Ninja Gaiden The Unlabored Flawlessness FAQ Authored by VampireHorde Version 5.05 HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: All new info added ******************** INTRODUCTION ******************** Thanks for clicking on the FAQ. This FAQ will focus solely on obtaining and using what is probably the most overrated (or underrated depending on the player) weapon in Ninja Gaiden: the Unlabored Flawlessness. ******************** What is the Unlabored Flawlessness? It is the true form of the Wooden Sword. It contains an ethereal sense of weight and its impact is very powerful. After purchasing the Wooden Sword, there are six upgradeable slots available for purchase from Muramasa. With each upgrade the sword stays the same and does not have any effective attacks UNTIL it is upgraded to Level 7. When the sword is fully upgraded it changes form and becomes the Unlabored Flawlessness. This weapon is the closest thing to invincibility that any player will ever get (with the exception on Ninpo magic). The weapon's sheer strength is enough to basically kill fiends with just a strong attack and all bosses in minutes. ************************* THE STRENGTH OF THE UNLABORED FLAWLESSNESS ************************* To obtain the UF, the Wooden Sword should first be purchased during Chapter 3 or any chapter thereafter. Here are the prices for the sword and each upgrade: Wooden Sword Level 1: 500** Wooden Sword Level 2: 3000 Wooden Sword Level 3: 5000 Wooden Sword Level 4: 10000 Wooden Sword Level 5: 20000 Wooden Sword Level 6: 30000 Wooden Sword Level 7: 40000 = Unlabored Flawlessness It takes a total 108,500 essence, including purchase of the weapon, to upgrade the Wooden Sword to the UF. The Wooden Sword can be upgraded to Level 3 by Chapter 4, Level 5 by Chapter 5, Level 6 by Chapter 6, and to Level 7 by Chapter 8. (Big thanks to w. noureldin for the Chapter 4 correction.) Yes, the Unlabored Flawlessness is obtainable by Chapter 8! **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: You must simply supply Muramasa with 5 Golden Scarabs and he will give you the sword free. The upgrade prices are still the same. -UNLABORED FLAWLESSNESS AT FULL HEALTH When Ryu is at full health the UF can basically kill any fiend with a Reigning Spiral counter attack or the Flaming Whirlwind move. An ultimate attack won't be as powerful on bigger fiends but will kill smaller fiends instantly. Using the Flaming Whirlwind attack (Right, Y button) on a boss can strip away about 20-25% of health per hit. With this tactic, any boss can be beaten within a minute. -UNLABORED FLAWLESSNESS AT LOW HEALTH When Ryu's health is reduced to about 10% the kanji letters on the UF will glow bright red and becomes half-powered. When Ryu's health bar starts flashing red (5% health), the UF becomes fully powered. Under this circumstance, any enemy struck (big AND small) will be killed instantly or any boss that is attacked with the Flaming Whirlwind move will strip away anywhere from 40% to 55% of health in a single blow. When Ryu absorbs max essence for an ultimate attack, the impact will kill ANYTHING in its blast radius! Yes, this weapon is THAT powerful. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: This weapon has been overly toned down. Most attacks with the UF only reduce a boss's health down 15% even with the 5% health trick and Armlet of the Sun. ******************* 108,500 ESSENCE-GATHERING PARTY RUN ******************* Now that we know what the weapon is, it's time to explain how to get the essence needed for it. What is essence? An enemy that is killed releases three different- colored essence (yellow, blue, and red). Yellow essence is the main currency in Ninja Gaiden and what were gathering are 108,500 of it! TIPS: -ABUSE ultimate attacks! Whether it's a one or two essence ultimate, JUST USE IT! Essence left over by ultimate attacks is usually 5 to 10 times more than usual. -I suggest buying the Wooden Sword in Chapter 4 when obtaining the Han's Bar Party Ticket. -Equip the Armlet of Benediction (obtained in Chapter 6 or Chapter 2 on a Successive Play file) and you'll be an unstoppable moneymaking machine. -To take advantage of "bat" essence, use the Vigoorian Flail when facing groups of bats. Use an ultimate attack on the other bats and you'll receive anywhere from 2000-3000 essence easily per try. -ONLY purchase the Izuna Drop scroll and upgrades for the Dragon Sword if you want the UF by Chapter 10! Don't buy any armlets, the Inferno scroll; upgrade any other weapon, or any elixirs at all! -Take advantage of areas that re-spawn enemies. Don't worry about rank or time limits just get the essence. -Attempt the 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenges (depending on what difficulty you choose) for more money. **If most of your essence is wasted on purchasing Elixirs then you can't fully upgrade the Wooden Sword until Chapter 14 or 15. Practice your skills first before doing this UF run! *********************** I will give key re-spawning areas of the entire game. IMO, these areas can help you accumulate more money with each encounter. Whenever you arrive back to that area you'll receive a hefty amount each time. There are also areas that have re-spawning enemies that I will NOT point out simply because there isn't enough essence left over to make up for the fight (and besides it would be too much of a hassle fighting the enemy that give less essence). It's up to you to take advantage of the situation. **Fiend Challenge update: When attempting the 60, 80, or 100 challenges, kill all the fiends EXCEPT the last one. Leave the room then re-enter to do the challenge again for more money. (Big thanks to T. Paul for the reminder.) Here is a list of key places to gather multiple numbers of essences (Choose one to your liking): Chapter 1: The Way of The Ninja --Area #1: ROOM NEXT TO THE SAVE POINT Keep coming back in this room with re-spawning brown and white ninjas (or black and white ninjas in the HP). With patience and about 30-40 minutes of back and forth death you'll have around 30000-35000 essence in this chapter alone. Chapter 2: The Hayabusa Village --Area #1 (optional): There is a wide-open area next to Muramasa's shop in the village. Kill the enemies here and pull out the Bow. Aim for the center of one of the three targets from far back and it'll release different colored essence. Chapter 4: Imperial City Infiltration --Area #1: MURAMASA'S SHOP After opening the multi-jeweled door to Pleasure Street, three soldiers will patrol Muramasa's shop every time you come back here. Abuse the Izuna Drop and use ultimate attacks. --Area #2: CLOCK TOWER ENTRANCE You can also head for the blue-lined door near the shop and attack the three soldiers waiting at the stairs. Chapter 5: City Of Fiends --Area #1: HAN'S BAR Exit Han's Bar to encounter 6-7 re-spawning soldiers. Take care of them in any style you see fit. Re-enter then exit Han's Bar for more soldiers. Oh, don't forget the silver XBOX if you need health! **The problem with fighting the Black ninjas (or catwomen in the HP) is that they tend to leave blue essence instead of yellow after being killed. Even an ultimate attack on a black ninja (or catwomen) leaves blue essence so ignore these encounters unless you need some health. Chapter 6: The Monastery --Area #1: ARCHIVE After obtaining the Book of Eons, head for the Archive to attempt a Fiend Challenge. Remember to use ultimates! --Area #2: TOMB OF EONS Take the rotating platform down and enter the door towards the Ritual Room. The re-spawning zombies will always be ready for an essence- gathering party. (These zombies will stop appearing only after completing the Fiend Challenge inside the Ritual Room) --Area #3: RITUAL ROOM Grab the Holy Grail and exit. Re-enter the Ritual Room to attempt a Fiend Challenge. Chapter 10: The Aquaducts --Area #1: AQUADUCTS 3 After obtaining the Jewel of The Demon Seal, beetles will spawn. Kill them all and you'll receive 4000-5000 essence on one go. --Area #2: AQUADUCTS 3 Exit the room and re-enter to do a Fiend Challenge. (More beetles will spawn after Chapter 13) --Area #3: PERISTYLE PASSAGE Attempt the Fiend Challenge here for some essence goodness. (After completing the challenge, only a small number of fiends will re-appear in this area whenever you return here) Chapter 12: The Caverns --Area #1: ZARKHAN STADIUM Attempt a Fiend Challenge here. --Area #2: STAIRWAY TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE Attempt a Fiend Challenge here. **Whenever you kill a Blue dragon fiend in the caverns they tend to leave MASSIVE amounts essence even if you didn't use an ultimate attack** Chapter 13: The Fiendish Awakening --Area #1: DRAWBRIDGE SQUARE Attempt a Fiend Challenge. --Area #2: HAN'S BAR 5 Zombie soldiers re-spawn here whenever you enter and exit Han's Bar. --Area #3: GREAT BRIDGE SQUARE Attempt a Fiend Challenge in the Fiend Realm. **In the Pyramids, use a level 3 Dabilahro on the large beetles. You'll garner around 5000-8000 essence. Chapter 14 and 15: GHOST FISH!!! Both chapters incorporate the use of ghost fish. These fish are BOTH a blessing AND a curse for essence. But use whatever technique you find useful on these fish and UPGRADE THAT WOODEN SWORD ALREADY!!! ******************** BAT ESSENCE ******************** The following key areas contain groups of bats. The key tactic is to use the Vigoorian Flail and it's ultimate attack on these bats to get max essence. With the Armlet of Benediction equipped you'll be riding high on the essence train. --Chapter 6 & 7: GIANT FOSSIL AREA Head for the save point before the Chapter 6 boss. The area next to the save point will continuously re-spawn 15 bats every time you come back here. The key tactic is to slay the first two bats near the stairs then immediately run to the middle of the room and charge up the ultimate attack and release as soon as you see the other bats swarming. With this tactic (and half an hour to spare) you'll make 2000 essence per go. Repeat over and over. And YES, it is possible to have 99,999 essence in this area alone. **I spent half an hour in this area gathering max essence. After defeating the Chapter 6 boss, my clear time was 56 minutes BUT I got Master Ninja rank! --Chapter 7: CHAMBER OF EVERLASTING SLEEP After opening the door with the skull, groups of bats re-spawn down the walkway. Get as much essence as you can gather here. Be careful though! If you kill the last bat and keep running down the walkway, the game activates the flooding of the chamber. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The bats are replaced with ghost fish --Chapter 10: AQUADUCTS ENTRANCE There are 10 bats that will always re-spawn here. Go crazy with the Flail and get that essence! **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The bats will only spawn here once --Chapter 10: UNDERGROUND WATERWAY When jumping down to face off against the two worms, you'll encounter 30 re-spawning bats. Good luck trying to make some essence here! **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The bats are replaced with ghost fish --Chapter 12: CAVERN ENTRANCE After passing the waterfall, break open the wall and enter to a small area with 35 re-spawning bats. Grab those Flails and get moving! Dive into the pool of water and swim to the other end then dive back to re-spawn the bats. You'll make 5000-8000 essence per go if done properly. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The bats are replaced with ghost fish --Chapter 12: MAGMA CAVERNS In the Magma Caverns, there is a room with a giant seesaw. Enter the room from atop the seesaw and a group of bats will appear here. Gather the essence from here wisely because the bats will only spawn temporarily before disappearing forever! **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The bats are replaced with ghost fish --Chapter 13: OUTSIDE THE HALL OF THE FLAME DRAGON Bats will spawn in this area. Flails with Armlet of Benediction! ****************** THE ESSENCE CHEST ***************** In certain areas (and chapters) of the game are chests that contain free amounts of massive money. Each chest can net up to 5000 to 10000 whenever one is opened. (And that's WITHOUT the Armlet of Benediction equipped!) Visit the following areas for a ton of free essence: --Chapter 4: NEAR GREAT BRIDGE SQUARE Run down the walkway to the right from the Green-jeweled door and enter an alleyway. Do a Bird-flip and land on a second-floor opening. Jump down and you'll see a chest sitting in the corner. **DO NOT WALK INTO THE ROCK-CIRCLE FORMATION BECAUSE 3 BLACK NINJAS WILL APPEAR! --Chapter 9: WAREHOUSE Run up the stairs and open the first chest you see. --Chapter 10: HALL OF BALANCE UPPER FLOOR After defeating the first electric worm, head to the Hall of Balance and you'll see a chest on the right side. --Chapter 12: MAGMA CAVERNS Use the seesaw to jump up to the hidden room with a chest. --Chapter 14: LABYRINTH In the area where you obtain the Key of The Lion is a chest. HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: For all essence chests locations, please refer to my HP FAQ. ****************** THE MOVES LIST ****************** FLAMING HELL SLASH: X, X, Y FLYING DRAGON FALLING SLASH: X, Y, X, X, X, X IZUNA DROP: X, Y, X, X, X, Y FOREST WINDS & MOUNTAIN FIRES: X, press and hold Y, Y BOULDER SPLITTER: Y STEEL SPLITTER: Hold X TEMPERED STEEL SPLITTER: Hold Y with 1 essence EARTH SPLITTER: Hold Y with Max essence HUNDRED DEMON'S BITE: Right, X FLAMING WHIRLWIND: Right, Y REIGNING SPIRAL: X or Y (while blocking) HUNDRED MAN SLASH: Rotate analog stick, Y CORPSE CRUSHER: Y (Next to a downed enemy) While Jumping FLYING DRAGON SLASH: X, X, X, X IZUNA DROP: X, X, X, Y AVALANCHE DROP: Y GUILLOTINE THROW: Y (near an enemy) Congratulations on obtaining the Unlabored Flawlessness! Now its time to learn how to use it properly. The most powerful attacks of the UF are the Forest Winds and Mountain Fires, Flaming Whirlwind, Reigning Spiral, and Earth Splitter ultimate. IMO, its easier to use the Reigning Spiral counter attack than the Flaming Whirlwind. Practice each move in an isolated area and accustom yourself to the UF. ****************** BOSSES VERSUS THE UNLABORED FLAWLESSNESS AT LOW HEALTH ****************** If you obtained the UF by Chapter 8, the first boss that you can try it on is the first electric worm in the Aquaducts. The UF isn't so powerful when fighting bosses at full health but will certainly make the fight less stressful. To experience the ultimate boss fight, equip the Armlet of the Sun and get Ryu's health flashing in the red (5% health) before fighting the boss and see the results. **WARNING: If you haven't figured out the patterns for each boss then I suggest you practice and learn your tactics before engaging in battle with a fully powered UF. CHAPTER 10: ELECTRIC WORM This boss has higher endurance than the other worm bosses. It takes two to three Flaming Whirlwinds to defeat this worm. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The Flame Worm replaces this boss CHAPTER 10: ELECTRIC WORM x2 The same strategy from above applies here. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The Flame Worm replaces this boss CHAPTER 10: BONE-WING DRAGON This boss is hard to understand. It can take two Flying Dragon Falling Slash's to kill it or sometimes it takes more than three. Why is that? CHAPTER 11: DOKU Lure Doku into doing his charge attack. Roll away then counter with the Flaming Hell Slash to reduce his health to 40%. -If you're daring, do a Forest Winds and Mountain Fires attack on Doku to reduce his health to 35%. Be careful though, Doku CAN block the last hit of this combo so roll away quickly if he does! Repeat and the fight will be over in 30 seconds. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: Doku takes less damage and is faster to counter so be careful! CHAPTER 12: ICE FIEND A good tactic is to do one Flying Dragon Falling Slash and then wait for his counter. Evade its counter then immediately attack with a Forest Winds and Mountain Fires attack to finish the fight. CHAPTER 12: FLAME WORM This worm is the weakest of the worm clan. It ONLY takes two Flaming Whirlwinds to kill it. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: The Electric Worm replaces this boss CHAPTER 12: FLAME DRAGON When the fight begins the dragon will just sit there and lower its head (I guess to take a break before fighting). There are two key techniques here: -Technique #1 (no dragon reaction): Start the fight with an XX combo. When it lowers its head do a Flaming Hell Slash to reduce its health to 30%. If the dragon HASN'T reacted to that last combo then do the combo again to finish it off. -Technique #2 (dragon reaction): Start the fight with an XX combo. When it lowers its head do a Flaming Hell Slash to reduce its health to 30%. If the dragon DOES react (it roars and moves its head away) then start a Flying Dragon Falling Slash as soon as it moves away to finish it off. CHAPTER 13: ALMA I found the UF to be very unfriendly in this fight. Since Alma runs around so much it's quite difficult to pull off a complete combo without taking damage in some way. I'm sure there's a definite way to defeat her with the UF but so far nothing has worked in my case. But see what you can do. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: Alma's fireball attacks are much faster. Be evasive or Intercept the attacks. CHAPTER 14: DOKU The same strategy from Chapter 11 applies here. (BTW, if you successfully pull off JUST ONE Forest Winds and Mountain Fires attack on Doku you will reduce his health to 25%! EXCELLENT!) **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: Doku blocks your attacks more often so be careful! Chapter 15: TENTACLE, ICE, AND SUPREME FIEND Fight the Tentacle Fiend with an un-powered UF. After killing that sucker have the pink fiends reduce Ryu's health to flashing red. Then kill the pink fiends and enter the portal. Fight the Ice and Supreme Fiend with a fully powered UF and it'll be over in seconds. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: Never stop moving! All the fiends in this fight can break Ryu's guard. CHAPTER 15: VIGOOR EMPEROR FORM 1 I found the UF to be quite useless in this fight. Since this boss just fires lasers so frequently it's hard to get a decent combo. I suggest you stick with the True Dragon Sword for this fight. CHAPTER 16: EVIL MURAI I find Murai to be too mobile in this fight to get a combo on him. Stick with the True Dragon Sword for this fight. **HURRICANE PACK UPDATE: Murai is now a quicker version of his original self so be cautious! ****************** USING THE UF ON FIEND CHALLENGES ****************** If you got the UF WITHOUT doing any Fiend Challenges after Chapter 8 then you can attempt them all with this weapon. Using this weapon on Fiend Challenges is a blast! All Fiend Challenges can be finished within the time limits with specific conditions. For example, the challenge in Zarkhan Stadium should be done with a fully powered UF and the challenge in Peristyle Passage can be done with an un-powered UF. The best tactic for smaller fiends is to use the Reigning Spiral counter attack after blocking an attack (it decapitates them!). For bigger fiends, be defensive before attacking with a combo. AND ALWAYS USE THE ULTIMATE ATTACK!!! --Attempt the following Fiend Challenges with an un-powered UF (Ryu at full health): **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge in Peristyle Passage at the Aquaducts. **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge in Aquaducts 3 This challenge is difficult to attempt with the UF but see if you succeed without taking damage. **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge at the Stairway to the Imperial Palace **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge outside the Hall of the Flame Dragon --Attempt the following Fiend Challenges with a fully powered UF (Ryu at 5% health). WARNING: this tactic is VERY dangerous for beginning and intermediate players. Be sure that you've gotten used to the UF before attempting these challenges. **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge in the Ritual Room **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge in Zarkhan Stadium **3 (yes, I said 3) Fiend Challenge at the Drawbridge in Chapter 13 **60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge in Fiendish Depths near Great Bridge. ****************** THE REIGNING SPIRAL COUNTER ATTACK ****************** With the exception of the Earth Splitter ultimate attack, the Reigning Spiral counter is the second most powerful move for the UF. When fighting smaller fiends, the counter can kill more than 10 fiends back- to-back-to-back seamlessly without flinching. How do you counter attack with the UF? When Ryu is blocking he is invulnerable but when you release the block button to attack, he becomes more susceptible to enemy damage. To counter attack properly, HOLD THE BLOCK BUTTON. When an enemy attacks, press the X or Y button immediately WHILE HOLDING THE BLOCK BUTTON. When done properly, Ryu will strike quickly with the Reigning Spiral attack. NEVER RELEASE THE BLOCK BUTTON WHEN DOING COUNTERS! Learn this move, it'll be your best friend for the rest of the game. **This isn't like the Onimusha games where you need to block at the right time in order to counter. That is just a bogus way to fight. ****************** WOODEN SWORD TOMFOOLERY ****************** I know that the UF is a powerful weapon but have you considered fighting enemies with the ACTUAL Wooden Sword? The Wooden Sword isn't a powerful weapon (it doesn't cut) but is a great way to mock enemies. It only has three full combos but is VERY, VERY fun to use. IMO, using the Wooden Sword on fiends is a great way to show how much you've progressed in combat. If you've mastered (or at least know) the Dragon Sword counter attacks then you'll be all set. -THE TIGER WOODS GOLF SWING Think of the WS as a golf club. A golf club that can kill! Anyway, you need to have patience. Defeating enemies is a long but funny process with the WS. Just listen to the wooden tip smack the heads on these enemies! To fully use the Wooden Sword's potential, attack with the Fiend's Bane Kick or Gleaming Cross then attack with an XY attack. Ryu will smack them then follow up with a "Tiger Woods" golf swing on these suckers. Only use the WS on fiends because they have no grab attacks. One good place to try the Tiger Woods golf swing is in Chapter 6. When you first reach the area where you place the Holy Grail, brown fiends will appear. Attack them with an XY combo near the ledge and Ryu will fling them into that large vast hole of death. Ryu could make a great golfer. Anyway, if you've mastered the counter attack (and have time to kill) then consider using the Wooden Sword. I guarantee there will be laughs aplenty with this weapon. ****************** CHEATING WITH THE UF ****************** Is using the UF considered cheating? YES, and anyone who hates cheating shouldn't use this weapon or read this FAQ. But keep in mind that there is NO source of "temporary" invincibility (ala Devil Trigger from Devil May Cry) in Ninja Gaiden. This weapon is the only thing that can kill bosses in mere seconds as opposed to the rest. So I suggest you get your health flashing red and CHEAT YOUR ASS OFF!!! ******************* Thanks for reading the FAQ. This FAQ is still under constant revisions so expect massive updates. All data compiled is derived from MY experiences and skills and NOT from other sources. So don't e-mail me if you think I took something from somewhere else BECAUSE I DIDN'T. E- mail me at kroqjock@charter.net for any inquiries or any questions you may have about obtaining the UF. ***Big thanks to Shinobier for the help! ****************** This FAQ is for use only on GameFAQS. You may not reproduce, copy, or direct link to this FAQ to your publication or website without my permission. If you want to use this FAQ please e-mail at my address above. I have no problems with anyone who asks.