• Some game playing tips.
• Questions I still have.
• A few Shining In The Darkness links.

General RPG advice: take your time and build up your characters, talk to everybody, and search every corner.

Don't overlook the flails and whips. While they may look weak, they are superior to any single hit weapon. Flails will give Milo two hits per turn, and Pyra's whip will hit everything in a group. Two hits from the Great Flail will damage a single opponent more than one hit from the Mithril Axe -- it's Milo's best weapon. For Pyra, craft a Hex Whip from a dark block. Yes, it's cursed, but the side-effect (getting tangled in the whip) will take place AFTER she strikes. I used these weapons all the way to the end, even against Dark Sol himself.

To the left you can see the damage inflicted by a single strike from the Mithril Axe. Below is damage caused by two strikes from the Great Flail. You do the math. :-)

I also preferred a Main Gauche/Madu over a shield for Milo and the hero. My philosophy has always been "If you can kill them first -- what do you need defense for?" But it's a personal choice based on whether you favor defense or offense. Play to your style.

Equipment "blessed with power" will strengthen your magical resistance.

Don't avoid the "fake treasure" creatures. One the game's best items, a Black Box, can only be gained by defeating a Handeater. It's random, however, so I hope you have either extraordinary patience (keep resetting your game at the most convenient point) or some good luck!

Higher magics aren't always "better." For example, while Boost (2) will raise the stats of your entire party, Boost (1) gives a single character much more strength. Also, only use Detox (2) for paralysis, not for poison.

If your characters are at Level 60+ you should have no problem finishing the game. Go get Dark Sol!

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What's up with that statue on the first level of Labyrinth? It looks like a Sentinel/Guardian but I couldn't get it to "react" to anything. Is he there just to throw you off for your first encounter with a Sentinel? "Surprise! I'm alive!" :-)

If you've played through the game, you know how valuable the Gold Fountains and the Fountain of the Spirit are; but what about the "normal" fountains that are all over the place? Do they have a hidden function, or are they merely eye-candy? Inquiring minds want to know!

Who's whacking the monsters? Did you ever notice how a monster, such as a Jackobutch, can "heal up" another monster that hasn't even taken damage yet? My question is: Do all the monsters of the same type start with the same number of Hit Points, but then random (minor) damage is calculated before the battle even starts? For example: do all Dark Bats have 15 HP, but 0-3 damage is inflicted before you face them? I don't recall the specific creatures/HPs, but I did notice early on that something that died from a hit of 12 or 13 points could sometimes withstand a strike of 14 damage. At first I assumed that monsters had varying HPs (even among the exact same type), but later I had to wonder. It's not that important, but I'd love to talk to one of the programmers so I could find out who's abusing the monsters before I get to them! ;-)

What the heck does an Herb-Water do? Yeah, it sprinkles something in the air, and Milo says it's "Holy Water" but I tried it in a wide variety of situations and battles and could never see any effect. I know I'm going to feel stupid when I find out, but I'd like to know!

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Climax Home Page (Japanese only!)
GameFaqs' Walkthrough written by Voltron.
GameSages' Hints.

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