Question about Suikoden

[LINK398]

I also was wondering how to increase a characters weapon strength because it doesn't seem like you can buy new weapons for characters

[Hidoshi]

Take your weapons to a forge. They'll improve it for a price. However, forging can only go up to a certain level, so you'll find yourself limited by the skill of the smith. Naturally, as you advance in the game, smiths become more skilled and you can forge further.

[Lard]

Yeah, forges are spread out naturally throughout the game, mostly in towns. You just need to have enough money to use them.

[Aeolus]

Yeah, forges are spread out naturally throughout the game, mostly in towns. You just need to have enough money to use them.

Fortunately this is Suki I where the game basically hands you the keys to the vault from the get go. All you need is a castle and a few recruits. But don't worry about this, you'll get them all in good time.

[Maxximum]

Getting everyone on the first go, without a guide, is pretty difficult. I had absolutely no idea how to get Window until I read about it in a gaming mag (ah, pre game-faqs days, sometimes I actually miss them).

[Hidoshi]

Wait until this guy has to play Suiko II and get Clive.

[Maxximum]

Wait until this guy has to play Suiko II and get Clive.

Three words:
Caped Squirrel Team
Even with a play-guide you'd have to be borderline masochistic to get them all.

[Hidoshi]

God I love Suikoden. I miss when there was a real community for the series.

[Gen Eric Gui]

Recruiting Clive in S2 is easy as pie(It's FAR mroe difficult in S1, where he -randomly- appears in that one town).  Completing his sub-quest with Eliza is the part that's hard.  As for the Squirrels, they're all secret characters outside of Mukumuku, so it's not -that- bad, since you can look him up with Richmond.

S1 by and large is much harder to fully complete than S2, if only because S2 supplies you with Richmond who tells you how and where to recruit people.  S1 only has that cryptic Old Book that tells you that some characters like Pesmerga and Window -exist-, but gives you no clue on how to even begin to find them.

[Lard]

God I love Suikoden. I miss when there was a real community for the series.

I miss when there was a series.

[Klyde Chroma]

This thread is coming at such an ironic time for me... I just decided to start a 108 star playthrough of the series (carrying on save data and all) and am loving the hell out of it.... I totally forgot how absolutely stellar these games (at least the first two....) were.

Never shot for all 108.... trying it guide free with multiple save slots in case I overlook something, then going back and checking the guide over for my last few hours of gameplay to be sure I didn't miss anything integral..LoL

[Aeolus]

Recruiting Clive in S2 is easy as pie(It's FAR mroe difficult in S1, where he -randomly- appears in that one town).  Completing his sub-quest with Eliza is the part that's hard.  As for the Squirrels, they're all secret characters outside of Mukumuku, so it's not -that- bad, since you can look him up with Richmond.

S1 by and large is much harder to fully complete than S2, if only because S2 supplies you with Richmond who tells you how and where to recruit people.  S1 only has that cryptic Old Book that tells you that some characters like Pesmerga and Window -exist-, but gives you no clue on how to even begin to find them.

The problem with S2 Clive is that you have to remember to trigger the first Eliza event during your first trip to Muse which is located in a nondescript part of town that you might forget to go through. The window's tiny and there's no indication that you can have the event and if you miss this you can't recruit Clive later at South Window.

For S1 rear end in top hat recruits, Leon Silverburg takes the cake for only having like 2 small windows of opportunity to recruit before you're locked out of all 108 stars (though granted you do know that he exists due to running into him earlier, but you can still forget/get distracted since it's out of the way).

[LINK398]

Another question basically I attached a fire rune to the character luc but for some reason under rune there isn't a fire spell. He's in the back row and can't attack does he need to be in the front, and if so does that mean when he attacks regularly there will be additional damage with fire because like I said it's not showing up under rune and I thought rune was basically magic

[LINK398]

Also how does one use crystals? they dont seem to be able to be attached to anything at the rune shops and also can one un attach a rune from a weapon

[Aeolus]

Another question basically I attached a fire rune to the character luc but for some reason under rune there isn't a fire spell. He's in the back row and can't attack does he need to be in the front, and if so does that mean when he attacks regularly there will be additional damage with fire because like I said it's not showing up under rune and I thought rune was basically magic

Also how does one use crystals? they dont seem to be able to be attached to anything at the rune shops and also can one un attach a rune from a weapon

More or less answered your own question in regards to Luc's new Fire Rune. Yes, you just attached a Fire Rune to his weapon. He should've come with a Wind Rune already which should be listed above his Fire Rune in his status screen. Unfortunately Runes attached to weapons in this game can't be reclaimed once put into a weapon. Fortunately Fire Runes are buyable and you can even stack further runes onto his weapon if you so desire (although why would you do so given that Luc's a pure mage and has no business on the front row nevermind attacking with a weapon).

In regards to your second question, unlike the rest of the series (and other games), only one rune can be attached to a person at a time (and one other to their weapon). To remove a rune you must go to a rune master and have it removed (though there are some personal runes that can't be). I don't remember if magic proficiency exists in this game or not, but either way I suggest leaving the Wind Rune on him for now. Wind magic's good enough for now and there's a better rune for him later on down the line.

A simpler way to look at weapon runes is that they exist to give front line fighters with no skill in magic a way to bring something else to the table. Mages have little use for these since they shouldn't be attacking in the first place, or if they are they're providing chip damage only and aren't going to get the same mileage that a fighter would. Hence fighters would love these since it gives them the ability to add additional damage to their attacks. But in the end they aren't really all that necessary since the game's fairly easy to begin with.