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Walkthrough

All 30 battles in order, with every chest, what to buy in each town and how to pick up each optional character. Buy in X: lines list what's worth buying there. Missable: marks anything you can lose for good. See Characters for every recruit, Equipment for weapon stats and the Bestiary for enemy stats.

  • Shining Force has no armor. Each unit carries one weapon and one ring.
  • Each unit holds four items. An enemy that carries something only gives it up if the unit that kills it has a free slot.
  • Promote at a priest once a unit reaches level 10. Waiting until level 20 gives better stats.
  • If Max falls, you lose the battle. You keep your EXP and go back to the last priest with half your gold, so a lost fight still trains your units. Check in game: this comes from the series, not the guides used here.
  • Max's Egress spell, or an Angel Wing, leaves a battle any time.

Chapter 1

Guardiana

  • Talk to Gort in the bar in the northeast corner and hear his story. He joins on your next visit.
  • The king gives you your first team and some gold. The shop only sells items for now.
  • Gong: leave Battle 1 or 2 early, by walking Max off the bottom edge or with Egress. The red-roofed cabin to the east has Gong chopping wood. Check in game: whether he's still there after Battle 2. Talk to him and he joins. Get him before Battle 3. Also talk to the hamster beside the cabin, which you need for Jogurt later.

Battle 1: Gate of the Ancients

  • Win: kill the Rune Knight.
  • Goblins and Dark Dwarves. Easy.

Battle 2: Outside Guardiana

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Use your archer across the bridge.

Guardiana again

  • The weapon shop is open now. Buy in Guardiana: Spears for the knights, a Hand Axe for Luke.
  • Varios falls and Mae joins. Gort joins in the bar.
  • Chests: the room through the northwest door of the castle has an Antidote, Medical Herb, Angel Wing, Power Potion, Defense Potion and 50 gold.

Battle 3: To Alterone

  • Win: defeat all enemies, or reach Alterone.
  • Giant Bats can put you to sleep. Get Tao to level 4 for Blaze 2.

Alterone

  • Chests:
    • House left of the entrance, basement: Bronze Lance, 70 gold.
    • Northwest building: Medical Herb.
    • Northeast house, basement: Healing Seed, Middle Sword.
    • Chapel: Medical Herb.
    • Weapon shop and bar: Healing Seed, 100 gold.
    • Push the cart into the girl by the river. Her platform has a Power Potion.
    • Castle: Wooden Arrow on the left, a Healing Seed by the waterfall, and a Defense Potion, Middle Sword, Bread of Life and 100 gold in the room left of the throne. A Wooden Staff is past the king's door on the left.
  • You're jailed. Search the door and Khris joins.

Battle 4: Alterone

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • The Dark Mage has Blaze 2. Don't bunch up near him.

Forgive the king, then pull the chain in the dragon head right of the waterfall.

Chapter 2

Rindo

  • Chest: the stone house right of the item shop has a Speed Ring.
  • Guntz: the house in the northeast has an animal in a suit and its inventor, Dr. Crock. Talk to both several times. Guntz joins later at Pao.
  • Buy in Rindo: Bronze Lances, a Power Staff, Middle Swords.

Battle 5: Outside Rindo

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Zombies poison and are weak to fire.

Manarina

  • Domingo Egg: in the library, search the machine in the mage's lab. Keep it. It hatches at Pao later. When the scientist offers to turn you into a chicken, say no.
  • Anri joins upstairs.
  • Arthur: talk to the knight hanging laundry before you go into the cavern. He joins afterward.

Battle 6: Cavern of Darkness

  • Win: kill the Skeleton.
  • Chests after: Orb of Light, a Power Ring (southeast), Medical Herb (left of that, past the wall), Wooden Staff (top center), Power Staff (northwest).
  • Use the Orb on the eye. Arthur joins on the third floor.

Battle 7: Rindo Circus

  • Win: kill the Marionette.
  • The Marionette has Freeze 3 and regenerates. Get close so it uses its weaker physical attack. Evil Puppets drain HP.
  • Chests after: Steel Arrow and 50 gold on the main platform, Defense Potion by the boy.

Battle 8: Shade Abbey

  • Win: kill the Ghoul.
  • Talk to Amon about Balbaroy before the fight. Balbaroy and Amon join after it.

Chapter 3

Bustoke

  • Diane joins in the upper-left building.
  • Buy in Bustoke: Power Spears for the knights, Middle Axes for the warriors, Steel Arrows.

Battle 9: Bustoke Quarry

  • Win: kill the Master Mage.
  • The first battle where you pick your team: 12 units at most.
  • The Master Mage has Freeze 2.
  • After: the cave has a Moon Stone. Then stand in the cave's southwest corner and search south: a hidden chest has the Sugoi Mizugi, a swimsuit. Give it to Tao and her battle sprite wears it. It does nothing else.
  • Zylo: take the Moon Stone to the alchemist, who makes Lunar Dew. Zylo is caged behind the house where Diane was. Go out the right door, around the back and up the ladder. The woman opens the cage, and you use the Lunar Dew on him.
  • Kokichi: go through the far west door and downstairs to see the flying machine engine, then follow the man. Kokichi joins later at Pao.

Battle 10: To Pao Bridge

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Pegasus Knights fly over everything.

Battle 11: Pao Bridge

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • The Laser Eye fires down the bridge every 10 turns or so, hitting its own side too. Stay out of its line when it's due.
  • Hidden during the battle: face the square just left of where the leftmost Dark Elf starts and search (the Stay command turns into Search). A chest has the Kitui Huku, a dress. Give it to Anri and her battle sprite wears it.
  • Pelle joins afterward.

Chapter 4

Pao

  • Chests: Long Sword in the building right of Elliott's tent, Legs of Haste in the big wagon above it, Bread of Life two wagons down to the left.
  • Jogurt: if you talked to the hamster in Chapter 1, stand left of the priest in the chapel or read the bookshelf. He appears behind the chapel.
  • Buy in Pao: a Long Sword for Max.
  • Talk to Queen Koron. The town packs up and moves on.
  • Kokichi crash-lands near you at the old camp and joins, if you saw the engine in Bustoke. Vankar is left outside the old camp. Talk to him.

Battle 12: Pao Prairie

  • Win: kill Elliott.
  • One Lizardman carries a Heat Axe. Kill it with a unit that has a free slot. If you miss it, leave the battle and come back.
  • Elliott hits very hard. Surround him with your sturdiest units and keep a healer close.

Pao's second camp

  • Domingo: give the egg to the man who hatches eggs.
  • Guntz is in the pigpen, if you talked to Dr. Crock in Rindo.
  • Chests: Elven Arrow and Steel Sword behind the queen's wagon.

Battle 13: Uranbatol Fortress

  • Win: get into Uranbatol.
  • Lots of ledges. Fliers help.
  • Hidden during the battle: outside the fortress, between two walls, three lone bushes stand in a column. Search the bottom one for Kenji, a joke item with no use.
  • Earnest joins after the scene with the dog.

Uranbatol

  • Item shop only. Your headquarters is down the stairs in the east room.

Battle 14: Uranbatol Docks

  • Win: kill Balzabak.
  • Take out the Artillery as a group, not one unit at a time.
  • Balzabak never moves. Pick him off with arrows and magic.

Chapter 5

Battle 15: Sea Monsters

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Conches and Shellfish poison. Your headquarters and a priest are below deck.

Waral

  • Buy in Waral: Steel Lances for promoted knights, Steel Swords, Battle Axes, Elven Arrows.
  • Chests: the castle rooms behind the shop counter (take the stairs down) have a Mobility Ring, Shower of Cure, Bread of Life, Defense Potion and Medical Herb.
  • Step on the pink fish to meet Boken. Take the boat and pass the mermaid at the buoys.

Battle 16: The Ring Reef

  • Win: kill the Master Mage.
  • The Skeletons here are tougher than the earlier ones.

Battle 17: Sea Monsters again

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Kill the Gargoyle first. More monsters keep arriving.
  • Hidden during the battle: Teppou, a joke item with no use, on the ship's railing three squares right of the bottom-center square.

Chapter 6

Rudo

  • Lyle joins: the building west of the dragon statue, two floors up.
  • Chests: up the ladder near the east gate, a Healing Seed and a Holy Staff.
  • Buy in Rudo: Chrome Lances, Guardian Staffs.

Battle 18: Rudo to Dragonia

  • Win: kill the Durahan.
  • Rough terrain. Golems resist weapons, so use magic on them.

Dragonia

  • Chests: a Halberd in the building north of the entrance, a Broad Sword in the northeast building, a Shower of Cure near Bleu.
  • Bleu joins. He starts weak but grows into one of your strongest units.

Battle 19: Dragonia

  • Win: kill Kane.
  • Kane has 70 HP and hits hard. His Sword of Darkness kills a unit outright, and he uses it more on units at range. If it hits Max, you lose. Surround him with units over 35 HP.
  • High Priests cast Heal 4. Kill them early.
  • Hidden during the battle: at the top of the map between Bleu's house and the Dragon Shrine, two rocks sit left of the flowers. Search the right rock for Youji, a joke item with no use.

Afterward, take Kane to the Dragon Shrine door, then go back to Rudo and talk to Karin and Krin.

Battle 20: Mountain Pass

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Belials cast Bolt 1. Spread out. Send fliers after them.

Battle 21: Mishaela's Lair

  • Win: kill Mishaela.
  • Her Bolt 2 hits a wide area and she regenerates about 15 HP a turn. Send in one or two strong units at a time.
  • Missable: open every other chest first: Shower of Cure, White Ring, Evil Ring, Healing Seed, Black Ring, Power Potion. Then open the chest on Mishaela's platform for the Sword of Light. Opening that one first ends the visit and the rest are lost.

Chapter 7

Prompt

  • Buy in Prompt: Assault Shells for promoted archers, Broad Swords, Chrome Lances, a Great Axe if you can afford one.
  • King Kusoko throws you in jail. Search the bars and Boken lets you out. Talk to the king again.
  • Musashi: after that, search the small sign on the wall of the house with two doors, north of the castle. Check in game: another guide puts the sign under the "Tales of Really Long Ago" bookshelf.

Battle 22: Outside Prompt

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • One Durahan carries a Doom Blade. Kill it with a unit that has a free slot.
  • Torch Eyes and Wyverns hit very hard. Take them one at a time.

Tower of the Ancients

  • Chests: a Devil Lance in the first room (cursed), and the Turbo Pepper upstairs. It's the only item that raises movement.

Battle 23: Tower of the Ancients

  • Win: kill the Demon Master.
  • Missable: the chest at the bottom of the long ladder holds the Valkyrie, the best uncursed lance. Open it during the battle. You can't come back.
  • The Demon Master carries a Demon Rod. Land the last hit with a unit that has a free slot.
  • Alef and Torasu join afterward. Torasu is the best healer in the game.

The King of Prompt gives you the Sword of Darkness. Take the stairs down past the throne room and use the Orb of Light on the eye to reach Metapha.

Battle 24: Chaos

  • Win: kill Chaos.
  • Kill the nearby Demon Master on the first turn, before it casts Freeze 3.
  • Chaos's laser ignores defense and it regenerates. Use magic and Boost.
  • After: put the Sword of Light and Sword of Darkness on the altars and take the Chaos Breaker. Adam joins.

Battle 25: To the Gate

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Horsemen carry Buster Shots. Armed Skeletons resist weapons, so use magic.

Chapter 8

Runefaust

  • Hanzou: search the bush with the yellow flower near the entrance.
  • Buy in Runefaust: Buster Shots for promoted archers.
  • Talk to Mahato in the manor to the north.

Battle 26: Runefaust Castle

  • Win: defeat all enemies.
  • Missable: send two units right at the start to open the two chests on the platforms: Atlas and Halberd.
  • Wait for the Chimaeras to come to you.

Battle 27: King Ramladu

  • Win: kill Ramladu.
  • He regenerates 24 HP a turn and casts Aura 3. Block the stairs so the robots can't reach you, then pile Boost and Quick 2 on your attackers.

Afterward, take the stairs on the left of Runefaust Castle's first room and use the Chaos Breaker on the peninsula. Promote anyone who's ready, and save.

Battle 28: The Colossus

  • Win: kill all three parts of the Colossus.
  • The left part casts Freeze 3, the middle Bolt 3, the right Blaze 3. Lure each one onto land before you attack.
  • Hidden during the battle: search the right corner of the gold wall with the eye symbols, on the left side at the top of the map, for Kaku-chan, a joke item with no use.

Battle 29: Raising the Darkness

  • Win: kill Darksol.
  • Darksol has 150 HP. Demon Blaze hits a group hard, so heal every turn.
  • Units who fall here sit out the next battle. If you lose a healer, Egress and redo it.

Battle 30: Dark Dragon

  • Win: kill the Dark Dragon.
  • Each of the three heads has 250 HP. The center one casts Demon Blaze, so kill it first. Dispel stops the left head's Bolt 4.
  • Armed Skeletons keep coming out of two black squares. Kill them and stand a unit on each square.

Sources