Wild Arms 2

Wild ARMs 2 (or "Wild ARMs: 2nd Ignition" in Japan) is the second installation of the Wild ARMs series and was released in 2000 on the PlayStation in the US.

Battle mechanics
The mechanics of battle, as stated above, are strictly turn-based. After inputting character commands, the game checks the speed of each character and enemy. The character or enemy with the highest speed goes first, the second-highest goes second, and so on. Note that Ashley can circumvent this with his Accelerator skill. In battle, you do not have a traditional MP stat. Rather, each character gains FP, or Force Points, as they attack the enemy. These FP are needed to use ARMs, magic, or special attacks. Using an ARM, spell, or special attack will not deplete FP; you merely need to have the amount listed in order to use it. However, each character also possesses four Force Powers. Each sequential level uses more FP than the last; level 1 costs 25 FP, level 2 costs 50, level 3 costs 75, and level 4 costs 100 (the maximum amount that is able to be attained). These Force Powers are generally very powerful attacks that can easily turn the tides of battle in the player's favor - however, they actually deplete the amount of FP a character possesses by the amount required to use them, so one must act with caution, as a character with no FP will not be able to do anything except attack and use items.

Elements, Statistics, and Status Effects
As with most RPGs, Wild ARMs 2 possesses statistics, status effects, and elemental weaknesses and resistances. Opposite elements will do 200% damage, and the same element will do 50-0% damage.

Below are some charts explaining these factors.

Statistics
 * STR: Physical strength. Combined with weapon strength to get ATP.
 * VIT: Physical vitality. Determines HP growth and physical defense power.
 * SOR: Sorcery power. Determines how powerful magic cast by a character will be.
 * RES: Responsiveness. Determines the order in which fighters act in battle.  Commonly referred to as speed.
 * ATP: Physical attack power. Increases physical damage caused by attacks.
 * DFP: Physical defense power. Decreases physical damage received from attacks.
 * MGR: Magic resistance. Reduces damage received from magic.
 * PRY: Parry rate. Rate at which a character can dodge attacks.
 * LCK: Luck. Affects critical hit ratio, chance to escape, chance an enemy will drop an item, and Chapapanga's summon.

Status Effects
 * Poison: Character will lose some HP at the end of each battle round. Remains after the battle is ended, and will keep damaging the character for each step taken in the field.
 * Vile Poison: Same as above, but the damage received each turn is greatly increased.
 * Disease: Character cannot be healed or gain HP by any means.
 * Confusion: Character will attack a random target each turn.
 * Paralysis: Character is unable to move.
 * Petrification: Character is turned to stone and cannot move.
 * Forgetfulness: Character gains no experience points after battles.
 * Downhearted: Character can only gain 1 FP at a time.
 * Ability Block: Character is unable to use force powers or original powers.

Elements
 * Fire - Opposite is water
 * Water - Opposite is fire
 * Wind - Opposite is earth
 * Earth - Opposite is wind
 * Ice - Opposite is lightning
 * Lightning - Opposite is ice
 * Light - Opposite is dark
 * Dark - Opposite is light

Characters
Below is a brief summary of each character in relation to the plot, their tools, and their battle abilities.

Ashley Winchester
Ashley is the protagonist, or hero (although the latter term comes to have some weighty dilemmas attached to it within the game) of Wild ARMs 2. Arguably the most complex character, Ashley struggles with many different issues along the course of the game. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Ashley's character is the fact that he is possessed by Lord Blazer, one of the main antagonists of the story. After his group of soldiers is involved in a demon summoning experiment, Ashley is the lone survivor, made human again after murdering his comrades by contact with a legendary sword used to defeat Lord Blazer ages ago, when his Blaze of Disaster swept across Filgaia. After this incident, Lord Blazer dwells within him for most of the game, barely withheld by Ashley, until the final confrontation with him after the defeat of what is seemingly the final boss. Ashley also struggles with many other issues within the course of the game, the most notable of which being the definition of what a hero really is.

In terms of gameplay, Ashley is a well-balanced character and uses a bayonet as his ARM. He also has the capability of becoming KnightBlazer, the most powerful character in the game, when his force gauge reaches max.

Tools

 * Hurl Knife - A basic tool in which Ashley tosses a knife straight ahead. Its most common purpose is activating faraway switches.  It also falls down after hitting a wall or obstacle, making it possible to access switches below you.
 * Booty Call - A radar of sorts that will flash a green dot on the location of any treasures on the current screen. Not necessary to complete the game and frequently missed.
 * Flare Gun - Ashley fires a flare straight above, activating any switches or providing light to a dark room.

Force Powers

 * Accelerate - Ashley will go first on the turn this used on no matter, using the skill that you select immediately after inputting all character options.
 * Combine - The equipped medium takes form and attacks as a guardian. Only usable when Tim is in the party.
 * Full Clip - Fires all ammo in a selected ARM at once for extra damage.
 * Access - Draw out the power of Lord Blazer and transform into KnightBlazer.

Force Powers as KnightBlazer

 * Hot Fencer - Powerful attack on a single enemy.
 * Banisher - Powerful attack on all enemies; returns Ashley to regular form after use.
 * Hot Fencer (2) - More powerful than original; replaces original after a series of events in Disc 2.
 * Last Burst - Ultimate attack on all enemies; returns Ashley to normal form with 1 HP after use.
 * Mad Lucied - Extremely powerful attack on a single enemy; replaces Hot Fencer after completing the optional dungeon Werewolf's Den.

ARMs

 * ShotWeapon - Powerful attack on a single enemy.
 * MultiBlast - Weaker attack on a group of enemies.
 * BoltAction - Very powerful attack in which Ashley slices with the bayonet, then fires a round at point-blank range.
 * DeadOrAlive - Has a chance of inflicting instant death. Largely useless except in the case of one optional boss.
 * ShockSlide - Powerful attack on a group of enemies.
 * Blast 'Em - Very powerful missile attack on all enemies.
 * RisingNova - Most powerful ARM attack available to Ashley; hits one enemy for large amounts of damage.

Brad Evans
Brad is one of the more complex characters on the whole in Wild ARMs 2. A military genius in a war ten years ago, he is now hunted as a criminal due to events beyond his control. What's more, he seems to have a connection to the sinister Odessa organization that is the main source of grief throughout the game. His truly noble intentions are not proved until he reveals himself after being presumed dead with an impressive show of firepower against Odessa's forces, saving the entire team in the process. Note that, although the Japanese version presents Brad as a homosexual, this aspect is mostly glossed over in the American version, either due to bad translation or an unwillingness on Sony's part to present something considered taboo in Western culture in a video game. Nevertheless, Brad's sexuality is not difficult to ascertain from common wisdom even in the English translation.

Gameplay-wise, Brad is a very solid character. With the highest HP, defense, and strength ratings in the game, he is an essential member of most teams throughout the game. However, later on, especially against the optional bosses, his usefulness wanes due to an inability to cause as much sheer damage as Ashley and Kanon. He also suffers from the second lowest speed in the game, and the lowest magic resistance. His accuracy also tends to be rather low.

Tools

 * Kick Boots - Kick directly in front of you, opening rusted doors and chests and moving blocks.
 * Bombs - Explode after a few seconds and destroy weakened walls and obstacles.
 * Earthquake - A giant hammer creates a shockwave that destroys all destroyable objects in the room.

Force Powers

 * Lock-On - Causes the chosen arm to hit for more damage with 100% accuracy. This is generally believed to be Brad's most useful skill due to his low accuracy.
 * Combine - The equipped medium takes form and attacks as a guardian. Only usable when Tim is in the party.
 * ARM X 2 - Able to use two ARMs in one round. Risky due to Brad's low accuracy.
 * Boost - Hits with the selected arm for 300% damage with no chance to miss. Slightly less useful than Lock-On due to the amount of FP required to use.

ARMs

 * Bazooka - Strong single target attack.
 * Pineapple - Medium strength attack on a group of enemies.
 * AM Cluster - Strong missile barrage on random enemies.
 * Lawnmower - Strong attack on all enemies.
 * Rail Gun - Incredibly powerful attack on one enemy.
 * Mini Scud - Very strong attack on one enemy.
 * Sky Eye - Very strong attack on a group of enemies.
 * EZ Missile - Extremely damaging attack on all enemies.

Lilka Eleniak
Lilka, a witch in training, is one of the less serious characters in Wild ARMs 2. Aside from a few scenes involving her mother and sister, her character is largely carefree and humorous. What is worth noting, however, is that she is among the first two characters to join Ashley in the group ARMs, and remains in your party for longer than any other character, thus lending perhaps the most support to the group in times of need.

In terms of gameplay, Lilka is essential throughout the first part of the game, as she is the only character that can heal without using items until you acquire Tim. Once you acquire Tim, the only other magic user, however, her usefulness is debated. Many prefer her over Tim for solely personal reasons, however, as Tim is regarded as a weak character in the plot. Tim is also rather slow, and most of Lilka's proponents state her speed (the second-highest in the game) as their main reason for using her over Tim.

Tools

 * Fire Rod - Shoots a ball of fire straight ahead. Only useful for triggering switches.
 * Ice Rod - Shoots ice straight ahead, extinguishing any form of fire.
 * Change Rod - Converts healing gems to walkable blocks and vice versa.

Force Powers

 * Mystic - Enhances power of usable items in inventory. Most of the time this simply makes them multi-target.
 * Combine - The equipped medium takes form and attacks as a guardian. Only usable when Tim is in the party.
 * Extend - Makes a magic spell multitarget and increases its power by 150%.
 * DualCast - Allows the casting of two spells in one turn; some combinations result in a new spell.

Level 1 Magic

 * Heal - Weak single target healing
 * Revive - Resurrect ally with minimal HP
 * Flame - Fire magic on a single target
 * Aqua - Water magic on a single target
 * Vortex - Wind magic on a single target
 * Break - Earth magic on a single target
 * Freeze - Ice magic on a single target
 * Spark - Lightning magic on a single target
 * Protect - Raise ally's MGR temporarily
 * Shield - Raise ally's DFP temporarily
 * MageWeapon - Raise ally's ATP temporarily
 * Air Screen - Raise ally's PRY temporarily
 * Quick - Raise ally's RES temporarily
 * Rise&Shine - Cure or prevent sleep status
 * Reflect - Reflects enemy magic at caster
 * Dispel - Removes magic effects and stat bonuses from a single character

Level 2 Magic

 * Hi-Heal - Strong single target healing
 * Hi-Revive - Resurrect ally with full HP
 * Hi-Flame - Strong fire magic on a single target
 * Hi-Aqua - Strong water magic on a single target
 * Hi-Vortex - Strong wind magic on a single target
 * Hi-Break - Strong earth magic on a single target
 * Hi-Freeze - Strong ice magic on a single target
 * Hi-Spark - Strong lightning magic on a single target
 * Saber - Non-elemental magic damage on a single target
 * Restore - Cure all abnormal statuses
 * Irresist - Reduce enemy group's MGR
 * Might Body - Ups stats in target, makes auto-battle
 * HypeWeapon - Greatly increase ATP for one ally
 * Armor Down - Drop enemy group's DFP
 * Slowdown - Drop enemy group's RES
 * Field - Decreases elemental damage by 50% for one ally

Tim Rhymeless
Tim, a young summoner and mediator of guardians, is perhaps the most inconsequential character in Wild ARMs 2. Although he does provide a useful means for the other characters to communicate with the guardians upon their journey, he has little impact on the plot by himself. This lack of significance, coupled with what most believe to be subpar battle skills, makes Tim the least popular character.

Battlewise, Tim possesses unique skills as opposed to other characters. Instead of learning skills by finding them, he learns skills by equipping mediums and killing enemies with them equipped. After killing a certain number of enemies with that medium equipped, he gains a permanent skill that remains even if you equip another medium. He also allows other characters to use their "Combine" Force Power.

Tools

 * Pooka - A small, controllable doll. Can be used to reach faraway chests and switches.
 * Air Ballet - Shoots a blast of wind straight ahead, triggering specialized switches.
 * Mist Cloak - Float forward two spaces across gaps.

Force Powers

 * Shift FP - Adds one force level (25 FP) to another character.
 * Combine - The equipped medium takes form and attacks as a guardian.
 * Divide - If facing multiple enemies, reduces all enemies' HP by 1/2. If facing a single enemy, it is transformed into an enemy half its level.
 * Hi-Combo - More powerful version of Combine only usable with golden mediums.

Guardian Magic

 * First Aid - Heal entire party; always goes first in a turn
 * TurnUndead - Light magic to banish undead monsters
 * Rock Bolt - Earth magic hits single target
 * Graviton  - Earth magic hits group of targets
 * Water Gun - Water magic douses single target
 * Submerge  - Water magic drowns group of targets
 * Red Beaut - Fire magic fries single target
 * Napalm Hit - Fire magic burns group of targets
 * Sonic Claw - Wind magic slices single target
 * Tempest   - Wind magic blows group of targets
 * Lightnin' - Lightning magic zaps single target
 * Plasma Tap - Lightning magic shocks group of foes
 * Ice Beam  - Ice magic freezes single target
 * Arctic    - Ice magic chills group of targets
 * Black Gate - Dark magic hits single target
 * Dark Star - Dark magic slams group of foes
 * Arcana 13 - Chance of instant death to one foe
 * Thanatos X - Protect party from instant death
 * Arrow Shot - Light magic pierces single target
 * Nova Rain - Light magic falls on group of foes
 * Valkyrie  - Non-elemental magic on all foes
 * Cosmic Ray - Stronger non-elemental magic on all
 * Goldhammer - Increases amount of gella enemies drop
 * Lucky Word - Raise allies' luck by 1 in battle
 * Speed Down - Decrease group of foes' RES & PRY
 * Full Heal - Restore one ally's HP completely
 * Bold Lance - Laser non-elemental strike on one foe
 * Apocalypse - Non-elemental attack on all foes

Kanon
Kanon is an intriguing character. Yearning to fulfill her destiny as a descendant of the Sword-Mages of old, she replaces most of her body with bionic implants in order to vastly increase her body's capability. However, this is only her surface explanation. The real reason she chose this body is because her mother and sister were killed when their home town was destroyed. She received bionic implants in order to be able to fight those who would seek to perpetrate evil in the world.

Kanon is generally regarded as one of the heavy-hitters, so to speak, of the game. She is capable of causing more damage in one round than any other character except Ashley in KnightBlazer form. She is also extremely quick (the fastest character). However, she suffers low HP and weak defense. In essence, she is the counterpoint to Brad.

Tools

 * Wire Hook - Shoots a grappling hook straight head. Used to cross chasms.
 * Rad Blades - Propels you forward in one direction until you stop. Used to cross dangerous terrain.
 * Jump Shoes - When used on special symbols, allows extremely high jumping.

Force Powers
Kanon's force powers are unique. Instead of having 4 different ones, she simply has 4 levels of the same attack, Gatling. Gatling allows you to perform a combination attack with special attacks of the same level.

Special Attacks
Again, Kanon's special attacks are unique. She learns them by using other techniques. Rarely, using a skill will "spark" another one, similar to the method of learning skills in the SaGa.


 * Left Edge - Level 1
 * Pike Kick - Level 1
 * Drive Cut - Level 1
 * Wire Fist - Level 2
 * Arc Kick - Level 2
 * Phalanx - Level 3
 * Vortex Cut - Level 3
 * Eagle Claw - Level 4

Marivel Armitage
Marivel is an optional character, and hence she is not important to the storyline. If you venture to the optional dungeon Crimson Castle in disc 2, you can recruit Marivel for your team. Her tools are primarily used in order to unlock secret items, enemies, and locations. Note that Marivel also makes an appearance in Wild ARMs 3, albeit in non-playable form.

Marivel uses a magic style similar to blue magic in the Final Fantasy series. This style is called Red Power. If she uses her Skil [sic] Drain ability on an enemy, she will learn its skill. This allows her to have a wider variety of skills than any other character. Her Force Powers are all mecha-based power strikes on all opponents.

Tools

 * Electel - Shoots a beam of electricity straight ahead, energizing mechanical components.
 * Windup Key - Causes special blocks to move.
 * My Mike [sic] - Summons enemy encounters. Needed to fight optional bosses.

Force Powers

 * Qubely - Drill mecha; causes minimal damage.
 * Asgard - Heavy armor golem; causes mediocre damage.
 * Lucifer - Air attack mecha; causes good damage.
 * Asgard 2 - Heavy armor golem; causes huge damage.

Red Power
Skill - Description


 * Skil Drain - Absorb new ability from foe
 * Life Drain - Suck HP from a single target
 * Firebolt - Fire magic on a single target
 * Cremation - Fire magic on all targets
 * Geyser - Water magic on a single target
 * Maelstrom - Water magic on all targets
 * Rock Gazer - Earth magic on a single target
 * Tera Break - Earth magic on all targets
 * Air Slash - Air magic on a single target
 * Twister - Air magic on all targets
 * Frigid - Ice magic on a single target
 * Absolute 0 - Ice magic on all targets
 * Inspire - Thunder magic on a single target
 * Thunderbolt - Thunder magic on all targets
 * Shadowbolt - Dark magic on a single target
 * Armageddon - Dark magic on all targets
 * Aport - Non-elemental attack on a single target
 * Megaton - Non-elemental attack on all targets
 * Erg Phasor - Strong non-elemental on one
 * GellaCrazy - Throw your gella to damage all targets
 * Guillotine - Chance of instant death on one target
 * Demonangle - Chance of instant death on all targets
 * Status Lok - Prevent status effects on an ally
 * Booster - Boost stats and auto-battle
 * Def Down - Decrease DFP & MGR of group
 * Esc Down - Drop group's PRY to 0
 * Sleep - Put a group of enemies to sleep
 * Power Seal - Causes ability block on a single target
 * Anti-Magic - Unknown
 * Canceller - Attempts to to cancel target's command
 * Wildcard - Randomly cast a learned power
 * Sacrifice - Kill an ally to harm all foes