Legend of Mana (Game release date: 6/7/2000)

LoM: Fighting Bosses v1.0 (Date 6/22/2000) 
by Grey (drowsyhead@hotmail.com)

Contents:
1. Intro
2. Battle Tips
3. Boss Listings *incomplete*

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1.Intro
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Face it. All games have goals. And to reach those goals, you
need to fight super monsters, aka bosses, most of the time.
Some of them are easy, some of them are very hard. I hope this
file helps with those not-so-easy bosses.

How am I rating difficulty? Well, how's this? I am currently
playing through the game as level 3 with basic MenosBronze
gear. That makes my defense total about 12 and my attack 9.

Since that is the case, you will *probably* have an easier
time with bosses then otherwise depicted, but I am trying
to get an accurate reading of difficulty. Ok, lets move on!


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2. Battle Tips
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NOTE: these tips are my personal opinions. You may or may not
agree with them.

1. Take an hour or two to learn all the basic abilities. Many
   are either very useful or are needed for very powerful techs.

2. Take NPCs and Pets. I've been dragging around a level 1
   rabite around. He doesn't help much during fights, but he
   does provide enough distraction for me to crouch and regain
   HP.

3. Dead companions does not actually mean dead. When you or a
   companion/pet dies, the battle is not officially over until
   everyone on your side dies. During this time, their HP bar
   begins to fill with gray. Once it's full, the downed
   character pops up at full power, ready for battle. So if
   you're having a hard time with a boss and your companion
   goes down, just give the boss the run around until your
   friend wakes up.

4. Attempt to learn your weapon's "Extreme Damage" ST. For
   the knife, this is "Aerial Reaver". These STs do a lot
   of damage, along with normally having special side effects.
   (stun enemy, enemy power down, self power up, etc)

5. Don't use plunge attacks, as they leave you vulnerable. Use
   uppercut or jump based attacks for best results.

6. Learn combos. Many times, a boss will be difficult, and
   a simple ability combo makes him easy.
   ex. a) Fast-Fast-Toss-Fast-Fast-Toss-Repeat
       b) Defensive Lunge-Strong

7. DON'T underestimate CROUCH! This is a very very very useful
   ability as it boosts your HP gain. Plus if you use an ST
   that requires crouch, you get crouch benefits while you
   perform the ST!


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3. Boss Listing
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[Format]
Boss- [Name]
Where- [Location], [Quest Relation]
Size- [Sizes = Small, Medium, Large, X-Large]
ST- [Any special attacks. Note, these are names I've made up]
Strat- [My personal strategy for these bosses. Your results may]
       [vary, but I've been pretty successful]
[/Format]

Boss- Mantis Ant
Where- Luon's Highway, Niccolo's Business Unusual
Size- Large
ST- a) Shockwave - Sends a shockwave forward
    b) Power Stab - A strong attack forward
Strat- Being a beginning level boss for an introductary quest,
       this boss isn't too difficult. Plus his STs only hit
       forward, so if you see him charging, move down or up out
       of the way. Actually, you can have Niccolo do all the
       work, but just use simple uppercut attacks to kill him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Gremlin
Where- Junkyard, Daddy's Broom
Size- Small
ST- None
Strat- Being a small target, this boss is a major nuisance. Plus
       he uses a bubble attack that causes you to shrink for
       about a minute, and you will be unable to use STs or
       power attacks during that time. Just come at him from an
       angle and use uppercut or jump power attacks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Shadow Zero-One
Where- Domina, Seeing Double
Size- Small
ST- None
Strat- Man, this bugger is annoying. He's very fast, plus his
       normal attacks are very strong. Best bet is to bring a
       companion, and put up counterstrike during the whole
       fight. You friend will skewer him, or he will suicide
       from counters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Count Dovula
Where- Mindas Ruins, Teatime of Danger
Size- Medium
ST- Shade Magic - Normal Shade Instrument magic
    Gather Bat - He summons bats and throws them around
    Dark Rain - He flips upside down on the ceiling and black
                rain falls on you.
Strat- Counterstrike makes this battle a breeze. Bring a friend,
       hold up counterstrike, and he'll suicide. Shade magic
       is very easy to avoid as the hit radius shows when he
       starts to cast (plus you can get a free shot and interrupt
       the spell), and his STs are limited range as well.

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Boss- Du'Inke
Where- Mekiv Cavern, The Lost Princess
Size- X-Large
ST- Frost Snot- He breaths in, then blows cold wind out of his
                nose. Anyone hit turns into a snowman and their
                HP drops.
    Roof-Shaker- He throws his axe up and stalagmites fall.
Strat- For the most part, his STs affect the general area in
       front of him, so keep Du'Inke in the center of the room
       and juggle him between yourself and Elazul. When he 
       charges an ST, just move to the opposite side and wait,
       then wail ;)

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Boss- Du'Cate
Where- The Jungle, Huntin' Du'Cate
Size- X-Large
ST- Butt Bomb - He jumps up, and his landing causes anything in
                the area to be sat on.
    Seed Spit - He swallows a bunch of fruit and spits out the
                seeds in a front angle.
Strat- Because of his general position in the battlefield,
       Du'Cate is very hard to use counterstrike on. My
       suggestion is to bring a friend, use uppercut power
       attacks and the flip-kick ability. His STs are very easy
       to avoid, normally just moving to 1 side of the screen
       lets you dodge the attacks.

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Boss- Gorgon's Eye
Where- Lake Kilma, Gorgon's Eye
Size- Large
ST- Power-Spike - He charges up, then spikes covered in explosive
                  energy pop out in all directions.
    Eye Exam - He jumps up, faces downward, and energy shoots
               down in a wide circle
Strat- This boss uses several none-ST attacks that tend to be
       annoying, like his invisibility cloak and stone ray.
       Counterstrike is note very effective, since he has to
       many non-physical attacks. Use jump and uppercut abilities
       to store up STs, and use them on the boss when you're sure
       he's not going to move. All this STs are about the range
       of 1/4 of the screen area, so use the screen edges to
       stay out of the way.
    
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Boss- Tropicallo
Where- Madora Beach, A Siren's Song
Size- Large/Medium
ST- Element Magic - Normal elemental instrument magic, he uses
                    a variety.
    Self-Destruct - He explodes, and anything caught in the blow
                    takes major damage.
Strat- This boss can either be very easy or very hard depending
       on what you do. It consists of a main body and 2 heads.
       Generally, the heads are connected to the main body and
       have a very small movement radius. The left head swings
       around trying to hit you, the right head tries to use
       magic. Here's the kicker, if you attack a head, it
       detaches into a spider-like thing. The left one moves
       around, trying to hit you and uses sleep spray. The
       right one stands there, charges up, then uses self
       destruct. Once a spider thing is killed, the main body
       creates a new head, draining its HP. The easiest way to
       fight this boss is to ignore the left head, smack the
       right one and move out of the way of the self destruct.
       Rinse and repeat, this fight is done.

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Boss- FullMetal Haggar
Where- Madora Beach, Summer Lovin'
Size- X-Large
ST- Butt Bomb - He jumps up, and his landing causes anything in
                the area to be sat on.
Strat- This boss is pretty easy, just stick it to him with
       jump and uppercut power attacks and flip kicks. His body
       will actually push you out of range of his normal attacks,
       how sad!

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Boss- Orc
Where- SS Buccaneer, Gilbert: Love is Blind
Size- Large
ST - Treasure Spew - He breathes in, then spits out seaweed and
                     treasure boxes.
     Water Dive - Orc dives off the ship, and a tidal wave
                  drenches most of the deck.
Strat- ARGH! His Water Dive ST is very very hard to dodge, and
       does some decent damage. Bring a pet for distraction and
       a companion for extra damage. Counterstike does work,
       as Orc tends to stick to normal attacks. He does move
       slow, so if your companion/pet gets knocked out, dodge
       around and crouch for HP.

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Boss- Jewel Beast
Where- Various, Jumi-Related Quests
Size- Large
ST- None
Strat- Haha, this boss shows up several times throughout the
       game and is pathetically easy. How? Put up counterstrike
       and it will kill itself. Otherwise, attack it from an 
       angle using uppercut strong attacks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Ape Monkey
Where- The Underworld, Diddle's Had It!
Size- Medium
ST- None
Strat- This monkey likes to grab you and throw you around. 
       Counterstrike will work against this boss, but if you 
       don't have it, try a Fast-Fast-Toss combo to keep him
       unbalanced.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Irwin
Where- Lucemia, Heaven's Gate
Size- Large
ST- Nuclear Sky - The image of Irwin glows inside his battle form
                  and Irwin leaps into the distance, and launches
                  energy everywhere!
    Power Claw - He charges, then throws his claw forward.
    Tri-Shock - 3 bolts of lightning, 1 forward and 2 at an angle
                shoot forward from Irwin.
Strat- Nuclear Sky is very hard to avoid and if he decides to 
       overdo it, you're dead meat. Otherwise, the counterstrike
       strat works very well. If not, use angled uppercut strong
       attacks.

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Boss- IronCentaur
Where- Tower of Leires, Looking-Glass Tower
Size- Large 
ST- Homing Butt Bomb - IronCentaur jumps up, and his shadow
                       whirls around and he lands finally.
Strat- He likes to use his ST a LOT. So be prepared to move 
       around a lot during the fight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Escad
Where- Ulkan Mines/Mindas Ruins, Pokiehl: Dream Teller/Star-
       crossed Lovers
Size- Medium
ST- 2H Sword - Normal 2H Sword STs. Nothing fancy.
Strat- Haha, another very easy fight. Just put up counterstrike.
       His STs are all very easy to dodge, as they are either
       straight forward or small radius.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Daena
Where- Mindas Ruins, Star-crossed Lovers
Size- Medium
ST- Flail - Normal Flail STs. Nothing fancy.
Strat- Put up counterstrike and move to one side when Daena
       charges an ST. EASY!!!

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Boss- Niccolo
Where- Gato Grottos, (unsure)
Size- Medium
ST- Glove - Normal Glove STs. Nothing fancy.
Strat- Just me, or all companion based fights very easy? Their
       STs are very easy to avoid, and putting up counterstrike
       makes them suicide. Fun fun.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Spriggan
Where- Gato Grottos, Two Torches
Size- Medium
ST - none
Strat- This boss is very easy for one simple fact. He spits out
       low level skeletons to help him fight. Beat on the 
       skeletons to power STs, and nuke Spriggan with them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boss- Bud & Lisa
Where- Domina, Little Sorcerors
Size- Small
ST- 2H Sword (Bud) - Normal 2H Sword STs.
    Staff (Lisa) - Normal Staff STs.
    Elemental Magics - They use instrument magic
Strat- Definitely bring a pet for distraction for this quest.
       While counterstrike is pretty effective here, if they
       use magic while you have it up, you won't have time to
       dodge the blast area. An easier way is to uppercut 
       strong attack them, then flip-kick until you are out
       of range of their weapons. Flip-kick also works well
       in disrupting their magic as it's very fast and can hit
       both of them at once.

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Boss- Giga Rex
Where- Luon's Highway, Diddle's Letter
Size- Medium
ST- None
Strat- Put up counterstrike for an easy fight. Otherwise, use
       angled uppercut strong attacks, and stay away from his
       claws.

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More to come as I work on it!

        
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*This document is Copyright 2000 Grey. No one should be using* 
*this document without permission                            *
*                                                            *
*Don't rip this. Getting ripped sucks, and you wouldn't want *
*it to happen to you.                                        *
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