x13 | x8 |
After meeting
The Party Command has been added. This command allows a quick exchange of Party Members. Use this command to switch Party Members during battles where menus can't be opened.
After lining up with the troops, Heartless appear in the Encampment. The upper left Gauge represents the Party’s morale. It is game over when the Gauge is empty. The Gauge can be restored by the Orbs dropped by the enemy. Orbs influence the survival of the party, so make sure to gather as many Orbs as possible, especially the rare (large) ones.
NEW HEARTLESS: Nightwalker, Assault Rider
You can use your newly-acquired Fire magic to deal damage to Shadows while they're grouped together. Nightwalkers can be struck with complete air combos, but be mindful of when they use their spinning counterattack; this can heavily lower the morale gauge and launch you into the air if it makes contact. Use the Guard ability to parry incoming attacks from Nightwalkers.
After all of the enemies are defeated,
The Surprise Attack |
|
INFORMATION: Defeat the Heartless at the Checkpoint! Sora & co. must defeat 15 Heartless in the Checkpoint area (five Nightwalkers and ten shadows). If the MORALE gauge reaches zero, it's game over. Here are a few tips for clearing the enemies in your way:
REWARD: None |
The Ambush |
|
INFORMATION: Defeat the Heartless at the Checkpoint! Sora & co. must defeat 12 Heartless in the Checkpoint area (five Shadows, five Nightwalkers, and two Assault Riders). If the MORALE gauge reaches zero, it's game over. Here are a few tips for clearing the enemies in your way:
REWARD: None |
The Search |
|
INFORMATION: Defeat the hidden Heartless! Sora & co. must defeat 8 Heartless in the Encampment area (five Shadows, three Nightwalkers). If the MORALE gauge reaches zero, it's game over. Here are a few tips for finding and defeating enemies quickly:
REWARD: AP Boost |
After clearing all three missions, Save your progress in the Bamboo Grove (through the west passageway) and return to the Encampment; proceed to the Checkpoint (the north passageway) and travel forward through the passageway on the north side of the area to reach the Mountain Trail.
The Mountain Trail |
|
INFORMATION: Hurry to the Mountain Summit! Sora & co. must reach the opposite side of the mountain pass before the MORALE gauge reaches zero. Here are some tips for making your way through the pass:
REWARD: None |
After clearing the path to the other side of the Mountain Trail, the troops will arrive in the Village, and Sora receives the Village Area Map. Save your progress at the save station north of the village, then enter the Village Cave due east from the save station. Travel along the path until you reach the back of the cave.
Village Cave Ambush |
|
INFORMATION: Defeat all of the Heartless! Sora & Ping must defeat a large group of Shadows and several Assault Riders. Here are some tips for clearing the ambush:
REWARD: Sora learns Sliding Dash | Ping learns Hyper Healing & Max HP +15 |
Donald and Goofy rejoin your party after clearing the ambush. Travel back through the narrow passage and exit the cave. Save your game at the nearby save station and travel north of the village to the Ridge. Continue up the ridge and enter the area in the northwest to reach the Summit.
NEW HEARTLESS: Rapid Thruster, Bolt Tower
Swarm at the Summit |
|
INFORMATION: Defeat all of the Heartless! Sora must survive for 60 seconds against a large group of Rapid Thrusters and several Bolt Towers. Here are some tips for survival:
REWARD: |
The Limit Command has been added. Limits are Abilities that consume Sora's MP and are executed with Party Members.
After the cutscene, open the menu and review Mulan's new abilities (it's preferred to unequip Auto Limit, Item Boost, and Draw in order to equip Fire Boost and Hyper Healing). Return to the Ridge to initiate the next cutscene, then continue down to the Village. Save your progress in the Village and travel through the Mountain Trail to reach the Checkpoint.
Pass through the newly accessible gateway in the east that leads to the Imperial City. After a short cutscene, defeat the Nightwalkers and Bolt Towers using the strategies listed in the Ambush and Swarm at Summit skirmishes. When the courtyard is cleared out, enter the passageway up ahead to reach the Palace Gate. Make preparations in the menu and ascend the palace steps.
Shan-Yu |
||
HP: 442 DIFFICULTY: When the fight begins, Shan-Yu will summon a group of Nightwalkers that make their way toward the gates to attack them. The morale gauge will decrease each time an enemy strikes the palace gates, and it’s game over if the gauge reaches zero. The Nightwalkers tend to bunch up near these gates, and you can use Fire magic to stagger them if you place Sora in the center of them. You can also set Mulan’s battle style to Target Attack so that when you target the Nightwalkers, Mulan can use her fire attacks to defeat them. Defeating all twelve Nightwalkers first will drastically lower the risk of losing morale orbs from the palace gates. Shan-Yu has three main attacks in phase one: a single downward sword strike, and a short series of fast slashes, and a counterattack with a tremor and upward spiral. His single sword strike can be avoided by jumping away or moving to the side; I find it more reliable to move to his left if you choose to evade this way. Shan-Yu will stagger if you strike him immediately after his sword swing. You can also Guard against this attack, and doing so will activate a reaction command. Continually use the Press command until it turns into Takedown; use this command to knock Shan-Yu backward, then follow up with ground combos. The distance between Sora and Shan-Yu after the reaction command can sometimes be crossed quickly using the Slide Dash ability, so be sure to equip it beforehand. Shan-Yu’s flurry of fast sword swings is more difficult to avoid, but you can sometimes outrun it with the right amount of distance between you and the attack. Striking just after he finishes his last swing will stagger him, but you’ll need to be quick to strike just as he starts to leap backwards. If you’re hit with this attack, his final swing will knock you into the air; use the Aerial Recovery ability to quickly regain control. Using Guard against this attack will also trigger the Press and Takedown reaction commands. Be aware that this attack can cause massive damage to the morale gauge, so keep Shan-Yu away from the gates whenever you can by luring him away or pushing him using the reaction command combo. Shan-Yu can usually take damage from three consecutive ground combos before he reacts. If he’s hit too many times, he’ll retaliate by causing a small tremor and spinning into the air with his sword. The tremor can be avoided by jumping away or using Guard at the right moment. If you’re struck by the tremor, his aerial sword strike will pull you into the air, dealing heavy damage and knocking you away. You can use Aerial Recovery to quickly regain your footing and avoid further damage. Shan-Yu is vulnerable to stagger as he drops down from this attack, so if you Guard against his tremor or use Aerial Recovery you can catch him on the way down and deal an air combo. As you strike Shan-Yu, his falcon will periodically close in to attack Sora in three different ways. After using the Takedown reaction command or staggering Shan-Yu with magic, the falcon will fly behind him and approach Sora flying low to the ground wrapped in a purple aura. If it makes contact, it will pull you up into the air for a short time. Rapidly press the attack button to shorten the amount of time you’re held. If you see the falcon closing in ahead of time, you can Guard as it makes contact to parry the attack and leave it open to damage. You can keep the falcon staggered by continuing to attack with air combos if you can stay close and attack quickly. Defeating the falcon with a combo finisher will cause it to release a lot of morale orbs, but Shan-Yu will quickly summon it back into the fight, so I find that it’s usually not worth the trouble of taking it out. Just be aware of its position as you attack Shan-Yu, and be ready to Guard as it approaches to strike. When about five percent of the second health bar remains, the fight will move into phase two. Shan-Yu’s attack pattern will change and he’ll periodically envelop himself with a dark aura. Whenever he has this aura, he will not stagger from physical attacks, so keep that in mind when you close in to deal damage. If you remain near Shan-Yu without attacking for too long, he’ll often use his tremor and airborne spiral attack, so be ready to Guard or use Aerial Recovery to avoid further damage. If you keep your distance from him while his aura is active, he’ll usually strike with up to three forward charges. You’ll know when this charge attack is incoming when you see him wind up, holding his sword high behind him and sending out a small white fissure. Jumping as he charges will keep you safe from damage, or you can Guard against the incoming charge to initiate the Press reaction command. Using Takedown during this phase will remove Shan-Yu’s aura, allowing you to stagger him in between his attacks until he regenerates it. REWARD: Sora learns Aerial Sweep & MAX HP +5 | Donald MAX HP +3 | Goofy learns Goofy Turbo | Mulan MAX HP +20 |
After defeating Shan-Yu, Sora will open a new pathway with the Keyblade and receive the Hidden Dragon keychain. After the cutscene, you'll be taken to the world map. Before landing in a world, take note of its BATTLE LV in the top-right corner of the world menu. It's recommended to visit worlds in ascending order of battle level. Clearing the Stardust Sweep gummi route will allow you to Land in Beast's Castle.
While your Munny is limited at this point in the journey, you can return to Hollow Bastion and visit Wedge's Armor Shop and Donald's nephews' Accessory Shop, Weapon Shop, or Item Shop to stock up on any desired items. You can also acquire any remaining Puzzle Pieces within reach.