Retro Game Walkthroughs for Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360)
Submitted By: delta
Welcome to the Ninja Gaiden II Guide!
Chapter 1: Sky City TokyoKey Items
* The Art of the Inferno
* Lunar Staff
* Lives of a Thousand Gods (1)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objectives
* Head towards the top of the building.
* Find the Card Key in the stairwell.
* Defeat the Shadow Ninja.
Muramasa House
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Ryu before the camera surrounded by the Black Ninja Clan.
A group of Black Spider Ninjas stand outside Muramasa's house. If you want to kill them quickly, perform repeated Flying Swallows and Obliteration techniques. Otherwise, use them as practice -- block and counterattack, slash and combo. Before running into Muramasa's house through the crack on the door, head around the house, towards the left, until you spot the Statue of the Earth Dragon, a save point that not only saves progress but refills health. Press the RB button to save your game.
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Statue of the Earth Dragon: Enemies must not be around when using the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Get rid of the enemy before using the statue; otherwise, the Statue won't work!
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Enter Muramasa's house through the front door.
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"You don't know her?" says Muramasa, talking about the woman kidnapped by the Black Spider Ninja Clan.
Stairs
The cut-scene ended, you must head through the gate in the distance, and then descend the stairs where Black Spider Ninjas will try to ambush you. Perform Flying Swallows or Obliteration Techniques while using the walls to your advantage. (Run across the walls to create space between you and the ninjas.)
Look for a chest containing the Reverse Wind Technique by the door at the bottom of the stairs.
Chest: Reverse Wind Technique
LT + L to perform a quick dash in the direction indicated by the Left Stick. Used to dodge enemy attacks or to get close.
Achievement Mastered Wind 5G: Stay in guard while moving the left analog stick towards the left or right direction. You'll dodge to the sides and unlock the Achievement.
Hallway
After kicking down the big wooden doors, prepare for danger in the narrow hallway, as Black Spider Ninjas will immediately rush towards you. Kill them quickly before entering the room down the hall, where in the middle of the room is a cluster of Blue Essence in a chest.
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"...prepare for danger in the narrow hallway, as Black Spider Ninjas will immediately rush towards you."
Chest: Blue Essence
Blue Essence heals you, and is found in chests or dropped by the enemy.
The Wall Run (Technique of Shadowless Footsteps): The room leads to a narrow hallway filled with ninjas, and a hole on the ground near the end of the hallway. The gap is too large to jump over, so what should you do? Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the wall. Run towards the wall at an angle before jumping on it. By holding the left analog stick in the forward direction, Ryu will run across the wall for a limited time.
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Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the wall. Run towards the wall at an angle before jumping on it.
Down into the gap
Don't panic if you drop into the gap. Search the ground for a chest containing the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps. Carefully read the instructions explained on the scroll, then apply the techniques on the two walls located closely together. Jump from wall to wall in order to propel your body to the top.
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Bird Flip up the wall to get back on the top floor.
The Technique of Shadowless Footsteps
Jump with the A button towards a wall, then hold the L analog stick forward to run along the wall.
You can unlock the Mastered Shadowless Footsteps Achievement by jumping from wall to wall towards the top of the platform.
Across the gap
The room after the gap contains the scroll the Furious Wind Technique in a chest, and the Art of the Inferno, a Ninpo specializing in fire attacks, in a chest by the shrine. Grab the Art of Inferno before moving onto the wooden balcony, where you'll see a secret surprise.
Chest: The Furious Wind Technique
Location: In the small alcove past the gap on the floor.
Press LT + L while blocking an enemy attack to quickly dash away. When your defense has been broken, use it to swiftly avoid further damage.
Chest: The Art of the Inferno (Ninpo)
Location: In the room past the gap on the floor.
The Inferno's blaze reduces your enemies to ashes. (Press Y + B buttons to activate the Ninpo. You must have Ki to use Ninpo.
Standing on the wooden balcony, look in the background for a glowing white object. A Crystal Skull sits on the roof in the background. Stand on the edge of the wooden deck and look for small wooden roof on the far right of the Crystal Skull -- that's your target, and where you must land. Should you fall when attempting the jump, get back to the balcony by climbing the ladder near the wooden railing.
Crystal Skull
Location: On a roof.
A legendary out-out-place artifact known since the ancient times.
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Situational: If you fall off the balcony when running across the wall for the Crystal Skull. You could also run towards the skull when you first see it then at the edge of the balcony jump and press Y to perform the Flying Swallow move and that will get you behind the Crystal Skull.
270x200Don't feel bad if you don't get the Crystal Skull on your first try. In fact, falling to the bottom floor can bring great fortune. By going up two sets of stairs from the bottom floor, you'll find the Lives of a Thousand Gods, an item increasing overall health, in a chest by the foot of a shrine.
Up a set of stairs and by the door is a chest with the Herb of Spiritual Life, an item restoring a small amount of health. Going through the door, you'll be in a narrow room and see a pole over a large gap.
Narrow room
More Black Spider Clan Ninjas will attack you in the narrow room. They're not too hard, and will easily die by a combination of Flying Swallows, decapitations, and counters. Kill them before running across the wall to get to the other side. If you fall during the wall run, look for a ladder against the wall and use it to climb back to the floor.
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Jump towards the pole and Ryu automatically grabs the pole, swinging in a loop until you decide to jump off.
Gymnastics 101: The gap in the floor is too long to jump, but wait, there's a pole jutting from the wall. Jump towards the pole and Ryu automatically grabs the pole, swinging in a loop until you decide to jump off. And don't worry about looking for treasure if you fall off the pole; you won't find anything on the bottom floor. When you've crossed the gap, look for the corpse on the ground holding the scroll of the Obliteration Technique. Next, run on the scaffolding and past the big barrels until you see a corpse next to the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Scroll: The Obliteration Technique
Location: Found immediately after swinging on the pole.
Press Y button near an enemy that has lost an arm or leg to finish them off.
Unlock Master of Obliteration Achievement.
Scroll: The Flying Bird Technique.
Location: On the corpse by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Jump at a wall and press the A button repeatedly to scale two opposing walls. Allows you to reach higher ground without using a ladder.
Mastered Flying Bird Flip Achievement.
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The Flying Bird Technique.
In a yard
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before performing the Flying Bird Flip on the wall behind the statue. By scaling the wall, you'll be under a cherry blossom tree in a yard above ground. Be prepared for the archers shooting flaming arrows on the second floor. When you feel as though all the enemies are killed, jump down into the water way and go right into the open area where you will be attacked. kill these guys and then walk round the corner to the wooden platform, there will be a chest with a 'Life of the Gods' inside. After opening the chest head back to where you just came from but this time continue to the far left side on the waterway to get another chest filled with yellow essence. Cross the stone bridge and carefully walk across the cobbled road, where more ninjas will appear.
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Jump towards the pole and swing yourself over to the other side.
On the path sloping downwards, you'll see a pagoda in the background, and archers firing flaming arrows. This area is a good place to farm yellow essence. Merely walk onto the sloping path to spawn footsoldiers, and then retreat , avoiding the archers/ rocket launchers (Path of the Mentor). Between two and four soldiers will chase you, making each fight fairly easy.
On the pagoda where the archers stand there is a 'Crystal Skull' . To reach it you have to walk a little down the hill untill you see a tree on your right, there you will have to do a Flying Bird Flip off the tree to land on a ledge leading to the pagoda. continuing on you'll soon encounter a set of wooden stairs and platforms, and a pole over a gap. Jump towards the pole and swing yourself over to the other side. The next obstacle involves two swinging poles, but before you swing across the gap, head down into the gap to find a Life of the Gods in the chest by the end of the room. To get back on higher ground, head in the opposite direction of the chest, past the guys in the hallway, until you see a ladder at the end of the room.
270x200Chest: Life of the Gods
Location: On the bottom floor under two the swinging poles.
Chest: Blue Essence
A chest filled with blue Essence is by the ladder.
After maneuvering past the two poles over a gap, climb the ladder and turn right for an Herb of Spiritual Life. And don't forget to save your progress at the Statue of the Earth Dragon at the top of the stairs on the floor below the Herb of Spiritual Life. Just past the Herb of Spiritual Life is a corpse holding the scroll of the Flying Swallow Technique.
Scroll: The Flying Swallow Technique
Location: Examine the corpse found after the Herb of Spiritual Life.
Jump forward and press the Y button to attack enemies from above. Must have Dragon Sword equipped.
Mastered Flying Swallow technique Achievement.
On a balcony overlooking the Tokyo skyline
A battle takes place on a balcony outside the room containing the Lunar Staff, a long two-handed weapon harnessing the power of the moon. Before receiving the Lunar Staff, you must battle a group of Black Spider Clan Ninjas and flame ninjas, and when they're defeated, the large wooden doors will open.
Make sure to kill the ninjas firing flaming projectiles before killing the supporting ninjas. The ninjas firing projectiles will teleport around the area, but you can track them by using the Flying Swallows. Be careful not to abuse the Flying Swallow, because a mistimed, poorly executed Flying Swallow will leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks.
The doors will open after all the ninjas are defeated, revealing a large shrine in the middle of the room, flanked by a chest containing red Essence and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. When you've removed the Lunar Staff from the statue, exit the room and head around the building, where you'll see a set of stairs under an opened gate. The Ultimate Technique scroll is found on the corpse at the bottom of the stairs.
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The doors will open after all the ninjas are defeated, revealing a large shrine in the middle of the room, flanked by a chest containing red Essence and the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Weapon: Lunar Staff
Location: From the statue.
A staff said to harbor the mysterious powers of the moon.
Scroll: The Ultimate Technique
Location: Past the room with the Lunar Staff, on a corpse at the bottom of the stairs.
Hold Y button to charge, then release. The longer you charge, the more powerful your attack.
Master Ultimate Technique Achievement.
The bridge and the house
The notebook of Obliteration Technique is found after the bridge on a corpse lying in a yard. Just beyond the corpse in a house with an opened door. While entering the house, immediately look down at the corpse on the ground under the door, his arm clutching the scroll the Technique of Ultimate Guidance.
Notebook: Obliteration Technique by Zenimaru
Location: On a corpse at the end of a bridge.
Scroll: The Technique of Ultimate Guidance
Location: On the corpse lying by the door.
When there is Essence nearby, hold the Y button to absorb and charge your Ultimate Technique. Your Ultimate Technique will charge faster, and any enemies hit with the attack will drop more Essence than usual.
Inside the house
The house has an entrance and exit, and a secret room covered behind a panel containing Grains of Spiritual Life in a chest and yellow essence in three big jars on the ground. The secret room is on the opposite side of the exit, behind a small panel that can be destroyed. Grab the Grains and the Yellow Essence before heading into the yard filled with enemies.
Secret Room
Location: Starting from the corpse in the doorway, turn right and slash the panel to uncover a secret room.
Grains of Spiritual Life in a chest, which restores a moderate amount of health.
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Backyard
Kill the ninjas in the backyard before entering the second house. Inside the house, pick up the Yellow Essence in the chest, then slash the wall panels to uncover a narrow hallway leading to another yard, where you'll see Muramasa's Shop under the trees by a large boulder. By now, you should have enough Yellow Essence to upgrade the Dragon Sword. Why upgrade? Upgrading increases the power of the weapon, so the more upgrades, the more powerful the weapon is.
The water well
When you're done shopping at Muramasa's shop, look for the hidden well near the boulder on the right of the shop. By jumping into the well, you'll fall through a long shaft populated by bats. Don't ignore the bats but kill them for their Yellow and Blue Essence. Afterwards, exit the well by going through the door, and look for a corpse holding the notebook of Shadowless Footsteps on the scaffold several feet away from the well. Now, make your way to the top of the scaffolds.
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Jump into the well near the boulder on the right of the shop.
Notebook: Shadowless Footsteps by Hikage-o
Location: Outside the exit of the water well.
Chest: Devil Way Mushroom
Location: Down the ramp and by the iron rods.
Restores a small amount of Ki.
The suspended wall
Chest: Blue Essence
The scaffolds beyond the water well will take you to a wall swaying in the air -- a natural environment obstacle testing your ninja mobility. Run across the wall using the Technique of Shadowless footsteps, and proceed to the end of the scaffold for Blue Essence in a chest.
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To proceed farther into the level, you must jump off from the disconnected guard rail.
Along the way to the Blue Essence in a chest, you may have noticed a section of the guard rail is missing, disconnected, mangled, stray bars jutting in every direction. The location is hard to see, especially since the camera is behind your shoulder, obscuring that vital location. To proceed farther into the level, you must jump off from the disconnected guard rail. Fall of the scaffold, then battle the enemies down below. And, oh, look for the corpse on the ground holding the notebook Furious Wind.
Notebook: Furious Wind by Hayate-maru
Location: After jumping off the disconnected section of the guard rail. On a corpse on the ground.
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The Tokyo skysrcaper.
Skyscraper
Key Points
* Find the cracked Card Key and use it to unlock the door.
* Get to the Elevator Control Room.
In the skyscraper, you must find the cracked Cark Key to unlock the Elevator Control Room. To find the Card Key, go up three sets of stairs to the top of the stairwell, where a chest contains the crack Card Key. (At the bottom of the stairwell is a dead end room with a Devil Way Mushroom in a chest.)
Elevator Control Room
Return to the elevator lobby, and head towards the right into the hallway. Ahead of you will be a large window overlooking the city skyline, and on your left will be the Elevator Control Room, where you'll see a damaged elevator control, and a corpse holding the notebook Flying Bird by the foot of the ladder. After climbing the ladder, go down the hallway, and when you reach the end of the hallway, perform the Flying Bird Flip to go up shaft towards the top of the room.
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The elevator control room.
Notebook: Flying Bird by Mogura
Location: On the corpse by the ladder in the Elevator Control Room.
At the top of the shaft are ninjas, Muramasa's Shop, the Grains of Spiritual Life, and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Remember, you can't use the Statue of the Earth Dragon if there are enemies in the room, so kill them all to save your progress and to replenish your life. The ninjas in the room are aggressive and will attack relentlessly. If you're feeling overwhelmed, do you best to counter their attacks, perform constant Flying Swallows, and instant charges into Ultimate Techniques. And make sure to target the Flame Ninjas before attacking the ancillary ninjas. After that, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading up the stairs, where you'll fight the first boss, Shadow Ninja Rossetsoul.
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The Shadow Ninja.
Boss: Shadow Ninja
Boss attacks
* Throw: A sudden lunge taking you close to the boss' jaws. Look for both arms extending horizontally. Can't be blocked. You must have quick reflexes to react and dodge the throw.
* Throw: A quick lunge ending in bear hug. Can't be blocked. This throw is much harder to spot, since the boss telegraphs the attack for a brief second. The best strategy is to stay mobile, dashing to the sides whenever you get in a few slashes on its body.
* Jumps: Jumps on you, of course. The boss will place all four feet on the ground before jumping towards your location. To dodge the attack, perform repeated dashes until the boss stop jumping. Alternatively, you could wait until the last second to dash away from the attack, but this strategy is risky.
* Wind Blades: You must dodge the Wind Blades. Fortunately for you, the boss hardly performs the Wind Blades.
* Cartwheel attack: The boss executes a slow moving cartwheel across the ground. Since it's slow, you can easily spot it and react with a block. Plus, upon blocking, you may execute a counterattack.
* Roar: The bad news: the boss regains energy if left uninterrupted. The good news: while in the roaring animation, the boss won't attack or move for a short time -- the perfect opportunity to attack it with a light slash combo.
Blocking and attacking with light slashes (X button) are the two main strategies in the fight against the Shadow Ninja. You must block the boss' attacks while waiting for the right moment to strike; otherwise, the boss will block most of your attacks, placing you in a very vulnerable position.
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To avoid the bear hug, stay mobile, dashing to the sides whenever you get in a few slashes on its body.
Guard and move: Stand in guard and wait for the boss to come to you. Block the attacks, then counterattack or combo with light strikes, followed by an immediate jump or dash to the sides in order to place a safe distance between you and the boss.
When you should strike
* Attack after the boss whiffs its attacks in a lengthy combo string.
* After blocking the cartwheel attack, perform a counterattack or use repeated light slashes (X, X, X, X button).
* Attack during the boss "roar" animation, in which the boss stands on its two legs, its arm stretched in the air, replenishing its health if left uninterrupted.
Attack and runaway: When slashing at the boss, you may have noticed the boss will try to counterattack during your combo, and often times, knock you out of your combo. Don't get too caught up in the slashing frenzy; be prepared to stop the attack, and to dodge or jump away from the boss. Remember, you can cancel the lag after a light slash by dodging to the sides or by throwing a Shuriken.
When its life is low, the boss slumps to the floor on its knees, vulnerable for a short time. Take advantage of the situation and slash the boss!
Beating the boss unlocks the Achievement Finished Chapter 01 for 10G.
Chapter 2: The Castle of the Dragon
Key items
* Falcon's Talon
* Fiend's Bane Bow
* Rod of Trial
* Crystal Skull (2)
* Life of the Gods
Objectives
* Shoot the Fiend's Bane Bow at two green targets.
* Solve the dragon puzzle.
* Defeat Genshin.
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"Corruption of the soul is a fate that befalls the weak."
The hunt for the Demon Statue takes Ryu to the Castle of the Dragon, where Genshin, the leader of the Black Spider Ninja Clan, and Joe Hayabusa are embroiled in a struggle for dominance in a room lit on fire.
You'll find the notebook of the Flying Swallow on a corpse lying past the red pillars near the start of the chapter. The stoned stairs, filled with ninjas and bats, leads to Muramasa's shop in a village. If you've fought most of the enemies, you'll have at least 10,000 Yellow Essence, just enough to upgrade the Dragon Sword, or if you don't want to upgrade the dragon sword 10,000 Yellow Essence is enough to upgrade any weapon to level two. The double doors nex to Murasama's shop leads to a chest containing a Life of the Gods; there are several ninjas that attack. Down the road from the shop, look at the ground for another corpse on the road. This time, you'll find the notebook of Reverse Wind by Sanyodo.
Notebook: The Flying Swallow by Tori-no-Shin
Location: Near the start of the chapter, on a corpse lying past the red pillars.
Notebook: Reverse Wind by Sanyodo
Location: On a corpse past Muramasa's shop, right before the first battle against a wolf pack.
Chest: Life of the Gods
Location: A chest through the double doors next to Murasama's shop.
The wolf pack
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Keep moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated.
The wolves are dangerous, to say the least. Gnawing, clawing, pouncing -- part of the pack will be dangerously offensive, while the others stay in the background waiting to pounce when a teammate is in trouble. The best way to handle them? The Art of the Inferno. If you don't feel like wasting your Ninpo, perform multiple Flying Swallows, keep moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated. An Herb of Spiritual Life is on a corpse by the wooden railing.
A nasty bite: When the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
The river
A Crystal Skull is on the floor in the river. Hold the Left Trigger and the A button to dive towards the Crystal Skull on the bottom floor, then run on the water, past the archers, and towards the pier. The dirt path from the pier leads to another village. Before reaching the Statue of the Earth Dragon, make sure to inspect the corpse for the Counter Attack Technique scroll.
Crystal Skull
Location: In the river near the beginning of the chapter.
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Running across water: Press the A button to jump, then rapidly press the A button to run across the water.
Scroll: The Counter Attack Technique
Location: After the river and before the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
While blocking an enemy strike, press X or Y button to counter attack.
Inside the house
Inspect the front yard for a corpse holding the notebook Ultimate Guidance.
Inside the house, you'll find Blue Essence in a chest, Grains of Spiritual Life in the corner, and Falcon's Talons on a table in a tiny nook in the corner. Get all the items before exiting through the door and entering the yard.
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The Falcon's Talons is on a table in a tiny nook in the corner.
Corpse: The Ultimate Guidance by Oshi-no-Juo
Location: On the frontyard right before the entrance of the house.
Weapon: Falcon's Talons
Location: On the table in a tiny nook by the corner.
Short-ranged claws meant for combos.
Outside the house
Don't run up the stairs just yet! This part of the chapter is very important if you want the Rod of Trial, an item granting access to the Test of Valor, a series of challenges found in several chapters that, upon completion of a test, will generously reward the victor with rare and useful items.
Rod of Trial: In order to get the Rod of Trial, defeat all the enemies running down from the stair and into the yard. When you've killed all the ninjas, the candles behind the fence will light up and the Rod of Trial will appear. If you're having a hard time defeating the enemy in the yard, target the archers around the perimeter before killing the ninjas rushing towards you. The arrows from the archer are difficult to spot, especially if you're surrounded by a group of ninjas.
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In order to get the Rod of Trial, defeat all the enemies running down from the stair and into the yard.
"A rod symbolizing the fighting spirit, cast from the purest of gold. Those upon whom it is bestowed face an endless path of battle, as though they walked through the underworld itself. It is said that those who carry it must face hordes of opponents in fights to the death known as Tests of Valor. According to legend, this treasure was one possessed by the god of war himself."
Stairs
Now, with the Rod of Trail in your inventory, head up the stairs and through the hills. Flaming archers shoot arrows from a platform, and are too high too be hit. Ignore them and run past them until you see the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop near a house on fire, or if you really want to kill the archers Bird Flip up to one of the platforms, kill the archer and then jump over to the other platform. Save your game and shop for items and before walking through the cave. The path in the cave leads to a house overlooking a snowcapped mountain, possibly Mount Fuji, and a corpse holding the Counter Attack notebook.
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Ignore the archers and run past them until you see the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop near a house on fire.
Notebook: Counter Attack by Inoshis
Location: Between the two stairs, next to the house on fire.
House
Around the house are more stairs to run, more archers to fight, and more ninjas to kill. If you're not worried about collecting Yellow Essence and Karma points, you can run through the house without killing a single enemy. Ignoring the enemy can be a valuable strategy, especially when your life is low, or when the situation is too dangerous. In the screenshot, we ran past the archers in the house, because there was no easy way to breach their defenses, but if you have time jump and throw your shurikens to kill all the archers and get a easy Feat of a Hundred Slashes Achievement.
You can find a Devil Way Mushroom near the stairs, beyond the room with the flaming archers.
The wooden planks
After running up the stairs, you'll be in a yard enclosed by a wall, where enemies will drop from the roof and attack. Also, the notebook Ultimate Technique is on a corpse lying by the door to the house. Take the notebook before running up the wooden planks against the wall.
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Take the notebook before running up the wooden planks against the wall.
Notebook: Ultimate Technique by Tsuneckichi
Location: Under the torch and by the door.
Roof of the house
By walking up the planks, you'll end up on the roof of a house. There's a hole on the roof at the end of the section, so jump through it to enter the house.
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Jump into the hole on the roof.
Inside the house
Objective: Pick up the bow by the stairs, and shoot arrows at the two green targets.
Be prepared for the enemy once you drop into the house, because enemy ninjas will attack immediately when you land on the floor. Stick to Flying Swallows and counterattacks, and you should be fine. If you're low on life after the battle, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon in the end of the room. Your life healed, go towards the base of the stairs and look for the Fiend's Bane Bow on the wall. You'll need the bow for the upcoming puzzle.
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Go towards the base of the stairs and look for the Fiend's Bane Bow on the wall.
Weapon: Fiend's Bane Bow
Location: By the stairs, on the wall.
A powerful bow decorated with twin dragon head
Well, the puzzle isn't so much a puzzle as to an introduction in arrow and bow game design. Your objective is to shoot arrows at the green targets on the opposite side of the house. Go up the stairs, then press and hold the B button for a behind the shoulder view. Take aim at the green target and fire! Zooming on the target helps, too (press the R shoulder button). And if you need more arrows, take the arrows by the gate.
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Take aim at the green target and fire!
Save often!: Remember to save your game. Often! After knocking down the green target, head back to the Statue of the Earth Dragon to save your game. You'll need a fresh start for the upcoming miniboss.
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Miniboss: The spider from chapter 1
What's the best strategy to defeat the spider miniboss? The answer is crude but simple: three Art of the Inferno and several slashes with the Dragon Sword. That�s it! At the start of the match, run around the room in order to find a safe spot where you can cast the Art of Inferno. After the first Art of Inferno strikes the boss, repeat another one, then another. The result of three attacks is astonishing -- about 75 percent damage! Now, for the last quarter of health, get close to the spider boss and slash the crap out of it.
Inside the house
Objective: Slash the wall panels to uncover hidden rooms.
Find the room with the large dragon (behind the panels).
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Slash the panels, then head to the top of the stairs, where you'll see a corpse with the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, and a destructible wall panel across the large picture of a tiger, revealing a giant dragon statue in the middle of the room.
From the doorway, take the right path for Red Essence in a chest by the burning wall. Next, take the left path for Grains of Spiritual Life under the stairs, and to fight two archers in a room. Behind the archers is an arrow dump by the wall, accompanied by destructible wall panels painted with in tree motif. Slash the panels to uncover a Statue of the Earth Dragon and a set of stairs behind wall panels.
Stairs
Objective: Slash the panels near the corpse at the top of the stairs.
Solve the pedestal puzzle by finding the Vermillion Jewel and the Ultramarine Jewel.
At the top of the stairs, you'll find a corpse with the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, and a destructible wall panel across the large picture of a tiger, revealing a giant dragon statue in the middle of the room.
Scroll: The Technique of Unrivaled Soaring
Location: Slash the panels near the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and head towards the top of the stairs.
While running on a wall, press the A button to jump, then hold L to run along the next wall.
Puzzle: The pedestal
To solve the puzzle, you must acquire two jewels, the Vermillion and Ultramarine Jewel, found on either side of the room with giant dragon. Starting on the balcony with the pedestal, perform the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring to run across the wall and onto the adjacent balcony. Tear down the panels, fight off the archers, and grab the glowing jewels from the mantle against the wall.
* Left side of the room: Vermillion Jewel.
* Right side of the room: Ultramarine Jewel
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To solve the puzzle, you must acquire two jewels, the Vermillion and Ultramarine Jewel, found on either side of the room with giant dragon.
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Starting on the balcony with the pedestal, perform the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring to run across the wall and onto the adjacent balcony.
Arrows in your face: Archers are annoying, especially when they shoot you during the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, so kill the archers with arrows before running across the wall.
Crystal Skull
Location: After picking up the Ultramarine Jewel, walk through the adjacent storage closet and inspect the wooden counters for a Crystal Skull.
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When both jewels are in the pedestals, the dragon will lower its mouth, and a green circle will appear by the dragon. Shoot an arrow at the green circle. Now, Fast jump (X+A button) into the dragon's mouth, then climb through the hole in the wall to go on the roof.
On the roof
Head towards the top of the roof and enter a hole in the wall.
Top floor
Objective: Collect the Life of the Gods and a Lives of a Thousand Gods before going up the stairs to the top floor. There, open the screen door to trigger a cut-scene depicting Joe and Genshin fighting.
Through the hole, you'll see stairs on your right, a Lives of a Thousand Gods in a chest beyond the stairs, and a hole on the ground taking you to the bottom floor, where you can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and buy items from Muramasa's Shop. Climb the ladder between the Statue and the shop to get back to the top.
Up the stairs
Head down the stairs for the Life of the Gods on a corpse near the flaming wall.
Open the screen door on the other side of the room, triggering a cut-scene depicting Joe and Genshin in a conflict.
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The screen door.
Boss: Genshin
Attacks
* Flying Swallow: It's hard to tell when Genshin will perform a Flying Swallow. The best advice is staying in guard and dodging to the sides.
* Back evasive, then charge attack: A fakeout move. Genshin jumps back, evading most frontal attacks, then executes a quick charge attack. Don't bother guarding the charge attack. When you see Genshin jump back, dodge to the side and attack him after the charge attack.
* The Wind Blades: Keep running or dodging to the side.
* Cartwheel attack: A slow moving cartwheel across the ground. Since it's slow, you can easily spot it and react with a block or a dodge. After blocking, you may execute a counterattack; after dodging, combo with Light attacks.
* Five or six hit combo: Genshin loves this five/six hit combo string. He'll attack you whenever you're close, and will perform the combo in its entirety even if he misses and whiffs the entire combo. When you see him begin the combo, immediately dash around him, and attack with Light slashes after he completes the combo. Rely on this strategy to deplete most of his life.
Risky tactics you should avoid
* Jumping is risky; he'll catch you in midair.
* Arrows are worthless; he'll Flying Swallow before you get off a shot.
* The Art of the Inferno won't work well. As an offensive strategy, the Art of the Inferno is not the greatest thing to use but a good strategy is get him close and use it he will dodge it but then you can let loose at him with your sword, but be quick about it because he recovers fast.It wont work every time but it works for me a lot. As a defensive strategy, the Art of the Inferno is a success!
Usually, Genshin's first move is a Flying Swallow. Immediately dodge to the sides when the match begins. Wait for Genshin to begin his combo string, and then attack him with HEAVY (Y) attacks when he whiffs the combo. Keep moving around the room while staying in guard, and never jump to avoid his attack.
On the Mentor difficulty setting Genshin is joined by Flame Ninjas. If you dash twice directly away from Genshin two Flame Ninjas will jump right in front of you. It is possible to kill them both quickly using the ultimate technique or obliteration strategy before Genshin attacks you. There are several more Flame Ninjas in the room and you should kill them before you go after Genshin. If you plan on using Nimpo use it to kill the Flame Ninjas, since it doesn't ever hit Genshin. Once all the Flame Ninjas are dead you can focus on Genshin using the tips above.
Chapter 3: Thunderclap of Catastrophe
Key Items
* Art of the Wind Blades
* Crystal Skull (2)
* Test of Valor
Objective:
* Explore the sewers.
Alexei, one of the Four Greater Fiends, appears in New York, where the Fiends are transforming New York City into a Fiend Realm. Meanwhile, Elizebet has the Demon Statue.
From the start of the level, look straight and toward the right for Muramasa's shop by the Fortune store. There's an Herb of Spiritual Life behind Muramasa's shop in alley blocked by building debris. Up ahead, you'll fight a menacing purple creature, the Imp.
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The Imp.
With long sharp claws, gaunt arms, and an emaciated face, the Imp is a tough opponent who relies on strong attacks and throws. Blocking and counterattacking are almost useless, since Imps will throw and break your guard. Stay on the move and slash their bodies until a limb falls off, then execute an Obliteration. Or use the Ultimate Technique (charged instantly if essence is around or after a jump). You may use a Flying Swallow to get in close, but don't spam it -- Imps block occasionally, and will counterattack the Flying Swallow by hitting you in the air.
One of the most usefull weapons against Imps is the staff. Crushing their arms and legs works better than cutting them off. Also with the XXY attack you got almost an 80% chance of smashing their heads and therefore killing them instantly! But don't forget to keep on moving because they like to grab you a lot and fire purple flames at you when far away.
Art of the Wind Blades: When you see the words Light Step in yellow on a red sign, turn left and head down the alley. Take the Art of the Wind Blade from the corpse on the ground under the doorway.
Archers and Flame Ninjas will attack you in the alley. Refer to the enemy section on how to attack them.
You can find a blue essence in a chest behind a taxi, near the yellow Woodgroue Bank sign.
The stairs
While going up the stairs, you'll fight Flame Ninjas throwing Incendiary shuriken, and several archers at the top of the floor. Keep moving and dodging when fighting the ninjas, and try to execute Obliterate kills and Ultimate Techniques. At the end of the floor is a Statue of the Earth Dragon, and at the end of the stairs is a Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: At the top of the stairs.
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Statue of the Earth Dragon
After acquiring the Crystal Skull, go to the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and look for a tiny alley by it. Perform a Flying Bird Flip on the walls to reach the top of the building, where you'll battle Flame Ninjas and Mages and Dragons.
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Look for a tiny alley by the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and perform a Flying Bird Flip on the walls.
Dragons
A dragon flies in the air while spitting fireballs toward your location. The fireballs move slowly, and can be dodged easily by moving in a lateral direction. To kill a dragon, use a projectile weapon -- an arrow, Incendiary shuriken, or a projectile Ninpo. A fully charged arrow will kill a dragon; two Incendiary shuriken will kill a dragon; and the Art of the Piercing Void or Art of the Inferno will kill a dragon.
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To kill a dragon, use a projectile weapon -- an arrow, Incendiary shuriken, or a projectile Ninpo.
If you're out of arrows, grab more arrows off the corpse on the ground near the railing. Next, jump off the building and land on the platforms below, not the streets. Before landing on the streets, run across the wall towards the chest with Yellow Essence on the adjacent platform. Then, prepare for a fight against murderous wolves on the city street.
Wolves
The wolves are dangerous, to say the least. Gnawing, clawing, pouncing -- part of the pack will be dangerously offensive, while others stay in the background waiting to pounce when a teammate is in trouble. The best way to handle them? The Art of the Inferno. If you don't feel like wasting your Ninpo, perform multiple Flying Swallows, moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated.
A nasty bite: When the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
Lost a lot of life? Open the chest at the back of the alley for five balls of Blue Essence.
Shimmy across the wire
Now that the wolves are dead, return to the rooftop where you had fought the dragons, and look for a long wire connecting two buildings together. Be careful when you're shimmying on the wire, because archers will shoot fire arrows. Shoot the archers with arrows before shimmying across the wire. (Press the R trigger to zoom in on a target.)
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Shimmy across the long wire connecting two buildings together.
The streets
Before jumping off the building through the break in the railing, grab the Herb of Spiritual Life in the chest in the corner of the rooftop. Then jump down to the city streets, where you'll battle a group of Imps.
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Jump through the break in the railing.
The Herb of Spiritual Life is by the NYPD sign. When you see the Litware and M Electronics signs, turn right and look for a corpse carrying the notebook the Four Greater Fiends, part 1 in the alley.
At the end of the street is a large hole on the ground leading into the underground sewer. Jump down the hole.
Sewer
Save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon before exploring the narrow sewer. If you're having problems fighting the Imps, refer to the Enemy section. Don't get trapped in the corner, and use the Art of the Inferno if you don't have time to dodge.
The corpse by the ladder carries a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Next, get above ground and look for an opened cell door, which takes you further down into the sewer.
Running obstacle
Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the brick wall, followed by a jump towards the pipe. Repeat this step to cross the gap.
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Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the brick wall, followed by a jump towards the pipe.
If you fall off, swim to the surface, and grab the Notebook Unrivaled Soaring from the corpse near the stairs. The path towards the top is disconnected, so you must run across the wall and jump to the adjacent wall.
Notebook: Unrivaled Soaring by Heijuro
Location: After falling off the wall, you'll land in a pool of water. Climb out and look for the corpse by the stairs.
Run across the brick walls
All the obstacles in the sewer involve running across the wall and/or grabbing onto a pipe. Remember, if you're standing before a large gap, look for a brick wall to run on. If you see an enemy on the opposite side, shoot charged arrows before crossing the gap. (Headshots with a charged arrow work beautifully.)
Notebook: The Technique of the Invisible Path
Location: After the Statue of the Earth Dragon, before you shimmy across the wire.
Crystal Skull
Location: A bit past Muramasa's shop. Run across the two brick walls and jump from one wall to the other wall.
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When you've acquired the Crystal Skull jump in the waters below, and swim around the area for the Life of the Gods in a chest.
The fan room
Objective: Shoot the glowing blue orb on the fan.
The room is divided into sections and blocked by spinning giant fans. To stop a fan, you must shoot the blue orb with an arrow, upon which opens a new section of the room. Explore the room and shoot the blue circles on the fan. When you're moving under the fan blades, look for a hole in the top left corner of a fan. You can't reach this area by jumping alone, though. Run across the wall and jump towards a pipe jutting from the wall before jumping through the hole. Falling down the shaft, you'll land in a pool of water. Continue to be submerged under water and look for an opening along the walls, then swim through the pipe until emerging onto a dilapidated part of the sewer. There, you can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Run across the wall and jump towards a pipe jutting from the wall before jumping through the hole.
At this point in the sewer, dive under water and look for an opened pipe that you can swim through. Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before going up the brick building, where archers and Imp will try to ambush you.
The brick building
Archers and Imps are found throughout the building. To kill the archers, shoot them with charged arrows; the Imps, kill them with Ultimate Techniques and Obliteration kills, and if you're far from them, shoot their heads off with a charged arrow. Finally, when you've killed them, run across the walls before jumping onto another wall. Outside the building is a Statue of the Earth Dragon on a platform that's out of reach. For now.
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Archers and Imps are found throughout the building.
Up ahead on the path, you'll see large stairs crafted into a rocky hill, on which is a corpse carrying the notebook of the Invisible Path.
Notebook: Invisible Path by Sadamichi
Location: On the rocky stairs below Muramasa's shop.
The rocky hill
On this hill are Statue of the Earth Dragon, Muramasa's shop, and the Test of Valor. The Test of Valor can only be initiated if you have the Rod of Trials found in Chapter 2. Don't have the Rod of Trials? Sorry, but you'll have to reset your game and play Chapter 2 again.
Test of Valor
Reward: Lives of a Thousand Gods
Mages and Flame Ninjas are your first test, their sheer number overpowering those who are too slow to reach to their advances. Flame Ninjas are naturally aggressive, so be prepared to dodge and jump a lot during the battle. Read the enemy strategies in the SuperGuide for detailed instructions on how to beat the Archers and Flame Ninja.
The best way to handle the mobs of regular ninjas is as follows: If the Falcon's Talons upgraded to level 2, you have access to the very powerful Izuna Drop technique, with the added benefit of it being very easy to pull off with the claws. Simply jump towards an enemy and press the Y button (as if you were doing a Flying Swallow with the Dragon Sword). Ryu will zoom towards an enemy and automatically knock them upward, after that quickly press X then Y to have Ryu deliver a powerful spinning piledriver. Not only does it grant you invincibility frames during the throw animation, but also has a high chance of outright killing the enemy you grabbed upon completion of the throw. As a bonus, it does splash damage to surrounding enemies when you impact the ground, affording you valuable breathing room.
Another useful technique is the Guillotine Throw. When you have the Dragon Sword equipped, jump towards an enemy and press X and A simultaneously. Ryu will toss the enemy, using them as an improvised projectile against other enemies and putting distance between you and the target. Remember, if you a Flame Ninja sticks you with a Incendiary shuriken, hold block (R shoulder button) until the shuriken explodes.
And don't worry about wasting Ninpo! Your Ki will refill in full after the test.
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Train tracks
Save at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before exploring the train and the train tracks, where you'll fight a group of Imps. Beyond the Imp is the chapter boss, a flying metallic �fish?
Boss: Fish
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Attacks
* Flying fish: Can't be blocked. You must run and dodge to the sides. When killed, the Flying Fish may give you Yellow or Blue Essence. Can be killed with a single uncharged arrow. If you are quick enough you can tap B to rapid fire arrows at them as they approach.
* Electrocution: The fish sends out electricity when you're too close to its body. Can't be blocked.
* Electric Balls: Dash to the sides in order to avoid the electric balls.
* Ram: Catches you in his mouth and scrapes you against the wall.
* Ghost Mask: A slow moving projectile that tracks your movement. Use Ninpo to avoid the mask. The mask has a hard time making sharp turns, if you are quick you can easily avoid it by running to the side of it. It will explode before it has a chance to turn around and you will avoid the blast. This tactic works best from the center of the room.
Weakpoint: The head and when it's upside down.
Strategy: Shoot the head with arrows and hit the body with your melee weapon ONLY when it's upside down.
The boss battle is dependant on arrows. But what if you don't have any arrows? Luckily for you, there are corpses on either end of the tunnel that replenish your arrow supply. Arrows will provide a reliable source of damage, however the boss will occasionally flip upside down and become vulnerable to melee attacks. While the boss is upside down the electrocution attack becomes disabled temporarily. During this time melee attacks will deal crushing blows to the boss.
Once you have the arrows, get into the corner of the room (we chose the left corner at the starting point) and shoot arrows at the fish's head. Remember, the head is the boss' weakest point, so don't waste your shots by shooting anything but the head. Charge your shots fully before firing. If you're having problems aiming, zoom in on the boss by press the R shoulder button. Some players may prefer to stand around the middle of the room, especially if they want to try the melee tactic. It is easier to avoid the boss's attacks in the center of the room and you won't have to rely on ninpo invincibility either.
Watching the video, you can tell that our strategy was crude yet simple. We stood in the corner firing charged arrows at the boss' head, and once in a while, executed an Art of the Inferno Ninpo whenever the boss attacked us. The reason for the Ninpo? The Ninpo wasn't meant for damage but for protection. When activating a Ninpo, you'll immediately enter an invincibility state, interrupting any enemy attack, until the Ninpo completes its animations frames. The invincibility advantage is incredibly helpful in this boss battle!
Read the boss thread for more information about the boss.
Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess
Key Items
* Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang
* Life of the Gods
* Jewel of the Demon Seal
* Crystal Skull (3)
* Test of Valor
Objectives
* Get out of the sewers.
* Explore Liberty Island.
* Beat Alexei
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"Even the greatest slumber can be disrupted."
Subway
Greater Fiend Alexei has transformed the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. The subway is a linear path leading towards street level, and throughout the chapter, you'll fight Flame Ninjas and Imps. Before fighting the Flame Ninjas in the subway, upgrade the Dragon Sword and buy health items at Muramasa's Shop. For most players, the difficulty will get much harder when fighting Imps and Dragons in the subway boarding stations. (Refer to enemy strategies for ways to beat them.) Eventually, you'll have to go through an Exit sign, and run up a flight of stairs, where you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon.
The turnstile
You'll fight Mages and Black Spider Ninjas in the boarding area. Keep moving and target the Mages first before killing the Black Spider Ninjas. Refer to the enemy strategies if you want specific ways to kill them. Just remember: Ultimate Techniques and Obliteration kills are your best friends. In the office is an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest by the wall. Finally, exit through the turnstile below the red Exit sign. A Devil Way Mushroom is at the end of the hall. Use the save spot again before you leave the subway.
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Exit the subway through the turnstile below the red Exit sign.
Clue: Explosive force is needed to break through this grating. So stand close to the grating and throw an Incendiary shuriken, then walk up the stairs to street level.
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Stand close to the grating and throw an Incendiary shurikenl.
The streets
Wolves with knifes and Incendiary shurikens will immediately attack you outside the sewers. Use this strategy: In the air, use repeated Flying Swallows. On the ground, run around the perimeter and blindly throw Incendiary shurikens. If the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
There's an Herb of Spirtual Life on the corpse in the narrow alley past the Coin Laundry, and Red Essence behind some barrels.
Crystal Skull
Location: Be sure to grab the Crystal Skull here in this same alley. It's sitting on a fire escape platform above the alley facing the corpse. Just look up and you can't miss it. You will need to come from the far left alley, facing the direction of the skull. Use the Invisible Path jump technique here. Start with the right wall, jump across to the left, and then around the corner to the right, landing on the left side of the platform with the skull.
Rooftop
When you see the Statue of the Earth, save your game before climbing up the adjacent ladder. On the rooftop, several feet from the ladder, you'll see the Jewel of the Demon Seal on the corpse pierced by a sword. And a little bit beyond the Jewel of the Demon Seal, inspect the corpse by the guard railing for Incendiary shuriken. After you defeat the enemies go back to the ladder from whence you just came. If you look you should see another ledge across the way from the ladder. This may only apply to mentor I'm not sure, but you get a Talisman of Rebirth in the chest to the right as you land.
The end of the rooftop is blocked by a yellow car and a chest, so you'll have to find another way out. By following the wall, you should see a flattened section of the wall, and a ladder and a Crystal Skull in the background. You can jump down near the crystal skull to find Muramasa's Shop and a chest with Life of the Gods (you will also encounter a few more Imps here). Use the Flying Bird Technique to reach the top of the building, fight through the Imps. Then climb a ladder up to another rooftop, where you'll see a Statue of the Earth Dragon. Save you game now, just in case you die during the fight against miniboss.
Crystal Skull
Location: On the rooftop across the building with the yellow car and the chest.
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Miniboss
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Attacks
* Wind Breath: You can't block the Wind Breath. Dodge to the sides and keep running in one direction.
* Grab: A sudden grab that takes a substantial amount of life. The grab is hard to dodge.
* Rock throw: The miniboss hurls rocks. Pretty simple, right? Run and dodge to the sides in one direction to avoid the rock.
* Ground pound: The miniboss throws its hands in the air before slamming them to the ground. The ground pound has limited range, but it comes out fairly quickly, and inflicts moderate damage. React with a dodge or a Ninpo when you see the boss throws its hands in the air.
* Giant Swing: Swing its hand across the floor, sweeping anything around it. The Giant Swing is a quick attack, and hard to predict. The best strategy is too jump up once in a while after an attack. Usually, the miniboss will retaliate with a Giant Swing after you've attacked it. Guess its behavior, and jump to dodge the attack.
Strategy: Stay close to the miniboss and slash its weakpoints.
Stay close to the sides and back of the miniboss, even beneath the boss, and slash its weakpoints. By staying close to the miniboss, you limit its options to just close range attacks. Which means: No rock throws! When you sense an attack, use the Art of the Inferno Ninpo for the invincibility, then continue your assault. After several slashes, the miniboss will slump to the ground and be inactive for a brief time. Take advantage of the situation and mash the slash!
Alternate Strategy: Stay as far away from the boss as possible running around the periphery of the map, run on the walls and stuff. When you get as far away as possible release a charged arrow into his head. He should got down in about ten charged shots. If you keep running you won't even get hit.
The Statue of Liberty
The museum inside the Statue of Liberty contains several interesting items. First, you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon behind glass. Just break the glass to use it. Second, pick up the Incendiary shuriken in the glass case. Third, grab the weapon Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang behind the glass next to the Incendiary shuriken. Finally, if you have the Rod of Trials, take the Test of Valor featuring tons of dangerous Imps.
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Incendiary shurkens on the left; Dragon's Claws and Tiger's Fang on the right.
And, oh, slash the panels in the back of the room for a special surprise: an Easter egg shaped as the Xbox 360 logo.
Easter Egg: Xbox 360
Location: In the museum in the Statue of Liberty. Slash the panels in the back of the room to uncover the Easter egg.
The Easter egg restores life, not Ninpo.
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Notebook: The Vigoor Mythology
Location: On the wall near the Xbox Easter egg.
Test of Valor
Reward: Talisman of Rebirth\Yellow Essence 20'000 (Possess Talisman of Rebirth already)
Close attacks are dangerous when fighting Imps, whose arms have incredible range, and enough strength to seriously drain your health. This may sounds like a paradox, but using repeated Flying Swallow, and dodging to the sides after landing on the ground will decrease the chance of being hit by a random melee attack. If the risk involved in a Flying Swallow bothers you, try your best to use Obliteration Kills. Refer to the general strategies section for offensive tips such as Incendiary Shuriken spamming and Obliteration Kills.
Outside the museum
Remember to save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading into the next room, where you'll fight a big battle involving Mages and Black Spider Ninjas. Spend your time hunting the Mages around the room, and kill them first before attacking the other ninjas. If you're badly hurt, return to the Xbox Easter egg or the Statue of the Earth Dragon in order to refill your life. A Devil Way Mushroom is on a corpse on the bottom floor. Finally, when you're ready to leave the room, head up upstairs to the second floor, where you must wall run across a gap, and then exit the room through an opened door.
Outside the statue
The Imps here are nothing special. Refer to the enemy strategies on how to deal with them. There's an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest by the stairs. Then, run up the stairs towards the Statue of Liberty.
Statue of Liberty
Ignore the flying creatures and get inside the Statue of Liberty; they won't hurt you if you're standing outside the door of the Statue of Liberty. Inside, ignore the elevator shaft in the middle of the room (for now), and look for the Lives of a Thousand Gods in an alcove on the first floor. But wait! We have other things to do before heading up the elevator shaft. Run up the stairs towards the Statue of the Earth Dragon and save your game. Now, here's the crucial part: look over the railing to spot the faint image of a Crystal Skull in the corner of the room. Get it!
Crystal Skull
Location: On the rafts in the corner of the room. Go up the stairs towards the Statue of the Earth Dragon, then look over the railing and towards the right corner in the room.
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Finally, the Crystal Skull collected, you're ready for the elevator. Get inside the elevator shaft in the middle of the room and perform the Bird Flip to the top of the second floor. Be prepared for archers and other ninjas.
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Bird Flip to the top of the second floor.
On this floor is a door leading to a balcony, where a pack of dragons hover above the door and a chest contains the Life of the Gods. Don't waste your time attacking the dragons! Just run towards the chest and grab the Life of the Gods without fighting the dragons.
Before the stairs is Muramasa's Shop.
The stairs
Instead of walking up the stairs, you could use a shortcut and save yourself some time. Pay close attention the guard rail when walking up the stairs -- there's a cut in the railing that you can use as a shortcut. Jump over the cut in the stairs, and align your body to the vertical beam that acts like a long wall. And guess what? Since it's like a long wall, you can use it to Bird Flip to the top.
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First pic is the cut in the railing; the second, the path on which to Bird Flip.
Boss: Alexei
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Attacks
* Tornado: Alexei spins like a tornado across the floor, tracking your location. The move is easy to spot due to its long start up time. When you see Alexei start to spin, don't think about dodging but immediately execute a Ninpo for its invincibility. Alexei is very vulnerable after the Tornado attack.
* Grab: A quick short range grab that inflicts tremendous damage. The throw's quickness makes it hard to react accordingly. So, as a preemptive measurement, you should constantly dodge to the sides in order to avoid the throw.
* Lightning: When Alexei flies in the air, he'll attack by throwing lighting that tracks onto your last location. Run and jump in one direction to avoid the lightning attacks. But the easiest strategy is to use Ninpo when he gets in the air and when you see Alexei gather electricity in his hands.
* Electric balls: Projectiles that can't be blocked. Dodge to the side to avoid them, but don't jump during the evasion! After the electric balls, Alexei may execute a flying grab to snatch you out of the air.
Risky tactics you should avoid
* Don't throw arrows and Incendiary Shuriken -- they're worthless against Alexei.
* Counterattacking is very difficult. Don't try it on Alexei, as he'll block the counters and respond with a grab.
Weakpoints: His body.
Strategy: The Flying Swallow works well. Light Slashes (X button) at his body.
Alexei loves to start the round with a bang -- when the match starts, Alexei rushes towards you with a grab. So, predicting his behavior, open the match with a quick dodge to the sides, followed by three Flying Swallows. If the Flying Swallow connects when Alexei is executing his move, he should be temporarily stunned, on his knees, vulnerable to attacks for a long time. Get in close and hack away. When you see Alexei recover, immediately back off the attack and dodge to the sides, just so you can avoid his lethal grab.
Chapter 5: The Aqua Capital
Key Items
* Kusari-gama
* Spirit of the Devils
* Crystal Skull (3)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Talisman of Rebirth(2)
* Gatling gun
* Test of Valor
Objectives
* Go through the Aqua Captial
* Get the Gatling gun in waters surrounding the water fountain
* Get the Bridge Gate Key in the room by Muramasa's shop
* Fight the water dragon
Elizebet plans to unleash the power of the statue. Meanwhile, the Greater Fiend Volf, Ruler of Storms, has turned a Gothic castle into an evil fortress. You'll find nothing interesting at the start of the Aqua Capital, a Venice-like city punctuated with water canals, except the occasional Yellow Essence from the enemies and Muramasa's shop by the stairs. The gondolas around the perimeter have nothing in them, but later in the chapter, you should take the time to inspect every gondola in case something wonderful happens to be there. Case in point: a Crystal Skull. The large reservoir is empty of any items.
Take a minute to look around and move down the path while avoiding the water. You are attacked by several Flame Ninjas and Ninja Mages. Take them down in any way you see fit. Head up the stairs after purchasing items from Muramasa.
Running across the water: Jump on the surface of the water, then move the analog stick in a direction while repeatedly pressing the A button.
Flying Swallow over water: Repeated Flying Swallow is much faster than running on water. Run across the water, and then press the Y button over and over.
Up the stairs
Before you cross the bridge, follow the guard rails around the path and down the stairs. Here, you'll fight against a new enemy: the Giant Wolf Fiend. Despite their menacing appearance, the Giant Wolf Fiends are slow but powerful, relying on sudden grabs and throws, and much like the Imps. Keep agile but beware of long combos. The Dragon Sword seems to be the best weapon for them. Isolate a Giant Wolf Fiend and focus your energy on executing the Obliteration kill strategy. The hard part, though, is fighting them when they're in packs. Some Giant Wolf Fiends stand in the background, watching your actions without showing the slightest signs of aggression, while others will actively pursue you with a languid claw strike. If the Giant Wolf Fiends surround you, jump and bounce off their hands to land behind their backs, then attack.
When you've killed the Giant Wolf Fiends, make sure to pick up the Kusari-gama, a weapon made from a sickle with a chain and weight, off the corpse, then head towards the canal, where a Crystal Skull is on a seat of a gondola. You can find Red Essence in a chest by a gondola in the area across the pier, where you had fought the Giant Wolf Fiends. Grab it. Flying fiends, a new foe, will attack you, but they are fairly easy to defeat; just try and avoid water combat. Continue back up the stairs and cross the bridge.
270x200Weapon: Kusari-gama
Location: Head up the stairs, and look for a corpse before the bridge
Crystal Skull
Location: Found near the start of the chapter. Walk up the stairs by Muramasa's shop and follow the guard rails to the part of the level away from the bridge. Head down the stairs and towards the water, where the Crystal Skull sits in a gondola.
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Over the bridge and into the marketplace
Cross the bridge and head through the marketplace, where you'll fight a pack of Giant Wolf Fiends. Try not to die in the marketplace, as you'll be forced to repeat everything you've done in the chapter -- getting the Crystal Skull, fighting off the Giant Wolf Fiends, and picking up the Kusari-gama. The Statue of the Earth Dragon is in a small room at the end of the marketplace. To your left there will be a door. Kick it in and defeat all the Wolf Fiends using quick rolls and moves with the Dragon Sword.
Random acts of destruction: Destroy the wooden crates for Yellow Essence.
Café
A reservation for�one? Well, more like a reservation for 10, considering the amount of Giant Wolf Fiends in the café. Repeat the Obliteration kill strategy on the Giant Wolf Fiends, and before leaving the café, check the table by the entrance for a Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: On a table by the entrance of the café.
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The streets
The street splits into two directions after the bridge. The left path continues farther into the city; the right path leads to a street that splits into two dead-ends. Turn right after the bridge, then travel across another bridge, and take the right path. Bird Flip up the narrow alley towards the patio, where a corpse on the ground holds the Talisman of Rebirth. Get back to street level and walk to the opposite end of the street, where you'll find Yellow Essence in a chest. Now, retrace your steps, going back to the bridge, to take the left path found after the first bridge.
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The street splits into two directions after the bridge. Bird Flip up the wall for the Talisman of Rebirth.
Water fountain/ mausoleum
Be on the look out for such rare items as the Spirit of the Devils and the Gatling gun in the area with the water fountain. The Gatling gun is in a chest submerged under water around the water fountain, while the Spirit of the Devils is on a corpse in the area across the water fountain. When you have both items, dive into the water surrounding the fountain, and swim through the corridor next to the chest containing the Gatling gun.
Spirit of the Devils
Location: A corpse on the opposite end of the water fountain.
Purpose: Use it to increase Ninpo.
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Weapon: Gatling Spear Gun
Location: Found under water in a chest around the water fountain
Note: In order to use the gun, you must be in the water, not on land.
Head into the mausoleum and be prepared to face the flying fiends and more Wolf Fiends. Kill them. In the center is a fountain. Jump inside and open the chest to receive the Gatling gun, a weapon you will use in many underwater confrontations. Swim through the whole and into a new area. There are some floating enemies who do not attack you, but will explode if you go near. Shoot them and test out your new weapon.
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The fountain.
Canal
As you swim through the canal, Water Wyrms will immediately come from the opposite direction and attack. A Water Wyrm has incredible speed and strength, gliding over water effortlessly, and slashing opponents with long, sharp claws. It's a rare to see Water Wyrms attack in big packs. Instead, they travel in groups of three or four, all rushing towards your location with murderous intent, and if you're not careful, you will immediately die. To fight the Wyrms, fire the Gatling if you're in the water -- spin Ryu around while firing shots into the water. If you're on land, perform repeated Flying Swallows and dodge when you land. Obliteration kills work well, too.
Crystal Skull
Location: There is a Crystal Skull under the water. Once you clear the first rush of Wyrms in the water, find a short alley to your right, where a number of floating jellyfish swim. Unload your gatling gun on them and they will respawn for a while. Once they're dead, swim down the alley and a Crystal Skull awaits you in an alcove to your left.
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A Water Wyrm has incredible speed and strength, gliding over water effortlessly, and slashing opponents with long, sharp claws.
Street
Objective: Open the locked gate
At the end of the canal is a Statue of the Earth Dragon in a room by the pier. Run up the stairs and exit the door to the streets, where you'll fight Imps and dragons. Refer to the enemy strategies on ways to beat them. At the end of the road, you'll see Muramasa's shop by a gate, and a building with a slightly opened door. Inspect the door to make Ryu kick it open, and then search the desk to grab Hinomaru's Notebook. Now, check the corner of the room for a chest containing Bridge Gate Key. Use the key to unlock the gate in the opposite area across Muramasa's shop.
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Inspect the door to make Ryu kick it open.
The coliseum
The Giant Wolf Fiends after the locked gate aren't much of a problem. Sure, you could fight them to collect Yellow Essence and risk getting hurt, but you could simply run through the coliseum without fighting a single Giant Wolf Fiend. Well, that is until you reach the bridge over the green water. Here, the objective is to shoot the glowing green orbs on the other side of the bridge. By shoot the green orbs with arrows, a wire stretching from your location to the other side will magically appear.
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Shoot the glowing green orbs on the other side of the bridge.
270x200 But what if you don't have any arrows? Head back to the entrance of the coliseum, where a corpse on the ground can refill your entire supply of arrows.
The wire
Shimmy across the wire and onto the other side. When you're about to get off the wire, look below your feet to spot a chest containing the Life of the Gods. Jump into the water after picking up the Life of the Gods, and follow the canal to the watermills.
Watermill
Jellyfish infest the water around the watermill. If touched, the jellyfish explodes like a mine. Fire the Galting gun before venturing towards the left side of the watermill; otherwise, a stray jellyfish may appear out of nowhere (they respawn in the weirdest places) and hit you out of the water!
Essence Farming: The jellyfish appear to spawn for quite some time, though it may seem like for ever, around the watermills. Keep shooting them with the Gatling gun until you're tired of farming for Yellow Essence.
Standing on the wooden platform before the turning watermill, time your jump so that you catch one of the many iron bars on the wheel. Then, when the wheel takes you higher up, swing off the bar and land on another wooden platform. There's a smaller wheel by the wooden platform -- use this to reach the wooden cog laid horizontally over the smaller wheel. Jump through the little slit in the wall to enter the building.
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Standing on the wooden platform before the turning watermill, time your jump so that you catch one of the many iron bars on the wheel.
Inside, jump towards the spinning circular bar, and ride it towards the chest containing the Lives of a Thousand Gods on the wooden platform. Get outside and kill the Giant Wolf Fiends before saving your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon. The next battle will be tough.
Wyrm Battle
The Water Wyrm is a creature possessing incredible speed and strength. It glides over water effortlessly, slashes opponents with long, sharp claws, and burrows under the ground only to pop up with a vicious rising attack. They travel in groups of four or five, all rushing towards your location with murderous intent, and if you're not careful, you will immediately die.
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The Water Wyrm is a creature possessing incredible speed and strength.
To fight the Wyrms, perform repeated Flying Swallows and dodge when you land. In short, you must constantly move and dodge in order to avoid their fast attacks. Another strategy, while risky, is to use Obliteration kills. But that means one thing: staying close enough to hurt them with slash attacks. When you spot a group of Wyrm, use repeated Flying Swallows; if you can isolate one or two Wyrms, use Obliteration kills.
Wine Cellar
The wine cellar has a total of four rooms, each containing something special such as an Herb of Spiritual Life or Blue Essence. But, above all, the most valuable commodity is the Copper Key that unlocks the chest containing the Art of the Flame Phoenix, a Ninpo calling on the powers of the phoenix that envelop your body until being hit by an enemy. Before exiting the wine cellar through the well, make sure to get the Copper Key and the Art of the Flame Phoenix.
Room 1: Muramasa's Shop
Room 2: Blue essence in a chest
The first two rooms are separated by a storing room filled with large wine barrels. There are two additional rooms after the storing room, one of which contains the Copper Key.
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Picture of the storing room filled with large wine barrels.
Room 3: Copper Key in the chest
Location: Immediately after the storing room, turn left and head up the stairs, where the copper key is placed in the chest.
Now that you have the copper key, back track to the storage room, and look for a gate. Behind the gate is the Art of the Flame Phoenix.
270x200Scroll: The Art of the Flame Phoenix
Location: Open the gate near the storage room with the Copper Key.
Summon birds of fire to defend you and set your foes ablaze.
Room 4: Herb of Spiritual Life and Yellow Essence and the exit.
Location: Beyond the room with the Copper Key.
In this room is a well covered by a cracked wooden panel. You must apply vertical force to break the cover open, so stand on the panel, then jump and press the Y button for a hard vertical slash to the ground.
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Stand on the panel, then jump and press the Y button for a hard vertical slash to the ground.
Underground
Down through the well, you crash into water, several hundred feet below the city. Right when you land, you'll see a Test of Valor, and a Statue of the Earth Dragon just beyond it. Save your game before attempting the Test of Valor. This time, the Test of Valor will be your hardest challenge yet.
Test of Valor
Reward: Jewel of the Demon Seal
The combination of winged creatures and Giant Wolf Fiends makes this Test of Valor very, very difficult. Both enemies can shoot projectiles: the winged creatures spews projectiles from its mouth, and the Giant Wolf Fiends throws any body parts it can find -- arms, legs, torsos, heads. A dangerous team, they will drive you towards the edge of frustration.
Approach the fight in a systematic manner. Isolate one enemy as opposed to tackling everyone at once. In this case, the easiest enemy is the winged creature, who can be killed by firing arrows or Incendiary shurikens. Run around the area while firing your projectiles at the winged creatures. In other words, execute the Incendiary shuriken spam strategy. We'll worry about the Giant Wolf Fiends later, when you've killed all the winged creatures.
Fight the Giant Wolf Fiends when you've killed all the winged creatures. Now the fight is much easier. Refer to the enemy strategies on how kill the Giant Wolf Fiends. The gist: Obliteration kills. Watch out for random bodies thrown in your direction -- an annoying tactic, sure, but a manageable problem if you're constantly dodging. Also, don't be stingy with the Ninpos! After the test, your ki will be replenished in full.
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After the test, get to the end of the room and dive in the water. Swim through the water tunnel and find the Skull Key in a chest. A cut-scene depicting the boss will start after you pick up the Skull Key.
Before grabbing the Skull Key, look for the Talismen of Rebirth at the back of the room/ center of stadium seats, and swim in the water, both to the left and the right, for two chests containing a Devil's Ways Mushroom and a Herb of Spirtual Life.
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The Skull Key.
Boss: Water Dragon
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Attacks
* Tentacles: Long pieces of hard skeleton from the dragon's back. If you touch the tentacles in the water, the water dragon will toss you in the air and catch you in its mouth before crushing your tiny body in its jaw.
* Flying Ghost Fish: Annoying little creatures, the Ghost Fish fly from the water dragon's body to your location, tracking wherever you go. When hit, you're pulled down into the water, suffering minor damages from their tiny jagged teeth. Best way to avoid them is to slash the air when the fish are flying towards you.
* Spike projectiles: Long white projectiles that hurt more in the water than on the surface of the water. Hard to avoid and painfully damaging, the spike projectiles is one of the dragon's most damaging attacks, second only to its powerful jaws. Dodging to the sides is too risky. Instead, execute a Ninpo when you see the projectiles flying towards you.
* Breath attack: One of the few attacks that you can go for head shots. The breath is unblockable, so avoid it by activating a Ninpo.
* Falling move: Falls on you and somehow grabs you in its jaws. Mash to escape before the dragon crushes the life out of you.
Weak spot: The head
Run while slashing: Ryu can still slash at an enemy while running across the surface of the water. Repeatedly press the A button to initiate a run, then hold the analog stick in a direction while pressing the X or Y button.
Strategy
The water dragon usually opens the match with projectiles. As a preemptive maneuver, dive into the water to avoid the projectiles, then pop back to the surface, and run on the water while slashing its body or head. In an ideal situation, the dragon's head should be around water level, which is the right height to connect with standing slashes. The volley of projectiles is usually followed by the unblockable breath attack. At this point, Ninpo or try to dodge and immediate counterattack. The breath attack is one of the few moves exposing the dragon's head. Take advantage of this situation and slash the head!
Another risky strategy is executing repeated Flying swallow on the water. (Run across the water and press the Y button.) The Flying Swallow has a good chance of targeting the dragon's head, though the strategy is inconsistent. Sometimes you hit the head; sometimes you'll completely whiff the Flying Swallow, exposed to a dangerous counterattack.
Another strategy is to stay on the ledge at the beginning of the fight. Use nimpo for invincibility. Then hit the dragon with your charged up bow. If you jump of the ledge, you won't be able to return to it, so shoot the arrows and then finish it off up close with the Dragon Sword.
I found the newly armed Kusari-gama worked very well here due to its tremendous reach, you can attack the Dragon without having to enter the water right away, perhaps if this is combined with bow attacks it could work very well, but I didnt even find that necessary.
Alternate Strategy: Immediately dive into the water and swim as close as possible to the dragon. You can swim right into his chest at the base of his neck under water. You can now simply attack at will. Occassionally you will be pulled away by the boss' grab move and attacked by the ghost fish but you are much less vulnerable here than anywhere else in the room.
Chapter 6: The Lycanthropes' Castle
Key Items
* Crystal Skulls (3)
* First Crystal Skull: You will see Muramasa' Store at the top of the ruins. If you are facing the store turn the camera 180 degrees and you will see the skull directly across from you. There is a small ramp leading down to it across the gap from the store.
* Second Crystal Skull: Outside the cavern, you will see a guillotine near the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Hit it and a Crystal Skull appears on the floor.
* Test of Valor-Lives of a Thousand Gods
* Third Crystal Skull: In one of the destructible bookcases.
* Life of the Gods
* Scythe attained after beating Volf.
Objectives
* Bird Flip up chimneys.
* Find the Cast Iron Key in the statue room.
* Kill Volf.
In the water
Pay close attention to the ending shot in the cut-scene. Two pillars are pictured at the end of the cut-scene, a clue that you must Bird Flip towards the top of the ruins. When the level begins, swim towards the ruins to the rock between the two pillars. Approach the rock but don�t jump on it. Instead, nudge the analog stick towards the rock and Ryu will automatically climb it. On the rock, you must Bird Flip between the two pillars and land on the top of the ruin.
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Two pillars are pictured at the end of the cut-scene, a clue that you must Bird Flip towards the top of them ruins.
Top of the ruins
The first thing you'll see is Muramasa's shop, but if you inspect the area around the shop, you'll find a Crystal Skull in an area slightly below the floor. A little further down from the ramp for the skull, there's a small drop down to a chest containing a Talisman of Rebirth. When you're exploring the top of the ruins, be careful of the Ghost Fish in the air. They're an annoyance, for sure, but easily beatable by repeated standing slashes. Then, farther into the ruins, you'll jump from ruin to ruin in a platforming sequence, where you'll find an Herb of Spiritual Life and Yellow Essence in a chest.
Crystal Skull
Location: Once you get on top of the ruins, you will immediately see Muramasa's Shop. Facing Muramasa's Shop, turn the camera 180 degrees to see the Crystal Skull directly across from you. There is a small ramp leading down to it across the gap from the store.
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Cave
Objectives:
* Kill the miniboss
* Bird Flip up to the higher section of the cave
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon at the front of the cave, then carefully walk into the cave, where Water Wyrms will attack. Use the Obliteration kill strategy, or repeated Flying Swallows. Just ahead of the Earth Dragon statue is a Jewel of the Demon Seal on a corpse on the ground, and a pile of skeletons in a room with a locked door. To unlock the door, you must have the Skull Key�but where is it? Meanwhile, bone creepers rise above the skeleton pile, and all must be destroyed in order to initiate the minboss.The best way to defeat the bone creepers is to get some distance from them when the first appear, then bust out the Kasuri-Gama and hold Y to fully charge an Ultimate Technique. This will kill a lot of them, allowing you to quickly charge another UT with all the essence now in the air. Keep using this UT chaining technique to kill them all while sustaining minimal damage, allowing you to be at full heath when you fight the miniboss.
Miniboss: Dino Skeleton
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Attacks
* Bone projectiles: Bones, kicked by the miniboss, fly through the air in a horizontal spread. The attack is difficult to dodge on reaction, but you can dodge it if you sense the attack and run before the attack comes out.
* Throws: The miniboss will grab you if you're standing before it. Mash the buttons when you're in stuck in its grip to minimize the damage.
* 360 attack: Spins around in one spot, knocking anything around it with its arms. The attack comes out quick without warning. You can't block the attack, so the only option is dodging to the sides or using Ninpo before the attack hits you.
Don't try�
* Arrows or Incendiary Shruikens don�t work
Weakpoint: The yellow heart
Strategy
Run through its leg or around the sides, and attack the back of the boss at its tail or legs. Responding to your attacks, the miniboss will execute a 360 degree attack, and at this point, you may a) dodge to the sides or b) activate a Ninpo targeting the miniboss' yellow heart. Should the Ninpo hit the yellow heart (we used the Art of the Inferno), the miniboss will slump over on its butt and pause, exposing its weakpoint, the yellow heart, for a few moments. At this time, immediately get under the heart and jump slash it (X button). Repeat the jumping slashes to take away a chunk of its health, and make sure you get as many hit as you can before the boss regains its active status.
An alternate strategy involves constant Flying Swallows while standing under its body. Although risky, the Flying Swallow may autotarget the yellow heart, and kill the boss in a faster time than the first strategy mentioned above.
After the miniboss
The next set of challenges involve frustrating, platforming sections in the caves, where scorpion skeletons spawn indefinitely, blocking your path, and serving as a general annoyance. If you want Yellow Essence, the cave is a great place to essence farm, but don't lose too much life in the process. You can't save your game until you find the Statue of the Earth Dragon outside the cave. And if you fall off the cave and back to the area with the skeleton pile, you must repeat the process by climbing towards the top of the cave, and fighting the scorpion skeletons who've respawned.
600x338Execute a Bird Flip up the wall.
To get to the top of the cave, go towards the skeleton remains of the miniboss and inspect the wall for an area where you can execute a Bird Flip. Go through the caves and try not to get hit by the scorpion skeletons. Remember, if you die, you'll repeat everything you've done -- the boss battle, the climbing sequence, the fight against the scorpion skeletons. When faced with a gap, run across the walls to the other side. And at the end of the cave, you'll see a long bricked chimney that you must Bird Flip on. Jump towards the opposite wall, then run up the chimney before Bird Flipping to the other wall.
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Jump towards the opposite wall, then run up the chimney before Bird Flipping to the other wall.
Outside the castle
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and buy items at Muramasa's Shop. Then, go up the watchtower to initiate a cut-scene, and to pick up the Yellow Essence in a chest.
The locked castle gate
Now, run into the watchtower and down the stairs, fighting the Werewolves and Water Wyrms in your path. Eventually, you'll come to the other side of the castle, where winged creatures in the air shoot fireballs, and a locked caste gate issues a cryptic message about finding a different path. From the gate, head right and towards the ladder, where you'll see the Statue of the Earth Dragon surrounded by Werewolves. You may kill them using the Obliteration strategy, or climb the ladder if you don't want to be bothered.
After going through the previousley locked door, fight your way to the top of the stairs where the flinging monsters are. Far to the right is a Test of Valor. This test pits you against Wyrms and bats. I used the Kusari-gama's UT repeatedly and got an easy 100 Slashes achievment.
Award: Lives of a Thousand Gods
Flags and the stained glass window
Objective: Bronze Key
The next puzzle takes place on long flag poles high above the ground, set against a beautiful, enormous stained glass window. Climb the flag pole closet to the stained glass, and line up Ryu with the window. Now jump. Ryu breaks through the window and lands in a room fraught with Wyrms. Use the Obliteration strategy and repeated Flying Swallow to kill them. Then, before leaving the room, grab the Bronze Key from the chest in the back of the room.
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Climb the flag pole closet to the stained glass, and line up Ryu with the window.
Through the door
270x200Just outside the room is a corpse holding Inukoma's Notebook, followed by Werewolves in the kitchen. Look in the pantry for a Life of the Gods behind the barrels in the corner, then run out of the room and enter the hall. Don't forget to save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before the entrance of the Great Hall. Again, more Werewolves will attack you in the hall, so kill them with whatever strategy you feel comfortable with: Obliteration kills, Ultimate technique, or repeated Flying Swallows.
The hall has four rooms:
1. Dining Room
2. Living Room
3. Statue Room
4. The Library (second floor)
The following section explains the sequence of events you must complete.
Dining room
Location: Facing the stairs, head to the left of the stairs and enter the door in the wall.
You must begin the sequence from the Dining Room. From here, after two rooms, you'll find the Cast Iron Key that unlocks the door on the second floor in the Statue Room. Go through the Dining Room, and head through the door on the back wall.
Living Room and Statue Room
Now, you'll be in the Living Room. We're almost at the Statue Room. Go through the adjacent door and enter the Statue Room, where you'll be surrounded by Wyrms and statues on high pedestals. Kill all the Wyrms to reveal the Cast Iron Key on the floor glowing in green light.
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Kill all the Wyrms to reveal the Cast Iron Key on the floor glowing in green light.
Second floor, up the stairs
Key interests:
* Locked door on the second floor
* Blue Essence in a chest on the left of the locked door
Use the Cast Iron Key on the locked door on the second floor, and deal with the Flame Ninjas throwing Incendiary shuriken. The room may appear like a dead end, but the exit lies in the chimney across the bookshelf that holds the third crystal skull. Enter the chimney and Bird Flip to the top, where you'll fight more Flame Ninjas. And, the same as before, you must exit the room by Bird Flipping up the chimney.
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Exit the room by Bird Flipping up the chimney.
Scrolls: The Four Greater Fiends, Part 3
Location: In the room that you'd unlocked with the Cast Iron Key.
Flags obstacle
Don't worry if you fall below the flags. In fact, it's better if you fall of the first time, since you can get the Yellow and Red Essence in two chests, and buy stuff from Muramasa's Shop. Climb back to the top, and then kill all enemies for the Golden Key to appear
Dodge to the sides after the cut-scene, as werewolves will begin their offensive as soon as the cut-scene ends. Kill them using the Obliteration kill strategy. When they're dead, interact with the chair for a trap door on the ground leading to the sewer.
600x338 Interact with the chair for a trap door on the ground leading to the sewer.
Sewer
You can find Blue Essence in a chest and a Statue of the Earth Dragon in the sewer. Make sure to save your game before venturing past the sewer -- you'll need your strength for the upcoming Test of Valor.
Test of Valor
Enemies: Bats and Wyrms
Rewards: Lives of a Thousand Gods
The bats can't throw, but can bite when you're blocking. The best way to kill them? Throw Incendiary shurikens. The bats aren't much of a threat, killed easily by standing slashes. You should be afraid, however, of the Wyrms. If you're not careful, disregarding your blind spots, they can easily overwhelm your defenses. Which is why you should be on the move, constantly dodging to the sides, and jumping through the air. Obliteration kill, Ultimate Techniques, repeated Flying Swallows -- implement these techniques to kill the Wyrms. Remember, use Ninpo to blow through an enemy's attack if you think they will hurt you.
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Before the boss fight against Volf, you must fight several dragons on a bridge using the bow and arrow. There's a corpse by the foot of the entrance who will supply you with arrows. To kill the dragons, allow autoaim to target the dragons while you blindly fire arrows at them. Jumping while shooting arrows helps to dodge the fireballs and target the dragons in the air.
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To kill the dragons, allow autoaim to target the dragons while you blindly fire arrows at them.
Boss: Volf
Volf is armed with a massive scythe, a powerful weapon that you'll attain after beating the berserker in the arena of death. But Volf doesn't live up to his frightening appearance -- he's is one of the easiest boss in the game.
The secret? Repeated Flying Swallows. Get close to him and perform three Flying Swallows in a row. When you've finished the third Flying Swallow, jump right back in the air and repeat the strategy. Volf will die in minutes.
Save your Ninpo for the fight after Volf, in which the werewolves will try to revenge their leader's death. Use Ninpo until the cut-scene is triggered.
Chapter 7: The Flying Fortress Daedalus
Key Items
* Life of the Gods
* Lives of the Thousand Gods
* Art of the Piercing Void
* Tonfa
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objectives
* Destroy control panels in the flying fortress.
* Beat Genshin.
* Beat the Armadillo.
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The gun turrets
Landing on the flying fortress Daedalus, Ryu will fight several gun turrets, some high on a roof above the ground, others on the sides. For cover, use the barricades outlined in yellow and black stripes, and shoot arrows through the trapezoid in the top corner of the barricade. If you don't have any arrows, you can find them in the box by the barricade on the right. All the turrets must be destroyed before the doors to the flying fortress open.
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For cover, use the barricades outlined in yellow and black stripes, and shoot arrows through the trapezoid in the top corner of the barricade.
The machines
270x200Robotic droids on four legs, carrying two machineguns in the front, can be a challenge unless you're properly equipped with a damaging weapon. In this case, the scythe will tear them apart through repeated use of heavy slashes (the Y button.) The bullets fired from the machinegun can be blocked, but if they hit you, you'll be immobile until you break the stunned state with a jump or a dodge. Flying Swallows works well, too. Just remember to dodge the explosion after their death. Incendiary shuriken will not damage them.
An alternative strategy if the two barricades have not been destroyed is to use them for cover and shoot the machines with the bow. They will eventually flank you so you have to shoot them quickly. Eventually you should go up and fight the remaining machines up close with the dragon sword or the scythe.
Purchase a Life of the Gods in Muramasa's shop by the entrance into the fortress.
Inside the fortress
The fortress is a controlled environment sectioned by open or closed rooms. The light by the door, red or green, will tell you if the door is open or closed. In this case, green means open; red, closed.
Infantry soldiers will rush through the halls. Guard their bullets while moving closer to their location, close enough to slash their limbs off and to perform an Obliteration. If you're having problems closing in the distance, use the Flying Swallow and land behind their backs. There, you can surprise them with several light slashes before killing them in one strike with an Obliteration.
The room contains three sections: the left hall, the right hall, and the middle room. In the left hall is a Statue of the Earth Dragon, and in the right hall is Red Essence in a chest. In the left hallway with the Statue of the Earth Dragon, enter the door with the vertical green bar into the middle room.
Middle room
The middle room contains Blue Essence on the side wall and a Devil Way Mushroom by the other door. Grab the mushroom before exiting the room. Once you come out the door, follow the guard rail around the room, past the door with the green bar, and towards the end of the hall on the opposite end of the entrance, where a Life of the Gods sits in a chest against the wall. Now head back the other way and enter the door with the green bar that you just passed.
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Follow the guard rail around the room, past the door with the green bar for the Life of the Gods.
Room filled with droids
270x200Droids. Lots of them. Be careful when entering the room, because the droids can easily overwhelm you. In case that happens, don't feel bad about using a Ninpo to get out of the situation. When you've destroyed the droids, press the button on the floor switch to lower the floor, then prepare for the next fight against a mechanized serpentine supported by several Infantry soldiers in an ammunitions room.
After the lift, in the ammunition room
Concentrate your efforts first on the mechanized serpentine. To beat a mechanized sepentine, you must study and remember their attack patterns and behavior, which consists of a three or four hit combo. Block the combo string, and after the third or fourth hit, dodge to side, and counterattack with hard slashes (the Y button). After the fourth hit with the scythe, dodge to the sides immediately before blocking an incoming combo. For a quick solution, two Art of the Inferno Ninpo will take it down.
Cockpit
Objective:
* Destroy the controls
* Pick up the Crystal Skull
The cockpit will kick start a theme threading the rest of the chapter: destroying control panels. After you've killed the Infantry soldiers and collected the Crystal Skull on the left side of the control panel, destroy the control panel until smoke rise above its circuits. Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, then retrace your steps to the ammunition room.
Crystal Skull
Location: In the cockpit room, on the left side of the control panel.
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Ammunition room
Run past the mechanized serpentine, past the large ammo silos, and towards the guard rails. By following the guard rails, you'll run into a Life of the Gods in a chest, and see a green vertical bar on the ride side of a door. Through the door, look around the room for another door with a green bar -- this time, the door leads to a sky bridge connecting one part of the flying fortress to the reactor room.
Reactor Room
In addition to the control panels, you must destroy the plasma cooling -- long cylinder pipes with white gas running through them, surrounding the reactor flanked by blue lights. Take the arrows off the corpse by the door, and shoot the plasma cooling around, behind, in front, and to the sides of the reactor. After that, head back to the sky bridge, where rocket infantry men will shoot rockets at you. Use Ninpo to kill them instantly, or kill them with Flying Swallows or Obliteration kills before exiting through the door. Past the rocket men and the door, take a right and go through the door with a green light at the end of the hall.
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Shoot the plasma cooling around, behind, in front, and to the sides of the reactor.
The long hallway and the elevator
The first room on the left contains a Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop. Further down the hall, you'll see a door on your right leading into an infirmary, where a corpse holding Yogenta's Notebook is in a bed in the right corner. Now, look at the other side of the room, towards the wall, to spot an elevator boarded by a green light in a white case. Take the elevator down to another reactor room.
Control Room
270x200Break all the control panels before climbing up the ladder by the elevator. The next room contains such valuable items as the Art of the Piercing Void, a powerful Ninpo harnessing the power of emptiness that pierces the enemy's core.
Yellow Essence: In a chest in the first room.
Lives of a Thousand Gods: In a chest by the Yellow Essence in the first room.
Statue of the Earth Dragon: Near the control panels in the corner of the second room.
Art of the Piercing Void: In the room with the green light by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Test of Valor: In the same room with the Art of the Piercing Void.
Test of Valor
Reward: Jewel of the Demon Seal
Enemies: Infantry Soldiers and Mechanized Serpentines
Equipped with rockets and machine guns, the soldiers have tremendous range over you, forcing you to cautiously approach them while dodging any projectiles sent your way. They're an annoyance by themselves. Now imagine the situation when large, powerful enemies join in the fray. Rather than fighting the soldiers face-to-face, use the Incendiary shuriken spam strategy while running around the area. Don't bother fighting the Mechanized Serpenties; kill the soldiers first, so you can get rid of the threat of projectiles.
To beat the mechanized serpentine, you must study and remember their attack patterns and behavior, which consists of a three or four hit combo. Block the combo string, and after the third or fourth hit, dodge to the side, and counterattack with hard slashes (the Y button). After the fourth hit with the scythe, dodge to the sides immediately before blocking an incoming combo. Repeat the strategy for each serpentine, and try to isolate each serpentine by itself, as tackling several of them at once is considerably difficult.
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Finally, when you've completed the Trial of Valor and collected the items, go towards the two green circles on the control panel, and activate the switch that opens part of the floor by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Down the shaft
Two corpses are in the room, one carrying Incendiary shuriken, the other holding the weapon Tonfa, a close ranged weapon meant not for attacking but for comboing. Exit the room by going through the door with the green light. (If you didn't pick up the Art of the Piercing Void, climb the ladder by the corpse to go back to the control room.) Follow the hallway until you see a door that leads to the airplane wing.
Crystal Skull
Location: After dropping down the shaft, exit the room and walk down the hall and towards the rubble. A Crystal Skull is buried under a large pipe and a file cabinet.
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Airplane wing
270x200Get ready for two mechanized serpentine on the airplane wing. Upgrade the scythe at Muramasa's Shop before using the control switch to lower the floor boarded by alternating strips of yellow and black, taking you down into the engine room. Be careful when you arrive at the engine room, because three large mechs firing powerful rockets will immediate attack. Target them all with an Art of Inferno to kill them instantly. By the door with the green light is a chest containing arrows. Grab the arrows before exiting the room. You'll need them for the next fight.
Opening the door, you'll see rows of gun turrets synchronized towards your location, each firing a stream of bullets. Use the narrow space of the door as cover. Stand before the door, off to the sides, and fire arrows at the turrets. Remember to charge the arrows to its full potential before firing. Destroy them before running across the wing and climbing the ladder to the room with a Statue of the Earth Dragon. Don't forgot about the Devil Way Mushroom on the corpse near the Statue. Now run through the hall and to the door in the section D2-11.
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Stand before the door, off to the sides, and fire arrows at the turrets.
Reactor room
Remember this room? The reactor room. Previously, you'd destroyed the control panels and the plasma cooling. Well, there's nothing to see here. Run past the panels and cooling, out the exit, and onto the sky bridge, where a cut-scene will start.
After the cut-scene
The port engine has been jettisoned. Get to section D2-6 for further development on the drama aboard the flying fortress! The Infantry soldiers in the room are a pain if you don't use the Obliteration kill strategy. Remember to use it!
When you reach Muramasa's shop, be sure to buy the Talisman of Rebirth! You'll need it for the two part fight against Genshin and an oversized Armadillo.
Boss: Genshin
The scythe is the best weapon in the fight, unmatched by any weapon in terms of power (save for the True Dragon Sword). Focus on Genshin -- and only Genshin -- while ignoring the ancillary enemies in the room. If timed correctly, you can kill Genshin in a matter of minutes. Begin the match by pressing the Y button to combo Genshin. When the fourth attack of the combo ends, hold block while dodging to the side, avoiding a potential counterattack, and then dash back in range with Genshin. Repeat the strategy -- dash in, combo, block and dodge to the sides, then repeat the combo. And never, ever, jump when dodging. Genshin will immediately counter any jump or jump attacks with a quick Flying Swallow, knocking you down to the floor. On the rare occasions Genshin summons magic, execute a Ninpo to protect yourself. Don't use your ninpo often, however. You'll want all your ki for the next boss, the Armadillo.
Boss: Armadillo
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Attacks
* Giant roll: Curls up in a ball and bulldozes across the land. He will hit you if you're standing idly, so run to the sides in one direction to avoid it.
* The bite: Get too close to its mouth, and the Armadillo will snatch you, gnaw on you, and spit you out. And, oh, take off an insane amount of damage. It's hard to avoid the bite, especially when you're hacking away at its head.
* Magma blast: Chunks of fire and molten lava erupt off the Armadillo's back and sides, blanketing the sky with projectiles that can only be dodged, not blocked. When you see the magma blast erupt, immediately run in one direction or activate a Ninpo.
Weakpoints: The head. Art of the Piercing Void to the head.
Strategy
The strategy neither requires finesse or skill. Go for the head. Whatever you do, focus on attacking the head relentlessly with the scythe or with the Art of the Piercing Void. The tricky part, though, is avoiding the Armadillo's long legs. Try to catch up to the head after a four hit combo string (use the Y button string) by jumping or dodging. When the Armadillo curls in ball, drop whatever you're doing and immediately jump and run to the sides until it stops.
A strategy that can sometimes work is to strike the back of the rear legs. It is sometimes possible if you find the right location to repeatedly hit Y without moving the stick to take the first half of its life while it walks in circles. At some point it will turn reddish and roll around more. When this happens start aiming for its head.
And, by now, you've probably experienced the nasty surprise after the Amarillo's death: an explosion rippling across the land, killing anyone standing too close to the impact. There are three ways to avoid the explosion: 1) Get as far away as possible when the Armadillo falls to its knees on its last breath. Run, dodge, and jump out of the way; 2) Activate a Ninpo before the explosion hits you; 3) Just blocking the explosion will keep you alive as well.
Another way:
Instead of the strategy above you could just kill the Amarillo with explosive shurninkens.
Ryu will autoaim the amarillo's head if you jump close to it and throws the shurninkens into its head. (Just not to close or it will do the bite thing!) The best thing with this strategy is that it will not harm you at all and every blow from the explosions will cansel the Amarillo's attacks. (Exept the rolling attack which you will have to dodge!)
To survive the explosion at the end just block it because it takes no Ki and you have 100% chance to survive no matter how close to it you are.
Chapter 8: Submit or Die!
Key Items
* Crystal Skull (4)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Life of a Thousand Gods
Objectives
* Survive the mines in the snow.
* Grab the Bell Key in the bell tower.
* Get the Dignitary's ID Card in the train.
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The city covered in a thick blanket of snow is filled with enemies spawning in front and behind you. To counter their placement, be sure to check behind your back in case an enemy magically appears from nowhere. Another important focus of Chapter 8 is its emphasis on long range fighting. Throughout the level, you'll rely heavily on projectile weapons such as arrows and Incendiary shuriken to battle soldiers behind sandbags, in buildings, in the background. So make sure you are fully stocked from Muramasa's Shop.
Muramasa's Shop is in front of your starting position. Buy health, arrows, and Incendiary shuriken before moving into the city.
The sandbags in the level offer some protection against the rockets fired by the Infantry Soldiers. While the bags may shoulder some of the impact, it will not protect against splash damage from rocket explosions. The best strategy to approach the Infantry Soldiers behind the sandbags is to run at a slant, jumping and dodging, and get in to their location with a Flying Swallow.
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The best strategy to approach the Infantry Soldiers behind the sandbags is to run at a slant, jumping and dodging, and get in to their location with a Flying Swallow.
Another way to tackle the Infantry Soldiers is standing behind cover while firing charged arrows. The risky part, though, is being hit out of the arrow stance by a stray rocket.
Up the path is a dangerous area populated by three mechanized serpentines, supported by several Infantry Soldiers -- one of the hardest battles you'll fight in Chapter 8. If you're not worried about your Karma score, use the Art of the Piercing or Art of the Inferno. Otherwise, equip the scythe and focus your attention on the mechanized serpentines (apply the strategies in the enemy strategies section on them). Worry about the ancillary enemies around the area later. Around the corner of the building is a chest with blue/red essence. You must defeat all the enemies for the gate to open, through which is a Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Equip the scythe and focus your attention on the mechanized serpentines
The shopping center
One of the more frustrating sections in Chapter 8, the little shopping center is home to Infantry Soldiers armed with rockets on the first floor and second floor. To tackle the men on the second floor, use the Incendiary shuriken strategy while running around the center in order to avoid the rockets. (Note: staying under the bridge protects you from the rockets.) If you don't have any Incendiary shuriken, you may buy them from Muramasa's Shop in the only opened store in the center. Head deep into the center and scan the walls on your left. You'll see a room with Muramasa's Shop. And since you're here, you can head up the stairs adjacent to the shop, and reach the second floor, where you can battle the Infantry Soldiers.
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Muramasa's Shop is on the left by the water fountain.
The mines in the snow
Look carefully at the footprint indented on the surface of the snow. This marks the path you must take in order to avoid the mines in the snow. Deviate off the path and a mine will explode. But as you follow the footprints, Infantry Soldiers fire rockets through windows in a building, impeding your progress. The worst plan is to run quickly across the snow, where you'll be exposed in the open, targeted by the snipers in the building or behind the sandbags.
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The footprint indented on the surface of the snow marks the path you must take in order to avoid the mines in the snow.
Mechanically and systematically, shoot arrows at the men in the building while standing behind cover -- a sandbag, a wall, a tank. Take note that more men will replace a fallen soldier, so focus on the windows until everyone is killed. It's a bad idea to rush through the alleys when men continue to fire at you.
600x336Mechanically and systematically, shoot arrows at the men in the building while standing behind cover -- a sandbag, a wall, a tank.
Be prepared to seek cover behind a sandbag after collecting the Crystal Skull. Infantry Soldiers firing rockets will appear in one of the six large widows in a building. And if you get hit by one rocket, expect more rockets coming your way. Two sandbags are positioned on the road, one further up the path, while the other is near the area with the Crystal Skull. Seek cover behind the sandbag nearest the Skull, since you'll find a box containing arrow behind the bag. Your arrows in stock, hold the R shoulder button to zoom in on the building. Inspect the windows for men while charging an arrow shot. As soon as you see someone move, fire! Kill everyone before moving down the road.
Crystal Skull
Location: Starting from the first set of footprints in the snow, go down the road, and look towards the left when arriving at the first corner. The Crystal Skull is near the wooden barricades.
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Kick down the large gate boarded by two guard towers. You can throw Incendiary shurikens to kill the men in the watchtower. Remember to save your gate at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading into the bell tower.
The Flame Ninjas in the bell tower
Read the enemy strategies on how to deal with the Flame Ninjas. Block whenever an Incendiary shuriken clings to your body; move often, to avoid being hit, while using the Flying Swallow to get close to their position; repeat the Flying Swallow as a main offensive. Or use the Art of the Inferno!
To exit the room, you must kill all of the flaming ninjas to unlock the door to the right of the entrance. Then walk up the stairs and onto bell room. Once in the bell room, you will notice a ring around the center of the 3 bells, If you go left, you will find a corpse with a Life of the Gods. After that, go back to the ring and move back right, where you will find a locked door and a window leading onto a balcony that wraps around the sides. Get on the balcony and jump through another window into different section of the bell room, where you'll see a corpse holding the Bell Key. Backtrack out of the window and to the first bell room. Now, from the window, look on your left for a door across the bell. Open the door to the stairwell.
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The picture on the left shows the the narrow slit in the wall; on the right, the window leading to th balcony in the bell tower.
Stairwell
270x200Don't ignore the stairs. Walk down the stairs, passing each candle along the way, and look for the sixth candle for a surprise: a Crystal Skull! Then, when you reach the bottom floor, open the brown panels on a shrine surrounded by long green pillars.
Crystal Skull
Location: By the sixth candle in the stairwell.
Train station
270x200You've dealt with the Flame Ninjas before. Here is no exception. If you're still wondering on how you to beat the Flame Ninjas, read the enemy strategies for the strategy. After the battle, you'll watch a short interstitial spotlighting the door to a train, which is in the same room where you'd fought the Flame Ninjas. Enter the train and be sure to check each room for items. In the train, you'll find three objects of importance:
* Grains of Spiritual Life
* Dignitary's ID Card on corpse in the bedroom
* Crystal Skull
Crystal Skull
Location: On a seat at the back of the train.
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You'll need the ID card to unlock the door at the top of the stairs.
Miniboss
The miniboss acts similar to the miniboss in Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess. (Maybe it is the same boss!) But this time, the fight is a lot easier through the power of the scythe. Hack the boss' limbs with the scythe while avoiding the mechanized serpentines. Several slashes with the Y button should kill the boss in a few minutes. As for the mechanized serpentines, use the strategy in the enemy strategies to beat them.
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Hack the boss' limbs with the scythe while avoiding the mechanized serpentines.
The next destination is a holding cell under the city streets. But where could it be? Look for the big gap in the wall by where you defeated the miniboss and enter the room. On the floor is a hole that goes to the holding cells.
Holding cell
270x200In the cells you'll find two items:
* Incendiary shuriken
* Life of the Gods
On the floor of the cell is a notebook titled the Rule of the King of the Darkness. At the end of the hall, you must break the crack in the wall by throwing an Incendiary shuriken, opening the way to the sewers.
Sewer
In the Sewer, you willl find:
*
Life of a Thousand Gods.
After you enter the door, look across from where you are standing and on the ledge to the left by the gate, is a chest with the Life of a Thousand Gods. Ghost Fish and Water Wyrms will attack you in the sewers. Get to the end of the sewers, then climb the stairs to a long hallway in a cave. Travel to the end of the cave, and there, you will Bird Flip to the top. Start by jumping towards the wall, and run up the wall a bit before Bird Flipping to the opposite wall. At the top is another crack in the wall. You know what to do: throw an Incendiary shuriken at it.
Palace
Nothing much to see here. Flame Ninjas, an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest, Muramasa's Shop, and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. And, oh, a Test of Valor!
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The Test of Valor is through the door by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Test of Valor
Location: Walk through the door by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Reward: Jewel of the Diamond Seal
Enemies: Droids and soldiers with rocket launchers
This Test of Valor is unfair. Each enemy is equipped with a long range weapon, either a machinegun or a rocket launcher, shifting the fight in their favor. You, on the other hand, have no option but to fight close to the enemy. What an unfair fight!
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Complaining aside, the most effective approach is isolating the soldiers armed with rocket launchers. If you can get rid of them, the droids will be much easier to handle. Use the Incendiary shuriken strategy on the soldiers while trying to run and dodge the projectiles. Keep moving around the ring; otherwise, something will hit you. If you run out of shurikens, don't fight them up close but employ a hit and run strategy: Flying Swallows followed by a dodge and jump.
Finally, when the soldiers have been killed, destroy the droids with the scythe. Several slashes should destroy them. Just watch out for the explosion at the end.
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To leave the palace, find the ladder by Muramasa's shop on the second floor, and climb it to reach the clock tower filled with spinning gears and cogs.
Clock tower
A simple exercise in platforming. Climb on the gears, run on the gears, swing on poles -- stuff you've done in the past and stuff you shouldn't have any problems with. Of particular importance are the three items you'll find in the clock tower:
* Crystal Skull
* Izo's Notebook
* Grains of Spiritual Life
Crystal Skull
Location: While hanging on a pole attached to a spinning gear, you'll see the Crystal Skull in the center of a gear.
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Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before fighting the boss
Boss: Zedonius
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Attacks
* Fireballs: Zedonius shoots fireball while on the ground or in the air. To dodge the fireballs in the air, watch carefully for the small pause before he launches a fireball. During these few frames of animation, immediately run and dodge to the sides. Or, if you have Ninpo, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
* Lands on you after flying: A nasty attack tracking your last location. It's very hard to dodge the move.
* Throw: Look for a low crouch before the throw -- a clue telegraphing the throw.
What not to do
* Don't ever Flying Swallow; Zedonius will block it.
Strategy
Wait until he is on the ground before striking him, and when he is in the air, focus on avoiding his attacks. To take off an enormous amount of health, use the Art of the Piercing Void when Zedonius is preparing for a fireball attack in the air, or when he's advancing towards your location on the ground. The second best strategy, a strategy that doesn't involve Ninpo, is slashing the boss with the scythe. Get close, execute a four hit combo with the Y button, and dodge. Simple.
An alternate strategy that I used was to use the Lunar Staff here, Zedonius seemed to block other weapons a lot, so I switched to the staff, I beat him in 10 seconds. As was stated, dodge any air attacks, he usually will try to stomp you right away anyway, but when he does, do your best to dodge, then immediately close on him with Heavy attacks, land a few and he will drop to his knees, stunned. You can cram in so many strikes with the staff ( Y, Y, forward Y ) you can finish him before he recovers.
Chapter 9: Heart of Darkness
Key Items
* Vigoorian Flail
* Crystal Skull (4)
Objectives
* Beat the worm in the cave.
* Beat the two dragons.
The path to the river
The jungle in South America repeats two design patterns: a narrow path filled with enemy ninjas, and a body of water inhabited by jellyfish and Reptile Fish. The limited space on the dirt path forces combat fought up close, as opposed to the long range fighting in Chapter 8, where arrows and shuriken were essential in an offensive strategy against rocket men hiding in buildings and on platforms above ground. Naturally, in close range fighting, the strategy shifts to a technique able to kill an enemy quickly: Obliteration kills. But in the water, close range fighting is useless. No more Obliteration kills! Instead, fire the gatling gun on the jellyfish and the Reptile Fish in the water.
The path takes you to the banks of a river, across which is Muramasa's shop guarded by a single soldier armed with a rocket launcher. Run across the water, alternating your direction in order to avoid the rockets, and kill the armed soldier, then purchase and upgrade your weapons from Muramasa before venturing down the river.
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The path takes you to the banks of a river, across which is Muramasa's shop guarded by a single soldier armed with a rocket launcher.
The jellyfish in the water respawn indefinitely. If you're low on Yellow Essence, shoot them with the gatling gun until you're super rich�or until you're super bored.
The watchtowers
Objective: Get the Jade Mask to open the locked gate.
Requirements: Must have the Jade mask; kill everyone in the area to proceed.
270x200Remember to save your progress at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and grab arrows from the corpse in the other room before moving past the house. Once you move beyond the house, you can't come back! The guards in the watchtower will be alerted, droid armed with rockets will come at you, and rocket men across the river bank will fire rockets in every direction. Well, maybe not in every direction, but close enough.
Run to the top left: The Jade Mask is in a tiny cell behind a watchtower and a boat docked at the harbor, on the top left of the area. The hard part, though, is getting to the dock without being hit by a rocket. Zigzag across the water, running at a slant, never stopping to fight the droids hovering across the water. And, even when you get to the dock, be careful of the rockets! From the dock, run up the stairs and hide behind the watchtower, its structure offering some protection against incoming rockets (watch out for splash damage). By following the path behind the watchtower, you'll find the Jade Mask in a chest behind a locked gate.
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The Jade Mask is in a tiny cell behind a watchtower and a boat docked at the harbor, on the top left of the area.
Crystal Skull
Location: As you enter the area with the two spotlight towers go to the tower on the far right and behind it you will locate the Crystal Skull.
Everyone must die: Now, we must meet the other requirement: killing everyone in the area. Comb the houses for enemies; use charged arrows on the droids flying above the water. Finally, when you've killed everyone, a gate by a watchtower on the left side of the area will open.
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When you've killed everyone, a gate by a watchtower on the left side of the area will open.
270x200Place the Jade Mask in the decorated shine. Then, looking at the screenshot, find the green sculpture crafted on the rock wall and dive into the water. There should be a small hole that you can swim through.
Tree branches and the rope bridge
You'll see an Herb of Spiritual Life after coming up to the surface. Follow the path, on the ground and across water, until you see a series of branches extending from the right of the screen. Jump and grab the tree, then swing across the branches to the other side. There, you'll fight several ninjas on a small path, followed by a short climb across a rope above the water. Be careful of the guys carrying rocket launchers on the other side. If you spot them, shoot charged arrows at them before crossing the rope bridge.
Crystal Skull Location: Halfway across the rope bridge turn right and you can flip to some more tree branches to reach a Crystal Skull and Maramusa's shop.
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Jump and grab the tree, then swing across the branches to the other side.
Near the Statue of the Earth Dragon and off the path is Red Essence in a chest. Save your game before going into the next area! You won't have a chance to save in a long, long time.
The fissure in the boulder
Creepy crawlers storm below the boulder and into the area. Equip the scythe and do your best Dynasty Warrior impersonation -- slash, slash, slash, slash, slash. (Slashes with the Y button work the best.) Then examine that same boulder for a clue. Extreme force should blow open the boulder weakened by several fissures and cracks on the surface. Charge and release an Ultimate Technique to blow open the boulder.
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Charge and release an Ultimate Technique to blow open the boulder.
Cave
Objective: Defeat the worm boss
Achievement 100 hit combo unlocked: Throw shurikens at the crawlers, abundantly supplied throughout the cave.
At first glance, the cave seems endless. Turn after turn, room after room, the cave appears to stretch into infinity, a maze of rooms filled with Red and Blue Essence, each section a duplicate of the previous section. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But don't panic! You can ignore the creepers! You can ignore the rooms! Your goal is to kill the worm in the cave.
Miniboss: The worm
The worm is found in the same spot right after the cave starts to split. Before you see the worm, the background music changes, and a low rumble can be heard through the cave, so pay attention to your speakers for those signs. Soon after, the worm appears before you, rushing at you at great speeds.
When you hear the sudden change in music, when you hear the rumble, immediately stop whatever you're doing and change for an Ultimate Technique (scythe UT) while standing in its path. The next part will be tricky. It's hard to predict when the worm will hit you, but if you sense its presence, execute the UT, which gives you temporarily invincibility against the worms attack. The UT will not only protect you, but also stun and damage the worm. Do not attempt any combos on the worm at all.
Instead, you must immediately perform one of the two strategies:
* A) Dodge the worm's rush by running into a room.
* B) Execute a Ninpo for temporarily invincibility.
We chose method B, stopping the worm with a Ninpo.
The cave is so narrow that it's easy to be disoriented, easy to lose track of the worm, easy to feel absolutely powerless. Just remember, the worm can only approach you in two directions: from the back or from the behind, never from the sides. By focusing on those two directions, you'll have a better time predicting the worm's behavior.
Alternate Strategy: Duck into one of the rooms branching out from the main hallway. From there stand near the entrance of the the room and charge an Ultimate Scythe, aiming toward the main tunnel. Use the sound and rumble to time the release, hitting the worm as it roars past. Occasionally it might stop and try to hit you, just dodge out of the way until it leaves and repeat, you don't have to lose a sliver of life defeating this one.
Another Option: I hid in one of the rooms close to the entrance but far enough to keep out of harms way. When the worm went by I hit it with charged arrows. You get one shot a pass. It takes maybe 8-10 hits. Timely but safe. And don't worry, when that centipede thing comes crawling to your feet, it never actually attacks if you are far enough away from the entrance. Plus the same charged arrow you shoot at the worm will kill the centipede by default Two bugs with one stone.
Outside the cave
Crystal Skull
Location: Coming out the cave, you'll see a body of water inhabited by large serpents, and a Crystal Skull on the left.
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Up the hill
Past the cave, you'll walk on a dirt path up a hill, and will see a corpse on the ground holding the weapon Vigoorian Flail.
Pool of water
Achievement: Unlock the Feat of a Hundred Slashes Achievement by shooting the serpent creatures with the gatling gun. Fire with your back against the back, and let the serpents come to you.
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Another strategy is to dive underwater and head right, there is an underwater enclave that will protect you from the serpents, allowing you to kill them as you please, there is a chest there as well.
In the water is a Grains of Spiritual Life.
Just ahead is a Statue of the Earth Dragon and the Test of Valor.
Test of Valor
Reward: Yellow Essence
This is the easiest Test of Valor. Equip the scythe and hack through the crawlers. If you're bored repeating the same tactic, mix up the strategy by including Ultimate Technique.
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After completing the Test of Valor, you must conserve your energy for the upcoming boss fight against two dragons, so ignore the enemies on the path. When you see Muramasa's Shop, stock up on Devil Way Mushroom, because the strategy that you're about to use on the dragon revolves around Ninpo, more specifically the Art of the Piercing Void.
Crystal Skull Location: After watching the short cut-scene of ninjas floating down the river, jump into the river and diveunder it is located on the left hand side you will see a dead body examine it and you will recieve the skull.
Boss: The two dragon
If you don't have Art of the Piercing Void, the battle will be a pain in the ass. As you can see from the video, the Art of the Piercing Void does mega damage. Out of Ninpo? The two dragons can be killed with fully charged bow shots.
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The Art of the Piercing Void does mega damage on a dragon.
If you have very little Nimpo, you must fight the smaller dragons. The best strategy is to jump to avoid the slow moving flames, and shoot the bow while in the air to kill off the small dragons. When they are gone, you can focus your fire on the big dragons by charging up your bow. If you have plenty of Nimpo, then just use the Piercing Void and cheat yourself out of a tough boss fight.
Chapter 10: The Temple of Sacrifice
Key Items
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objective
* Get to the Temple of the Sacrifice.
* Hit the pressure pad to get the Bone Relief.
* Beat Elizebet.
Up the hill
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As blood drips from the sky to the ground, you must make your way up hill to the Temple of Sacrifice, fighting Blood Wyrms and Dragons peppered on the path. To prepare for the Temple of Sacrifice, be sure to buy health items and the Jewel of the Demon Seal at Muramasa's Shop in the beginning of the level. When you climb the hill, be on the lookout for the Blue Essence in a chest by the edge of the hill. And if you look at the area beyond the chest, you'll see two chests, one containing the Life of the Gods, the other Yellow Essence, in a secret area below the hill.
Blood Wyrms and dragons
You'll fight Blood Wyrms and dragons in the area past the chest with the Blue Essence. Their numbers are overwhelming, to say the least. Don't be afraid to use the Art of the Inferno when you're surrounded, and don't be afraid to spam the Ninpo if you're losing the battle. But, eventually, you may run out of Ninpo, and have to rely on other strategies. In this case, hop around the area to avoid the fire breath from the dragons, and execute repeated Flying Swallows. If you're close to a Wyrm, hack their limbs off before issuing an Obliteration kill. When you're done, look for the Denji's Notebook on a corpse on a small patch of vegetation near the rocky wall. Up ahead, you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Don't be afraid to use the Art of the Inferno when you're surrounded.
Spamming the Ultimate Technique
Six spider creatures that you'd fought in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 will come down the long narrow strip of land en masse. The best way to kill them is through the scythe's Ultimate Technique. When you see the spider creatures, charge for an Ultimate Technique and release it when they're in range. Keep spamming the UT -- charging the UT, unleashing the UT, and charging again. If done correctly, the projectile from the scythe UT will kill the spider creatures before they have a chance to get close to you.
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The best way to kill the spider creatures is through the scythe's Ultimate Technique.
Up the path, grab the Devil Way Mushroom and Grains of Spiritual Life off the two corpses' body, then save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Water worms and bone creatures
In the water are bone creepers and water worms, two creatures that are easy on their own, but annoying when combined in a group. The bone creepers appear in the cave, not on the water, while the water worms are, uh, in the water. Use the environment to your advantage. Attack the creatures when you're in the cave, and don't venture into the water. Not yet, anyway. But here's the trick: when you've killed the bone creatures, stand on the shore and charge for a scythe Ultimate Technique before releasing it on the water worms. Charge, UT, repeat. Easy kill. After the battle, run across the water, then Bird Flip up the hill.
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Charge, UT, repeat.
Crystal Skull
Location: The Crystal Skull is found after the green pool of water infested by water worms, and after the section where you performed the Bird Flip. You should see the Skull on a platform above you. Run across the wall before jumping up to reach the Skull, but if you fall when running across the wall, you'll see Muramasa's shop and a bunch of bone creepers on the floor below.
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Next, spam the scythe Ultimate Technique on the water worms, then lower the pillar to the ground by going up to it and pressing the RB button. After saving your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, you'll watch a short interstitial showing the Temple of Sacrifice surrounded by an army of dragons in the air.
Dragons above the bridge
Don't bother attacking the dragons; you can't kill every dragon out there. Run down the hill while ignoring the dragons. Coming down the hill, you may have noticed a Crystal Skull below the hill on your left. Round the corner, to the left, when you get to ground level, then search the walls for the Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: As you run down the hill, you'll see the Crystal Skull below you on the left side of the area.
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The pressure pad
270x200You've seen this type of puzzle before. Use force and something will happen. This time, you'll have to land on the pressure pad with a jumping Y attack. Stand on top of the pad, then jump and press the Y button.
The scythe UT
In area between the first instance of the pressure pad and the Statue of the Earth Dragon on the bridge (the Statue is also near a Test of Valor), the enemies are slow and dumb enough to fall for the scythe Ultimate Technique. Spam the crap out of the technique and you should be fine when you reach the Test of Valor on the bridge.
Test of Valor
Location: Near the Statue of the Earth Dragon on the bridge.
Reward: Yellow and Blue Essence.
Enemies: Ghost Fish and Blood Wyrm
A simple Test of Valor. First, kill the Ghost Fish with the Art of the Flame Bird, a Ninpo surrounding your body with a fleet of flaming birds. But don't get hit while the Ninpo is activated, or else you will lose the Ninpo ability. When you run out of Ninpo, equip the Dragon Sword and execute standing slashes at random. The Ghost Fish will come to you, only to be slashed and killed.
Next, for the Blood Wyrm, spam the scythe Ultimate Technique while standing in one place. Scythe UT for the win!
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270x200There's another pressure pad after the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Test of Valor. Hit it with a jumping attack (the Y button) to lower a net, then walk across the net and find a jagged opening in the wall. Up ahead, you'll see a huge yellow dragon in a cage, and a corpse on the ground possessing arrows. Grab the arrows and head up the path, which triggers a cut-scene.
Before the temple
The green mechanism on the wall needs something to complete it. What you need is the Bone Relief, a tablet carved with an unsettling picture of a skeleton on its back, its knees to its chest, and its arm stretched in the air. The Bone Relief is found after you beat the dragon. And where's the dragon? Hit the pressure pad near the edge of cliff, and you'll see the dragon be released from its cage.
The dragon and the Bone Relief
270x200The easy way: The Art of the Piercing Void kills the dragon in two hits. That's it! If you don't have the Art of the Piercing Void, consider yourself screwed. (There are arrows on the corpse before coming to the Temple of Sacrifice.) Place the Bone Relief on the green mechanism to open the doors of the Temple of Sacrifice.
The stairs
This war of attrition begins at the bottom of the stairs and ends at the top of the stairs, and in between, you'll experience the game crumbling under the weight of the slowdown. Get to the top of the stairs first, and try to ignore the slowdown along the way. At the top, spam the crap out of the scythe Ultimate Technique over and over. The doors to the Temple will only open when you've killed all the ninja soldiers, but before you enter the Temple, grab the Red Essence in a chest by the door. Up the stairs and down the stairs in the Temple, you'll eventually reach the room where you'll fight Elizebet. (There's a Prayer of the Nercomantle before the room with Elizebet.)
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At the top of the stairs, spam the crap out of the scythe Ultimate Technique over and over.
Boss Elizetbet
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Attacks
* Charge: A quick charge attack followed by a potential throw. Before charging at you, Elizebet will lower her shoulders and hunch forward, a sign that you should block or dodge.
* Flying Swallow or Dive: To counter your Flying Swallows or jump attacks, Elizebet will execute her own Flying Swallow, which usually beats your attack. (Save the Flying Swallow when she's forming her red blood magic in the air.) When she lands, Elizebet will swoop down towards the ground, hitting you if you're in the way. Dodge to the side to avoid.
* Multihit combo: Three to five hit combo ending with a tail attack. If she whiffs the combo, it's your chance to attack! Make sure to dodge each attack, then counterattack quickly before Elizebet has a chance to recover.
* Red blood magic: A circle of blood appears in the air, streaming red projectiles randomly around the area. The red blood magic is very difficult to dodge, so take the easy way out: use Ninpo. When Elizebet forms the red circle in the air, immediately execute the Art of the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll avoid the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll get hit. If you don't have Ninpo, perform a Flying Swallow to hit her out of the air!
Our strategy relied on close range fighting. Stay close to her, blocking and dodging her melee attacks, and attack with the scythe or the Dragon Sword when she whiffs her combos (the preferred method from MyCheats is slashing her with the scythe). Save Ninpo to counter her red blood magic -- an important strategy if you're terrible at dodging projectiles.
Chapter 11: A Tempered Gravestone
Key items
* Omusubi
* Wind Shuriken
* Crystal Skull (3)
Objective
* Make it down the hill.
* Find the Kureha's Room Key to unlock the room with the Wind Shuriken.
* Beat Genshin.
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The True Dragon Sword.
Ayani gives you a jewel completing the Dragon Sword. Now, you have the True Dragon Sword, a sword powered to Level 4, far stronger than the normal Dragon Sword, whose strength is only matched by the combination of the Dark Sword and True Dragon Sword (acquired in Chapter 14).
Scythe UT on the stairs..and everywhere in between
Objective: Go down the stairs and reach Muramasa's shop in the house on ground level.
And you'll need the extra strength for the Tempered Gravestone, a brutally difficult level that requires strength over finesses. As you walk down the stairs through the village, mobs of Flame Ninjas and Archers will attack ruthlessly, throwing projectiles from every angle, swarming your immediate position. In this situation, the worst strategy is to run. The openness of the cliffs creates a tempting allure that you can run past the enemy, but they will find you, and hunt you, and kill you.
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Use the scythe UT.
Instead of running away, approach the village systematically by killing each group one at a time with the scythe Ultimate Technique. The projectile from the UT will give you a safe distance from the incoming enemy, while killing those standing before you. Spamming the scythe UT is a great strategy when you don't know the position of the enemy, thanks to the autotarget mechanic. Plus, when you kill a group of enemies, your life will regenerate.
Scythe UT for the win: The projectile from the scythe UT can go through walls. If you know an enemy is coming towards you, hide behind a wall and arbitrarily execute the UTs. Some UT will hit the enemy; some won't. But you'll live in the end!
For situations when you don't have enough time to charge the scythe UT, immediately retreat and create space between you and the attacking enemy. Backtrack up the stairs. Find a safe location where you have enough time to charge and release the scythe UT before the enemy can hit you. When you cleared a group of enemies, look at your life bar and see if it had been regenerated. If so, proceed further in the village, walking slowly and cautiously, while looking for Archers and Flame Ninjas. Remember, don't rush things. Take your time.
When you've reached the bottom of the stairs, look for Muramasa's Shop and the Statue of the Earth Dragon in a house. Save your game and buy health and items before going farther into the village. You'll need a full stock of weapons for the upcoming epic fight against Flame Ninjas and several spider bosses.
The cluster of houses in the village
There's nothing in the house with the opened door, but there's something special behind the closed door of the house on the left side of the village. (Curious? The special items are Jewel of the Demon Seal and the Windmill Shuriken.) But in order to open the doors, you must have the Kureha's Room Key, found by interacting with the gravestones on a hill.
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The Kureha's Room Key is found by interacting with the gravestones on a hill.
To get to the gravestones, run through the house, across the wooden bridge, past the locked house, and up the stairs on the hill. Up the stairs, you'll see a Jizo Statue Head on the ground before the turn. Then, past the Statue Head, look for several gravestones off the path, one of them containing Kureha's Room Key.
Did you know?: If you examined the gravestone with Kureha's Room Key back in Chapter 2, you would have read this interesting snippet of Ninja Gaiden history: "This is the grave of Kureha, Ryu's childhood friend and shrine-maiden of the Dragon Lineage."
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The Jizo Statue Head.
Now that the key is in your inventory, backtrack down the hill, across the wooden bridge, and back to the cluster of houses. The locked house is on the left (direction assumes you're facing the hills). Unlock the door and grab the Windmill Shuriken and Spirit of the Devils. Now return to Muramasa's Shop to replenish used items and depleted health for the next battle in the area with the locked house. (The battle is triggered when you get the Wind Shuriken.)
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Behind the locked door is the Windmill Shuriken.
Save the Spirit of the Devils: Don't use it now! Save it for the next boss battle to replenish your Ki in full!
The showdown in front of the locked house
Forget about using the Art of the Inferno; it has little affect on the spider boss creatures. Instead, use Art of the Piercing Void, which should kill them in one hit. To maximize efficiency, line up the spider creatures in a line before firing the Art of the Piercing Void. When you run out of Ki, use the Spirit of the Devils that you found in the locked house to refill your Ki, as well as adding one more stock of Ki! For the Flame Ninjas, run around the area while throwing Incendiary Shurikens. Eventually, their numbers will dwindle, and you can finish the rest off easily by using the scythe or the True Dragon Sword. When you've killed all the enemies, the locked door will be unlocked.
HINT!! If you look along the water you will see 3 circles on 2 posts that look like targets.....hmmm. Shoot the targets and get rewarded for your cunning and accuracy with full health, ninpo and a nice hunk of Ki to spend!
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To make the battle a lot easier, focus on killing the spider bosses first.
After the battle and through the door
Climb the ladder. You'll see a corpse by the window with the History of the Castle Dragon, then jump out the window.
Explore the perimeter around the house by the cliff for a Crystal Skull. By following the path that wraps around the house, you'll see a corpse holding an Herb of Spiritual Life, and a bit beyond it, a Crystal Skull behind a wooden wheel in a corner of alley. Once you past the boundaries of the village, you'll swim through a cave and run up a hill packed with shrubs before seeing a Statue of the Earth Dragon under the entrance of a cave.
Crystal Skull
Location: The house by the cliff. Behind a wooden wheel in a corner of alley.
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Crystal Skull
Location: In a house on the grassy hill. Break the door to uncover the Crystal Skull.
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The cave
Before you enter the cave, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon by the cave's entrance. The cave is a loop that comes back to the entrance, so don't worry about being lost. Just beyond the Statue are Blue Essence in a chest on your right, and the Test of Valor on your left.
Test of Valor
Reward: Lives of the Thousand Gods
Enemies: Dogs and Flame Ninjas
The entire fight is based on mobility. For the first half of the fight, runaway from the dogs and the Flame Ninjas while spamming the Incendiary Shuriken strategy. When you run out of shuriken, take the strategy to the air and use repeated Flying Swallows on�everybody. Although it's risky to continually perform the Flying Swallow, this fight forces you to make an exception. The dogs are too dangerous to fight up close, and the Incendiary Shuriken from the Flame Ninjas makes it too dangerous to stand still. Which is why you should always be on the move, dodging, jumping, and Flying Swallowing. Use the Art of the Inferno to target and kill multiple enemies at once.
Outside the cave
Stuck? Unsure on where to go? Look to the left of the Statue of the Earth Dragon under the cave's entrance for the answer. Climb the rock stairs towards the top of the house, where you'll find the Hachijuro's NotebookGrains of Spiritual Life on a corpse in the corner.
600x336Climb the rock stairs towards the top of the house.
The rope climb
The house leads to two mountains connected by a long rope. Naturally, you're supposed to climb the rope to the other side, where you'll find the Statue of the Earth Dragon. But before you shimmy across the rope, explore the area below the rope to find something special. A Crystal Skull! There's also a Life of the GodsBird Flip up the shaft and you should see it in a chest.
Crystal Skull
Location: From the first mountain, drop down through the shaft, and search the scaffolds for the Crystal Skull.
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270x200Muramasa gives you the Muramasa's Omusubi, an item that completely restores Ryu's health and heals all lasting damage.
Go up the hill while fighting the wolves, and you'll eventually see Muramasa's Shop.
The battlefield
You'll fight white ninjas and Flame Ninjas in the area marked by hundreds of arrows in the ground. The strategy relies on staying mobile by constantly running and dodging the Incendiary Shuriken, and attacking with the Flying Swallow. If you're feeling overwhelmed, use an Art of Inferno to target multiple enemies at once, but don't rely on Ninpo as a crutch -- the boss Genshin is up next, and you may want to use a Ninpo in the battle. Throw Incendiary Shurikens while running away from them, and when you run out, switch strategies and kill them through repeated Flying Swallow.
There's a corpse by a huge rock holding Koshimaru's Notebook.
Boss: Genshin
Genshin is easy. Just remember this simple yet effective strategy: attack with the scythe. That's it. Stay close to Genshin and repeatedly slash him with the scythe. You won't have to block, either. Assault him relentlessly, and execute a Ninpo for invincibility and to avoid his attacks, then dodge to the sides. Wait until Genshin whiffs his combo before getting in close and repeating the strategy.
Chapter 12: Quickening Devastation
Key Items
* Heart of the Malevolent Flame
Objective
* Beat the Two Armadillos
* Beat Zedonius
* Beat Volf
Quickening Devastation is the first of two chapters featuring a gauntlet of bosses. Here, you must conserve your health for the grueling boss fights, restock health items and offensive weapons, and save your energy for only -- and only! -- the bosses. Thus, the strategy for the first part of Chapter 12 is to run past the dragons without fighting them, conserving your health, until you get to the first boss, the Armadillo. If you want to get another Master Ninja score at the end of the chapter, maybe you want to strike the dragons with arrow from afar. That should give you a save distance. If one of the wounded dragons decide to run toward you, just prepare your Scythe's ultimate techniques, which should take care of them all.
This time, however, you'll fight not one but two Armadillos.
Boss: Two Armadillos
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Attacks
* Giant roll: Curls up in a ball and bulldozes across the land. He will hit you if you're standing idly, so run to the sides in one direction to avoid it.
* The bite: Get too close to its mouth, and the Armadillo will snatch you, gnaw on you, and spit you out. And, oh, take off an insane amount of damage. It's hard to avoid the bite, especially when you're hacking away at its head.
* Magma blast: Chunks of fire and molten lava erupt off the Armadillo's back and sides, blanketing the sky with projectiles that can only be dodged, not blocked. When you see the magma blast erupt, immediately run in one direction or active a Ninpo.
Focus on one Armadillo at a time without distributing your attack effort on the other one. Why? You'll have an easier time attacking an Armadillo when you're not worrying about the other one attacking your blind side. Be patient when you're setting up your attack and choosing which Armadillo you want to kill first. Wait for a lull, when the Aramadillos have stopped shooting Magma blasts, then go for their head by slashing it with the scythe or shooting an Art of the Piercing Void.
Attacking the head with the scythe is neither finesse nor skill. It's brute force. The tricky part, though, is avoiding the Armadillo's long legs. Try to catch up to the head after a four hit combo string (use the Y button string) by jumping or dodging. When the Armadillo curls in ball, drop whatever you're doing and immediately jump and run to the sides until it stops.
And, by now, you've probably experienced the nasty surprise after the Amarillo's death: an explosion rippling across the land, killing anyone standing too close to the impact. There are three ways to avoid the explosion: 1) Get as far away as possible when the Armadillo falls to its knees on its last breath; 2) Activate a Ninpo before the explosion hits you; 3) Block the explosion.
The easiest strategy is blocking the explosion after you kill an Armadillo.
After the battle: run!
Be sure to reuse the save location near the Armadillo boss fight. There are several moderately difficult fights between this battle and the next save point.
Again, repeating the strategy used at the beginning of Chapter 12, run past the enemies without fighting them. You'll need to conserve your energy for the next boss, Zedonius. And don't worry about the lava below your feet; it won't hurt you. Also, you can find Red Essence in a chest along the path.
Boss: Zedonius
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Requirement: To trigger the boss fight, move beyond the corpse holding arrows.
Attacks
* Fireballs: Zedonius shoots fireball while on the ground or in the air. To dodge the fireballs in the air, watch carefully for the small pause before he launches a fireball. During these few frames of animation, immediately run and dodge to the sides. Or, if you have Ninpo, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
* Lands on you after flying: A nasty attack tracking your last location. It's very hard to dodge the move.
* Throw: Look for a low crouch before the throw -- that's the sign telegraphing a throw.
What not to do
* Don't ever Flying Swallow; Zedonius will block it.
Strategy
To take off an enormous amount of health, use the Art of the Piercing Void when Zedonius is preparing for a fireball attack in the air, or when he's on the ground advancing towards your location. The second best strategy, a strategy that doesn't involve Ninpo, is slashing the boss with the scythe. Get close, execute a four hit combo with the Y button, and dodge. Simple.
After the battle, Zedonius will place the Heart of the Malevolent Flame on the ground, one of four pieces you need to unlock the door to the Underworld.
The cave
Watch out for mines in the cave. You can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and pick up Red Essence in a chest by the Statue.
Outside the cave and in the forest
A fog blankets the forest masking the enemies lurking in the background. Since you have limited visibility, and you don't know the locations of the enemy, creep through the forest while executing the scythe Ultimate Technique, letting the UT autotrack the position of the enemy. Walk a few steps, execute the scythe UT several times, then walk forward a bit. Repeat the UT strategy throughout the forest.
Herb of a Spirtual Life by the left wall.
Yellow essence in a chest by the left wall.
Repeat the UT strategy throughout the forest.
Boss: Volf
Volf is accompanied by a group of Centaurs, whose main attack consist of running you over under their hooves, and attacking you with a long staff. But don't let the Centaurs distract you from your objective: to kill Volf. Focus your effort on Volf, and only Volf, by staying close to him while slashing him with the scythe (use the Y button combo). Dodge to the sides when Volf attacks you with his multihit combo. When Volf whiffs his combo, immediately get close to him and slash him with the scythe. If you see an opening, when Volf stands still or slowly walks to the side, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
Alternate Strategy: If you want to wipe most of the Centaurs in one strike, on the very beginning moment of the battle, charge up your Scythe's Ultimate Technique until it maxed out, and release before the horde of Centaurs approach you. With good timing, that should wipe them out with only very few left. From then on, it's going to be Volf's turn. One of the best technique for the Werewolf is the True Dragon Ninja's Flying Swallow. One of the easiest NG II boss fight.
Chapter 13: The Underworld Abyss
Key items
* None.
Objectives
* Beat Alexei.
At the start of Chapter 13, examine the glowing red object for the Heart of Bestial Storm, a reminiscence of the defeated boss Volf, which you'll need to escape the Underworld. Then, go up the hill and purchase items and weapons at Muramasa's Shop. You'll need full health and items for the next several battles.
In the narrow hallway
Half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders are quick, lethal, and intimidating. In a pack, they can tear you apart with their flying attacks, and interrupt your attacks with their quick slashes. So, keep that in mind when you're fighting them up close -- a situation that's fairly dangerous and is more trouble than its worth. Instead of close combat, you should look at your environment for the strategy. The narrow hall is a perfect opportunity to spam the scythe Ultimate Technique. Run to the end of the hall, and when you have enough distance between you and the enemy, charge and release the UT or you could also try attacking with a a fully charged windmill shuriken provided your targets (half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders) are stationary. If they're too close to you, run back to the other side, and repeat the strategy. Also, try to line them up in a single path and shoot the Arrow of the Piercing Void.
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Half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders are quick, lethal, and intimidating.
Area with centaurs
270x200There are two rooms: one locked, the other opened, on opposite ends of the room. The opened room has the Statue of the Earth Dragon and three chests, and when activating the Earth Dragon, the locked room will open. If you're having a hard time with the Centaurs, execute repeated Flying Swallows. Or equip a scythe and perform the Ultimate Technique over and over.You could also try attacking with fully charged windmill shuriken but be careful when there is more than one centaur charging at you.
The cave
The cave has two paths: left or right. The left path leads to a dead end with a Devil Way Mushroom on a corpse. If you don't want the extra work, avoid the left path and take the right path all the way to the exit. Also, the cave is filled with webbed balls hanging from the ceiling. Destroying a ball will uncover a surprise: a ninja, a group of ninjas, or a spider creature. Although the spider creature is a pain to fight, you can kill it quickly by slashing it with the scythe. Whatever you do, don't use your Ninpo in the cave; conserve them for the upcoming boss fight.
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The webbed balls contain a ninja, a group of ninjas, or a spider creature.
270x200Outside the cave
Dragons fly above a giant hole in the ground, their numbers seemingly endless. You don't have to fight the dragons. Just jump into the hole and you'll fight Alexei. But if you want to kill them, stay in the cave and shoot arrows right by the door, which offers some protection against the dragon's fireballs. Outside, look for an Herb of Spiritual in a chest near the wall on the far left.
Boss: Alexei
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Attacks
* Tornado: Alexei spins like a tornado across the floor, tracking your location. The move is easy to spot due to its long start up time. When you see Alexei start to spin, don't think about dodging but immediately execute a Ninpo for its invincibility. Alexei is very vulnerable after the Tornado attack.
* Grab: A quick short range grab that inflicts tremendous damage. The throw's quickness makes it hard to react accordingly. So, as a preemptive measurement, you should constantly dodge to the sides in order to avoid the throw.
* Lightning: When Alexei flies in the air, he'll attack by throwing lighting that tracks onto your last location. Run and jump in one direction to avoid the lightning attacks. But the easiest strategy is to use the Art of the Piercing Void when he gets in the air and when you see Alexei gather electricity in his hands.
* Electric balls: Projectiles that can't be blocked. Dodge to the side to avoid them, but don't jump during the evasion! After the electric balls, Alexei may execute a flying grab to snatch you out of the air.
Don't throw arrows and Incendiary Shuriken -- they're worthless against Alexei.
Counterattacking is very difficult. Don't try it on Alexei, as he'll block the counters and respond with a grab.
Weakpoints: His body.
Strategy: Scythe (Y button) up close.
Stay close to Alexei while slashing him with the scythe (the Y button), and after the end of your combo, try to tack on additional hits, though this may be risky and expose you to a counterattack. A four or five hit combo with the scythe should take half of Alexei's life. Pursue him, be aggressive, and hack him away.
But you can't be single minded in your approach. Evasion and blocking are equally important. For instance, you must watch out for his tornado move, an invincible attack that blows through all your melee attacks. The tornado is such a threat that you should activate a Ninpo to protect yourself against it. Otherwise, do your best to block and dodge to the sides.
Chapter 14: Poisoned Blood
Key items
* Heart of the Azure Lightning
* Blade of the Archfiend
* Heart of Crimson Blood
Objectives
* Beat Genshin
* Beat Elizebet
* Beat High Priest
* Beat Arch Fiend
* Beat Dragon Arch Fiend
You start the level by picking up the Heart of Azure Lightning. Head to down the path to the left and through the door. Here you will face half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders. They are quick, lethal, and intimidating. In a pack, they can tear you apart with their flying attacks, and interrupt your attacks with their quick slashes. So, keep that in mind when you're fighting them up close -- a situation that's fairly dangerous and is more trouble than its worth. Instead of close combat, you should look spam the scythe Ultimate Technique you could also try attacking with a a fully charged windmill shuriken provided your targets (half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders) are stationary. If they're too close to you move back and repeat the strategy. Also, try to line them up in a single path and shoot the Arrow of the Piercing Void. When you have killed them all pick up the Devil Way Mushroom found on the body.
Go through the door to reach Muramasa's shop. Buy plenty of supplies for the up coming areas. You will pass through yet another door where you fill face the centaurs yet again.
Area with centaurs
If you're having a hard time with the Centaurs, execute repeated Flying Swallows. You can also equip a scythe and perform the Ultimate Technique over and over. Another method you can try is attacking with fully charged windmill shuriken but be careful when there is more than one centaur charging at you. Be sure to pick up arrows and the Devil Way Mushroom found on the two bodies in this area.
Just ahead is a Statue of the Earth Dragon save your game before going on.
Pool of blood
The pool of blood has several serpent creatures so equip the gatling gun. Fire with your back against the wall and let the serpents come to you. There is nothing on the floor of the pool so don't waste your time looking. Head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs on the left there is a box of red essence on the right a body with Herb of Spirtual Life. Head through the door and you will begin your first boss battle.
Boss: Genshin
Genshin is easy. Just remember this simple yet effective strategy: attack with the scythe. That's it. Stay close to Genshin and repeatedly slash him with the scythe. You won't have to block, either. Assault him relentlessly, and execute a Ninpo for invincibility and to avoid his attacks, then dodge to the sides. Wait until Genshin whiffs his combo before getting in close and repeating the strategy.
After killing Genshin for the last time, you will be given the Blade of the Archfiend. If you are attempting to get x-weapon achievement make sure you switch your weapon back before the next battle.
Boss: Elizebet
Attacks
* Charge: A quick charge attack followed by a potential throw. Before charging at you, Elizebet will lower her shoulders and hunch forward, a sign that you should block or dodge.
* Flying Swallow or Dive: To counter your Flying Swallows or jump attacks, Elizebet will execute her own Flying Swallow, which usually beats your attack. (Save the Flying Swallow when she's forming her red blood magic in the air.) When she lands, Elizebet will swoop down towards the ground, hitting you if you're in the way. Dodge to the side to avoid.
* Multihit combo: Three to five hit combo ending with a tail attack. If she whiffs the combo, it's your chance to attack! Make sure to dodge each attack, then counterattack quickly before Elizebet has a chance to recover.
* Red blood magic: A circle of blood appears in the air, streaming red projectiles randomly around the area. The red blood magic is very difficult to dodge, so take the easy way out: use Ninpo. When Elizebet forms the red circle in the air, immediately execute the Art of the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll avoid the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll get hit. If you don't have Ninpo, perform a Flying Swallow to hit her out of the air!
Our strategy relied on close range fighting. Stay close to her, blocking and dodging her melee attacks, and attack with Dragon Sword and Cursed Sword when she whiffs her combos. Save Ninpo to counter her red blood magic -- an important strategy if you're terrible at dodging projectiles.
After killing Elizebet you will find the Heart of Crimson Blood lying of the floor. There is nothing else in this room so don't waste your time looking head into the void that was created after Elizebet's death.
Inside the Void
Once in the void you with find box containing Herb of Spirtual Life, Muramasa's shop, and Statue of the Earth Dragon. Make sure max out your inventory. You will not find any extra's from this point until after the next boss battle. Follow the path to a set of stairs where you fill finally make use of the Heart of the Azure Lightning, Heart of Crimson Blood, and the others you have collected.
Next you will find pass through an extremely long tunnel. You fill fight imps and dragons. Use the same techniques you have always used to defeat them. At the end of the tunnel you will face your next boss. The High Priest.
Boss: High Priest
Spiral Staircase
After killing the High Priest you will begin in a pool of water. Head to the closest land where you will find a box full of red essence. Head up the spiral staircase made out of vines or rock. Once you go up far enough you will face the Arch Fiend.
Boss: Arch Fiend
How to kill the Archfied
Autoaim for the win: In the video, the player zooms in when targeting the head and the blue core, the weakspots of the Archfiend. But there's a faster way. You don't need to zoom in, as Ryu autoaims. Autoaim is much faster while zooming leaves room for error and, well, death. Also, use the Art of the Flame Phoenix to protect you from the miniskulls that fly at you, in addition to slashing them or running and dodging to the sides.
The attack pattern: The attack pattern should revolve these basic concepts: Shoot him in the face, dodge his spew, then shoot him in the orb. Dodge his spew again, and if you're quick, you can shoot him again, as long as the orb is still blue.
When you've knocked a considerable amount of health, the Archfiend will move up the level, forcing you to run after it. Repeat the strategy mentioned above. And, on the last level, the third level of the stage, you'll find a corpse with arrows near the edge of the stage.
Boss: Dragon Arch Fiend
How to beat the Final Arch Fiend
Strategy 1: An easy way to beat the final arch fiend is by using the Eclipse Scythe and pummeling the Y button. If you time it right, the game gifts you the most awesome Obliteration to finish the Arch Fiend off, and to end the game! Good luck!
Strategy 2: Run directly to the Arch Fiend's left and stand next to its hand. Immediately start slashing him up with the Scythe. When he lifts his hand to grab you, activate your Ninpo (any will do) and he wont harm you. If you have five scrolls, use you can pretty much beat him without being hit.
And that's it! Hope you found this walkthrough helpful and useful during the game. Constructed with the help of mycheats.
Chapter 1: Sky City TokyoKey Items
* The Art of the Inferno
* Lunar Staff
* Lives of a Thousand Gods (1)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objectives
* Head towards the top of the building.
* Find the Card Key in the stairwell.
* Defeat the Shadow Ninja.
Muramasa House
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Ryu before the camera surrounded by the Black Ninja Clan.
A group of Black Spider Ninjas stand outside Muramasa's house. If you want to kill them quickly, perform repeated Flying Swallows and Obliteration techniques. Otherwise, use them as practice -- block and counterattack, slash and combo. Before running into Muramasa's house through the crack on the door, head around the house, towards the left, until you spot the Statue of the Earth Dragon, a save point that not only saves progress but refills health. Press the RB button to save your game.
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Statue of the Earth Dragon: Enemies must not be around when using the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Get rid of the enemy before using the statue; otherwise, the Statue won't work!
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Enter Muramasa's house through the front door.
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"You don't know her?" says Muramasa, talking about the woman kidnapped by the Black Spider Ninja Clan.
Stairs
The cut-scene ended, you must head through the gate in the distance, and then descend the stairs where Black Spider Ninjas will try to ambush you. Perform Flying Swallows or Obliteration Techniques while using the walls to your advantage. (Run across the walls to create space between you and the ninjas.)
Look for a chest containing the Reverse Wind Technique by the door at the bottom of the stairs.
Chest: Reverse Wind Technique
LT + L to perform a quick dash in the direction indicated by the Left Stick. Used to dodge enemy attacks or to get close.
Achievement Mastered Wind 5G: Stay in guard while moving the left analog stick towards the left or right direction. You'll dodge to the sides and unlock the Achievement.
Hallway
After kicking down the big wooden doors, prepare for danger in the narrow hallway, as Black Spider Ninjas will immediately rush towards you. Kill them quickly before entering the room down the hall, where in the middle of the room is a cluster of Blue Essence in a chest.
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"...prepare for danger in the narrow hallway, as Black Spider Ninjas will immediately rush towards you."
Chest: Blue Essence
Blue Essence heals you, and is found in chests or dropped by the enemy.
The Wall Run (Technique of Shadowless Footsteps): The room leads to a narrow hallway filled with ninjas, and a hole on the ground near the end of the hallway. The gap is too large to jump over, so what should you do? Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the wall. Run towards the wall at an angle before jumping on it. By holding the left analog stick in the forward direction, Ryu will run across the wall for a limited time.
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Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the wall. Run towards the wall at an angle before jumping on it.
Down into the gap
Don't panic if you drop into the gap. Search the ground for a chest containing the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps. Carefully read the instructions explained on the scroll, then apply the techniques on the two walls located closely together. Jump from wall to wall in order to propel your body to the top.
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Bird Flip up the wall to get back on the top floor.
The Technique of Shadowless Footsteps
Jump with the A button towards a wall, then hold the L analog stick forward to run along the wall.
You can unlock the Mastered Shadowless Footsteps Achievement by jumping from wall to wall towards the top of the platform.
Across the gap
The room after the gap contains the scroll the Furious Wind Technique in a chest, and the Art of the Inferno, a Ninpo specializing in fire attacks, in a chest by the shrine. Grab the Art of Inferno before moving onto the wooden balcony, where you'll see a secret surprise.
Chest: The Furious Wind Technique
Location: In the small alcove past the gap on the floor.
Press LT + L while blocking an enemy attack to quickly dash away. When your defense has been broken, use it to swiftly avoid further damage.
Chest: The Art of the Inferno (Ninpo)
Location: In the room past the gap on the floor.
The Inferno's blaze reduces your enemies to ashes. (Press Y + B buttons to activate the Ninpo. You must have Ki to use Ninpo.
Standing on the wooden balcony, look in the background for a glowing white object. A Crystal Skull sits on the roof in the background. Stand on the edge of the wooden deck and look for small wooden roof on the far right of the Crystal Skull -- that's your target, and where you must land. Should you fall when attempting the jump, get back to the balcony by climbing the ladder near the wooden railing.
Crystal Skull
Location: On a roof.
A legendary out-out-place artifact known since the ancient times.
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Situational: If you fall off the balcony when running across the wall for the Crystal Skull. You could also run towards the skull when you first see it then at the edge of the balcony jump and press Y to perform the Flying Swallow move and that will get you behind the Crystal Skull.
270x200Don't feel bad if you don't get the Crystal Skull on your first try. In fact, falling to the bottom floor can bring great fortune. By going up two sets of stairs from the bottom floor, you'll find the Lives of a Thousand Gods, an item increasing overall health, in a chest by the foot of a shrine.
Up a set of stairs and by the door is a chest with the Herb of Spiritual Life, an item restoring a small amount of health. Going through the door, you'll be in a narrow room and see a pole over a large gap.
Narrow room
More Black Spider Clan Ninjas will attack you in the narrow room. They're not too hard, and will easily die by a combination of Flying Swallows, decapitations, and counters. Kill them before running across the wall to get to the other side. If you fall during the wall run, look for a ladder against the wall and use it to climb back to the floor.
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Jump towards the pole and Ryu automatically grabs the pole, swinging in a loop until you decide to jump off.
Gymnastics 101: The gap in the floor is too long to jump, but wait, there's a pole jutting from the wall. Jump towards the pole and Ryu automatically grabs the pole, swinging in a loop until you decide to jump off. And don't worry about looking for treasure if you fall off the pole; you won't find anything on the bottom floor. When you've crossed the gap, look for the corpse on the ground holding the scroll of the Obliteration Technique. Next, run on the scaffolding and past the big barrels until you see a corpse next to the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Scroll: The Obliteration Technique
Location: Found immediately after swinging on the pole.
Press Y button near an enemy that has lost an arm or leg to finish them off.
Unlock Master of Obliteration Achievement.
Scroll: The Flying Bird Technique.
Location: On the corpse by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Jump at a wall and press the A button repeatedly to scale two opposing walls. Allows you to reach higher ground without using a ladder.
Mastered Flying Bird Flip Achievement.
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The Flying Bird Technique.
In a yard
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before performing the Flying Bird Flip on the wall behind the statue. By scaling the wall, you'll be under a cherry blossom tree in a yard above ground. Be prepared for the archers shooting flaming arrows on the second floor. When you feel as though all the enemies are killed, jump down into the water way and go right into the open area where you will be attacked. kill these guys and then walk round the corner to the wooden platform, there will be a chest with a 'Life of the Gods' inside. After opening the chest head back to where you just came from but this time continue to the far left side on the waterway to get another chest filled with yellow essence. Cross the stone bridge and carefully walk across the cobbled road, where more ninjas will appear.
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Jump towards the pole and swing yourself over to the other side.
On the path sloping downwards, you'll see a pagoda in the background, and archers firing flaming arrows. This area is a good place to farm yellow essence. Merely walk onto the sloping path to spawn footsoldiers, and then retreat , avoiding the archers/ rocket launchers (Path of the Mentor). Between two and four soldiers will chase you, making each fight fairly easy.
On the pagoda where the archers stand there is a 'Crystal Skull' . To reach it you have to walk a little down the hill untill you see a tree on your right, there you will have to do a Flying Bird Flip off the tree to land on a ledge leading to the pagoda. continuing on you'll soon encounter a set of wooden stairs and platforms, and a pole over a gap. Jump towards the pole and swing yourself over to the other side. The next obstacle involves two swinging poles, but before you swing across the gap, head down into the gap to find a Life of the Gods in the chest by the end of the room. To get back on higher ground, head in the opposite direction of the chest, past the guys in the hallway, until you see a ladder at the end of the room.
270x200Chest: Life of the Gods
Location: On the bottom floor under two the swinging poles.
Chest: Blue Essence
A chest filled with blue Essence is by the ladder.
After maneuvering past the two poles over a gap, climb the ladder and turn right for an Herb of Spiritual Life. And don't forget to save your progress at the Statue of the Earth Dragon at the top of the stairs on the floor below the Herb of Spiritual Life. Just past the Herb of Spiritual Life is a corpse holding the scroll of the Flying Swallow Technique.
Scroll: The Flying Swallow Technique
Location: Examine the corpse found after the Herb of Spiritual Life.
Jump forward and press the Y button to attack enemies from above. Must have Dragon Sword equipped.
Mastered Flying Swallow technique Achievement.
On a balcony overlooking the Tokyo skyline
A battle takes place on a balcony outside the room containing the Lunar Staff, a long two-handed weapon harnessing the power of the moon. Before receiving the Lunar Staff, you must battle a group of Black Spider Clan Ninjas and flame ninjas, and when they're defeated, the large wooden doors will open.
Make sure to kill the ninjas firing flaming projectiles before killing the supporting ninjas. The ninjas firing projectiles will teleport around the area, but you can track them by using the Flying Swallows. Be careful not to abuse the Flying Swallow, because a mistimed, poorly executed Flying Swallow will leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks.
The doors will open after all the ninjas are defeated, revealing a large shrine in the middle of the room, flanked by a chest containing red Essence and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. When you've removed the Lunar Staff from the statue, exit the room and head around the building, where you'll see a set of stairs under an opened gate. The Ultimate Technique scroll is found on the corpse at the bottom of the stairs.
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The doors will open after all the ninjas are defeated, revealing a large shrine in the middle of the room, flanked by a chest containing red Essence and the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Weapon: Lunar Staff
Location: From the statue.
A staff said to harbor the mysterious powers of the moon.
Scroll: The Ultimate Technique
Location: Past the room with the Lunar Staff, on a corpse at the bottom of the stairs.
Hold Y button to charge, then release. The longer you charge, the more powerful your attack.
Master Ultimate Technique Achievement.
The bridge and the house
The notebook of Obliteration Technique is found after the bridge on a corpse lying in a yard. Just beyond the corpse in a house with an opened door. While entering the house, immediately look down at the corpse on the ground under the door, his arm clutching the scroll the Technique of Ultimate Guidance.
Notebook: Obliteration Technique by Zenimaru
Location: On a corpse at the end of a bridge.
Scroll: The Technique of Ultimate Guidance
Location: On the corpse lying by the door.
When there is Essence nearby, hold the Y button to absorb and charge your Ultimate Technique. Your Ultimate Technique will charge faster, and any enemies hit with the attack will drop more Essence than usual.
Inside the house
The house has an entrance and exit, and a secret room covered behind a panel containing Grains of Spiritual Life in a chest and yellow essence in three big jars on the ground. The secret room is on the opposite side of the exit, behind a small panel that can be destroyed. Grab the Grains and the Yellow Essence before heading into the yard filled with enemies.
Secret Room
Location: Starting from the corpse in the doorway, turn right and slash the panel to uncover a secret room.
Grains of Spiritual Life in a chest, which restores a moderate amount of health.
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Backyard
Kill the ninjas in the backyard before entering the second house. Inside the house, pick up the Yellow Essence in the chest, then slash the wall panels to uncover a narrow hallway leading to another yard, where you'll see Muramasa's Shop under the trees by a large boulder. By now, you should have enough Yellow Essence to upgrade the Dragon Sword. Why upgrade? Upgrading increases the power of the weapon, so the more upgrades, the more powerful the weapon is.
The water well
When you're done shopping at Muramasa's shop, look for the hidden well near the boulder on the right of the shop. By jumping into the well, you'll fall through a long shaft populated by bats. Don't ignore the bats but kill them for their Yellow and Blue Essence. Afterwards, exit the well by going through the door, and look for a corpse holding the notebook of Shadowless Footsteps on the scaffold several feet away from the well. Now, make your way to the top of the scaffolds.
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Jump into the well near the boulder on the right of the shop.
Notebook: Shadowless Footsteps by Hikage-o
Location: Outside the exit of the water well.
Chest: Devil Way Mushroom
Location: Down the ramp and by the iron rods.
Restores a small amount of Ki.
The suspended wall
Chest: Blue Essence
The scaffolds beyond the water well will take you to a wall swaying in the air -- a natural environment obstacle testing your ninja mobility. Run across the wall using the Technique of Shadowless footsteps, and proceed to the end of the scaffold for Blue Essence in a chest.
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To proceed farther into the level, you must jump off from the disconnected guard rail.
Along the way to the Blue Essence in a chest, you may have noticed a section of the guard rail is missing, disconnected, mangled, stray bars jutting in every direction. The location is hard to see, especially since the camera is behind your shoulder, obscuring that vital location. To proceed farther into the level, you must jump off from the disconnected guard rail. Fall of the scaffold, then battle the enemies down below. And, oh, look for the corpse on the ground holding the notebook Furious Wind.
Notebook: Furious Wind by Hayate-maru
Location: After jumping off the disconnected section of the guard rail. On a corpse on the ground.
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The Tokyo skysrcaper.
Skyscraper
Key Points
* Find the cracked Card Key and use it to unlock the door.
* Get to the Elevator Control Room.
In the skyscraper, you must find the cracked Cark Key to unlock the Elevator Control Room. To find the Card Key, go up three sets of stairs to the top of the stairwell, where a chest contains the crack Card Key. (At the bottom of the stairwell is a dead end room with a Devil Way Mushroom in a chest.)
Elevator Control Room
Return to the elevator lobby, and head towards the right into the hallway. Ahead of you will be a large window overlooking the city skyline, and on your left will be the Elevator Control Room, where you'll see a damaged elevator control, and a corpse holding the notebook Flying Bird by the foot of the ladder. After climbing the ladder, go down the hallway, and when you reach the end of the hallway, perform the Flying Bird Flip to go up shaft towards the top of the room.
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The elevator control room.
Notebook: Flying Bird by Mogura
Location: On the corpse by the ladder in the Elevator Control Room.
At the top of the shaft are ninjas, Muramasa's Shop, the Grains of Spiritual Life, and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Remember, you can't use the Statue of the Earth Dragon if there are enemies in the room, so kill them all to save your progress and to replenish your life. The ninjas in the room are aggressive and will attack relentlessly. If you're feeling overwhelmed, do you best to counter their attacks, perform constant Flying Swallows, and instant charges into Ultimate Techniques. And make sure to target the Flame Ninjas before attacking the ancillary ninjas. After that, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading up the stairs, where you'll fight the first boss, Shadow Ninja Rossetsoul.
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The Shadow Ninja.
Boss: Shadow Ninja
Boss attacks
* Throw: A sudden lunge taking you close to the boss' jaws. Look for both arms extending horizontally. Can't be blocked. You must have quick reflexes to react and dodge the throw.
* Throw: A quick lunge ending in bear hug. Can't be blocked. This throw is much harder to spot, since the boss telegraphs the attack for a brief second. The best strategy is to stay mobile, dashing to the sides whenever you get in a few slashes on its body.
* Jumps: Jumps on you, of course. The boss will place all four feet on the ground before jumping towards your location. To dodge the attack, perform repeated dashes until the boss stop jumping. Alternatively, you could wait until the last second to dash away from the attack, but this strategy is risky.
* Wind Blades: You must dodge the Wind Blades. Fortunately for you, the boss hardly performs the Wind Blades.
* Cartwheel attack: The boss executes a slow moving cartwheel across the ground. Since it's slow, you can easily spot it and react with a block. Plus, upon blocking, you may execute a counterattack.
* Roar: The bad news: the boss regains energy if left uninterrupted. The good news: while in the roaring animation, the boss won't attack or move for a short time -- the perfect opportunity to attack it with a light slash combo.
Blocking and attacking with light slashes (X button) are the two main strategies in the fight against the Shadow Ninja. You must block the boss' attacks while waiting for the right moment to strike; otherwise, the boss will block most of your attacks, placing you in a very vulnerable position.
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To avoid the bear hug, stay mobile, dashing to the sides whenever you get in a few slashes on its body.
Guard and move: Stand in guard and wait for the boss to come to you. Block the attacks, then counterattack or combo with light strikes, followed by an immediate jump or dash to the sides in order to place a safe distance between you and the boss.
When you should strike
* Attack after the boss whiffs its attacks in a lengthy combo string.
* After blocking the cartwheel attack, perform a counterattack or use repeated light slashes (X, X, X, X button).
* Attack during the boss "roar" animation, in which the boss stands on its two legs, its arm stretched in the air, replenishing its health if left uninterrupted.
Attack and runaway: When slashing at the boss, you may have noticed the boss will try to counterattack during your combo, and often times, knock you out of your combo. Don't get too caught up in the slashing frenzy; be prepared to stop the attack, and to dodge or jump away from the boss. Remember, you can cancel the lag after a light slash by dodging to the sides or by throwing a Shuriken.
When its life is low, the boss slumps to the floor on its knees, vulnerable for a short time. Take advantage of the situation and slash the boss!
Beating the boss unlocks the Achievement Finished Chapter 01 for 10G.
Chapter 2: The Castle of the Dragon
Key items
* Falcon's Talon
* Fiend's Bane Bow
* Rod of Trial
* Crystal Skull (2)
* Life of the Gods
Objectives
* Shoot the Fiend's Bane Bow at two green targets.
* Solve the dragon puzzle.
* Defeat Genshin.
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"Corruption of the soul is a fate that befalls the weak."
The hunt for the Demon Statue takes Ryu to the Castle of the Dragon, where Genshin, the leader of the Black Spider Ninja Clan, and Joe Hayabusa are embroiled in a struggle for dominance in a room lit on fire.
You'll find the notebook of the Flying Swallow on a corpse lying past the red pillars near the start of the chapter. The stoned stairs, filled with ninjas and bats, leads to Muramasa's shop in a village. If you've fought most of the enemies, you'll have at least 10,000 Yellow Essence, just enough to upgrade the Dragon Sword, or if you don't want to upgrade the dragon sword 10,000 Yellow Essence is enough to upgrade any weapon to level two. The double doors nex to Murasama's shop leads to a chest containing a Life of the Gods; there are several ninjas that attack. Down the road from the shop, look at the ground for another corpse on the road. This time, you'll find the notebook of Reverse Wind by Sanyodo.
Notebook: The Flying Swallow by Tori-no-Shin
Location: Near the start of the chapter, on a corpse lying past the red pillars.
Notebook: Reverse Wind by Sanyodo
Location: On a corpse past Muramasa's shop, right before the first battle against a wolf pack.
Chest: Life of the Gods
Location: A chest through the double doors next to Murasama's shop.
The wolf pack
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Keep moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated.
The wolves are dangerous, to say the least. Gnawing, clawing, pouncing -- part of the pack will be dangerously offensive, while the others stay in the background waiting to pounce when a teammate is in trouble. The best way to handle them? The Art of the Inferno. If you don't feel like wasting your Ninpo, perform multiple Flying Swallows, keep moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated. An Herb of Spiritual Life is on a corpse by the wooden railing.
A nasty bite: When the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
The river
A Crystal Skull is on the floor in the river. Hold the Left Trigger and the A button to dive towards the Crystal Skull on the bottom floor, then run on the water, past the archers, and towards the pier. The dirt path from the pier leads to another village. Before reaching the Statue of the Earth Dragon, make sure to inspect the corpse for the Counter Attack Technique scroll.
Crystal Skull
Location: In the river near the beginning of the chapter.
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Running across water: Press the A button to jump, then rapidly press the A button to run across the water.
Scroll: The Counter Attack Technique
Location: After the river and before the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
While blocking an enemy strike, press X or Y button to counter attack.
Inside the house
Inspect the front yard for a corpse holding the notebook Ultimate Guidance.
Inside the house, you'll find Blue Essence in a chest, Grains of Spiritual Life in the corner, and Falcon's Talons on a table in a tiny nook in the corner. Get all the items before exiting through the door and entering the yard.
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The Falcon's Talons is on a table in a tiny nook in the corner.
Corpse: The Ultimate Guidance by Oshi-no-Juo
Location: On the frontyard right before the entrance of the house.
Weapon: Falcon's Talons
Location: On the table in a tiny nook by the corner.
Short-ranged claws meant for combos.
Outside the house
Don't run up the stairs just yet! This part of the chapter is very important if you want the Rod of Trial, an item granting access to the Test of Valor, a series of challenges found in several chapters that, upon completion of a test, will generously reward the victor with rare and useful items.
Rod of Trial: In order to get the Rod of Trial, defeat all the enemies running down from the stair and into the yard. When you've killed all the ninjas, the candles behind the fence will light up and the Rod of Trial will appear. If you're having a hard time defeating the enemy in the yard, target the archers around the perimeter before killing the ninjas rushing towards you. The arrows from the archer are difficult to spot, especially if you're surrounded by a group of ninjas.
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In order to get the Rod of Trial, defeat all the enemies running down from the stair and into the yard.
"A rod symbolizing the fighting spirit, cast from the purest of gold. Those upon whom it is bestowed face an endless path of battle, as though they walked through the underworld itself. It is said that those who carry it must face hordes of opponents in fights to the death known as Tests of Valor. According to legend, this treasure was one possessed by the god of war himself."
Stairs
Now, with the Rod of Trail in your inventory, head up the stairs and through the hills. Flaming archers shoot arrows from a platform, and are too high too be hit. Ignore them and run past them until you see the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop near a house on fire, or if you really want to kill the archers Bird Flip up to one of the platforms, kill the archer and then jump over to the other platform. Save your game and shop for items and before walking through the cave. The path in the cave leads to a house overlooking a snowcapped mountain, possibly Mount Fuji, and a corpse holding the Counter Attack notebook.
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Ignore the archers and run past them until you see the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop near a house on fire.
Notebook: Counter Attack by Inoshis
Location: Between the two stairs, next to the house on fire.
House
Around the house are more stairs to run, more archers to fight, and more ninjas to kill. If you're not worried about collecting Yellow Essence and Karma points, you can run through the house without killing a single enemy. Ignoring the enemy can be a valuable strategy, especially when your life is low, or when the situation is too dangerous. In the screenshot, we ran past the archers in the house, because there was no easy way to breach their defenses, but if you have time jump and throw your shurikens to kill all the archers and get a easy Feat of a Hundred Slashes Achievement.
You can find a Devil Way Mushroom near the stairs, beyond the room with the flaming archers.
The wooden planks
After running up the stairs, you'll be in a yard enclosed by a wall, where enemies will drop from the roof and attack. Also, the notebook Ultimate Technique is on a corpse lying by the door to the house. Take the notebook before running up the wooden planks against the wall.
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Take the notebook before running up the wooden planks against the wall.
Notebook: Ultimate Technique by Tsuneckichi
Location: Under the torch and by the door.
Roof of the house
By walking up the planks, you'll end up on the roof of a house. There's a hole on the roof at the end of the section, so jump through it to enter the house.
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Jump into the hole on the roof.
Inside the house
Objective: Pick up the bow by the stairs, and shoot arrows at the two green targets.
Be prepared for the enemy once you drop into the house, because enemy ninjas will attack immediately when you land on the floor. Stick to Flying Swallows and counterattacks, and you should be fine. If you're low on life after the battle, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon in the end of the room. Your life healed, go towards the base of the stairs and look for the Fiend's Bane Bow on the wall. You'll need the bow for the upcoming puzzle.
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Go towards the base of the stairs and look for the Fiend's Bane Bow on the wall.
Weapon: Fiend's Bane Bow
Location: By the stairs, on the wall.
A powerful bow decorated with twin dragon head
Well, the puzzle isn't so much a puzzle as to an introduction in arrow and bow game design. Your objective is to shoot arrows at the green targets on the opposite side of the house. Go up the stairs, then press and hold the B button for a behind the shoulder view. Take aim at the green target and fire! Zooming on the target helps, too (press the R shoulder button). And if you need more arrows, take the arrows by the gate.
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Take aim at the green target and fire!
Save often!: Remember to save your game. Often! After knocking down the green target, head back to the Statue of the Earth Dragon to save your game. You'll need a fresh start for the upcoming miniboss.
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Miniboss: The spider from chapter 1
What's the best strategy to defeat the spider miniboss? The answer is crude but simple: three Art of the Inferno and several slashes with the Dragon Sword. That�s it! At the start of the match, run around the room in order to find a safe spot where you can cast the Art of Inferno. After the first Art of Inferno strikes the boss, repeat another one, then another. The result of three attacks is astonishing -- about 75 percent damage! Now, for the last quarter of health, get close to the spider boss and slash the crap out of it.
Inside the house
Objective: Slash the wall panels to uncover hidden rooms.
Find the room with the large dragon (behind the panels).
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Slash the panels, then head to the top of the stairs, where you'll see a corpse with the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, and a destructible wall panel across the large picture of a tiger, revealing a giant dragon statue in the middle of the room.
From the doorway, take the right path for Red Essence in a chest by the burning wall. Next, take the left path for Grains of Spiritual Life under the stairs, and to fight two archers in a room. Behind the archers is an arrow dump by the wall, accompanied by destructible wall panels painted with in tree motif. Slash the panels to uncover a Statue of the Earth Dragon and a set of stairs behind wall panels.
Stairs
Objective: Slash the panels near the corpse at the top of the stairs.
Solve the pedestal puzzle by finding the Vermillion Jewel and the Ultramarine Jewel.
At the top of the stairs, you'll find a corpse with the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, and a destructible wall panel across the large picture of a tiger, revealing a giant dragon statue in the middle of the room.
Scroll: The Technique of Unrivaled Soaring
Location: Slash the panels near the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and head towards the top of the stairs.
While running on a wall, press the A button to jump, then hold L to run along the next wall.
Puzzle: The pedestal
To solve the puzzle, you must acquire two jewels, the Vermillion and Ultramarine Jewel, found on either side of the room with giant dragon. Starting on the balcony with the pedestal, perform the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring to run across the wall and onto the adjacent balcony. Tear down the panels, fight off the archers, and grab the glowing jewels from the mantle against the wall.
* Left side of the room: Vermillion Jewel.
* Right side of the room: Ultramarine Jewel
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To solve the puzzle, you must acquire two jewels, the Vermillion and Ultramarine Jewel, found on either side of the room with giant dragon.
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Starting on the balcony with the pedestal, perform the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring to run across the wall and onto the adjacent balcony.
Arrows in your face: Archers are annoying, especially when they shoot you during the Technique of Unrivaled Soaring, so kill the archers with arrows before running across the wall.
Crystal Skull
Location: After picking up the Ultramarine Jewel, walk through the adjacent storage closet and inspect the wooden counters for a Crystal Skull.
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When both jewels are in the pedestals, the dragon will lower its mouth, and a green circle will appear by the dragon. Shoot an arrow at the green circle. Now, Fast jump (X+A button) into the dragon's mouth, then climb through the hole in the wall to go on the roof.
On the roof
Head towards the top of the roof and enter a hole in the wall.
Top floor
Objective: Collect the Life of the Gods and a Lives of a Thousand Gods before going up the stairs to the top floor. There, open the screen door to trigger a cut-scene depicting Joe and Genshin fighting.
Through the hole, you'll see stairs on your right, a Lives of a Thousand Gods in a chest beyond the stairs, and a hole on the ground taking you to the bottom floor, where you can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and buy items from Muramasa's Shop. Climb the ladder between the Statue and the shop to get back to the top.
Up the stairs
Head down the stairs for the Life of the Gods on a corpse near the flaming wall.
Open the screen door on the other side of the room, triggering a cut-scene depicting Joe and Genshin in a conflict.
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The screen door.
Boss: Genshin
Attacks
* Flying Swallow: It's hard to tell when Genshin will perform a Flying Swallow. The best advice is staying in guard and dodging to the sides.
* Back evasive, then charge attack: A fakeout move. Genshin jumps back, evading most frontal attacks, then executes a quick charge attack. Don't bother guarding the charge attack. When you see Genshin jump back, dodge to the side and attack him after the charge attack.
* The Wind Blades: Keep running or dodging to the side.
* Cartwheel attack: A slow moving cartwheel across the ground. Since it's slow, you can easily spot it and react with a block or a dodge. After blocking, you may execute a counterattack; after dodging, combo with Light attacks.
* Five or six hit combo: Genshin loves this five/six hit combo string. He'll attack you whenever you're close, and will perform the combo in its entirety even if he misses and whiffs the entire combo. When you see him begin the combo, immediately dash around him, and attack with Light slashes after he completes the combo. Rely on this strategy to deplete most of his life.
Risky tactics you should avoid
* Jumping is risky; he'll catch you in midair.
* Arrows are worthless; he'll Flying Swallow before you get off a shot.
* The Art of the Inferno won't work well. As an offensive strategy, the Art of the Inferno is not the greatest thing to use but a good strategy is get him close and use it he will dodge it but then you can let loose at him with your sword, but be quick about it because he recovers fast.It wont work every time but it works for me a lot. As a defensive strategy, the Art of the Inferno is a success!
Usually, Genshin's first move is a Flying Swallow. Immediately dodge to the sides when the match begins. Wait for Genshin to begin his combo string, and then attack him with HEAVY (Y) attacks when he whiffs the combo. Keep moving around the room while staying in guard, and never jump to avoid his attack.
On the Mentor difficulty setting Genshin is joined by Flame Ninjas. If you dash twice directly away from Genshin two Flame Ninjas will jump right in front of you. It is possible to kill them both quickly using the ultimate technique or obliteration strategy before Genshin attacks you. There are several more Flame Ninjas in the room and you should kill them before you go after Genshin. If you plan on using Nimpo use it to kill the Flame Ninjas, since it doesn't ever hit Genshin. Once all the Flame Ninjas are dead you can focus on Genshin using the tips above.
Chapter 3: Thunderclap of Catastrophe
Key Items
* Art of the Wind Blades
* Crystal Skull (2)
* Test of Valor
Objective:
* Explore the sewers.
Alexei, one of the Four Greater Fiends, appears in New York, where the Fiends are transforming New York City into a Fiend Realm. Meanwhile, Elizebet has the Demon Statue.
From the start of the level, look straight and toward the right for Muramasa's shop by the Fortune store. There's an Herb of Spiritual Life behind Muramasa's shop in alley blocked by building debris. Up ahead, you'll fight a menacing purple creature, the Imp.
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The Imp.
With long sharp claws, gaunt arms, and an emaciated face, the Imp is a tough opponent who relies on strong attacks and throws. Blocking and counterattacking are almost useless, since Imps will throw and break your guard. Stay on the move and slash their bodies until a limb falls off, then execute an Obliteration. Or use the Ultimate Technique (charged instantly if essence is around or after a jump). You may use a Flying Swallow to get in close, but don't spam it -- Imps block occasionally, and will counterattack the Flying Swallow by hitting you in the air.
One of the most usefull weapons against Imps is the staff. Crushing their arms and legs works better than cutting them off. Also with the XXY attack you got almost an 80% chance of smashing their heads and therefore killing them instantly! But don't forget to keep on moving because they like to grab you a lot and fire purple flames at you when far away.
Art of the Wind Blades: When you see the words Light Step in yellow on a red sign, turn left and head down the alley. Take the Art of the Wind Blade from the corpse on the ground under the doorway.
Archers and Flame Ninjas will attack you in the alley. Refer to the enemy section on how to attack them.
You can find a blue essence in a chest behind a taxi, near the yellow Woodgroue Bank sign.
The stairs
While going up the stairs, you'll fight Flame Ninjas throwing Incendiary shuriken, and several archers at the top of the floor. Keep moving and dodging when fighting the ninjas, and try to execute Obliterate kills and Ultimate Techniques. At the end of the floor is a Statue of the Earth Dragon, and at the end of the stairs is a Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: At the top of the stairs.
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Statue of the Earth Dragon
After acquiring the Crystal Skull, go to the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and look for a tiny alley by it. Perform a Flying Bird Flip on the walls to reach the top of the building, where you'll battle Flame Ninjas and Mages and Dragons.
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Look for a tiny alley by the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and perform a Flying Bird Flip on the walls.
Dragons
A dragon flies in the air while spitting fireballs toward your location. The fireballs move slowly, and can be dodged easily by moving in a lateral direction. To kill a dragon, use a projectile weapon -- an arrow, Incendiary shuriken, or a projectile Ninpo. A fully charged arrow will kill a dragon; two Incendiary shuriken will kill a dragon; and the Art of the Piercing Void or Art of the Inferno will kill a dragon.
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To kill a dragon, use a projectile weapon -- an arrow, Incendiary shuriken, or a projectile Ninpo.
If you're out of arrows, grab more arrows off the corpse on the ground near the railing. Next, jump off the building and land on the platforms below, not the streets. Before landing on the streets, run across the wall towards the chest with Yellow Essence on the adjacent platform. Then, prepare for a fight against murderous wolves on the city street.
Wolves
The wolves are dangerous, to say the least. Gnawing, clawing, pouncing -- part of the pack will be dangerously offensive, while others stay in the background waiting to pounce when a teammate is in trouble. The best way to handle them? The Art of the Inferno. If you don't feel like wasting your Ninpo, perform multiple Flying Swallows, moving and dodging to the sides, and make sure to perform a finisher with the Y button when a wolf has been amputated.
A nasty bite: When the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
Lost a lot of life? Open the chest at the back of the alley for five balls of Blue Essence.
Shimmy across the wire
Now that the wolves are dead, return to the rooftop where you had fought the dragons, and look for a long wire connecting two buildings together. Be careful when you're shimmying on the wire, because archers will shoot fire arrows. Shoot the archers with arrows before shimmying across the wire. (Press the R trigger to zoom in on a target.)
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Shimmy across the long wire connecting two buildings together.
The streets
Before jumping off the building through the break in the railing, grab the Herb of Spiritual Life in the chest in the corner of the rooftop. Then jump down to the city streets, where you'll battle a group of Imps.
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Jump through the break in the railing.
The Herb of Spiritual Life is by the NYPD sign. When you see the Litware and M Electronics signs, turn right and look for a corpse carrying the notebook the Four Greater Fiends, part 1 in the alley.
At the end of the street is a large hole on the ground leading into the underground sewer. Jump down the hole.
Sewer
Save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon before exploring the narrow sewer. If you're having problems fighting the Imps, refer to the Enemy section. Don't get trapped in the corner, and use the Art of the Inferno if you don't have time to dodge.
The corpse by the ladder carries a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Next, get above ground and look for an opened cell door, which takes you further down into the sewer.
Running obstacle
Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the brick wall, followed by a jump towards the pipe. Repeat this step to cross the gap.
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Use the Technique of Shadowless Footsteps to run across the brick wall, followed by a jump towards the pipe.
If you fall off, swim to the surface, and grab the Notebook Unrivaled Soaring from the corpse near the stairs. The path towards the top is disconnected, so you must run across the wall and jump to the adjacent wall.
Notebook: Unrivaled Soaring by Heijuro
Location: After falling off the wall, you'll land in a pool of water. Climb out and look for the corpse by the stairs.
Run across the brick walls
All the obstacles in the sewer involve running across the wall and/or grabbing onto a pipe. Remember, if you're standing before a large gap, look for a brick wall to run on. If you see an enemy on the opposite side, shoot charged arrows before crossing the gap. (Headshots with a charged arrow work beautifully.)
Notebook: The Technique of the Invisible Path
Location: After the Statue of the Earth Dragon, before you shimmy across the wire.
Crystal Skull
Location: A bit past Muramasa's shop. Run across the two brick walls and jump from one wall to the other wall.
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When you've acquired the Crystal Skull jump in the waters below, and swim around the area for the Life of the Gods in a chest.
The fan room
Objective: Shoot the glowing blue orb on the fan.
The room is divided into sections and blocked by spinning giant fans. To stop a fan, you must shoot the blue orb with an arrow, upon which opens a new section of the room. Explore the room and shoot the blue circles on the fan. When you're moving under the fan blades, look for a hole in the top left corner of a fan. You can't reach this area by jumping alone, though. Run across the wall and jump towards a pipe jutting from the wall before jumping through the hole. Falling down the shaft, you'll land in a pool of water. Continue to be submerged under water and look for an opening along the walls, then swim through the pipe until emerging onto a dilapidated part of the sewer. There, you can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Run across the wall and jump towards a pipe jutting from the wall before jumping through the hole.
At this point in the sewer, dive under water and look for an opened pipe that you can swim through. Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before going up the brick building, where archers and Imp will try to ambush you.
The brick building
Archers and Imps are found throughout the building. To kill the archers, shoot them with charged arrows; the Imps, kill them with Ultimate Techniques and Obliteration kills, and if you're far from them, shoot their heads off with a charged arrow. Finally, when you've killed them, run across the walls before jumping onto another wall. Outside the building is a Statue of the Earth Dragon on a platform that's out of reach. For now.
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Archers and Imps are found throughout the building.
Up ahead on the path, you'll see large stairs crafted into a rocky hill, on which is a corpse carrying the notebook of the Invisible Path.
Notebook: Invisible Path by Sadamichi
Location: On the rocky stairs below Muramasa's shop.
The rocky hill
On this hill are Statue of the Earth Dragon, Muramasa's shop, and the Test of Valor. The Test of Valor can only be initiated if you have the Rod of Trials found in Chapter 2. Don't have the Rod of Trials? Sorry, but you'll have to reset your game and play Chapter 2 again.
Test of Valor
Reward: Lives of a Thousand Gods
Mages and Flame Ninjas are your first test, their sheer number overpowering those who are too slow to reach to their advances. Flame Ninjas are naturally aggressive, so be prepared to dodge and jump a lot during the battle. Read the enemy strategies in the SuperGuide for detailed instructions on how to beat the Archers and Flame Ninja.
The best way to handle the mobs of regular ninjas is as follows: If the Falcon's Talons upgraded to level 2, you have access to the very powerful Izuna Drop technique, with the added benefit of it being very easy to pull off with the claws. Simply jump towards an enemy and press the Y button (as if you were doing a Flying Swallow with the Dragon Sword). Ryu will zoom towards an enemy and automatically knock them upward, after that quickly press X then Y to have Ryu deliver a powerful spinning piledriver. Not only does it grant you invincibility frames during the throw animation, but also has a high chance of outright killing the enemy you grabbed upon completion of the throw. As a bonus, it does splash damage to surrounding enemies when you impact the ground, affording you valuable breathing room.
Another useful technique is the Guillotine Throw. When you have the Dragon Sword equipped, jump towards an enemy and press X and A simultaneously. Ryu will toss the enemy, using them as an improvised projectile against other enemies and putting distance between you and the target. Remember, if you a Flame Ninja sticks you with a Incendiary shuriken, hold block (R shoulder button) until the shuriken explodes.
And don't worry about wasting Ninpo! Your Ki will refill in full after the test.
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Train tracks
Save at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before exploring the train and the train tracks, where you'll fight a group of Imps. Beyond the Imp is the chapter boss, a flying metallic �fish?
Boss: Fish
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Attacks
* Flying fish: Can't be blocked. You must run and dodge to the sides. When killed, the Flying Fish may give you Yellow or Blue Essence. Can be killed with a single uncharged arrow. If you are quick enough you can tap B to rapid fire arrows at them as they approach.
* Electrocution: The fish sends out electricity when you're too close to its body. Can't be blocked.
* Electric Balls: Dash to the sides in order to avoid the electric balls.
* Ram: Catches you in his mouth and scrapes you against the wall.
* Ghost Mask: A slow moving projectile that tracks your movement. Use Ninpo to avoid the mask. The mask has a hard time making sharp turns, if you are quick you can easily avoid it by running to the side of it. It will explode before it has a chance to turn around and you will avoid the blast. This tactic works best from the center of the room.
Weakpoint: The head and when it's upside down.
Strategy: Shoot the head with arrows and hit the body with your melee weapon ONLY when it's upside down.
The boss battle is dependant on arrows. But what if you don't have any arrows? Luckily for you, there are corpses on either end of the tunnel that replenish your arrow supply. Arrows will provide a reliable source of damage, however the boss will occasionally flip upside down and become vulnerable to melee attacks. While the boss is upside down the electrocution attack becomes disabled temporarily. During this time melee attacks will deal crushing blows to the boss.
Once you have the arrows, get into the corner of the room (we chose the left corner at the starting point) and shoot arrows at the fish's head. Remember, the head is the boss' weakest point, so don't waste your shots by shooting anything but the head. Charge your shots fully before firing. If you're having problems aiming, zoom in on the boss by press the R shoulder button. Some players may prefer to stand around the middle of the room, especially if they want to try the melee tactic. It is easier to avoid the boss's attacks in the center of the room and you won't have to rely on ninpo invincibility either.
Watching the video, you can tell that our strategy was crude yet simple. We stood in the corner firing charged arrows at the boss' head, and once in a while, executed an Art of the Inferno Ninpo whenever the boss attacked us. The reason for the Ninpo? The Ninpo wasn't meant for damage but for protection. When activating a Ninpo, you'll immediately enter an invincibility state, interrupting any enemy attack, until the Ninpo completes its animations frames. The invincibility advantage is incredibly helpful in this boss battle!
Read the boss thread for more information about the boss.
Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess
Key Items
* Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang
* Life of the Gods
* Jewel of the Demon Seal
* Crystal Skull (3)
* Test of Valor
Objectives
* Get out of the sewers.
* Explore Liberty Island.
* Beat Alexei
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"Even the greatest slumber can be disrupted."
Subway
Greater Fiend Alexei has transformed the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. The subway is a linear path leading towards street level, and throughout the chapter, you'll fight Flame Ninjas and Imps. Before fighting the Flame Ninjas in the subway, upgrade the Dragon Sword and buy health items at Muramasa's Shop. For most players, the difficulty will get much harder when fighting Imps and Dragons in the subway boarding stations. (Refer to enemy strategies for ways to beat them.) Eventually, you'll have to go through an Exit sign, and run up a flight of stairs, where you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon.
The turnstile
You'll fight Mages and Black Spider Ninjas in the boarding area. Keep moving and target the Mages first before killing the Black Spider Ninjas. Refer to the enemy strategies if you want specific ways to kill them. Just remember: Ultimate Techniques and Obliteration kills are your best friends. In the office is an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest by the wall. Finally, exit through the turnstile below the red Exit sign. A Devil Way Mushroom is at the end of the hall. Use the save spot again before you leave the subway.
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Exit the subway through the turnstile below the red Exit sign.
Clue: Explosive force is needed to break through this grating. So stand close to the grating and throw an Incendiary shuriken, then walk up the stairs to street level.
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Stand close to the grating and throw an Incendiary shurikenl.
The streets
Wolves with knifes and Incendiary shurikens will immediately attack you outside the sewers. Use this strategy: In the air, use repeated Flying Swallows. On the ground, run around the perimeter and blindly throw Incendiary shurikens. If the wolves have you in their jaws, immediately mash all the buttons and the Left analog stick. If quick enough, you'll kick the wolves in the face and get away with minor scratches.
There's an Herb of Spirtual Life on the corpse in the narrow alley past the Coin Laundry, and Red Essence behind some barrels.
Crystal Skull
Location: Be sure to grab the Crystal Skull here in this same alley. It's sitting on a fire escape platform above the alley facing the corpse. Just look up and you can't miss it. You will need to come from the far left alley, facing the direction of the skull. Use the Invisible Path jump technique here. Start with the right wall, jump across to the left, and then around the corner to the right, landing on the left side of the platform with the skull.
Rooftop
When you see the Statue of the Earth, save your game before climbing up the adjacent ladder. On the rooftop, several feet from the ladder, you'll see the Jewel of the Demon Seal on the corpse pierced by a sword. And a little bit beyond the Jewel of the Demon Seal, inspect the corpse by the guard railing for Incendiary shuriken. After you defeat the enemies go back to the ladder from whence you just came. If you look you should see another ledge across the way from the ladder. This may only apply to mentor I'm not sure, but you get a Talisman of Rebirth in the chest to the right as you land.
The end of the rooftop is blocked by a yellow car and a chest, so you'll have to find another way out. By following the wall, you should see a flattened section of the wall, and a ladder and a Crystal Skull in the background. You can jump down near the crystal skull to find Muramasa's Shop and a chest with Life of the Gods (you will also encounter a few more Imps here). Use the Flying Bird Technique to reach the top of the building, fight through the Imps. Then climb a ladder up to another rooftop, where you'll see a Statue of the Earth Dragon. Save you game now, just in case you die during the fight against miniboss.
Crystal Skull
Location: On the rooftop across the building with the yellow car and the chest.
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Miniboss
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Attacks
* Wind Breath: You can't block the Wind Breath. Dodge to the sides and keep running in one direction.
* Grab: A sudden grab that takes a substantial amount of life. The grab is hard to dodge.
* Rock throw: The miniboss hurls rocks. Pretty simple, right? Run and dodge to the sides in one direction to avoid the rock.
* Ground pound: The miniboss throws its hands in the air before slamming them to the ground. The ground pound has limited range, but it comes out fairly quickly, and inflicts moderate damage. React with a dodge or a Ninpo when you see the boss throws its hands in the air.
* Giant Swing: Swing its hand across the floor, sweeping anything around it. The Giant Swing is a quick attack, and hard to predict. The best strategy is too jump up once in a while after an attack. Usually, the miniboss will retaliate with a Giant Swing after you've attacked it. Guess its behavior, and jump to dodge the attack.
Strategy: Stay close to the miniboss and slash its weakpoints.
Stay close to the sides and back of the miniboss, even beneath the boss, and slash its weakpoints. By staying close to the miniboss, you limit its options to just close range attacks. Which means: No rock throws! When you sense an attack, use the Art of the Inferno Ninpo for the invincibility, then continue your assault. After several slashes, the miniboss will slump to the ground and be inactive for a brief time. Take advantage of the situation and mash the slash!
Alternate Strategy: Stay as far away from the boss as possible running around the periphery of the map, run on the walls and stuff. When you get as far away as possible release a charged arrow into his head. He should got down in about ten charged shots. If you keep running you won't even get hit.
The Statue of Liberty
The museum inside the Statue of Liberty contains several interesting items. First, you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon behind glass. Just break the glass to use it. Second, pick up the Incendiary shuriken in the glass case. Third, grab the weapon Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang behind the glass next to the Incendiary shuriken. Finally, if you have the Rod of Trials, take the Test of Valor featuring tons of dangerous Imps.
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Incendiary shurkens on the left; Dragon's Claws and Tiger's Fang on the right.
And, oh, slash the panels in the back of the room for a special surprise: an Easter egg shaped as the Xbox 360 logo.
Easter Egg: Xbox 360
Location: In the museum in the Statue of Liberty. Slash the panels in the back of the room to uncover the Easter egg.
The Easter egg restores life, not Ninpo.
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Notebook: The Vigoor Mythology
Location: On the wall near the Xbox Easter egg.
Test of Valor
Reward: Talisman of Rebirth\Yellow Essence 20'000 (Possess Talisman of Rebirth already)
Close attacks are dangerous when fighting Imps, whose arms have incredible range, and enough strength to seriously drain your health. This may sounds like a paradox, but using repeated Flying Swallow, and dodging to the sides after landing on the ground will decrease the chance of being hit by a random melee attack. If the risk involved in a Flying Swallow bothers you, try your best to use Obliteration Kills. Refer to the general strategies section for offensive tips such as Incendiary Shuriken spamming and Obliteration Kills.
Outside the museum
Remember to save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading into the next room, where you'll fight a big battle involving Mages and Black Spider Ninjas. Spend your time hunting the Mages around the room, and kill them first before attacking the other ninjas. If you're badly hurt, return to the Xbox Easter egg or the Statue of the Earth Dragon in order to refill your life. A Devil Way Mushroom is on a corpse on the bottom floor. Finally, when you're ready to leave the room, head up upstairs to the second floor, where you must wall run across a gap, and then exit the room through an opened door.
Outside the statue
The Imps here are nothing special. Refer to the enemy strategies on how to deal with them. There's an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest by the stairs. Then, run up the stairs towards the Statue of Liberty.
Statue of Liberty
Ignore the flying creatures and get inside the Statue of Liberty; they won't hurt you if you're standing outside the door of the Statue of Liberty. Inside, ignore the elevator shaft in the middle of the room (for now), and look for the Lives of a Thousand Gods in an alcove on the first floor. But wait! We have other things to do before heading up the elevator shaft. Run up the stairs towards the Statue of the Earth Dragon and save your game. Now, here's the crucial part: look over the railing to spot the faint image of a Crystal Skull in the corner of the room. Get it!
Crystal Skull
Location: On the rafts in the corner of the room. Go up the stairs towards the Statue of the Earth Dragon, then look over the railing and towards the right corner in the room.
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Finally, the Crystal Skull collected, you're ready for the elevator. Get inside the elevator shaft in the middle of the room and perform the Bird Flip to the top of the second floor. Be prepared for archers and other ninjas.
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Bird Flip to the top of the second floor.
On this floor is a door leading to a balcony, where a pack of dragons hover above the door and a chest contains the Life of the Gods. Don't waste your time attacking the dragons! Just run towards the chest and grab the Life of the Gods without fighting the dragons.
Before the stairs is Muramasa's Shop.
The stairs
Instead of walking up the stairs, you could use a shortcut and save yourself some time. Pay close attention the guard rail when walking up the stairs -- there's a cut in the railing that you can use as a shortcut. Jump over the cut in the stairs, and align your body to the vertical beam that acts like a long wall. And guess what? Since it's like a long wall, you can use it to Bird Flip to the top.
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First pic is the cut in the railing; the second, the path on which to Bird Flip.
Boss: Alexei
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Attacks
* Tornado: Alexei spins like a tornado across the floor, tracking your location. The move is easy to spot due to its long start up time. When you see Alexei start to spin, don't think about dodging but immediately execute a Ninpo for its invincibility. Alexei is very vulnerable after the Tornado attack.
* Grab: A quick short range grab that inflicts tremendous damage. The throw's quickness makes it hard to react accordingly. So, as a preemptive measurement, you should constantly dodge to the sides in order to avoid the throw.
* Lightning: When Alexei flies in the air, he'll attack by throwing lighting that tracks onto your last location. Run and jump in one direction to avoid the lightning attacks. But the easiest strategy is to use Ninpo when he gets in the air and when you see Alexei gather electricity in his hands.
* Electric balls: Projectiles that can't be blocked. Dodge to the side to avoid them, but don't jump during the evasion! After the electric balls, Alexei may execute a flying grab to snatch you out of the air.
Risky tactics you should avoid
* Don't throw arrows and Incendiary Shuriken -- they're worthless against Alexei.
* Counterattacking is very difficult. Don't try it on Alexei, as he'll block the counters and respond with a grab.
Weakpoints: His body.
Strategy: The Flying Swallow works well. Light Slashes (X button) at his body.
Alexei loves to start the round with a bang -- when the match starts, Alexei rushes towards you with a grab. So, predicting his behavior, open the match with a quick dodge to the sides, followed by three Flying Swallows. If the Flying Swallow connects when Alexei is executing his move, he should be temporarily stunned, on his knees, vulnerable to attacks for a long time. Get in close and hack away. When you see Alexei recover, immediately back off the attack and dodge to the sides, just so you can avoid his lethal grab.
Chapter 5: The Aqua Capital
Key Items
* Kusari-gama
* Spirit of the Devils
* Crystal Skull (3)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Talisman of Rebirth(2)
* Gatling gun
* Test of Valor
Objectives
* Go through the Aqua Captial
* Get the Gatling gun in waters surrounding the water fountain
* Get the Bridge Gate Key in the room by Muramasa's shop
* Fight the water dragon
Elizebet plans to unleash the power of the statue. Meanwhile, the Greater Fiend Volf, Ruler of Storms, has turned a Gothic castle into an evil fortress. You'll find nothing interesting at the start of the Aqua Capital, a Venice-like city punctuated with water canals, except the occasional Yellow Essence from the enemies and Muramasa's shop by the stairs. The gondolas around the perimeter have nothing in them, but later in the chapter, you should take the time to inspect every gondola in case something wonderful happens to be there. Case in point: a Crystal Skull. The large reservoir is empty of any items.
Take a minute to look around and move down the path while avoiding the water. You are attacked by several Flame Ninjas and Ninja Mages. Take them down in any way you see fit. Head up the stairs after purchasing items from Muramasa.
Running across the water: Jump on the surface of the water, then move the analog stick in a direction while repeatedly pressing the A button.
Flying Swallow over water: Repeated Flying Swallow is much faster than running on water. Run across the water, and then press the Y button over and over.
Up the stairs
Before you cross the bridge, follow the guard rails around the path and down the stairs. Here, you'll fight against a new enemy: the Giant Wolf Fiend. Despite their menacing appearance, the Giant Wolf Fiends are slow but powerful, relying on sudden grabs and throws, and much like the Imps. Keep agile but beware of long combos. The Dragon Sword seems to be the best weapon for them. Isolate a Giant Wolf Fiend and focus your energy on executing the Obliteration kill strategy. The hard part, though, is fighting them when they're in packs. Some Giant Wolf Fiends stand in the background, watching your actions without showing the slightest signs of aggression, while others will actively pursue you with a languid claw strike. If the Giant Wolf Fiends surround you, jump and bounce off their hands to land behind their backs, then attack.
When you've killed the Giant Wolf Fiends, make sure to pick up the Kusari-gama, a weapon made from a sickle with a chain and weight, off the corpse, then head towards the canal, where a Crystal Skull is on a seat of a gondola. You can find Red Essence in a chest by a gondola in the area across the pier, where you had fought the Giant Wolf Fiends. Grab it. Flying fiends, a new foe, will attack you, but they are fairly easy to defeat; just try and avoid water combat. Continue back up the stairs and cross the bridge.
270x200Weapon: Kusari-gama
Location: Head up the stairs, and look for a corpse before the bridge
Crystal Skull
Location: Found near the start of the chapter. Walk up the stairs by Muramasa's shop and follow the guard rails to the part of the level away from the bridge. Head down the stairs and towards the water, where the Crystal Skull sits in a gondola.
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Over the bridge and into the marketplace
Cross the bridge and head through the marketplace, where you'll fight a pack of Giant Wolf Fiends. Try not to die in the marketplace, as you'll be forced to repeat everything you've done in the chapter -- getting the Crystal Skull, fighting off the Giant Wolf Fiends, and picking up the Kusari-gama. The Statue of the Earth Dragon is in a small room at the end of the marketplace. To your left there will be a door. Kick it in and defeat all the Wolf Fiends using quick rolls and moves with the Dragon Sword.
Random acts of destruction: Destroy the wooden crates for Yellow Essence.
Café
A reservation for�one? Well, more like a reservation for 10, considering the amount of Giant Wolf Fiends in the café. Repeat the Obliteration kill strategy on the Giant Wolf Fiends, and before leaving the café, check the table by the entrance for a Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: On a table by the entrance of the café.
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The streets
The street splits into two directions after the bridge. The left path continues farther into the city; the right path leads to a street that splits into two dead-ends. Turn right after the bridge, then travel across another bridge, and take the right path. Bird Flip up the narrow alley towards the patio, where a corpse on the ground holds the Talisman of Rebirth. Get back to street level and walk to the opposite end of the street, where you'll find Yellow Essence in a chest. Now, retrace your steps, going back to the bridge, to take the left path found after the first bridge.
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The street splits into two directions after the bridge. Bird Flip up the wall for the Talisman of Rebirth.
Water fountain/ mausoleum
Be on the look out for such rare items as the Spirit of the Devils and the Gatling gun in the area with the water fountain. The Gatling gun is in a chest submerged under water around the water fountain, while the Spirit of the Devils is on a corpse in the area across the water fountain. When you have both items, dive into the water surrounding the fountain, and swim through the corridor next to the chest containing the Gatling gun.
Spirit of the Devils
Location: A corpse on the opposite end of the water fountain.
Purpose: Use it to increase Ninpo.
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Weapon: Gatling Spear Gun
Location: Found under water in a chest around the water fountain
Note: In order to use the gun, you must be in the water, not on land.
Head into the mausoleum and be prepared to face the flying fiends and more Wolf Fiends. Kill them. In the center is a fountain. Jump inside and open the chest to receive the Gatling gun, a weapon you will use in many underwater confrontations. Swim through the whole and into a new area. There are some floating enemies who do not attack you, but will explode if you go near. Shoot them and test out your new weapon.
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The fountain.
Canal
As you swim through the canal, Water Wyrms will immediately come from the opposite direction and attack. A Water Wyrm has incredible speed and strength, gliding over water effortlessly, and slashing opponents with long, sharp claws. It's a rare to see Water Wyrms attack in big packs. Instead, they travel in groups of three or four, all rushing towards your location with murderous intent, and if you're not careful, you will immediately die. To fight the Wyrms, fire the Gatling if you're in the water -- spin Ryu around while firing shots into the water. If you're on land, perform repeated Flying Swallows and dodge when you land. Obliteration kills work well, too.
Crystal Skull
Location: There is a Crystal Skull under the water. Once you clear the first rush of Wyrms in the water, find a short alley to your right, where a number of floating jellyfish swim. Unload your gatling gun on them and they will respawn for a while. Once they're dead, swim down the alley and a Crystal Skull awaits you in an alcove to your left.
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A Water Wyrm has incredible speed and strength, gliding over water effortlessly, and slashing opponents with long, sharp claws.
Street
Objective: Open the locked gate
At the end of the canal is a Statue of the Earth Dragon in a room by the pier. Run up the stairs and exit the door to the streets, where you'll fight Imps and dragons. Refer to the enemy strategies on ways to beat them. At the end of the road, you'll see Muramasa's shop by a gate, and a building with a slightly opened door. Inspect the door to make Ryu kick it open, and then search the desk to grab Hinomaru's Notebook. Now, check the corner of the room for a chest containing Bridge Gate Key. Use the key to unlock the gate in the opposite area across Muramasa's shop.
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Inspect the door to make Ryu kick it open.
The coliseum
The Giant Wolf Fiends after the locked gate aren't much of a problem. Sure, you could fight them to collect Yellow Essence and risk getting hurt, but you could simply run through the coliseum without fighting a single Giant Wolf Fiend. Well, that is until you reach the bridge over the green water. Here, the objective is to shoot the glowing green orbs on the other side of the bridge. By shoot the green orbs with arrows, a wire stretching from your location to the other side will magically appear.
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Shoot the glowing green orbs on the other side of the bridge.
270x200 But what if you don't have any arrows? Head back to the entrance of the coliseum, where a corpse on the ground can refill your entire supply of arrows.
The wire
Shimmy across the wire and onto the other side. When you're about to get off the wire, look below your feet to spot a chest containing the Life of the Gods. Jump into the water after picking up the Life of the Gods, and follow the canal to the watermills.
Watermill
Jellyfish infest the water around the watermill. If touched, the jellyfish explodes like a mine. Fire the Galting gun before venturing towards the left side of the watermill; otherwise, a stray jellyfish may appear out of nowhere (they respawn in the weirdest places) and hit you out of the water!
Essence Farming: The jellyfish appear to spawn for quite some time, though it may seem like for ever, around the watermills. Keep shooting them with the Gatling gun until you're tired of farming for Yellow Essence.
Standing on the wooden platform before the turning watermill, time your jump so that you catch one of the many iron bars on the wheel. Then, when the wheel takes you higher up, swing off the bar and land on another wooden platform. There's a smaller wheel by the wooden platform -- use this to reach the wooden cog laid horizontally over the smaller wheel. Jump through the little slit in the wall to enter the building.
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Standing on the wooden platform before the turning watermill, time your jump so that you catch one of the many iron bars on the wheel.
Inside, jump towards the spinning circular bar, and ride it towards the chest containing the Lives of a Thousand Gods on the wooden platform. Get outside and kill the Giant Wolf Fiends before saving your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon. The next battle will be tough.
Wyrm Battle
The Water Wyrm is a creature possessing incredible speed and strength. It glides over water effortlessly, slashes opponents with long, sharp claws, and burrows under the ground only to pop up with a vicious rising attack. They travel in groups of four or five, all rushing towards your location with murderous intent, and if you're not careful, you will immediately die.
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The Water Wyrm is a creature possessing incredible speed and strength.
To fight the Wyrms, perform repeated Flying Swallows and dodge when you land. In short, you must constantly move and dodge in order to avoid their fast attacks. Another strategy, while risky, is to use Obliteration kills. But that means one thing: staying close enough to hurt them with slash attacks. When you spot a group of Wyrm, use repeated Flying Swallows; if you can isolate one or two Wyrms, use Obliteration kills.
Wine Cellar
The wine cellar has a total of four rooms, each containing something special such as an Herb of Spiritual Life or Blue Essence. But, above all, the most valuable commodity is the Copper Key that unlocks the chest containing the Art of the Flame Phoenix, a Ninpo calling on the powers of the phoenix that envelop your body until being hit by an enemy. Before exiting the wine cellar through the well, make sure to get the Copper Key and the Art of the Flame Phoenix.
Room 1: Muramasa's Shop
Room 2: Blue essence in a chest
The first two rooms are separated by a storing room filled with large wine barrels. There are two additional rooms after the storing room, one of which contains the Copper Key.
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Picture of the storing room filled with large wine barrels.
Room 3: Copper Key in the chest
Location: Immediately after the storing room, turn left and head up the stairs, where the copper key is placed in the chest.
Now that you have the copper key, back track to the storage room, and look for a gate. Behind the gate is the Art of the Flame Phoenix.
270x200Scroll: The Art of the Flame Phoenix
Location: Open the gate near the storage room with the Copper Key.
Summon birds of fire to defend you and set your foes ablaze.
Room 4: Herb of Spiritual Life and Yellow Essence and the exit.
Location: Beyond the room with the Copper Key.
In this room is a well covered by a cracked wooden panel. You must apply vertical force to break the cover open, so stand on the panel, then jump and press the Y button for a hard vertical slash to the ground.
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Stand on the panel, then jump and press the Y button for a hard vertical slash to the ground.
Underground
Down through the well, you crash into water, several hundred feet below the city. Right when you land, you'll see a Test of Valor, and a Statue of the Earth Dragon just beyond it. Save your game before attempting the Test of Valor. This time, the Test of Valor will be your hardest challenge yet.
Test of Valor
Reward: Jewel of the Demon Seal
The combination of winged creatures and Giant Wolf Fiends makes this Test of Valor very, very difficult. Both enemies can shoot projectiles: the winged creatures spews projectiles from its mouth, and the Giant Wolf Fiends throws any body parts it can find -- arms, legs, torsos, heads. A dangerous team, they will drive you towards the edge of frustration.
Approach the fight in a systematic manner. Isolate one enemy as opposed to tackling everyone at once. In this case, the easiest enemy is the winged creature, who can be killed by firing arrows or Incendiary shurikens. Run around the area while firing your projectiles at the winged creatures. In other words, execute the Incendiary shuriken spam strategy. We'll worry about the Giant Wolf Fiends later, when you've killed all the winged creatures.
Fight the Giant Wolf Fiends when you've killed all the winged creatures. Now the fight is much easier. Refer to the enemy strategies on how kill the Giant Wolf Fiends. The gist: Obliteration kills. Watch out for random bodies thrown in your direction -- an annoying tactic, sure, but a manageable problem if you're constantly dodging. Also, don't be stingy with the Ninpos! After the test, your ki will be replenished in full.
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After the test, get to the end of the room and dive in the water. Swim through the water tunnel and find the Skull Key in a chest. A cut-scene depicting the boss will start after you pick up the Skull Key.
Before grabbing the Skull Key, look for the Talismen of Rebirth at the back of the room/ center of stadium seats, and swim in the water, both to the left and the right, for two chests containing a Devil's Ways Mushroom and a Herb of Spirtual Life.
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The Skull Key.
Boss: Water Dragon
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Attacks
* Tentacles: Long pieces of hard skeleton from the dragon's back. If you touch the tentacles in the water, the water dragon will toss you in the air and catch you in its mouth before crushing your tiny body in its jaw.
* Flying Ghost Fish: Annoying little creatures, the Ghost Fish fly from the water dragon's body to your location, tracking wherever you go. When hit, you're pulled down into the water, suffering minor damages from their tiny jagged teeth. Best way to avoid them is to slash the air when the fish are flying towards you.
* Spike projectiles: Long white projectiles that hurt more in the water than on the surface of the water. Hard to avoid and painfully damaging, the spike projectiles is one of the dragon's most damaging attacks, second only to its powerful jaws. Dodging to the sides is too risky. Instead, execute a Ninpo when you see the projectiles flying towards you.
* Breath attack: One of the few attacks that you can go for head shots. The breath is unblockable, so avoid it by activating a Ninpo.
* Falling move: Falls on you and somehow grabs you in its jaws. Mash to escape before the dragon crushes the life out of you.
Weak spot: The head
Run while slashing: Ryu can still slash at an enemy while running across the surface of the water. Repeatedly press the A button to initiate a run, then hold the analog stick in a direction while pressing the X or Y button.
Strategy
The water dragon usually opens the match with projectiles. As a preemptive maneuver, dive into the water to avoid the projectiles, then pop back to the surface, and run on the water while slashing its body or head. In an ideal situation, the dragon's head should be around water level, which is the right height to connect with standing slashes. The volley of projectiles is usually followed by the unblockable breath attack. At this point, Ninpo or try to dodge and immediate counterattack. The breath attack is one of the few moves exposing the dragon's head. Take advantage of this situation and slash the head!
Another risky strategy is executing repeated Flying swallow on the water. (Run across the water and press the Y button.) The Flying Swallow has a good chance of targeting the dragon's head, though the strategy is inconsistent. Sometimes you hit the head; sometimes you'll completely whiff the Flying Swallow, exposed to a dangerous counterattack.
Another strategy is to stay on the ledge at the beginning of the fight. Use nimpo for invincibility. Then hit the dragon with your charged up bow. If you jump of the ledge, you won't be able to return to it, so shoot the arrows and then finish it off up close with the Dragon Sword.
I found the newly armed Kusari-gama worked very well here due to its tremendous reach, you can attack the Dragon without having to enter the water right away, perhaps if this is combined with bow attacks it could work very well, but I didnt even find that necessary.
Alternate Strategy: Immediately dive into the water and swim as close as possible to the dragon. You can swim right into his chest at the base of his neck under water. You can now simply attack at will. Occassionally you will be pulled away by the boss' grab move and attacked by the ghost fish but you are much less vulnerable here than anywhere else in the room.
Chapter 6: The Lycanthropes' Castle
Key Items
* Crystal Skulls (3)
* First Crystal Skull: You will see Muramasa' Store at the top of the ruins. If you are facing the store turn the camera 180 degrees and you will see the skull directly across from you. There is a small ramp leading down to it across the gap from the store.
* Second Crystal Skull: Outside the cavern, you will see a guillotine near the Statue of the Earth Dragon. Hit it and a Crystal Skull appears on the floor.
* Test of Valor-Lives of a Thousand Gods
* Third Crystal Skull: In one of the destructible bookcases.
* Life of the Gods
* Scythe attained after beating Volf.
Objectives
* Bird Flip up chimneys.
* Find the Cast Iron Key in the statue room.
* Kill Volf.
In the water
Pay close attention to the ending shot in the cut-scene. Two pillars are pictured at the end of the cut-scene, a clue that you must Bird Flip towards the top of the ruins. When the level begins, swim towards the ruins to the rock between the two pillars. Approach the rock but don�t jump on it. Instead, nudge the analog stick towards the rock and Ryu will automatically climb it. On the rock, you must Bird Flip between the two pillars and land on the top of the ruin.
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Two pillars are pictured at the end of the cut-scene, a clue that you must Bird Flip towards the top of them ruins.
Top of the ruins
The first thing you'll see is Muramasa's shop, but if you inspect the area around the shop, you'll find a Crystal Skull in an area slightly below the floor. A little further down from the ramp for the skull, there's a small drop down to a chest containing a Talisman of Rebirth. When you're exploring the top of the ruins, be careful of the Ghost Fish in the air. They're an annoyance, for sure, but easily beatable by repeated standing slashes. Then, farther into the ruins, you'll jump from ruin to ruin in a platforming sequence, where you'll find an Herb of Spiritual Life and Yellow Essence in a chest.
Crystal Skull
Location: Once you get on top of the ruins, you will immediately see Muramasa's Shop. Facing Muramasa's Shop, turn the camera 180 degrees to see the Crystal Skull directly across from you. There is a small ramp leading down to it across the gap from the store.
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Cave
Objectives:
* Kill the miniboss
* Bird Flip up to the higher section of the cave
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon at the front of the cave, then carefully walk into the cave, where Water Wyrms will attack. Use the Obliteration kill strategy, or repeated Flying Swallows. Just ahead of the Earth Dragon statue is a Jewel of the Demon Seal on a corpse on the ground, and a pile of skeletons in a room with a locked door. To unlock the door, you must have the Skull Key�but where is it? Meanwhile, bone creepers rise above the skeleton pile, and all must be destroyed in order to initiate the minboss.The best way to defeat the bone creepers is to get some distance from them when the first appear, then bust out the Kasuri-Gama and hold Y to fully charge an Ultimate Technique. This will kill a lot of them, allowing you to quickly charge another UT with all the essence now in the air. Keep using this UT chaining technique to kill them all while sustaining minimal damage, allowing you to be at full heath when you fight the miniboss.
Miniboss: Dino Skeleton
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Attacks
* Bone projectiles: Bones, kicked by the miniboss, fly through the air in a horizontal spread. The attack is difficult to dodge on reaction, but you can dodge it if you sense the attack and run before the attack comes out.
* Throws: The miniboss will grab you if you're standing before it. Mash the buttons when you're in stuck in its grip to minimize the damage.
* 360 attack: Spins around in one spot, knocking anything around it with its arms. The attack comes out quick without warning. You can't block the attack, so the only option is dodging to the sides or using Ninpo before the attack hits you.
Don't try�
* Arrows or Incendiary Shruikens don�t work
Weakpoint: The yellow heart
Strategy
Run through its leg or around the sides, and attack the back of the boss at its tail or legs. Responding to your attacks, the miniboss will execute a 360 degree attack, and at this point, you may a) dodge to the sides or b) activate a Ninpo targeting the miniboss' yellow heart. Should the Ninpo hit the yellow heart (we used the Art of the Inferno), the miniboss will slump over on its butt and pause, exposing its weakpoint, the yellow heart, for a few moments. At this time, immediately get under the heart and jump slash it (X button). Repeat the jumping slashes to take away a chunk of its health, and make sure you get as many hit as you can before the boss regains its active status.
An alternate strategy involves constant Flying Swallows while standing under its body. Although risky, the Flying Swallow may autotarget the yellow heart, and kill the boss in a faster time than the first strategy mentioned above.
After the miniboss
The next set of challenges involve frustrating, platforming sections in the caves, where scorpion skeletons spawn indefinitely, blocking your path, and serving as a general annoyance. If you want Yellow Essence, the cave is a great place to essence farm, but don't lose too much life in the process. You can't save your game until you find the Statue of the Earth Dragon outside the cave. And if you fall off the cave and back to the area with the skeleton pile, you must repeat the process by climbing towards the top of the cave, and fighting the scorpion skeletons who've respawned.
600x338Execute a Bird Flip up the wall.
To get to the top of the cave, go towards the skeleton remains of the miniboss and inspect the wall for an area where you can execute a Bird Flip. Go through the caves and try not to get hit by the scorpion skeletons. Remember, if you die, you'll repeat everything you've done -- the boss battle, the climbing sequence, the fight against the scorpion skeletons. When faced with a gap, run across the walls to the other side. And at the end of the cave, you'll see a long bricked chimney that you must Bird Flip on. Jump towards the opposite wall, then run up the chimney before Bird Flipping to the other wall.
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Jump towards the opposite wall, then run up the chimney before Bird Flipping to the other wall.
Outside the castle
Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and buy items at Muramasa's Shop. Then, go up the watchtower to initiate a cut-scene, and to pick up the Yellow Essence in a chest.
The locked castle gate
Now, run into the watchtower and down the stairs, fighting the Werewolves and Water Wyrms in your path. Eventually, you'll come to the other side of the castle, where winged creatures in the air shoot fireballs, and a locked caste gate issues a cryptic message about finding a different path. From the gate, head right and towards the ladder, where you'll see the Statue of the Earth Dragon surrounded by Werewolves. You may kill them using the Obliteration strategy, or climb the ladder if you don't want to be bothered.
After going through the previousley locked door, fight your way to the top of the stairs where the flinging monsters are. Far to the right is a Test of Valor. This test pits you against Wyrms and bats. I used the Kusari-gama's UT repeatedly and got an easy 100 Slashes achievment.
Award: Lives of a Thousand Gods
Flags and the stained glass window
Objective: Bronze Key
The next puzzle takes place on long flag poles high above the ground, set against a beautiful, enormous stained glass window. Climb the flag pole closet to the stained glass, and line up Ryu with the window. Now jump. Ryu breaks through the window and lands in a room fraught with Wyrms. Use the Obliteration strategy and repeated Flying Swallow to kill them. Then, before leaving the room, grab the Bronze Key from the chest in the back of the room.
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Climb the flag pole closet to the stained glass, and line up Ryu with the window.
Through the door
270x200Just outside the room is a corpse holding Inukoma's Notebook, followed by Werewolves in the kitchen. Look in the pantry for a Life of the Gods behind the barrels in the corner, then run out of the room and enter the hall. Don't forget to save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before the entrance of the Great Hall. Again, more Werewolves will attack you in the hall, so kill them with whatever strategy you feel comfortable with: Obliteration kills, Ultimate technique, or repeated Flying Swallows.
The hall has four rooms:
1. Dining Room
2. Living Room
3. Statue Room
4. The Library (second floor)
The following section explains the sequence of events you must complete.
Dining room
Location: Facing the stairs, head to the left of the stairs and enter the door in the wall.
You must begin the sequence from the Dining Room. From here, after two rooms, you'll find the Cast Iron Key that unlocks the door on the second floor in the Statue Room. Go through the Dining Room, and head through the door on the back wall.
Living Room and Statue Room
Now, you'll be in the Living Room. We're almost at the Statue Room. Go through the adjacent door and enter the Statue Room, where you'll be surrounded by Wyrms and statues on high pedestals. Kill all the Wyrms to reveal the Cast Iron Key on the floor glowing in green light.
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Kill all the Wyrms to reveal the Cast Iron Key on the floor glowing in green light.
Second floor, up the stairs
Key interests:
* Locked door on the second floor
* Blue Essence in a chest on the left of the locked door
Use the Cast Iron Key on the locked door on the second floor, and deal with the Flame Ninjas throwing Incendiary shuriken. The room may appear like a dead end, but the exit lies in the chimney across the bookshelf that holds the third crystal skull. Enter the chimney and Bird Flip to the top, where you'll fight more Flame Ninjas. And, the same as before, you must exit the room by Bird Flipping up the chimney.
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Exit the room by Bird Flipping up the chimney.
Scrolls: The Four Greater Fiends, Part 3
Location: In the room that you'd unlocked with the Cast Iron Key.
Flags obstacle
Don't worry if you fall below the flags. In fact, it's better if you fall of the first time, since you can get the Yellow and Red Essence in two chests, and buy stuff from Muramasa's Shop. Climb back to the top, and then kill all enemies for the Golden Key to appear
Dodge to the sides after the cut-scene, as werewolves will begin their offensive as soon as the cut-scene ends. Kill them using the Obliteration kill strategy. When they're dead, interact with the chair for a trap door on the ground leading to the sewer.
600x338 Interact with the chair for a trap door on the ground leading to the sewer.
Sewer
You can find Blue Essence in a chest and a Statue of the Earth Dragon in the sewer. Make sure to save your game before venturing past the sewer -- you'll need your strength for the upcoming Test of Valor.
Test of Valor
Enemies: Bats and Wyrms
Rewards: Lives of a Thousand Gods
The bats can't throw, but can bite when you're blocking. The best way to kill them? Throw Incendiary shurikens. The bats aren't much of a threat, killed easily by standing slashes. You should be afraid, however, of the Wyrms. If you're not careful, disregarding your blind spots, they can easily overwhelm your defenses. Which is why you should be on the move, constantly dodging to the sides, and jumping through the air. Obliteration kill, Ultimate Techniques, repeated Flying Swallows -- implement these techniques to kill the Wyrms. Remember, use Ninpo to blow through an enemy's attack if you think they will hurt you.
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Before the boss fight against Volf, you must fight several dragons on a bridge using the bow and arrow. There's a corpse by the foot of the entrance who will supply you with arrows. To kill the dragons, allow autoaim to target the dragons while you blindly fire arrows at them. Jumping while shooting arrows helps to dodge the fireballs and target the dragons in the air.
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To kill the dragons, allow autoaim to target the dragons while you blindly fire arrows at them.
Boss: Volf
Volf is armed with a massive scythe, a powerful weapon that you'll attain after beating the berserker in the arena of death. But Volf doesn't live up to his frightening appearance -- he's is one of the easiest boss in the game.
The secret? Repeated Flying Swallows. Get close to him and perform three Flying Swallows in a row. When you've finished the third Flying Swallow, jump right back in the air and repeat the strategy. Volf will die in minutes.
Save your Ninpo for the fight after Volf, in which the werewolves will try to revenge their leader's death. Use Ninpo until the cut-scene is triggered.
Chapter 7: The Flying Fortress Daedalus
Key Items
* Life of the Gods
* Lives of the Thousand Gods
* Art of the Piercing Void
* Tonfa
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objectives
* Destroy control panels in the flying fortress.
* Beat Genshin.
* Beat the Armadillo.
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The gun turrets
Landing on the flying fortress Daedalus, Ryu will fight several gun turrets, some high on a roof above the ground, others on the sides. For cover, use the barricades outlined in yellow and black stripes, and shoot arrows through the trapezoid in the top corner of the barricade. If you don't have any arrows, you can find them in the box by the barricade on the right. All the turrets must be destroyed before the doors to the flying fortress open.
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For cover, use the barricades outlined in yellow and black stripes, and shoot arrows through the trapezoid in the top corner of the barricade.
The machines
270x200Robotic droids on four legs, carrying two machineguns in the front, can be a challenge unless you're properly equipped with a damaging weapon. In this case, the scythe will tear them apart through repeated use of heavy slashes (the Y button.) The bullets fired from the machinegun can be blocked, but if they hit you, you'll be immobile until you break the stunned state with a jump or a dodge. Flying Swallows works well, too. Just remember to dodge the explosion after their death. Incendiary shuriken will not damage them.
An alternative strategy if the two barricades have not been destroyed is to use them for cover and shoot the machines with the bow. They will eventually flank you so you have to shoot them quickly. Eventually you should go up and fight the remaining machines up close with the dragon sword or the scythe.
Purchase a Life of the Gods in Muramasa's shop by the entrance into the fortress.
Inside the fortress
The fortress is a controlled environment sectioned by open or closed rooms. The light by the door, red or green, will tell you if the door is open or closed. In this case, green means open; red, closed.
Infantry soldiers will rush through the halls. Guard their bullets while moving closer to their location, close enough to slash their limbs off and to perform an Obliteration. If you're having problems closing in the distance, use the Flying Swallow and land behind their backs. There, you can surprise them with several light slashes before killing them in one strike with an Obliteration.
The room contains three sections: the left hall, the right hall, and the middle room. In the left hall is a Statue of the Earth Dragon, and in the right hall is Red Essence in a chest. In the left hallway with the Statue of the Earth Dragon, enter the door with the vertical green bar into the middle room.
Middle room
The middle room contains Blue Essence on the side wall and a Devil Way Mushroom by the other door. Grab the mushroom before exiting the room. Once you come out the door, follow the guard rail around the room, past the door with the green bar, and towards the end of the hall on the opposite end of the entrance, where a Life of the Gods sits in a chest against the wall. Now head back the other way and enter the door with the green bar that you just passed.
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Follow the guard rail around the room, past the door with the green bar for the Life of the Gods.
Room filled with droids
270x200Droids. Lots of them. Be careful when entering the room, because the droids can easily overwhelm you. In case that happens, don't feel bad about using a Ninpo to get out of the situation. When you've destroyed the droids, press the button on the floor switch to lower the floor, then prepare for the next fight against a mechanized serpentine supported by several Infantry soldiers in an ammunitions room.
After the lift, in the ammunition room
Concentrate your efforts first on the mechanized serpentine. To beat a mechanized sepentine, you must study and remember their attack patterns and behavior, which consists of a three or four hit combo. Block the combo string, and after the third or fourth hit, dodge to side, and counterattack with hard slashes (the Y button). After the fourth hit with the scythe, dodge to the sides immediately before blocking an incoming combo. For a quick solution, two Art of the Inferno Ninpo will take it down.
Cockpit
Objective:
* Destroy the controls
* Pick up the Crystal Skull
The cockpit will kick start a theme threading the rest of the chapter: destroying control panels. After you've killed the Infantry soldiers and collected the Crystal Skull on the left side of the control panel, destroy the control panel until smoke rise above its circuits. Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, then retrace your steps to the ammunition room.
Crystal Skull
Location: In the cockpit room, on the left side of the control panel.
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Ammunition room
Run past the mechanized serpentine, past the large ammo silos, and towards the guard rails. By following the guard rails, you'll run into a Life of the Gods in a chest, and see a green vertical bar on the ride side of a door. Through the door, look around the room for another door with a green bar -- this time, the door leads to a sky bridge connecting one part of the flying fortress to the reactor room.
Reactor Room
In addition to the control panels, you must destroy the plasma cooling -- long cylinder pipes with white gas running through them, surrounding the reactor flanked by blue lights. Take the arrows off the corpse by the door, and shoot the plasma cooling around, behind, in front, and to the sides of the reactor. After that, head back to the sky bridge, where rocket infantry men will shoot rockets at you. Use Ninpo to kill them instantly, or kill them with Flying Swallows or Obliteration kills before exiting through the door. Past the rocket men and the door, take a right and go through the door with a green light at the end of the hall.
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Shoot the plasma cooling around, behind, in front, and to the sides of the reactor.
The long hallway and the elevator
The first room on the left contains a Statue of the Earth Dragon and Muramasa's Shop. Further down the hall, you'll see a door on your right leading into an infirmary, where a corpse holding Yogenta's Notebook is in a bed in the right corner. Now, look at the other side of the room, towards the wall, to spot an elevator boarded by a green light in a white case. Take the elevator down to another reactor room.
Control Room
270x200Break all the control panels before climbing up the ladder by the elevator. The next room contains such valuable items as the Art of the Piercing Void, a powerful Ninpo harnessing the power of emptiness that pierces the enemy's core.
Yellow Essence: In a chest in the first room.
Lives of a Thousand Gods: In a chest by the Yellow Essence in the first room.
Statue of the Earth Dragon: Near the control panels in the corner of the second room.
Art of the Piercing Void: In the room with the green light by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Test of Valor: In the same room with the Art of the Piercing Void.
Test of Valor
Reward: Jewel of the Demon Seal
Enemies: Infantry Soldiers and Mechanized Serpentines
Equipped with rockets and machine guns, the soldiers have tremendous range over you, forcing you to cautiously approach them while dodging any projectiles sent your way. They're an annoyance by themselves. Now imagine the situation when large, powerful enemies join in the fray. Rather than fighting the soldiers face-to-face, use the Incendiary shuriken spam strategy while running around the area. Don't bother fighting the Mechanized Serpenties; kill the soldiers first, so you can get rid of the threat of projectiles.
To beat the mechanized serpentine, you must study and remember their attack patterns and behavior, which consists of a three or four hit combo. Block the combo string, and after the third or fourth hit, dodge to the side, and counterattack with hard slashes (the Y button). After the fourth hit with the scythe, dodge to the sides immediately before blocking an incoming combo. Repeat the strategy for each serpentine, and try to isolate each serpentine by itself, as tackling several of them at once is considerably difficult.
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Finally, when you've completed the Trial of Valor and collected the items, go towards the two green circles on the control panel, and activate the switch that opens part of the floor by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Down the shaft
Two corpses are in the room, one carrying Incendiary shuriken, the other holding the weapon Tonfa, a close ranged weapon meant not for attacking but for comboing. Exit the room by going through the door with the green light. (If you didn't pick up the Art of the Piercing Void, climb the ladder by the corpse to go back to the control room.) Follow the hallway until you see a door that leads to the airplane wing.
Crystal Skull
Location: After dropping down the shaft, exit the room and walk down the hall and towards the rubble. A Crystal Skull is buried under a large pipe and a file cabinet.
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Airplane wing
270x200Get ready for two mechanized serpentine on the airplane wing. Upgrade the scythe at Muramasa's Shop before using the control switch to lower the floor boarded by alternating strips of yellow and black, taking you down into the engine room. Be careful when you arrive at the engine room, because three large mechs firing powerful rockets will immediate attack. Target them all with an Art of Inferno to kill them instantly. By the door with the green light is a chest containing arrows. Grab the arrows before exiting the room. You'll need them for the next fight.
Opening the door, you'll see rows of gun turrets synchronized towards your location, each firing a stream of bullets. Use the narrow space of the door as cover. Stand before the door, off to the sides, and fire arrows at the turrets. Remember to charge the arrows to its full potential before firing. Destroy them before running across the wing and climbing the ladder to the room with a Statue of the Earth Dragon. Don't forgot about the Devil Way Mushroom on the corpse near the Statue. Now run through the hall and to the door in the section D2-11.
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Stand before the door, off to the sides, and fire arrows at the turrets.
Reactor room
Remember this room? The reactor room. Previously, you'd destroyed the control panels and the plasma cooling. Well, there's nothing to see here. Run past the panels and cooling, out the exit, and onto the sky bridge, where a cut-scene will start.
After the cut-scene
The port engine has been jettisoned. Get to section D2-6 for further development on the drama aboard the flying fortress! The Infantry soldiers in the room are a pain if you don't use the Obliteration kill strategy. Remember to use it!
When you reach Muramasa's shop, be sure to buy the Talisman of Rebirth! You'll need it for the two part fight against Genshin and an oversized Armadillo.
Boss: Genshin
The scythe is the best weapon in the fight, unmatched by any weapon in terms of power (save for the True Dragon Sword). Focus on Genshin -- and only Genshin -- while ignoring the ancillary enemies in the room. If timed correctly, you can kill Genshin in a matter of minutes. Begin the match by pressing the Y button to combo Genshin. When the fourth attack of the combo ends, hold block while dodging to the side, avoiding a potential counterattack, and then dash back in range with Genshin. Repeat the strategy -- dash in, combo, block and dodge to the sides, then repeat the combo. And never, ever, jump when dodging. Genshin will immediately counter any jump or jump attacks with a quick Flying Swallow, knocking you down to the floor. On the rare occasions Genshin summons magic, execute a Ninpo to protect yourself. Don't use your ninpo often, however. You'll want all your ki for the next boss, the Armadillo.
Boss: Armadillo
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Attacks
* Giant roll: Curls up in a ball and bulldozes across the land. He will hit you if you're standing idly, so run to the sides in one direction to avoid it.
* The bite: Get too close to its mouth, and the Armadillo will snatch you, gnaw on you, and spit you out. And, oh, take off an insane amount of damage. It's hard to avoid the bite, especially when you're hacking away at its head.
* Magma blast: Chunks of fire and molten lava erupt off the Armadillo's back and sides, blanketing the sky with projectiles that can only be dodged, not blocked. When you see the magma blast erupt, immediately run in one direction or activate a Ninpo.
Weakpoints: The head. Art of the Piercing Void to the head.
Strategy
The strategy neither requires finesse or skill. Go for the head. Whatever you do, focus on attacking the head relentlessly with the scythe or with the Art of the Piercing Void. The tricky part, though, is avoiding the Armadillo's long legs. Try to catch up to the head after a four hit combo string (use the Y button string) by jumping or dodging. When the Armadillo curls in ball, drop whatever you're doing and immediately jump and run to the sides until it stops.
A strategy that can sometimes work is to strike the back of the rear legs. It is sometimes possible if you find the right location to repeatedly hit Y without moving the stick to take the first half of its life while it walks in circles. At some point it will turn reddish and roll around more. When this happens start aiming for its head.
And, by now, you've probably experienced the nasty surprise after the Amarillo's death: an explosion rippling across the land, killing anyone standing too close to the impact. There are three ways to avoid the explosion: 1) Get as far away as possible when the Armadillo falls to its knees on its last breath. Run, dodge, and jump out of the way; 2) Activate a Ninpo before the explosion hits you; 3) Just blocking the explosion will keep you alive as well.
Another way:
Instead of the strategy above you could just kill the Amarillo with explosive shurninkens.
Ryu will autoaim the amarillo's head if you jump close to it and throws the shurninkens into its head. (Just not to close or it will do the bite thing!) The best thing with this strategy is that it will not harm you at all and every blow from the explosions will cansel the Amarillo's attacks. (Exept the rolling attack which you will have to dodge!)
To survive the explosion at the end just block it because it takes no Ki and you have 100% chance to survive no matter how close to it you are.
Chapter 8: Submit or Die!
Key Items
* Crystal Skull (4)
* Life of the Gods (2)
* Life of a Thousand Gods
Objectives
* Survive the mines in the snow.
* Grab the Bell Key in the bell tower.
* Get the Dignitary's ID Card in the train.
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The city covered in a thick blanket of snow is filled with enemies spawning in front and behind you. To counter their placement, be sure to check behind your back in case an enemy magically appears from nowhere. Another important focus of Chapter 8 is its emphasis on long range fighting. Throughout the level, you'll rely heavily on projectile weapons such as arrows and Incendiary shuriken to battle soldiers behind sandbags, in buildings, in the background. So make sure you are fully stocked from Muramasa's Shop.
Muramasa's Shop is in front of your starting position. Buy health, arrows, and Incendiary shuriken before moving into the city.
The sandbags in the level offer some protection against the rockets fired by the Infantry Soldiers. While the bags may shoulder some of the impact, it will not protect against splash damage from rocket explosions. The best strategy to approach the Infantry Soldiers behind the sandbags is to run at a slant, jumping and dodging, and get in to their location with a Flying Swallow.
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The best strategy to approach the Infantry Soldiers behind the sandbags is to run at a slant, jumping and dodging, and get in to their location with a Flying Swallow.
Another way to tackle the Infantry Soldiers is standing behind cover while firing charged arrows. The risky part, though, is being hit out of the arrow stance by a stray rocket.
Up the path is a dangerous area populated by three mechanized serpentines, supported by several Infantry Soldiers -- one of the hardest battles you'll fight in Chapter 8. If you're not worried about your Karma score, use the Art of the Piercing or Art of the Inferno. Otherwise, equip the scythe and focus your attention on the mechanized serpentines (apply the strategies in the enemy strategies section on them). Worry about the ancillary enemies around the area later. Around the corner of the building is a chest with blue/red essence. You must defeat all the enemies for the gate to open, through which is a Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Equip the scythe and focus your attention on the mechanized serpentines
The shopping center
One of the more frustrating sections in Chapter 8, the little shopping center is home to Infantry Soldiers armed with rockets on the first floor and second floor. To tackle the men on the second floor, use the Incendiary shuriken strategy while running around the center in order to avoid the rockets. (Note: staying under the bridge protects you from the rockets.) If you don't have any Incendiary shuriken, you may buy them from Muramasa's Shop in the only opened store in the center. Head deep into the center and scan the walls on your left. You'll see a room with Muramasa's Shop. And since you're here, you can head up the stairs adjacent to the shop, and reach the second floor, where you can battle the Infantry Soldiers.
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Muramasa's Shop is on the left by the water fountain.
The mines in the snow
Look carefully at the footprint indented on the surface of the snow. This marks the path you must take in order to avoid the mines in the snow. Deviate off the path and a mine will explode. But as you follow the footprints, Infantry Soldiers fire rockets through windows in a building, impeding your progress. The worst plan is to run quickly across the snow, where you'll be exposed in the open, targeted by the snipers in the building or behind the sandbags.
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The footprint indented on the surface of the snow marks the path you must take in order to avoid the mines in the snow.
Mechanically and systematically, shoot arrows at the men in the building while standing behind cover -- a sandbag, a wall, a tank. Take note that more men will replace a fallen soldier, so focus on the windows until everyone is killed. It's a bad idea to rush through the alleys when men continue to fire at you.
600x336Mechanically and systematically, shoot arrows at the men in the building while standing behind cover -- a sandbag, a wall, a tank.
Be prepared to seek cover behind a sandbag after collecting the Crystal Skull. Infantry Soldiers firing rockets will appear in one of the six large widows in a building. And if you get hit by one rocket, expect more rockets coming your way. Two sandbags are positioned on the road, one further up the path, while the other is near the area with the Crystal Skull. Seek cover behind the sandbag nearest the Skull, since you'll find a box containing arrow behind the bag. Your arrows in stock, hold the R shoulder button to zoom in on the building. Inspect the windows for men while charging an arrow shot. As soon as you see someone move, fire! Kill everyone before moving down the road.
Crystal Skull
Location: Starting from the first set of footprints in the snow, go down the road, and look towards the left when arriving at the first corner. The Crystal Skull is near the wooden barricades.
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Kick down the large gate boarded by two guard towers. You can throw Incendiary shurikens to kill the men in the watchtower. Remember to save your gate at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before heading into the bell tower.
The Flame Ninjas in the bell tower
Read the enemy strategies on how to deal with the Flame Ninjas. Block whenever an Incendiary shuriken clings to your body; move often, to avoid being hit, while using the Flying Swallow to get close to their position; repeat the Flying Swallow as a main offensive. Or use the Art of the Inferno!
To exit the room, you must kill all of the flaming ninjas to unlock the door to the right of the entrance. Then walk up the stairs and onto bell room. Once in the bell room, you will notice a ring around the center of the 3 bells, If you go left, you will find a corpse with a Life of the Gods. After that, go back to the ring and move back right, where you will find a locked door and a window leading onto a balcony that wraps around the sides. Get on the balcony and jump through another window into different section of the bell room, where you'll see a corpse holding the Bell Key. Backtrack out of the window and to the first bell room. Now, from the window, look on your left for a door across the bell. Open the door to the stairwell.
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The picture on the left shows the the narrow slit in the wall; on the right, the window leading to th balcony in the bell tower.
Stairwell
270x200Don't ignore the stairs. Walk down the stairs, passing each candle along the way, and look for the sixth candle for a surprise: a Crystal Skull! Then, when you reach the bottom floor, open the brown panels on a shrine surrounded by long green pillars.
Crystal Skull
Location: By the sixth candle in the stairwell.
Train station
270x200You've dealt with the Flame Ninjas before. Here is no exception. If you're still wondering on how you to beat the Flame Ninjas, read the enemy strategies for the strategy. After the battle, you'll watch a short interstitial spotlighting the door to a train, which is in the same room where you'd fought the Flame Ninjas. Enter the train and be sure to check each room for items. In the train, you'll find three objects of importance:
* Grains of Spiritual Life
* Dignitary's ID Card on corpse in the bedroom
* Crystal Skull
Crystal Skull
Location: On a seat at the back of the train.
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You'll need the ID card to unlock the door at the top of the stairs.
Miniboss
The miniboss acts similar to the miniboss in Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess. (Maybe it is the same boss!) But this time, the fight is a lot easier through the power of the scythe. Hack the boss' limbs with the scythe while avoiding the mechanized serpentines. Several slashes with the Y button should kill the boss in a few minutes. As for the mechanized serpentines, use the strategy in the enemy strategies to beat them.
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Hack the boss' limbs with the scythe while avoiding the mechanized serpentines.
The next destination is a holding cell under the city streets. But where could it be? Look for the big gap in the wall by where you defeated the miniboss and enter the room. On the floor is a hole that goes to the holding cells.
Holding cell
270x200In the cells you'll find two items:
* Incendiary shuriken
* Life of the Gods
On the floor of the cell is a notebook titled the Rule of the King of the Darkness. At the end of the hall, you must break the crack in the wall by throwing an Incendiary shuriken, opening the way to the sewers.
Sewer
In the Sewer, you willl find:
*
Life of a Thousand Gods.
After you enter the door, look across from where you are standing and on the ledge to the left by the gate, is a chest with the Life of a Thousand Gods. Ghost Fish and Water Wyrms will attack you in the sewers. Get to the end of the sewers, then climb the stairs to a long hallway in a cave. Travel to the end of the cave, and there, you will Bird Flip to the top. Start by jumping towards the wall, and run up the wall a bit before Bird Flipping to the opposite wall. At the top is another crack in the wall. You know what to do: throw an Incendiary shuriken at it.
Palace
Nothing much to see here. Flame Ninjas, an Herb of Spiritual Life in a chest, Muramasa's Shop, and the Statue of the Earth Dragon. And, oh, a Test of Valor!
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The Test of Valor is through the door by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Test of Valor
Location: Walk through the door by the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Reward: Jewel of the Diamond Seal
Enemies: Droids and soldiers with rocket launchers
This Test of Valor is unfair. Each enemy is equipped with a long range weapon, either a machinegun or a rocket launcher, shifting the fight in their favor. You, on the other hand, have no option but to fight close to the enemy. What an unfair fight!
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Complaining aside, the most effective approach is isolating the soldiers armed with rocket launchers. If you can get rid of them, the droids will be much easier to handle. Use the Incendiary shuriken strategy on the soldiers while trying to run and dodge the projectiles. Keep moving around the ring; otherwise, something will hit you. If you run out of shurikens, don't fight them up close but employ a hit and run strategy: Flying Swallows followed by a dodge and jump.
Finally, when the soldiers have been killed, destroy the droids with the scythe. Several slashes should destroy them. Just watch out for the explosion at the end.
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To leave the palace, find the ladder by Muramasa's shop on the second floor, and climb it to reach the clock tower filled with spinning gears and cogs.
Clock tower
A simple exercise in platforming. Climb on the gears, run on the gears, swing on poles -- stuff you've done in the past and stuff you shouldn't have any problems with. Of particular importance are the three items you'll find in the clock tower:
* Crystal Skull
* Izo's Notebook
* Grains of Spiritual Life
Crystal Skull
Location: While hanging on a pole attached to a spinning gear, you'll see the Crystal Skull in the center of a gear.
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Save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon before fighting the boss
Boss: Zedonius
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Attacks
* Fireballs: Zedonius shoots fireball while on the ground or in the air. To dodge the fireballs in the air, watch carefully for the small pause before he launches a fireball. During these few frames of animation, immediately run and dodge to the sides. Or, if you have Ninpo, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
* Lands on you after flying: A nasty attack tracking your last location. It's very hard to dodge the move.
* Throw: Look for a low crouch before the throw -- a clue telegraphing the throw.
What not to do
* Don't ever Flying Swallow; Zedonius will block it.
Strategy
Wait until he is on the ground before striking him, and when he is in the air, focus on avoiding his attacks. To take off an enormous amount of health, use the Art of the Piercing Void when Zedonius is preparing for a fireball attack in the air, or when he's advancing towards your location on the ground. The second best strategy, a strategy that doesn't involve Ninpo, is slashing the boss with the scythe. Get close, execute a four hit combo with the Y button, and dodge. Simple.
An alternate strategy that I used was to use the Lunar Staff here, Zedonius seemed to block other weapons a lot, so I switched to the staff, I beat him in 10 seconds. As was stated, dodge any air attacks, he usually will try to stomp you right away anyway, but when he does, do your best to dodge, then immediately close on him with Heavy attacks, land a few and he will drop to his knees, stunned. You can cram in so many strikes with the staff ( Y, Y, forward Y ) you can finish him before he recovers.
Chapter 9: Heart of Darkness
Key Items
* Vigoorian Flail
* Crystal Skull (4)
Objectives
* Beat the worm in the cave.
* Beat the two dragons.
The path to the river
The jungle in South America repeats two design patterns: a narrow path filled with enemy ninjas, and a body of water inhabited by jellyfish and Reptile Fish. The limited space on the dirt path forces combat fought up close, as opposed to the long range fighting in Chapter 8, where arrows and shuriken were essential in an offensive strategy against rocket men hiding in buildings and on platforms above ground. Naturally, in close range fighting, the strategy shifts to a technique able to kill an enemy quickly: Obliteration kills. But in the water, close range fighting is useless. No more Obliteration kills! Instead, fire the gatling gun on the jellyfish and the Reptile Fish in the water.
The path takes you to the banks of a river, across which is Muramasa's shop guarded by a single soldier armed with a rocket launcher. Run across the water, alternating your direction in order to avoid the rockets, and kill the armed soldier, then purchase and upgrade your weapons from Muramasa before venturing down the river.
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The path takes you to the banks of a river, across which is Muramasa's shop guarded by a single soldier armed with a rocket launcher.
The jellyfish in the water respawn indefinitely. If you're low on Yellow Essence, shoot them with the gatling gun until you're super rich�or until you're super bored.
The watchtowers
Objective: Get the Jade Mask to open the locked gate.
Requirements: Must have the Jade mask; kill everyone in the area to proceed.
270x200Remember to save your progress at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and grab arrows from the corpse in the other room before moving past the house. Once you move beyond the house, you can't come back! The guards in the watchtower will be alerted, droid armed with rockets will come at you, and rocket men across the river bank will fire rockets in every direction. Well, maybe not in every direction, but close enough.
Run to the top left: The Jade Mask is in a tiny cell behind a watchtower and a boat docked at the harbor, on the top left of the area. The hard part, though, is getting to the dock without being hit by a rocket. Zigzag across the water, running at a slant, never stopping to fight the droids hovering across the water. And, even when you get to the dock, be careful of the rockets! From the dock, run up the stairs and hide behind the watchtower, its structure offering some protection against incoming rockets (watch out for splash damage). By following the path behind the watchtower, you'll find the Jade Mask in a chest behind a locked gate.
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The Jade Mask is in a tiny cell behind a watchtower and a boat docked at the harbor, on the top left of the area.
Crystal Skull
Location: As you enter the area with the two spotlight towers go to the tower on the far right and behind it you will locate the Crystal Skull.
Everyone must die: Now, we must meet the other requirement: killing everyone in the area. Comb the houses for enemies; use charged arrows on the droids flying above the water. Finally, when you've killed everyone, a gate by a watchtower on the left side of the area will open.
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When you've killed everyone, a gate by a watchtower on the left side of the area will open.
270x200Place the Jade Mask in the decorated shine. Then, looking at the screenshot, find the green sculpture crafted on the rock wall and dive into the water. There should be a small hole that you can swim through.
Tree branches and the rope bridge
You'll see an Herb of Spiritual Life after coming up to the surface. Follow the path, on the ground and across water, until you see a series of branches extending from the right of the screen. Jump and grab the tree, then swing across the branches to the other side. There, you'll fight several ninjas on a small path, followed by a short climb across a rope above the water. Be careful of the guys carrying rocket launchers on the other side. If you spot them, shoot charged arrows at them before crossing the rope bridge.
Crystal Skull Location: Halfway across the rope bridge turn right and you can flip to some more tree branches to reach a Crystal Skull and Maramusa's shop.
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Jump and grab the tree, then swing across the branches to the other side.
Near the Statue of the Earth Dragon and off the path is Red Essence in a chest. Save your game before going into the next area! You won't have a chance to save in a long, long time.
The fissure in the boulder
Creepy crawlers storm below the boulder and into the area. Equip the scythe and do your best Dynasty Warrior impersonation -- slash, slash, slash, slash, slash. (Slashes with the Y button work the best.) Then examine that same boulder for a clue. Extreme force should blow open the boulder weakened by several fissures and cracks on the surface. Charge and release an Ultimate Technique to blow open the boulder.
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Charge and release an Ultimate Technique to blow open the boulder.
Cave
Objective: Defeat the worm boss
Achievement 100 hit combo unlocked: Throw shurikens at the crawlers, abundantly supplied throughout the cave.
At first glance, the cave seems endless. Turn after turn, room after room, the cave appears to stretch into infinity, a maze of rooms filled with Red and Blue Essence, each section a duplicate of the previous section. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But don't panic! You can ignore the creepers! You can ignore the rooms! Your goal is to kill the worm in the cave.
Miniboss: The worm
The worm is found in the same spot right after the cave starts to split. Before you see the worm, the background music changes, and a low rumble can be heard through the cave, so pay attention to your speakers for those signs. Soon after, the worm appears before you, rushing at you at great speeds.
When you hear the sudden change in music, when you hear the rumble, immediately stop whatever you're doing and change for an Ultimate Technique (scythe UT) while standing in its path. The next part will be tricky. It's hard to predict when the worm will hit you, but if you sense its presence, execute the UT, which gives you temporarily invincibility against the worms attack. The UT will not only protect you, but also stun and damage the worm. Do not attempt any combos on the worm at all.
Instead, you must immediately perform one of the two strategies:
* A) Dodge the worm's rush by running into a room.
* B) Execute a Ninpo for temporarily invincibility.
We chose method B, stopping the worm with a Ninpo.
The cave is so narrow that it's easy to be disoriented, easy to lose track of the worm, easy to feel absolutely powerless. Just remember, the worm can only approach you in two directions: from the back or from the behind, never from the sides. By focusing on those two directions, you'll have a better time predicting the worm's behavior.
Alternate Strategy: Duck into one of the rooms branching out from the main hallway. From there stand near the entrance of the the room and charge an Ultimate Scythe, aiming toward the main tunnel. Use the sound and rumble to time the release, hitting the worm as it roars past. Occasionally it might stop and try to hit you, just dodge out of the way until it leaves and repeat, you don't have to lose a sliver of life defeating this one.
Another Option: I hid in one of the rooms close to the entrance but far enough to keep out of harms way. When the worm went by I hit it with charged arrows. You get one shot a pass. It takes maybe 8-10 hits. Timely but safe. And don't worry, when that centipede thing comes crawling to your feet, it never actually attacks if you are far enough away from the entrance. Plus the same charged arrow you shoot at the worm will kill the centipede by default Two bugs with one stone.
Outside the cave
Crystal Skull
Location: Coming out the cave, you'll see a body of water inhabited by large serpents, and a Crystal Skull on the left.
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Up the hill
Past the cave, you'll walk on a dirt path up a hill, and will see a corpse on the ground holding the weapon Vigoorian Flail.
Pool of water
Achievement: Unlock the Feat of a Hundred Slashes Achievement by shooting the serpent creatures with the gatling gun. Fire with your back against the back, and let the serpents come to you.
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Another strategy is to dive underwater and head right, there is an underwater enclave that will protect you from the serpents, allowing you to kill them as you please, there is a chest there as well.
In the water is a Grains of Spiritual Life.
Just ahead is a Statue of the Earth Dragon and the Test of Valor.
Test of Valor
Reward: Yellow Essence
This is the easiest Test of Valor. Equip the scythe and hack through the crawlers. If you're bored repeating the same tactic, mix up the strategy by including Ultimate Technique.
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After completing the Test of Valor, you must conserve your energy for the upcoming boss fight against two dragons, so ignore the enemies on the path. When you see Muramasa's Shop, stock up on Devil Way Mushroom, because the strategy that you're about to use on the dragon revolves around Ninpo, more specifically the Art of the Piercing Void.
Crystal Skull Location: After watching the short cut-scene of ninjas floating down the river, jump into the river and diveunder it is located on the left hand side you will see a dead body examine it and you will recieve the skull.
Boss: The two dragon
If you don't have Art of the Piercing Void, the battle will be a pain in the ass. As you can see from the video, the Art of the Piercing Void does mega damage. Out of Ninpo? The two dragons can be killed with fully charged bow shots.
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The Art of the Piercing Void does mega damage on a dragon.
If you have very little Nimpo, you must fight the smaller dragons. The best strategy is to jump to avoid the slow moving flames, and shoot the bow while in the air to kill off the small dragons. When they are gone, you can focus your fire on the big dragons by charging up your bow. If you have plenty of Nimpo, then just use the Piercing Void and cheat yourself out of a tough boss fight.
Chapter 10: The Temple of Sacrifice
Key Items
* Crystal Skull (2)
Objective
* Get to the Temple of the Sacrifice.
* Hit the pressure pad to get the Bone Relief.
* Beat Elizebet.
Up the hill
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As blood drips from the sky to the ground, you must make your way up hill to the Temple of Sacrifice, fighting Blood Wyrms and Dragons peppered on the path. To prepare for the Temple of Sacrifice, be sure to buy health items and the Jewel of the Demon Seal at Muramasa's Shop in the beginning of the level. When you climb the hill, be on the lookout for the Blue Essence in a chest by the edge of the hill. And if you look at the area beyond the chest, you'll see two chests, one containing the Life of the Gods, the other Yellow Essence, in a secret area below the hill.
Blood Wyrms and dragons
You'll fight Blood Wyrms and dragons in the area past the chest with the Blue Essence. Their numbers are overwhelming, to say the least. Don't be afraid to use the Art of the Inferno when you're surrounded, and don't be afraid to spam the Ninpo if you're losing the battle. But, eventually, you may run out of Ninpo, and have to rely on other strategies. In this case, hop around the area to avoid the fire breath from the dragons, and execute repeated Flying Swallows. If you're close to a Wyrm, hack their limbs off before issuing an Obliteration kill. When you're done, look for the Denji's Notebook on a corpse on a small patch of vegetation near the rocky wall. Up ahead, you can save your game at Statue of the Earth Dragon.
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Don't be afraid to use the Art of the Inferno when you're surrounded.
Spamming the Ultimate Technique
Six spider creatures that you'd fought in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 will come down the long narrow strip of land en masse. The best way to kill them is through the scythe's Ultimate Technique. When you see the spider creatures, charge for an Ultimate Technique and release it when they're in range. Keep spamming the UT -- charging the UT, unleashing the UT, and charging again. If done correctly, the projectile from the scythe UT will kill the spider creatures before they have a chance to get close to you.
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The best way to kill the spider creatures is through the scythe's Ultimate Technique.
Up the path, grab the Devil Way Mushroom and Grains of Spiritual Life off the two corpses' body, then save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon.
Water worms and bone creatures
In the water are bone creepers and water worms, two creatures that are easy on their own, but annoying when combined in a group. The bone creepers appear in the cave, not on the water, while the water worms are, uh, in the water. Use the environment to your advantage. Attack the creatures when you're in the cave, and don't venture into the water. Not yet, anyway. But here's the trick: when you've killed the bone creatures, stand on the shore and charge for a scythe Ultimate Technique before releasing it on the water worms. Charge, UT, repeat. Easy kill. After the battle, run across the water, then Bird Flip up the hill.
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Charge, UT, repeat.
Crystal Skull
Location: The Crystal Skull is found after the green pool of water infested by water worms, and after the section where you performed the Bird Flip. You should see the Skull on a platform above you. Run across the wall before jumping up to reach the Skull, but if you fall when running across the wall, you'll see Muramasa's shop and a bunch of bone creepers on the floor below.
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Next, spam the scythe Ultimate Technique on the water worms, then lower the pillar to the ground by going up to it and pressing the RB button. After saving your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, you'll watch a short interstitial showing the Temple of Sacrifice surrounded by an army of dragons in the air.
Dragons above the bridge
Don't bother attacking the dragons; you can't kill every dragon out there. Run down the hill while ignoring the dragons. Coming down the hill, you may have noticed a Crystal Skull below the hill on your left. Round the corner, to the left, when you get to ground level, then search the walls for the Crystal Skull.
Crystal Skull
Location: As you run down the hill, you'll see the Crystal Skull below you on the left side of the area.
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The pressure pad
270x200You've seen this type of puzzle before. Use force and something will happen. This time, you'll have to land on the pressure pad with a jumping Y attack. Stand on top of the pad, then jump and press the Y button.
The scythe UT
In area between the first instance of the pressure pad and the Statue of the Earth Dragon on the bridge (the Statue is also near a Test of Valor), the enemies are slow and dumb enough to fall for the scythe Ultimate Technique. Spam the crap out of the technique and you should be fine when you reach the Test of Valor on the bridge.
Test of Valor
Location: Near the Statue of the Earth Dragon on the bridge.
Reward: Yellow and Blue Essence.
Enemies: Ghost Fish and Blood Wyrm
A simple Test of Valor. First, kill the Ghost Fish with the Art of the Flame Bird, a Ninpo surrounding your body with a fleet of flaming birds. But don't get hit while the Ninpo is activated, or else you will lose the Ninpo ability. When you run out of Ninpo, equip the Dragon Sword and execute standing slashes at random. The Ghost Fish will come to you, only to be slashed and killed.
Next, for the Blood Wyrm, spam the scythe Ultimate Technique while standing in one place. Scythe UT for the win!
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270x200There's another pressure pad after the Statue of the Earth Dragon and Test of Valor. Hit it with a jumping attack (the Y button) to lower a net, then walk across the net and find a jagged opening in the wall. Up ahead, you'll see a huge yellow dragon in a cage, and a corpse on the ground possessing arrows. Grab the arrows and head up the path, which triggers a cut-scene.
Before the temple
The green mechanism on the wall needs something to complete it. What you need is the Bone Relief, a tablet carved with an unsettling picture of a skeleton on its back, its knees to its chest, and its arm stretched in the air. The Bone Relief is found after you beat the dragon. And where's the dragon? Hit the pressure pad near the edge of cliff, and you'll see the dragon be released from its cage.
The dragon and the Bone Relief
270x200The easy way: The Art of the Piercing Void kills the dragon in two hits. That's it! If you don't have the Art of the Piercing Void, consider yourself screwed. (There are arrows on the corpse before coming to the Temple of Sacrifice.) Place the Bone Relief on the green mechanism to open the doors of the Temple of Sacrifice.
The stairs
This war of attrition begins at the bottom of the stairs and ends at the top of the stairs, and in between, you'll experience the game crumbling under the weight of the slowdown. Get to the top of the stairs first, and try to ignore the slowdown along the way. At the top, spam the crap out of the scythe Ultimate Technique over and over. The doors to the Temple will only open when you've killed all the ninja soldiers, but before you enter the Temple, grab the Red Essence in a chest by the door. Up the stairs and down the stairs in the Temple, you'll eventually reach the room where you'll fight Elizebet. (There's a Prayer of the Nercomantle before the room with Elizebet.)
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At the top of the stairs, spam the crap out of the scythe Ultimate Technique over and over.
Boss Elizetbet
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Attacks
* Charge: A quick charge attack followed by a potential throw. Before charging at you, Elizebet will lower her shoulders and hunch forward, a sign that you should block or dodge.
* Flying Swallow or Dive: To counter your Flying Swallows or jump attacks, Elizebet will execute her own Flying Swallow, which usually beats your attack. (Save the Flying Swallow when she's forming her red blood magic in the air.) When she lands, Elizebet will swoop down towards the ground, hitting you if you're in the way. Dodge to the side to avoid.
* Multihit combo: Three to five hit combo ending with a tail attack. If she whiffs the combo, it's your chance to attack! Make sure to dodge each attack, then counterattack quickly before Elizebet has a chance to recover.
* Red blood magic: A circle of blood appears in the air, streaming red projectiles randomly around the area. The red blood magic is very difficult to dodge, so take the easy way out: use Ninpo. When Elizebet forms the red circle in the air, immediately execute the Art of the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll avoid the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll get hit. If you don't have Ninpo, perform a Flying Swallow to hit her out of the air!
Our strategy relied on close range fighting. Stay close to her, blocking and dodging her melee attacks, and attack with the scythe or the Dragon Sword when she whiffs her combos (the preferred method from MyCheats is slashing her with the scythe). Save Ninpo to counter her red blood magic -- an important strategy if you're terrible at dodging projectiles.
Chapter 11: A Tempered Gravestone
Key items
* Omusubi
* Wind Shuriken
* Crystal Skull (3)
Objective
* Make it down the hill.
* Find the Kureha's Room Key to unlock the room with the Wind Shuriken.
* Beat Genshin.
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The True Dragon Sword.
Ayani gives you a jewel completing the Dragon Sword. Now, you have the True Dragon Sword, a sword powered to Level 4, far stronger than the normal Dragon Sword, whose strength is only matched by the combination of the Dark Sword and True Dragon Sword (acquired in Chapter 14).
Scythe UT on the stairs..and everywhere in between
Objective: Go down the stairs and reach Muramasa's shop in the house on ground level.
And you'll need the extra strength for the Tempered Gravestone, a brutally difficult level that requires strength over finesses. As you walk down the stairs through the village, mobs of Flame Ninjas and Archers will attack ruthlessly, throwing projectiles from every angle, swarming your immediate position. In this situation, the worst strategy is to run. The openness of the cliffs creates a tempting allure that you can run past the enemy, but they will find you, and hunt you, and kill you.
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Use the scythe UT.
Instead of running away, approach the village systematically by killing each group one at a time with the scythe Ultimate Technique. The projectile from the UT will give you a safe distance from the incoming enemy, while killing those standing before you. Spamming the scythe UT is a great strategy when you don't know the position of the enemy, thanks to the autotarget mechanic. Plus, when you kill a group of enemies, your life will regenerate.
Scythe UT for the win: The projectile from the scythe UT can go through walls. If you know an enemy is coming towards you, hide behind a wall and arbitrarily execute the UTs. Some UT will hit the enemy; some won't. But you'll live in the end!
For situations when you don't have enough time to charge the scythe UT, immediately retreat and create space between you and the attacking enemy. Backtrack up the stairs. Find a safe location where you have enough time to charge and release the scythe UT before the enemy can hit you. When you cleared a group of enemies, look at your life bar and see if it had been regenerated. If so, proceed further in the village, walking slowly and cautiously, while looking for Archers and Flame Ninjas. Remember, don't rush things. Take your time.
When you've reached the bottom of the stairs, look for Muramasa's Shop and the Statue of the Earth Dragon in a house. Save your game and buy health and items before going farther into the village. You'll need a full stock of weapons for the upcoming epic fight against Flame Ninjas and several spider bosses.
The cluster of houses in the village
There's nothing in the house with the opened door, but there's something special behind the closed door of the house on the left side of the village. (Curious? The special items are Jewel of the Demon Seal and the Windmill Shuriken.) But in order to open the doors, you must have the Kureha's Room Key, found by interacting with the gravestones on a hill.
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The Kureha's Room Key is found by interacting with the gravestones on a hill.
To get to the gravestones, run through the house, across the wooden bridge, past the locked house, and up the stairs on the hill. Up the stairs, you'll see a Jizo Statue Head on the ground before the turn. Then, past the Statue Head, look for several gravestones off the path, one of them containing Kureha's Room Key.
Did you know?: If you examined the gravestone with Kureha's Room Key back in Chapter 2, you would have read this interesting snippet of Ninja Gaiden history: "This is the grave of Kureha, Ryu's childhood friend and shrine-maiden of the Dragon Lineage."
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The Jizo Statue Head.
Now that the key is in your inventory, backtrack down the hill, across the wooden bridge, and back to the cluster of houses. The locked house is on the left (direction assumes you're facing the hills). Unlock the door and grab the Windmill Shuriken and Spirit of the Devils. Now return to Muramasa's Shop to replenish used items and depleted health for the next battle in the area with the locked house. (The battle is triggered when you get the Wind Shuriken.)
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Behind the locked door is the Windmill Shuriken.
Save the Spirit of the Devils: Don't use it now! Save it for the next boss battle to replenish your Ki in full!
The showdown in front of the locked house
Forget about using the Art of the Inferno; it has little affect on the spider boss creatures. Instead, use Art of the Piercing Void, which should kill them in one hit. To maximize efficiency, line up the spider creatures in a line before firing the Art of the Piercing Void. When you run out of Ki, use the Spirit of the Devils that you found in the locked house to refill your Ki, as well as adding one more stock of Ki! For the Flame Ninjas, run around the area while throwing Incendiary Shurikens. Eventually, their numbers will dwindle, and you can finish the rest off easily by using the scythe or the True Dragon Sword. When you've killed all the enemies, the locked door will be unlocked.
HINT!! If you look along the water you will see 3 circles on 2 posts that look like targets.....hmmm. Shoot the targets and get rewarded for your cunning and accuracy with full health, ninpo and a nice hunk of Ki to spend!
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To make the battle a lot easier, focus on killing the spider bosses first.
After the battle and through the door
Climb the ladder. You'll see a corpse by the window with the History of the Castle Dragon, then jump out the window.
Explore the perimeter around the house by the cliff for a Crystal Skull. By following the path that wraps around the house, you'll see a corpse holding an Herb of Spiritual Life, and a bit beyond it, a Crystal Skull behind a wooden wheel in a corner of alley. Once you past the boundaries of the village, you'll swim through a cave and run up a hill packed with shrubs before seeing a Statue of the Earth Dragon under the entrance of a cave.
Crystal Skull
Location: The house by the cliff. Behind a wooden wheel in a corner of alley.
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Crystal Skull
Location: In a house on the grassy hill. Break the door to uncover the Crystal Skull.
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The cave
Before you enter the cave, save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon by the cave's entrance. The cave is a loop that comes back to the entrance, so don't worry about being lost. Just beyond the Statue are Blue Essence in a chest on your right, and the Test of Valor on your left.
Test of Valor
Reward: Lives of the Thousand Gods
Enemies: Dogs and Flame Ninjas
The entire fight is based on mobility. For the first half of the fight, runaway from the dogs and the Flame Ninjas while spamming the Incendiary Shuriken strategy. When you run out of shuriken, take the strategy to the air and use repeated Flying Swallows on�everybody. Although it's risky to continually perform the Flying Swallow, this fight forces you to make an exception. The dogs are too dangerous to fight up close, and the Incendiary Shuriken from the Flame Ninjas makes it too dangerous to stand still. Which is why you should always be on the move, dodging, jumping, and Flying Swallowing. Use the Art of the Inferno to target and kill multiple enemies at once.
Outside the cave
Stuck? Unsure on where to go? Look to the left of the Statue of the Earth Dragon under the cave's entrance for the answer. Climb the rock stairs towards the top of the house, where you'll find the Hachijuro's NotebookGrains of Spiritual Life on a corpse in the corner.
600x336Climb the rock stairs towards the top of the house.
The rope climb
The house leads to two mountains connected by a long rope. Naturally, you're supposed to climb the rope to the other side, where you'll find the Statue of the Earth Dragon. But before you shimmy across the rope, explore the area below the rope to find something special. A Crystal Skull! There's also a Life of the GodsBird Flip up the shaft and you should see it in a chest.
Crystal Skull
Location: From the first mountain, drop down through the shaft, and search the scaffolds for the Crystal Skull.
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270x200Muramasa gives you the Muramasa's Omusubi, an item that completely restores Ryu's health and heals all lasting damage.
Go up the hill while fighting the wolves, and you'll eventually see Muramasa's Shop.
The battlefield
You'll fight white ninjas and Flame Ninjas in the area marked by hundreds of arrows in the ground. The strategy relies on staying mobile by constantly running and dodging the Incendiary Shuriken, and attacking with the Flying Swallow. If you're feeling overwhelmed, use an Art of Inferno to target multiple enemies at once, but don't rely on Ninpo as a crutch -- the boss Genshin is up next, and you may want to use a Ninpo in the battle. Throw Incendiary Shurikens while running away from them, and when you run out, switch strategies and kill them through repeated Flying Swallow.
There's a corpse by a huge rock holding Koshimaru's Notebook.
Boss: Genshin
Genshin is easy. Just remember this simple yet effective strategy: attack with the scythe. That's it. Stay close to Genshin and repeatedly slash him with the scythe. You won't have to block, either. Assault him relentlessly, and execute a Ninpo for invincibility and to avoid his attacks, then dodge to the sides. Wait until Genshin whiffs his combo before getting in close and repeating the strategy.
Chapter 12: Quickening Devastation
Key Items
* Heart of the Malevolent Flame
Objective
* Beat the Two Armadillos
* Beat Zedonius
* Beat Volf
Quickening Devastation is the first of two chapters featuring a gauntlet of bosses. Here, you must conserve your health for the grueling boss fights, restock health items and offensive weapons, and save your energy for only -- and only! -- the bosses. Thus, the strategy for the first part of Chapter 12 is to run past the dragons without fighting them, conserving your health, until you get to the first boss, the Armadillo. If you want to get another Master Ninja score at the end of the chapter, maybe you want to strike the dragons with arrow from afar. That should give you a save distance. If one of the wounded dragons decide to run toward you, just prepare your Scythe's ultimate techniques, which should take care of them all.
This time, however, you'll fight not one but two Armadillos.
Boss: Two Armadillos
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Attacks
* Giant roll: Curls up in a ball and bulldozes across the land. He will hit you if you're standing idly, so run to the sides in one direction to avoid it.
* The bite: Get too close to its mouth, and the Armadillo will snatch you, gnaw on you, and spit you out. And, oh, take off an insane amount of damage. It's hard to avoid the bite, especially when you're hacking away at its head.
* Magma blast: Chunks of fire and molten lava erupt off the Armadillo's back and sides, blanketing the sky with projectiles that can only be dodged, not blocked. When you see the magma blast erupt, immediately run in one direction or active a Ninpo.
Focus on one Armadillo at a time without distributing your attack effort on the other one. Why? You'll have an easier time attacking an Armadillo when you're not worrying about the other one attacking your blind side. Be patient when you're setting up your attack and choosing which Armadillo you want to kill first. Wait for a lull, when the Aramadillos have stopped shooting Magma blasts, then go for their head by slashing it with the scythe or shooting an Art of the Piercing Void.
Attacking the head with the scythe is neither finesse nor skill. It's brute force. The tricky part, though, is avoiding the Armadillo's long legs. Try to catch up to the head after a four hit combo string (use the Y button string) by jumping or dodging. When the Armadillo curls in ball, drop whatever you're doing and immediately jump and run to the sides until it stops.
And, by now, you've probably experienced the nasty surprise after the Amarillo's death: an explosion rippling across the land, killing anyone standing too close to the impact. There are three ways to avoid the explosion: 1) Get as far away as possible when the Armadillo falls to its knees on its last breath; 2) Activate a Ninpo before the explosion hits you; 3) Block the explosion.
The easiest strategy is blocking the explosion after you kill an Armadillo.
After the battle: run!
Be sure to reuse the save location near the Armadillo boss fight. There are several moderately difficult fights between this battle and the next save point.
Again, repeating the strategy used at the beginning of Chapter 12, run past the enemies without fighting them. You'll need to conserve your energy for the next boss, Zedonius. And don't worry about the lava below your feet; it won't hurt you. Also, you can find Red Essence in a chest along the path.
Boss: Zedonius
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Requirement: To trigger the boss fight, move beyond the corpse holding arrows.
Attacks
* Fireballs: Zedonius shoots fireball while on the ground or in the air. To dodge the fireballs in the air, watch carefully for the small pause before he launches a fireball. During these few frames of animation, immediately run and dodge to the sides. Or, if you have Ninpo, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
* Lands on you after flying: A nasty attack tracking your last location. It's very hard to dodge the move.
* Throw: Look for a low crouch before the throw -- that's the sign telegraphing a throw.
What not to do
* Don't ever Flying Swallow; Zedonius will block it.
Strategy
To take off an enormous amount of health, use the Art of the Piercing Void when Zedonius is preparing for a fireball attack in the air, or when he's on the ground advancing towards your location. The second best strategy, a strategy that doesn't involve Ninpo, is slashing the boss with the scythe. Get close, execute a four hit combo with the Y button, and dodge. Simple.
After the battle, Zedonius will place the Heart of the Malevolent Flame on the ground, one of four pieces you need to unlock the door to the Underworld.
The cave
Watch out for mines in the cave. You can save your game at the Statue of the Earth Dragon, and pick up Red Essence in a chest by the Statue.
Outside the cave and in the forest
A fog blankets the forest masking the enemies lurking in the background. Since you have limited visibility, and you don't know the locations of the enemy, creep through the forest while executing the scythe Ultimate Technique, letting the UT autotrack the position of the enemy. Walk a few steps, execute the scythe UT several times, then walk forward a bit. Repeat the UT strategy throughout the forest.
Herb of a Spirtual Life by the left wall.
Yellow essence in a chest by the left wall.
Repeat the UT strategy throughout the forest.
Boss: Volf
Volf is accompanied by a group of Centaurs, whose main attack consist of running you over under their hooves, and attacking you with a long staff. But don't let the Centaurs distract you from your objective: to kill Volf. Focus your effort on Volf, and only Volf, by staying close to him while slashing him with the scythe (use the Y button combo). Dodge to the sides when Volf attacks you with his multihit combo. When Volf whiffs his combo, immediately get close to him and slash him with the scythe. If you see an opening, when Volf stands still or slowly walks to the side, shoot the Art of the Piercing Void.
Alternate Strategy: If you want to wipe most of the Centaurs in one strike, on the very beginning moment of the battle, charge up your Scythe's Ultimate Technique until it maxed out, and release before the horde of Centaurs approach you. With good timing, that should wipe them out with only very few left. From then on, it's going to be Volf's turn. One of the best technique for the Werewolf is the True Dragon Ninja's Flying Swallow. One of the easiest NG II boss fight.
Chapter 13: The Underworld Abyss
Key items
* None.
Objectives
* Beat Alexei.
At the start of Chapter 13, examine the glowing red object for the Heart of Bestial Storm, a reminiscence of the defeated boss Volf, which you'll need to escape the Underworld. Then, go up the hill and purchase items and weapons at Muramasa's Shop. You'll need full health and items for the next several battles.
In the narrow hallway
Half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders are quick, lethal, and intimidating. In a pack, they can tear you apart with their flying attacks, and interrupt your attacks with their quick slashes. So, keep that in mind when you're fighting them up close -- a situation that's fairly dangerous and is more trouble than its worth. Instead of close combat, you should look at your environment for the strategy. The narrow hall is a perfect opportunity to spam the scythe Ultimate Technique. Run to the end of the hall, and when you have enough distance between you and the enemy, charge and release the UT or you could also try attacking with a a fully charged windmill shuriken provided your targets (half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders) are stationary. If they're too close to you, run back to the other side, and repeat the strategy. Also, try to line them up in a single path and shoot the Arrow of the Piercing Void.
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Half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders are quick, lethal, and intimidating.
Area with centaurs
270x200There are two rooms: one locked, the other opened, on opposite ends of the room. The opened room has the Statue of the Earth Dragon and three chests, and when activating the Earth Dragon, the locked room will open. If you're having a hard time with the Centaurs, execute repeated Flying Swallows. Or equip a scythe and perform the Ultimate Technique over and over.You could also try attacking with fully charged windmill shuriken but be careful when there is more than one centaur charging at you.
The cave
The cave has two paths: left or right. The left path leads to a dead end with a Devil Way Mushroom on a corpse. If you don't want the extra work, avoid the left path and take the right path all the way to the exit. Also, the cave is filled with webbed balls hanging from the ceiling. Destroying a ball will uncover a surprise: a ninja, a group of ninjas, or a spider creature. Although the spider creature is a pain to fight, you can kill it quickly by slashing it with the scythe. Whatever you do, don't use your Ninpo in the cave; conserve them for the upcoming boss fight.
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The webbed balls contain a ninja, a group of ninjas, or a spider creature.
270x200Outside the cave
Dragons fly above a giant hole in the ground, their numbers seemingly endless. You don't have to fight the dragons. Just jump into the hole and you'll fight Alexei. But if you want to kill them, stay in the cave and shoot arrows right by the door, which offers some protection against the dragon's fireballs. Outside, look for an Herb of Spiritual in a chest near the wall on the far left.
Boss: Alexei
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Attacks
* Tornado: Alexei spins like a tornado across the floor, tracking your location. The move is easy to spot due to its long start up time. When you see Alexei start to spin, don't think about dodging but immediately execute a Ninpo for its invincibility. Alexei is very vulnerable after the Tornado attack.
* Grab: A quick short range grab that inflicts tremendous damage. The throw's quickness makes it hard to react accordingly. So, as a preemptive measurement, you should constantly dodge to the sides in order to avoid the throw.
* Lightning: When Alexei flies in the air, he'll attack by throwing lighting that tracks onto your last location. Run and jump in one direction to avoid the lightning attacks. But the easiest strategy is to use the Art of the Piercing Void when he gets in the air and when you see Alexei gather electricity in his hands.
* Electric balls: Projectiles that can't be blocked. Dodge to the side to avoid them, but don't jump during the evasion! After the electric balls, Alexei may execute a flying grab to snatch you out of the air.
Don't throw arrows and Incendiary Shuriken -- they're worthless against Alexei.
Counterattacking is very difficult. Don't try it on Alexei, as he'll block the counters and respond with a grab.
Weakpoints: His body.
Strategy: Scythe (Y button) up close.
Stay close to Alexei while slashing him with the scythe (the Y button), and after the end of your combo, try to tack on additional hits, though this may be risky and expose you to a counterattack. A four or five hit combo with the scythe should take half of Alexei's life. Pursue him, be aggressive, and hack him away.
But you can't be single minded in your approach. Evasion and blocking are equally important. For instance, you must watch out for his tornado move, an invincible attack that blows through all your melee attacks. The tornado is such a threat that you should activate a Ninpo to protect yourself against it. Otherwise, do your best to block and dodge to the sides.
Chapter 14: Poisoned Blood
Key items
* Heart of the Azure Lightning
* Blade of the Archfiend
* Heart of Crimson Blood
Objectives
* Beat Genshin
* Beat Elizebet
* Beat High Priest
* Beat Arch Fiend
* Beat Dragon Arch Fiend
You start the level by picking up the Heart of Azure Lightning. Head to down the path to the left and through the door. Here you will face half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders. They are quick, lethal, and intimidating. In a pack, they can tear you apart with their flying attacks, and interrupt your attacks with their quick slashes. So, keep that in mind when you're fighting them up close -- a situation that's fairly dangerous and is more trouble than its worth. Instead of close combat, you should look spam the scythe Ultimate Technique you could also try attacking with a a fully charged windmill shuriken provided your targets (half mechanical, half organic, the mechanical spiders) are stationary. If they're too close to you move back and repeat the strategy. Also, try to line them up in a single path and shoot the Arrow of the Piercing Void. When you have killed them all pick up the Devil Way Mushroom found on the body.
Go through the door to reach Muramasa's shop. Buy plenty of supplies for the up coming areas. You will pass through yet another door where you fill face the centaurs yet again.
Area with centaurs
If you're having a hard time with the Centaurs, execute repeated Flying Swallows. You can also equip a scythe and perform the Ultimate Technique over and over. Another method you can try is attacking with fully charged windmill shuriken but be careful when there is more than one centaur charging at you. Be sure to pick up arrows and the Devil Way Mushroom found on the two bodies in this area.
Just ahead is a Statue of the Earth Dragon save your game before going on.
Pool of blood
The pool of blood has several serpent creatures so equip the gatling gun. Fire with your back against the wall and let the serpents come to you. There is nothing on the floor of the pool so don't waste your time looking. Head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs on the left there is a box of red essence on the right a body with Herb of Spirtual Life. Head through the door and you will begin your first boss battle.
Boss: Genshin
Genshin is easy. Just remember this simple yet effective strategy: attack with the scythe. That's it. Stay close to Genshin and repeatedly slash him with the scythe. You won't have to block, either. Assault him relentlessly, and execute a Ninpo for invincibility and to avoid his attacks, then dodge to the sides. Wait until Genshin whiffs his combo before getting in close and repeating the strategy.
After killing Genshin for the last time, you will be given the Blade of the Archfiend. If you are attempting to get x-weapon achievement make sure you switch your weapon back before the next battle.
Boss: Elizebet
Attacks
* Charge: A quick charge attack followed by a potential throw. Before charging at you, Elizebet will lower her shoulders and hunch forward, a sign that you should block or dodge.
* Flying Swallow or Dive: To counter your Flying Swallows or jump attacks, Elizebet will execute her own Flying Swallow, which usually beats your attack. (Save the Flying Swallow when she's forming her red blood magic in the air.) When she lands, Elizebet will swoop down towards the ground, hitting you if you're in the way. Dodge to the side to avoid.
* Multihit combo: Three to five hit combo ending with a tail attack. If she whiffs the combo, it's your chance to attack! Make sure to dodge each attack, then counterattack quickly before Elizebet has a chance to recover.
* Red blood magic: A circle of blood appears in the air, streaming red projectiles randomly around the area. The red blood magic is very difficult to dodge, so take the easy way out: use Ninpo. When Elizebet forms the red circle in the air, immediately execute the Art of the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll avoid the Piercing Void. Sometimes, she'll get hit. If you don't have Ninpo, perform a Flying Swallow to hit her out of the air!
Our strategy relied on close range fighting. Stay close to her, blocking and dodging her melee attacks, and attack with Dragon Sword and Cursed Sword when she whiffs her combos. Save Ninpo to counter her red blood magic -- an important strategy if you're terrible at dodging projectiles.
After killing Elizebet you will find the Heart of Crimson Blood lying of the floor. There is nothing else in this room so don't waste your time looking head into the void that was created after Elizebet's death.
Inside the Void
Once in the void you with find box containing Herb of Spirtual Life, Muramasa's shop, and Statue of the Earth Dragon. Make sure max out your inventory. You will not find any extra's from this point until after the next boss battle. Follow the path to a set of stairs where you fill finally make use of the Heart of the Azure Lightning, Heart of Crimson Blood, and the others you have collected.
Next you will find pass through an extremely long tunnel. You fill fight imps and dragons. Use the same techniques you have always used to defeat them. At the end of the tunnel you will face your next boss. The High Priest.
Boss: High Priest
Spiral Staircase
After killing the High Priest you will begin in a pool of water. Head to the closest land where you will find a box full of red essence. Head up the spiral staircase made out of vines or rock. Once you go up far enough you will face the Arch Fiend.
Boss: Arch Fiend
How to kill the Archfied
Autoaim for the win: In the video, the player zooms in when targeting the head and the blue core, the weakspots of the Archfiend. But there's a faster way. You don't need to zoom in, as Ryu autoaims. Autoaim is much faster while zooming leaves room for error and, well, death. Also, use the Art of the Flame Phoenix to protect you from the miniskulls that fly at you, in addition to slashing them or running and dodging to the sides.
The attack pattern: The attack pattern should revolve these basic concepts: Shoot him in the face, dodge his spew, then shoot him in the orb. Dodge his spew again, and if you're quick, you can shoot him again, as long as the orb is still blue.
When you've knocked a considerable amount of health, the Archfiend will move up the level, forcing you to run after it. Repeat the strategy mentioned above. And, on the last level, the third level of the stage, you'll find a corpse with arrows near the edge of the stage.
Boss: Dragon Arch Fiend
How to beat the Final Arch Fiend
Strategy 1: An easy way to beat the final arch fiend is by using the Eclipse Scythe and pummeling the Y button. If you time it right, the game gifts you the most awesome Obliteration to finish the Arch Fiend off, and to end the game! Good luck!
Strategy 2: Run directly to the Arch Fiend's left and stand next to its hand. Immediately start slashing him up with the Scythe. When he lifts his hand to grab you, activate your Ninpo (any will do) and he wont harm you. If you have five scrolls, use you can pretty much beat him without being hit.
And that's it! Hope you found this walkthrough helpful and useful during the game. Constructed with the help of mycheats.