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The Nord Mines areMetaphor: ReFantazio’s first real dungeon. The Northern Border Fort was a warm-up for this six-map zone that’s bursting with new enemy types, as well as something of a mini-boss early on, followed by a major boss fight near the end,andan optional boss afterthat.
Our guide on the Nord Mine will cover all treasure chest locations as well as some advice on what to buy from a certain vagrant peddler. There’s a lot of ground to cover if the party wants to make it back to Grand Tran in time for the funeral, so let’s hop to it.
Nord Forest Trail
You’ll beginoutside the Nord Mines, along a trail leading to their entrance. This first zone is mostly a straight line; there’ll be a couple of looping stretches. Take stock of your items and set forth,taking a right at the fork just up ahead. It’s a dead end, but there’s aGluemossitem.
Now,take the left route. Do as Grius advises -approach the pack of Feral Mundos and swing your sword at them all. Monsters that areconsiderably weaker than your current levelcan be felled in this fashion.
Although you still gain EXP and related rewards this way,you will gain slightly more when you kill them via squad battle. It’s an excellent time-saver, but you may wish to do things the traditional way at times, even against creatures such as these.
Continue down the trail,snagging the for-sale itemsSturdy StrawandBouncy Barkbetween Corvos and Feral Hundos. From here,the trail is almost entirely linear, so follow along until youreach the peddler. Speak with him.
TheNocrossenemies, which look like moths, areweak to the Cyc spell. We’re singling these out sincethey can cast Tarukaja, which raises the enemy party’s attack greatly. This isn’t an issue on the trail, but it will be when you encounter them with stronger foes inside the mine.
This will be the first time you gain access to a shop.Traveling vendorslike this fellow are always worth checking in with. You’ll meet this particular man a few times throughout this dungeon. He’ll havemore powerful items later on.
50
125
Resurrects one fallen ally and restores 50 percent HP.
900
Be sure tosell the junk you’ve collected thus far, which should put you a bit north of 3,000G. Hang on to it for now.
Past the vendor,the trail widens. Grab the items, includingmedicine, from the outskirts of this wider area while killing the local monsters for more EXP.Corvos will attempt to ambush you as you collect items;swing around and slash them before they strike.
When you near the end of the trail here,a battle will commence against two soldiers. They hit a little harder than other local fare, but will go down almost as easily.Your HP and MP will be fully restoredafter the fight! Head on into the mine when you’re ready.
Dig Site #1
As soon as you enter the mine,two more soldiers will come rushing at you. Thankfully, they’ll go down with a couple of sword swings before you even need to enter squad battle.You can defeat other nearby soldiersjust as rapidly.
The first little offshoot in this narrow corridor contains aScrap Metal, but you’ll need todestroy the carts and debris in front of itin order to gain access to the item. From now on, expect to encounter other items trapped behind rubble -keep an eye on your mapfor them.
Dig Site #1 itself is at the conclusion of the corridor. Here, the team encountersKlinger, the guard captainfrom earlier.
Sub-Boss: Captain Klinger And Two Mage Soldiers
Klinger himself isn’t a huge threat. What makes this fight noteworthy is thatthe Mage Soldiers will cast spells to raise Klinger’s stats.
Since they’ll each spend their actions each turn doing so, it’s advantageous tofocus on one soldier, then move on to the other, thus cutting into the total stat buffs Klinger will receive in a given turn.
Make full use of Strohl’sawakened Warrior archetype to cast Diagonal Slash. Once the Mage Soldiers are eliminated, Strohl’s Diagonal Slash will make quick work of Klinger.
Arrival In Akademia
When Klinger’s defeated, the protagonist and Gallica willenter Akademia. Here,More will explain Metaphor’s Archetype system. You’ll have to open Grius’s lineage chart;we chose Warrior for him and then unlocked Mage for the protagonist.
Whicheveryouchoose,we do recommend unlocking Mage for at least one character. Theirfire spell, Bot,is highly efficient against upcoming foes; they’ll soon learnBlizz,an ice spell, which is key to still more enemies throughout the mine.
Search Akademia’s many interactive objects to your heart’s desire. When you’re ready to return to the Nord Mine,interact with the door to More’s right.
Back In The Mine
Speak with Strohl and Grius to learn a bit more about their intentions. Remember when we suggested holding on to your money?The merchant’s stock has greatly expandedso it’s time to spend. Sell off your loot first!
65
270
ATK 70 / HIT 96 / Slash-type damage
1,000
ATK 66 / HIT 95 / Strike-type damage
1,100
ATK 80 / HIT 95 / Slash-type damage
1,400
DEF 55
DEF 50 / Magic +1
DEF 9 / Magic +1
400
DEF 10 / Strength +1
DEF 13 / Endurance +1 / Agility +1
500
Whoever you’ve got assigned as Mage,purchase the Acacia Rod for them. Your next priority should be the acquisition of better weapons (either the Bronze Machete and/or the Bastard Sword) for yourWarriors and Seekers. From there, focus on gear, then accessories.
Finally,be sure to buy a few Ice Chunks. You may find yourself in need of them if you seek todefeat an optional bossnear the end of the Nord Mine. When you’re ready to leave,exit north.
Dig Site #2
The first of many monsters you’ll now face isGelatinos, the creature which an NPC in the previous room may have warned you about.Gelatinos is highly resistant to physical attacks, sohave a Mage use Bot to target its weakness to fire.
Multiple little offshoots line the southern sideof Dig Site #2. The first contains nothing, butthe second offshoot has a treasure chest with Miner’s Boots. These boost Agility +1, Endurance +1,andincrease Evasion, so make sure you equip them to someone.
At thenorthernmost offshoot on this map, there’s a treasure chest withthree Magla Pills.The 20 MP restoration opportunities are pricelessat this point in the game, as your MP recharge is extremely limited.
To progress,crawl through the hole in the rocks to your east. You’ll emergein an area with three branches, each involving crawling through more rocks.
Start withthe topmost path, which leads to a chest with Iron Gauntlets. These boost the wearer’s Strength +2, making them a snug fit for Warriors. Thebottom path has a Grand Iron, which sells for decent coin.
Through themiddle path, you’llexit Dig Site #2. Prepare for…
Dig Site #3
The new enemy in this area,Sandworm Valmo, kicks up a bunch of dust as it traverses the zone. Keen timing is required in order to stun it. Once battle commences in earnest,have your Mage cast Blizzif you’ve ranked up enough for it yet (we did). Sandworms are weak to ice.
There’s anotherMagla Pillbehind some cratesat the first northern offshootof the area. The next northern offshoot - which is to say to the right of the Magla Pill, has a chest with aMining Uniform. Its DEF 58 is solid for right now.
Keep eastand you’ll soon encounter a fork in the path. Whether you choose the north crawlspace or the south one,you’ll emerge at the same general area. Choose the south one, however, foryet another Magla Pill.
It’s around now that thoseNocrossenemies we mentioned earlier can become a right proper nuisance.They will come in larger groups now, which makes their attack-boosting party-wideTarukajabothersome.Target Nocrosses firstwhen entering battle.
At thebottom-right partof Dig Site #3, there’s a treasure chest withGuard’s Talisman. This accessoryboosts Endurance +3. I equipped it to Grius to match his tough-guy, takes-hits-like-nobody’s-business, persona.
Now make your way through the scattered enemies until you’reheading northeast and approach a curious-looking door. These areMagla Hollows, safe spots where you cansave your gameand chat with the team a bit.
Once you’ve saved, exit the Magla Hollow.The merchant is nearby,so sell more loot. His stock is unchanged since last time, but you may have the funds now tobuy useful gear and accessories that you couldn’t afford earlier.
Boss Battle And Crystal Cavern
Just to the right of the Magla Hollow, there’s a door that functions as the separator betweenDig Site #3 and the first major boss fight in the game: Homo Fulquilo.
As this fight requires a more in-depth grasp of mechanics,we’ve written a full-fledged guideon how to beat Homo Fulquilo.
With Fulquilo done and dusted,return to the Magla Hollow to save your game.Now, head through the door to the far end of the room. You’ll reachthe Nord Mine’s final area, Crystal Cavern. This is a straightforward corridor with a handful of enemies… until it widensconsiderably.
Here,Fire Dragon Maunaslumbers, and Grius and Strohl recommendsneaking past it. you may do that if you’d like, or you canconsult our guide on how to beat the dragonand earn a sweet sword for Strohl.
Beyond the dragon is along wooden bridge. When you take a step on to it, you’ll trigger aquick sequence involving running forward as fast as you can. I’m not sure that you can actually die here, but keep running just to be safe.
