Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished/Shrine

Mountain path
Your next destination is the path that leads up the mountain to the Shrine and to the Thieves' Den. It's fairly straightforward, with only a few branching paths that dead-end before too long. Only one type of enemy occupies the path, the armored warriors known as Unuguns. They are powerful, but they provide a good amount of experience points and gold.

If you are below level 3, they will be a considerable threat to Adol. At level 3, they become manageable, although you may have to stop and rest to regain some lost health. At level 4, and with some better equipment, you can begin to rip through many of them and boost your experience level. It shouldn't take too long to grind through enough of them to reach 1600 total experience points and level 5. You will even earn enough gold to purchase some of the second tier equipment from the weapon shop and armor shop in Minea.

As an aside, you may find that the trip from the mountain path to Minea is quite long. You may wish to invest in a Wing from Pim's pawn shop, which can instantly transport you back to Minea, regardless of your location. They are unfortunately expensive (2000 gold) in the original versions of the game. However, in the remakes they are a tenth of the price, a mere 200 gold. Investing in one can spare you a lot of travel time.

Thieves' Den
In any version of the game, the den can be found by exploring a region of the mountain path to the east of the shrine. However, while it can be found on the same map as the Shrine in the original, the den is actually found in a new screen to the east of the Shrine in the remake. Additionally, you can actually investigate the interior of the den in the remake, although all you'll find is a lot of empty treasure chests and a path in the back that leads to a large locked door.

When you speak with the leader of the thieves, he will proclaim his innocence in the matter of Zepik's stolen Silver Bells. In fact, he will assert that the thieves have been victims of robbery as well, as all of their silver has been taken away as well. These thieves choose not to steal from hardworking people, and insist that they have not harmed the people of Minea, or anywhere else in Esteria where hardship is common. That leaves you with no place left to explore but the Shrine.

Shrine
Upon entering the Shrine, you will notice six statues lined up against the wall. As long as you possess Sara's Crystal, one of those six statues will appear in a different color (the far right statue in most versions). Stand before this differently colored statue to be transported into the inner halls of the shrine.

First floor
Oddly enough, the first floor of the shrine contains no enemies. You are free to wander about without fear, and if you stand still, you will regenerate lost hit points. These facts are unique to this floor, as you will discover once you gain access to the levels below.

The first floor is just a collection of rooms and doorways. There are actually two treasure chests to find here. The first can be found in the upper right corner of the floor (in most versions of the game. Other versions may place chests in different locations.)  If you investigate this chest, you will discover the Ruby. Like the Golden Vase, its only purpose is to be sold at Pim's pawn shop in Minea, although it's not quite as valuable.

The second chest is found along the top to the west of the floor entrance. However, unlike the Ruby chest, this one is locked. You will need to find the Treasure Box Key to open it. When you do find it, you'll need to remember to come back and investigate this chest.

For now, the only other thing you can do is head down to the lower left corner of the floor, where you will find a doorway that leads up to a closed door in the upper left corner. To open this door, you must possess the Shrine Key given to you by Jeba in Zepik. Before you unlock the door, you should be at least level 5, at full health, and preferably wearing Plate Mail armor. When you are ready, proceed through the door.

Jenocres
On the other side, you will encounter the first boss of the game, Jenocres. Jenocres is a wizard who teleports himself around the room. He appears briefly before disappearing and reappearing in a different location chosen at random. While Jenocres does not possess the ability to harm you directly, there are six dragon head statues, three on each side of the room, which shoot jets of flame into the middle of the room. Being in contact with these jets will damage Adol. And he cannot regenerate health while fighting in this room. In order to win, you must run to wherever Jenocres reappears and collide with him before he disappears again. You must do this until Jenocres suffers enough damage and dies. You'll need good defense to keep Adol from taking too much damage from the flames, and good offense to reduce the number of times you need to hit Jenocres.

If you successfully defeat him, he will disappear for good, and an entrance will open up in the back of the room. All of your health will be restored as well. Once you pass through the door, you will not be able to regenerate lost health until you return to this floor (at least, not without the Heal Ring, which is acquired later in the game.)

Basement 1
Unlike the previous floor, this level and the levels below are occupied by monsters. You'll first meet the skeleton like Uhnos demons, followed by the Bulner insects. These monsters are significantly more powerful than any you've faced in the past, but with that increase in threat comes a boost in experience points. Use the combat skills that you've gained thus far and apply them to the enemies here. You should have little trouble reaching level 6 (3200 experience points) before trying to go any deeper into the Shrine.

You'll discover prison cells in the upper right corner of the floor, but with no Prison Key, you will be unable to open them. There are two treasure chests on this level, but you'll need to find the Treasure Box Key to open either of them. For now, fight monsters until you reach level 6, and then head down through the stairs in the lower left corner of the floor to continue.

Basement 2
On this level, you will encounter more Uhnos and Bulners, along with a new enemy, the fiery Looters. You must head down to the bottom of the floor to find a long hallway with two doorways that lead up. Follow the path through the left doorway, and you will find the chest that contains the Prison Key. If you are playing the original version of the game, you should head back up to the first basement now and investigate the jail cells.

If you are playing the remake, then you should finish exploring this floor before you rush back to the first Basement level. Come back to the long hallway and head through the right door. Follow the path until you reach another hallway with several branches. If you follow the farthest branch on the right, it will eventually lead you to the stairs that head down to the third basement level. Hold off on that for now. Instead, investigate the two larger paths. Only in the remake, the right one will lead you to the chest which contains the Treasure Box Key. Now you can revisit those locked chests and discover their contents. The larger path on the left leads to a hallway with two alcoves on either side. The lower alcove contains a chest which is guarded by a Looter. The Silver Bells are locked inside this chest. Now that you have the two keys and the bells, it's time to do some backtracking.

Before Basement 3
Return to the previous floor and head to the upper right corner of the floor. One of the prison cells contains a monster, but the other is being used to hold a young woman captive. She will introduce herself as Feena, and explain that an evil man in a black cape put her in the cell. You will receive experience points for rescuing Feena, typically 500 in most versions of the game. What happens next depends on the version that you are playing.


 * Original version: Feena will give you the Treasure Box Key as her way to thank you for rescuing her. Then she will make her own way back to Zepik while you "distract" the enemies.  There are two chests found south of the prison cells.  Of the two chests, the one found more in the middle of the floor contains the Mask of Eyes.  You should also visit the level below and collect the Silver Bells, and then you should make your way out of the Shrine and return to Zepik Village.


 * Remakes: Feena will implore you to go on without her, but choose to take her with you and she will be grateful. You must now personally guide Feena back to the Zepik.  She won't move quite as fast as you, but she will generally move in your direction as long as nothing is in the way.  You can even nudge her in certain directions if she appears to get stuck.  More importantly, she is vulnerable to enemy attacks, so you must do your best to keep monsters away from her.  If she dies, your game will immediately end, so save the game once you rescue her.  Before you leave her cell, examine the chest next to Feena to discover the Mask of Eyes.  Then safely guide her back to the first floor.  Once there, you can rest and regain you lost health.

The Mask of Eyes that you've found obscures the position of your enemies, but it reveal hidden entrances that cannot be accessed without the mask. In addition to this item, you can also find another item in a chest in the lower right corner of the floor, which contains the Necklace. Like the Golden Vase and the Ruby, it's an item that you can sell at Pim's pawn shop, but it will only fetch a quarter of the price of the vase.

Make your way back to the Shrine entrance, and take a detour to the room to the left of the statue that brought you here to find the locked chest. Open it, and you'll find your first ring: the Shield Ring. If you equip this ring, your defensive power will double.

If you're playing the remake, continue to lead Feena out of the Shrine, and down the mountain path. Remember that you must continue to defend her from any of the Unuguns. Once you reach the safety of Zepik, Feena will collapse from fatigue and fever. Adol will carry her to Jeba's home, where she will begin to care for Feena until she recuperates.

Once you've done that, head to the mayor's house so that you can return the Silver Bells. The mayor will be quite surprised to learn that it was not the thieves who took the bells, but that you found them beneath the Shrine. Regardless, he will be grateful for their return, and reward you with a family heirloom, the Power Ring. Similar to the Shield Ring, wearing the Power Ring will double your offensive power. Return to Minea if you have any desire to shop for better equipment. Otherwise, return to the shrine and head straight for the third basement level.

Basement 3
Remember that to reach here, you must pass through the right door along the bottom hallway of Basement 2, and follow the far right path to the stairs. This level is home to another more powerful set of monsters. You will encounter the giant blue heads known as Rescoyds. Do not underestimate these powerful opponents. Get a feel for how to fight them, and then defeat as many as necessary to reach level 7 (6400 experience points). Always keep an eye on your hit points and retreat to the first floor in case you get too low and need to regenerate.

If you investigate the upper left corner of the floor, you will find a chest containing the Ivory Key, which you'll be needing shortly. When you're ready, head down to the lower left corner of the floor. You will start to see a new enemy, the lion-like Lyus. They are every bit as dangerous as the Rescoyds, if not more so. Down at the bottom of the floor, you will find two gold goddess statues. Ignore the first one for now, and continue along the path until you find the second one. Stand before it to be transported to another section of the floor.

Follow along the path, and you will encounter a third new enemy, the sword-wielding Dinvels. This one is guarding the chest which contains a powerful piece of equipment: the Silver Shield. Equip the shield as soon as you get it. Then follow along the rest of the path to reach another statue that will return you to the main section of this level.

Return to the first statue that you skipped, and it will transport you to another part of the floor. In this section, you will find a chest with a Heal Potion. If you happened to already have one, some version will instantly apply the Heal Potion and restore your health. In the remake, you return the potion to the chest in case you'd like to collect it later.

At this point, it may appear that you have exhausted all of your options. However, you may notice a gray goddess statue near the chest with the Heal Potion. If you try out some of the items in your inventory, you may discover that wearing the Mask of Eyes reveals a hidden doorway to the right of the statue that isn't ordinarily visible. Pass through the doorway, and then remove the mask so that you can see the enemies wandering about.

Once again, you will have access to two more gold goddess statues, and once again, you should ignore the first one that you come to. Follow the path through the doors, fight your way past more Lyus and Dinvels, and access the second statue. It will transport you to a section with a chest that contains the Marble Key. Then return to the statue that brought you here, and head back to the statue that you skipped. Stand before it, and it will transport you to a new section.

The floor of this section is covered with water. Head down and run all the way to the left until you reach a door. Stand before the door and unlock it with the Ivory Key. Adol will sense some danger ahead. Run up the passage to a second door, which you must unlock with the Marble Key. Before you pass through this second door, it would be a great idea to use your Heal Potion to restore your health, and save your game.

Nygtilger
When you access the room, you will see a depiction of a large worm-like creature on the wall. Touching the wall will bring this creature, the second boss known as Nygtilger, to life! (Please note that rings are ineffective during boss battles.) It will spring from the wall and start floating around the room. If it touches Adol with its head, Adol will take a good deal of damage. However, its body and tail are vulnerable to Adol's attack. Never stop moving, and chase the tail constantly. Every time you touch it, you will inflict some damage and bounce back from it. As soon as you do, run after the tail again to hit it until it is defeated.

In the original version, a treasure chest will appear in the room. Once you destroy Nygtilger in the remake, you may notice a depression in the back wall. If you investigate it, you will find a passage to a small room in the back. There you will find a treasure chest. Regardless of which version you are playing, inside the chest in question you will find the very first Book of Ys. At this time, you can fight your way back out of the Shrine, or you can simply use the Wings to return to Minea.

Aftermath
If you pass through Zepik on your way back to Sara, you may wish to stop by Jeba's house and see how Feena is doing. She has recovered from her illness, and she will thank you for rescuing her. However, she is unable to remember any of the circumstances that led to her imprisonment, and Jeba will vow to keep watch over her.

Make your way back to Minea. You may be excited to report the discovery of the first book to Sara. Unfortunately, in most versions of the game when you arrive at her home, there is a man waiting there. He regrets to inform you that Sara was murdered. Sara asked him to give Adol something before she died, and he hands Adol the second Book of Ys. He then informs Adol that Sara mentioned the Abandon Mine. That is your next destination.

(In other versions of the game, Sara leaves a letter for you, instructing you to speak with Reah. Reah is holding the second book that Sara left for you, but she will not give it to you until you retrieve her Silver Harmonic.)