_______ _ ___ |__ __| | | / _ \ | | ___ _ __ ___ | |__ _ _ /_/ \ | | |/ _ \| '_ \ / __|| _ \| | | | / / | | __/| | | | |__ | | | || |_| | / /___ |_|\___/|_| |_|\___||_| |_| \__'_| |______| B i r t h O f T h e S t e a l t h A s s a s s i n s :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Tenchu 2 FAQ/Walkthrough By: Matt Hulbert January 25, 2002 Version: Final Status: 100% COMPLETE Introduction: -------------------------- The game Tenchu 2, has been called a disappointment by a lot of people when they compare it to the first game, Tenchu. But I don't think that Is a very good overview of the game. Because with games such as Marvel Vs. Capcom and Street Fighter Alpha 3 in my PSX library, this is the 1 That I like the most. It mixes a very popular type setting, with a sad But very grabbing story, and it just sucks you so you can't put the P1 Controller down, literally. The game has a ton of new features, but Im Not really going to get into all that, but heath my words; this game's One of the best ever for the Sony Playstation in my gaming opinion. It Very easy to see why this game is so great though, it has Ninjutsu, it Has Shurikens and poison Rice, and the stealth are awesome. So I don't Understand what is not to like about this game, so if you know please, Just drop me a line at my email address, which is also what you should Do If you have any other comments or questions about the FAQ, I'll try To get back to you ASAP, and please don't ask to use this on your site Because I am no longer allowing anyone else to use this guide. Disclaimer: ------------ This document is the property of the author, Matthew Hulbert. It may not be posted at any web site or single web page, by anyone, without the permission of the author. This document may only be recreated electronically, because is for your personal and private use only. This document may not be altered or modified and then distributed in anyway, and it may not be given away as a gift or bonus for buying something. Pieces of this document may not be copied and pasted into another document without the permission of the author, and even then credit must be given, and the copied section must remain unaltered. I have heard rumors about certain companies, especially Game Cave and Brady Games stealing FAQs, copying FAQs, and also giving FAQs away as bonuses for buying their products. That is not allowed, and if it is done, it will be in breach of this disclaimer. All of the information in this document was compiled by the author, unless separate credit is given, and in order to use those certain sections which were not compiled by the author, but contributed by others, you must contact the actual author of that certain piece of information. That is all I ask of you. This Document (c) 2000; Matt Hulbert. If you have any questions about this guide, or need help with any a section or Need more in depth help than is given in this guide, please feel free to email Me at the address listed above. If you have any comments about this FAQ or you Believe you have found something that is incorrect or wrong in this guide, you Should feel free to email me for that too, and it would be greatly appreciated Because if the information is wrong, this guide is useless. Now, if you happen To have something that you would like to contribute, a list or tip that I just Happened to have missed or don't have, please email it to me, and I would love To put it in and make this guide even more complete, and you will be given the Proper credit in the credits section - those kinds of emails are fine, but the Author of this FAQ would greatly appreciate it if you do not email him just so You can say how much you dislike this game because that type of immature email Will be disregarded and never responded too, that is what the reviews are for. Credits: ========= * Jeremy Drake A huge thanks for allowing me to use his amazing Stealth Kill information which must have taken him along time to compile. A huge thanks goes out to you once again. * Garrick Williamson Another enormous thanks for providing a full walkthrough for Ayame! His walkthrough is great, and he is a pretty cool guy for letting me use it. **** Thanks again to Garrick and Jeremy. **** * Dingo Jellybean: - Email: bellybutton21@hotmail.com - Web Site: http://www.vfaqs.net Dingo has helped me tremendously over the last 8 months of my FAQ writing Career. He is always willing to answer a question about one of his guides And is always friendly and quick to respond. He is a pretty good friend to As I have come to learn on AIM, so I would just like to thank him for all That he has helped me with, and for the help he freely gives to others. * Jeff Veasey: - Email: cjayc@gamefaqs.com - Web Site: http://www.gamefaqs.com CJayC as he is also known, is the webmaster of GameFAQs, the site this is Primarily written for. He is constantly adding new features and sections to His site, and usually answers questions about things pertaining to GameFAQs Pretty quick. He is also a writer, and a pretty good guy. * Matt Hulbert: - Email: rocky1328@aol.com - Web Site: http://www.vgmasters.com Well, I compiled all of the information you will soon read, and typed it all Up. I only have one other thing to say, and that is to ask you if you don't Mind to give my web site a visit or two, that's all I ask. The address for it Is listed above, as well as my email if you need anything about the FAQ. * Tedster: He has shared a lot of interesting and good opinions with me, which I have added to the FAQ, as well as a couple of strategies you might want to try. Version History: -------------------------- 1.0a - 8/17/00 - Basic Outline. - About 60% Of The Information. -------------------------- 1.1a - 8/20/00 - Added some enemy analysis'. - Added a few information bits. - Added a hiding and elusion section. -------------------------- 1.2a - 8/21/00 - Created a walkthrough section! -------------------------- 1.3a - 8/22/00 - Updated Rikimaru walkthrough. - Added to Ninjutsu Tactics. - Also added some info I attained on the MB. -------------------------- 1.4a - 8/24/00 - Added some newly created ASCII art. - Finally got some real walkthrough down. - Updated Item/Weapon list. - Added more Ninjutsu Tactics. -------------------------- 1.5a - 8/25/00 - Updated the walkthrough section some. - Decided to add some more Q & A. - Added a few more Ninjutsu Tactics. -------------------------- 1.6a - 8/31/00 - Major Walkthrough update. - A couple Grand Master theories. - Added onto the Q & A. -------------------------- 1.7a - 9/30/00 - Added more walkthrough levels. - Added a lot more to the items. - Put in a couple more tactics. Table Of Contents: -------------------------- 1.)Basic Manuevering 2.)Enemy Analysis 3.)Weapons/Strategy 4.)Ninja Analysis 5.)Ninjutsu Tips 6.)Miscellaneous Tips - New Stealkth Kill Info 7.)Training Program 8.)Walkthrough -Rikimaru - complete -Ayami - complete ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Basic Manuevering - -------------------------- - Always go around corners with care, look inside the room and watch the corners that will be behind you, before you are surprise attacked by a Bow Soldier or etc. Use the side step wall thing to look inside the room, to see if there are any easily visible enemies in sight, if not, enter, but with caution. - When you are jumping, always make sure that you have your line set straight of where you want to go, especially going over pitfalls, or you will find yourself going the wrong way, and falling down a pit. Go slowly and never frantically try to make a jump, or you will have that much more trouble. - Don't run with your sword out if you are going to only cover a lot of ground with no enemies, it slows you down and is not needed. If you are being followed by an opponent you fled from, then leave it out to be able to turn and attack. I would also recommend that if you are moving in for a stealth kill, have the weapon already out as well, so you don't make any noise. - When swimming, get a feel for the kicking motion (X) before you try to go speed swimming around the whole lake. The better controlled your motion is the faster you will go and the easier It will be to steer. Motion is not possible when you have your breathing straw out, so you can swim underwater to where you want to go, get as high up in the water as you can without surfacing at all, and then just pull it out, and you will remain un-seen. - When entering poorly lighted rooms, after you have made sure your entry is safe, move slowly as you move forward and the shadow in the room receeds back. This way you won't accidentally run into any opponents and be surprised. - Keep an eye on you Ki. This will also tell you when you are approaching another person, this can be very useful in dark situations, but you must first learn the signals of the Ki window and here they are: ? - You are near a person who has not yet sensed you presence. ! - Enemy has sensed you are there, but doesn't know who you are. !? - Enemy is alerted, hiding will ease him again. !! - The enemy is preparing to attack, you have been identified. My review of the game: I have only been playing Tenchu 2 for a few days, and I am already amazed at how graphic and well done this game was put together, by none other than Activision. I have decided to split this up into sections, because this is going to be rather lengthy. Graphics = 10/10 Wow! Thats about all I could say when I started playing and was just overcome, because I had never played a Tenchu game before. The graphic manner, and amazing cut scenes left me in complete and utter amazement. First off, the fighting scenes are pretty gory, but not to bad. When someone gets shot or sliced blood sprays around, but not like anything terrible to make you throw up, just very realistic fighting. The state of the game, the seriousness of your missions and the honor and tradition of the Gohda house can all be felt when you play this game, and you'll find yourself getting angry at enemies for killing the inncoent, something you fight not have known was in you. The just sort of latches onto you, and then you are hooked until every room is searched and every enemy is destroyed. Realisticity = 10/10 This was the part that really sucked me in. The time period of the game, the waring states of ancient Japan, focuses around a very interesting time period, great for making a video game none the less. The weapons and items, especially the decor and scenary are all real, and very detailed to the last touch. I think Activision really went out of their way to make this game a hit, and that they did. Sound = 9/10 I would have liked to hear somemore authentic Japanese music or atleast a little bit more of a variety, but what was in teh game was great. The FX were simply stupendous, they could not have possibly done a better job without spending twice as much money, it is great. The blades shimmer and ching as they crash together, and fire blazes and crackles, again, the best part of this game is how REAL it is. Game Intro = 10/10 Another wow, this was awesome, I'm not gonna describe it, cause I don't want to spoil it for new comers, but it is great in my opinion. Gameplay = 9/10 Ok, I will admit the steering of your character is a little shaky at times, but that is just because you have to get used to how they move around, evetually you will get used to it. The game speed is great, although being double and triple teames by the enemy, it doesnt always seem that way. Buy/Rent I bought this game before I even rented it because I had heard so many great things about it. I would always say rent a game before you buy just incase you don't like it, but htis one is a must buy for any Tenchu fan or any other martial arts game fan, as well as just the average gamer. Overall = 10/10 This is now officially my favorite PSX game of all-time, and that includes MvC and FF VII and all the other clasiics, is the message clear yet? THIS IS A GREAT GAME!!! Enemy Analysis - -------------------------- Maids: They pose no threat physically, although they make noise which can draw very un-wanted attention. They will try to run away after they have spotted you, so I think it would be a good Idea to cut them down before they have a chance to escape. It usually takes 2 slices to kill them, but if you crouch and attack, it will kill them in one solid blow. Gohda Soldier - Spear: These guys so annoying its not even funny. They're hard to get close to because they're weapon is longer than yours. All they do is jab at you with the spear, so you are going to have to bob and weave so to speak, to get by them without getting killed. A few good blows of the blade and they fall just like the rest of them, just be more caution. Gohda Soldier - Bow: From a distance they can be dangerous if they spot you, because they'll shoot you before you even know they saw you. They can be easily missed when posted behind corners, especially when entering a room. Once you get up close they are not hard to kill though. Gohda Soldier - Sword: These guys are a little more challenging than the others, they can do more damage in less time which is trouble for you not them. But you can also block they're blade by swinging and having them meet before it hit you. I have founf that it takes an average of around 5-7 good shots to kill on of these guys, and they will follow you if you try to run, so be cautious. Gohda Motohide: Extremely tough soldiers to say the least, they are very hard to kill without losing a lot of damage in the beginning. They have a sword, and armor, so they have a 1 up on you already with the armor, which almost doubles they're health compared to a normal sword soldier. You are going to have to take a couple steps to kill them in the beginning. 1, it them with Shurikens (Chinese Star) before you actually attack and get rid of some health without being hit back. And the other is if you can manage a stealth attack, which is not all that easy. Another thing I neglected to mention, is that...they... uh carry guns. This makes it very hard to kill them cause they can fight from distance as well. Wait for an opening and then attack, don't just run out like a wild man/girl. Suzaku: So far, I have only confronted Suzaku once, and he was quite the competitor for me. I didn't expect him to be able to kick, so he kinda took me a little by surprise, but once I got used to his movements he was no problem, or so I thought, once I finally started to kick his butt, the screen cuts and the loser runs away? What's up with that I realize that all of the characters in the game are not here, but there is enough info on the basic beginning characters and the more important enemies that you can get the basics of the story, so please don't email me telling me that I am missing characters. -------------------------- Weapons/Strategy - -------------------------- Poison Rice: Use this to entice and poison enemy guards and soldiers. Sneak out after they have passed you in their path, and plant the rice in it. Then once they eat it, well you know the rest, and its not pretty. They will cough up blood and eventually die. Shuriken: The basic starting weapon of the game, easy to use and easy to get. They can obviously be used to throw at opponents from a distance, and they can also be used out of desperation. Try to wear down a tough boss by throwing a couple of these at him before he can see you. Grenade: Ok, this is more of a powerful thing than it is a stealthy object. Use it to blow up enemies, and basically use it to blow stuff up. Heck, it's a grenade, do what you want with it. Blow Gun: This is the weapon that makes the game swing a little bit into your favor. This can be shot form a distance, its silent, and it does considerably damage, if not proving itself to be fatal. Use this even in close quarters once you learn how to aim it quickly. Poison Treatment: This will become very valuable in the later stages I have found. Lots of the tiger claw female ninjas will be carrying poison, and you are going to need to take care of it quick to be able to fight again. Always keep at least 2 of these with you, and NEVER waste them. Colored Rice: I have never actually used this, but I am told it is used as a marker to tell your self where you have already been in a level, kind of a Hansel and Grettle bread crums thing, except you have a sword to take care of that evil candy woman! Well, I realize that I have not listed all of the items in the game, but only the more important ones that you will need to use with the exception of the colored rice, which has been deemed officially worthless, but look out for some new FAQs I plan on doing for this game! Mission Editor: =============== Aside from having fun with your friends, the mission editor can actually be used to help you practice your Ninjutsu skills outside of the practice missions or in the actual game, because experience is good, but some things need to be learned over time. Things that I would recommend you doing to get practice using the editor are, well basically anything that helps things you aren't good at, but here is a list of the things you might want to try and practice: - Jumping Stealth Kill - For a lot of people I have talked to this is their weakest skill. But once you get used to it you shouldn't have very much of a problem, because there is not a while lot to it. A jumping stealth kill is really just jumping from a higher level of ground and pouncing on your opponent or prey. But a lot of people make it out to be much harder then it actually so they of course have problems with it. So a reasonable thing to do to practice this would be to create a level, with enough space between enemies that you can fight one without being ambushed, and just set a path for the enemy, so that you can jump down off of an object and get used to the feeling of stealth kills. - I have swimming problems - Ok, a lot of people have this problem and there really isn't much you can do but practice it to get better. Create a level that is all water and docks if you have a problem with controlling how fast or deep your swimmer goes, and then just go around trying to control where they go, eventually you will get the hang of it. Now, if you are having a more advanced problem, such as not being able to spring out of the water and attack or not being able to elude enemies using the water, you will have to take a little more time than the first problem mentioned. First off, no one can just spring out of the water and stealth attack all in one smooth motion, it can be done quickly, but not that fast, so stop beating yourself up over it! Another thing you may want to look at when you can't seem to shake an enemy, is how deep the water you are in is... If you are right at the surface and the enemy is close and elevated, sometimes they can see you, even during the breathing trick, and when this happens it just takes much longer to get them to go back to normal status. Now if you are having a problem getting out of the water because things like trees and stones are in the way, that is something that can be helped to a certain degree. The only thing I can tell you besides the fact that the area you trying to get up on is to narrow, is that if you are not at an even angle when compared to the bank, you will fall because both your feet will not be even. Ok boys and girls, let's hit the pool. Ninja Analysis - -------------------------- Ayame: Ayame carries two smaller swords, which she keeps cross strapped to her back. She is incredibly deadly, especially her stealth kills, for such a sweet looking little girl. She is said to be very rebellious, and is also the youngest of the Azuma Ninja, she doesn't mind ignoring the tradition o no women Ninjas, and I respect her for that. Rikimaru: He is one of the most loyal Azuma Ninja ever, willing to risk it all. He has been training since he was a child and is very deadly with his samurai sword. He has the coolest Stealth kills, and is a good choice for any character, because of his will and confidence. Azuma Shiunsai: Former head of the Azuma Ninja, has stepped down. He raised Rikamaru, Ayame and Tatsumaru. He was their teacher, as well as a very stern father figure, he is old now, but is still a swordsman whos skill is matched by few, even though they say he's lost a step in his old age, ya right. Tatsumaru: An amazing swordsman, with incredible power. He is a senior student of the Azuma and may one day be the leader of the Azuma Ninja. He has been raised since he was a small boy to one day have the head of the Azuma ninja toch be passed to him by Azuma Shiunsai. Gohda Matsunoshin: Leader of the house of Gohda, he and his family employ the Azuma Ninja. I don't know if he is a good fighter or not, but he looks tough. Ninjutsu Tips - -------------------------- - Never allow your enemy to get behind you, ever. - Do not guess, always know, or don't risk the chance. - Do not make unecessary attacks and bring attention to yourself. - Never waste anything because you don't think you'll need it. - Time is precious, never waste it. - Never let anyone live that you come in contact with, especially maids. Because if there are soldiers near by, they will bring attention to the area, and you will lose your silent cover. And get rid of them quickly, so they don't run. - Always have confidence in whatever you are doing, and remember no opponent is to great to be defeated, but then also remember, you are not to great to be defeated as well, so don't get scared, or arrogant. - Killing friendly characters is a good way to screw up a mission, even if you don't kill them and you only take away a little health, it may come back to haunt you, and it is not funny to slice and elder ninja or teacher. -------------------------- {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{O}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} N I N J U T S U T A C T I C S {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{O}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Table Of Contents ***************** Elusion and Hiding Shuriken Tip Buddhist Priests Searching Bodies Using Your Spikes Grappling Search Practice Missions Taking Your Time How To Drag Bodies The Double Back ================== Elusion and Hiding ================== When you are spotted by an enemy, you'll know it, if your watching your Ki meter that is. But, that doesn't mean you can't still get the stealth kill. If your weapon is not draw, do not pull it out, and if it is put it away as fast as you can, and run away from your enemy. You may not have a stealth perfect mission, but you can still save yourself some health. Run until you can hide behind something, or better yet if you can get into the water and do the Ninja breathing trick with the straw, that will work great, because no enemy will come into the water after you. Then wait until your pursuer walks away, then slowly get out of the water or come out form where you were hiding and pull your weapon. Then move in for the stealth kill from behind. This will save you having to fight your opponent head on, and will get it done quicker and quieter, because you really don't want to be drawing the attention of all the other soldiers too, right? Another technique to lose your opponent, is to get up into a small bamboo tree, and then when they climb up there, high tail it outa there, and he can't follow right away, because he has to climb down first, then you can do what I explained earlier. ============ Shuriken Tip ============ One thing that a lot of people do with their Shurikens (Chinese Stars) is throw them at enemies from a distance where the enemy cannot see them, but all they really do is alert the enemy to them, because it won't kill them in one shot, then you either have to fight or elude, and you nevr should have had to anyways. Second Opinion: Rather than waiting (and waiting, and waiting...) for your next victim to turn their back to you so you can run in for a stealth kill, you can fling a shuriken at an object behind them instead! When the shuriken strikes, your prey will turn towards it and focus their attention on the direction they heard the sound come from... for a long time... _without_ noticing you running up right behind them! Now it's just a matter of patiently watching the ki meter, then stealth killing them after the color changes back to blue and they sheathe their weapon. Of course, you do have to be a little careful in unfamiliar territory. For instance, if you don't know where all the guards in the area are, you wouldn't want to throw a shuriken at the wall directly behind the guard you want to eliminate, as all enemies in the area will focus their attention on the sound, and will spot you running up behind your intended victim. In this case, it's safer to choose a neutral area to toss the shuriken where both your victim and any other guards can all safely focus their attention as you race in for the kill. However, if they're all alone, feel free to aim at the wall right behind them. Another thing you need to be careful about is that you don't accidentally strike the guard you wanted to distract, or hit a wall or object you're too close to, drawing the attention to _your_ location. In particular, those waist-high boulders act like giant magnets and catch shuriken you'd think would have no problem clearing them, so be careful. ================ Buddhist Priests ================ In the level with the Buddhist priests, don't think they won't make any noise if you go up to them, they will shout and call the enemy soldiers to come over there because they have spotted you, I would recommend getting rid of them before they have the chance to spill your position. Try to do it quick though, or there constant yells will also attract attention. ==================== How to search Bodies ==================== Yes it is a fact that bodies can be searched by killing them and then crouching near the enemies head (use R1). Only about 1 out of every 10 guys will actually have something, unless your just lucky enough to find the one that does first. You will hear a sound to confirm that you have found the item, so pay close attention, cause it isn't really that loud. If the soldiers bodies are overlapping you will have to drag one of them away to search them. ================= Using your Spikes ================= You know those little things that when you drop them on the ground, and your enemy steps on them it hurts a lot, well now think to yourself " How come I never use those?" Ill tell you why, when you first start playing the game, they are annoying and slow, but once you have been playing for a while, you really do need to learn how to use them, because they will come in very handy. Say your being chased because you ran from an opponent, but he is gaining on you really close, drop a couple of those and then take off, your home free. Scenario two, say there is a bridge and a guard is patrolling it, when he walks the way, run and drop some in his path, then when he walks back you got some free hits on him. Do not run back into the spikes you have laid or you'll hurt yourself. ================ Grappling Search ================ Have you ever only had 1 guy left to eliminate, but you think yu have searched the entire level and found no one, well, maybe he's there, you just can't see him. In an enclosed level, like Shiunsai's first few tests, in the Dojo setting, sometimes what you think is a wall, is actually not as tall as it seems if you will just take the time to look up at it, use your grappling hook, and run it across the wall tops. If it goes red, you may have found something you didn't know was there, and maybe even the last guy you have to kill. ================ Practice Mission ================ It is possible to learn the game while going immediately into the actual game levels, but do you really want to have to learn the hard way? Skill is the most important thing you will ever gain, besides EXPERIENCE. I would suggest you edit and create a level that allows you to practice all of the different kinds of tactics(swimming, climbing, stealth, hiding). This experience will come in handy when you know what to do in a situation instead of guessing controls. Even after you have completed my training program, you still need to keep your Ninja skills fine tuned, I would highly urge you to do so, or your long training way go to waste. And I know you don't want to end up wasting all that time. ========================= Take your time with items ========================= There is another thing I have noticed, and that is if you select the wrong item and don't want to use it, it doesn't matter if you already hit the item button, this is why I urge to be patient and not get caught in this predicament. Its not very fun when you finally find and item and then lose it because you rushed into something, so just take your time, and you'll be glad later - really. ================== How to drag Bodies ================== This is probably the most asked question I get in my email so I finally just added it into the FAQ. Use the R1 and circle button, you have to drag bodies when you try to get an item off a dead body but they are over lapping so you can't. Bodies can also be moved by pushing them when you walk into them. ================ Poison Treatment ================ When you are poisoned, it is not easy to fight when you are crouching over in pain every 4 seconds. So you are going to have to cure yourself as quickly as possible. There usually isn't poison in the first few levels, so you'll have some time collect up a lot of treatment. It can be found on dead bodies, and don't mistakenly use it as Health Reviver. Do not and I repeat do not use it until your meter turns green and you know that you have been infected, cause everything enemies throw is not poisonous. Second Opinion: When you get poisoned while fighting an enemy, the problem isn't solved just by selecting the antidote and drinking it. Often the greater problem is finding enough _time_ to drink it. This is next to impossible to do when you're engaged in combat; your poisoned state inhibits fighting, running, and sometimes the act of drinking the antidote itself. As if that wasn't bad enough, you've still got the enemy in your face trying to slice you to ribbons. The best thing to do is evade the attacker until you have enough space to take the antidote. You can't run away, and jumping around in the middle of a fight is pretty risky, too. However, the poison won't affect you while you're crouching or rolling. So, roll left or right away from your attacker, then start rolling for either enough space to drink up, or even better, a nearby area where you can roll out of the sight of your attacker (you _do_ want to them to pay with a stealth kill, right?). You may lose health trying to do this, but it's better than dying right where you were; besides, it's the ninja way! BTW, my experience concerning this stems from the fact that I started the game with Rikimaru, so I didn't even _have_ Poison Antidote until I finished the game with him and started with Ayame. I _had_ to to play 'cowardly ninja', roll to safety, and wait for the poison to wear off on its own. Yep, having Poison Antidote for Rikimaru's final fight with Kagami sure would have been nice, as would Ninja Armor, for that matter... =============== The Double Back =============== This is a nifty little trick I picked up when reading a Goldeneye battle FAQ, and thought to myself, hey this would work for Tenchu 2 as well as it does for 007. When you are running away form an opponent, and they are right behind you, run for a while, and then all of a sudden just stop immediately and do a back flip, you will get behind your enemy and have a second or two for a free shot. ==================== =Information Center= ==================== People are sending me questions, and most of them are very common, so I have started an information center, sort of a Q & A type thing, so people won't have to email me constantly, all asking the same thing, if you have a question that is not here, please feel free to email me though. Q: Can I use this FAQ at my site? A: Actually, No. At the moment I am only allowing GameFAQs.com and Al Amaloos site to post this FAQ, I am thinking about letting it go to other sites, but not until it is complete enough that I feel if it isn't updated at that site, it will still do some good, so don't email asking, I'll put it up here. Q: Who is the best character? A: This is only my opinion, but my favorite is Rikimaru, even though many will say Tatsumaru and Ayami, so you are just going to have to develop a style with all of them. Q: Cutting off arms and limbs, is this really in the game? A: Yes, so far I have cut off 3 arms to count, I have yet to sever a head, but I am working on it. No its not a glitch you did really just slice off that guys arm! Q: Can I get Tatsumaru before I earn him? A: There is a code at Gamesages.com, but I have yet been able to get it to work, but you can try your luck with it. Others have told me it works, so I'll take there word for it and assume its just me. Q: How do I become a Grandmaster? A: One word, Perfection. Or atleast very close to it, I am not a Grandmaster yet, but I plan on being one, I'll let you know what I did when I gain the status. Q: Are Tatsumaru and Rikimarus weapons better than Ayami's? A: Absolutely NOT!! Ayami's weapons may not be quite as marge, but they are still just as sharp and pointy as the big ones. Plus, she has two of them, for double the pain, so I think that answers the question. ================= Stealth Kill INFO ================= Part A. The Way of The Stealth Kill ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most important part of the stealth kill is not to be seen, which may seem obvious, but is sitll the key to proper execution of the kill. I don't know how many times I've watched someone(myself included), on a board they have never played before, try to run up to a guard with their back turned just to be spotted by a different guard which they didn't take the time to locate. Not being seen doesn't just mean by the guard your going to kill but by anyone or thing in the same area of the board. Another improtant part is to know the controlls to preform the stealth kill that you want to do, as well as what location to do it from. Here are the Controlls: (Important Notes about the controls: These are written for use with the default controller setup, if you change your setup make sure to use the proper button.) Key for Controlls: The symbol [] represents the square button. Stealth Kill #1 press [] when behind the guard Stealth Kill #2 crouch(R1 button) then press [] 'any position' Stealth Kill #3 jump(X button) then press [] 'any position or while falling' Stealth Kill #4 press [] when directly in front of guard Stealth Kill #5 press [] when on the guard's left side Stealth Kill #6 press [] when on the guard's right side which leads to the: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part B. The Infamous 7th Stealth Kill and the Mysterious 8th Stealth Kill ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The myth and misconceptions end as of the time you read this, I will lay it to rest. I have been told and read in alot of different place (including some videogame magazines) that this kill happens when you are back to back to a guard or when the guard begins to face you. Both of these hold a small amount of truth.Let's take a look at these statements: I. "You have to be back to back to your enemy" Most people think that you have to be back to back inorder to do this stealth kill. Well here is some news for everyone: Any stealth kill can be done with the players back to the guard. And when I say any I mean any. You can do a backwards jump into a guard and still get the 3rd Stealth Kill, and you can have your back turned as the guard begins to face you and still get the 4th Stealth Kill, so there is a partial truth to this. However, just running up to a guard and turning so you are back to back will only get you the 1st stealth kill, unless you add a little something special. II. "The guard has to start turning toward you" This statement is a little closer to being the truth then the one above. However, it is a little mixed up. You have to do something special first before you press [] for the 7th Stealth Kill. The special action will cause the guard to start turning around, not waiting for him/her to turn around. If you wait for them to turn around you will either get one of the side throws or the front throw. So are you ready for the final Stealth Kill: In order to do the final Stealth Kill you must simply "Bump" into your opponent right before you press []. This will cause the "ki" meter to switch from ? to !?(sometime it may go all the way to !!, it will usually still be okay) The guard senses something is going on and then during his/her higher state of awarness you Stealth Kill him. This means you can do this from almost any position as long as you "Bump" into them 1st. The only exceptions is jumping or jumping Backwards. If you "Bump" into the guard while in the air you still have a chance to get the Stealth Kill, but it will only be Stealth Kill #3(the jumping Stealth Kill) To make the term "Bump" clear it means: to allow the polygons of the player character to touch the polygons of the guard character. This can be done just by continuing to press up on the controller.Just make sure to press []quickly after the "Bump" or you may find yourself in the middle of a brawl with one or more guards. There is a couple other ways to get the 7th Stealth Kill, but they lean a little more towards them happening by accident then on purpose. If you approach the guard from her/his side and your body is more towards his/her line of vision then his/her back, then sometimes he/she will spot you without turning or right as he/she begins to turn. This will cause the "ki" meter to go from ? to !?. If you press [] fast enough you can still get the 7th stealth kill instead of fighting it out with the guard. The only other way to really get the 7th Stealth Kill is if you are too slow when the guard turns to face you eye to eye, instead of Stealth Kill #4(the front Stealth Kill) you will get the 7th Stealth Kill. So to recap in an abbreviated form: Stealth Kill #7 "Bump into Guard" then press [] 'any postion except jumping' There you have it. You can do the 7th Stealth Kill almost as easy as the 1st, just add a little "Bump" before it. Much eaiser than trying to get back to back or waiting for a turn animation(even though you can still "Bump" during both of these and get the 7th Stealth Kill) The 8th Stealth Kill is simply Stealth Kill #1 but with the enemies head being decapitated, unfortunatley I have found no information on this any where. No one seems to know, or if they do they aren't talking. Any help would be greatly appreaciated. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +A note about Section 4,5,&6: I wrote these in as much detail as I could, I + +tried to find the best angle possible for each kill seeing as how you can + +watch the same stealth kill from several different angles. The terms I used+ +when including Martial Arts Techniques are from my own personal training in+ +the Martial Arts, I do know that some styles call identical techniques by + +different names.Also Some angles give the viewer a totally different + +perception of the Stealth Kill. A fine example is Ayame's 1st Stealth Kill.+ +It implied from a back and side view that she slits the guard's throat with+ +her swords. However, if you get a really close front view her daggers + +usually are underneath the guards arm pits. So I wrote them as I felt they + +are implied by the game.Section 6 is about Tatsumaru which is playable + +after beating the game on any difficulty level with both other characters. + +If you prefer to wait and see his kills on your own you may want to skip + +that section of the faq. + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 4. Ayame's Stealth Kills ============================================================================= Ah dear sweet Ayame, not top on my favorite list of characters but I can say one thing for sure, here Stealth Kills are very Graceful. The pure beauty of her kills bring me back again and again to watch. Here is a Run Down of all here Stealth Kills: Stealth Kill #1: From Behind Ayame crosses her swords in front of the guards neck and slits the guard's throat. Stealth Kill #2: From Crouch Ayame does a slash with her right sword, spins having here back to the guard; does a backflip into a double stab/handstand; slow walkover and snaps the guard's neck with her feet using a twist of her hips. Stealth Kill #3: From Jump Ayame does a slash with her right had to the back of the guard's neck; she lands by the guard's left side, her back to his side; she twist to the right and stabs the guard with her left sword; she pulls out the blade and spins both her swords. Stealth Kill #4: From Front Ayame slashes down the right side of the guard's neck with her left sword; then follows it a split second with a slash to the left side of the guard's neck with her right sword;these motions bring her to a crouch downed position; from here she slashes up with both swords in an "x" pattern Stealth Kill #5: From Left Side Ayame grabs guard's left arm with her left hand and stabs her right sword into the back of the guard's neck; Ayame steps her right leg in front of the guard's left leg and use her hip and momentum to throw the guard to the ground, she pulls sword out of fallen guard Stealth Kill #6: From Right Side Ayame takes a spinning step in front of the guard and stabs him with both sword's in his/her abdomen(some angles it look like the groin); Ayame then takes a step with the right leg and pulls out her daggers Stealth Kill #7: After "Bumping into the guard" Ayame jumps onto the shoulder of the guard, crossing her legs,at the ankles,in front of the guard; Ayame then uses a reverse cartwheel and rotation to bring the guard head first to the ground snapping the guard's neck. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 5. Rikimaru's Stealth Kills ============================================================================= Rikimaru, my favorite character to play with. I really like his Stealth Kills, then again I love almost all of the Stealth Kills in the game. A majority of Rikimaru's Stealth Kills are to the point. However, he seems to pose after most of them taking up valuable time.Here are his Stealth Kills: Stealth Kill #1: From Behind Rikimaru wraps his left had around the arm and torso of the guard, while bringing his blade to the guard's throat; Rikimaru slits the guard's throat while pulling away his(Rikimaru's) arm. Then Rikimaru takes a step back with his left leg while flinging the blood off the blade of his sword;then he takes a step back with his right leg and returns his sword behind his back Stealth Kill #2: From Crouch Rikimaru is positioned a little to the left of the guard; strikes the back of the guard's legs with his sword knocking the guard into the air; while the guard is still in mid air Rikimaru strikes the guard in the chest with his left hand, causing the guard to hit the ground quicker. As the guard hits the ground Rikimaru steps to the the right with his right leg and stabs the guard in the chest. Rikimaru pulls the sword out of the guard, pulls the sword across the front of his body and flings the blood off the sword. Rikimaru then brings his feet together and places his left hand above the center of his face and brings his hand down slowly to his chest. Stealth Kill #3: From Jump Rikimaru stabs his sword into the right side of the guard's neck down through the collar bone area; Rikimaru then uses his left hand to push the guard's neck towards his sword causing the guard's neck to snap. He then pulls the sword out of the guards body and takes a step back with his right leg while bringing the sword in front of his body and flinging the blood off the blade. Stealth Kill #4: From Front Rikimaru while squatting down steps through with his left leg stabs his sword into the guard's stomach with the sword edge up. Then he places his hand palm up on the bottom of the sword, helping push the sword up until it reaches the top of the guards chest. Rikimaru quickly pulls out the blade with hip rotation bringing him down on his left knee(his back is now facing the guard). Rikimaru then flings the blood off the blade and stands up. Stealth Kill #5: From Left Side Rikimaru slashes across the guard's neck stepping through with his right leg; Then he steps out some with his left leg and stabs the guard through the chest. Stealth Kill #6: From Right Side Rikimaru grabs the guard by his neck with his(Rikimaru's) left hand. While the guard struggles Rikimaru pulls back his sword and stabs it through the guard's chest, then he pulls the sword out quickly using the momentum to help flip the guard. He steps across the body with his right leg(his back is facing the guard); takes a small step with his right leg and brings the blade of his sword over his head and spins counter clockwise to face the guard. Stealth Kill #7: After "Bumping into the guard" Rikimaru grabs the guard's right arm with his right hand, Rikimaru does a forearm strike to the elbow with his left hand breaking the elbow, Rikimaru then steps underneath the guard's arm with his left leg(Rikimaru's back is to the guard's right side) and does an elbow smash with his left arm into the guard's ribs;Rikimaru let's go of the guard's arm as he does a hip thrust into the guard's back(making a breaking sound) causing the guard's head to jerk back, and he grabs it with his left hand; Rikimaru then uses both hands to throw the guard over his(Rikimaru's) back ; Rikimaru then steps across with his right leg, resting his knee across the guard's back using both arms to pull up on the guard, breaking his back. Rikimaru then pulls his feet together and brings his left hand up above the center of his face and pulls it down slowly until it is at the center of his chest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 6. Tatsumaru's Stealth Kills ============================================================================= Tatsumaru, the walking death machine, I simply love his stealth kills. Most are pretty quick and to the point. And I love the way you can see the experience he has compared to the others. The way he covers the guard's mouth on some so they cannot scream. Plus the way he pauses on some as to let the guard know his fate. It's a shame, he will be missed. Stealth Kill #1: From Behind Tatsumaru puts his left hand over the guard's mouth, steps to the side so that his torso is right beside the guard's torso, Tatsumaru unsheathes his sword with his right hand; turn's the blade over and stabs the guard in the heart. Tatsumaru then pulls the sword out releasing the guard and resheathes his sword. Stealth Kill #2: From Crouch Tatsumaru gets in Front of the guard and grabs him/her by the lapels; Tatsumaru then perfroms a "Tamanagi Throw"(a throw where you roll backwards using your feet to flip the opponent, the thrower lands mounted on the opponent). Tatsumaru then has his left hand placed over the guards mouth while he unsheathes his sword, Tatsumaru pauses for a minute before thrusting his sword into the guard, Tatsumaru then removes his left hand from the guard's mouth and uses it to help push the sword deeper into the guard. Tatsumaru pulls the sword out of the guard and stands up while sheathing his sword. Stealth Kill #3: From Jump Tatsumaru drive his right knee into the guard's back while grabbing the guard's left hand with his(Tatsumaru's) left hand and grabs the guard's head with his(Tatsumaru's) right hand. With the guard on the ground Tatsumaru pulls back on the guard's head and hand breaking the guard's back. Stealth Kill #4: From Front Tatsumaru picks up the guard by his throat with his(Tatsumaru's) right hand. He holds them up for a second before snapping their neck,Tatsumaru holds them a second longer then drops the guard as he turns his(Tatsumaru's)back on him/her. Stealth Kill #5: From Left Side Tatsumaru does a Roundhouse Kick with his left leg while unsheathing his sword, slashing through the guard's ribs using his right hand with a short right step. Using the momentum from the step to throw a spinning wheel Kick with his left leg to the back of the guard's head. Stealth Kill #6: From Right Side Tatsumaru takes a step through with his right leg while using an iaijutsu sword technique(a sword technique where the sword is drawn from the sheath in a way to strike the opponent) slashing through the enemy. Tatsumaru holds a pose with his back to the guard(his right leg is in front and his sword arm is held across his body) there is a dramatic pause, then suddenly blood spurts from the guard and he/she falls to the ground;Tatsumaru then sheaths his sword and faces back towards the guard. Stealth Kill #7: After "Bumping the guard" Tatsumaru delivers a "knifehand" strike to the back of the guard's neck.(This Stealth Kill causes Tatsumaru's sword to be unsheathed;he doesn't unsheathe it you hear a sound and it appears in his hand, you then can do his combination,crouching strike,and strike to the right. His other strikes will resheathe the sword) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 7. Bugs and Other Strange Odds &Ends ============================================================================= This section will have some of the problems, glitches, bugs what ever you want to call them plus some of the small details I've(as well as most of you) have noticed. There will be no specific order I will just list them as I see fit as well as update this as I find or notice new stuff 1)The Biggest Glitch or Bug I have noticed is Polygonal Problems-- I can't believe how bad this is in this game. I understand that there are going to be some limits but, you can't kill guard's that are on slopes with an actual stealth kill, you can still get one hit kills, but it will not allow you to Stealth Kill, meaning if you run up to them with out your weapon drawn more than likely you will bump into them as you unsheathe your weapon, and now have a brawl with one or more guards. It doesn't stop there during a stealth kill if at anytime the player or the guard is about to hit another object, a slope,wall, edge of the board or too close to an edge the Stealth Kill will suddenly stop.At least you get to start the stealth where as above if they are on a slope the animation doesn't even start. This kind of stuff takes some time to get use to esp. the slope deal if your like me and prefer to keep your weapon sheathed as much as possible. 2)In the Mission Editor, you can't Stealth Kill the Main Character that you are suppose to assassinate. You can still kill them with one hit but I think it would have been nice to be able to stealth kill them. And during the game I think it would have been nice to allow you to assassinate the bosses as well. Hopefully in Tenchu 3 you will at least be able to kill main bosses in the Mission Editor Mode. 3)One Question I would love to ask the programmers. Why didn't they fix Rikimaru's Throat Slash Stealth Kill. I mean everybody can clearly see that Rikimaru uses the dull side of his blade to slit the opponent's throat. It doesn't seem like it would take too much to flip the blade around esp. after all the detail you see in the new stealth kills. Maybe they were just too lazy. 4)Here is something cool I mentioned above. When you do Tatsumaru's 7th Stealth Kill, his sword appears in his hand. After which you can use while in the combo and during his upper strike. I haven't checked to see if it does anymore damage or not but I do know that having it out on the upper slash gives you more area to hit with, meaning you can hit the enemy with the blade it's self. Remember The left angle slash, the straight in slash both resheathe your sword. The jumping slash may resheathe your sword I'll put it in as soon as I check it out again. 5)Want an extra challenge on your missions. Well now that you know you can have your back turned and still do any stealth kill. You can always go back and try beating the game using this method to do your stealth kills. 6)I'm sure everyone knows you can do your Stealth Kills with your weapon sheathed. This really helps even out the speed of the characters. All three characters run at the same speed over flat areas, how do I know this. Simple I went into the mission editor, chose seek out, put the Master at the end of the board, the player character at the other end then ran with each character to see who got there faster. All were the same time, with just holding towards to run. I am conducting more test now, but this FAQ is just for Stealth Kills that will be for another FAQ entirely ^_~ 7)The characters do a lot of switching movements during Stealth Kills this is not all of them but just a few: I.Rikimaru's Crouching Stealth Kill cause him to be on the left side of the guard even if you are on the guard's right side. II.Tatsumaru's is one of the most obvious his Crouching Stealth Kill cause him to be in front of the guard even though the easiest way to do it is from behind. Most of them are like this jumping Stealth Kills from the side still start as if you were behind the guard. I won't even mention Tatsumaru's 7th Stealth Kill from the front. Talking about Teleportation. That's all I really have right now I'm sure I will put up more stuff later. If you have any suggestions, comments, or want me to add something e-mail me if I decided to use it you will recive credit in my FAQ. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 8. To Stealth Kill or Not To Stealth Kill That is The Question ============================================================================= This Section will discuss The advantages and disadvantages of using and or not using the Stealth Kills. Let's look at each side of the question. I.NOT TO STEALTH KILL-- Let me 1st define what I mean by "NOT TO STEALTH KILL". This means to sneak up on the guard and use a slash from a distance just enough not to activate the stealth kill animation. In the first game, with the boards being so short as well as the fact that not being spotted usually got you a "GrandMaster" ranking, it seemed only natural to run through the board as quickly as possible and try to finish it. If you look at it in this perspective a stealth kill only made your time longer. For instance in the practice mode my friend both had an unofficial competition going on to see who could get the fastest time without being spotted. This lead to use both getting under 40 seconds. Another reason you may not want to stealth kill is in a situation where there are more than one guards in the same area. It makes me think of the Second Stage with Tatsumaru. Right in front of the end of the stage there are two guards very close to each other. Example: -------------------------- - - - - - - - - - Encampment - - Boss Fight - - - - - - - - - ------End of Stage 2------ X X X 1st Guard 2nd Guard 3rd Guard Now normally I come in from the left side of the above, that's just my personal way that I make it there not planned or premeditated(at least not yet). Usually I catch the 1st and 2nd Guard with their backs facing me at the same time. If I use a Stealth Kill on the 1st Guard usually the 2nd Guard will see me during the Stealth Kill and run over and attack me. If I rush in and slash the 1st guard and kill him without the Stealth Kill then rush over to the 2nd guard and can do the same thing before the 3rd Guard makes his way back close enough to spot me, and I can have the body moved if I want to kill the 3rd guard or can already be at the area that cuts to the boss fight. So some situations may be a little better handled by not using stealth kills. II.TO STEALTH KILL-- On the other hand we need to look at the way the new and improved(in some ways) Stealth Kill can be used to make the game a little better. First off let's take a look at the fact most to the boards in the first Tenchu as awesome as the game was the boards were rather short and again personally when I played them they screamed to me"Beat Me As Fast As You Can". Tenchu 2 is different in that the boards are expanded and there are lots of twist and turns on some of the levels. It really doesn't scream to me "Beat Me As Fast As You Can" I enjoy taking my time and trying to find all the enemies to kill(esp. since some boards you can only get GrandMaster by killing all the enemies without being seen) Plus you have to explore to find the different Ninja Items. Another reason to use Stealth Kills is the fact it is one of the reasons most people bought this game as well as the original. Also the Stealth Kills can be controlled allot easier than they could in the last Tenchu, it is so much easier to pick a kill you want to do and actually make you character do that kill. And of course, using the Stealth Kills adds fun to the game, and that is the most important thing is "TO HAVE FUN" No one can ever be right about a question, because no answer is written in stone. Personally I use both for the most part I use Stealth Kills when ever I can, and when there is more than one guard in an area like the example above I just use one hit kills, plus when enemies are on slopes where I can't use Stealth Kills I use one hit kills. Remember everyone plays different and should be allowed to play different, that way we can always learn something new. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 9. Stealth Kill Tips & Tactics ============================================================================= This section will simply contain some tips and tactics for using your Stealth Kills. I will add stuff here as I find or think of anything important to include. There will be no certain order here. If you have anything you want to contribute please feel free to let me know. 1. I don't know how many time I can stress this the most important part of the Stealth Kill is not being seen not only by the target but by any one around him/her. Which leads to the next thing. 2. Be aware of your suroundings, make sure you know how close other guards are, the pattern of the guard you are going to kill, that there are no sound traps, other traps, water to splash into etc. 3. Be patient when trying to find the right time to kill, don't rush into things make sure to spread your focus around the area not just on the guard its self. 4. If there is more than one guard in the area try to focus the camera angle so that you can watch both of the guards' patterns. Trying to find the best time and the easiest guard to kill. 5. When going for a Stealth Kill try to approach the guard from a direct position. It is easier for a guard to spot you from the side if they are at angled views . Try to think of your guard as looking North, South, East, or West. Trying to avoid having them looking North-East, North-West, Sout-East, or South-West. 6. Remember there is always more than one direction to approach a guard, everyone gets into set patterns of play. It is best to occasionally try a different approach. 7. The Best way to practice Stealth Kills is to go into the mission editor and place a bunch of guards(not too close to each other) Then practice the Stealth Kills over and over until you can do them at will. 8. Try to decide which Stealth Kill you want to preform before running up to the guard and waiting till the last minute. As easy as it is to control which Stealth Kill you want to do now it feels great to be able to decide what you are going to do and then have it actually happen. 9. Try keeping you weapon(s) sheathed until you get close enough for the stealth kill. Since you still will do the stealth kill. It will also let you move faster when running towards the guard. 10. To help with the side Stealth Kills you may want to come up with a way to tell the different sides from each other quickly. For instance, a guard with a spear holds the spear in his right hand when not alert. A guard with a sword wears the sheath on his left side. Or you may want to just remember if they are facing to the right side of the screen then it's their right side or if there facing to the left then it's there left side. I don't guess it's necessary but if your like me and start getting in the swing of things you could forget which side throw that you are about to do. 11. When doing the jumping Stealth Kills I usually start pressing the [] Button rapidly to ensure you get the stealth kill. It really sucks when you jump right into the guards back and then have to fight. Remember even if you "Bump" into them by mistake you can still get the jumping Stealth Kill you just have to be quick with the button. 12. The Best way to get the 7th Stealth Kill is to come directly behind the guard, then "Bump" into them and do the kill. Even though you can do the kill from any position but jumping, there is a chance that the enemy will turn around to quick for you to press the button,esp if they are at an angled view, then your stuck with another fight. 13. Getting in front of you enemy is not as hard as you may think, it's best to approach from a direct direction, like I mentioned above. Try to have a good idea of the pattern of the enemy, know when he will turn to the direction you will be standing. Don't worry if all of a sudden his/her 'ki' meter turns to !? you can still get the 7th Stealth Kill if your quick enough. Another way to get the front stealth kill is to either run in a semi-circle from the side to the front of the target, this takes a wide-open space so that you can come in from a long arc, not to close or he will spot you easily. Also if a guard is positioned around a corner you can run from around the corner as the guard is facing toward the wall. Most of the time the guard won't even change your 'ki' meter. This kill is best done on an opponent that is standing still. Here are examples of the last to methods: 1st the arc: facing this way / X-> o Your Character 2nd the wall: Guard X | facing towards wall v / / path ----> / you take / ----------------- / - ^ - P - part of building Your Character - castle etc... - - - ------------------- Now the above examples are not to scale. Just to try to help clarify a little. The arc has to be rather large so that you will end up just in front of the guard at the perfect moment. If you start it to close you will run past him/her and alert them. Or if you start it too far away you may not make it to the front of them. This is a move you may want to try a few time in the Mission Editor. The around the wall has a guard standing etc. or at least pausing at that position for a few seconds. The guard should be standing pretty close to the wall, as in two to three body distances(meaning if three people were standing in a row like XXX) If they are two far away you will be spotted no doubt about it. This move can be done while they are already facing the wall or while they are starting to face the wall. Again you may want to practice this in the Mission Editor a while. ******************************************* H O W T O B E A G R A N D M A S T E R ******************************************* Lots of people have been emailing me asking or telling me how to become a Grand Master, and so far the best theory presented to me was this one: To become a GM you must complete all of the missions without being spotted by anyone, and kill everyone in stealth style. Pretty difficult, but worth it. Training Program - -------------------------- If you don't know how to do anything, your in a pretty bad situation when You actually have to fight someone, that is why I would recommend going to The training part of the game, and all of the manuevers and their controls. I have put together a Training Program which I made up and followed, and I Completed it, and was able to perform any task will not to much trouble, I Mean noones perfect, but this could really help you to get the skills that It takes to become a GrandMaster, the highest level of Ninja Rank. The different training exercises have been split up into sections to make it Easier to understand. This worked for me, but may not for every, there are no guarrantees. Although no matter what, it is still great practice. I call this training, the Dragon Training System. Swimming Section: First of all, if you just got the game, do what the guy tells you, so that you Will learn the moves commands. Then after he told me all of the stuff to do I Started do some things on my own, and eventually they would come in handy. Exercise 1 - Swimming Meter A lot people think that once the meter is down to 3 or 4 that you have to come up, but with a little practice you can learn to take the meter to the full air count. I would dive down, not deep at first, and then see how long it takes you to comeback up to the surface. Then go to that same depth and allow the meter to get to 3 then come back up, you probably made it in plenty of time didn't you? So now do the same thing, except come up when it get to 2, you probably made it up again. Now, if you don't come up until it hit 2, you are using 90% of his/her air capability, and it will become much harder to extract the next 10%, so I wouldn't use your saved session, just start a new one to practice with. Now, dive to the same depth and wait until the meter gets to 2, by now you should have got the basic tempo of the counter, so you should know right when it is about to change to the next number. So right when it is about to change to 1, get ready to come and get air, but don't do it yet. Then right once it turns to 1, I mean the nano second it turns to 1 come up for air. This will be using about 97% of your air, which isn't that hard with some practice, you just have to be able to do it when ever you need to. Now, the next 3% is so difficult I have yet to come up with a strategy to use it, besides one time, and that was just dumb luck timing, but if you can use 97% of it, you might save yourself some trouble. This system worked for me, it may not work for you. Exercise 2 - Silent Killing When you enter into the Bamboo forest, practice on all of the Bamboo trees, being especialy careful to keep them infront of you, the players are kinda of tough to control when you first start, and letting you enemy get behind you can prove to be a major fatal mistake, because of the difficulty of getting away. Now once you are ready to go in and kill the enemy warriors, creep against the wall until you can see the first one around the corner, make sure your weapon/weapons are already draw, then crouch and creep up behind you opponent, a stealth kill will kill them instantly, if you are spotted you will have to battle with them, giving up your big advantage. Be careful, your character may role on its own when you get right behind your enemy, if this happens and the enemy turns around, pull back and get ready to rumble, if not, and you can get righ up behind your opponents, just press the button you would for a normal attack. Discipline will be one of the Major reasons whether or not you become a grandmaster. You have to develop the knowledge and patience it takes to wait for the right attack moment. I performed this exercise until I could kill them both with stealth kill, and then once I could, I made myself do it 10 times straight without being seen, and if I was I started completely over, this will teach you not to maek mistakes, because of the incentive not to have to do it again. I started over twice, and can now kill almost any opponent that I can get behind. Exercise 3 - Target Practice This is an another thing that will teach discipline and appreciation for your skills. Make your way to the part of the training section where he tells you to pick up the Chinese Stars and throw 3 of them at the target, then he says a Ninjas best friend can be his/her weapons, this is all to true. People cannot be depended on 100% all the time, but your weapons will always be there when you need them. will always be there when you need them. You should have taken the target practice anyway, to learn the range and motion of the weapon, but we are going to take it a step further. Gather 3 of them, and then leave, comeback a while later and pick more up, now instead of just 3, you are going to hit the bulls eye 15 times straight before you may stop. Every time that you miss, you must start over again, but before you actually start, get used to how the stars sail and curve from different angles, because all of your combat will not be head on. Once you have completed the 15 straight perfect targets, you are going to go into the bamboo forest, and try to kill them both silently only using the Chinese star, you may have to reset if you already killed them, and you are using the same game as the silent killing exercise. Now, once you run out, they may not be dead, but you still may not draw your sword/daggers, you must recollect them while avoiding your enemy, and finish the kill. Basically you are training to be able to kill in any situation. Now you have to do this 3 times straight before you go o the next exercise. Exercise 4 - Jumping Distance/Balance This may seem like a stupid exercise, but I can guarantee every one of you has fallen of something or missed a jump sometime during the game. First you are going to practice your jumps before you move on to the balance pat of the lesson. Find a basket or box that you can jump onto. Now practice jumping on and off of it using only one try. Now try jumping up onto it backwards, to practice a possible escape technique. Now you are going to jump onto the box 12 times landing on it each time, before you can go onto the next step, which is simply doing the same 12 straight backwards. Now onto the long jump. This ca be used to get across things that the normal one cannot, but if you can only do it 1/3 tries you have a problem, cause what if the first try isnt the one you make it on, well then your already dead. SO I would suggest you do it over and over again until you can basically do it when ever you want or need to. Balance, can be crucial when sneaking around or up on a raised area or platform, if you fall off you may find yourself in some trouble. So get up on the platforms and cement walls and practice moving and drawing and swinging your weapons while on them without falling off. I can't tell you when your ready, you are going to have to decide when your balance is good enough on your own, because its just a judgement call. Exercise 5 - Multiple Opponent Training This is your final test to prove that you are worthy of this traiing system, which has produced me, one who has defeated the game and the first time I was a GM, the 2nd time I made a costly mistake. This is your Test Of Dan, it will not be easy, but if you pass, you will feel a new confidence in your ninja skills. Test Requirements: You are basically going to create a new level, and put in the things listed here and if you defeat it without dying, you have passed the test, seems easy right? Well just wait until you see what you get to do..... hehehe. Mission Name - Dragon Training System Test Location - Dojo Password - doesn't matter Character - whichever you did the training with. Objective - Eliminate Requirements: Gohda - Atleast 1 Sword Soldiers - 4 Spear Soldiers - 2 Bow Soldiers - 2 Maids - doesn't matter ( All of the different types of soldiers stay together, except the sword Soldiers are put into 2 groups of 2, and the Gohda is on his own. This will teach you to kill 2 men at the same battle time.) Tip: You have trained to balance, jump and kill silently, so I would suggest that you create the level with places where you can use your resources, add in things that are elevated to jump up on like you practiced, and have walls so you can use the Chinese star aim you practiced so long. What I am getting at is, you need to have a little bit of everything you trained for in here, to make sure you can do it when the real thing comes along. [Note - The test can only be taken 3 times before training must be repeated] If you completed the mission and passed, CONGRATULATIONS! You are now an official student of the DRAGON TRAINING SYSTEM. ------------------- Walkthrough Section ------------------- Ok, I'll admit it, I couldn't stand not adding the walkthroughs because my FAQ is incomplete without them, so I will be updating them as I proceed through the game, Rikimaru will come first, then when that is done I'll do Ayame and maybe even Tatsumaru if things go ok. ====================== =Rikimaru Walkthrough= ====================== First off, when you start the game you are going to have to go through all of your training, and hopefully mine as well before you start playing th eactual game, but once you have finished all of that, you will need to proceed to your masters house to take the final test. Here is where the house is located: ___ _/ \_____ | |www <- - - - Waterfall | |www Shoot your grappling hook on the mountain to the left of the | Mountain |www waterfall, and once you get up there the house will be right in | |www front of you, go up to the door and it will open, then the | |www scene will cut into your test. |___________|www =============================================== =R I K I M A R U T R A I N I N G L E V E L= =============================================== Once you make it up to Azuma Shiunsai, or Master Shiunsai to you, you are going to have to be tested before you can become a full pledged Azuma Ninja. Basically when your in the hut he will expose you unawareness, by pulling a trap door, which will send you down into a level which you must beat to become a Ninja. You will have to explore the level quite a bit the first time you do it, and always be on the look out for places to shoot a grappling hook. The enemies in this level are pretty easy, so it shouldn't be to hard to get some serious stealth killing going on. A word to the wise though, do not, try to stand on the wooden plank to long trying to see how long it takes to sink, or you will fall with it; I found out the hard way, believe me. Another thing, is this is pretty tricked up with booby traps, so your always going to have to be on your guard. A saying that may help this is, Always expect the unexpected, and another is: Your eyes will desieve you, don't trust them. And god you don't know how true that it. There are spears that will come out of certain walls, so be on the lookout for that as well. Once you finish the level the scene will cut, and then you will be sent out on your first real Ninja Mission as a true Azuma Ninja. --------------- Gang Of Thieves --------------- This level is pretty simple, so it's a good warm up for some of the things to come. First off, there aren't very many items, if any that I could find in this level, but that might be just me. The objections of this mission are pretty easy to understand: Don't kill the innocent, drive out the gang and kill the leader. When you start the level, you will be up on a raised rock cliff, slowly go down, and then start looking for enemies. The stealth kills are pretty easy in this level, because the enemies are very spread out aren't to brilliant. There will be towers and fallen tree bridges every where, there could be guys in any of these places, so be very cautious. First, go to the left or west, and get rid of (kill) all of the gang members on that side of the map. Explore all over and make sure you got all of them, because we don't want any evil going unpunished now do we?! No make your way back to the east side, you will soon approach an open front house with a guy laying down inside, this is not a villager, kill him. Now keep going east making sure to check all house and building for gang members. Now eventually you will come up to an area with lots of large wooden homes and buildings, and on the left you will see red pillars, be careful there is an enemy up by the pillars. First make sure that all of the buildings are clear, and then take care of him. Now, once you go up the stairs by the pillars and kill the guy, go slowly to the right, because your not there yet. Now you will make your make up a set of stone stairs which there is a guy at the top, so be ready to fight him, then once you have killed him there is a cracked open door, enter it and wait for the screen to cut. Make sure you checked all the gang members for items before you go in, because once your in your not going back out to check. GARAN - Leader of the Gang. --------------------------- When you go in, you will see Garan the gang leader throwing knives at a village woman, and she is begging him to stop. He says he will stop when she dances for him, but she again begs him. He says he will kill her and just as the knife is about to hit her, guess who pops in and stops it, yep its Rikimaru. When you fight Garan, he has this thing that looks like a Bong, just keep chopping away at him, and he will swing at you with the pipe. It is very easy to avoid though, using the back flip technique. Then every once in a while he will blow on the pipe and pink smoke will come out, don't get in the way of it or you will be blinded temporarily, and then he will do some damage with the bong. Treason At Gohda Castle ----------------------- This mission is slightly more difficult than the last, simply because it may take you a few seconds to get the hang of running up the curved ramp way that you will have to go up to get the Lord Gohda. The basics objectives for this mission are only kill men who are not loyal to Gohda, they will be wearing green and yellow. Get up to the top of the castle as soon as you can to save Lord Gohda from Motohide. At the beginning you will start out in a hallway where you can go either way, so you need to go the way which is less traveled by the Motohide soldiers. Now once you have chosen a direction, you should shortly come in contact with a sword armed man, try to get the stealth kill, but if you don't its ok. Now, you should start to see ramps as you go from room to room. Make sure you go up any ramps you see, but try not to end up going in circles. On the second or third levels you will come into battle with an archer, use your crouching power swing to get rid of him quickly, so he does not alert others who may be in the area to your presence. Ok, make sure you are checking all of your victims for items, because you will need them in the later levels. Keep making your way up, and then on the next level you should come into contact with another archer, this time you should be able to use your jumping stealth kill. Keep going up the ramps careful not to get yourself caught on fire. As you keep going up you will soon find yourself with nowhere to go. You should see some white doors with writing on them, chop through them and it will gain you passage to new areas of the level. Do not run up on the spear man, because he has a greater range than you, so make sure you use your back jump to avoid your enemies attack, he will only take stabs at you with no real big damaging slashes like the swords man. Now, eventually you will come to a section that has passages that look like they can be traveled through that contain fallen boards and rock. They cannot be used to climb or travel, so don't even waste your time trying to use them. Once you get the part of the castle that seems to go is a square around an inner building with an entrance at each side of the square, you can go into one of the rooms and look up, and you should see the glitch of a Motohide soldier through the wall. This will tell you which part of the square maze to go into, enter that room and kill the man, then get up on the balcony above him. Once you have gotten there its just a matter of climbing up the ramps to get to Lord Gohdas chamber. Once you get in there or close enough, the scene will cut and Gohda and Motohide will start to fight with their swords. Gohda will defeat Motohide but cannot bring himself to kill him, so when he lowers his defenses he is shot by Motohide. Then you spring in and start to fight with Motohide, once you get him down to about 60 health points the scene will cut again. This time Rikimaru will try to kill Motohide, but Gohda saves his uncle and get sin the way. Then Motohide escapes and the fencing instructor comes in and he hold the soldiers off long enough for Gohda and Rikimaru to escape out the back exit. After this you will be informed that Gohda's wife is dead and his daughters kidnapped by his uncle, and Rikimaru goes of to kill Lord Toda. Lord Toda's War Camp -------------------- This level can either be very simple or you can complicate it by trying to be a little to fancy. Your mission is to infiltrate the headquarters of Lord Toda's war camp, and that's what you are going to do, it doesn't say you have to run around acting like Karate kid. A lot of people need to learn that leaving one enemy and not being a Grand Master is not the most important thing in the world. You need to be more occupied with beating the level, then you can go back and try to become a Grand Master. One thing that you need to be aware of is that there are alarms everywhere in this level. Keep a sharp eye out when you are in the bushes or when you are being chased, because that is when you are most likely to not be paying attention. If you do happen to run into an alarm and there is anyone near you, don't wait around to see who comes to find you, because odds are that there will be at least 3 enemies, and if you do even happen to kill all those who come, you will still have lost a lot of much needed health. Another thing you need to be weary of are the fact that a lot of the soldiers are carrying grenades with them. If you see someone pull out what looks like a little cocunut, get away as fast as you can, because even if it isn't a grenade, it sure isn't a present for you. If you get hit with a grenade, aside from losing health, you will allow your enemy to get into what ever position they want to for when you get up, as well as allow others to come join in on the fight, and one is enough at a time. Never allow enemies to just come up from behind you and swarm you in this level or you will soon find yourself dead, unless you just happen to have a Ninja rebirth or a smoke bomb. Once 2 and 3 guys are hacking at you, you will find yourself unable to run or jump away, so you will be stuck there slaughtered. This is caused by fighting one enemy, and then just turning your back on your surroundings. When you start a sword fight, whether or not you believe it, you do draw attention to yourself, and in this case that is not good. When you are fighting, obviously your eyes are occupied by your current opponent, but your ears should be able to detect any un-welcomed visitors. Speed can become a factor in this level if you allow yourself to become caught up in a battle with multiple attackers, or if you have to dash across an area to catch up with an enemy and make a stealth kill, so that is why you need to keep your weapon sheathed whenever you are not in need of its services, is that understood?! Another thing I would like to draw to your attention is the invisibility factor, if you are fighting an enemy, and need to get rid of them quick, or are low on health and don't wish to engage them, if you have it use the invisibility stuff, and go unnoticed, or silently attack. Demon Mountain -------------- The main objectives of this mission are as follows. First, you need to infiltrate the enemy or "Demon" hideout, and then save the villagers that the supposed "Demons" have taken hostage. Now, these of course are not really demons, but they can be pretty nasty if they get into groups, so try to go about this level as soon as possible, and don't draw attention to yourself what so ever. Another good point to make would have to be, that I have encountered poison in this level, so it might be a good idea to keep some medicene with you. An odd thing to this level is that your attackers are not always the supposed Demons, there are some pretty vicious animals here as well, not quite as mean as the shark in the next level, but mean none the less. First, there is the white wolf, which at first I though was a lamb, because it was up in the mountains, but I quickly realized lambs don't jump and bite at people, so I was forced to kill it. Then there is also a bear, which I encountered at a lower altitude, and I wasn't about to just go up to a bear, so be smart and throw a smoke bomb, blind it, then kill it, if you even have to kill it. One odd feature of this level I have never seen before was this, in other levels I have escaped from pursuers by going into the water, river or stream mostly, so I go into the river, and the guy actually followed me into the water! I have never seen this before, so I was sorta shocked. So, do not just assume that you can escape your attackers by going into the water anymore, because the truth is no longer always what it seems to be. Although he could not swim underwater, he still alerted several others, so be careful. Bridges, there seem to be quite a few of them in this level, so do not depend on knowing the location of one just to be able to know where your going. There are 2 bridges that I have found are the main ones, but finding them is not always Easy because many of the peaks look the same. The first main bridge of any importance that you will come across should be a medium length, very wide bridge with a guard on it, and then another guy down in the valley it goes over, you are going to have to pass over this before you can get to the other one, which is much more important. The next bridge, and the most important you will find is a much longer and more narrow one. It is at a higher altitude and the drop to what is goes over is much more than that of the 1st one. You will not be able to see the end of this until you are out onto about the middle of it. I believe there is an archer there, who should be no problem to kill if you avoid his first arrows. Going across the bridge with invincibility on is another good way to make sure you are unnoticed, because there are a lot of other soldiers in the area. Now basically all you have to do to find your last destination is keep going up, the higher up you go the more sparse the soldiers you encounter will become, until you come upon the head quarters you are to infiltrate, where there is a better population of enemies. Here you will free the villagers, and that would be the end of the level the way I see it, now you are ready to proceed to the secret harbor with a little more confidence, knowing that Rikimaru kept his promise to the dead villager of him not dying in vain. The Secret Harbor ----------------- Well, this is one of the levels I enjoy a bit more, because it really tests your skills as a ninja much more than the very open levels with room to run away everywhere. This is a much more enclosed, and darker level where you will have to go very slow or you will run into enemies unprepared. The purpose of this mission is to save the hostages from the Chinese junk, which is in at dock in the bay, but first you will have to find it. One of the biggest dangers you will encounter in this level are the rifleman, they can shoot you from on top of cliffs or hills, and since this level has so many of those, it can take a while to find the location of the shooter. But, these rifles do pack a pretty hard punch, so you might be dead if you don't hurry up. Another thing you have to worry about with these rifleman about, is the noise that their guns make when they shoot you, in a mission where much secrecy is required a rifle shot is not a very good thing. Once you get to the beach, there will be mines everywhere, and if you are like me, impatient the first time you played a level, you just ran right up to the water stepping on those mounds of darker sand, and then blowing yourself up> Just like rifles, mines not only hurt you, but they also draw more un wanted attention to you. So, be very careful not to activate any of them. There are a couple of good uses for them though if you are very familiar with the level, try to make an enemy back into one when you are sword fighting, and then when they get up, you have disappeared, then come back and get the stealth kill. Those ladies with the tiger claws are also present in this level, and they are a big danger. Luckily I have only found one, and she is in perfect stealth kill position. She is on the right side of the beach, away from most of the mines, so just watch and wait for here to turn around, then run out and get the stealth kill. A lot of the time you get the kill, but the screen won't cut and show the scene, because it is uneven ground, to bad! Where is chief Brady when we need him? Yep you heard me there is a shark on the loose in these waters, and some of its actions seem a little crazy, even for a great white. If you dare to venture out into the deep water, you will encounter the shark sooner or later, and it is not a tea party! You will then have to swim as fast as you can back to shore, only to find that the thing will follow you all the way up to the bank, and actually throws itself up at you, sometimes being halfway on the shore. Once you find the dock, stop and wait for the rifleman on it to turn then run up and stealth kill him. It is cool when he falls into the water and I like to think of him as shark bait! SO now go up onto the boat, and on the left there is a pikeman (spear) to kill, easy stealth kill if you ask me. Then go to the right, and the scene will cut to you freeing the hostages. But wait, the fight is not over yet, now you must face the lightning fast Xiang, who has come to kill you. He is one of the hardest bosses, because if he knocks you down Once, he will control the rest of the match unless you are very skilled. He is so fast he gets 4 hits to your one, so you better have some good items to defeat him, like smoke bombs, ninja rebirth or even health restorers! The Temple Of Dreams -------------------- This section might be added in the future, it is a possibility. Ninja Village Under Attack -------------------------- The village is under attack and it is your job to drive out all of the insulent soldiers who do not respect the authority of your mighty weapons of Ninjutsu. Make sure that you don't kill any of the towns good citizens, only the enemy soldiers, you know the drill, they are dressed in the yellow and green. At the beginning of the level, make your way around to explore your surroundings before you try to really start doing a whole lot, knowing where you are going if you have to retreat can be a useful feature. Now, make your way to the eastern part of the map and you should start to encounter several soldiers depending on your level of difficulty. Do not just run up and start world war III with them, try to use stealth kills as much as possible, although getting through a level alive is more important than the level of rank you receive while doing so. If you have any of the shell stuff that makes you blend in very well with your surroundings, and you should. I would say it is a very good idea to have that with you. Ok, now you do realize that all of the soldiers must be brought out of the village (killed) before you are allowed to move on to the next level. So what I would suggest is start on the east side and sweep up and down making sure you stay in eye distance rows so you don't miss anyone and then just make your way all the way down to the west side of the map, it is as simple as that. You might encounter the problem of engaging an enemy and then having 2 more join in, so you are fighting 3 guys. Well, if you remember I told you to sneak around and get used to the surroundings before you started going around like a GI Joe and fighting everyone, because if you remember also, knowing is half the battle. So if you followed my instructions you should know where you can run to and evade these soldiers, then come back and pick them off stealthfully one at a time which is much easier than 3 at a time. This is also another good place to have that invisible potion stuff that I had mentioned before, if you cannot seem to evade your multiple opponents take that stuff and getting away will be a breeze. Now, once you have killed all of the soldiers and you are sure of this, make your way as far east as you can go. You should come to a path leading up to a higher hill section of the town with large wooden houses. If I remember correctly there may be one guy up here, but I am not 100% sure, so just make sure that you are on your guard. Now, make your way upward more and you should come into the place where you will fight the boos. He is easy because you don't even have to kill him, just get him down below around 60 health points for the screen to cut. This mission is more a fun one than a task. You get the chance to heavily practice your stealth skills because it is required that you kill them all. However, this does not mean that you should keep using the same stealth kills and assume you practiced. Make sure you mix it up, and take special care to find enemies that you can practice your deadly jumping stealth kills on because those are the toughest to time correct, but they also look the coolest and deadliest. Try not to be spotted, but if you do it is not the end of the world. Make sure you use your Shurikens when needed, a Ninja who is dependant upon their blade is not a Ninja at all. You should be as resourceful as possible in a level that actually allows you to, and there are very few that really do, so capitalize. In pursuit Of Tatsumaru ----------------------- This section might be added in the future, it is a possibility. The Kansen Caverns ------------------ This level is by far the most difficult for me, even more so than the last level which is reasonably hard if you want to be a Grand Master. You will first have to find your way through all of the mazes of the cavern, but you will also have to find a way to do it without being poisoned, so you better make sure that you have a ton of poison anecdote with you, because I have been hti with poison as many as 4 times in a single level. So at the beginning of the level, find the quickest possibly way to get down to the big underground lake. You are going to have to extra aware of your surroundings, because there are tiger claw and bow and arrow soldiers everywhere and they can strike without being seen at first, so you have to watch your back. Never walk in this level with your weapon drawn unless you are using it, because in some cases you will have to run away from opponents, and then come back and get a stealth kill, because they will outnumber you. Once you are down to the water level, go under water and to the right side of te lake. You should see a tunnel that will allow you to swim to the other section of the lake and when you come up you will be in the correct section to find what you need to. Now, it took me a very long time to understand what it said about how water may hold the secret to what your looking for, naturally I just brushed it off and 2 hours later I thought, hmm try to look in the water and sure enough it was there. Now, you should soon be coming up to a maze, well its not really a maze it's a stacking of boxes that makes it difficult to see some things. Make your way through that being very cautious of the tiger claw soldiers. You will come up one a large tunnel that you can follow up to where you are trying to go. It is guarded so be ready at the start of it. To even get to the maze you will have to go from cliff to cliff which are all in the enormous thing the lakes are in. When you get to the end of the tunnel, you are supposed to trying to find something after all, you certainly will. It is the battle ship that the enemy is going to use to try to attack the Gohda castle which you will see in the next level. But that is not to say it is a free look, you will have to do your of fighting before the scene cuts, then you will secretly stow onto the ship and then it will sail away, after you inform them all of this, you will find yourself in the next level waiting to find and board the mighty vessel. ===================== =S E A B A T T L E= ===================== This is very simple, and it is also the last level for Rikimaru. You will start on the bank and have to make your way out to the sea. You will see lots of smaller boats, some occupying Burning Dawn Soldiers, and others just empty. You need to swim underwater, ignoring all of these enemies, because they are not worth the damage they could inflict if you make a mistake. Swim under all of the boats, using the Ninja under water breathing trick to keep from being seen. Now, You are going to see some bigger boats, do not get on them. Keep going under all of the boats until you come to a big boat and you can see that there are no more little boats behind it. Go to the other side of it underwater just to make sure your there. Now, once you find the correct boat, there should be one guy on there, I believe he has a bow and arrow, so be careful not to get shot to many times, because the stealth kill is very easy to get against this guy. After you have taken care of the Archer, make your way to the left side of the boat if you got on, form the left side, or vise versus if you got on from the right. Once you get here, the screen will cut, and you will start talking to one of the 4 Burning Dawn warlords. After he is doe talking to you, you will then do battle with him. He has a pretty high life energy number, but if you get out of his sight, he cannot sense you, so you can come up behind him and take a few hacks at him. Once he is dead, he will tell you that you are the loser, because the more enemies you avenge, the more angry and hateful you will become until you are just as he is. Then Rikimaru says, I do not avenge anymore, I only serve a worthy master. I though I was done with the level the first time I played it, but you are not. Then the screen will cut, and you will be on a different part of the huge battle ship. Try and stealth kill the guy behind the pillar directly in front of where you start. Now, keep weaving your way through the ship, until you come to a higher level with gang planks, but they are blocked off, keep going a little further, and there will be a place you can get up to, there will be a platform, with a white shadow door. There is also a swordsman there, so be ready. After you have dealt with the swordsman, keep going until you come to a more open area, with lines on the ground. Once you arrive there, the screen will cut again. This time it will go to the place where Ayami has taken the life of Tatsumaru. She will then toss you the Azuma sword, and you will keep going. The whole time Rikimaru will have flashbacks of all the events leading up to this point. Then you will start to see a dancer, but this is no dancer, so prepare yourself to do battle with Kagami, leader of the White Dawn. At first, she will only be using a fan, so it isn't that hard to get to the first scene cut, but be careful, she has an outrageous life energy size for someone of her stature. After the screen has cut again, she is going to slowly pull out that big sword she carries, but you also have a pretty good sword, so don't freak out. You will then battle to the death, and then once she has been slayed, she will give a speech of how her dream will never die. Rikimaru's only response it " I would gladly take the title of a fool, if it will save just one life from your blood stained terror." Then the scene will cut again to the ending, which I will leave to you to view on your own. Although I must say, I really did enjoy it, quite a bit actually. ******************* Ayame Walkthrough ******************* 1) The Training Course- No Boss This is a day-time mission intended to teach the person new to Tenchu how to play the game. If you are familiar and confident with the controls you can forgo the entire training area and head directly to the Master's home at the top of the cliff. You will be dropped into a hole and told that if you make it out alive you will have become a true ninja. For the most part the TEST is straightforward. Keep you eyes open because there will be a couple of the times were the correct path will not be immediately seen. HINT: Look up and behind from time to time, especially when you reach the sign. There are traps on this level. Just do not step on the big lump. There is a spear trap also. Do not get too close to walls with black squares in the middle of them. It should not be difficult at all to get Grand Master upon completing this test level. 2) The Mountain Bandits- Bandit Leader This is a nighttime mission that has you infiltrate a Bandit camp in some village in the mountains. Nothing to worry about here. There is one guy in a watchtower and nothing else to worry much about. You will find a couple of them sleeping, so they are easy to take care of. There is one innocent on this level you do not want to kill. You will find the boss on the right side of the map. The large temple in this level is where Rikimaru's boss is. Head to the right of the map and head toward the house against the cliff wall. Bandit Leader- I apologize, I did not bother writing his name down. This big thug is not that difficult. Be aware that an invisible wall will come up to keep you from leaving the small area in which the fight begins. Of use to you might be the building to the left of when the fight begins. You only have to go about half way up the stairs and the Bandit Leader will no longer be able to see you. You will then be able to drop from the other side and sneak up on him for some free hits. Repeat as needed. Any of the General Boss Strategies will work. 3) Lady Kei in Danger- Genbu, Ninja of the Burning Dawn This level is rather straightforward. Although it takes place mostly inside this is a nighttime mission. Enter a building and wander around. Notice that the two women running around (One inside and one outside) are not the ladies you are looking for. The only tip for this level is to keep an eye out for walls that can be destroyed. There are at least two and they hide the areas you need to advance to. Genbu- Big, Stupid and Slow Again, not too difficult a fight if you keep your head. An invisible wall will come up to keep you from exiting out of the door you came in. He does have a fair amount of health, but you will only need to take maybe half of it off before he makes his, ummmm, escape. You may want to use the corner of this almost L shaped room. Since he is so slow you should be able to get the '!?' and run up on him from behind from around this corner. Use General Boss Strategies. 4) To Save a Princess- No Boss The Blowgun Those that had the opportunity to play the Demo will recognize this level, but with a different objective. Wander around killing as you see fit, you will eventually come up to the outside of a building and find the princess. The Ninja Blowgun can be found on this level. Search along the borders of the level for the brown box it is in. 5) Kubon Island- No Boss This is a daytime mission that will give you the opportunity to do some swimming. Make it around to the entrance to the inside of the island. You will need to get wet if you want to make it through this level unseen. Nothing to fear here. If you become overwhelmed you just need to drop into some water until the heat dies down. 6) The Island Fort- Spectacled Man in a Dress This is also a daytime mission with more water. You will notice a new kind of Ninja wandering around, one with some unpleasant looking claws. The boss can be found above the buildings and cages. You will know you are there when you see the columns and one guard in front of the entrance. Enter when you are ready. Spectacles Man in Dress (Pirate Leader)- Again, sorry no name yet. The area in which you fight this guy is larger than the previous boss fights. Also be aware that there is nowhere to hide this time. Again a wall will come up to keep you in the area. A good strategy for this large of an area would be the use of Caltrops. He tends to try and circle around Ayame, so let him get close enough and just perform a side slash and move into a combo. Once again, any of the General Boss Strategies will work here. 7) The Quarantine Village- Snake, Frog and Slug, Ninjas of the Burning Dawn This is a daytime mission. There will be a number of innocent bystanders on this level. Just keep away from the skinny and slow people. The only thing to note about this level is that this is when you will start to see more than one ninja in one area. Keep this in mind when running out to kill one ninja. This can expose you to two or three others you may not have noticed. Keep you eyes on the roofs also. There is a ninja box on this level, inside one of the groups of buildings (Not inside a building, in the middle of some). When ready head up the stairs in between the two red columns. Snake, Frog and Slug, Ninjas of the Burning Dawn That is right, you must fight three of these guys at one time. They differ greatly in their speed, which, of course, relates to their names. The snake guy will be right behind you all the time, followed by the frog and then the slug. I ran around for a while and Slug eventually got lost. I suggest taking snake out first. It is also interesting to note that they do hit each other, so if you can get any of them in between you and another this could be helpful. There are two columns here that you can use to hide behind, but this will not be easy until you get rid of one or more of the Ninjas. Again, an invisible wall will pop up where you entered the boss area. If you are in need of health a Caltrop drop would be suggested. See General Boss Strategies. 8) Cherry Tree Hill- No Boss This is a nighttime mission on one of the nicest looking levels. Make your way around and up to the Cherry Tree. Just keep heading up the hill. I believe the Tree is on the North end of the map. Be careful not to splash around the water. You will see non-ninja enemies here. Wolves wander around the level. Do not bother wasting any items on the two people standing under the tree, just walk up to the edge of the clearing for the sequence. 9) In Pursuit of Tatsumaru- White Tiger (Make sure to be prepared!!!![read-Health]) This is a nighttime mission through a bamboo forest. When the game tells you that sight is poor, they are right. There is a ninja box on the right side of the map, but I did not stop to get it. There is nothing special to note here. Go slow and easy. I initially had some trouble with the boss so I started running straight to the boss fight. This was not hard to do and I made it to the fight with out a scratch. White Tiger- 200 health worth of pain in the rear For most people this fight will not be fun at all. Keep it in the center of the area. If you let it get you against the wall you are not going to like it, at all. It is not fast and it walks around, so running from it in order to take some health is not going to be a problem. I suggest the smoke bomb tactic. Hit and run. It has a lot of hit points, so when you run out of smoke bombs and offensive items I can only suggest you keep at the hit and run. Just make sure you attack it before he starts his attack on you. DO NOT let it get close before you start your attack. You can BLOCK its attacks, but they tend to turn you to the side and he swipes two to three time in a row. Needless to say if you get turned around after the first hit the remainder will hit you right in the back. ALSO, if he knocks you down on the first or second hit DO NOT be in a hurry to get back up. Sit there and let the computer get you back up. Often if you wait it will be in between attacks and you can run off from it. That is all I can provide and I hope it helps. 10) The Kansen Caverns- No Boss This mission takes place in a Cave area. Near the beginning there is a large opening in the ground (It may lead to water, I do not recall), but if you grapple to the other side you will find a ninja box with an item I did not get to identify. This level is chock full of traps. Keep your eyes open for those huge lumps on the ground that I know are so hard to notice. Also be aware of walls with black squares in the middle. These are spear and arrow traps. Jump over them. Make your way through the straightforward level to the opening on the edge of the map at the upper right of the map. Tips and Tricks for this Level: In the Kansen Caverns, at the beginning of this level, you can do some neat (weird) things around the see-through bamboo walls. If a body is pulled within sight of the guards on the other side of the bamboo, they will rush over as close as possible when they spot it. Once this happens, you can deal with them in three unusual ways... Once this happens, you can deal with them in three unusual ways... 1. kill them with blowguns (which go through the bamboo) 2. If they remain in place after they calm down instead of wandering away, you can wait until they turn away, then get behind them and crouching stealth kill them (this will magically pull them to _your_ side of the bamboo... haven't tried with other stealth kills yet...) 3. Coolest of all, get just close enough for a guard to stare at you so that yellow sign appears in the ki meter, then use Leaves of Stealth to appear behind them on the _other_side_ of the bamboo! Of course, you may have to backtrack for a bunch of kills if you still want to make Grand Master on this level yet. :) You will get a Short FMV before the level ends. And another FMV before the next level starts. NOTE: This is also Ayame's Final Level. 11) Fire Demon- Genbu, Ninja of the Burning Dawn, Part II Tetsamaru- Ninja of the Burning Dawn(You know who he is by now) Yes! There are two boss fights on this level. One right after the other. Be prepared. This mission takes place on the inside of a ship. This level is straightforward. I particularly enjoyed this level. Make your way up stairs and grapple to upper levels. There are innocents on this level. Also be aware that arrow/spear traps are on the level. When you approach the stairs to go up on deck Genbu will confront you. Unfortunately for the big lug you will have to fight him. Genbu, Ninja of the Burning Dawn This time you will have to fight Genbu until all of his health is gone. He has nearly 300 Health. This will take a little time. Do not be afraid to use all of your offensive items on this guy. The final boss is not hard, at all. Just try to spare a health or two for the last boss. And that is my strategy... hit him with everything you have. You should have plenty of items in your inventory from the ninjas on this level. Smoke bombs and combo attacks. Caltrops and Shuriken. Grenades if you have them. When all is gone just start hitting him before he gets close enough to you to attack. Watch out for his roll attack. Tetsamaru- Ninja of the Burning Dawn, former Master of the Azuma Ninja This fight is not difficult at all. There are two objects in this level you should use to your advantage. The first is the Pole. Run around it and you will lose Tetsu very easily. While he is turning around in place you can run up behind him and get some free hits in and repeat the process. The other object is the torch. You can run around it and you can lose him. But the cool thing to do is to let him see you and just run around the torch. Eventually his combo that ends in a jump kick will land him on the torch, ending quickly in a fireworks display and some 20 points off of his measly 100 points of health. Well, I have finally decided to Finalize this FAQ, because I feel it is as complete as I or anyone else can possibly make it. Although, if you think you have something that needs to be added to this FAQ, please email it to me and I will thoroughly review it, and then possibly add it into the FAQ. Again I would like to thank everyone in the Credits for whatever it may be that they contributed, and then I would like to thank you the reader, for making this FAQ useful, and for all the great emails I got regarding it. I would especially like to thank CjayC for posting it and all he does at GameFAQs.com and am looking forward to the next Tenchu game (3) on PS2! I know this is considered shameful here at GameFAQs.com, but I might as well give it a try as some authors already have, so here is a list of other FAQs I have done, and a plug for my site, which makes it even worse...lol. Other FAQs: ----------- Dragonball Z RPG Flying Dragon 64 Dragonball Z Hyper Dimension Dragonball Z Super Butouden 1,2,3. Rainbow Six - PC version. Also check out my web site at www.vgmasters.com! Disclaimer: ------------ This document is the property of the author, Matthew Hulbert. It may not be posted at any web site or single web page, by anyone, without the permission of the author. This document may only be recreated electronically, because is for your personal and private use only. This document may not be altered or modified and then distributed in anyway, and it may not be given away as a gift or bonus for buying something. Pieces of this document may not be copied and pasted into another document without the permission of the author, and even then credit must be given, and the copied section must remain unaltered. I have heard rumors about certain companies, especially Game Cave and Brady Games stealing FAQs, copying FAQs, and also giving FAQs away as bonuses for buying their products. That is not allowed, and if it is done, it will be in breach of this disclaimer. All of the information in this document was compiled by the author, unless separate credit is given, and in order to use those certain sections which were not compiled by the author, but contributed by others, you must contact the actual author of that certain piece of information. That is all I ask of you. This Document (c) 2000; Matt Hulbert.