Anachronox/Walkthrough

BREAKING NEWS - The second patch has finally been released! You can find it at http://www.matrixzero.com/anoxpatch/

This walkthrough was written using the 1.01 patch.

Technical Issues

Anachronox works fine on XP. Well, as fine as it runs anywhere.

Resist the temptation to turn on EAX. It will crash your game constantly. It's disabled in 1.02.

Any Radeon or GeForce card should be able to run Anachronox in high-res (1280x960), but it will only work in full screen mode if you can set your desktop to 1280x960. If you don't have that as an option, you can run it in a window or use PowerStrip to add the mode. I find that the game crashes less when run in a window. YMMV.

When you quit, sometimes the process doesn't actually exit. You can close it yourself from the Task Manager.

After the return from Sunder, my game started crashing frequently in map transitions. I don't know what to do about this except save just before you change maps and try again if it crashes. This may be fixed in 1.02.

I suggest playing on Way Too Hard, which adjusts damage by 20%, but changing the Save At option to allow you to save anywhere so the above bug isn't as much of a problem.

Turn up the Gamma a bit.

Get used to pressing a direction key when you start moving, rather than moving the mouse first.

There are a few places in the game where you may want to cheat to work around bugs in the game. All of the cheats start by turning on debug mode with Alt-Shift-F10 and bringing down the console window with ~.

One use of the console is to get more savegame slots; if you want to make an archival save, bring down the console and type "savegame XXXX" where XXXX is a number between 1000 and 9999. To load one of these games, use "loadgame XXXX". 1.02 changes the savegame interface, so this probably isn't necessary anymore.

You can mostly use the keyboard in fights; use the number keys to select an action, and space to activate it. There are some bugs with this, though: sometimes it lets you do things that you aren't supposed to be able to do (such as use Beat weapons on the Hive Queen). Also, trying to do this to select between multiple functions of a multiple-function Elementor host will crash the game.

Other Notes --- I'm not going to tell you about conversations that don't advance the plot. I still recommend talking to everyone repeatedly; there's a lot of funny stuff out there. IMO, the best thing about this game is the writing.

There's really no need to do the sort of levelling that you do in, say, a Final Fantasy game; if the game thinks your characters are too low a level for a certain point in the game, it levels them up automatically.

Beginning - Bricks

=
Shops: Zordo's, Plib (MysTech Museum)


 * Rowdy's

Welcome to Anachronox! What a sad little man you are, Boots.

QUEST: Fatima has some chores for you before you can leave the bar.

Turn around and go upstairs to your office. Grab the camera off your desk. Click on the broadband scanner for a clue you'll use later.

Pick the lock to your back room, by holding down CTRL as you click on it. Always, always use the keyboard when picking locks. For each tumbler, hit space once. If the tumbler doesn't drop immediately, look at the meter on the lockpick, which tells you how far off you are, on a scale of 1-5. Hit up or down that many times, and hit SPACE again. If it still misses, you went the wrong way. You can always get it right on the third try; you are always either 2 or 4 spaces away from the right spot.

In your back room, there is Some Dough ($20), your APE game console (which has no games now, but you can find some later), and a chest which you can't pick yet. Grab the Dough and head back downstairs.

Marina and Mardoman, the folks at the table near the stairs, are with the Resistance. Talk to Marina.

If you like, play a game of OX on the game table opposite the bar. I can't do better than a tie.

QUEST: Talk to Valesta, the woman at the bar. She gives you a lead on a job.

Dim Jose, the guy at the table, wants to know if he should keep or sell his slag of MysTech. I don't know if the answer has any significance.

Save at the TimeMinder by the exit, and you've completed your first quest! Woohoo.


 * Fountain Spiral

QUEST: As you pass, K'jagra Khk tells you to visit his cousin.

Walk forward, and get beat down. Not having a good day. QUEST: Fatima suggests you visit Whackmaster Jack's.

Continue along, grabbing the HealGrease Plus that Fatima points out. Don't use it now, but remember about pressing F5.

You can't take the path down right now; head up to the Fountain Spiral. When you get there, turn around, look up, and take a photo (F11) of the Anachronox symbol above the sign for the MysTech Museum.

Now head up the Spiral to:


 * Whackmaster Jack's

Jack is the guy in red by the ring upstairs. Talk to him for a combat tutorial. He'll also give you:

Old Vistin Pistol (Boots, bad, ranged) LifeCursor Shield Upgrade (FatimaScreen, Boots' L1 skill) 2 HealGrease Plus 2 Bindlebags

Talk to Stang, the guy with the bag on the ground, for a Glodent. Also photograph the two Brebulans (the aliens to the right of the door). Be sure to fit their whole bodies in the frame.

When you're done, head back to the Spiral.


 * Fountain Spiral

Head up the Spiral to the next exit, with a sign for Frank's Flophouse. Get ready for your first real fight, with the same guy who beat you down before. You can't win this without using an item. The easy way is to use a Bindlebag; hit 3 3 SPACE as soon as it's your turn. Or you can start with FatimaScreen, and use a HealGrease Plus when you're about to die. If you're lucky, you can get the shield up before he hits you the first time.

Notice the green bug mound in the corner. It'll be interesting later.

Take the gravpath to Casinox.


 * Casinox Area

Take the lift down. Talk to Maria Black, standing by the TimeMinder. You don't get a quest note, but you can help her out.

Go through the door and meet K'Conrad Khk, the cousin mentioned before.

Down the next lift, a NoxGuard asks if you've seen Marina. Tell him no. Continuing on, you can't go towards the Platform Area, but if you wait you can watch a guy running around on fire. Take a photo of the Anachronox symbol. Continue on.


 * Junkyard Area

Go straight ahead and get the $50 from the chest. Then go through the door next to the TimeMinder. Head around to the left, and buy some HealGrease from Ghalla. Continue around to the back to find your first TACO.

Continue on and fight off a couple of Alley Goons. Photograph the Brebulans and the Anachronox symbol over the sign for the Tenements, and continue on to:


 * Tenements Area

When you enter, turn around and photograph the Anachronox symbol. Head to the right and photograph the Brebulan. If you head all the way down the stairs, there's a HealGrease at the bottom. Go back along the railing and look out along the wall. See the red thing? That's a Red Bipidri. Take its picture, too.

Sometimes photos fail to register with the game, for some reason; the photo of this Red Bipidri is particularly problematic. To make sure it worked, save your game, pull up C:\Anachronox\anoxdata\SAVE\ \photos and select the directory for this save (the autosave is #0; the normal saves are ordered from top to bottom). If the .dat file for the photo has size 0, it didn't work, and you need to try again. Try moving a little left or right (hold down Shift to walk slowly).

Head back up and take the elevator down. Head into:


 * Frank's Flophouse

If you're injured, take a room for $5; otherwise walk down the stairs to the room. Either way, grab the TACO.

Go back upstairs and pick all the locks you can. Room contents: A - Deanamo, Valesta's Bracelet (Speed +1, prot. Nuts) QUEST: Visit Grumpos Matavastros in Building 5 B - can't pick yet D - HealGrease E - just a guy

Head back out to the tenements, over and down to


 * Building 5

Note the directory on the wall to your right. Browse the SenderNet station if you want, and head into Section C.

Interesting rooms: Level 2, Room 5: Simon Black. You can tell him that Maria is coming to   kill him for $25. Ask for any more, and you won't get it. Level 2, Room 7: Healgrease Level 3, Room 11: Healgrease Plus Level 3, Room 14: Healgrease Plus Level 4, Room 19: Grumpos QUEST: Find a size 5 NoxGuard helmet

After the cutscene, grab the TACO to your right. Go back down to Grumpos' apartment, grab the blue keycard from his counter, and you're done with Building 5.

Remember the message on the scanner in your office? Time to head for the Platform area; go back where you came from and follow the signs. Now you can go where the burning man was running around before.

Beat up the Alley Goon, notice another bug mound, and continue on to:


 * Platform Area

Continue until you get to the elevator. Take it down to level 2, and snap a photo of the Anachronox symbol. Continue down to level 1, and go talk to the guard. You can either talk him out of the helmet, or beat him up for it. Or both; if you talk to him after he gives it to you, he'll attack you.

When you've got the helmet, head back to Grumpos. Woohoo, your first henchman!

Got Grumpos --- If you're hurting, rest at Frank's.

As Fatima suggests, head back to talk to K'Conrad. You'll get attacked along the way; try out Grumpos' Yammer Bouge skill. It stuns opponents, which is very useful.

Talk to K'Conrad. While you're there, tell Maria where Simon lives, for $50. Now head for the Fountain Spiral. In the gravpath is a NoxGuard who wants photos of five Brebulans. You already have them, so he gives you $500.

From the Spiral, head toward Rowdy's, but turn left into the area that used to be blocked off, and turn right into the tunnel. Talk to Yerocan Worb, who gives you some blueprints.

Now head for the MysTech Museum and talk to the curator, who asks you to photograph the five Anachronox symbols. It seems that you need to leave the museum and come back in before you can tell him you have the photos, for which he gives you $200 and 3 HealGrease Plus. He also wants you to grab the symbol from the Anachronox Tours office.

Head upstairs in the museum (the stairs are by the entrance). As you leave the tunnel, look down over the railing to your left. If the Red Bipidri isn't there now, it will show up soon. Take a picture.

On the path to Zordo's, the guy watching the Bipidri work asks you to photograph 8 Red Bipidri. Talk to him again to get credit for the ones you already have. After you talk to him, hit F8 for the Collectables menu. If you don't have credit for two, one of them must not have counted. Look at the .dat files in your save game directory to see which. Once he gives you credit, you can delete the photos.

Now head back to Rowdy's and give the blueprints to Marina for $200. Mardoman asks you to check up on Yerocan again. Also talk to Valesta; you don't have to give her the bracelet.

Head back to Yerocan, who asks you to photograph any suspicious characters in the Fountain. Head up to the top of the spiral and take a photo of Fazz Burbleman. While you're there, talk to the FlingBot watching the fountain for a laugh. Report back to Yerocan, who gives you an Eluder Band (Block +1). Visit Mardoman again; he asks you to hit up a drug courier in the Platform Area.

Now it's back to the Tenements to find Lucko Coldwolf.

In the Tenements, head to the right and down the stairs until the cutscene starts. Follow Lucko back through the Junkyard, Casinox, Platform and Anachronox Tours areas, and into a bar for another cutscene. As you leave, Fatima tells you to look up a guy in the Fountain Spiral area. But first, let's look around:


 * Anachronox Tours Area

Turn right and talk to the guy in black standing over the dead body. It's Detective Rukh, an old friend. He wants you to investigate the dead man's apartment back in Building 5.

Return to Building 5, Level 2, Room 7, and look at the LifeCursor on the counter.

If you want, you can visit Deanamo again, and talk to her with Grumpos. You can either pay her $200 to get healed, or mock her. If you pay her, she'll show up in Ghalla's, but if you go back to Frank's later in the game she's there again, like it never happened. Oops.

Head back to Rukh with the info. He gives you a PAX Flashpak, which teaches him FlashBlind, Boots' Stun skill. Note the guy with the purple PAL-18 unit.

Head up the stairs and into:


 * Anachronox Tours

Head around back through the Maintenance section, and grab the Anachronox symbol.

Head for the Tours area exit, but just before the signs to other areas, turn right and talk to the NoxGuard. Walk back up the stairs to the other highway view, and take a photo of the red motorcycle. Return to the guard for $75.

Now go to Platform 3, and fight the drug dealer. Head back to Mardoman and the Museum for your rewards (a Pre-owned ShieldCell and $400, respectively). The guy with the sock is wandering around near where Yerocan was standing. If you want, you can visit Zordo's Gun Palace and buy some Wristbands of Whacking for $1200. They increase your damage by about 5%.

OK, time to go visit Eddie. Head for the Junkyard Area, and talk to the Brebulans, who want a symmetrical crystal tree. Enter the Junkyard and save.


 * Junkyard

You'll be doing a fair amount of fighting in here, so be prepared. Remember to use Yammer to take enemies out of the fight temporarily.

Turn left at the fork and grab the Pre-Owned Shieldcell off of a box. At the second fork, go around to the right and grab the TACO before heading up the ramp. Talk to the doorman, and continue on. Past the TimeMinder, look behind a box on the left for a Vistin ThreeBeam (Boots, Poor, Ranged). Continue on for a cutscene.

When you're done with Eddie, head back to the first fork and go the other way. Look at the crystal trees until you find a symmetrical one, and take it back to the Brebulans for $175.

Head down to the Lower Tenements, and around back to the Doorlord. Make sure you've done everything in the Bricks first, as you won't be back for a little while.

MysTech Tunnels --- At the bottom of the elevator, look left for a Glodent. After the second fight, look right for a Batt. After the third fight, watch for a chest on your right with a TACO. After the fight with the Stare Bear, watch for the Vistin Spikehead (Grumpos, Poor, Melee) on your left as you go up the ramp.

At the junction past the bridge, turn left. After the fight, check out the Lifeflower by the wall. From now on, every time you pass a Lifeflower, pick a petal. They'll be useful later.

Head back to the junction and go the other way. When you reach the TimeMinder, save.


 * Sewagic Rapids Minigame

The object of this game is to pick up as many starred crates as you can without getting blown up. If you survive, you'll get a reward based on how many crates you grabbed:

1 - 1 Cordican Diamond Disc 3 - 2 Cordican Diamond Discs 7 - 3 Cordican Diamond Discs 9 - HealGrease


 * Lower Tunnels

Grab the two HealGrease by the boxes. After the fight, grab the two HealGrease by the box. After a fight with 2 Stare Bears and 2 Mean Moles, watch out for a HealGrease Complete on the left. Save at the TimeMinder, and grab the HealGrease Complete on the left around the corner.


 * BOSS: Stone Sentinel

He always attacks the hexes in the same order, so you just need to make sure you aren't there when he does. A simple rule: when he attacks the space between Sly and Grumpos, move them away.

Continue on and grab the stone. Cutscene. Grumpos pays you $100, and you wind up back at the door, minus one Doorlord.

Head for Anachronox Tours, and the guy with the PAL-18. He'll sell you the battery now, so buy it. Now head back to your office, and wake up the little guy.

Got PAL --- Stop by Whackmaster Jack's, and have PAL hack the dataport downstairs for a TACO. Also talk to Bean Fredicksson using Grumpos, and play along for a Pentagonal Prism. Now head back to the Anachronox Tours area.

If PAL were injured, he could hack the dataport under the table at Ghalla's with the broken robot on it for free healing. But he's not, so no need to bother.

As you enter the Anachronox Tours area, turn left and pass the guard who wanted a photo of the speeder. There's a broken elevator. Connect the blue & red wires to "fix" it. Head through the hole and hack the dataport for another TACO.

Continue up to Anachronox Tours. Have PAL talk to the robot just inside for a Cordicorps Shockclaw (PAL, Fair, Melee). Have Grumpos Yammer the guy in front of the ticket booth, and then buy some tickets. Head through the gates, around to the right, and save at the TimeMinder on the platform. I suggest saving in the bottom slot; you'll want to keep this one around in case you want to check something on Anachronox. Or make an archival save as described above.

OK, you're ready to leave Anachronox. At this point you should have:

Vistin ThreeBeam Vistin Spikehead Cordicorps Shockclaw 2 Pre-Owned Shieldcells Eluder Band Valesta's Bracelet 7 TACOs Credit for 2 Red Bipidri photos

If you're missing any of these, go back and get them before continuing. When you're ready, walk up to the shuttle.

- Sender Station -


 * Sender Station Station

Walk out into the terminal. Head left one booth to Gate 5 and talk to the guy, who tells you what you'll need to do. Head out to the ticket window.


 * Commons Area

Talk to Detective Rukh, who asks you to visit the Routubes. Go out the door, and head left to the museum. Go inside. Hack the dataport and download the TSM database. Leave the museum.

Continue around to the left and talk to the guy in the No Salt! T-shirt next to a tree. Continue around, and go into the Gold Deluxe Palatial Penthouse Suites (GDP). Talk to the scientist on the left and pick up the rose. Leave the hotel, and continue around. Talk to the guy in the shadows.

Go back around and up the ramps. Head left and into the Sendormitory. Inside, yammer the scientist standing by his bed for a ticket. Turn around and snap a photo of the Red Bipidri on the top level.

Go back out and continue over to the clown. Talk to the kid, and then the woman.

Step into the Vend-O-Mart. Go up the escalators and have Grumpos talk to the guy for a Hexagonal Prism. Go back down, and head right into the Pay2Pray. Meditate on both your prisms to learn StaffSweep and HealField. Head back downstairs, buy a Megalocephalic Wendy and a Pre-Owned Shieldcell for PAL, and hack the left dataport for lab coats.

Head back out, and around to the right. Talk to the guy in red. Go into the Lounge of Commerce. Talk to the guy with the TACO for a HealGrease Complete and 5 TimeMinder Tears. Talk to the bartender and buy the cheapest drink; she tells you to look up a friend of hers. Have Boots talk to David Salsa in the back, by the TimeMinder, who has a mission for you.

Head back to the GDP and talk to the scientist again for your second ticket. Also talk to the woman on the couch. Now go back to the museum, go through to the display room, and talk to the Brebulan to the right. He sends you to Gate 2 in the terminal. Talk to the robot there for the Certificate of Authenticity, which you can take back to the woman for $50.

Now head for the Routubes, through the unmarked door at the top of the ramps.


 * Upper Routubes

Past the first fight, go left and hack the dataport. Grab the HealGrease on the right just before the door. Before the ramp, grab the Glodent on the right. After the Pipe Mimics, grab the HealGrease.

Buy the Soporific Wander Dust from the dealer and continue on. Grab the Glodent, photograph the body, and head back to the Commons.

Stop by the Lounge of Commerce and talk to the goon at the bar, then David Salsa again. Then it's back to Detective Rukh, who gives you an Annulet of Alertness for your trouble.

And now you're ready to leave Sender Station. Go back to Gate 5, hack the dataport, make another archival save, and go on through.

--- Sunder ---

On the shuttle, talk to everyone until you land on Sunder.


 * Starport

From the gate, head left and follow the path until you reach the PAX Guard. Talk to him to find out what you need to do.

Head back to the TimeMinder, and go through the door into the lounge. Talk to the guard in here, then lockpick his briefcase to learn the blue frequency: 493. While you're here, talk to the robot for a pack of cards. Head back out.

Between Gates 1/2 and Gates 3/4 there is a dataport on the left. Hack it, then click on the screen. Enter 493, and insert a playing card to block the laser.

Past Gates 5/6 is another guard. Talk to him, then hack the newspaper machine. Apparently the green frequency is 691. Enter it in the next terminal you pass.

Continue all the way up to gates 11/12 to find the last guard. Yammer him to get the red frequency, 507. Enter it in the terminal between Gates 3/4 and Gates 5/6, and head back to the laser barriers, which are now gone.


 * Sanctuary Area

Note: You need to get the stuff in the Rainbow Sanctuary as you go through the first time, as you won't be coming back.

When you get to the park, turn right and grab the True View Torque on the mound.


 * Rainbow Sanctuary

In the reception area, lockpick the chest for Sunder Moss.

Talk to the receptionist, and then follow her. When you get to the lounge, talk to the Brebulan for Xiuwen's Package. Then grab the TACO behind the receptionist, and follow her again.

After the cutscene, quickly run towards the TimeMinder and down the ramp in front of it, to a chest with a Shuttle Shield Unit. Rho finds the keycard, and it's a race against time. Save at the TimeMinder, and run back the way you came.

The first door combo is		Red  Blue   Yellow Green. The second is			Green Yellow Green Yellow. The third is			Red  Green  Blue   Yellow. The fourth is			Red  Red    Green  Green.

After the reception area, go down the stairs.

There's a bug here; if you go back through the park to the city overlook, there's a Regenergy Round. But you can't open that door. To get it, bring down the console (see above), type "noclip" to turn on noclip mode, and walk through the door. Do this again to turn it back off when you're on the other side. You don't need to repeat this on your way back.

Anyway, now open the door at the bottom, and head into the


 * Service Tunnels

From the gate, head left for a HealGrease Plus. At the fork, take either path. At the next fork, head left for a HealGrease Plus, then return and go right. At the next fork, go left, and take the ramp. Take the next right and get the HealGrease Plus. Save at the TimeMinder and go through the door to the starport. Head back up to Gate 12, use the cardreader, and run out to the shuttle.

Cutscene.


 * Minigame: Escape!

Avoid the flashing rocks and other ships until time runs out. You can take 6 hits before losing (just 3 if you missed the Shuttle Shield Unit).

--- Democratus: Votowne ---
 * Chamber Area

After the fight, select your party; you can only have three characters at a time. Take PAL and Grumpos. Equip everyone with the Callossum Shieldcells (32/16/16) that Rho conveniently brought with her.

Head out. After another fight, talk to Sergeant Guff to get a quest. Head on to:


 * Votowne

Walk out into the city, and take a photo of yourselves at the machine.

At the bottom of the ramp, go right and talk to the guy by the orange poster to get a sample ballot. If you act like a jerk, he'll give you a free room at the inn, too. Then read the poster to learn how to vote on Proposition 2. All the votes are random, so I can't tell you.

There's an Ally of the Council named Crissy walking around, who will tell you how to vote on Proposition 8 if Boots or Grumpos kisses her. Keep an eye out.

Head into town, turn right, and go under a ramp. Pick the lock for Banewave MysTech (White, Good)

Go under the ramp on the left, too; hack the dataport for a Fire Retardant Roundlet.

Continue on to the guy standing on a chest. Yammer him for the answer to Proposition 6; then pop back to the shuttle and swap Grumpos for Rho.

From the Prop 6 guy head left, up the ramp, and talk to the two guys there. One knows the Prop 3 vote, and wants a drink before he'll tell you.

Continue up the ramp and into the next section of town. Head left into the Excellent Choice building. Buy a Quack-Quack Juice at the juice bar. Take the guy his juice and come back.

On the right side of the park near Excellent Choice is a door which Boots can pick. Behind a chair is a Vistin Octogun (Boots, Fair, Ranged). Next to the chair in front of the computer is an Old Ducalion Shieldcell (32/16/32).

Continue on, up the ramp, and talk to Waiia, who tells you how to vote on Prop 5.

Continue into the next park area, and use PAL's world skill on the robot in the corner to learn how to vote on Prop 1.

Time to visit:


 * Republic Inn

Head left and talk to Dward, sitting on the couch. He tells you to look up Dass Daskan in room 401. Hack the dataport on the side of the reception desk to learn that Merle Joid is in 201.

Talk to the receptionist and take a room. You wake up in room 402. Get the HealGrease Plus from the bathroom.

Go over to room 401. Grab the HealGrease Complete and the TACO. Have Rho analyze the map on the nightstand.

In room 304 is a woman who encourages you to steal her stuff, a HealGrease Plus and DoubleUp Bracer. Do it! The DoubleUp Bracer is much better than Wristbands of Whacking.

Break into room 201 and read the letter on the bed to learn how to vote on Prop 4. There's a HealGrease Complete in the bathroom closet.

In the stairs just before Floor 1, turn and look at the Bipidri working. Take a photo of the Red Bipidri when it emerges.

Leave the Inn and head up the ramp to the overlook. Have Rho try out the map. Seems to line up. Head for the hallway it indicates, and talk to the guy to get the Prop 7 vote.

You should now have all the info you need to vote at the Votabulator near Excellent Choice. Memorize (or write down) all the info in your F1 journal and vote.

Now that you have a Gold Ally Card, buy anything you want upstairs in Excellent Choice (I recommend three Freezo) and if you're done with Votowne, head back to the council, make another archival save, and go into the council chamber.


 * Warship Bay

You're going to be fighting soon, so make sure your shields are set for full strength. I suggest giving Boots the DoubleUp Bracer and Valesta's Bracelet so he can do maximum damage.

At the junction, turn right. After the first fight, grab the HealGrease Complete. Hug the wall and go back behind some boxes to find a Vistin Blader Staffhead (Grumpos, Fair, Melee).

Go back to the junction and down. Head to the back and up a small ramp for a Bag o' Glodents. Go back and down.

Fight more Robodes for a HealGrease Complete. Fight more Robodes for an Old Ducalion Shieldcell (behind a box).

Take the elevator down. Hear the song? Face the window, pull out the camera, and take a picture of the Red Bipidri as it floats by.

Fight more Robodes for a HealGrease Plus. Save and head for the fighter.


 * Minigame: The Hive

To reload, shoot the ammo meter in the lower left.

In the first room, take the second exit. This will take you to a large room. Now take the first (red) exit, which takes you to the red shield generator. Now take the second (yellow) exit, which takes you to the yellow shield generator. Now take the first exit, which takes you back to the big room. Now take the third (purple) exit. Now take the first exit, which takes you to the boss.

When fighting the boss, shoot at his head; your shots will only hurt when your crosshairs are green.

Your performance will now be rated on a scale of 1-5. Rewards:

1 - ? 2 - ?  3 - Glodent 4 - FreezeZone MysTech 5 - ?


 * Verilent Hive

Walk around behind the fighter for Firespire MysTech (Red, Good). After the first fight, pick the chest on the right for NutsWalker MysTech (Yellow, Good). Analyze the control panel to open the door upstairs. Go through and touch the pulsating gems to create MysTech in the room below. Continue on. In the next room, grab the Static Pulse Injector on the floor (Rho, Fair, Melee) and Analyze the console to open the other door in the landing bay.

Head back and through that door, and grab the SlowStrike MysTech (Blue, Good). Continue into the lower room. Seems that the MysTech you dropped before is PoisonSpin (Green, Good).

Go through the door into a room with crystals in the corners. Touch one to take it and get into a fight; you want at least two of each type.

In this room, get 2 Blue shards and 2 Yellow shards. Take either exit from this room, and get 2 Purple shards. Go through the door left of the purple shard. In the next room, grab the Bane MysTech (White, Fair) and get 2 Green shards. Take the exit left of the green shard.

Talk to the guy by the TimeMinder for a clue. In the next room, grab 2 Red and Cyan shards, and take the exit by the cyan shard. In the next room, go straight and take the first left, which brings you to the smaller console. Continue on back to the large control panel and insert the shards in the appropriate spots.

Head back the same way, but where you turned left before, go the other way. Grab the Hive Moss and continue to an interesting machine. Insert your remaining shards for a PsyChain MysTech (Obsidian, Good).

Head back and left to the room with the blue door. Now get ready for a MysTech fight. Equip Boots with PsyChain, Rho with PoisonSpin, and Grumpos with Firespire. Also turn off everyone's shields so you can use all the NRG for spells. Lead with someone other than Boots, and head in.


 * Boss: Hive Queen

If you move your outer characters over to the crystals, you can activate them to prevent her from spawning more Verilents. You'll need to move your middle character (Boots, if he wasn't leading) out from behind the pillar before they can attack the queen. For some reason, the character on the right can't attack the Queen if they move to the crystal and there's a Verilent there, so you might leave them in their original location. The left character doesn't have this problem.

I like to leave everyone in place and have Boots hit the Verilents with PsyPull so that they attack each other (and the Queen!). Rho and Grumpos hit the Queen with PoisonSpin and Fireslag++, wait for the effects to wear off, and hit her again. This way you can win without using any Glodents.

--- Post-Sunder --- Sender Station, Take 2 -- After the cutscene you're back in the Lounge of Commerce. Show the package to Salsa, who asks you to take it to Mardoman.

You now have five characters, and two story quests to choose from. It doesn't really matter what you say to Rho and Grumpos; feel free to agree to both. We're going to do Rho's quest first.

Anachronox, Take 2 -- But first, take Grumpos and Democratus back to Anachronox.

By the doorway to the terminal is a boy looking up into a tree; apparently his plane is lost. Go up the ramps and all the way around to the right and tractor it in. Trade it to the kid for a Bugaboo APE cartridge.

In Sender Station Station, Yammer the monk in Gate 2 for Master Yammer. Also talk to Frankie in the Gate 3 lounge to get Wanda's Bracelet (MysBlock +2), and pay the guy under the Customs sign $503 for a TACO.

Head out to the shuttle through Gate 6, and choose to go to Anachronox.

You may have noticed the TACO while going from level 4 to 3 in the Platform elevator on a previous visit. Now that you have Democratus, you can get it. With the elevator on level 3, look up, hold down CTRL, and click madly around the left side of the ledge where it is until the minigame starts.

Take the package to Mardoman for a Mysteria Gold Shieldcell (128/80/64). He asks you to meet a floater near the bug mound in Casinox. While you're in Rowdy's, have Rho talk to the doorman for some silliness.

Head to the MysTech Museum, visit Plib, the merchant upstairs, and buy the Theories of Asagan (Scanalyze, Rho's 1st-level skill). Note that you can buy it, and even use it on her, without her being in the party.

In Zordo's, Democtratus can tractor in a Cordicom Powerbelt Cell (48/32/16) from over the door. Also buy more Wristbands of Whacking. Three should do.

Go find the floater. He tells you about a meet in Frank's Privacy Suite. Head for the basement room at Frank's and pick two locks to get into the privacy suite. Head in until Boots says it's time to leave.

Have Democratus talk to the Democratan by the desk for Master Tractor.

You can give Wanda's Bracelet to Wanda in room D; she gives you a note to take back to Frankie in the departure lounge of Sender Station, for which he will give you $500. Or you can just keep the bracelet.

Head toward the Tunnels, but turn right at the fork and Yammer the guard for a Cobalt Crawler. Now head back to Mardoman for a Rapid Wristlet (Speed +2). On your way back out, in the Spiral Democratus can Tractor in a HealGrease Complete from a pipe over the sign for the Platform Area.

If you're feeling motivated, you can pay another visit to the MysTech Tunnels for some MysTech, but you'll be back later and it's not really worth the time now. If you want to, fight through until the fight with six Skitters, then Tractor in the WinkyVortex MysTech (Purple, Great).

Just past where you found the Vistin Spikehead, turn around and fight a Cave Crawler and a Skitter for NutsHammer MysTech (Yellow, Great).

At the junction, turn left to the Lifeflower room and fight for PoisonBeams MysTech (Green, Great). Also grab a petal while you're here. Now head back out.

If you care, you can fight through the Junkyard again until the battle in a room with a truck: up on a board is a HealGrease Complete. Tractor it in.

Head back to Platform 2, get on the shuttle, and return to Sender Station.

Sender Station, Take 3 -- If you gave Wanda her bracelet, stop by Gate 3 to give Frankie her note.

Talk to Salsa again, pick up Rho and Democratus, and head for the Routubes.

Along the way, stop into the Sendormitory. Use Democratus' worldskill to tractor in the Bag o' Glodents, and have Rho talk to the scientist who gave you his ticket for the Cubic Impactor (Rho, Good, ranged).

At the busted panel, Analyze the plans on the chest and fix the panel.


 * Lower Routubes

After the next fight, watch for the Batt. After the next fight, there's another Batt.

At the sign for the pumping station, head left and pick the lock.


 * Sender Station Underworks

When you come out into a larger room with a guy standing down below, walk past the first light grey vertical girder and look across the room and a little down. Eventually a Red Bipidri will appear. Take its picture.

Grab the HealGrease Complete.

When you come out below, talk to the Gorian and accept his recipe.

Continue on and meet the MugMugs. The one on the right wants moss. Give him the Sunder Moss and Hive Moss for a Circlet of Safety (prot. all) and Resonance Crystal (Democratus, Good, ranged). The one on the left wants the El Puno Toy he dropped; tractor it in and return it to him for a TACO.

As you head back, grab the HealGrease Complete at the bottom of the ramp.

Go back to the Pumping Station sign and head on into the


 * Red Light District

There's $100 lying by the dead body on the left.

Talk to the guy by the Brebulan for a lead. Head upstairs to Mistress Marina's and talk to the guy on the right. Now head over to:


 * Slutopia

Head right and talk to Kevester Kopp. He asks you for a favor.

OK, back out and over to the:


 * Orange Navel

Pick a girl and a "treatment", and follow her to her room. When you get there, change your mind and go break into room 2. Grab the TACO and get the ring from the Bipidri on the bed.

Take the ring back to Kevester, and then go to:


 * Cold Sweat Sex Machine

Give the Gorian recipe to the Brebulan at the back for $275. Grab the HealGreases from the Male and Other bathrooms, then talk to the bartender for the Field Transduction Module.

On your way out of the Red Light District, stop into Tubby's Grease Shack (the shop with the "Booze 'n' Condoms" sign). On the right end of the shelf behind the bar is a TACO. Buy it for $50.

Also stop into Pile o' Hunks. Grab the HealGrease Complete from the DJ booth. Then talk to the guy in the back corner to do a Man-Dance!

The moves are: LLLL  LRLR  RRRL  RRLR  RLLR  LRRL

If you did a perfect job, talk to the guy again for a Stargent Turboblaster (Boots, Good, ranged).

Head back to the Common Area. Hmm, it's night out. There's now a Lifeflower to the right of the door to the Routubes. Pick a petal every time you go by. Go to the Lounge.

Now you're just controlling PAL.

Talk to the wandering PAX guard for an OX APE cartridge. Grab another petal.

If you're up for a challenge, take PAL to the Red Light District. The fights are a lot harder when you're alone. Use Freezo in the first fight, and PsyPull in later ones. Equip the Mysteria Gold Shieldcell, the Rapid Wristlet, and Valesta's Bracelet.

The fight with the Gorian Drug Runners is hard, but you should be able to win it by going PsyPull, PsyPull, HealGrease Complete, PsyPull, PsyPull. At that point one or two of them should be dead, and it gets easier.

In the Red Light District, talk to Joey Twink, the robot wandering around, for the Ballotine Crazyclaw (PAL, Good, melee).

Now head for the museum. Hack your way in, go into the closet to the right, and then into the air ducts.

From the beginning of the puzzle, head right, up and right. Hack the port. Drop back down to the starting position. This time, go left, down and left. Hack the port. From here, go left, straight, right and up. Hack the port. Go around to the TimeMinder, and you're through.

In the display room, walk around to the back and hack the port. Walk across the cleaning robot and out.

Head back up the ramps outside, and practice Stiletto's Throw Loonie skill. Grab the HGC and another petal, then head back to the lounge to get Boots.

Anachronox, Take 3 -- Pick up PAL and Rho for a trip to Anachronox. But first, take Rho into the GDP and talk to the scientist in love to get Master Analyze.

Have PAL talk to Zordo for a Battlebot Conduit Upgrade (Transfer NRG).

Visit Mardoman again. He sends you to Joe's Diner, near Anachronox Tours. Go there and talk to the guy by the menu for some tickets. Head for the Tours building.

Have PAL talk to the robot in Anachronox Tours again for Master Comp Talk. Head for the OneGate shuttle, to:


 * OneGate Station

Before leaving the platform, go down the ramp by the Exit door. Below the platform is a vendor, Parvenute. Also, if you go off the path to the left you can find a Bloodstone, but you can't pick it up yet.

Just past the parked cars, look for a TACO on the left.

Photograph all the PAX guards. Just before the fourth (and last) one, grab the Three-Function Host. Return to Anachronox Tours.

On your way out, stop at the place where you photographed the speeder. Analyze the computer there, and then hack the dataport. A button appears across the road, but you can't do anything with it now.

Now take the photos back to Mardoman for FreezeCubist MysTech (Cyan, Great). Or you can wait until later in the game; that way, you keep the OneGate tickets, so you will be able to get the Bloodstone sooner.

Head back to Sender Station. Talk to the TACO guy for a Cordicom Personal Shieldcell.

Now grab Grumpos and someone else for the trip to Hephaestus. It doesn't matter much who you take. There's stuff for each of them to do on Hephaestus:

Stiletto can get her Good weapon, which you can buy for $2000 later. Rho can get a new skill, which you can buy for $500 later. Democratus can tractor in a Cobalt Crawler and some duplicate MysTech. PAL can get some nice equipment if you're willing to leave your computer alone for hours at a time.

FYI, you will have to take Democratus on the next quest after Hephaestus. And Rho and PAL will need to come back to Hephaestus later in the game.

--- Hephaestus ---
 * Platform Area

OK, looks like you're alone on this one.

There's a HealGrease on the far side of the schedule in the waiting lounge.

You could head left to the tram, but it's broken, so head right towards the Entertainment District instead.

In the slums, go upstairs. There's a door you can pick to meet Mrs. Invisiblus. Upstairs in her home is a MysMe Microbelt (MysBlock +1) and a chest you can't pick yet.

Before the lower Entertainment District sign, stop and look down into the girders and a little right. Take a photo of the Red Bipidri when it appears.

Stop into Ed's House o' Crap and buy the Battlebot Shocksphere Upgrade for PAL. Also buy another Mysteria Gold Shieldcell.


 * Entertainment District

Buy three PsyPull slags from Brother Shetruck. Hit the Lifeflower behind the kids sitting around the MysTech.

Grab the Annulet of Alertness on the planter box.

Behind the TimeMinder at the bungee ride is a TimeMinder Tear.

In the arcade, you can play Bugaboo (Galaxian) and Pooper (?),

Upstairs, there's a BlastSack by one of the tables.

Brother Dag's Magic Grab Bag has a variety of cheap items. I've found: HealGrease, Bolongo, Vestrina Cube, Ipangi Crystal In other words, don't bother.

Stop into Le Sommeil, the hotel on the right. Grab the Delivery Slip off the table by the guy sleeping on the couch. There's a HealGrease Complete on the 4th floor balcony.

SAVE, and then talk to the guy with a LifeCursor to get a LightTrail upgrade. Kind of annoying, but it goes away eventually, or you can unload it on the monk across the street.

Around to the right side of the tower is a guy with a job for you. Past him is a chest with Proximity Beam Defense Plans.

Go up the ramp and talk to the robot. Go back down and lower the elevator. Go back up the ramp and climb into the train.


 * Tower of the Grand Mysterium

Follow the path.

After the cutscene, make a long-term save. Many people have had trouble with bugs in the Abbot's quests.

Talk to the Abbot again, then head forward. Behind the left pillar, you find Crime Scene Grit. Talk to the Abbot again, and follow him to the elevator. Before you go down, talk to the robot, then walk back to the train you came in on, talk to Restlin Brewster, and grab the Tunnel Transport Grit. Now take the elevator down.


 * MYSFAC

Talk to the robot for directions, and follow them. Talk to Norman Malloy. He suggests you check out Sister Angela.

But first, let's deal with the Sluice Gates. The robot on the other side of the room will give you directions again. Follow them, and talk to Peter Brown. He has another job for you.

Minigame: Magma Filters --- The poison isn't really a problem; just remember to hit F11 periodically.

Click on the map in front of you. You start at the green dot in the lower left. The large white circles are where you need to install the filters. In the dead-end in the upper left is Monk Moss.

Left, left, left for the Monk moss. Left, right for the first filter (sector 2). Right, left, straight for the second (sector 3). Left, left, straight for the third (sector 4). Left, right for a HealGrease Complete. Left, left, straight, right for the fourth (sector 1) and a HealGrease. Straight, right, straight to the exit.

Talk to Peter Brown again for the code, 49665. Enter it on the keypad behind him, and head down.

Sluice Gates

Head right, straight, straight, right to an open room with a moving platform. Maneuver the lower left side of the room for the red Lava Sampler Lever. To the lower right is a room with Fire Retardant Roundlet and HealGrease Plus. At the top of the room, plug in the lever. In the middle of the room, hit the yellow button to activate the sampler. Back at the lower left, hit that yellow button to open the door.

Take the stairs down. At the bottom, run around to the other side of the column to find a MysFac Security Card on a table. Walk through the center of the column and press the button. Run out the door and up the stairs. Do the same thing on the next two levels. At the top, run out the door and around to the left. Open the door with the security card and run up the ramp before the pressure release.

Click on the machine to get Resonating Fluid.

Leave the room and go straight, right to a security door with an HGC. Continue around to the next security door, with a Bag o' Glodents. The next one has 3 HG.

Continue around past the platform room and the Resonating Fluid room to the exit.

Back by the robot that gave you directions to Norman Malloy, go down the ramp. Turn left and go through the door. It doesn't look like a door, but it is one. Go around to the right, through another door. In the next room, head down. The robot in front of the blast furnace is Irradiatus; remember him. Go through the door to the right, and down to a room with three conveyor belts.

Stand at the top of the middle walkway, and look up at the wall to your right. A Red Bipidri is walking back and forth along the pipe. Take its picture when it's on the far end.

Now head up the right side of the room into the office for a TACO.

Now head back and talk to the Abbot, then go find Sister Angela. The guys with pointy hats will give you directions.

She sends you to see Brother Liseria. He sends you to see Thomas Litton. Litton sends you to the tower librarian; he's upstairs in a white robe. Now go back to Restlin Brewster by the train (turn left at the Shrine of Weeping) to find out who the culprit is. It's random, but it's always the person in the room with the candle outside.

Now you need to find another party member. Head back out to the Entertainment District through the long passage by the Abbot, and look around until you find one of them. Head back to the tower.

Go back to the culprit's room and knock on the door. As your other character, go right and click on the big window. Walk along the ledge and click on the window to the culprit's room. Now look around for incriminating evidence. In my game, it was a piece of letter-size paper in the front room.

Now head for the Eco Bar in the Entertainment District. Turn right at the orange umbrella. Grab the TACO and talk to the accomplice. Head back to Le Sommeil and break into room 3 on the second floor. Click on the keys and head back to the Abbot.

Congratulations, you've unlocked the secret of Elementor Mystech!

Done Sleuthing -- OK, time to go find your third party member. While you're out, grab a RedBeetle from the mound near the kids who fried a Bipidri. To the left of the entrance to Le Sommeil is a Two-Function Host and another Red mound. As with Lifeflowers, you need to wait a while before you can get another bug from a mound. Or you can leave the map and re-enter to reset it.

Head back to Grumpos for a tutorial.

Now that the party is reunited, go back to MYSFAC, down the ramp, through the door, and immediately turn left. At the end of the corridor there is a door on your right containing a PurpleBeetle mound. This is the only one in the game, so get at least three. If Boots says "no room in our bugbox" before you have eight, that means that the bug you tried to get has the same configuration as one you already have; try again.

Also do some character-specific stuff: If you brought PAL, take him to play in the back room of Moon Burger for a Regenergy Round Plus. Either leave your computer alone for 4 hours, or pull down the console, type "gamevar @variable1 0" and pull him out again. If you brought Stiletto, take her back to Ed's House o' Crap. Go up the steep ramp, left, and talk to Sister Dolores for Stargent Sleepshank (Stiletto, Good, melee). If you brought Democratus, there's some MysTech to grab. In the large room near the PurpleBeetle mound there is Banewave MysTech on a shelf. Back near where you first entered the Entertainment District is a sign for "Mi Cocian". On a balcony to the left is FireCage MysTech. In the slums, go past Sister Dolores (see above) and tractor the Cobalt Crawler off of the corregated roof left of the Ed's House o' Crap sign. If you brought Rho, take her to the chapel where you met Brother Liseria. Behind the altar is a copy of Mysteria Scientifica, which will teach her MysShield (L2, 1/2 damage).

Have Grumpos Yammer the monk at the movie theater for the Stargent Staffbeam (Grumpos, Good, ranged).

When you're done with everything, go back and talk to the Abbot.

Mysterium Levant


 * Levant Entrance

Go into the Elementor menu (F7), select the Elementor Host, put the Cyan beetle in the function slot, and a White beetle in the White (middle) slot. Equip this on Boots. Give the others PsyPull.

Just into the left-hand tunnel is a WhiteBeetle mound.

Head down the middle tunnel, and right. Fight the Lava Frogs, and grab a petal.

Go back to the beginning, and head down the left tunnel. At the fork, go left for a HealGrease, then then take the other fork and go down for information about how this all works. Continue on to find a BlastSack. Head back up and right. Use the computer to activate the Gen Bridge.

Go back and grab another WhiteBeetle and Lifeflower petal. From the beginning, head down the middle tunnel, and left. Go up the ramp for an Annulet of Alertness, then go back down and continue to the right. Grab the BlastSack.

At the fork, head right to fight a Stalac Titan. He takes 1/4 Beat damage, but normal damage from MysTech. Go back, take the other fork, and head up onto the platform. Continue down the staircase on the other side, grab the HealGrease, and lockpick the grate to your left. Then go back to the terminal and turn on the Aux Generator.

Now go back to where you activated the Gen Bridge, grabbing a petal and WhiteBeetle along the way. Continue along the path and activate the Distributor.

Head back to the beginning and grab beetle and petal. Use the terminal in the middle tunnel to open the Access Door. Now take the right tunnel into:


 * Lower Levant

From the first fight, go right, then take the right fork. Grab a RedBeetle. Continue on and extend the Power Bridge.

Go back and take the other fork. Pick the lock, get the MysFac Circuit Breaker from the chest. Continue to another chest for a full set of HG, HG+, and HGC.

Go back to the first fight area and go left. At the fork, go right. Grab a RedBeetle. Pass by the shed and put the circuit breaker in the panel.

Go back and take the other fork. At the metal ramp, walk around behind it for a BlastSack, then go up. Turn on the Primer Pump.

Go back to the shed and turn on MysTech Conveyance. Note that it drops a slag. If you want it, head back to the Primer Pump terminal and continue on for Banewave.

From the shed, head along the fence and up into the new opening.


 * Levatic Pump Area

In the big room, hit the chest for 3 Batt.

At the bottom of a ladder, hit the chest for a Bouge Bangle (1/3 faster Bouge charge). Give it to Grumpos. Behind the chest, very hard to see, is a Cobalt Crawler.

Save your game before going down to the bottom. Pump one of your WhiteBeetles up to Level 7 and put it in the middle of Boots' Elementor Host. Give Grumpos Baneblade, and your third character PsyChain. Use a few Glodents to refill. Lead with Grumpos, and continue down.


 * Boss: Magmatos

You can actually win this fight without using any MysTech, but you might as well use it.

Disable the initial enemies with Freeze or Psy attacks, and move everyone back. When you're ready, kill the initial enemies, and the boss appears.

The switches to either side activate steam vents which do 2000 damage to the boss. When they go out, hit them again. Grumpos, in the middle, should do a HealField whenever he can.

You get FireCage MysTech as booty.

Post-Levant --- When you get back to the Tower, don't talk to the Abbot yet. First, go up to the library.

Do the "noclip" trick to get through the large doors; a bug in the game prevents you from ever getting in otherwise (does 1.02 fix this?). Walk up the spiral, stopping in each room to talk to the monk and photograph the Enigma tablet.

Grab the TACO in the 9th Enigma room.

Go back out, noclipping through the door again, and take your photos to the reporter outside for $900.

If you have PAL, take him to Moon Burger again. This time, in addition to all the things he found before, he finds Shadow Bracers. Don't use them, though. They make fights too easy.

Now go back and talk to the Abbot for a major cutscene.

--- Post-Hephaestus --- Sender Station, Take 4 -- Time to pick a party again. This time you have to take Democratus. Also grab Stiletto for now.

Talk to Salsa for a job (if you took the OneGate photos to Mardoman).

Take Democratus to the GDP and have the Democratan engineer install the plans you found on Hephaestus for $2000. This teaches him Stare Down, which both does damage and stuns.

For Salsa, beat up the goon by the doors to the terminal, and take the Detta Credentials.

Head into the Routubes. On your way in, hit the Lifeflower and Yellow, Blue, White and Red bug mounds.

For Salsa, when you get to the dealer who previously sold you the sleeping drug, talk to him. Either insult him or kill him.

Before the TimeMinder in the Lower Routubes you can tractor in a PurpleBeetle off to the right side of the path.

In the Red Light District, Detective Rukh is now standing by Tubby's, and he has another job for you.

Talk to the floater to the left for a Cobalt Crawler.

Take Stiletto back to the Cold Sweat Sex Machine. The guy at the table before the bar gives you $50. A woman in the Female restroom gives you the Hot Merc Santa Suit, which teaches you the Charm skill.

Talk to the bartender for a lead. Head for Slutopia, and talk to the guy in a booth who isn't watching the show. Then go back to Rukh, who teaches you Master Lockpick.

Visit the MugMugs again and trade the Monk Moss for Firestorm MysTech (Red, Excellent).

Head back out of the Routubes, hitting the mounds and flower along the way. Talk to Salsa for a Regenergy Round.

Anachronox, Take 4 -- On Anachronox, throw a loonie at the switch next to the shuttle to open a compartment with three Bindlebags.

Head for the back room of your office.

Along the way, hit the Green mound in the Spiral gravpath, and go back and forth across the gravpath a few times to get more.

When you get to your office, open the chest for an AutoTargeter, which teaches Boots the Cap skill.

If Rho hasn't learned MysShield yet, buy her the Mysteria Scientifica at Plib's.

Talk to the Red Bipidri guy for Paco Annual Special #4: Tumbleslam Style.

Talk to Zordo for a Two-Function Host.

Head back to Sender Station, hitting the Green mound again on your way out.

If you want to do other character-specific stuff on Hephaestus, go ahead, but it isn't necessary. If you do go back, also break into Mrs. Invisiblus' chest for FreezySlicer MysTech.

OK, now you need to decide who your third character will be on the next mission: PAL, Rho or Stiletto. Each has a solo mission, and you can only do one. PAL's is in an abandoned factory, Rho's has kind of an Indiana Jones feel, and Stiletto's is making fun of Endor in Return of the Jedi. The cutscenes just as you leave Sender Station and after all the solo missions have slightly different dialogue with each character.

All three find their Great weapon. PAL and Stiletto get new skills. Each finds a shieldcell which also protects from their color of MysTech. Only the one Stiletto finds has shields. The fights beforehand will be easier with PAL or Rho, since they have Bouge that hit all enemies. Stiletto has an extra cutscene. Stiletto's mission is mostly fighting, and PAL and Rho have no fighting.

If you want to play the others as well, you can use the debug menu (pull down the console and type "invoke 1:86") to restart from Boots' solo mission with a different character. You should go back to your main game after you're done, though.

Before you go, upgrade to Sender Standard Shieldcells (256/128/64) from Vend-O-Mart. If you missed someone's Good weapon, buy that too. When you're ready, head for the shuttle and choose Limbus.

--- Krapton Comix: Rictus' Ship, the KSC Grimacer ---
 * Villain Ship: Bay

Well, that's different.

Go upstairs and talk to the guys. Then click on the console near where you entered to get a better view of the hologram. It's cycling through a bunch of different machine parts, which I'll try to assign names:

A: The medium-short one with a vertical panel in the middle B: The one with two diagonal panels on the back C: The short one at an angle D: The big diagonal one with a viewscreen at the back E: The medium-short one with stuff on one side F: The one with an orange thing on the back G: The short one with something sticking up H: The empty cage I: The medium-short one with a horizontal panel in the middle J: The one with a ribbed pipe on the side and a tall panel on the back

A and E are very hard to tell apart. But the puzzles don't seem to be randomized, so don't worry about it.


 * Villain Ship: Main Section

I'm going to describe each room you come to. The exits are listed clockwise from the Bow direction. In a room with a computer, you can click on it for a map. The camera button in the lower right shows you the hologram sequence from the Bay again.

Devil Slugs inflict burning. Brutalbots are immune to MysTech and Charm, but not Stun.

1M-a: 2 Pintos. Exits to Bay, 1S-a, 1M-b, 2P-a. 1M-b: Yellow mound. Exit to 1M-a. 1S-a: 2 Pintos, White mound, TimeMinder. Exit to 1M-a. 2P-a: El Pinto HQ. 4 Pintos. Exits to 1M-a, 2P-b. Hologram H. 2P-b: Devil Slug HQ. 4 Slugs. Exits to 2P-a, 1P-b. Hologram D. 1P-b: Exits to 1P-a (Red), 1P-c. In the corridor to 1P-c is a Theta Squarewave Crystal (Democratus, Great, ranged). 1P-c: 3 Bad People. Exits to 1P-b, 1M-c. 1M-c: Bad Person HQ. 4 Bad People. Exits to 1S-c, 1P-c. Hologram F. 1S-c: 2 Orange Roughies. Exits to 2S-c, 1M-c. Chest with HGC. Tractor HGC from shelf. 2S-c: Orange Roughy HQ, 4 Orange Roughies. Exits to 1S-c, 3M-c. Hologram J. Note the Dopefish in one of the tanks. 3M-c: Krapotron Brutalbot HQ, 5 Brutalbots. Hologram B. Exits to 3M-b, 2S-c, 1S-b (how?), 2P-c (Red). 3M-b: Look down on 2M-b and 1M-b. Exits to 3M-a, 3M-c. 3M-a: Gang: Brutalbot, Bad Person, Devil Slug, El Pinto, Orange Roughy. TACO, TimeMinder, Exits to 2M-a (Red) and 3M-b.

The computer in 3M-a has another button next to the camera button, which asks you to match up the enemies with the hologram from their HQ. So, press: Right 3, Right 1, Right 2, Left 1, no change.

This opens all the Red Security Doors. Go back and investigate two you passed earlier.

2P-c: Full gang. Exit to 3M-c. Master lockpick chest for LaserArray Defense Plans. 1P-a: Exit to 1P-b. Lockpick chest for Beef Bracers (Beefiness +2)

OK, going on.

2M-a: Exits to 3M-a, 2S-a and 2M-b. 2S-a: Full gang. Exits to 2S-b and 2M-a. 2S-b: Exits to 2S-a and 1S-b. Chest with Superhero Shieldcell (344/216/128, prot. fire) 1S-b: Exit to 2S-b. Hero Moss. 2M-b: Central shaft again. Exits to 2M-a and 2M-c.

2M-c: Exits to 2M-b and Control (Green). Another puzzle. This time you have to select the enemies in the order that their holograms appear in the sequence above. So: Left 1, Right 1, Right 2, no change, Left 2.


 * Krapton Villain Ship: Control Room

The door ahead of you goes to an empty closet. Around the corner is a fight with an El Puno and 3 Brutalbots.

At the fork in the hallway, turn left for an Elementor Host, then save and get ready for a boss fight. You won't be able to use any Mystech in this fight, so you have to rely on Beat and Bouge. You might want to give someone the Cordicom Personal Shieldcell, as it has better shields than the Sender Standard.


 * Boss: Rictus

FatimaScreen is useful here.

If you have PAL or Stiletto, you can still use BlastSacks to attack at a distance.

Ignore the Cosmic Machines and Brutalbots, just keep beating on Rictus.


 * Villain Brig

Talk to the Amazing Force-O (the guy wandering around) for more Beef Bracers.

Grab Krapto's water dish. Take it across the room to Creepfood. Talk to Headwork on the far left to get mind-reading powers. Talk to Krapto to find out where Invisolad is. Go read Dr. Hush-Hush's mind. Eventually he thinks of a sequence of numbers that all begin with the same two digits. Now read Invisolad's mind for the last two digits.

When you're done talking to everyone, enter those four digits into the keypad by Paco's cell. Cutscene.

Democratus Surface

Boots: Whitendon -- Weapons: Stargent HandCannon MysTech: Cyan mound Other: HG HGC

Do as the man says: Go into the building with the TimeMinder and talk to the Burgomaster.

Break into the room on the right upstairs for a Rapid Wristlet.

OK, time to get your detective on. Note that as you wander around, most everyone thinks you're a guy named Peter. Write down what they have to say about Peter's relationship with Laurie; the answers are random, and they'll only tell you once.

Head up the ramp to the left and talk to Fritz to learn how long Peter and Laurie have been together.

Eventually there will be a ramp on your right up to a house with a Cyan mound in front (grab a beetle). This seems to be the crime scene. Break into the room in back for a HealGrease.

Go back out the front door and notice the drag lines on the ground. Follow them back down. At the foot of the ramp, make a short detour to the right to grab the Stargent HandCannon (Great, ranged). Continue following the drag marks to a tree. Take a photo of the drag marks in front of the tree.

FYI, the door to your right is a shop.

Go up the ramp by the tree. At the kid in red, turn left. Talk to Nikki to learn what Peter gave Laurie as a present, then turn around and photograph the scratches on the roof.

Go back past the kid in red and left, which takes you back to the entrance. This time take the low road next to the ramp you took before. This takes you to the Fairweather Inn. Take a photo of the tracks in front of the broken fence.

Step into the tavern and talk to the guy on the left to find out about Peter and Laurie's first kiss. Go upstairs and break into the closet at the end of the hall for an HGC.

Show your photos to the Burgomaster, then head back out. If Laurie isn't standing out front, go up and talk to Fritz again; that should make her show up. Convince her that Peter does still love her by giving her the answers you got earlier.

Go grab another Cyan bug. When you're done with everything in town, talk to the innkeeper for a cutscene.

Paco: Commiteon Provisional Base

Weapons: Phantomfist Cyclic Sensor Array Cells: Field Issue Shieldcell MysTech: Cobalt Crawler Accessories: Wristbands of Whacking Other HGC HG+

Talk to the soldier on the right, then click on the TimeMinder for a TimeMinder Tear.

Head left and up behind the generator (the steaming machine) for a Field Issue Shieldcell (344/216/128, prot. Winky).

Continue through and around to the right and talk to Sergeant Major Sargent. He sends you to talk to 1st Lieutenant Bibere, and gives you his field code (SCOWL).

Continue along and find Bibere hiding under a tank on the left. He tells you about some beer in his foot locker in the officer's barracks, and sends you to Captain Militaratus (WRATH).

Continue around back to the entrance. Militaratus is on the right. He sends you to Major Tweedy (SPITE). He mentions problems with the generator and sends you to Colonel Irdgaff (ANGER).

Continue around, and into the tent in the center. Irdgaff points you at Command Sergeant Major Heten (GROWL). He complains about the generator alarm.

Go back to the generator and RageMight the control panel. Run back to where Heten used to be and click on the tactical map. In the lower left is the code of the day (CAGE). Click on the KeyNote sitting on the desk, type in CAGE, and get the perimeter fence code (65712).

Go back to the entrance and use the code to get out.


 * Dessicatus Surface

OK, now strip all the equipment from your other characters, equip Paco, and prepare to destroy all who dare oppose you, MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA. No, wait, Paco's a hero. So, the same thing, really, only more heroically.

There's an HGC behind the tent. There's an HG+ after the bridge.


 * Abandoned Base

Avoid the lasers and go inside. Past the hover mines, on the doorsill, is a Cobalt Crawler. Go back, down the other path, and through the door on the left.

There are several generators in the base, such as the one on the left in this room. RageMighting them disables the turret they're connected to (if any; what does this one do?). But the turrets are easy to dodge, so there's no need.

The next hallway has an automatic turret; run through when it's retracted and go right.

Between two bunks downstairs in the barracks is a Wristbands of Whacking.

At the big green hallway, go through the door in front of you instead.

Under the truck in the Garage is a chest with Phantomfist, Paco's only ranged weapon (Good, ranged).

Head up to the security station. The panel on the far left gives you Cyclic Sensor Array (Democratus, Excellent, ranged). If you equip the first one on Democratus, you can grab a second one.

Open the elevator, run back to the green hallway and go down it to the elevator. Don't worry about getting shot. Continue for a cutscene.

Now comes the solo mission for your third character.

Stiletto: Doren --- Weapons: Stargent Bladerangs Cells: Doren Imperial Shieldcell (432/216/96, prot. slow) MysTech: SlowMarch Elementor Host Blue mound Skills: BladeSleeves Merc Suit (Blade Fan) Collectibles: Waugee Moss

Turn around and grab the Doren Imperial Shieldcell on the ground.

Talk to the guy in front of the bunker for a BladeSleeves Merc Suit (Blade Fan).

At the fork, go right. At the end of the path is a Blue mound. Go upstairs, talk to General Walton, and continue around for SlowMarch MysTech (Blue, Great).

Go back and take the other fork. Grab the Stargent Bladerangs (Great, ranged) from the chest and talk to the quartermaster. Inside, grab the Elementor Host. When you're ready, click on the bunk for a cutscene.


 * Waugees Forest

FYI, the fights in here seem to respawn.

At the fork, go either way.

Eventually you get to a fight with two wasps on a battlefield with three exits. One of them has something green in it; that's the Waugee Moss. Head that way and grab it as you pass.

Eventually you will come to:


 * Boss: Queen Waugee

Don't bother with the little Waugees.

Back in Doren, talk to Walton, head back to the level entrance, and you're done.

Rho: Tensil --- Weapons: Tesseract Impactor Cells: Tensil Tribalcell MysTech: PoisonTempest Elementor Host Green mound Other: HGC or Bag o' Glodents BlastSack

Inside the gates, talk to the first guy, who sends you to Grand Chieftaness Hedela.

Now turn right and grab the Elementor Host hidden in the shadows by the wall.

In the shadows on the left is a bush. Pick the 3 red berries.

Remember Gosheven, the guy behind the cart.

Behind the water trough is a Green Mound.

By Sakima, the first first fruit seller, is a pouch with a random item; I've gotten either an HGC or a Bag o' Glodents.

Behind Sakima's fruit stand is PoisonTempest (Excellent, Green).

On the ledge of the well is a Silver Leaf.

After the ramp, behind the planter box on your right is a Silver Leaf. Continuing, in the next planter box there is a bush with 2 more red berries. In the far right corner is a BlastSack.

At the two fruit stands, remember Lonato on the right, then take the path between them to find Hedela. She wants 4 Golden Leaves.

Go around the other side of the temple. Don't try to beat up Iniko. Go through the gate and pick 4 more berries at the bush outside. Talk to the boy and give him a Silver Leaf.

Cross the bridge and grab the Silver Leaf on the right.

Heading back into town, turn right past Patamon and the bird, and find another Silver Leaf in a corner on the right.

Go back to Sakima and trade your 9 berries for a Silver Leaf.

Head back to the entrance and ask Gosheven for a Golden Leaf.

Trade your 4 Silver Leaves to Lonato for a Golden Leaf.

Take your 2 Golden Leaves back to Hedela, who decides that's good enough, and gives you the Tensil Tribalcell (464/216/0, prot. poison) for your honesty. She then asks you to do some tomb raiding.

FYI, you could have gotten 4 Golden Leaves by being dishonest: Patamon has a Gold Leaf in his bag; if you shoo the bird over to his fruit stand, you can steal it while his back is turned. You can pick unripe Ziffinberries and soak them in the water trough at the entrance to make them seem ripe, then give them to Sakima along with the real ripe berries for a Gold Leaf. If you refuse the boy a Silver Leaf, or if you bully Iniko into giving you another one, then you will still have 4, so you can still get a   Golden Leaf from Lonato. But then you wouldn't get the Tensil Tribalcell. And you'd be naughty.


 * Tensil Temple

1st Puzzle: The ghost talks about seeing. So look at the central column. First press the symbol you don't see there. Then turn around, see which symbol you see, and go press that one. If you see two, the one on the right is the correct one. So: Eye, Cross, Hand, Sun, Crossed Circle, Moon. 2nd Puzzle: The ghost talks about opposites. So place the opposite block into the opposite hole. You'll get an ascending tone if you get one right.

From the ramp down, head left and step on the button to remove the ramp. Be sure to fail the next puzzle once you you can get the Tesseract Impactor (Great, ranged).

3rd Puzzle: Here, just make sure you don't choose either the trap icon the ghost tells you about or the icon currently being displayed over the exit doorway.

4th Puzzle: Walk along the lighted path. 5th Puzzle: Go back and find the other way down. 6th Puzzle: Again, stay on the lighted path. 7th Puzzle: Approach from the side.


 * Tensil again

Give the artifact to Hedela, and go back to the entrance to finish the mission.

PAL-18: Ballotine --- Weapons: Cordicorps Shockshot x2 (PAL's Great weapon, ranged) Cells: Ballotine Thoughtcell (464 NRG, 216 Throughput, no shield, anti-nuts) MysTech: NutsSlapshot (Excellent Yellow MysTech) Elementor Host YellowBeetle Skills: Battlebot TaserDrain Upgrade (PAL's 4th-level skill) Other Items: Healgrease Complete x2 Healgrease Plus x2  TimeMinder Tear x3

From the timeminder, turn right and go through the hole in the fence. Go through the door by the woman. Grab the box on the floor to get PAL's TaserDrain skill. Turn around and talk to Claude three times to get a quest.

OPTIONAL: From the house, turn right and right again to the stream for a Healgrease Complete.

Leave town the way you came in, and follow the path through a door. Take the elevator up to the Ballotine Plant.


 * Ballotine Plant

Roll forward, watch the cutscene, and continue along the path, passing a mutant, until you reach a three-way intersection. There's nothing to the sides, so continue forward until you see a timeminder sitting next to a machine with a dataport.

OPTIONAL: Hack the port for a Ballotine Thoughtcell (464 NRG, 216 Throughput, no shield).

Click on the machine, and move the fuse from Pool 1 to Pool 2. Go left and click on the duct to the Pool 1 area.

OPTIONAL: When you come out, turn left, go down to the floor, and grab the Healgrease Plus in the far left corner.

Go up the ramp, turn left and click on the cyan pad to open the door to Pool 2. When you reach the suspended walkway, look right to find a NutsSlapshot. Continue through the tunnel to Pool 2.

OPTIONAL: To the right is a dataport. If you have PAL's Master Comptalk, you can hack it for 3 TimeMinder Tears.

Go out onto the walkway and click on the red wheel. Hit the 1<-2 button to empty Pool 2 into Pool 1. Go down the ramp to the right and click on the duct.

Go back to the fuse panel, and move the fuse to Pool 3. Go through the right-hand duct to the Pool 3 area. Go up the ramp, then left, and use the wheel panel to empty Pool 3 into Pool 1.

Go back across the walkway to the door to Pool 2, and go through the tunnel.

OPTIONAL: Immediately after the dip, you will find a dataport to the left. Hack it for the Cordicorps Shockshot (great, ranged). You'll get another one back in town, so no need to bother with this one.

Once you reach the Pool 2 area, go down the ramp, roll over to the Pool 3 door, and click on the panel beside it. Go through the tunnel and the next door.

OPTIONAL: Grab the Healgrease Complete in the far corner.

Go up the small ramp to the wheel. Turn it to the right, and the town is saved! You will automatically go back out and down the elevator.

If you aren't already full on yellow bugs, there's one sitting on the pool of goo before the door. Head back to town.

Along the path, there's a HealGrease in front of a wall.

OPTIONAL: There's an Elementor Host in the room where you talked to Claude before.

There's a Healgrease Plus along the path down to the stream. Talk to Claude by the stream for another Cordicorps Shockshot, and again to end the quest.

Boots again --- Cells: Wimpa Peltcell MysTech: Cobalt Crawler FreezeCubist Cyan mound Accessories: Circlet of Safety Skills: Supershot (Aerial Trigger) Other: HG


 * White Caves

You might want to equip a Circlet of Safety to protect from Freeze.

After the fight with 3 Snow Suckers, watch for a Cobalt Crawler in a group of rocks on the left side of the path.

After the map change, open the chest for a Supershot (Aerial Trigger).

After the Grumpy Bunny fight, get ready for the boss.


 * Boss: Wimpa

Hmm, isn't that Boots' face in one of the piles of bodies? I guess Peter and Laurie won't be getting back together after all.

You don't need the Circlet of Safety for this boss. FatimaScreen doesn't work here, nor do any MysTech status effects, but FlashBlind does.

You get FreezeCubist MysTech as booty.


 * Whitendon, Take 2

Don't talk to the Burgomaster until you're done with Whitendon.

Grab another Cyan bug, and talk to the parents of the missing boy for a HealGrease and a Circlet of Safety.

Talk to Squinty George, the balding hunter wandering around town, to turn your Wimpa Pelt into a Wimpa Peltcell (432/216/96, prot. Freeze).

Talk to Laurie in front of the Inn for a Cobalt Crawler.

Grab another Cyan bug, then go back and talk to the Burgomaster to leave the planet.

Votowne, Take 2 --- Cells: Old Ducalion Shieldcell MysTech: CobaltCrawler Skills: Cat Burglar Suit (Stiletto's 1st level skill, Stealth) Nuclear Defence Plans Pages 1-4 (Democratus' 3rd level skill) Collectibles: TACO

OPTIONAL: Go back into the council room and talk to folks. One of them gives you an Old Ducalion Shieldcell, which is obsolete at this point. Continue into the Warship Bay area. At the end of the first hallway, there is a CobaltCrawler on the bench. Go back towards where you got the fighter; go down twice, through a door and tunnel. In a chest on the far wall is the Cat Burglar Outfit, which teaches Stiletto the Stealth skill. If you want more experience, you can wander around picking fights with the Robodes; otherwise, head back to the council waiting room.

Step out the door and talk to Sergeant Guff twice for the last TACO.

Head out into Votowne and go down the ramp. Around to the left side of the ramp are the Nuclear Defense Plans Page 4.

Continue on to the second section of Votowne, and down the ramp to the right. On the inside at the bottom are the Nuclear Defence Plans Page 3.

Go through town; when you have to go right around a building, go down into the dimly lit area for Nuclear Defense Plans Page 2.

Page 1 is in the crack to the right of the final ramp up to a door you can't go through.

Go on to the Republic Inn. There's a guy in the lobby who will give you Healgrease for a picture of the party.

Talk to the clerk, and choose to stay Now. When you wake up, head back to the shuttle and Sender Station.

Sender Station -- Talk to Rukh to get quest #4: Visit Brother Morpheus.

Also talk to the Brebulan at gate 4; he asks you to find his pills, which are behind the tree in the park by Vend-O-Mart.

Talk to the TACO guy to get Hoppercut (Paco's Excellent weapon, melee). Of course, Tumbleslam is better, so you probably won't actually use it  except to see the silly animation.

Take your new moss down to the MugMug. Or wait until you get back from Limbus; neither of these are that exciting. Hero Moss - MugMug Sluggicell (648/216/162, slow) Waugee Moss (only if you took Stiletto) - 2-1 host

Take Democratus to visit the Engineer in the GDP to install the LaserArray and Nuclear Arsenal systems you found; these cost 4000 and 8000 loonies, respectively.

Then go back to the lounge and pick up Paco and PAL for an excursion.

Take the pills back to the Brebulan for $250, then head for Anachronox.

Anachronox -- If you haven't completed the OneGate quest for Mardoman yet, do that now. Have Paco take the Bloodstone while you're there. Then go back to Sender Station and do the quest for Salsa.

Mardoman, wants photos of the 5 MysTech clusters in the museum. Reward: PsySummon MysTech.

Hephaestus -- Take Paco to visit Mrs. Invisiblus in the slums for Master RageMight.

Talk to Brother Morpheus in the Tower, by the window you climbed through before.

Take PAL to Moon Burger again.

Sender Station -- Report back to Rukh. If you did all three earlier quests, there's no reward.

Choose your party for Limbus and head out. You will want to take Stiletto, Rho and Paco to Limbus at some point, but you can't take all of them now, so it's up to you. You should take at least one, so you only have to make one trip back with the other two.

Limbus -- When the cutscene ends, run around to the other side of the shuttle to get Wild Moss.

Kill the Clams and go between the pillars. Kill more clams; there's a TimeMinder Tear off to the left. Continue, and past the steps there is a Two-Function Host on the left. Continue on to the Sagentane Crevice map.

Walk up and kill the slugs. On the far side of the battleground is the Obsidian bug mound, finally. Get at least three.

At the next battlefield is a Lifeflower. As usual, hit it every time you go by.

The next battle is with more clams. If you head to the right through the crack here, eventually you will find a Healgrease Complete. Turn around and go down through the doorway; eventually you will meet more slugs. Continue to find another HC, and come out again by the Lifeflower.

The next battlefield has a BlastSack.

Continue on into the tunnel. Prepare yourself for a more serious fight with some Sagen-Kra at the end; they attack in two waves of three, and either use MysTech status attacks or a tail attack that hits everyone for 1000 damage. Sometimes they will join together to charm one of your characters. They seem to be immune to status effects from MysTech, but it does plenty of damage. Also, stunning skills work normally.

Cutscene.

Now you need to assign a party member to each of the three "points of interest". Two are normal fights, one is a mini-game, so save your weakest fighter for the last.

The first point of interest is the Bridge of Betrayal where you fought the Sagen-Kra, back through the door behind you after the cutscene.

The second is the Cliffs of Casting, to the left of the first big room in the city. There is also a yellow bug mound in this room, if for some reason you aren't already fully stocked.

Continuing on, you will reach a junction with a tunnel to the left and a door to the right. Turning right takes you to the hotel and throne room. Turning left at the junction takes you up to the Lance of the Vigil, the third point of interest. Be sure to grab the Three-Function Host along the way.

When you've visited all three points, the battle will begin with the Lance minigame. Shoot the transports. There are 25 transports; the more you miss, the more your compatriot will have to fight at the Cliffs (up to 9). The battle at the Bridge is always with three enemies. The Dark Servants are very vulnerable to MysTech; Freeze and Poison are good bets.

Head back to the throne room and talk to Santadramangetricus for a cutscene. He will set you on the next stage of your quest: Head back to Anachronox and talk to good old Rowdy, who apparently is a Limbus agent.

While you're still here, do some side quests:

The armorer wants you to find an Underplate. It's back out in the Crevice, in the side area by the clam battlefield. Talk to the soldier and he'll give it to you. While you're there, continue through to get the Stargent Enerstrike, Grumpos' Excellent weapon. Return the Underplate to the armorer, and he will let you buy the Vigil Safecell for 8000 loonies. Buy it! This is the first cell you can find that will let you cast Harmonic and Ultimate spells. See the MysTech section for more information.

Outside the armorer, Janterzinkothquodelle wants you to catch 10 baby Hyrax. This is a rather annoying quest, as the Hyrax only appear about once a minute. Furthermore, it's buggy; often he fails to notice that you have all 10. But if you really want to give it a try: TimeMinder area: 1) From the TimeMinder through the archway.   2) Between the torches at the archway. Memorial/Cliffs area: 1) From the bench by the shoulderpad to the Yellow mound.   2) From the armorer to the Yellow mound. 3) From the bench by the memorial to the Cliffs.  Junction area:    1) At the junction, along the long side. Hotel/Throne room area: 1) Along the wall to the left after the door from the junction.   2) To the hotel door, and then along its outside wall. 3) Near the throne room, between the two blocked doors facing each other.   4) To the same door, from the door just uphill. Reward: Regenergy Round (I'm told).

Have Stiletto talk to Thennikendonorr at the junction to get Master Throw Loonie.

Take Paco to the hotel to get a Crimson Stone, which he will be able to use to learn Proxima Punch, once it's been irradiated on Hephaestus. Other hotel rooms contain a Healgrease Plus and a Blue mound. The shopkeeper in the back will give you Firestorm MysTech.

Take Rho to the throne room to get the Limbusonian Archentome, which she can use to learn Pocket Singularity, her 4th-level skill.

A guy outside the hotel will tell you how you did in the battle.

When you're done, head back to Sender Station.

Sender Station -- Rukh mission #5: Meet up at Room 6 in Frank's Flophouse. Talk to him again to get FreezySlicer Harmonic. Perhaps this is the reward for mission 4?

Talk to Salsa in the back of the Lounge to get Baneslaught Harmonic (White, Most Excellent).

Pick up whichever of Rho, Paco and Stiletto you didn't take to Limbus before, and take them there now to get their bits.

Now that you've done Limbus, you can get the rest of the Excellent weapons. You should already have the ones for Paco, Democratus, and Grumpos.

Visit the MugMug and give him your Wild Moss in exchange for the Verdun War Medallion, which we need to get Boots' Excellent weapon.

We have stuff for PAL, Paco and Rho to do on Hephaestus. Since we can only take two at a time, I'd just take PAL and Rho, and come back later with Paco once we have the other Stone.

Hephaestus -- Have Rho talk to Brother Raysa, the monk near the entertainment area tram stop. He sends you to talk to four other monks; in order from the Poor Section entrance to the Tower entrance, they are: Information on wind velocity near the Rocket Coaster Information on wind shear near the metal support tower (Bungee) Information on channel blowthrough near the Eco Bar Information on eddy strength behind Le Sommeil (on the 4th floor) In exchange, he gives Rho the Atomic Debinder (Rho, Excellent, Ranged).

Leave PAL in the Moon Burger for 4 hours to get the Cordicorps Saneslayer (PAL, Excellent, Ranged) and, if you like, longer for more Shadow Bracers.

Have Paco talk to the robot at the furnace in MYSFAC (from the elevator, go down the ramp, through two doors, and down again) to irradiate the Crimson Stone.

The MysTech shop nearest the monk's tower now has SlowVicer (Excellent), if you're interested. The one near the Bungee tower has Baneslaught (Excellent). The one near the Rocket Coaster has PsySummon (Excellent), but you should already have that from the Resistance subquest.

Go back to Sender Station and pick up Stiletto and Democratus for the return to Anachronox; hers and Boots' are the only Excellent weapons left to get.

Anachronox -- On the way out of the Platform area, there is a switch on the wall across the way and down. Throw a loonie at it to open a closet with two Healgrease Complete.

Also throw a loonie at the switch you exposed in the Tours Area back before Hephaestus. This opens a compartment with a Regenergy Round Plus and 2 Healgrease.

Passing through the Junkyard Area, if you check the chest again you will find an envelope with $50. Woo-hoo.

Talk to the Democratan in Frank's Flophouse for WinkyTornado Harmonic.

Use Boots' Master Picklock on room B in Frank's. Give the guy inside the Verdun War Medallion in exchange for the Stargent Decimator (Boots, Excellent, ranged)

Head down to Room 6; Rukh is there, but in no condition to talk. Look at the photo on the bed. If you have Rho with you, she remembers bumping into the assailant on her way to the shuttle on Sunder.

Continue into the Privacy Suite for a Parallel Host.

Head for the MysTech tunnels. (Sixth config?) Be prepared for some fighting. The Robottack is immune to freeze, and takes 1/5 Beat damage, but normal damage from MysTech.

If you didn't get them before, grab the WinkyVortex, NutsHammer and PoisonBeams on this visit to the tunnels.

From where you found Grumpos' Blade head earlier, turn around and grab the GEAS Noxcell (200/200/200).

At the junction, to the left is the Doorlord. He takes 1/4 damage from MysTech and 1/2 from Beat attacks. Your best bet is to use stunning skills; Paco's Ground Pound and Democratus' Stare Down are great, as they also damage. It'll take a while, but eventually he'll die, and you'll get the Recycler Shieldcell, the best cell in the game (999/999/666).

Remember to hit the Lifeflower on your way out.

Continuing on to the right, you will come to the river and a Three-Parallel Host.

Turn around and go back across the bridge at the junction, run to the opposite side of the next room, and look up. Throw a Loonie at the blue button on the door up there. This opens a niche back at the beginning of the tunnels. So head on back.

Visit the merchant in the MysTech Museum for PoisonTempest Harmonic (?).

Head for Rowdy's and talk to him. He tells you to get back the piece of MysTech you and Grumpos found in the Tunnels way back when. And it's back to...

Sender Station -- Go back to the Lounge and pick up Grumpos and Paco.

Anachronox -- Head for the Tenements. From the entrance, head right and down the ramps. Before the Barton Arms, have Grumpos talk to the floater under the stairs to get Dodecahedral Prism.

Head for Anachronox Tours, buy three tickets to OneGate (with someone other than Boots), and head for your shuttle.

When you get to OneGate Station, head down the ramp next to the Exit door. Head off the path to the left to get a Bloodstone for Paco. Can you do this when you're here for the Resistance? Can you delay doing that quest until you get Paco?

The merchant there has various high-ticket items, including the Dettacorp Personal Powercell, if you want all your characters to be able to cast Ultimate spells. I prefer shields, myself.

Head back to the Tours area. Talk to Mad Kaleb for PsySummon Harmonic (Obsidian, Most Excellent).

Head back to Hephaestus. Have Paco talk to the robot at the furnace in MYSFAC (from the elevator, go down the ramp, through two doors, and down  again) to irradiate the Bloodstone (and Crimson Stone, if you didn't do  it before). From this, he can learn FireFury, his 1st-level skill.

Head back to Pay2Pray on the Station so Grumpos can learn WhiteLight.

Head back to OneGate again (you don't need to buy another ticket).

Wander through OneGate, beating up the guards. Grab the Three-Function Host along the way.

Save at the TimeMinder, and proceed to the final mission. You'll split up your group into two parties, led by Boots and Stiletto. Put Democratus with Boots and Paco with Stiletto.

Grounds --- As Boots, head out. When you go up a ramp, you can go ahead for a fight or not. Either way, head to the right here and go through the door. As Stiletto, go left for a fight, then go right and through the door. As PAL, wander around until you find a chute to enter.

Basement

As PAL, go down to the computer and hack the port on the left. Move the bridge.

As Boots, fight, pick the lock, grab the HG Plus along the way. Go as far as you can, beat up the goons, cross the bridge and go down. There is a HGP behind the blue boxes. Continue down. Fight more goons, and look at the newspaper on the floor: Coho Torque Beef Plaza. The choice is clear. This tells you that BEEF is a useful keynote code. There's an HGC among the boxes. Head back up, typing BEEF into the two keynotes along the way for background info. Before the bridge, go up to the deadend. As PAL, switch the bridge again. As Boots, run across into the new area. Grab the Bag O' Glodents. Head through the small gap at the back of the room, down to a fight. On top of the gate is a Firestorm Harmonic which Democratus can Master tractor in. Have PAL move the bridge again. Head back up, across the bridge and through the door. In the new section, move around clockwise, going inside to each computer. At the end, you will learn today's rule: Use only odd numbered entries today. Wait in front of the big door.

As Stiletto, head out to the blue section. When you see a keypad down on the floor, walk down to it. Punch in FACE (you'll learn this later). It will tell you that the codes for the cells are Cells 2,5: 4212 Cells 1,3,6: 6776 From the keynote, facing back up the ramp, go right onto the plasma floor, then right again into a narrow area. Run into the door, and go through. Head up the stairs and around until you come to the security office, with a Parallel Host in the corner. Seems a bit lame for such a secret area, eh? Wait, there's more. Go back down. Just after the open area, there's a dead-end hallway to the left. Except it's actually a door. Go through, and you're on the other side of the grate that you got the Firestorm Harmonic off of. Grab the GEAS Noxcell. There's another door to the right, but there doesn't seem to be anything in there. Go all the way back out, and check the cells if you like. Contents: Cell 1: 4 goons Cell 2: Nothing Cell 3: 4 head goons, TimeMinder Tear Cell 5: 2 head goons Cell 6: 2 head goons Continue on through the door. Grab the HGP on the left. Fight. Head up the ramp to the left for a Glodent Colony. Down and to the left is a drunk guard with a scrap of paper: TODAY's FACE 1 2 3 6 8 11 13 22 This tells you, a bit late, that FACE is a keynote code. Continue through the door to the TimeMinder, and wait in front of the big door.

As PAL, go down the ramp, grabbing the NutsSlapshot Harmonic on the left, and hack open the door. Fight the goons. Go back to the computer. Pick the odd numbers out of the set from the note Stiletto found: 1 3 11 13 --> A C K M So select Astro Cordica Kepler Mojo, Accept. The doors in front of Boots and Stiletto will open, and an elevator will descend for PAL. Everybody move on to the next level.

Fortress

As PAL, go up and hack the dataport. Open the doors for Security Level 1.

As Boots, head up the stairs and fight. Head down to the pool and fight. Go through the door to the left and fight. In the back just to the right of the car is SlowVicer Harmonic (Blue, Most Excellent). On a box to the right of the room is a FACE keynote: Medium Security Door Access is: 4 17 1 2 5 6 Head back to the pool and around through the big metal door. Access the computer on the right, and using the odd numbers rule from before, enter Photon Astro Eternal to shut down the generator. Cross the bridge, go through the door, use the computer to open the level 2 doors. Grab the Glodent Colony (which looks like a mere Bag O' Glodents).

As PAL, head through the security door and hack the new computer. Activate the elevator and ride it down. Go through the door. Go around back to the right to the computer. Activate the plates in the MA lab.

As Stiletto, head up and fight. Go through the door, wave to Boots et al, and head down and through the big metal door. There's another keynote with the same door access codes, and a Glodent Colony on the right. Head left through the door. Grab the HGPs on the table. The computer has some background info. RageMight the door for a TimeMinder Tear. Hop on the plates. Use the computer in the middle to activate the transport pods in CI Holding.

As Boots, hop in the pods.

Upper Level --- As Boots, use the computer to open the airlock, unlock the CI chamber door, and activate the AC chamber platform.

As Stiletto, go through the door and use the computer to unlock the workshop door.

As PAL, go through the airlock. The computer has info. Continue around, through the other airlock and the door. Use the computer to open the L4 doors. Go back to the second airlock, cycle it, and wait.

As Stiletto, continue around, open the bars, and go down to meet PAL.

As Boots, cycle the airlock again. Go through the door and fight with three goons. K'Conrad Khk will sell you stuff, but nothing very interesting. Continue on, and follow in PAL's footsteps.

Move everyone up to the big door. Distribute Grumpos' equipment among the rest of the party; equip everyone else with status protection stuff, especially against Freeze and Nuts. Save your game; this is your last opportunity. When you're ready, open the door.

Final Boss Sequence --- For the first two fights, you only have Boots and Stiletto, but Detta shouldn't be much of a challenge.

For the last fight, you need to prevent the status enemies from respawning somehow...

THE END

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================================================== Appendices

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================================================== Totally Arbitrary Collectible Objects (TACOs) - 1. In the back of Ghalla's Creature repair. 2. Frank's Flophouse room 6 3. Grumpos' balcony 4. Below a ramp in the Junkyard 5. Chest in MysTech Tunnels 6. Whackmaster Jack's (PAL) 7. Anachronox Tours by broken elevator (PAL) 8. Rainbow Sanctuary Lounge, Sunder 9. Republic Inn Room 401, Votowne 10. Guy in Sender Station Station 11. Platform Area Elevator, Bricks 12. Give Sunder Moss to MugMug in Sender Station Underworks 13. Orange Navel Room 2, Sender Station Red Light District 14. Tubby's Grease Shack, Sender Station Red Light District 15. OneGate 16. MYSFAC 17. Eco Bar, Hephaestus Entertainment District 18. Tower of the 9 Enigmas 19. Grimacer room 3M-a 20. Sgt. Guff, Votowne Council Chamber

Rewards:

1 - HealGrease Complete 5 - 5 TimeMinder Tears 10 - Baneblade MysTech (White, Great) 15 - Cordicom Personal Shieldcell (80/80/64) 20 - Hoppercut (Paco, Excellent, melee)

Red Bipidri --- 1. Tenements 2. MysTech Museum 3. Sendormitory, Sender Station 4. Republic Inn, Votowne 5. Warship Bay, Votowne 6. Sender Station Underworks 7. Hephaestus Slums 8. MYSFAC, Hephaestus

Reward: Tumbleslam

Bugs

Red in Myst. Mecca (x2), Lower Routubes White all over: Levant, Junkyard Area, Casinox, Slums, Lower Routubes Purple in MYSFAC. Single beetle just into Lower Routubes. Yellow in Upper Routubes Blue in Upper Routubes (near drug dealer) Green in Fountain Spiral Gravpath Cyan in Junkyard -- head toward Tree area, turn right at boards Obsidian in Sagentane Crevice Lifeflower in Sender Station Commons by entrance to Routubes (at night)

Cobalt Crawlers --- 1. NoxGuard in the Tenements (Grumpos) 2. Levatic Pump area 3. Hephaestus slums (Democratus) 4. Floater in Red Light District 5. Abandoned Base (Paco solo) 6. White Caves (Boots solo) 7. Whitendon, take 2 (Boots solo) 8. Warship Bay, take 2

MysTech --- Effects: Cyan    Boots       Freeze  Can't move. Blue    Stiletto    Slow    Battle meter refills more slowly. Green   Rho         Poison  Damage repeated every 5 seconds (3x). White   Grumpos     Bane    No status effect. Heals ally. Purple  Democratus  Winky   Battle meter refills erratically. And? Yellow  PAL         Nuts    Attack randomly. Red     Paco        Burn    Damage repeated every 5 seconds (3x). Obsidian -	    Psy     Attack allies.

All effects last 15 seconds. Casting on allies removes the effect.

Using a Cobalt Crawler in one of the power slots causes the spell to hit all targets.

I wrote the rest of this section the first time I played the game, about a year ago, and I've forgotten exactly what I meant by some bits. :)

Spell name thresholds: Freezo - 1 output FreezeZone - 4 output FreezeCubist - 64 output (8/15 cost) FreezySlicer - 162 output (21/28 cost) (3x7, 2x7+1CC) FreezySlicer Harmonic - 234 output (30/37 cost) (4x7+1x2, 3x7+1x2+1CC) FreezySlicer Ultimate - 332 output (46/51 cost) (4x7+3x6, 4x7+1x6+1x3+1CC)

Best pre-Vigil setup (works with any of the 216-throughput cells from Democratus surface):

Bivice, 3x7, 1x6, including White, 1 Cobalt, one L4 function beetle, one L3. Arrange the beetles so that the L4 function gets all four, and the L3 function gets one L7, the L6, and a Cobalt. The first will be a 216 output/216 cost spell that hits one target; the second will be a 160 output/216 cost spell that hits all targets.

Best Vigil cell setup:

Move the same beetles onto the Triangula host, only with the function beetles in parallel. Feed the L3 function beetle a flower so that it overlaps with another of the L7 beetles. This will be a 448 output/504 cost spell that hits all targets.

Best Recycler cell setup: 3-parallel, 4x7, 1x6, 1x4, 1CC, with one 7-function, one 6-function (omitting the CC) and one 5-function (omitting the CC and the L4): 124/992/884 (89%) 3-parallel, 4x7, 2x6, 1x5, one 7-function, two 6-function (one omitting an L6, one the L5): 124/992/992

Damage scales logarithmically with output, and seems to depend on nothing else. Here is a partial chart:

448: 6484 352: 6210 344: 6187 328: 6065 224: 3874 176: 3272 160: 3074 112: 2549 88: 2287 80: 2199 56: 1898 44: 1708 40: 1645 20: 1329 14: 1234 8: 1139  4: 1076  2:  614  1:  382

Most bang for buck, all targets: 4x7, 2x6, 1CC: 54/432/352 (81% efficiency) 4x7, 1CC, 2-parallel: 70/560/504 (90%) 4x7, 1CC, 3-parallel: 98/784/728 (93%)

Most bang for buck, one target: 4x7, 3-parallel: 84/672/672

Bouge Skills

The number is how many seconds it takes to charge enough Bouge for the skill. The Bouge Bangle reduces these times by 1/3.

Boots: Just use item. FatimaScreen      -  6 - Reduce Beat damage by 50% for 30 seconds LifeCursor Shield Upgrade (Whackmaster Jack) FlashBlind        - 12 - Stun target for 15 seconds PAX FlashPak (Detective Rukh) Aerial Trigger    - 18 - 2x damage to all Supershot (White Caves) Cap               - 24 - 4x damage to one AutoTargeter (Chest in office)

Grumpos: Meditate at Pay2Pray. Yammer            -  6 - Stun target for 15 seconds Starting skill Staff Sweep       - 12 - 1.33x damage to all Pentagonal Prism (Alien in Whackmaster Jack's) Heal Field        - 18 - Restore all allies to full health Hexagonal Prism (NPC in Vend-o-Mart) White Light       - 24 - Resurrect, heal, and cure all allies Dodecahedral Prism (Floater near Barton Arms, post-Hephaestus)

PAL: Just use item. Transfer NRG      -  6 - Transfer some NRG to another character Battlebot Conduit Upgrade (talk to Zordo, post-Sunder) Windmill Dash     - 12 - 2x damage to one Starting skill Teslatus Sphere	  - 18 - 2x damage to all Battlebot Shocksphere Upgrade (Ed's House o' Crap) TaserDrain        - 24 - Steal NRG from target Battlebot TaserDrain Upgrade (Ballotine)

Rho: Just use item. Scanalyze         -  3 - Stun, show HP and status effects Theories of Asagan (Plib) MysShield         -  6 - 1/2 damage Mysteria Scientifica (Hephaestus Tower Chapel or Plib post-Hephaestus) Plasma Wall       - 12 - 1.33x damage all Starting skill Pocket Singularity - 24 - 4x damage one Limbusonian Archentome (Limbus)

Democratus: Take plans and cash to engineer at GDP. Tractorhold	  -  6 - Stun for 15 seconds Starting skill Stare Down	  - 12 - 2x damage to one enemy, and stun. Proximity Beam Defense Plans (Hephaestus Entertainment District), $2000 Missile Barrage	  - 18 - 2x damage to all Nuclear Defense Plans (Votowne, post-Hephaestus), $8000 LaserArray        - 24 - 4x damage to one LaserArray Defense Plans (Rictus' ship), $4000

Stiletto: Just use item. Stealth           -  6 - Double chance to dodge for 30 seconds? Cat Burglar Outfit (Democratus Warship Bay, post-Hephaestus) Charm             - 12 - Charm target (like Psy MysTech) Hot Merc Santa Suit (Cold Sweat Sex Machine, post-Hephaestus) BladeFan          - 18 - 2x damage to all Blade Sleeves Merc Suit (Doren) Pain Pirouette    - 24 - 4x damage to one Starting skill

Paco: Irradiate stones in MYSFAC. FireFury          -  6 - Add 50% damage Bloodstone (OneGate station) GroundPound       -  9 - 2x damage to one enemy, and stuns. Starting skill RadiusRage        - 12 - 1.33x damage to all Starting skill Proxima Punch     - 24 - 4x damage to one Crimson Stone (Limbus hotel)

Cells - Numbers are Max NRG/Throughput/Shields.

Pre-owned Shieldcell		 8/  8/  8 Museum, Junkyard, Zordo's, Vend-O-Mart Callosum Shieldcell		 32/ 16/ 16 Rho brings three from Sunder Old Ducalion Shieldcell		 32/ 16/ 32 Votowne, Warship Bay, councilman Cordicom PowerBelt Cell		 48/ 32/ 16 Vend-O-Mart after Sunder Mysteria Shieldcell             64/ 64/ 64 Ed's House o' Crap Cordicom Personal Shieldcell    80/ 64/ 80 TACO reward Mysteria Gold Shieldcell	128/ 80/ 64 Resistance reward, Ed's House o' Crap Sender Standard Shieldcell     256/128/ 64 Vend-O-Mart after Hephaestus

SuperHero Shieldcell		344/216/128, prot. Burn Rictus' ship Field Issue Shieldcell		344/216/128, prot. Winky Commiteon Provisional Base Ballotine Thoughtcell		464/216/ 0, prot. Nuts Ballotine Doren Imperial Shieldcell      432/216/ 96, prot. Slow Doren Tensil Tribalcell		464/216/ 0, prot. Poison Tensil Wimpa Peltcell			432/216/ 96, prot. Freeze Squinty George, Whitendon take 2

Votowne Beltcell		336/168/ 0 Excellent Choice, Votowne take 2

MugMug Sluggicell		648/216/162, slow Trade for Hero Moss

Vigil Safecell			504/504/ 0, prot. Psy Armorer quest on Limbus

GEAS Noxcell			200/200/200 MysTech Tunnels, Detta's basement Recycler Shieldcell		999/999/666 Dropped by Doorlord, MysTech Tunnels after Limbus

Dettacorp Personal Powercell   504/368/  0 Detta's Fortress

APE cartridges -- OX: Talk to guard while PAL is going to the museum. Bugaboo: Tractor kid's plane on Sender Station after Sunder. Pooper: Buy in Votowne? I haven't found it.