The first battle is upon Oliver and Drippy! Your first enemy is an angry Ruff.
Welcome to the battle screen, where most of the challenges of the game will take place. For now, Oliver doesn’t have many options at his disposal, but you can see a few statistics in the bottom right corner of the screen.
The green bar and number is Oliver’s health, while the blue bar is his magic. Later in the game, you’ll need to watch your health and magic bars carefully, which we’ll call HP and MP from now on.
There are four options available to Ollie; Attack, Defend, Run Away, and Provisions. Those don’t matter yet, instead, press [X] to attack the Ruff.
After pressing [X], Drippy will explain the basics of combat. For now, just look in the right corner for your enemy info. There’s a picture of the Ruff with a red bar. That’s the enemy’s health gauge. It doesn’t show the exact amount of health an enemy has, but you’ll have a good idea of how much damage you’re doing by watching the bar after an attack.
Do just what Drippy says. Press [X] to choose Attack, then press [X] again to confirm your attack on Ruff. Normally, you’ll be able to choose between which enemy you’d like to attack.
In combat, you can also move around! After attack the Ruff, a tiny green orb called a glim will drop out. Run into the glim to collect it. Green glims will restore your HP, while blue glims restore your MP. Nice, right? Collect them if your HP/MP are low in a fight.
There are more ways to boost your HP/MP, like with items and spells, but you won’t have to worry about that for now.
Attack the Ruff two more times to win the battle. A screen will appear, rewarding Oliver with Exp (Experience Points) and G (Money). Money can be used to buy items, while gaining enough Experience Points will allow Oliver to Level-Up, improving his HP/MP and more.
Next, you’ll get a good look at Ni no Kuni’s huge Overworld. The Overworld is how you travel from place to place, but it’s also dangerous. Monsters can pop-out and attack at any time, so be prepared for a fight whenever you travel outside of towns.
Don’t let monsters sneak up on you. If one runs into your back while you run away, they’ll have an advantage in combat. But! If you sneak up on an enemy and walk into their back, you’ll have them by surprise, giving Oliver a chance to attack first.
Drippy will also give you 3 loaves of white bread. These items go into your Provisions menu. One use, and you’ll heal up.
On the Overworld, look ahead. You can see a big castle in the distance. That’s Ding Dong Dell, and it’s where you need to go next. It’s a straight shot to the entrance, there’s nothing stopping you but a few monsters. Oh, and don’t forget to save! Always save whenever you’re about to go into danger.
Before running down the hill, look left of the trees where you start. You’ll see some shiny sparkles. Get close and press [X] to collect ingredients. Ingredients are used for alchemy, so don’t worry about these items for now. We’ll learn about alchemy in a little bit.
Run down the hill and onto the dirt path. Cross the stream with the bridge, and you’ll be on your way to Ding Dong Dell.
At the entrance to the castle, you’ll find a guard whose heart has been broken by the evil Shadar. One of the main activities Ollie can take part in will be explained here. Many characters have broken hearts in this world, and Ollie can help them.
You’ll have to mend this soldier’s broken heart to get inside Ding Dong Dell. To do that, you’ll need to speak with the Old Man of the Woods, hiding out in the Deep Dark Wood. No reason to stay here, leave by running through the red line on your mini map.
Back in the Overworld, you can press [R1] to see a larger map of the world. Scroll the map up to find the gold Star. Quite a journey, you’ll need to pass through the plains west of the castle and travel through the narrow dirt path into the woods.
Nothing to do but get going! Run south passed the bridge, and the whole world will be open to you. I’d suggest some exploring, but this early in the game, there’s not much use in it. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore later.
You’ll see this area is called the Rolling Hills on the larger map. In the Overworld, you’ll be able to see little creatures wandering around. Most will leave you alone on your journey, but some want to fight.
If a monster wants to fight, you’ll see a bright red exclamation point pop over their head. They’ll charge directly for you, but don’t panic. If you keep moving, you can dodge their charge – the monsters here will only run in a perfectly straight line.
Avoid fighting too many enemies. You’ll want to keep your Provisions well stocked, and if you lose any health, it’ll continue to be low after the battle.
The closer you get to the Dark Forest, the more monsters will try to attack. Save your healing items for when Oliver is very low on HP. One or two fights and Oliver will gain a level – gaining a level will fully restore your HP / MP.
Pass the big rocky mountain with caves to find the entrance to the Deep Dark Wood. This will be your first dungeon, so pay attention! Things work a little different here.
Inside dangerous dungeons, you won’t be able to save whenever you want. You’ll have to use Waystones. Drippy will introduce you to the glowing Waystone at the entrance of the Wood. Using these will also fully restore your HP / MP. Useful!
Next to the Waystone is a weird sewer cover thing. Ignore it for now, you’ll be able to use it later. For now, give the Waystone a try.
Now, you just need to follow Drippy deep into the forest. He’ll lead you down the left path at a fork, cross a stream, to find Old Father Oak.
Meeting Old Father Oak
Now, it’s time to learn about Familiars. … well, it would be, but Oliver’s Spellbook is missing some important pages. Luckily, Old Father Oak will lend Oliver the page he needs.
You now have the Form Familiar spell! When the Spellbook opens, select Form Familiar, under Gateway, and confirm it. In no time, you’ll be saying hello to your first Familiar.
He goes by “Mitey”, but you can change it to whatever you like. You’ll be able to name all your Familiars.
Before you leave, Old Father Oak will bestow more spells upon Oliver. You’ll get Healing Touch, and Fireball. A quick press of [Square] will open the Spells Menu.
Healing Touch will heal, while Fireball is an attack spell. Fire works well on most things, but it will especially hurt plant-type creatures. Healing Touch can be use in and out of battle, while Fireball is a combat spell.
Now, you’ll learn about fighting with Familiars in your party. You can choose who you want to control – your Mite, or Oliver. When you get more Familiars, you’ll have even more choices.
Select your Mite Familiar, and you’ll be in control of the little guy. Under Oliver’s name in the top left corner, you’ll see a little picture of your Familiar. These little guys can only fight for so long, the longer they’re fighting, the lower their stamina gauge will go.
There’s a lot more you’ll learn about Familiars, like Star Signs and Tricks. Star Signs are a bit complicated, there are four types, but we’ll go over those later.
Tricks are like Spells your Familiars can use. They cost MP, but have special effects. They can do all sorts of things, so always read the description before using your Familiar’s Tricks.
Don’t forget that Familiars also share Oliver’s HP and MP.
Because Familiars lose stamina fast, they can’t stay in combat for too long. That means you’ll need to swap them out often. Just press [L1] to take your Familiar’s place in combat and give him time to rest.
Now it’s time to fight! Your Familiar is actually quite a bit better at fighting than Oliver. Go ahead and use his Trick to dish out a good 7-8 damage on both enemies.
You can just keep attacking. Focus on taking out one of the Teeny Boppers, then defeat the other. If it’s taking too long and you see your Mite’s stamina bar go very low, press [L1] to give him a rest.
This is a fairly simple battle, so don’t sweat it yet! There will be challenges ahead, so it’s important just to understand the basics.
After the fight, you’ll learn about the Creature Cages. Here, you can feed your Familiars special items called treats. Treats can increase abilities or give Familiars new tricks to play with. Always be on the look-out for treat.
Feeding treats will also increase your familiarity with a Familiar. Improving familiarity provides even more benefits to your Familiars, so a steady diet of treats is a must for your favorite Familiars.
Take a moment to look at your Mite in the Creature Cage. Press [Triangle] to find the cage in the Main Menu.
Old Father Oak will offer the solution to the brokenhearted guard, but Oliver and company will need to defeat the Guardian first. He’s found past the Whispering Waterfalls.
After the conversation, you’ll also gain a new Main Menu option – the Friends and Familiars menu. Here, you can check out the stats of other party members or familiars. Here, you can choose characters, and assign commands or equip them for battle. There’s none of that to do yet, though.
Getting to the deepest part of the forest is quite a journey. I suggest returning to the entrance and saving now.
Return to the fork in the path. Instead of taking the left path at the fork, turn right to be on your way to the Guardian.
Down the right path, you’ll find a treasure chest. Grab it for a White Loaf of Bread. Through the cave, and under the tree you’ll arrive at the Whispering Waterfalls.
This area is, like Drippy says, crawling with monsters! Be on your guard as you explore. There’s another Waystone at the entrance. Use it to save your game, and remember you can always return here to heal up and restore MP.
Past the babbling brook, you’ll encounter another set of enemies. The Whippersnapper and the Spitoo. Most enemies here are some form of plant-type Familiar, meaning they’re vulnerable to your Fireball spell.
The Teeny Bopper ahead is all alone. I’d suggest using your Familiar, and saving your MP here. When you’re outnumbered, that’s when you want to use Fireballs or Tricks to even the odds, but you’ll want to conserve MP resources against easier enemies.
Luckily, you won’t need to heal much here. Oliver and his Mite will gain levels fast. Grab the chocolate bar in the treasure chest past the second stream.
At the third stream, you’ll be able to continue forward or cross left. The way forward is a dead end, so cross the water and follow the path.
Drippy will explain that you can assign new tricks in the Friends and Familiars menu. By now, the Mite may have gained some new tricks. Check him out. Press [Triangle] to open the Main Menu, select “Friends and Familiars”, then select your Mite and press [Triangle] again to open up his Tricks menu.
There’s nothing new to assign yet, but you’ll gain something new when your Mite gets to Level 5, 10, and so on. Familiars can only remember eight Tricks at a time, so you’ll need to make your Familiar forget a Trick if he has too many. No need to worry about that now, the Mite won’t have that many Tricks for a very long time.
This area opens up quite a bit. So don’t forget to explore. There are treasure chests littered all over the place, with lots of new monsters to run into around every corner.
Tread down toward the waterfall, there’s a log you can use as a bridge to cross the gorge through a short cave. On the other side, you can refill your HP / MP and save at a Waystone.
Be sure to save! The Guardian is just through this cave.
BOSS: Guardian of the Woods
This big ugly grassy foe is itching for a fight! First of all, he’s a plant-type creature, meaning he’s weak to Oliver’s Fireball spell. Keep that in mind during the fight.
To fight this guy, select Oliver and stick to using your Fireballs. After three or so Fireball attacks, the Guardian will roar and prepare a big attack.
When an enemy glows or flashes, you’ll know it’s preparing to launch a powerful ability. Select Defend before it finishes powering-up to minimize the damage you take.
Defending against big powerful moves will also earn you a bonus. Blue and Green glims will pop out, so make sure to collect them!
You’ll also notice that the Guardian will be left stunned for a few seconds after you’ve successfully defended. Don’t forget, you can cancel your Defend command right after the attack by pressing [Circle] to save yourself some time.
Defend against the Guardian’s Windfall attack, then attack it while it’s stunned (The Narrator will state “Now it’s your chance!”) with a Fireball. If you’re successful, the Guardian will drop an even bigger bonus – a gold glim! These will fully restore your HP.
Most bosses will share this weakness. Tough enemies can also be hurt this way – wait for a big attack, defend, then attack while they’re stunned to deal extra damage and receive big rewards. It’s all about fighting smarter, not harder!
Grab the gold glim, and you’ll even unlock a special supercharged spell that’s extra powerful, and won’t cost any MP. Grab the gold glim, and use your Miracle Move to defeat the Guardian once and for all.
Enjoy your well-earned levels. After the battle, Oliver will return to Old Father Oak. You’ll also gain the Telling Stone option for your Main Menu. It will tell you all about Drippy’s world.
With the Locket in hand, the Take Heart spell, and the Give Heart spell, you can now return to Ding Dong Dell and mend the guard’s brokenheart.
Don’t forget, Old Father Oak loves hearing about your adventures. As you progress in the game, return to talk with Old Father Oak periodically. If you’ve completed any cool tasks, or reaching a milestone, he’ll often reward you for telling him all about the adventure.
Entering Ding Dong Dell
Back at Ding Dong Dell, you’ll see the brokenhearted guard again. To restore his heart, you’ll need to use your Locket to find some of what the brokenhearted guard is missing. He needs enthusiasm – to restore him, you’ll need to find an enthusiastic person. The other guard should do nicely.
Walk up to the enthusiastic guard doing a little workout, and open your Spellbook with [Square] then select Take Heart. You might need to talk to the guard to get this whole thing started.
Now your Locket has plenty of enthusiasm. Now it’s time to give it to the brokenhearted guard. Get close, speak with him, and cast Give Heart.
After using Give Heart, a new screen will appear. Inside, you’ll see eight types of distilled spirit – but you’ve only got one right now. Select Enthusiasm and choose to share.
Now the brokenhearted guard is restored! See how this works? Brokenhearted people are scattered all around the world, to restore them you’ll need to Take Heart from characters to gain some type of distilled spirit, then Give Heart to share that spirit with the brokenhearted.
It isn’t always obvious who has what type of spirit, and what type of spirit you need to give. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself – but that can wait.
Performing kind things like restoring the brokenhearted earns Oliver Merit Stamps. These stamps, when collected, provide all sorts of useful bonuses. You’ll need to get a Stamp Card, but there’s no need to worry about that now.
There are lots of new things in Ding Dong Dell, but try to ignore them for now. Your main goal is seeing the Cat King. He’s in the big blue palace ahead, simply follow your gold star to find the way to him.
Before long, Oliver’s strange clothes will become a problem. Time to purchase some new clothes. When you’re back in control, there just so happens to be a clothes store ahead. Run ahead and enter the store shaped like an owl.
Speak with the old lady behind the desk, and you’ll arrange to pick up new clothes in the morning. Until then, you can pick up a Merit Card from Swift Solutions, just like the guard at the gate stated.
Swift Solutions is down the street, just take a turn right onto the dirt road. Inside, speak with the man and he’ll explain all about Merit Cards. He’ll also introduce you to Errand Boards, where you can take on side-quests. There are also Bounty Hunts, little missions tasking you with hunting specific monsters.
You’ll get a Merit Stamp Card, and one Merit Stamp for mending one brokenheart. Completing side-quests will also earn your stamps! Once they’re filled, you can trade the cards for Merit Awards. Nifty, right? These aren’t just regular rewards, often they’re very special.
That’s all the errands for today. Time for a good night’s sleep. Return to the entrance square and enter the Inn. Speak with the lady behind the desk, and select Stay. Sleeping at Inns will restore your HP / MP for a low cost. This one only puts you back 10 G.
Staying at Inns has another special effect; you’ll absorb the memories of those that have stayed there, providing you with extra pages to peruse.
Back to the Hootique to pick up your clothes. If you look around town, you might want to inspect the large glowing vases. There’s one in the inn you can collect for a treat.
In the Hootique, Oliver will get classy with a new set of traveler’s clothes. Now, why were we in Ding Dong Dell again? To visit the King! Follow your gold star up to the blue palace in the distance.
At the palace entrance, speak with the lefthand guard. You can’t get in yet, the King is looking for his lost red herring. This might seem tricky, but the gold star will show you where to find it.
Look in the water near Swift Solutions. There’s a small jetty, but Oliver will need to get closer by jumping along on the rickety sticks protruding from the water. It’s no challenge, just point the [left thumbstick] at whichever post you want to jump to.
Get close enough, and the red herring will swim away. Back to the palace entrance. At the square, turn right past the fountain and run past the guard to find stone steps leading up to a garden. The fish is stuck, so there’s nothing to stop Oliver from grabbing it.
Grab the item from the vase in the garden before you leave, and just as you exit the interior corridor, look left to find a treasure chest with white bread inside.
Return the fish to the guard at the castle gate and you’ll gain an audience.
An Audience With the King
And… it doesn’t go so well. It looks like the King has a case of brokenheartedness. Time to go hunting for more Enthusiasm. But where to find it?
Luckily, the Telling Stone appears with just the information you need. The Locket will glow when there’s some heart to borrow. Look on your mini map from time to time to see if any of the blue dots turn green.
Characters with green dots on your mini map have a heart’s virtue in abundance. That means you can use your Take Heart spell on them. The Locket won’t tell you which virtue it is, so try to collect as many virtues as you can whenever you see them.
Return to the entrance of the Dell, and head up the street from the Inn. Past the water wheel, there’s a street you probably haven’t explored yet – and there’s a weapon shop on the way! No need to buy weapons yet.
Down the alley, Drippy and Oliver will spot a young boy dressed up in a saucepan pretending to be a soldier. Talk to him, and choose Take Heart once the Spellbook menu appears.
Now you’ve got the enthusiasm you need. Just a short trip back up the city to see King Tom again. Inside his Throne Room, get near the King and a conversation will automatically begin. Then, it’s just a matter of choose Give Heart, and selecting Enthusiasm.
King Tom’s New Lease of Life
The King is now restored! For all your trouble, he’ll give you a wand and a few spells. You’ll receive the Spring Lock spell, and the Rejuvenate spell. The wand Oliver can pick up at a later date.
The store in town you passed earlier will now become available. The Cawtermaster’s Store sells weapons and equipment, which you’ll need plenty of later.
In fact, that’s your next goal. Go to the Cawtermaster’s Store and speak with the character behind the desk to learn more about equipment.
There are three types of equipment: weapons, armor, and accessories. You’ll want to make sure each of your Familiars is equipped with one of each.
Of course, Oliver and the human party members can also equip these items. Everyone can be equipped in the Friends and Familiars menu.
No need to buy anything. Return to the palace to collect your much-needed wand reward. Back in the Throne Room, talk to the panicky guard standing in front of the throne. Where’s the King?
He’s gone! Drippy will tell you all about soul mates, and suggests returning to Motorville to find King Tom’s soul mate. It turns out, King Tom’s soul mate is the store owner’s cat Timmy Toldrum.
After the conversation, open the spellbook with [Square] and select Gateway to return to Motorville.
Back in Motorville, start by checking out the grocery store. Talk to Leila, the owner behind the counter. No luck here, so time to check out Oliver’s house.
Mysteriously, the green-haired girl is waiting in your front yard. Talk to her to learn that she’s named Pea, she’ll also take you to Timmy the cat. Follow Pea down the street, through the alley, and past Philip’s house.
On the dirt entrance to the building with the blue pickup truck, talk to Pea again. After a short conversation, Drippy will grab Timmy. Return to the grocery store to bring Timmy back to his owner.
The clue is revealed. King Tom is stuck chasing mice! Get back to Ding Dong Dell – use the Gateway spell to return. It doesn’t matter where you use it.
Return to the alley you found the young boy playing soldier when you need to get King Tom some enthusiasm. Talk to the boy to learn that King Tom might be stuck down Ding Dong Well.
Down in Ding Dong Well
What’s this? Tommy Stout has his own familiar. But, he can’t order it around – so he gives it to you. Go ahead and name the little monkey.
This Familiar, a thumbelemur, can Psyche Up. When he’s fully psyched up, he’ll go wild and attack longer for more damage.
Drippy will give another combat tip too – move canceling. If you attack an enemy while it prepares a new ability, you can cancel it, stopping the ability in its tracks. But beware, the same can happen to you or your familiars.
Check out the thumbelemur. He’s only level 1, but he’s not too bad. Instead of Defend, he has the Psyche Up command.
Now it’s time to head down the steps to enter the well to rescue King Tom. Before you go, you might want to return to the Weapon Store to pick up a wooden sword or shield for your mite, or maybe an item for your new thumbelemur.
In the item store, when you move the cursor over an item, you’ll be able to see which items can be equipped to which characters. The swords can be equipped by your mite, but any armor other than a shield cannot be equipped. Always look and see how it improves your numbers, and if your familiar can use the item, before buying anything.
Back at the gate to the well, you’ll find the door is locked. No problem, open your Spellbook with [Square] and select Spring Lock.
There are four types of locked chests, but Spring Lock can only open Blue Chests. Any other kinds, you’ll have to wait until later to unlock.
Nothing’s stopping you now. Go ahead into the Ding Dong Well.
There’s a battle just as you enter the Ding Dong Well. The Rabbot and Taddlywink are a common enemy. Now, you can switch between Familiars in combat. It might be a good idea to leave your thumbelemur out of combat until it can gain a few levels. Whether they fight or not, everyone gets XP.
The Well might be your first real challenge. The enemies here are tough, so remember to heal often between fights.
For a bonus treasure chest with Iced Coffee, turn right past another wandering Rabbot and run across the shallow water to a slightly hidden corner.
When fighting the team of Rabbot and Taddlywink, try to defeat the Taddlywink first. It’s magic water attack can be damaging and tough to defend against.
The Naja have a scary poison burst attack. As long as you aren’t standing in front of them, you’ll escape the poison gas. These enemies also tend to appear alone, making them easier to handle in a one-on-one fight.
Further through the well, you’ll find a chamber through a set of purple double doors. There’s a statue of King Tomb, with three pedestals around him. Open your Spellbook and select Fireball. Quickly use the spell on all three pedestals to light all three flames. Hurry, because they’ll go out after a little bit!
If you light all three, the door will open, creating a nifty shortcut through the dungeon. Turn right through the open doors to continue deeper into the well, or turn left to deal with an enemy and collect an Iced Coffee in a treasure chest.
Ahead, you’ll find a large room with a pedestal. Another one to light with a fireball, but shouldn’t there be two other pedestals? Don’t light this one yet, instead continue along, jump across the posts to find another pedestal across the water, and then a third pedestal under a large statue in the next room over.
There’s no way to light them fast enough if you start at the first pedestal. Instead, light the second pedestal in the hallway, then the third pedestal under the statue, then climb the steps left of the statue and jump down to reach the first pedestal and light it. Be snappy!
If you light them fast enough, the gate to your right will open. Down the steps, you’ll get closer to the King.
In the lower sewers, you’ll face off against a new monster, the danglerfish. These big brutes are slow, making them a good target for your thumbelemur’s Psyche Up ability. Give it a try once he’s leveled up to Level 5 or so.
The thumbelemur’s quick attack speed is great for interrupting the danglerfish’s slow attacks.
At the end of the lower sewers, you’ll finally find a waystone to save. Get yourself up the steps to find King Tom captured by a giant nefarious purple rat, just like Drippy thought!
BOSS: Hickory Dock
This guy is fast, and before long you’ll be struggling to keep up. His wide attacks can send your familiars flying fast, so stay back!
Before long, the giant rat will use a special ability called Tailspin. It’ll confuse and stun Oliver and your mite, but the thumbelemur is immune! Whenever you see the boss charge up, switch to thumbelemur and attack.
After a Tailspin, the boss will try to use his wand to charge up a different attack. It just explodes in his face and knock the rat on it’s back. This is your chance! Keep a Psyche Up saved for this moment so you can unleash your Go Wild attack and really hurt the boss. But, any old attack will do.
The trick to this fight is just keeping far away from Hickory Dock while he tries to attack. He’s fast and powerful in a fight. Instead, stay away with Oliver, switch to your thumbelemur when he charges Tailspin, then attack with a familiar or spells while the boss is stunned on its back.
It’s important you throw some Fireballs of your own later in the fight. Eventually, Hickory’s fireball blast will only fizzle sometimes. When he jumps back, Defend or be prepared to take a lot of damage.
Use healing bread or magic to keep your HP above 20 during this fight. Any lower, and one hit from those fireballs can end the battle.
Play carefully, and you’ll have this fight in the bag.
With that, King Tom is saved and the wand is your’s. You’ll also gain the Frostbite spell, and learn your next objective. It’s time to travel to the city of Al Mamoon, off in the desert to garner the aid of the powerful Sages.
You’re on your own now. It’s time to pass through the Golden Grove, south of Ding Dong Dell, and enter the deserts of Al Mamoon.
Before you leave the city, you might notice some green glowing dots on your mini map. You can collect virtues of the heart from these characters which will mend broken hearts. If you look carefully, some of the blue dots are glowing as well. These characters will give you side-quests. Speak with them to accept little jobs that will earn you merit stamps.
Passing Through Golden Grove
Before you leave the city of Ding Dong Dell, you might want to check out any side-quests in Swift Solutions or spend some money at the Weapons Store, or refill your provisions at the Hootique.
Leaving from the bridge, you’ll begin your true adventure proper. There’s plenty to learn and see still ahead, so it’s not a bad idea to spend time doing side-quests in Ding Dong Dell. With some work, you can fill up your first merit stamp card.
Out of the city, you can find the Golden Grove southwest on the map. It’s a calm path to the forest.
In the Golden Grove, save your game before going too deep. Down the main path, the road splits left and right. Turn right to fight a tyke and a treasure chest.
The tykes are very similar to the mite. They can be quite tough, so magic does good against these little buggers.
Left, you’ll find the main path. There’s some more tough opponents here. Keep your health up, and keep moving until you reach a cluster of giant mushrooms.
Past the ‘shrooms, you’ll face a Pom Pom and a Worker Bumbler. Whenever you face off against multiple enemies like this, use your Mite’s Cut Loose trick, then finish off the Pom Pom.
The Worker Bumbler is a plant-type, which means Oliver’s Fireball will do bonus damage to the little guy. Take out the Pom Pom, then switch to Oliver and let him handle that Worker.
To travel deeper into the forest, use the stacks of mushrooms to climb up.
Beware the Incy, these monsters have high attack and high defense. To defeat them, try using Oliver’s Fireball. Two or three Fireballs can quickly defeat these creatures.
Up the first mushrooms, take the left path ahead, and turn left again, using the mushrooms to go up. Ahead, you’ll find something off – what looks like a wrecked robot. Nearby is a treasure chest with a set of Beast Fangs.
The Beast Fangs improve attack. Give them to your Thumbelemur, Oliver won’t be using many close-range attacks yet.
Return to the first set of mushrooms, and take the right path. Skip the next set of mushrooms, they don’t lead to anything, and continue toward the gold star.
The forest opens up soon, but you can follow a straight path straight toward the star if you want. We suggest doing some extra exploring first, there are lots of hidden areas in the forest. Just look on your map for any uncovered territory.
At the gold star, found by running through several dirt paths, you’ll discover a very strange tree. Examine it with [X] to see that it’s actually a Familiar egg! After the conversation, run up to the tree and use the Rejuvenate spell.
A new Familiar will pop out! You can’t bring this little guy with you, say hello, then return back down the path you came to the branching copse earlier.
On your way, the little Familiar will return. And it looks like he wants to show you something, so follow him! He’ll lead you back to some mushrooms, and into a dead-end.
Talk to the little Familiar to gain the Quicken Growth spell! The seed sprite will also join up with you, giving Oliver his third combat familiar.
The seed sprite has the Evade ability, instead of the Defend ability. They’re similar, but Evade lasts for only a short time and lets you escape any damage.
Like all your new Familiars, you won’t want to use them right away. The seed sprite is too weak to use in combat, so keep him on the bleachers until he’s about the same level as the rest of your heroes.
Work your way to the gold star – but you’ll find the path blocked. The mushrooms aren’t grown enough to let Oliver jump across them. Luckily, you have just the spell to fix this problem.
Open your spellbook near the unusable mushrooms, then use Quicken Growth. The shrooms will fully grow, and you can jump up to the ledge above.
It’s just a straight path to the exit of the forest. Stop at the waystone to heal up and save before running down the hill to the small fountain. Be prepared for danger.
BOSS: Gladiataur
The Guardian of the Golden Grove is one nasty looking minotaur. Like the first two bosses, you’ll want to stay out of his range when you can. Choose Oliver first.
Stay away, and play it safe to feel the boss out. Use Fireball of Frostbite to whittle away the giant’s health.
His most dangerous attacks are the Savage Swipe and Everblade. Savage Sword is easy to dodge with any character, but when you see the word balloon announce Everblade, you’ll want to Defend.
To avoid taking damage from Everblade, switch to your seed sprite and use Evade. Just remember that the timer for Evade is very short, so only use it right as the Gladiataur finishes charging Everblade.
Keep running circles around the brute with Oliver, using Fireball or Frostbite while collecting blue glims dropped by Drippy.
Once the boss is below half health, he’ll drop he weapons and only use close-range attacks. Keep up your long-range work with spells.
At about a quarter of his health, the boss will charge! Defend, quickly! If you’re able, the Gladiataur will be stunned.
This is your chance to end the battle! Attack with everything you’ve got. Switch to your mite or thumbelemur until a gold glim pops out of the stunned boss.
Grab that gold glim to unlock a Miracle Move. Use the Miracle Move, and you’ll have this fight finished.
After the battle, use the Rejuvenate spell on the dried up spring. With the forest restored, you can leave and continue on your quest to Al Mamoon.
Back in the Overworld, Drippy suggests skipping the dangerous monsters roaming about. That’s a good idea, these critters are tough. Try to avoid them as you cross the grasslands towards the desert.
The Majesty of Al Mamoon
Entering the city, Oliver won’t forget his mission. You’re here to find the Great Sage Rashaad. The first man you talk to will point him out… as just a simple fruit vendor.
Either way, welcome to Al Mamoon. Here, you’ll find all the same stores as in Ding Dong Dell. There’s an equipment store, a general store, and don’t forget the errand board at the merit card service.
Take a moment to rest at the inn for some new pages to peruse. In the Inn, you can also find a blue chest, use Spring Lock to gain an improved MP restoring item.
Work your way through the market to find Rashaad. Talk to him to learn what’s going on with Rashaad – a girl he cares about is brokenhearted. Not only is she brokenhearted, she’s deeply hurt. To figure out how to help her, you’ll need to travel back to Motorville and find this girl’s soulmate.
You know what to do! Cast Gateway to begin the investigation.
The Brokenhearted Girl
In Motorville, run down the streets and alleys to the golden star marker past Phil’s garage. After a short conversation, the star will shift to the little blonde girl’s house. Knock on her door to learn more about the Cartwright residence from a passerby.
Next, use Spring Lock on the door to Myrtle’s house. But, that doesn’t work. Time to find another way, just head toward the gold star.
Pea arrives to help! Go talk to her, then try the door. It’s unlocked now. Inside, you’ll meet Myrtle, but learn that she can’t be friends thanks to her controlling father.
Hoof it to Rusty’s garage next to meet Myrtle’s dad. Save before you go inside! In the garage, you’ll learn that Rusty is brokenhearted.
BOSS: Rusty’s Nightmare
Before going into this fight, make sure you’re at least level 10-11.
A boss, in Motorville? It looks that way! Like every boss so far, it’s smart to play it safe in the beginning. Choose Oliver, and hit the boss with Fireballs or Frostbite from afar to get a feel for his attacks.
The boss has two deadly abilities. Hard Heart is his charge attack, make sure to defend and you’ll be fine.
Arguably, his most dangerous attack is Foul Fumes. Don’t bother defending when he uses it, just circle around to his back and attack while he charges up. It’s a poison ability that only hits what’s in front of the Nightmare.
While attacking the Nightmare with your sword or any close-range attack, beware! The Nightmare is one tough customer, he’ll hit back hard and drop purple glims.
Purple glims are dangerous, don’t pick them up! One touch will hurt you instead of help.
The key to winning this fight is staying far away and pelting him with Oliver’s magic. If you’re at full health, then you can risk fighting up close and personal. Otherwise, avoid it.
Defend each time the Nightmare tries to use Hard Heart, and always collect any blue or green glims to keep your HP / MP up. Heal often with white bread or magic, and you’ll be fine.
After the battle, you’ll learn that Rusty is missing kindness. Talk to Rusty’s wife, waiting by him, and use Take Heart when the menu appear.
Now you have some kindness! Talk to Rusty on the ground, use Give Heart and select kindness to restore Rusty.
Myrtle’s parents are back to normal. Return to the little girl’s house to talk to her again. Finally, it looks like everything will work out. After she’s outside, select Take Heart from the spell menu to gain some courage.
Use Gateway again to return to the other world. Run down to the brokenhearted little girl and talk to her. When the spell menu opens, pick Give Heart, then share courage.
Rashaad will agree to help you, and Esther will join your party. Now you’ll have some help in all those tough fights ahead. You’ll also gain the Puppet String spell, the Secret Ingredient spell, the Magic Lamp spell, and the Pulse spell.
That’s a lot of spells! The Great Sage will next send you on a trip to the Temple of Trials. That’s your next destination!
First, let’s talk about your new spells. Puppet String allows you to move around statues – perfect for solving puzzles. You’ll use this one often soon.
There’s also the Magic Lamp, which simply lights up a dark area. There’s nothing dark to light up yet, but we’ll tell you when to use this one.
Rashaad also provides you with a new combat spell. Pulse shoots a wave of energy forward that’s more powerful than your other spells, but it can also be used out of combat. If things block your way and need to be moved, use Pulse.
Before leaving Al Mamoon, stop by all the shops to purchase new weapons and provisions. One new item you can find in the Hootique is the Phoenix Feather. These expensive items allow you to restore an unconscious party member back to life.
Sage Advice
Leaving the city, Drippy will teach you how to fight with two characters at once. You’ll have to pick who you want to lead: scroll through your choices by pressing [R1] or [L1]. Select Esther to make her the leader.
Whoever the leader is, you’ll now have a new option. You can now choose the Tactics command, telling the other characters in your party what they should be doing.
Don’t worry, you can still switch back to Oliver if you want! You choose him much like you would a familiar. Hold [L1] then press up/down instead of left/right to pick a different character or their familiars.
In the Tactics menu, you can choose all sorts of commands for your party. Like, you can agree to attack different targets, the same targets, or the weakest / strongest. You can also command specific characters to hang back, do everything they can and use up MP, or just to support and heal the leader. It’s up to you how you want to play.
Esther doesn’t have spells, she has songs. They work just like spells though, so don’t worry! They’ll cost a little bit of MP. She starts with Chirpy Tune, which heals an ally.
You’ll notice right away, that these enemies are way tougher than the usual critters you’ve encountered. They’ll use status effects like sleep, while the big bruiser will try to punch his way through your party.
Use Oliver’s Fireball on the Buncher, and go nuts on the rest.
After the fight, you’ll learn about switching familiars. It’s really easy, just go to the Friends and Familiars menu, then press [Square] to pick up a familiar. You’ll want to spread your familiars around, it’s better to have two characters each have two familiars than for one to have three.
Try giving Esther your thumbelemur so she’ll have more combat prowess, but it’s all up to you.
Travel northeast through the sandy desert to reach the Temple of Trials. It’s not a short trip, but you might want to fight a few creatures on the way. It can’t hurt to gain a little XP on your travels.
The Temple of Trials is through a narrow gorge. Passing through it will trigger a quiet scene for the characters to reflect and rest near a campfire.
The Temple of Trials
This is when things get tough! The monsters and the puzzles are unforgiving here, but completing this will put Oliver on the fast track to learning Ni no Kuni’s most important new mechanics.
Through the massive front doors, you’ll find the Supreme Sage. The imposing character isn’t really the Supreme Sage. At the end of the introduction, you must speak with the large servant to learn more about the trials.
There are three trials; you’ll need to complete the Test of Wits and the Test of Friendship before taking on the Test of Strength. The first two tests are through the passages to the left and right.
The Test of Friendship
In this test, you’ll be in control of Esther and Oliver. One is controlled with the left stick, while the other is controlled with the right.
To begin, step onto each of the colored panels. It takes some getting used to, but don’t worry. If one character falls, you can just restart at the beginning.
Get a head start by stepping forward just as the panels appear. Don’t rush ahead, but keep your pace quick. Later in the puzzle, you’ll need to move each of the characters through different paths, and that takes some getting used to.
After the first tier, the puzzle will get trickier. There are dead ends on each side, you’ll need to rush ahead to find a glowing button and step on it to create a path for the other character.
The first dead end will stop Esther, rush ahead with Oliver to find the button, then step and move ahead with Esther to find a button. The panels will only appear if you keep moving, so don’t worry about leaving one of your characters standing still.
When Esther activates the bridge for Oliver, run across and up, the button should already be visible. Before pressing the button with Oliver, move Esther to the right side of the splitting path.
Then, it’s just a quick run to the third tier of the puzzle. This one gets very tricky, as Oliver and Esther will switch sides. I find the easiest way to control them is by moving one character, then stopping and moving the other.
You’ll have plenty of time to leap-frog between characters, so don’t worry about leaving one standing still while you move the other. At the end of both paths are button. Have both characters stand in place to activate the last bridges. Cross over, and you’ll complete the first trial.
Step on the two colored circles, and the exit door will open. Now you can leave and move on to the right path.
Test of Wits
This mysterious test doesn’t give you many clues to start. Stand on the panel with a strange “A”-like symbol on it. Open your spellbook and cast Puppet String. You’ll need to use this spell on each tier of this test.
Tier 1:
Now you can move the statues! First, talk to the bird to get a clue: The dragon sees the warrior’s sword, while the bird is shown his shield, the beast meanwhile, looks to his right and sees an empty field.
You need to place the statues in this order, from left to right: the best, the dragon, the warrior, and the bird. Place each statue onto the panels above in that exact order to solve the puzzle.
Tier 2:
This puzzle it trickier. You’ll need to move each of the panels into place where they match the picture. Just use your perspective, then check out our map below to see where each square needs to be placed.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Place the matching block onto each of the spaces marked with an X. Make sure the block placed fits within the lines, it should mimic the picture like a puzzle piece from your perspective.
Tier 3:
For this list puzzle, here’s the clue: The Bird is bound to dragon and moon, and on a star he sits. The beast links warrior, moon, and star, yet knows not where he fits.
Cast Puppet String, and let’s figure this out. Check out the map below to see where each statue (Beast, Warrior, Dragon, and Bird) need to be placed.
Beast – Warrior – Star – Dragon
There you go! Two tests completed. Now it’s time for the final test.
Test of Strength
Before taking on the test, save your game at the waystone. Then, if you’re all prepared, talk to the Supreme Sage to begin the test.
BOSS: Bashura
This giant packs a punch, so keep your distance as the fight begins. Select Tactics, and order your party to Provide Backup instead of going all out, or asking them to keep everyone healed. They’ll just get themselves killed trying to attack this brute head on!
One of Bashura’s charged skills is called Mind Over Matter. As long as you keep away, you’ll be safe from the blast.
His other charge attack, Devastation, if far more dangerous. It has a quick charge, and hits everyone no matter where they are. Be prepared to Defend at all times to avoid this attack.
Attack after he uses Mind Over Matter, and if you’re lucky, you’ll earn yourself a gold glim!
Otherwise, Defend his attacks or even get close to Defend against Mind Over Matter for a blue and green glim boost. Defending against big attacks will always earn you bonus glims.
Even using Defend to block Mind Over Matter will often drop a gold glim, earning whoever picks it up a Miracle Move!
We suggest saving those gold glims for anyone but Oliver. The big creature has an affinity for fire, meaning Fire Balls won’t do much damage. You’re better off sticking to ice attacks like Frostbite to hurt Bashura.
Keep your health over 40 HP at all times, and if you need more MP, just Defend against either his incoming attacks, or wait for his charged attacks.
Stay away from his close-range sword swings, and don’t try to attack him from his shielded behind, always attack from the front.
It’s a slow process, but if you play it safe and stick to using magic, you’ll pull through.
Familiar Taming and Metamorphosis Training
After all that work, the Supreme Sage will give Oliver the Bridge spell, and the Broom Broom spell.
Now, it’s time to learn one of, if not the most important, abilities in the game. It’s time for creature taming.
Esther will be given the Heart-Winning Harp. This special item allows you to tame critters. Any monster you come across in the world, you can tame. But it won’t be easy!
To start, the Supreme Sage will introduce three creatures. During combat, sometimes a defeated creature will stay on the field while hearts appear over their heads. That means they can be tamed.
Only Esther can tame creatures with her harp. It doesn’t matter who defeats them, but you’ll need to switch to Esther to tame them. Got that?
There are three Familiars to choose from. A duck-like thing, a floating ghost, and a plant-ish fairy. Grab whichever you want, it doesn’t matter too much yet.
The first is the shonky-honker, which is good for all-around players. It has good defense, and some supportive magic attacks like sleep.
The second familiar is the boggly-boo, which has a higher attack rating with more damaging combat abilities than the other two. If you want a pure fighter, go with this guy.
The third is a naiad. It’s a pretty good healer, with some other magical attacks you can use in combat if you’re so inclined.
When you’re ready to choose, talk to the Supreme Sage on his throne. He’ll put you in combat with all three creatures. Choose Esther, then beat up the monster you want to take with you. They won’t fight back, so there’s no danger here.
After knocking the monster out, it’ll get back up. See those hearts floating over it? That means you can tame it! Select the heart icon in your combat menu. Select that you want to serenade it, and the creature will be your’s.
In the regular game, you’ll be able to choose whether to serenade or let the creature go. If you leave it alone, it’ll run off – remember, some familiars will run away much faster than others!
You can always keep three familiars to each character, and three familiars in reserve. But, if you catch more than that, you’ll need to store them elsewhere.
Remember those sewer covers you see next to every waystone? Now you can use them! Talking to the little black creature inside allows you to send extra familiars away to the Familiar Retreat. Think of it as a Familiar Bank, where you can safely store extra familiars to be used later.
That isn’t all! It’s time to learn about metamorphosis. If you’ve played Pokemon, you know the deal – your Familiars can evolve into new and powerful versions of themselves.
To metamorphose a familiar, you’ll need special items. The Supreme Sage will give you one such item now, a sundrop.
The Creature Cage menu will open. Select your mite, then select to feed the sundrop to the mite. Next, move your cursor right to select his next evolutionary stage. He’ll become a Mighty Mite!
New species come with new abilities and upgrades. The mighty mite can perform one extra trick, even at level 1.
The type of treat you need to feed to each familiar depends on their sign. Don’t forget, there are four signs: sun, moon, star and the planet.
That’s all you need to know for now! Familiars that metamorphose will return to level 1, so you’ll need to give them some training so they can catch back up.
Luckily, they’ll gain levels quickly. And, don’t forget that metamorphosis is totally optional. You can always keep what you have.
Enough with the tutorials! It’s time to return to Al Mamoon to talk with Esther’s father and continue your quest to defeat Shadar.
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