Table of Contents
1) Introduction to Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille Zur Macht
2) Frequently Asked Questions about where to go
3) Frequently Asked Questions about items/others
4) Frequently Asked 'How' Questions
5) Frequently Asked Questions about E-mail
6) Frequently Asked Questions about bosses
7) Frequently Asked Questions about optional bosses
8) Frequently Asked Questions about weapons/battle
9) Frequently Asked Questions about the A.G.W.S
10) Frequently Asked Questions about the story/cut scenes/characters
11) Frequently Asked Questions about tech/skill/ethers
12) Other Frequently Asked Questions regarding Xenosaga
13) Frequently Asked Questions about the ending
14) Credits <-- Without them, this FAQ would've never been possible!!
#1 ~*Intro to Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille Zur Macht~*
Xenosaga is a Playstation 2 RPG and is known to be only available on that console. Many believe it is the prequel to Xenogears, which was Episode V of its own series. It is not officially known that Xenosaga is related to Xenogears.
Xenosaga was published by NAMCO and created by Monolith Soft, which in fact, includes most of the crew that created Xenogears.
#2 ~*Frequently Asked Questions about where to go~*
Q: Where is the A.G.W.S hangar? (Woglinde)
A: Do you remember a room where you had to play tag with two soldiers? Its in that same room but in the far left.
Q: Where are the escape pods that KOS-MOS was talking about? (Woglinde)
A: It's south of Shion's room. Make sure you go past the three Gnosis.
Q: Where are MOMO's transformations located? (Cathedral Ship & Song of Nephilim)
A: First transformation: "Star Wind" is located in the Cathedral Ship. It's the sparkly thing on the dresser, be sure to have MOMO as the on-screen character or you won't see it.
Second transformation: "Star Light" is located in the second tower of Song of Nephilim. You will see three doors with a save point in the center, make MOMO your lead character and go to the far right door and you'll see the sparkly thing on the wall.
Q: Where is KOS-MOS' maintenance lab on the Elsa? (...Elsa duh)
A: In the A.G.W.S hangar room, there's another elevator to the left side of the room. Go up that elevator and in the room and there it is.
#3 *~Frequently Asked Questions about items/others~*
Q: Are there any one-timer items?
A: Most e-mails are one-timers that can give you certain kinds of money, weapons, and discounts. Every boss would usually have a rare item and those are one-timers as well so be sure to have "Queen's Kiss" quite early in the game. Also Decoder 16 is a one-chance item and you must get it when you have control of Jr for the first time or else the game will freeze on you if you try to go back and get it.
Q: Where's Allen?
A: Allen's in the Iron Man bar in City Sector 26 & 27.
Q: Where is the Promotional Booster Pack A?
A: With Jr or MOMO as the on-screen character, go to the Encephalon via E.V.S and go to where Shion and chaos started in the Encephalon. There will be some kind of green/blue structure that's hollow.
Q: Where is the Hazardous Map?
A: Ask Captain Matthews as soon as you hear about it.
Q: Where is the Angel Ring?
A: You get it upon decoding Segment Address 15, which is located in the Subway station in the Encephalon. Decoder 15 is located in the second floor of the mall in the Cathedral Ship, you have to kill an enemy thats not moving for it.
Q: Where can I get Frame Repairs?
A: Only from enemies, particularly the Gnosis.
Q: Where's the Star Hat?
A: You'll have to go back to the church in the Encephalon via E.V.S. Remember the room you had to enter to fight Tiamat? It's now a normal (and quite nice) room and there's a treasure chest there that contains the Star Hat.
Q: Why I can't get the Promo Card Q to appear in the casino if I already defeated Proto Dora?
A: Save at the final save point, then backtrack to the Elsa.
Q: What's the deal with swimsuit? Why is it so popular?
A: The swimsuit increases the number of tech points of battle by 25%, however, your physical defense goes a lot lower. The only ones who could equip it are Shion, MOMO, chaos, and Jr. Why is it so popular? Let's just say the battles are like a beach when this is equipped. (If that made sense)
Q: What is a Barter Item?
A: Barter items are 'money' from the Gnosis that you can sell.
Q: What is the Commander's Crest? Is it good?
A: It gives the character whose equipping it one AP each turn. Its up to you if you think that's good or not.
Q: Are the diamonds that you get from Dark Sceptering the Gigas, useful?
A: They're good for making money.
Q: What is the fastest way to earn money?
A: There are various ways to earn money. One of the most popular is playing poker or the slots and buying as many Recovery Kits and selling them. If you want to get experience at the same time, your best bet is the Encephalon. You can also try the Cathedral Ship and get a lot of barter items to sell and some experience at the same time. Using the Dark Scepter on Gnosis to make them into jewelry is also a good way to earn money.
Q: I couldn't find any search light in encephalon. Could you tell me where? (Encephalon)
A: It should be quite visible the instant you enter the Encephalon via E.V.S. It is also the place where Jr, MOMO, and Ziggy started the first time here.
Q: How do I steal items?
A: Only MOMO, Shion, and Jr could steal. MOMO's Magic Caster is a tech that steals items but can only be used when she's transformed. (Star Wind Transformation) Jr's Psycho Pocket gained through the Ether web can steal as well. Shion's Queen's Kiss steals and cannot be transferred.
Q: How do I upgrade Skill Level?
A: De-equip all your accessories. Notice that there will be more Skills to extract. You must extract lower-level skills you gain higher level ones. It's about 5 skills or so per skill level. Try to extract ones that may actually be useful (like DEF-PDEF DOWN).
Q: How do I use W-ACT?
A: To use W-ACT you must have the same weapon in both hands. You will also need 6 AP in order to do so which means you'd have to defend first.
Q: What the hell is boost? How do I boost?
A: Boost is when you can start your turn earlier instead of waiting for it. To do so, press R1 and if you see any of your character's icon, press either TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, or SQUARE on where that icon is positioned on those three buttons. More than one character can boost but depending on whom you boost first goes first. Sometimes the enemy will counterboost a lot and you can't.
Q: How do I defeat Bunnie? If I lose all the Super Carrot Juices, am I out of luck?
A: The trick in beating Bunnie is to wait until he bounces in the lower left side of the trunk and make a run for it. Don't worry about the S. Carrot Juices if you run out, you'll just simply have to go back and get more.
Q: Why didn't I get the F-BSHOT when I went down the elevator on the Elsa? I made all the correct investments.
A: You were supposed to go after Andrew was attacked. Of it didn't work, try going before he was attacked. If all else fails, you still have one more chance to get it. You must invest in Alchemia in the next investment e-mail and the e-mail for it will come automatically. Be sure to download it.
Q: Can we beat Margulis? Did I miss something?
A: It is possible to beat Margulis but it takes a while. You can get a Red Ring but the Purple Ring is rare. It is random getting the Purple Ring upon defeating him. Whether you beat him or not, the same scene will follow after the battle.
Q: How do I beat Gargoyle?
A: If you use Shion, chaos, and KOS-MOS, here's a really good strategy.
First, make sure Shion has 'Medica All' and if you want the Commander's Crest, a rare item that can only be obtained in this battle, also make sure Shion has 'Queen's Kiss'*. Use a lot of Ether Upgrades or fight a lot of battles if you need the ether points. When fighting Gargoyle, make sure that
-Shion uses Medica All Every Turn
-chaos attacks any of the Oudogogues and he will refill Shion's EP when its low.
-KOS-MOS attacks the Oudogogues and when they're both dead, aim for Gargoyle
*If you have Queen's Kiss, it may be wise to use it if Shion's first in battle or you can use it after both the
Oudogogues are dead.
Q: How do I beat Tiamat?
A: This battle requires Shion and Jr and the third is whoever Shion and Jr didn't replace if you don't use Shion and Jr. (Hope that made sense) If Shion attacks, Tiamat will always respond with Ruined Earth so you'd want to avoid using Shion to attack. Have Shion heal and defend and attack only when it's safe. When Jr attacks it'll respond by attacking one character so its not a big deal unless Shion's turn is next and you accidently attack. So while you want Shion to defend and heal to prevent Tiamat to use Ruined Earth, make Jr attack and the third character help out on healing and attacking. Be sure that Shion delivers the first final blow so it won't respond with Ruined Earth anymore.
There's another strategy using A.G.W.S, which is to do W-ACT and get out when Tiamat's almost dead. Shion and Jr must be characters to kill this thing.
Q: How do I beat Proto Dora?
A: The fastest way is Erde Kaiser but if you don't have it, there are three ways to beat Proto Dora - the AGWS way, the non-AGWS way, and the Beam-Way.
The AGWS way simply involves getting into your AGWS with Guard Recovery/Tuned Circuit/Tuned Circuit with Dual Gatling Guns (for W-ACT) and duke it out that way. Be warned, unless your characters are at low levels, this is the longest way, but its also the safest. Make sure your AGWS are tuned up with the best equipment, especially Frames, for Guard Recovery.
The Non-AGWS way is also simple. If you have Bravesoul, abuse it, otherwise, use Strength-based attacks as Proto Dora will block a lot of Ether attacks (especially Beam attacks).
The Beam Way is a little more complex. Sometime during the fight, Proto Dora will throw up a shield, which will block all Beam attacks (and some other Ether attacks too). Proto Dora is weak against Beam attacks, hence the shield. Each hit takes away around 25% of the shield's strength. With the shield down, he'll be at your mercy.
No matter which way you pick, remember that for ALL bosses in Xenosaga that have minions, they ALWAYS gain stronger when they are killed first, so best let at least one of them be!
#7 *~ Frequently Asked Questions about optional bosses~*
Q: Where is Great Joe?
A: He's in one of the closets in the Durandal. You'll only be able to see him with Jr as an on-screen character.
Q: Where is Mintia?
A: She's only available during/after the 13 people rescue in City Sector 26 & 27. Make MOMO your on-screen character. There's a crank outside the Iron Man bar that you'd obviously want to pull. Now go to the hotel, up the stairs, to the left, out the door and you'll be on a catwalk. Go to the right, blast the plants and jump off. Keep going and there will be an open window to climb into.
#8 *~Frequently Asked Questions about weapons/battle~*
Q: Is the second weapon for Ziggy more powerful than his first weapon?
A: It depends. When you first get the new ammo for it, Ziggy's second sub weapon (Missile Pod) may be stronger, but the first one (Beam Rifle) has a EATK130% modifier. Unless you never raise Ziggy's EATK, the Beam Rifle could very well end up being stronger. However, the Beam Rifle takes up EP, while the Missile Pod can only be used twice per battle. Once you get Meteor Shot, both will probably become useless.
Q: Is there another way to get Ziggy's second weapon?
A: Nope. Xenosaga isn't really THAT big, there are many items that are exclusive to one location. Ziggy's second sub weapon can only be bought at the Dock Colony.
Q: What's the best strategy to max out the damage of the F-SCYTHE?
A: Boost KOS-MOS' EATK with Tech Points as much as possible. Use Ethers like Ether Shift B and Ether Limit on KOS-MOS, and use Ether Flare and Shion's Ether Amp Tech on the enemy. This should allow the maximum damage with the F-SCYTHE, but it takes several turns to cast all those spells. Better to focus on raising EATK with Tech points and give KOS-MOS the Commander's Crest (or AP+1 skill) so she can use it more often.
or
The strength increase is mis-leading - it doesn't help KOS-MOS's normal attacks. Look at F-SCYTHE's description - it says "EA300%". F-SCYTHE is an Ether-based attack, using up 16 EP per attack. The "EA300%" means that it will triple your EATK when determining the damage.
Want to increase the damage even more? Level-up KOS-MOS's ethers until you gain "Ether Limit". It will increase all her Ether-based attacks power, even X-Buster. With F-SYCTHE, it will double it (but double the cost, too).
Q: What are the differences between slash, pierce, hit and spirit attacks?
A: They are elements, just like fire, ice, and lightning. Different enemies have different elemental weaknesses. e.g. Gnosis are often weak to Spirit attacks.
Q: What are the best weapons for each A.G.W.S?
A: Partly personal preference. Gattling guns are good. All of the AG-05's weapons are powerful. It also depends upon what enemies you're fighting.
Q: How can I heal my A.G.W.S?
A: The only way to heal your A.G.W.S is to pay 100G at an A.G.W.S shop or use Frame Repairs. You can't buy Frame Repairs so use them sparingly.
Q: Where are the Garet secret A.G.W.S?
On the U-TIC Battleship, it's in the room with the Segment Address.
#10 ~*Frequently Asked Questions about the story/cut scenes/characters~*
Q: What does Der Wille zur Macht mean?
A: Its German for: "The Will to Power", based on a philosophy by Fredierech Niezteche. (sp?)
Q: How long are the cutscenes in this game compare to the actual gameplay time?
A: There are at least 30 hours of actual gameplay and a total of 8 hours and 8 minutes of cut scenes. But of course, if you're a super RPG expert, that 30 hours of gameplay could either go up or lower.
Q: Is chaos an angel?
A: He sure seems like one because of those wings doesn't it? Its not really confirmed and though it may seem like he is, we may never know until Episode II.
Q: What the hell is Allen wearing at the beach?
A: A strange swimsuit. Why? Its his style.
Q: Is it normal to be bored by a cutscene?
A: It really depends on your taste, Xenosaga is a very story-based game so being bored is a possibility if you like gameplay more than story. But in my world, being bored by cut scenes means you're beyond insane! XDD
Q: Where is the Jin/Margulis swordfight scene?
A: It was supposed to be in Episode I but they had to cut it out. It will most likely (and better be) in Episode II. IGN used to have it but you'll have to be an Insider now. Gamespot has it but you'll have to be a paid member for that too. If you want to see it for free you can try Kazaa or become a member of zenosaga.com for free (unless they say you're computer's already registered) and download it there)
Q: Is this game related to Xenogears?
A: Despite the many similarities and familiar faces, it has not yet been know that Xenosaga is officially related to Xenogears. Some may believe it is but it has been known that Xenosaga will have its own Episode V.
Q: I got bored with the game. Will the story pick up a bit?
A: Depends where you got bored in the game.
The Cathedral? Just finish it and you'll get an awesome scene ^.~
Give it a good three or five more hours from wherever you are. The story gets a lot more interesting somewhat near the end. And if you're still bored, then just sell it for someone who would like it and buy yourself something more fitting to your taste.
Q: What are the Gnosis?
A: As you know from the instruction manual itself, they are an alien race sought out to destroy mankind. After completing the Cathedral Ship, you will learn that they are comprised of nothing but salt and they were summoned one the Song of Nephilim was discovered. Whoever is physically touched by a Gnosis will become one as well. The mystery still lingers on how could just salt create such monsters.
Q: I heard they cut something out in Xenosaga, what did they cut out?
A: They didn't cut anything out at all. They just simply edited it but the sound effects remain. Zenosaga.com has images for you to see and the article is titled "Ma belle peche". Here's the rundown if you just wanna know:
-In the Japanese version, instead of twisting the Kirschwasser's arm off, he lets it fall on its own
-Albedo twists his head off instead of using a knife
-Instead of plunging his hand into MOMO's abdomen, he absorbs her head (Note the squishy sounds)
-He has an um...a very sexually pleased look on his face while looking for the Y-Data in MOMO in the Japanese version which you can't see in the U.S version. (Thank gawd!)
#11 *~ Frequently Asked Questions about tech/skill/ethers ~*
Q: What is the use of chaos' cataclysm ether attack?
A: I believe it delays the enemies' next turn.
Q: How do I upgrade Skill Level?
A: Learn lower S.Level Skills until your S.Level boosts
Q: Why can't I use Skills in battle?
A: You not only need to learn the skill, you must also equip it in your Skill List.
Q: What are /tech/skill/ether points used for?
A: Ether points are to gain more ether spells. Tech points can raise a tech's level, speed, wait, and your character's stats. Skill points are for extracting abilities from an item so you can have the same effect without having to equip it.
Q: Can I use "transfer ether" without losing my ether with this character?
A: You will not lose the ether that will be transferred. And nothing like the effect of Medica All will go down if transferred. Healing and Attack Ethers vary with the character's Ether Attack.
Q: What's HI tech attacks?
Putting an attack in an Hi-Tech slot allow you to use a Tech Attack when you only have 4 AP, which means you don't need to wait a turn to use it.
#12 *~ Other Frequently Asked Questions regarding Xenosaga ~*
Q: Which party should I use?
A: Its really up to you, just pick three favorites of the six and beef them up real good.
Shion - An excellent healer and could be very powerful depending how you upgrade her stats/techs. Also is the only character that can use "Queen's Kiss" and the very powerful "Erde Kaiser"
KOS-MOS: One of the most powerful characters in the game. She is not the fastest however.
chaos: The most powerful against the Gnosis. Ether spells are a bit useful and one of the fastest characters.
MOMO: The weakest if ignored, but the fastest character and ether spells can be very powerful later in the game.
Jr: Also one of the more powerful characters. Speed is average. The only one who can summon Great Joe, and the only one whose both SQUARE and TRIANGLE techs can attack any enemy.
Ziggy: Can be the strongest character but the slowest.
Q: Why does my game crash when I try to open the door on the U-TIC Battleship via E.V.S?
A: It's a bug in the game and there is no way to open it. Decoder 16 is in there and you can get a Stim DX from Segment Address 16. If you want it that badly, you will unfortunately have to restart the game.
Q: How come Squaresoft didn't make this game and NAMCO did?
A: Quite a complicated story. Tetsuya Takahashi, the main man behind Xenogears wanted to do more episodes of the series but Square wanted to focus more on the Final Fantasy series so T. Takahashi and most of the crew who made Xenogears decided to leave, formed Monolith Soft under NAMCO and made a brand new series under the Xeno universe. ((Website to be posted))
Q: Is this game really 80 hours?
A: If you plan to every single tiny detail in the game from going up to level 99, the max level of techs, spend a lot of time on the mini-games, then this game will probably take longer than 80 hours. On an average, it'll take at least 40-50 hours. Maybe even 60 depending on how well you play or how long you're lost in a place. (like me)
Q: I just beat the game...where is the second disc?
A: There is not second disc unless you are playing the Japanese version. If you are, you just got ripped off wherever you bought it from.
Q: Is there a European official release?
A: According to rpgamer.com, it has been announced but there is no release date yet unfortunately.
Q: Why can't we get the next episode sooner?
A: It takes time to make games my friend. The more time, the better the game. (Hopefully)
Q: What will happen for the fifth episode?
A: Who knows? Maybe it will be a lot like Xenogears, maybe it won't. There is no valid information what Xenosaga Episode V would be like or about. There might be a possibility that Xenosaga Episode V and VI may not be games however...
Q: How many discs is this game?
A: The American version is dual-layered, as the Japanese version is 2 discs.
Q: My PS2 can't read my Xenosaga disc! It says "Disc Read Error"! Help!
A: Well don't worry about your PS2 being outdated cuz it works fine for my PS2 which I got the instant it came out. It could be your lens, try cleaning them out but if you don't know how, DON'T touch 'em!! Check if your disc has scratches too, if so either use a GameDoctor on it or try a little bit of rubbing alcohol and wipe it. But like I said if you even feel a tiny inch of doubt, do NOT use any rubbing alcohol!! If you have any other dual-layered games/movies (I heard Lord of the Rings is one) try loading some and then try putting in Xenosaga.
Without any of these people, this FAQ wouldn't even exist! I have created this FAQ and answered many of the questions but keep in mind, I didn't answer ALL of them nor thought of 95% of the questions here. If you would like me to specify which questions you have answered or contributed, I would gladly do so! Now here they are, the wonderful people whom helped and given me all their support!
Many thanks to the wonderful creators of this great game, Monolith Soft and to NAMCO.
Xenosaga is copyright to NAMCO and Monolith Soft
This FAQ is copyright to me (If you would like to use it, just ask)
If anyone would like to contribute any other frequently asked questions, correct me if I got something wrong, or if you would like to add to some of the answers like how to beat a boss and such, you are welcome to do so. (If ANY of you are missing from the credits, tell me ASAP! I'd hate to miss somebody!)
