Golden Sun TLA Maniac Mode Patch

Golden Sun TLA Maniac Mode!

Background Information
-------------------------------------------
After feeling that this game was a little too easy, I felt like it should be harder (though at some parts, I am going a little overboard) and funner at other parts. The difficulty is on the high side and to get past the 4 scripted battles in the beginning of the game, you have to use the 4 oil drops that I put in your inventory. This hack is done all the way up to Lemuria (which I consider the half-way point with Poseidon being the last thing edited excluding the items inside Lemuria itself). Without further ado, I present to
you, my (in-progress) difficulty patch.

Golden Sun TLA Maniac Mode Version 1.05

Changes
---------------
~You can use nearly all of your items in battle
~Weapons are more useful now
~Weapons cost more (due to usefulness, but money shouldn't be a problem after a while)
~Difficulty is SPIKED!
~When you fight a Djinni, they will NEVER be alone
~Most of the classes (except for the Hermit series, classes that requires
items, and the tri-elemental classes since they have not been edited
yet) have been changed (nerfed in most cases)
~Nearly all enemies have 2 turns (excluding the Rat, Serpent, Felix, Jenna, and Sheba) (Refer to Plot Twist! for Felix, Jenna, and Sheba)
~Cost of Psynergy is increased
~Nearly all of the enemies can use psynergy
~Some classes (like the Mariner class series for example) can use unleashes and/or enemy-only moves
~EXP Level Requirements have been increased
~Different base classes
~To use the old base classes, Felix needs Jupiter Djinni, Jenna needs Mercury Djinni, Sheba needs Venus Djinni, and Piers needs Mars Djinni
~Serpent has a different palette swap for each light that is activated
~Avimander has been replaced with Felix, Jenna and Sheba (Refer to Plot Twist!)
~All utility psynergy (except the ones used in battle) costs 4 PP including Retreat
~Unused enemies and enemies from Golden Sun do make their appearances (even Saturos and Mendari, even though those 2 contradicts the storyline)
~The single elementary summons now uses secondary effects (i.e Inflicts Delusion, May Inflict Stun, etc.)

List of unused/returning enemies
-----------------------------------------------------------
~Ruffian 3 (Purple Felix)
~Champa 2
~Dark Wizard (He's in the videos Golden Sun TLA: Difficulty Patch Battle and Golden Sun TLA: Getting My Revenge
~216. Vermin (He's actually at the very beginning of Golden Sun)
~237. Bandit (The one from Golden Sun is now Indigo Jenna)
~238. Thief (The one from Golden Sun is now green-yellow Sheba)
~239. Brigand (The one from Golden Sun is now sky blue Piers, who hasn't made his appearance yet)

I have some more unused enemies that I plan to use once I have more free time. Also, the returning, exclusive GS1 enemies will be stronger (like the enemy Vermin, Mystery Man, Menardi, etc.) excluding Mystery Woman, who is actually a lot weaker due to an earlier appearance as opposed to Mystery Man (who gave me the hardest time for awhile until I came back after gaining 2-3 levels o.O)

Single Elemental Summons
--------------------------------------------------
- May multiply damage by 1, 2, or 3
Ramses - May multiply damage by 1, 2, or 3
Cybele - May ignore 50% of defense
Judgement - May ignore 50% of defense
- Inflict delusion
Nereid - Inflict delusion
Neptune - Halve Agility
Boreas - Halve Agility
- May inflict stun
Kirin - May inflict stun
Tiamat - Ignore defense
Meteor - Ignore defense
- May inflict seal
Atalanta - May inflict seal
Procne - Drop resistance by 20
Thor - Drop resistance by 20

Known Glitches
---------------------------
~When you get to the djinn tutorial, the game will freeze if you have the Long Sword equipped since it will try to unleash Echo 2 times
~When you fight the 3rd Ruffian group in the beginning of the game, there's a possibility that Ruffian 3 (A.K.A. Purple Felix, who is a later boss) might appear for unknown reasons o.O
~Healing Psynergies/Djinni with a range of 3+ may might not heal/defend (if you're using granite, shade, flash, flower, etc.) due to a glitch in the editor

General Tips
----------------------
~If you find that you're having a hard time in the beginning of the game then refer to this weapon/armor list for Daila:

Weapons
-----------
Long Sword (Daila, Madra, and Alhafra)

Price - 350
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 24/10
Unleash rate - 40
Earth Attribute
Boosts Encounters (20) and Turns (1)
Use - Helm Splitter
Unleash - Slice

Short Sword (Daila and Alhafra)

Price - 275
Use - Multiple
Attack/Defense - 120/0
Unleash rate - 85
No Attribute
Boosts Encounters (40)
Use - Total Defense
Unleash - Defend

Mace (Daila and Alhafra)

Price - 300
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 9/3
Unleash rate - 40
Wind Attribute
PP Recovery (10)
Use - Tornado
Unleash - Whirlwind

Wooden Stick (Daila)

Price - 300
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 5/0
Unleash rate - 50
Water Attribute
Mercury Power (20) and Mars Resist (10)
Use - Ice Horn
Unleash - Prism

Armors
-----------
Cotton Shirt (Daila and Madra)

Price - 80
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 1/3
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Agility (1o)
Use - Guard
Unleash - Nothing

Travel Vest (Daila and Alhafra)

Price - 150
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 3/7
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Agility (15)
Use - Guard
Unleash - Nothing

One-Piece Dress (Daila)

Price - 120
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 0/6
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Luck (2)
Use - Guardian
Unleash - Nothing

Wooden Shield (Daila, Madra, and Alhafra)

Price - 120
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 0/6
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Agility (-5)
Use - Protect
Unleash - Nothing

Padded Gloves (Daila and Madra)

Price - 100
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 4/4
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Max PP (10)
Use - Demon Spear
Unleash - Nothing

Leather Cap (Daila, Madra, and Alhafra)

Price - 80
Use - Single
Attack/Defense - 0/5
Unleash rate - 0
No Attribute
Use - Resist
Unleash - Nothing

~Once you get past Kibombo, for an easier time, I recommend doing the following in this order: Aqua Rock -> Gaia Rock -> Sea of Time Islet (Optional) -> Tundaria Tower -> Ankohl Ruins. However, if you want a harder challenge, then you should do the ones you can in reverse order (which I don't recommend doing)

That's about it until I remember something else. Enjoy please and some feedback would be nice.

Videos
------------
Difficulty Patch Battle

Getting my revenge

It's those thieves again

Versus the Uber Serpent

Plot Twist!

Versus the Mighty Poseidon

Versus the Chestbeaters

The King Scorpion

Briggs The Pirate

NOTE - The last 3 were done to showcase the first few bosses that I didn't flim

Weapon & Armors Uses
------------------------------------------
Here's what each weapon and armor (the category atleast) generally does when used in battle. NOTE: Not all of them does the same thing in battle

All Weapons - Varies
Armor - Guard Aura
Clothing (Shirts, Coats, and Vests) - Guard
Robes - Guardian
Shields - Protect
Gloves - Demon Spear
Armlets - Ward
Helms - Protector
Caps (Caps, Crowns, Hoods, and Hats) - Resist
Circlet - Bind

Weapon & Armors Abilities
------------------------------------------------
Here's a general rundown of weapons and armors (general categories) abilities (i.e Max HP, PP Recovery, etc.)

Long Swords - Boosts Encounters (most weapons has this ability)
Light Blades - Boosts Encounters and for some, Agility Gain
Axes - Boosts Encounters and Agility Loss (but great Atk and Def stats to make up for it)
Maces - Varies
Staffs (Staffs, Rods, Wands, and Ankhs) - Varies
Armor - Good Defense and Agility Loss
Clothing (Shirts, Coats, and Vests) - Agility gain, mediocre defense, and attack (usually less then half of the defense stat)
Robes - Luck boost and average defense
Shields - Agility loss, mediocre attack, and average defense
Gloves - Max PP increase, Great Attack (for armor =D) and below average defense (usually half of the attack stat. even with high attack, it's hard to get go defense with this method)
Armlets - Nothing as a whole surprisingly o.O. Thinking about adding increase criticals or counterstrike rate
Helms - Max HP increase, mediocre-average attack strength (usually half of the defense stats) and great defense
Caps (Caps, Crowns, Hoods, and Hats) - Nothing surprisingly o.O (although separately, some do have abilities). Thinking about adding increase criticals or counterstrike rate
Circlet - PP Recovery gain, horrid attack stat (usually 1/3 of the defense stat), and average defense

Lemurian Weapons!
----------------------------------
Here is a rundown of items for the Lemurian Spring and some equipment suggestions purely from the spring. NOTE: I'm going to post SOME of the statistics, not all. Also, seeing how this is a lucky well, some of these items will increase criticals (which compensates for some of the difficulty in this patch). The list is as followed:

Selling Prices!
-------------------------
Center Circle
-------------
Summon: Eclipse
Aegis Shield - 17450
Erebus Armor - 18000
Hestia Blade - 23000

1st Circle
----------
Aegis Shield - 17450
Floral Dress - 18000
Mighty Axe - 22250
Minerva Helm - 19750

2nd Circle
----------
Erebus Armor - 18000
Fireman's Pole - 18500
Floral Dress - 18000
Leda's Bracelet - 18250
Mighty Axe - 22250
Crown of Glory - 19750

3rd Circle
----------
Brilliant Circlet - 20500
Crafted Gloves - 19000
Hestia Blade - 23000
Leda's Bracelet - 18250
Wild Coat - 19500

Outer Circle
------------
Minerva Helm - 19750
Wild Coat - 19500
Water of Life - 3000

Outside
-------
Brilliant Circlet - 20500
Potion - 1000
Psy Crystal - 1500
Water of Life - 3000

Please remember that you have to WIN these before they can be sold (and actually, this is how much they cost after they're sold)

Stats!
----------
Aegis Shield

Attack/Defense - 25/48
Use - Protect

Erebus Armor

Attack/Defense - 24/52
Use - Guard Aura

Hestia Blade

Attack/Defense - 165/126
Use - Pyroclasm

Floral Dress

Attack/Defense - 24/44
Use - Sleep

Mighty Axe

Attack/Defense - 163/122
Use - Epicenter

Minerva Helm

Attack/Defense - 26/52
Use - Protector

Fireman's Pole

Attack/Defense - 138/84
Use - Resist

Leda's Bracelet

Attack/Defense - 27/51
Use - Reflect (Very useful)

Crown of Glory

Attack/Defense - 23/50
Use - Psy Boost

Brilliant Circlet

Attack/Defense - 17/51
Use - Bind

Crafted Gloves

Attack/Defense - 54/27
Use - Demon Spear

Wild Coat

Attack/Defense - 26/48
Use - Guard

Weapons!
------------------
Personally I would go with the Hestia Blade since it raises Mars Power and Max HP by 50 each (plus it has good Atk/Def). When used in battle, it uses Pyroclasm on the enemies. Another reason I would choose this is because of it doesn't lower your stats (unless you had a weapon that increased agility, but there's only like 2-3 that does that), compared to the Mighty Axe (which lowers stats). Equip able only by the guys (excluding Ivan).

Armors!
--------------
The only armor you receive from the well is the Erebus Armor (still awesome though =D). Like the other Armors, it uses Guard Aura and has HP Recovery (50)

Clothing

Both the Floral Dress and the Wild Coat are great choices, but seeing how only the ladies can equip the Floral Dress, it would be best to give the Wild Coat to a guy. Floral Dress puts enemies to sleep and raises criticals (10), while the Wild Coat raises Agility (50) and bestows the GS1 utility psynergy Cloak, which can be used in battle for 60 PP (PP cost is not definite as of yet)

Shields

The only shield you get from the well is the Aegis Shield, which uses Protect like the other shields and increases criticals (10)

Gloves

The only pair of gloves you get from the well are the Crafted Gloves, which uses Demon Spear and raises Max PP (60) like the other Gloves. I feel like I could do more with this, but for now, I'll leave it as is.

Armlets

The only armlet you get from the well is Leda's Bracelet, which raises your Jupiter Power (40) and uses the beta move (which can be used in battle =D) Reflect. Reflect decreases damage by 60% to 3 allies (which is kinda broken, but if the bracelet breaks you'd have to pay quite a chunk of money to fix it ._.). I know this Armlet will be abused to hell, but it'll be fun fixing it over and over again (assuming that it'll break after 2-3 uses)

Helms

The only helm you get from the well is the Minevra Helm, which raises you Max HP (65), Max PP (50), and casts Protector (like the other Helms). A great choice since it has nice abilities and stats (26 Atk/52 Def =D)

Caps

The only cap you get from the well is the Crown of Glory, which has HP Recovery (50), PP Recovery (30), and uses Psy Boost (which in raises your PP by 50, but can only be used on the user). If you like to use psynergy or have terrible keeping your HP up, then this would be a great choice for you (and the stats aren't half bad either 23 Atk/50 Def)

Circlets

The only circlet you get from the well is the Brilliant Circlet, which (like the other circlets) gives you PP Recovery (30) and (unlike any other weapon/armor) raises your Luck (30). Now I realize that that's high, but I'm probably going to halve it or bring it down to 10. Still a nice accessory though

Cool, the description of your patch looks good Zach, please keep it up.

Have a nice day.

keep at this man.... looking good so far

Thank You for the compliments

You are welcome, but we only said the compliments because you deserve them.

Also, you mentioning the Foral Dress and Wild Coat gives me a good idea... Perhaps I will make it so characters can cross-dress? Probably not, but you never know.

Have a nice day.

That would be... significantly awkward.

I think I'll just pretend I didn't hear that...

That could work, but If I were to do that, I'd rather do it with weapons then clothes o.O

I was thinking of making it so Felix can wield Staves instead of Axes. In fact, you could check out my hack idea topic at the old GSHC for class ideas too.

Um, Jamie? You can hear typed words? Wow, that must be some talent (lol).

Anyway, it isn't a bad idea, but I was only using those clothing ideas as an example. I was suggesting that some types of clothing (like some of the armours, etc.) should be made to fit the female characters too, as well as some of the robes fitting warrior types.

Have a nice day.

Small little update:

~Briggs Boss Fight Glitch fixed
~2 weapons/armors bestows psynergy

I just started playing this and it is epicly ridculous how hard this is. It definately live to it's name of maniac mode. Great job Zach. Thanks for the good description also alot easier to reference than opening this up in editor mode and checking everything. I really like what you did with the short sword.

@Salanewt: When you said that, I thought you meant males wearing dresses (lol).
Anyway, yeah, some armours should work on certain females, for example Jenna. (It does show her wearing light plate armour in the official art, after all.) Also, certain warrior types should get Robes (in my hacking idea, that would end up being Felix.)

Ehic wrote:

I just started playing this and it is epicly ridculous how hard this is. It definately live to it's name of maniac mode. Great job Zach. Thanks for the good description also alot easier to reference than opening this up in editor mode and checking everything. I really like what you did with the short sword.

Thank you very much Ehic, it's nice to get some feedback =) and I will consider it Jamie (and i probably will use your ideas for the Item-equip classes)