REPORT TIP ****
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While writing this FAQ, a fellow gamer named NANOFRAME pointed out to me that there was a way to track your progress from the main menu. In fact, it is mentioned in the instruction manual of all places. Rather silly place to put this information, dontcha think? Anywise, hit the select key to access the menu, and then hit the Triangle key. This leads you to a status screen showing what Region you are in and the stats of how many of the total number of Cunes (99), Items (200) and Creatures (600) you have acquired/killed off. If you then hit the R1 key, you will be taken to a screen that will keep track on a percentage basis of your progress. When you get to 100% in a given Region, you have done all, acquired all, killed all that you could possibly do/get/kill on that Region.
After almost 2 times through and a third time started to clear up some detail on the first Regions, I still had not come across this menu. It helped me greatly to know that I had cleared each Region no less than 76% and many to 100% in my desire to ransack this game for details.
I will include in the walkthrough the name of each monster encountered on the level, where encountered and the items I was able to get them to drop. This simply shows what I found. If you found items that I did not or found a creature dropped something in one area that I found somewhere else, I would appreciate you notifying me so that I may make this FAQ as complete as possible.
I will not be sharing every detail of the creatures you encounter in this FAQ except where I think that the information is vital to get through the area quickly. Some creatures can poison, spray acid, paralyze, or slow you down. For the most part, I will leave this information out of the detail except where I remember a lot of frustration in dealing with that type of attack in a given situation. I do this to keep the design and feel of the game as original and intended as the designers planned it. Please do not complain about not telling you this stuff in this FAQ. I do want you to have some fun discovering and challenging new monsters.
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Shadow Weapons
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There are special weapons to be found like the Shadow Blade, Shadow Wolf, and Shadow Tiger. These are simply more weapons that have Darkness as their primary power, such as the Fiery Long Sword has Fire as its primary power. There are also 'Shining' weapons, Frost weapons, etc. I will eventually include an Items list in a FAQ or attached to this Walkthrough.
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My Personal 'Bias'
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This walkthrough will introduce you to my personal bias to obtain as many of the items as can possibly be obtained the first time through. Therefore my style of writing and structure of details will reflect an emphasis on the items to be found and where. You've been forewarned.
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Encountering New Creatures
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One of the advantages to this game engine is that as soon as you come into close proximity to a new creature, even on the other side of a wall sometimes, their stats immediately appear in your menu list "Creature Information". You can access the information before you engage them and prepare yourself for the coming battle. This is a good habit to develop quickly.
Also, this Creature List also helps you know how your character will benefit from your taking it out. This is where you can view how each creature increases your stats in specific areas like Strength, Speed, Defense, Spirit, Harmony, etc. Thus, the Acid Slimes you first encounter will, upon their demise, increase your stats +1 in Balance, the Blood Slime will increase +1 to Melting, the Dark Spiders will Increase +1 to Strength and Piercing, etc. Other stats can be affected, like the Blood Slime also increased my MP by +1, but the other stats will also increase with your gaining 'experience', or as game play progresses.
Also, for each successful hit you make upon a creature, and if you do not have your full total of HP's, then the hit you make will net you some HP back. It is usually only a small amount.
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Special Locations - Shops, Saves Points, WARP points.
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There are several locations that have 'markers' that look somewhat like tombstones that serve important functions. Save Points are obvious and have a star on the maps to identify them. The locations marked MP and HP on the maps are ones which allow you to trade equipment for potions. The locations marked ITEM are what I call 'smithy's', the places where you can repair your equipment. WARP points with an English letter (A, B, C...) are inter-Region WARP points, meaning they move you within the region you are currently in ONLY. WARP points without the letter take you to another WARP point in another region. These are the shortcuts you want to keep track of.
Below is the list of items in the CUNE shops. The items offered remain the same no matter where you find a CUNE shop.
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CUNE Shop
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The following are the items for trade grouped under their 'cost' in CUNES. They never change no matter where you find the CUNE Shop.
1 Cune
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*Torch* - You will need some of these but I really didn't use them very often. You will probably find enough of them to satisfy, so trade for them only if the need is great.
*Sacred Feather* - This item teleports you back to the LAST save point you saved at. This is necessary to get out of a few areas so keep a few of these in stock, but not until after exiting the HUMAN REALM. They are also helpful if you want to get back to a prior Realm where you saved but cannot walk back to because of various possible reasons. Several creatures will drop these and realistically, unless you are doing a lot of exploring, you shouldn't have to buy very many of these, if at all.
*Hpotion* - A very common item to find and have dropped. Add to that the fact you can trade old equipment at certain sites for Hpotions makes trading Cunes for these almost unnecessary. However, as already stated, this is to me the most essential item to survival in the game. Keep a good stock of these on hand. I kept a stock of 30 and had a few encounters where I went through 10 of them before I figured everything out.
*Mpotion* - Not as common an item to find and have dropped as the Hpotion, so you may wish to trade for a few of these. However, you will probably not use magic often enough in the first half of the game and since these max out your MP's, then they become seldom needed until later. Add to that the fact you can trade old equipment at MP sites for Mpotions makes trading Cunes for these unnecessary until later in the game if you find yourself short. Again, keep several of these on hand, especially after you reach the EARTH REALMs because this is where you will begin to use magic.
*Anti-Venom* - a pretty common item that is dropped and found. Trade for only if you have had a hard time finding any (unlikely!).
3 Cunes
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*Soul Pod-14* - These should be towards the top of your list of things to trade for. You WANT these.
*Dorado's Ashes* - You will find many of these but you may determine you need to trade for a few of them. Keep some on hand for emergencies.
5 Cunes
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*Soul Pod-29* - These also should be towards the top of your list of things to trade for. You REALLY WANT these.
7 Cunes
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*Deadly Broad Sword* - The first Region of the EARTH REALM has the Broad Sword lying on the ground. This sword is a slight improvement over that weapon. Wait and decide if you need it after finishing that Region.
9 Cunes
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*Harden Gauntlet* - You will have obtained dropped Gauntlets by the time you can reasonably afford this. There are several in the EARTH WORLDS and at least one in the FIRE WORLD. Wait and determine if you can live without it.
10 Cunes
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*Beast Key* (BEAST WORLD Item) - Wait to buy this. You will need it in the Screeching Region of the BEAST WORLD to take out three monsters and collect three Cunes and a sword. This appears to be the only place to use it and therefore does not really net a good return for the investment. Personally, I only traded for it to be able to raise my stats some and to try to take out all the creatures and collect all the Cunes possible by the end of the game.
*Bracelet of Movement* - Long before you can afford this, you will very likely have already have encountered a creature that drops one similar. Low priority.
12 Cunes
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*Keenest Bastard Sword* - By the time you can afford this, you really don't need it. To think you have to trade for this when there are so many better weapons available both before and after you can afford to part with 12 Cunes. Nice weapon, but is it REALLY worth it?
16 Cunes
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*Fortune Great Helm* - Perhaps the best magic aiding helm, and worth waiting for. It is VERY heavy headgear.
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REPAIR Shop (Smithy's)
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I call them Smithy's, but they are just item repair shops. When you find one, you can exchange your HP's to repair any item in your possession that has degraded in durability, point for point. However, if you have allowed the durability of an item to be reduced to zero (0) then you have effectively 'broken' that item. The cost of repair becomes much higher, especially with high durability items. So never let durability reach zero on any item if you can help it. You will also see how Hpotions become the most valuable item in the game.
A great tactic to use for efficient repairing is as follows. Let's say you arrive at a Smithy with about half your HP's. Go to the Smithy and repair everything you can with the HP's remaining, then leave. Now, stop and re-equip yourself with every piece of equipment that will increase your STRENGTH as much as possible, and that includes checking the Amulets, Bracelets and Rings. The Magical Amulet, Deadly Bracelet, and Dark Ring all add to your strength. It is possible to equip yourself with enough strength boosting items to raise your strength up really high, but remember the added weight of all those items should not exceed your carrying limit. If you exceed that you will begin to loose HP's rapidly, depending on how much you exceed your carrying capacity by.
Now, once you have maxed your strength out, use an Hpotion to max out your HP's, then visit the Smithy again to finish repairing all your items. It may be necessary to do this several times. By the time you finish with this, you will have made effective use of your equipment to enhance your Repairing ability. You can now switch back to whatever armor/weapon/accessory items you want for the next battle.