GAH! This is such a frustrating game! I don't know how I would ever have been able to clock this without having to refer to the strategy guides. Another thing that's annoying me is that even though I have defeated the final boss Primeval (who is also utterly annoying), and completed all the quests and monster codex, the password still won't unlock. The password shows up under the Y menu (ie, load your game, press Y and then Select, and it'll show up). Um, except the password given to me is about one line longer than the space given in Etrian Odyssey II. So yeah, that was for nothing.
Anyway, after first resting and then retiring each character, because you cannot beat the game without a certain skill set (you go actually get a cool 9 skill points if you retire at level 70, rather than 3. I don't know about stat bonuses), here was my final team:
Thanks to Nyleveia for the sprites.
- Phoenix: Landsknecht Lv65
- HP UP Lv10
- TP Up Lv10
- ATK Up Lv10
- DEF Up Lv10
- Axes Lv5
- Swords Lv10
- 2-Hit Lv10
- Allslash Lv10
- Eddie: Protector Lv70
- HP Up Lv10
- TP Up Lv10
- DEF Up Lv10
- Shields Lv10
- Fortify Lv5
- Antifire/volt/cold all Lv5
- Smite Lv10
- Raven: Survivalist Lv70
- HP Up Lv10
- TP Up Lv10
- AGI Up Lv10
- Bows Lv10
- Ambush Lv5
- Aware Lv1
- Quicken Lv10 (I had so many spare slots I just chucked 'em here, but never used the skill. Oh well.)
- Multihit Lv10
- Apollon Lv10
- Alex-kun: Bard Lv70
- HP Up Lv10
- TP Up Lv10
- Songs Lv10
- Erasure Lv8
- Blaze Lv1
- Frost Lv1
- Shock Lv5
- Healing Lv5
- Relaxing Lv10
- Take Lv1
- Clarys: Medic Lv70
- HP Up Lv7
- TP Up Lv10
- Healer Lv10
- Patch Up Lv3
- TP Regen Lv3
- Cure Lv3
- Cure II Lv3
- Cure III Lv3
- Salve Lv3
- Salve II Lv10
- Revive Lv3
- Refresh Lv8
- Immunise Lv10
For the dragons, I just got my Protector to cast anti-[element] each turn, my medic to cast Immunize, my bard cast Relaxing to stop anyone's TP depleting, and bashed away. It was the damn Primeval that was the pain. I didn't have Unbind, so had to carry loads of Theriaca As to negate that. I won just by the skin of my teeth [?]. I had to follow the turn-by-turn strategy on gamefaqs to beat him, and even then it was touch and go. Stupid Primeval. Just make sure your protector doesn't take any of the anti-[element] skills over level 5. Seriously. Stop at level 5. But still no password. There are a couple floating around on the Interweb, so maybe I can get those to work. But at least I beat the game. More of this later 😉
My password, which doesn't even work in the sequel (this may be a regional thing? As I have the European version for game 1; game 2 was never released here):
xxlhOxO3hC9sx1u2V&ZPW
yYsnKQ4dtOfYZYE19WC3A
Z2ddYAY74QYdY9d0A9kFZ
O3qPsuYh?2y1dWUd4dfAr