PHANTASY STAR II CHARACTER FAQ

                                 Character FAQ for PSII for SEGA Genesis:


PSII was and still is a pretty impressive game. For its time 8 characters
was quite an enormous cast, especially considering that half of them are
female. That's still a lot today in many cases. Anyway though here’s my take
on them all. Some are more useful than others but they all have their
charms. Actually one of the few complaints I can actually lobby at this game
is a slight lack of balance amongst the characters who range from OH YES
YOU’RE SOO AWESOME to meh. Also since this FAQ is so new I’ve given
comparisons to classes from Phantasy Star Online to help paint and even
clearer picture.

Rolf (Agent): Awesome personified. Talk about a hero. Aw yes, the standard
swordsman character. Perfectly balanced (maybe a little to well compared to
some others *cough cough Hugh cough*) No weaknesses whatsoever really. The
best attack techs and good healing skills. Also has the highest attack power
in the entire game and 2nd highest defense and TP. Think Alis from the
original then multiply that by 3 and you have Rolf. Only weakness is
machines and that's pretty much everyone really, unless of course he busts
out a quick Nafoi heh heh. Also gets one of the only 3 Nei weapons. Think
HUmar and add in a Fonewearls simple attack techs and you get the picture.

Nei (No Job): Another really awesome character. Very quick and deadly. For
the early part of the game she tends to dish out the most physical damage to
enemies with her two fisted attack esp. toward the beginning and end of her
stay with you. Only weaknesses are LOW defense and the fact that she never
learns Gires but hey you can't have everything. Nei levels ridiculously fast
and will in all likelihood quickly end up being twice Rolf’s level. Kind of
like Myau but not nearly as good at healing and support but probably an even
better fighter. Think HUnewearl without any attack techs and you pretty much
have Nei.

Rudo (Hunter): One word TANK!!!! What a great guy! Sure he's not the
quickest, nor can he cast ANY techniques, or have much variety in terms of
play style, but what he does he does well. Best HP and DEF in the entire
game always! Plus his huge guns (some of which can hit multiple targets)
ignore defense, always doing solid and consistent damage. A lifesaver when
fighting machinery and pretty much anything else really. Never left my party
EVER nor should he ever leave yours. Just like Odin from PSI but more
specialized and smart enough to not even bother competing with the swordsman
in melee skills despite his impressive physique. Also he gets one of the
only 3 Nei weapons. Even though he’s human, he’s actually more like a RAcast
than anything else.

Amy (Doctor): Good ol' reliable Amy. When you first get her she is
soooooooooooo weak but good things come to those who wait. Her healing techs
are what make her special. She gets EVERY healing spell in the game
including the Sar series unique to her. Early on she needs a bit of help
finding her legs but later on she is invaluable. A lifesaver for the last
legs of the game esp. the final bosses.  Her defensive techs are a big help
as well. Think FOmarl and you’ll pretty much have her. Actually though she
could also be like a FOnewearl since she has the highest TP in the game but
she’s not really good at lobbing many useful spells at opponents so yea
FOmarl is probably the better fit.

Hugh (Biologist): You know, I really wonna like this guy, really. In his
defense though when you first get him he is probably just as if not more
useful than Amy but it’s purely a matter of taste. He learns many techs
useful for destroying and debilitating bio-monsters, but they're usually
easily killed anyways. Anyway after Climatrol there really is no reason to
use him, if you even use him that long or at all. Sad really, since at that
point the game is still FAR from over. Well I guess he’s most like the
...FOmar I guess. Thing is if they would have made him learn his techs a
good 2-5 levels earlier and given him another Gen-let’s say Nagen and given
him the Tsu spells in addition to or instead of Rolf then he would be
awesome. Then he would be like a FOnewm, but as it is he’s just not
ambitious enough

Anna (Guardian/Counter Hunter): Blonde chicks usually get a bad rap for
being airheads (Think Paris Hilton who’s pic should be in the dictionary
next to the term) and if this game was only about using magic and techniques
that would totally apply to her as she is overall the crappiest caster in
the world, I mean game. She only learns FIVE spells; the last of which I
hope is just a glitch or something. I mean Zan, regular Zan????? Why on
earth would anyone need to use Zan at level 32???? Did they do that on
purpose? Anyway though this game is about much more than casting. It’s
mainly about fighting and that, my friend, is what Anna does better than
anyone you’ve likely ever seen before. She is basically the best fighter in
the game bar none but Rolf and that’s only against single targets. Rolf’s
attack power is considerably higher and one on one he always comes out on
top. Anna is at her best though when fighting multiple bio-monsters of the
same type as she will slice through them all doing incredible damage, never
give her a crappy whip or anything besides slicers. There is IMHO absolutely
no reason to ever leave Anna at home. Also as well she is VERY fast. The
only person quicker than her is Shir. She will in all likelihood often
attack before your opponents can. Which brings up also her support options.
Yea I know I was ragging on her tech ability but she really is great for
support. Shift raises attack power and is very useful. Ner increases
someone’s speed and is very helpful as well. The best bet though is giving
her the special in battle items so that she can raise the party’s defense
and/or speed before the enemy can make his move. This is very helpful
against the final bosses as she may be able to act before them if you level
her enough. She has the 3rd highest strength and 2nd highest speed in the
game but the 2nd lowest TP as well but that’s not such a big deal also she
gets one of the only 3 Nei weapons. You really can’t go wrong with Anna. I
guess she’s like a HUcaseal with support techs.

Kain (Wrecker/Junker): The exact opposite of Hugh basically. Hugh, as a
biologist, was good against bio-monsters. Kain on the other hand excels at
well...wrecking machinery. They’re opposites in yet another way
though...Kain is actually very if not extremely useful while Hugh SUCKS.
When Kain first joins up, he makes an ideal benchwarmer. Don’t even think
about using him until after Climatrol. I mean you could but Anna, Rudo and
Amy would make 1000x more sense. Maybe even Shir because of her speed. But
after Nei kicks the bucket, Kain will get promoted to varsity right away.
Kain gets the same type of techs as Hugh does as far as effectiveness with
one difference, he keeps getting better and better. Kain's techs do massive
damage to machines out the box and he’ll soon be hitting the entire screen
if need be without regards to specific target type. His spells are at least
as effective against machinery as Rolf’s are against anything if not more so
because of lower cost. Also all his techs are offensive so draining his
reserves is less of problem than for others. Also he gets good equipment.
Give him a Laser Shot and you will love him in the dams. Better still his
techs work in Noah, the final dungeon and will dish out major damage to the
final bosses if you so choose to take him along. A definite contender for an
end of game party, I guess he’s like a highly specialized, FOnewm.

Shir (Thief): Aww the thief, every RPG worth its salt needs one of these
right? As can be expected this woman is FAST. But I guess being a thief you
have to be huh? She’s not exactly the type of thief us modern gamers have
been spoiled with though. No backstabbing no stealing from enemies etc. but
she is fast. If you take her into shops there is a slight chance of her
stealing something. It’s totally random and there’s nothing you can really
do to influence it but when it pays off it pays. She can steal such things
as Star Mists and Fire Staves but of course, she may also just simply end up
with a lowly scalpel. I guess a thief is just a thief after all
huh-everything’s fair game (I hope that scalpel’s been sterilized.) But do
use her if only for an hour or two. Why? Because at Lv10 she can steal the
best item in the game, the Visiphone from the Baggage room in the Control
Tower of Paseo. This baby let’s you save the game ANYWHERE, even in the
middle of combat (okay maybe not then but you get the point). As a fighter
you could certainly do worse (Hugh, I’m looking at you) but she’s not
without her perks. As stated her speed is tops. If you thought Anna was
fast.................. She’s not really even a better fighter than Amy
though. Well her attack power is slightly greater and she’s much faster but
I think Amy is more accurate. I guess slow and steady has its place. What’s
interesting about Shir is that she’s the only person besides Rolf to learn
Hinas and Ryuka. Whether that’s useful or not I’ll let you decide. She also
learns Nazan and eventually Nagra, which is kinda cool because she’s the
only character in the game to learn the latter. It takes a while though
(Lv45). What sucks though is that she goes back to Paseo if she ever steals
anything, even if you’re on Dezo. Also she has the lowest TP count in the
game, unfortunately getting pretty much exactly half of Rolf’s total-sucky
to say the least.


                                                    Technique Chronology:

Here are the techniques each character will learn along with their cost as
well as each character’s approx max Tp stat at Lv 50. This is mainly a point
of reference though as level gains are somewhat random and I stopped at
level 45. Still this is about what their Tp should look like when maxed out
based upon the patterns that I have noticed throughout the game.  Please
note that it is in no way necessary to reach the level cap, (it rarely is in
theses games), as you should do just fine at Lv 35 (Heck, 32 is more than
enough for me). That’s when I beat the game, just decided to level some more
to see how it goes. I also maxxed out every character at 99 in Chrono
Trigger and Secret of Mana so I’m just a nut for leveling and seeing
someone’s max potential. However I’ve heard that in some games like Phantasy
Star IV over-leveling causes weird problems and may make your character
weaker. So before you power level, know the game. It’s fine in this game. 

As for other stats the growth is random as well. For a look at those please
check out Eric Starbird’s walkthrough at
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/file/phantasy_star_ii_e.txt
I haven’t unequipped my characters but the stats he recorded for Strength
and the like seem about right to me. He has them listed in a scale.
Basically he shows their starting as well as finishing stats. I didn’t think
about the other stats because I don’t know what they all do. Can anyone
confirm what stuff like Mentality and Dexterity actually do? I have no clue
because techniques do damage within a set range so ask someone else about
the other stats. I understand HP, TP, Attack, and Defense, as well as Speed
in that the higher the # the better. What’s interesting though is that stuff
like attack seems to use a really weird formula or something. For instance
even though Rudo is noticeably stronger than Rolf, unequipped Rolf’s Attack
is MUCH greater. I know you can’t fight unequipped but still. It would still
be higher if you gave them each a knife. I have no idea what these values
are based on.



Rolf: Max TP~165-170
Lvl 1 - Foi=2tp
Lvl 4 - Ryuka=8tp
Lvl 5 - Tsu, GiFoi=6tp ea.	
Lvl 7 - Hinas, Zan=4tp ea.
Lvl 8 - Res=3tp
Lvl 10 - Gra=8tp
Lvl 11 - GiThu=13tp
Lvl 14 - NaFoi=12tp
Lvl 16 - GiRes, GiZan=7tp
Lvl 20 - Nathu=20tp

Lvl 24 - NaZan=11tp
Lvl 28 - GiGra=12tp
Lvl 30 - Rever=30tp
Lvl 35 - Megid=55tp

Nei: Max Tp~90
Lvl 1 - Res=3tp
Lvl 16 - Anti=2tp
Lvl 20 - Sak=life (all HP)
Lvl 24 - NaSak=life (all HP)


Rudo: nothing (no Tp)

Amy: Max TP~185-190
Lvl 1 - Res=3tp
Lvl 2 - Shu=3tp
Lvl 4 - Deban=
Lvl 5 - Foi=2tp, Anti=2tp
Lvl 6 - GiRes=7tp
Lvl 9 - Sar=13tp
Lvl 10 - Sak=life
Lvl 12 - NaSak=life
Lvl 15 - NaRes=13tp, SaShu=8tp
Lvl 24 - Rever=30tp
Lvl 25 - Saner=6tp
Lvl 27 - GiSar=29tp
Lvl 30 - NaSar=53tp
Lvl 39 - Gra=8tp

Hugh: Max Tp~150-160
Lvl 2 - Doran=2tp
Lvl 3 - Rimit=3tp, Gen=1tp
Lvl 6 - SaGen=3tp, Shinb=4tp
Lvl 7 - Shiza=6tp
Lvl 8 - Res=3tp
Lvl 9 - Foi=2tp
Lvl 12 - GiFoi=6tp
Lvl 15 - Vol=8tp
Lvl 18 - Zan=4tp
Lvl 24 - SaVol=16tp
Lvl 27 - Gra=8tp
Lvl 30 - GiRes=7tp
Lvl 33 - GiGra=12tp
Lvl 36 - GiZan=7tp

Anna: Max Tp~100-102
Lvl 1 - Foi=2tp
Lvl 6 - Ner=2tp
Lvl 8 - Shift=5tp
Lvl 16 - Fanbi=2tp
Lvl 32 - Zan=4tp

Kain: Max Tp~160-164
Lvl 1 - Foi=2tp, Forsa=2tp
Lvl 4 - Eija=4tp
Lvl 7 - Gaj=1tp, Rimet=3tp
Lvl 9 - Conte=6tp
Lvl 10 - Zan=4tp, GiGaj=5tp
Lvl 13 - Sag=3tp
Lvl 14 - Gra=8tp
Lvl 17 - NaGaj=15tp
Lvl 25 - Brose=8tp
Lvl 27 - GiSag=15tp
Lvl 28 - NaSag=27tp
Lvl 31 - GiZan=7tp

Shir: Max Tp~80-85
Lvl 1 - Foi=2tp
Lvl 6 - Ryuka=8tp
Lvl 9 - Hinas=4tp
Lvl 12 - Res=3tp
Lvl 15 - GiFoi=6tp
Lvl 18 - Zan=4tp
Lvl 24 - Gra=8tp
Lvl 27 - GiZan=7tp
Lvl 30 - GiRes=7tp
Lvl 33 - NaZan=11tp
Lvl 36 - GiGra=12tp
Lvl 45 - NaGra=20tp


Technique Guide

A * indicates the magic affects more that one character/enemy

All-Enemy Attack Techs:
Foi,Gifoi,Nafoi-- Ignites the air into a powerful beam of fire.  
15,40,130 HP damage; costs 2,6,12 TP
*Zan,Gizan,Nazan-- Draws the air out of your enemy with a vacuum.
20,30,100 HP damage; costs 4,7,11 TP
*Gra,Gigra,Nagra-- Crushes enemies with gravity.
20,40,80 HP damage; costs 8,12,20 TP
Tsu,Githu,Nathu-- A laser beam.
30,80,150 HP damage; costs 6,13,20 TP

Super Attack: Rolf
*Megid-- Super Attack Magic; costs 55 TP

Machine-Only Attack Techs: Kain
*Eijia-- Corrodes enemies.23 HP damage; costs 4 TP
Brose-- Destroys machinery; costs 8 TP
Conte-- Prevents machine from making special attack; costs 6 TP
Gaj,Gigaj,Nagaj-- Damages machines.
20,60,150 HP damage; costs 1,5,15 TP
*Sag,Gisag,Nasag-- Damages machines.
20,60,150 HP damage; costs 3,15,27 TP

Creature-Only Attack Techs: Hugh
Gen,*Sagen-- Causes creatures to age; costs 1,3 TP
Vol,*Savol-- Causes creatures to die; costs 8,16 TP
Shiza-- Prevents creatures from making special attacks; costs 6 TP


Support Techs:
Doran,Rimit,*Shinb-- Causes creatures to miss attacks, be paralyzed, or 
run away; costs 2,3,4 TP
*Forsa,Rimet-- Causes machines to miss, or to freeze; costs 2,3 TP
Shu,*Sashu-- Increases your defensive power; costs 3,8 TP
*Deban-- Creates a barrier around your party; costs 4 TP
Ner,*Saner-- Speed's up your party; costs 2,6 TP
Shift-- Increase attack power; costs 5 TP
Fanbi-- Decreases enemies HP; costs 2 TP


Healing Techs:
Res,Gires,Nares-- Restores 20,60,Max HP; costs 3,7,13 TP
*Sar,Gisar,Nasar-- Restores 20,60,Max HP; costs 13,29,53 TP
Sak,*Nasak-- Restores Max HP to one or whole party; costs 1 life
Anti-- Removes poison; costs 2 TP
Rever-- Resurrects a life; costs 30 TP

Miscellaneous Techs:
*Ryuka-- Returns you to last Data Memory station; costs 8 TP
*Hinas-- Exits your party from a dungeon; costs 4 TP
Musik-- Plays music; costs 3tp




                                                       Party Suggestions:

Okay, now that we’ve got introductions and facts out of the way let me
dispense with my personal party suggestions. This is just my opinion but I
believe that for the most part you should probably agree.

Obviously at the beginning, you just have Rolf and Nei so there’s no thought
involved there. Even after your first two recruits there’s still no thought
because you’ve just finally made a full a full party. The first time for
decisions comes when Hugh the Biologist joins up. Hugh will join after
you’ve completed your task in the bio-systems lab and have spoken with the
librarian in Paseo. At this point you may head back to your home to meet
Hugh.

-As with all the other characters a description for Hugh is up above. First
off let me state that the decision here will only be between Hugh and Amy.
You should by all means keep Rudo in for his strength. It makes no sense to
have two frail characters. Overall Amy is a much better character than Hugh.
Amy was in my end game party and Hugh hardly ever gets much use from me.
He’s not without his perks though. He learns many techniques, which are
useful for damaging and debilitating bio-monsters. So while he lacks Amy’s
healing proficiency he is much more effective in taking down enemies, but
only with techs as he’s just as poor a fighter as she. Gen costs only one
point and Sagen is only 3tp!! Damaging a screen full of enemies for just 3tp
is really quite amazing. It should be noted however that Hugh does not learn
Res until Lv 8 though. By this time Amy has already gotten in some practice
with Gires (Lv6), which Hugh doesn’t even learn until Lv 30, which he will
likely never see. So if you want to stick it those fiends blocking your path
to Zema, then by all means take Hugh, you won’t regret it. If however you’re
more comfortable with Amy that’s fine too. It’s probably a nice idea to try
out all the characters at some point though. I took Hugh for a bit and got
him up to Lv10 then parked him on the bench for good. 

After reaching Zema, Anna will be waiting to meet you. It’s up to you what
to do at this point but I don’t necessarily suggest getting rid of Hugh if
you took him just yet. Sure he can at least now say he played his part in
saving the world, but he may prove helpful inside of Roron. Actually, this
will be the only time in the entire game where I suggest considering leaving
Rudo for a little bit. I didn’t but it’s not too bad of an idea. The
combination of Anna’s Slicers and Hughs Sagen techs will decimate those
annoying multiplying Slugmesses and Amoebas. And may prove more useful than
anything Rudo can offer at this point ( I do stress however that I only mean
this point) After finishing up here and reaching Kueri, head back to Paseo
for you 2nd to last recruit.

Kain the Wrecker joins up at this point. He’s very useful against machinery
but has only his equipment to rely on against bio-monsters. It would be
unwise to take him now so for now just meet and greet him. Anyway head to
Piata and look around there. Then head back home to meet you final
companion.

Shir the thief joins up now that you have reached every town on Mota. She’s
not a great fighter overall and equipment wise she’s very similar to Amy.
Her primary asset though is for stealing the Visiphone and perhaps other
useful items such as Star Mists and Fire Staves. Take her with you and get
her up to Lv10.  You could just take her alone with Rolf for a bit so that
she will level quicker. It only takes about 3000 or so exp to get to level
10 anyway. 

After you have the Visiphone, its time to head out for Uzo Island. Leave
Shir behind and take Rudo and Anna with you. I suggest keeping this party
all the way until Neifirst is defeated. 

It is also acceptable to take Amy with you instead of Anna in Climatrol. I
choose not to personally as Anna makes enemies go bye bye much quicker but
Amy will keep you alive longer and will do more damage to Neifirst if and
only if you’ve stolen two Fire Staves with Shir. It’s not what I’d waste my
time doing but if you get lucky then by all means go right ahead. So
basically if you’ve already gotten two Fire Staves take Amy but I wouldn’t
bother. Oh yeah make sure Nei doesn’t have the Visiphone...................

Okay, now Neifirst has been defeated (Yahoo!!!!!!) but unfortunately Nei is
gone as well (Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!). Time to go to the
Control Tower in Piata and then on to the dams. It’s also time for someone
to get a promotion to the frontlines.

Kain will now just about become your best friend. He’s just like Hugh,
except for machinery but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better. He learns
techs that basically rival whatever Hugh has but, unlike Hugh, Kain keeps
getting better and better. His techs at this stage in the game will be even
more effective than those of Rolf and he budgets his TP better. For instance
Nagaj and Nathu have the same power but Nagaj costs just 15tp whereas Nathu
costs 20tp. So anyway to get back on topic take Kain for the dams. Your
party should consist of Rolf, Rudo, Anna, and Kain. Rudo is obvious since
his guns ignore defense and Anna can hit multiple targets. Also some robots
like the Whistler and Mazgamma series have defense about on par with
bio-monsters so she’ll do about normal damage to them.

After the dams your quest on Mota will be complete and you will see the
beloved Palm destroyed. Now it’s time to head off to Dezo. This is where
your choice gets interesting as there are really two perfectly acceptable
parties. 

First off let me begin by saying that whatever party you choose here, you
should be ready to commit to wholeheartedly as you will need a high level
party to survive the dangers ahead, up to and including the final bosses.
For starters you should without doubt keep Rudo and Anna for a number of
reasons. For starters Rudo uses big guns and they just keep getting bigger.
His hand cannons ignore defense and do solid damage no matter the target.
This is helpful for the occasional machine you’ll meet on Dezo as well as
taking out the bio trash. Also he’s the strongest, sturdiest character. He
has the highest Strength, HP, and Defense. You always want to have a tank
around. Anna is an asset as well. As your enemies switch back to primarily
being bio-monsters, she regains her slightly dulled edge. Also she’s super
fast and has the 3rd highest Strength and Attack in the game. So not only
does she take out the trash but also she does it with style and flair.
Lastly of the 9 Nei items, only 3 of them are weapons: The Neisword,
Neishot, and Neislasher. It’s like the game is telling you that you need to
take Rudo and Anna with you, Rolf is always around so that leaves just one.
So here are the two possibilities:

Party#1: Rolf, Rudo, Anna, and Amy-
Advantage: Amy is an incredible asset with her amazing healing techs.
Disadvantages: Amy is god-awful as a fighter. Also it will take longer to
kill bosses.

This is the party I chose and what seems to be the party of choice for the
majority of PSII players. The reason why Amy is so awesome is her amazing
healing abilities. With her in tow you do not need to worry much at all
about wasting time with Shir stealing Star Mists which could take hours if
you’re unlucky. Both Dark Force and Mother Brain have attacks that hit the
entire party so you will need some way to counter this and Amy is the best
option. Also since you can get away with using the Storm Gear as her sole if
not primary attacking option, you can have her equip twin emels or just one
and a Fire Staff  for a very respectable defense. Her major downside will be
her speed though. She’s basically the slowest character. It’s hard to tell
whether or not it’s her or Hugh but we’re not talking about that loser now
are we?

Party#2: Rolf, Rudo, Anna, and Kain-
Advantages: Kain’s techs work in many places here. Techs very helpful
against bosses
Disadvantage: No healing techs whatsoever

This is not one that I had initially considered until learning more about
the game. With the rise of the machines (hmm, why does that sound familiar?)
Kain will be ever useful. Even though only about 20-30% of the enemies on
Dezo are machines he still retains his usefulness. Why? Well, in PSII
there’s no tp recovering items anyway so you have to use your techs
sparingly to begin with so you can still get full mileage out of Kain.
Besides of the 4 remaining characters, he’s the strongest, most effective
and efficient fighter. The Laconian Maces will give him a respectable attack
and best of all he can zap the bosses. Nagaj does 150 damage which is about
6% of Dark Force’s HP and exactly 6% of Mother Brain’s HP. So if he were at
Lv 50 he could do 1500pts of damage all by himself (with about 160tp) Of
course they shouldn’t last that long if everyone else is doing their job but
you get the point. The only problem is that to compensate for his lack of
Sar techs, you will need to spend time with Shir stealing Star Mists. If you
have many of these he’s perhaps a better choice than Amy, I just don’t have
the patience for that though.



So there you have it, my character analysis and guide. Like any other guide
this is just full of my own opinions based upon my playing experience. Your
decisions may vary and that is fine but do at least consider the
considerations I have given.



PHANTASY STAR II was published and distributed by Sega of America 1989 

I’ve always loved this game since I first saw it as a kid. It is easily one
of the best for the Sega Genesis. I hope you enjoy reading this guide as
much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you.


 This FAQ made in 2006 by don_starlancer 

Copyright 2006 Donnie D. Washington II

I’m not an unfair guy. If you’d like to use any portion of this FAQ please
contact me. If you’d like to use it as a reference please site me in your
book, paper or web site. Feel free to email me with whatever questions you
may have at don_starlancer@hotmail.com