Breath of Fire III/The Lost Shore

Kombinat and Surroundings
Getting off the ship, you will discover that you have arrived in a strange, very technological city. The population is partly made up of machine soldiers and people also look like robots. If you talk to them, they will give you very little information. However, there is an inn where you can restore your energy, an item shop and an armory, where you can buy very powerful (and very expensive) weapons and protections. Hidden behind a building in the upper right is a robot. If you talk to it, it will ask you something in incomprehensible language. Answer with the third option from above and the robot will give you a Homing Bomb. After you've done, get out of the city. You will automatically camp and witness some scenes, in which the various characters express their thoughts.

Once on the World Map, you will discover that the continent on this side of the ocean is much more desert. However, there are some areas to explore before proceeding. You will find a flowerbed, from which you can access the Fairy Village. Not far away, there is a Yggdrasil grove, the same as that in Eastern Wyndia. In this area you will find the Trance gene. Along the coast east of Kombinat, you will find a fishing spot where you can catch the biggest fish in the game. You can also barter your catch with Manillo and buy some very valuable items. Finally, head to the Steel Grave, northeast of Kombinat.

Steel Grave
This area is like a giant junkyard, which creates a kind of labyrinth. The enemies you will encounter are not very dangerous, but you will have to watch out for the Assassins, as they have an attack that can reduce the HP of the hit character to 1. It is advisable to take Momo with you, because you will need her bazooka. From the entrance, first proceed north-west and follow the path until you reach a ladder. Go up and you will find UV-Glasses in a chest. Go back and follow the path to the southeast this time. Climb the ladder, proceed to the right and go down the inclined plane. In a narrow passage, you will find a chest with Speed Boots. Go back to the raised platform and examine the area with the square holes in the floor. In one of them there is a ladder: go down. You will arrive in a room with a rotten door. Use Momo's bazooka to take it down. In the next room you will find a chest containing the Spanner, the strongest fishing rod in the game. Go back upstairs and proceed east. To the north, you will find the path that will lead you to the exit of the Steel Grave. Once on the World Map, you can freely cross this area without having to enter it. Do this if you want to go back to the fishing spot and catch big fish more easily. To the north-east you will also notice a mysterious village, which you will not be able to reach. Head to the Colony to the north, taking Momo with you.

The Colony
The Colony looks like an abandoned settlement, full of debris, with a radar on top. Momo will suggest checking it, then go up the long staircase in front of you and enter the room under the antenna. You will find that inside is a portal similar to the ones you have already seen, but it does not work. Take the Key from the bag on the portal and exit. Go down the stairs on the left and jump to the lower level from the appropriate edge. In the left corner you will find the Failure gene. Then go down the stairs on the right and enter the door on the right and you will find a Deep Diver in the bag in the corner. At this point, if you continue south-east you will return to the entrance and you will also notice a door that can only be opened from the other side. Instead, go back to where you got the Failure gene and proceed southeast. Follow the path, enter the door to the northeast and cross the room. Go up the stairs on the right and follow the path to the end to find a chest with a Wisdom Fruit. Nearby there is a point from which you can jump, right above a window. Do it, to land in another room. Have Momo examine the control panel and insert the Key you got. To activate the portal you will have to rotate the three mirrors to direct the energy beam towards the appliances on the other side. To rotate each mirror, you will have to act on the switch in front of it. After solving this simple puzzle, head out the southwest door. Go back to the room with the portal, under the radar and go up to the portal to be teleported to an unknown destination.

Back to Steel Beach
After a short sequence on the World Map, you will find yourself in a teleportation room very similar to the previous one. Exit the door to the southeast. Honey will escape and you have to chase her. Take the path to the northeast and go up the ladder. Follow the path. You will notice that these rooms have something familiar. In the next area, you will find that you have returned to Steel Beach, just behind the door that you previously could not open. After so much effort to cross the sea, you are back to the starting point. But don't worry: thanks to the portal you will soon be able to go back too. If you want, you can also go out on the World Map and reach any area you want, perhaps to fish or visit the Masters. When you are done, follow Momo's advice and return to the portal you exited from. Analyzing the control panel, you will discover that something is wrong with the antenna. You will then have to fix it.

Fixing the Antenna
Exit the room and this time take the path to the southeast. Go up the stairs and you will come to a large room with four switches and four beams. Examine the stone panel above to read the instructions. In the surrounding rooms there are other similar panels, which report the function of each switch. First use the light blue switch and go under the relevant beam. Go up the stairs to the right and follow the path. After passing the north beam, you will find a chest with a Lacquer Staff. Go back to the room with the switches and reset everything. Now use the blue button, go under the relevant beam and enter the door. Follow the path until you find a chest with an Hourglass. Go back to the main room again and reset the switches. Operate them now in this order: blue, light blue and brown. Go up the stair to the left. If you have done everything correctly, you will be able to overcome the path by passing over the first three beams and under the last. Climb the big stairs set to reach the upper floor. In this room, on the right, there is a hidden bag with 4000 zenny. Proceed southwest and go up the stairs.

You will now have to solve another puzzle. Examine the diagram on the northwest wall, to find that to open the door you will need to reach the pillar in the center of the room, via the three platforms suspended over the large gap. Each platform will move in the opposite direction to the one you came up from and will continue to move until it encounters an obstacle. First, ride the platform in the northeast corner to the left. Now, ride the platform in the northwest corner downward. Ride the platforms in the southwest corner to the right (climbing up from the left, via the previous platform). then ride the same platform up and then left. If you have done everything correctly, the platform will stop right in front of the pillar, stopping against another. Just ride the same platform down to reach the pillar in the center of the pit. Open the door, go back and head through the door.

Go up the first set of stairs and proceed to the right to find a Lacquer Shield in a chest. Go back and go up the stairs. Proceed to the right and exit outside, to find a Barbarossa in a chest. Go back inside and follow the path to the left of the stairs. When you encounter a ladder going down, take that path to find a chest with a Skill Ink. Go back and exit outside, through the door on the left. From now on, the path will be much more linear. Keep climbing until you reach the radar at the top of the tower. Examine the control panel to find out how to fix the antenna. You will have to rotate it until you find the optimal point, without static noise and press the X button. If you have identified the right point, the antenna will be fixed. At this point, go all the way back until you return to the room with the portal.

Once there, examine the panel to choose your destination. The possible destinations are Colony, Dragnier, Container Yard and Relay Point B. Select the Container Yard first and go to the portal. You will come to a portal in an area of the world that you do not yet know. The only thing you can do here is to use the crate on the right to reach the Radiance gene. Then go back to Relay Point A and select a new destination. Colony needs no explanation, while Relay Point B is the portal below Wyndia Castle - go there if you need to fish or visit the Masters. When done, select Dragnier as your destination and head up to the portal.

Dragnier
When you exit the portal room, the people you meet will seem excited to see you and set up a banquet. In fact, you will discover that they are all Brood and that they recognized Ryu as one of them. They are the survivors of the war, they have taken refuge in this remote village and have given up their power to be able to live safe from the eyes of God. Ryu will fall asleep and have a dark dream. A lady will wake him up and tell him that the others are all outside. Retrieve a Skill Ink from the closet and exit. Rei is waiting for you outside. He tells you that Garr feels uncomfortable among the Broods he tried to kill and offers to talk to him. You'll find Garr on the terrace above the transporter room. During the conversation you will be interrupted by Griol, who will tell you that the Elder wants to talk to you and that he is in the well in the center of the village. Before you go, take a tour of the village. You will find a dragon statue where you can save the game and a shop that sells a powerful armor and a sword for Ryu (if you already have the Royal Sword, you won't need it) as well as the usual healing items. If you go out on the World Map you will find that Dragnier is the mysterious village on the Lost Shore that you previously could not reach. There is a flowerbed nearby, which you can use to visit the fairies, but for now you will not be able to reach other places. Before entering the well, put Garr and Nina in the group, to speed things up.

Then enter the well. Go down the ladder and go up the one on the opposite side. You will enter a long corridor with a tapestry on the wall, with a very familiar design. In the next room, go through the first door on the right to find an Ivory Dice on a shelf. The next room is empty and in the third you will finally meet the Elder. He will reveal many things about the Broods, the war they fought and Myria, the goddess of the Urkan people. The Elder will want to talk first with Ryu, then with Garr and finally with a beautiful girl, and that is Nina. Therefore, place these characters at the head of the group from time to time. Eventually the Elder will reveal you that the ancient power of the Brood has been preserved inside him, in that room, to hide it from Myria and he is ready to give it to you. He will ask you to tell him when you are ready. Take advantage of it to go out and change the members of the group, selecting the ones you prefer to face a tough battle. Talk to the Elder again, who will tell you that to take the power from him you will have to kill him and that you will not be able to use your dragon power in that room. So get ready to face the Elder.

Boss Fight - Elder
HP: 5000

This battle is among the most challenging in the game. By not being able to use your dragon power, you will be at a great disadvantage. The Elder, on the other hand, has a lot of HP, a very strong physical attack and is able to cast powerful spells such as Sirocco, Myollnir and Inferno. So equip your characters with accessories that provide protection from fire and thunder if you have them. At the beginning of the battle, the first thing to do is to upgrade your party, using spells like Shield, War Shout and Barrier several times. For this battle it is advisable to have Rei in the group, since the best alternative to transforming into a dragon is his Weretiger form. Use this attack, supported of course by Influence. Ryu will then have to deal his best shots, preferably Shadowwalk if you have learned it. The third member of the group (Momo is a good choice, because of her support spells) will have to constantly heal the group, because the Elder's attacks hurt a lot. The fight will be longer than usual, but in the end you will come out victorious.

After defeating the Elder, you will automatically get Infinity, the last dragon gene, as well as the most powerful. Exit the well and talk to Griol again. He will tell you that to meet Myria you will have to cross the Desert of Death. Horis will be your guide and will wait for you at the exit of the village. Before talking to him, you can reach any area of the world you want with the portal. You should stock up on supplies, because a long journey awaits you. Also, now that you should have all 18 dragon genes, on the terrace above the room with the portal you can find Ladon, the last Master of the game. You will need to examine the rectangle in the center to make it appear. When you're finally ready, talk to Horis, exit to the World Map and head to the Factory, northwest of Dragnier.