The Ruins of Illusia Isle
Now that we’re ready for the real deal, it’s time to find out where Tess has disappeared to. She’s not searching through the archives, so let’s go check up at the Mana Stone.
We’ll find that there is energy glowing all round the Mana Stone. If you touch it, gems will spring from the ground, surround you, and transport you to a desolate place: the Ruins (this will also appear on the main Flammie map, so if you cancel the mission, you can go back via this route).
As you gaze around the surrounding, you get the feeling of having been here before, and that Tess has to be here. So let’s set out to find her.
There’s no really new mechanics for this level, rather it takes everything we’ve seen up until now, puts a nice calming soundtrack over it, and throws it at us thick and fast. Gleampools are generally hidden by large brown plants.
-1st Zone
Gleamdrop: Defeat a certain group
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
Case in point. Doesn’t this remind you of Snow Country from Secret of Mana, and I don’t mean just because of the enemies either. Anyway, gleampool is under one of the top plants, normally next to the bridge on the left, and the drop is held custody by the wooly bulls. Also you can access the middle chest by hitting the peg in the top right corner of the level and activating the bridge.
-2nd Zone
Gleamdrop: Eliminate all monsters
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
The pegs will activate the two bridges. Careful, there are 5 or 6 bulls at the end of each bridge waiting for you to charge in. You can knock the stone toward them if you want. The pool will be in the top right corner, next to the golden chest. You must go down to though to eliminate all monsters, so I suggest you do the bottom half of the zone first, then move to the top.
-3rd Zone
Gleamdrop: Defeat a certain monster
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
The bronze chests on this left side of the main bridge are traps, so don’t bother with them. You’ll need to push enemies into the grabbing plants at the bottom if you want to get the two chests there. The drop is held by the blue eye in the centre of the bridge. As for the pool, take the drop over to the left side of the bridge, and break down the plant at the top. Also note, the grabby plants will reduce your HP while you’re stuck.
-4th Zone
Gleamdrop: Eliminate all monsters
Gleamwell: ——–
Get the chests, hack down any of the plants surrounding the skeleton in the centre and have at him, he’ll go down in a few strikes of your sword if you’re following my advice. Save, and continue onward young warrior.
-5th Zone
Gleamdrop: Hidden by a flower
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
The drop will be hidden pretty near the bottom right. Careful with the two fountains, as when you hit them, they will generate a field that knocks you backwards. Make your way round the right hand side of the screen, and hit down the two pegs at the top. These will reveal the bridge up the centre of the two fountains, which leads to the plant under which the pool is hidden.
-6th Zone
Gleamdrop: Hidden in a chest
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
First hit the peg on the right to extend the central bridge to the island with the Gleampool and the one above that. Won’t need to go there yet, so hit the peg to the left to reveal the long bridge up that side of the zone. This will lead you to the chest with the Gleamdrop. You can also then hit the peg on this island to head across to the right and then down to the island with the Gleampool.
-7th Zone
Gleamdrop: Defeat a certain group
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
You’ll find here that by going up and round to the bottom right, you’ll kill off all the pink snake-tails you need to get the drop, and will end up right next to the Gleampool under the last plant in the bottom corner. If you’re looking to get some chests, head over the left through the grabby plants ad take the gold chests and the top and bottom-most silver ones. The rest are all traps.
-8th Zone
Gleamdrop: Defeat a certain monster
Gleamwell: ——–
You’ll find yourself surrounded by plants to be knocked down. Best bet is to get to where one of the stones is and play a game of billiards. Make your way to the top right for the pool. If you’re interested, there’s a golden chest at the top left, but nothing too interesting in there. The pool is guarded by the skeleton with the drop and three mer-men. Another save point, which I suggest you take advantage of.
-9th Zone
Gleamdrop: Hidden by flowers
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
This level is longer that previous ones, so we’ll be heading in to double figures soon. Anyway, the pool shoul be under the plant next to your starting point, and the drop is to the right of the fountain near the top of the level. Aside from that, nothing to report other than a rather large number of
werewolves.
-10th Zone
Gleamdrop: Eliminate all monsters
Gleamwell: Hidden by a plant
Beat your way through everyone, take the chests although there’s nothing really interesting in them, find the pool under a plant around the middle left of the zone.
-11th Zone
Gleamdrop: Hidden in a chest
Gleamwell: Hidden under a plant
First off, take down some plants in the bottom left corner, and hit the peg to activate the bridge at the top right of the zone. Head up there, across the bridge, and hit that peg to reveal another bridge over the top left. That will lead to 4 chests with items in. There is another peg behind the flowers next to the first bridge we revealed. Cut these down and activate this peg to reveal the final bridge at the bottom right, which will lead the chest with the gleamdrop in it. Two other gold chests surround it which are traps. The pool is under one of the plants in the centre, surrounding the fountain.
-12th Zone
Gleamdrop: Defeat a certain group
Gleamwell: ——–
Knock down the bushes and hammer the enemies on either side of you with arrows. You can’t get on to the islands with them. You can also speed things up a bit with some magic while you deal with the opposite set. Retrieve the drop with your flail and head for the pool. Note, if you knock the enemy back and the drop ends up on the other side of the island, you’ll have to go up and round the other side to retrieve it with your flail, so judge your attack pattern carefully. Save and get ready for our next challenge.
The Mana Lord looms over Tess, demanding her she lend him her powers. She doesn’t appear to understand what he means, until he asks her to call forth the Seed of Mana. If he uses the powers within the seen, the surge will engulf the world beyond all control. Tess can’t believe that he actually wants to destroy the world. He explains that he only wishes to fill it with Mana, and doesn’t care what happens to the people.
Tess however refuses to call forth the seed, and demands the Mana Lord return the sword and stop this nonsense. As he prepares to take her life into his hands with the sword, you enter the scene and once again, we get a taste of that heroic melody from before. Tess hides behind you. She doesn’t know where we are, but has that same feeling that she’s been here before.
The Mana Lord then explains that this is the Sanctuary of Mana on Illusia in several thousand years to come. Your character doesn’t understand, neither does Tess. He explains that in the current chaotic state, Mana distorts time and space, drawing Illusia’s future to the present. He then rants on about how destruction is what is to become of everything… although some things return.
Darkness surrounds you, and everything disappears. A light appears before you, and shadows with a familiar voice stand ahead. You stand in disbelief as the shadows explain that the surge has brought them back to you… your lost family, who died in the cataclysm. But before you fall completely into the trap, Tess’ voice calls you back to your senses.
The Mana Lord asks if you heard the voices, and then indicates around you. You see several shadows all around. He explains they are those lost that have returned. He is the collection of them, and the bridge between this world and the afterlife. The shadows then collect together into one form, a hideous beast of darkness covered in eyes and hands and mouths all over the place. In the words of my wife: Eww.
– Boss Battle : Revenants –
There are two ways to damage this boss. The first is to shoot it while standing near the central pillar in an attempt to make it jump toward you and land on the pillar, causing it some rather nasty damage. Once it has fallen on the pillar once, the gem at the top will have crumbled and you can move it around and hammer it into the beast. The pillar can also crumble from the beast eating away at it.
The other is to look for the spirit that has red eyes when it splits in to several entities, and hammer that with arrows when you can. The other small revenants won’t be hurt.
Don’t let the shadow that appears on the floor catch up with you when he plunges a hand into the ground, as the hand will come out of that shadow and attack you.
Once you have dealt it enough damage, it will disappear in a blinding light. Three shadows will remain once you’ve obtained your ranking, and will call your name once more, leaving you an item (Tumble’s is a Hairpin, Flick’s a Toy Horse, Wanderer’s is a Harmonica) before vanishing for the last time. As the Mana Lord comments on the futility of it all, you charge and are knocked back. Before the Mana Lord can finish you off, Tess asks him what the sword means to him. He considers it to be a tool to slay those who oppose him. Tess tries to explain it is not just a weapon, but it is useless.
The geodes appear to defend you once more, which he dissipates in disgust before launching a highly charged energy bolt at the two of you. It doesn’t impact though, and instead the Seed of Mana materializes between you. The Mana Lord takes it for his own and makes off with it. There’s no time to lose, you must return to the village and plan your next move.
You explain your findings to the others, and Moti reasons that something will cause the Mana Tree to wither and Illusia to fall. Although the Mana Tree looked dead, there was still new life underground waiting for the time to sprout. The Seed must have been that.
You all stand wondering where he could have taken the seed, but no answer comes to mind. Tess reasons that the goddess isn’t absent as Watts thinks, she surely had a plan when she sent the sword.
At that moment Treant and Gaia appear, and tell you that the Mana Lord is at the heart of the Mana surge, where the source of Mana lies. If the Mana Seed were taken there, it could absorb all Mana there and grow out of control. They then explain that the Mana Lord was born of the goddess, but never understood her will, and only thinks of filling the world with Mana by destroying everything we know and replacing it with Mana. The surge is deep under the roots of the Mana Tree. Which means you now have a new mission: go to the Mana Tree’s roots and stop the Mana seed’s release.
Before we do that though, we’ll be saving, checking out new weapons and gems, and doing some more subquests. Namely do the Wisp’s elemental subquest and one from Seamoon which will now appear when you Chat to her. Tess has a new one for you too, so make sure you check up on her.
As for level recommendation, 55 is good, anything between that and 60 is a bonus but not essential. This will mean you can use all your latest weapons (unless of course you’ve acquired some rather juicy weapons through questing that Millionaire hasn’t got his hands on yet). With that, we are ready to move forward. As for equipping an elemental, I found Wisp somewhat useful from time to time on the next chapter, so may as well put that on your list of considerations. Set a course for the Path of Life which will have now appeared on Illusia Isle.
Subquests Available: A Checkered Past (Seamoon), Rainbow Garden (Tess), Benevodon of Light (Wisp).
