The Let's Play Archive

Breath of Fire II

by Scintilla

Part 74: Chapter Fifty Four: Wide World



The party warps outside after the previous scene and Mina is automatically summoned.

Music: 20 – White Wings



Mina can carry the party pretty much anywhere. You can call her at any time by putting Nina at the head of the party and pressing ‘Y’. The entire map is now open to us, and although we could theoretically head straight to Evrai there are other things we can do before then.

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The Super Armoury



We can visit this island directly west of the Thieves Tomb, for instance. There’s an armourer here who sells really good stuff.



Really really good stuff. Unfortunately it’s super expensive and I can’t afford to equip everyone, but I’ll be stopping back here whenever I can in order to update my equipment.

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Fishing for Treasure



For this sidequest to work we first need to head to the landmass that Evrai is located on. We won’t be going there just yet, though, but rather into the small hut located just below it.



It turns out to be an Inn and a Dragon Statue.



A dresser at the top contains the Angler Rod, the best fishing rod in the game. I know I haven’t really gone into the fishing minigame, but since we’re about to go dredging up treasure boxes with this rod I guess it’s about time I did.



Okay, crash course incoming. Equip a rod and bait in Ryu’s accessory slots, find a spot with fish jumping out of the water and press ‘Y’ whilst next to them.



You’ll be brought to a screen that looks something like this. There will be lots of fish swimming merrily around, and if you’re lucky you might find a treasure chest like I have here.



We have our rod and bait ready so we’re good to go. Pressing ‘A’ starts charging the Power bar.



Pressing ‘A’ again will stop the charge and Ryu will cast his lure. The higher the charge, the further the lure will go.



If you mess up by going too far or too close, don’t worry – hammering the ‘A’ button will cause Ryu to drag the lure back so you can cast it again. Normally the fish would be all over my lure, but I’m using a Coin as bait. Coins are special in that they are ignored by pretty much everything except for special catches.



Protip - special catches include treasure boxes.



Next step – hammer on the ‘A’ button and reel in the chest. The two green bars indicate the rod’s durability and the catch’s stamina. If this were a normal fish then you’d have to reduce its stamina meter to zero before it did the same to your rod’s durability. The better your rod is, the higher its durability and the better your chances of reeling the fish in. There’s a bit more to it but I really suck at this minigame so I’ll leave it at that.

As it happens I manage to reel in the chest just before the line breaks.



Sounds powerful.







This badass sword isn’t the only treasure we can dredge up.



Outside Gate is another fishing spot.



With another chest.



With another amazing item inside. The Life Armour is one of the best armours in the game, and it has a secondary effect where the wearer regenerates HP while they walk.



As well as treasure chests occasionally a Manillo who looks suspiciously like Gobi from the first game will be swimming around. He can only be reeled in with a Coin, and if you manage to haul him out he’ll act as a merchant and sell you high-level gear.

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Treasure in Castle Wyndia



Going back to Wyndia will reveal that the guard is no longer stationed at the front gates.



Exploring the castle is now an option, as well as looting its treasury. Treasures include a Vitalizer, a Silver Tiara and a Moon Drop.



Suzy…





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Receiving the Gospel of St. Eva



This sidequest is one we could have done as soon as we reached the church in Colossea, but we didn’t have enough money back then.



First we go to the church.



Then we make a few donations. And by a few, I mean twenty.





The Book is a special Key Item.



The spelling at the top of the screen is not a mistake. This is an important detail.

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Last Few Township Residents

Since the entire map is now open there are no more obstacles to recruiting Township tenants. We’ve already recruited Burroughs, but we still have two more houses going free.



Hans lives in Newhaven in the house next to Ryu and Bosch’s old place. He’ll wind up opening an item shop that sells useful ingredients for the item fusion system, so I invite him along right away.

The last house however has me a little bit torn. Two candidates in particular appeal to me, and I can only have one. First up is the more practical tenant – Daiye, from Wyndia.



Daiye is overflowing with white hot passion for his one goal in life – to be the best damn fishmonger the world has ever seen. Nobody will monger fish better than Daiye. Daiye will provide an easy source of fish, many of which are key ingredients in the cooking system.

On the other hand, we have Salvador.



Salvador is an artist. If you invite him along he will fill Township with statues of your party members. Now that’s pretty cool. He doesn’t have any utility aside from an aesthetic one, however.



In the end, though, I choose Salvador. I know I will end up regretting this decision since Daiye is an easy source of Tuna, a key ingredient in many Stat-Up items, but Township could do with some sprucing up.



Once invited, if spoken to Salvador will ‘borrow’ the lead character for a short while. Eventually a new statue of them will appear inside the town.



Like so.





It really gives some life to the place.

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With all that done, it’s time to investigate the heartland of the St. Eva faith.

Music: 02 – My Home Sweet Home



: Alright then. Let’s start the investigation.



: We are certainly on a journey of discovery. It is our hope that we have a revelation before too long.

: Hmph.







: Hmm…it does not look like anyone outside knows anything about what we are looking for…perhaps we should try indoors?





: Tch. ‘Lord Eva’ this, ‘Lord Eva’ that…this is really startin’ to piss me off.



: Huh? Hey lady, are you sure?!

: Calm down, Rand.

: Come on, buddy. The Cathedral is just north of here. Let’s go have a look.



The Cathedral looks imposing, but we won’t be investigating it this update. Tune in next time for some more fun religious action.