Final Fantasy II/Mission to the Pandaemonium

Leon the black knight
Default weapons: axe and sword.

Despite his proficiency, leave the axes to Guy and the swords to Firion, and give him the best staves and spears, that would be otherwise unused.

Detailed analysis of Leon's weapon skills:


 * Axes L9: it's better to leave the axes to Guy, who can make better use of the white-spellcasting Rune axe;
 * Swords L8: it's better to leave the swords to Firion, who can make good use of the black-spellcasting Masamune sword;
 * Spears L7: after Leon joins you, soon a white-spellcasting Holy spear will be found, although Leon is more proficient with Black magic;
 * Staves L6: you should already own two black-spellcasting Mage's and Wizard's staves plus a Healing staff, so this is the choice;
 * Daggers L5: none has special effects, so ignore them;
 * Slings L4: it's better to leave the bows to Maria;
 * Shields L3: every character should use a shield to improve his/her evasion;
 * Karate L2: this is Leon's lowest skill, ignore it.

Equip Leon with a few black and a few white spells, just to improve his spellcasting abilities related to the special weapons he can use.

The Jade Passage
Item checklist:
 * Floor B1: hellfire, diamond mace
 * Floor B2: hellfire, antarctic winds, cat claws (dagger)
 * Floor B3: rune axe, secret shop behind the waterfall
 * Floor B4: Yoichi's Bow, betrayal fang, holy spear, dragon armor, aegis shield
 * Floor B5: hi-potion, protect ring, elixir
 * Floor B6: (no items)

Pandaemonium
''Pandaemonium is the Greek for "all demons" ("pan"=all, "daemon"=demon)

Somehow, the enemies without a weakness are easier to defeat. Exploit the weaknesses of the others before they deal too much damage.

Random encounters (the number before the name is the enemy Rank):
 * R6 Coeurl:       no weakness;
 * R7 Devil wolf:   no weakness;
 * R7 Beast devil:  no weakness;
 * R7 Mantis devil: no weakness, absorbs Fire;
 * R6 Death rider:  weak against Fire; absorbs Death, but isn't weak against Holy;
 * R7 Mithril golem: weak against Lightning;
 * R7 Iron giant:   weak against Lightning and Ice, absorbs Fire.

Chest guardians:
 * R7 Zombie Borghen: weak against Fire and Holy, abosrbs Death
 * R7 Tiamat:        weak against Body (?), absorbs Fire, Ice, Lightning and Poison
 * R7 Beelzebub:     no weakness, absorbs Fire
 * R7 Astaroth:      no weakness

Item checklist:
 * G-floor: (no items)
 * Floor 1: ether
 * Floor 2: elixir
 * Floor 3: (no items; four doors to Floor 4 and 5)
 * Floor 4: Genji helm, Genji gloves, Masamune sword, Confuse tome dropped by enemies (no passages to floor 5)
 * Floor 5: Genji armor, ribbon
 * Floor 6: sage's wisdom
 * Floor 7: hellfire, acid phial
 * Floor 8: (no items)
 * Floor 9: (no items)

BOSS: the Emperor
He absorbs Matter element, that is any instant-defeat spell.

One effective strategy is to attack the Emperor with a Blood Sword, that will deal damage equal to 1/16th of the total HP of the target. Considering the fact that there are two Blood Swords in the game (NES and PS1 versions), and adding the damage dealt by other characters, the Emperor can be defeated in less than eight turns. In the GBA and PSP versions there is one Blood Sword only, so the fight will last twice as long.

An even more effective strategy is to cast high-level Berserk on a character equipped with the Sleep Blade and high-level sword skill: the Emperor will be put to sleep, he won't act at all and the combat can be easily concluded in just about four turns. Of course, once the Emperor is asleep, you can take it easy and test every attack and debuff spell on him, something like painting the face of a sleeping friend.