Front Line Base - Enemies
  • Archer - 3,000 HP - Weak to Wind
  • Axman of Doom - 25,500 - Weak to Light
  • Cockatrice - 7,200 HP - Weak to Fire
  • Mandrake - 9,800 HP
  • Salamander - 28,650 HP - Weak to Water, resists Fire
The Laquer Kingdom is under attack by monsters, and now that the party has helped Leon get the final piece of a powerful new weapon the only thing they can do is help with the defence. That means traveling north, to the Laquer Front Line Base. Follow the road north of Hilton and it will bring you to the base after a few curves of geography.

The enemies near Lacuer Front Line Base match up with the stuff you fought in the Hoffman Ruins, so if you survived that trip you'll survive this trip. You'll find the following items before you arrive at the base:
  • As you head north the road will branch off east, and following it in that direction will bring you to the base. If you continue north, however, you'll climb a hill up to a chest. The chest contains a Starry Night. A little ways west of here, and back on lower terrain, is a fishing spot.
  • If you use the Bunny Call Super Specialty to get over the moutains to the south of the base you'll find a small landing on the side. There's a chest here containing five Scrolls of Power.
  • There's a significant amount of land behind the base (in the north) that you can only reach with Bunny Call. There are no chests out here, surprisigly enough, but there are several fishing spots. Two are found in the river that runs out of the rear of the base, and one is in a cove in the north.

Lacuer Front Line Base

Home to what remains of Lacuer's army, the Lacuer Front Line Base is all that stands between the civilians of the kingdom and the monsters pouring out of Ell. The base is not enormous, but there's a few things you should explore before getting on with the story.
  • As you approach the ramparts you'll see two doors on your left. The first door leads to an armory, and if you speak to the soldier in the back he'll sell you weapons and armor. His selection is pretty good for this point in the game, and you probably have a lot of cash after the visit to the Hoffman Ruins.
  • Inside the second door near the ramparts you'll find an Item Shop. In addition to, well, items, they have a few more weapons on sale: The Walloon Sword and Guthgwine for Claude, the Taloned Knuckles for Bowman, the Heavy Whip for Ernest, and the Chameleon Rod for Celine.
  • There's an infirmary on the second floor of the base, above the Item Shop. The nurse standing closest to the door will let you rest if you speak to her.
  • At the end of the hall from the infirmary is a door back onto the ramparts. Out here you'll find perhaps the most important Unique Spot in the game: The Lacuer Hope, whichis supposed to save the kingdom. Inspect it for an X Clip for Opera.

Head to the Commandant's office, next door to the infirmary, once you're done looking around. Good ol' Dias is here, and after the meeting with the Commandant the group will chat with the prickly swordsman. If you're playing as Rena you'll need to follow Dias after the conversation, and you'll find him by the ramparts near the Save Point, outside the Item Shop. Here you can finally ask Dias to join the party. If you decide to bring Dias along (why wouldn't you?) you'll receive the Lone Wolf Swordsman Achievement. If you're playing as Claude you just have a chat with Dias, also downstairs by the Save Point.

Dias is... well, he's Dias. You've had him in the party before, and he's every bit as powerful and useful as Claude. Dias makes a great substitute as your controlled character if that's your preference. He also hasn't improved one bit since you last used him in Marze, aside from the fact that Dias now uses the Swallowblade. You may want to buy him some new equipment in the armory, as well as spend any SP Dias might have saved up.

(It's also worth noting that you can have eight party members at this point, if you recruited Celine, Opera, Precis / Bowman, Welch, Ernest, and Dias. If so, congrats! You can't get any more! Enjoy your party!)


Head out to the upper ramparts once you're done speaking with Dias. Whether Dias joined or not, this will reunite the group and move on to the next day. Speak to the soldiers closest to the ramparts, then head inside. If you try to go upstairs you'll get a warning message that Fast Travel will be disabled if you proceed. This is a point of no return, so if you have anything to do elsewhere in the world, now's the time to go out and do it.

Head upstairs when you're done with... well, everything else. Monsters will begin to swarm the base, and you'll need to run out onto the ramparts and fight them off, starting with their boss.


Cynne

HP: 180,000
Resists all elements

The head of Ell's monstrous cohort, Cynne is a tough opponent - though he's much easier than in the older versions of Star Ocean: The Second Story, where you couldn't do any damage to the fiend, and were forced to run away the whole time. All you really need to do here is crowd Cynne and beat on him until he retreats. Cynne is an airborne enemy, so attacks that target large areas - or at least target vertically - should be your preference.

Once you drive Cynne away the day will switch over. Go back upstairs and look inside the infirmary. On your way out word of more monsters will arrive. Run out to the ramparts again and you'll be facing an overwhelming number of foes... at least until Leon shows up, completes the Lacuer Hope, and blows them all away. (If Precis is in your party he'll also give you a Thunder Puncher. Nice guy.)

Head back to the Item Shop. Leon's parents are waiting, and they're just the beginning of a string of connected cut scenes that will send your group across the seas. Finally, you're on your way to Ell... but it appears that the monsters aren't interested in rolling out the red carpet.


Stone Statues

HP: 50,000
Weak to Light
Resists Dark

Remember those Gargoyles you fought back in Krosse Cave? Well, here's roughly the same foe - but there are three now, not two. These guys are primarily a nuisance, but they can get annoying if you don't use anti-air attacks. Keep them away from your casters and you should be fine.

Unfortunately, the battle with the Stone Statues is followed by a rematch with Cynne, and he'll use the Fohn Wind attack to wipe the floor with your party. Whoopsie. So much for the invasion. (It's actually possible to win this fight, if you stop Cynne from using Fohn Wind, though that isn't easy. The outcome is the same.)


When the party comes to they will have washed ashore on Ell, the current home of the monsters. Your party composition depends on your main character:
  • If you're playing as Claude you'll wind up with only Leon on your team
  • If you're playing as Rena you'll have everyone but Claude
You may get a bit nervous walking around with only Claude and Leon, but fear not. When you reenter the world map you'll find the enemy spawns disabled, at least for the moment. Head east of the landing point and look in the nearest forest to find your next destination.


Eluria Settlement

The last bastion of civilization on the continent of Ell, Eluria Settlement is a tiny cluster of homes where humanity hides for their lives. If you're playing as Rena, then you'll chat with the locals a bit before Claude shows up; if you're playing as Claude, he'll find Rena immediately. Either way, the reunion is quick.

Enter the northeastern home to speak to the Chief of the settlement. This will steel the group's determination to wipe out the monsters at the source: The Sorcery Globe itself. During this conversation, assuming you're playing as Claude, you'll have the opportunity to recruit Leon into the party on a permanent basis. By now you should have a good grasp on what Leon can do, so the choice is yours. You'll receive The Scientific Whiz Kid Achievement if you recruit Leon.


Your next stop is out in the hellish landscape of Ell. First, though, you should have a quick look around the settlement. The woman in the Chief's home will allow you to rest there, if you need a pick-me-up, and if you check the western home you'll discover that it is an armory. There are a bunch of gleaming items spread throughout the room that you can grab:
  • 1 Veil Piercer (for Claude)
  • 1 Metal Fang (for Rena)
  • 1 Shield Swords (for Ashton)
  • 1 Fists of the Giant (for Bowman)
  • 2 Plate Armors
  • 2 Silver Greaves
  • 1 Fine Shield
  • 2 Silver Robes
  • 1 Rune Cap
Quite a haul. There's also a young man in here who serves as the settlement's Item Shop, and you can stock up with him before heading out. Before you leave he'll give you an ID Card, which you'll need to enter your next destination.

That's all for Eluria Settlement. Next stop, Eluria Tower. Time to put an end to all this. (Maybe.)