F A X A N A D U
for the Nintendo Entertainment System

Game copyright 1988 Hudson Soft
Licensed by Nintendo

This guide copyright 2001 Matt Toothman ([email protected]). This guide
may not be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of
the author.

If you would like to use this guide on your site, just email me, i'll more
than likely say yes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Version History
2. Story/Intro
3. Walkthrough.
4. Credits.

***************
Version History
***************

9.5.01 First and final release.


***********
Story/Intro
***********

Faxanadu, in my opinion, is one of the best games for the NES. It has
interesting (although nameless) monsters, good level design, and is fairly
challenging. Unfortunately, many people haven't played it or even heard of
it.
Faxanadu follows you, the hero, as you attempt to revive three Elven
Wells, then defeat the evil Dwarves and the Evil One. The game is set in the
World Tree, a huge tree that houses many towns. Along the way, your hero
will gather items, collect gold, gain experience and levels, talk to
townspeople, and search for clues. This is a definitive action RPG in the
Adventure of Link vein: leveling up and finding items are equally important
to the advancement of the quest.

A few things to remember about Faxanadu as you play through the game:

-When you die, you return to the last Guru that you spoke with. Your
experience and gold after dying are determined by your rank, which is your
experience level. It's easy to buy expensive things by spending all your
gold and then dying. You'll begin again with the items you bought, plus the
gold that comes with your rank.
-Always always always have a few red potions. There are a few locations
in the game where you can get Red Potion for free by killing monsters. These
potions will return if you do. Stock up.
-If you have enough experience for the next level, but die without seeing
the Guru, you will lose that experience. Avoid this by staying near a town
when gaining levels. Once you have achieved a rank, nothing can remove it.
-There are many spots in the game (especially in the World of Mist
onwards) where monsters are placed right on top of doors. When exiting, use
your sword immediately and you may avoid being hit.
-Almost all enemies, including bosses, have very set patterns of attack
and movement. Memorize these, and you can breeze through the game.
-ALL weapons, including the Hand Dagger, are capable of hitting twice at
close range. It's difficult with the Dagger, but easy with every other
weapon. Just get close, so you're almost touching an enemy, and swing away.
You should hear the attack hit twice.
-Doors DO NOT stay unlocked. Be prepared before you open a door, keys are
too expensive to waste.
-Learn which enemies give you bread. Bread can save you if you're out of
Red Potion.

-----------
Walkthrough
-----------

-----
Eolis
-----

You'll begin outside the town of Eolis. Enter the first door. Your goal
right now is to procure some equipment (all you've got now is a shag haircut
and some nice boots.) To buy stuff, you need money (obviously). Head left
and enter the cathedral-looking building. These buildings always house
Gurus, make note of them. Gurus will grant you a new rank, give you a
password, and sometimes give you necessary items for your quest. This Guru
will give you the Ring of Elf.
Head left again, jumping over the spikey enemies, to the king's castle.
He'll see your Ring of Elf and tell you about the problems with the World
Tree. More importantly, he'll give you 1500 Golds (yeah, Golds.) Spend it as
you see fit. I recommend a Hand Dagger, Deluge, and two red potions. Now go
next door and buy three Key J's. Don't forget to equip your weapons and
armor.
You've probably noticed that the Hand Dagger won't kill the short spikey
enemies. You'll have to use Deluge for now, until you get a longer sword.
It's worthwhile to kill a few spikes to get the bread they carry
(delicious...) since you don't start with much life.
Anyway, head right and kill the hopping monster. Use your Key J to unlock
the door and head into the outer world. ("I've used key!") Heh heh heh.

---------
Overworld
---------

The monsters here shouldn't give you any trouble...just practice. The
hopping enemies have a very consistent pattern that you should notice. Kill
the spikes for bread if you're low on life.
Head right, fighting enemies, until you reach some ladders. Climb up
them. At the top, go right some more. Take note of the door here, it leads
to a shop that sells two very powerful items: a Magic Shield (7600g) and
Death magic (12500g). You can build up some cash now and buy these, but they
aren't necessary and you can get them later for less Golds.
Continue on to the town of Apolune.

-------
Apolune
-------

The shops in Apolune sell the same items as Eolis' shops, but charge
more. There is one item here that's new, though: a Small Shield. If you
decided not to pick up the Magic Shield earlier, a Small Shield is a good
buy at only 800g. Take note of the hospital (building with a cross sign on
it). The doctor here will fill your life and magic gauges for only 250g.
Anyone else curious why the doctor gets a throne?
You should be gaining your first level around now. Go to the Guru with
your 1000 experience points. Congratulations, you're an Aspirant. Yeah.
After getting healed (recommended), head right a few screens and use your
Key J to enter the Tower of Trunk.

--------------
Tower of Trunk
--------------

This is the first of many towers you'll go through. As you enter, you may
want to just kick back to that groovy dungeon music. I know I always do.
Head two screens right and climb the ladder. This jump here is probably the
first time you'll encounter Faxanadu's weird jumping system. Running starts
*DO* make a difference, it'll be important later.
After the ladder, head two more screens right, killing the
antelope-looking enemies, and climb another ladder. Head two more screens
right; get introduced to grasshopper/frog combination enemy. It jumps, but
not as quickly as the blue antelopes. Kill the spikes here if you're low on
life.
You'll encounter your first boss monster here, a winged bat-dragon
creature that spits fire and does LOTS of damage if you get hit. Don't. Stay
on the platform and Deluge him until he dies (13 hits with Deluge). He
leaves you a pile of Gold and a Mattock, which is what you need to break the
wall east of Apolune. Grab the Mattock, and exit the tower the same way you
came.

---------
Overworld
---------

You may want to go back to Apolune and heal, or you can continue. Either
way, head right from the Tower exit one screen. Use your Mattock (Down + B).
The wall will crumble and you can continue.
Go up the ladder, right one screen, left one screen, and up again. I
wouldn't bother getting the glove (I quote: "The glove increases offensive
power.") Not worth it. There are several new enemies in this area: the
walking mushroom-heads, the flying ghosts, and the magicians. The first two
don't offer anything new, but the magicians will cast deluge at you. Your
Small or Magic shield will absorb some of the damage, but it's best to kill
magicians as quickly as possible. Jump their Deluge and stab stab stab them.
Head right to the town of Forepaw.

-------
Forepaw
-------

Forepaw offers some decent weapons and armor. I suggest the Long Sword
(1600g) and the Studded Mail (2500g). You'll also eventually need a pair of
Winged Boots (2800g). Stock up on Red Potion if you need it, talk to the
Guru, get healed if you want. This is a good place to build experience and
Golds, as the enemies to the right of Forepaw offer decent rewards. Go as
far east as you can from Forepaw and fight a magician there. Occasionally,
he will leave a Red Potion behind. If you're low on life, the three ghosts
one screen outside town will give you tasty bread and the occasional
Ointment ("I am free from injury because of the ointment"). It makes you
invincible, which can be useful sometimes.

---------
Overworld
---------

After getting enough Golds to buy some Winged Boots, you can get down to
the first real business at hand: reviving the Elven fountains.
The first fountain you should attend to is east of Forepaw. Go to the
second screen with two jumping enemies (NOT the one with a completely blue
background). Use your winged boots and fly up two screens. Avoid the enemies
rather than fighting them, your time is limited. Speak with the old man and
he'll revive the fountain. The dialogue here is really funny, so I included
it:

"Ho ho ho. I'll tell
you about the water
of the spring.
.....
.....
Oops!
...Fallen asleep.
The water was poisoned.
The posion is almost
gone so it's all right to
wake him up. Watch.
.....
.....
Something is wrong.....
Oops!"

If you talk to him again:

"Get the key from the Guri in the Tower of Fortress and search for the
undiscovered first fountain."

Despite that making no sense whatsoever, that means you revived the first
fountain. There are three. You probably don't need healing after that, so
we'll continue to fountain number two. Follow the old man's advice and go to
the Tower of Fortress. From Forepaw, head up the ladder and left two
screens. Use your Key J to open the door.

-----------------
Tower of Fortress
-----------------

Head all the way right, climb the ladder, head back left. Go up the
ladder. There should be a jumping antelope and a mushroom-head. Go up the
ladder and left to fight a bat-dragon. Just stand on the platform and let
him come to you. About ten hits with the Long Sword will do it.
Go left one screen, watch out for the bees. Enter the door to find...a
Guru! He'll give you a Key JO and tell you to use it 'below' (just outside
Forepaw, you've probably tried to open it.) From here, you can either
backtrack right (short, but you have to fight the bat-dragon on the ground,
which is pretty hard.)
The longer but easier way is to go down the ladder on the screen where
the Guru is. This is the beginning again. Don't pick up the bottle, it's
poison. Retrace your steps until you reach the jumping antelope and the
mushroom-head again. Head right and climb the first ladder you see. Follow
the path around, up and left, until you reach a screen with bees and a
ghost-worm enemy. Stand on the ledge and stab until it dies. It'll walk into
your sword. Head right, but be careful: the next screen features a
rock-dropping enemy whose rocks do major damage. Run past him quickly and
grab the Elixir that appears on the next screen. If you want, you can kill
the rock-dropper from the right and take his Winged Boots (you'll need them
later.) If you don't want to fight him, you can always just buy them in
Forepaw.
Head back left, fighting the ghost worm again or jumping over him as you
please. Go down the ladder and head back right and down. Go right three
screens and climb the ladder there. Go up again, left, up the ladder where
the bees are, and right. Give the old man your Elixir and he will revive the
second spring.
You're done here, so head out. The fastest way is to jump down to the
left of the old man. There's an Ointment here that will speed your exit.
>From here, just go left and down until you reach the exit.

--------------
Third Fountain
--------------

You're going to fight a bat monster on the ground here, so be prepared
with full health, magic, and a lot of Red Potion. From Forepaw, head down
and right to the door. Use your Key JO to enter.
The bat-dragon will drop down right when you enter. Jump over the
fireballs and stab him. You can run under him when he flies up if you don't
want to fight him (you'll meet him again on the way out, regardless).
Activate the third spring. Make SURE to talk to the old man twice. The
second time, he will give you the Ring of Ruby. Very important. If you exit
without talking to him twice, you have to go and get ANOTHER Key JO, which
means you need another Key J. You don't want that. After getting the Ring of
Ruby, run under/fight the bat. Exit, heal at Forepaw. Buy three Key Q's
(500g each). If you don't have Wing Boots, buy some.
You should have close to 10000 experience by now, and about that much
gold.
Go back to the Tower of Fortress entrance. Don't enter the door, instead
use your Ring of Ruby to push the stone off the fountain. The water will
flow again, and your first major quest is complete. Go up the left ladder
and use a Key Q to open the door.

-------------
World of Mist
-------------

Upon entering, you'll notice that it's really hard to see in here. Pay
attention to the ground as you walk, this section of the World Tree has many
hidden pits. You'll need to jump to the next screen in lots of places, as
the ground isn't solid.
Go one screen left from the World of Mist entrance and up both ladders.
Head all the way right and down the bottom ladder. Continue right into the
town of Mascon.

------
Mascon
------

New items for sale here: Large Shield (3500g), and Thunder magic (1200g).
I recommend both, as you should have more than enough gold for them. There
isn't a Guru in this town, so our next goal will be to find one. Make sure
to purchase a Key Q in Mascon if you don't have one. You also should have a
pair of Wing Boots from the Tower of Fortress. You'll need them.
***side note*** There is a shop northeast of Mascon that sells Death magic
for 9800g, which is cheaper than the shop way back near Apolune. To get to
it, exit Mascon to the right and fall through the right-most hole in the
ground. Jump carefully from block to block. On the fourth screen to the
right of Mascon, climb up the ladder. This shopkeeper also has Hour Glasses
for sale, but don't waste your money.

-------------
World of Mist
-------------

Leave town to the right. Climb down the ladder. Go four screens right,
there should be a door with two small trolls (the kind with swords). Go up
the ladder here. Then two screens right, jump across the blocks and go up
the ladder on the left. Go one more screen right to the building with three
doors. The middle door houses a Guru who will (probably) increase your rank
and give you a Mantra. Upon exiting, swing your sword immediately to avoid
that @#$% troll.
Our next objective: The Tower of Suffer, which houses the Pendant. From
the Guru's place, climb up the ladder on the right and head left across the
blocks. You'll have to jump to the next screen. Climb up the ladder here and
use your Key Q to open the door.

---------------
Tower of Suffer
---------------

Several new enemies here, depending on how much of the Mist World you've
explored. The giant octopi-robots give you lots of money and are easy to
kill. Stock up on Golds here if you feel like it. Also, the blue
wolf-looking things that jump quickly at you. Be careful of these, they can
do a lot of damage and knock you off ledges easily.
The first room has ladders on the left and right. Either way will get you
there, but I prefer the left path (it has enemies that give you bread).
Climb the left ladder and defeat the blue wolf and the spike. Go left one
screen, kill the octopus-robot and the spike. Climb the ladders to the left
and go up. Kill the magician here and the octopus robot, go up another
screen. Kill the two trolls here, and go right one screen (IMPORTANT! stay
on top of the blocks here!)
The next screen has two ghosts with bread that can replenish your life.
Fill up if you need it, then head right one screen. Kill the spikes here for
bread, and jump down the right pit (or left, they both go to the same
place.) After landing, go up the short ladder to the right and go right one
screen. Swing your sword immediately here to avoid being hit and knocked
back a screen. Go up the ladder above you.
There is a bat-dragon here. Note that he shoots five fireballs in a row
instead of the usual four. I recommend simply avoiding him. Your Large
Shield should allow you to run under/past him without taking too much
damage. Proceed right to find...another bat-dragon. This one is a boss,
though, and you should kill it. By now, you should be an expert at the
run-jump-stab strategy, so use it. Collect the Pendant, whose somewhat
dubious claim is that it raises your offensive power.
You'll have to fight the bat-dragon again on the way out, so hopefully
you have some Red Potion, or mad swordplay skillz... From the first
(non-boss) bat, head down, left, defeat the magician, and go down the left
ladder. Follow the S-curve of ladders down and you should end up at the
exit.

-------------
World of Mist
-------------

The yellow snake gives some really tasty bread, one loaf will fill you up
almost halfway. Go down the ladder and left one screen. DON'T fall through
the blocks here, make sure to clear them by jumping. Use your Wing Boots to
fly up to the ladder on the left. Go right as far as you can to a screen
with a horizontal path of ladders. Go up one screen and right to enter the
town of Victim.

------
Victim
------

Not much to see here, but there is a Guru. Get a mantra and a promotion.
Also, I suggest buying a Full Plate (5200g) in the Armor Shop. You'll also
need three Key K's. Our next stop: the Tower of Mist. The enemies in the
next area provide lots of bread, but bring at least a Red Potion or two just
in case.

-------------
World of Mist
-------------

Head right from Victim. Drop down and head right as far as you can (two
screens. Climb up the ladder, and go right. The next screen has two ladders:
ignore them. They lead to a Key K door with *nothing* behind it. At 1500g a
pop you can't afford to waste any keys.
Continue right as far as you can go. Enter the door to find a magician
(the good kind.) He offers to teach you Fire magic for 3000g. Fire magic
isn't great, but 3000g isn't that much either. If you do buy it, he offers
some Star Wars-esque advice: "It can be magic of justice or a magic of
destruction. It all depends on who uses it." Profound. Really.
Anyway, head left two screens to a ladder (the one I told you to ignore
earlier.) Climb up it and go right one screen to a ladder. Defeat the
squirmy eyeball and continue up the ladder.
Go two screens left (the door you see below you is the one with nothing
behind it). Watch out for the blue drummer enemies: they can deal damage
from anywhere on the screen. Kill them quickly. The right door here is needs
an Ace key, which you'll get later. The left door is home to a man. He tells
you to go find a dwarf in the Tower of Mist and return with the dwarves'
Meteorite. Okay. We'll do that.
Head left one screen (the bottle that sometimes appears here is Poison.)
Defeat the blue drummer and climb up the ladder. Head left four screens.
Climb up the ladders here. On the next screen, climb up the ladders and go
left. After two screens you'll find the entrance to the Tower of Mist. Use
your Key K and enter.

-------------
Tower of Mist
-------------

You'll immediately be attacked by two yellow warriors with spiked clubs.
The best way to defeat them is to jump straight up and stab repeatedly. The
next screen introduces small, fast, running enemies that look like pine
cones. Stab them too.
Head right until you reach a vertical ladder and a bat-dragon. The top
path has an Elixir, but you have to defeat a bat, a boulder-dropper, and the
same bigheaded boss that guards the Black Onyx. It's very difficult, but
possible.
Take the ladder down. You can stand on the ledge and defeat the bat. Head
right, defeating enemies. Stay on the top path (climb the first ladder you
see) and you'll reach a room with a large boss monster. He's mostly a big
head with arms. He jumps when you come near. To defeat him, just jump
straight up when he approaches and stab him. He'll jump into your sword.
After he dies, you'll get the Black Onyx. Grab it and get out, we're done
here.
You'll have to defeat the bat monster again- jump and stab IMMEDIATELY
when you enter his screen. After killing him again, head left to the exit.

-------------
World of Mist
-------------

Exit right from the Tower of Mist. Go right two screens and drop down.
Head right three screens. The screen with a magician and a squid has some
hard jumps. If you can make it, good. Continue right to the screen with two
doors. If you did fall in the hole, don't worry. You should be right
outside Victim, so heal and buy supplies if necessary. You're probably
around Myrmidon level now, or at least Soldier.
In either case, talk to the man who mentioned the meteorite earlier. He's
in the left door. He'll see your Black Onyx (the meteorite) and give you a
Key A. You can use it on the right door to open the door to the branches of
the World Tree. Before you do, though, make sure to have 3 Key K's.

------------------
Overworld/Branches
------------------

Finally, no more Mist. Also, more groovy music instead of that depressing
Mist music. Head right as far as you can from the 'A' door. Go up the
ladder, and back to the left. Climb that ladder. Go right and don't climb
any ladders to reach the branch town of Conflate.

--------
Conflate
--------

Conflate is a happenin' place. They have Giant Blades (8500g) and Magic
Shields (9800g). No key shop, though, which is why you should have 3 Key K's
from Victim. As usual, heal, get a mantra/promotion and upgrade your
weaponry if you can afford it. You probably won't be able to afford both the
Giant Blade and Magic Shield, so fight around Conflate until you can, or
pull the buy items/die trick. Either way.

------------------
Overworld/Branches
------------------

After you get the Magic Shield and Giant Blade, exit left from Conflate
(you can't exit to the right...) Keep going left without using any ladders
until you reach a locked door. Use your Key K to unlock it. Go two screens
left, and defeat the big-headed boss again. It's easiest if you trap him
between you on the left and the edge of the screen on the right.
Like this:
+
** @@@ + <-------
You Boss Edge of screen Good art

When he lands, jump and stab. You should get two hits with every attack.
Collect the Battle Helmet after he dies. This is the first piece of the
legendary equipment that you'll need against the bosses you'll face soon.
Head back to Conflate. Heal.
Assuming you have at least 2 Key Ks, exit left from Conflate and climb
the ladder on the second screen, where the squid is. Here you'll find
another door that requires a King key. Unlock it.
Go right (you can get an Ointment sometimes by defeating the two birds on
the second screen) until you reach a door. Go through it. Continue right,
avoiding any ladders or pits, as far as you can. You will come to a screen
with ladders on the top and bottom; take the top ladder. Head right two
screens, up another ladder, and right two more screens to reach the branch
town of Daybreak.

--------
Daybreak
--------

Daybreak (the first woman you meet says 'Daydreak'...ack) doesn't have a
doctor, but it does have a dried meat guy, which is just as good. The weapon
shop sells Tilte magic (15000g). It's pricey, but very powerful. I prefer
Death magic (it goes through walls) to Tilte, but Tilte comes in handy
sometimes with its diagonal attacking motion. The key shop here stocks K
and Q keys, so you don't have to worry about wasting keys anymore.
The next piece of legendary equipment is located south and west of
Daybreak. You passed it on your way to town.

*** NOTE NOTE NOTE ***
This next part is very frustrating and time-consuming. Make sure you have
Red Potions and a lot of patience. Also make sure to write down your mantra
before you leave Daybreak.

------------------
Overworld/Branches
------------------

Exit Daybreak to the left and go down the first ladder (on the second
screen.) From here, go two screens left and down the ladder. See that ladder
below you with the blue warrior stabbing madly? Drop down there. Go one
screen to the right, and climb the ladder. The Magical Wand is here, so take
it. Climb back down, go right, and defeat the jumping boss monster there.
Grab the Battle Suit that appears.
Now your task (yes, it is a TASK) is to get back to Daybreak. When you
climb the ladder back up towards Daybreak, the blue warrior will immediately
stab you off, knocking you back a screen. This horribly-designed section
cannot be avoided. You have to get the Battle Suit, so you have to go down
here...
The only way I know to kill the blue warrior is to tap back and forth
quickly while on the ladder. If he stabs you just right, and you're lucky,
you will end up standing on the ladder. The warrior won't move, and you can
stab him. Be patient, though, sometimes it takes a while :(

Once you make it past the warrior, make sure you have at least two Key Ks
(Daybreak sells them) and go back to Conflate. Speak with the Guru to
receive the Ring of Dworf. No typo there, it's Dworf. You need this ring to
open the way to the last town: Dartmoor.
To reach Dartmoor, head right from Daybreak until you reach a door. Your
Ring of Dworf will let you open it.

---------
Overworld
---------

Many doors in this area contain only monsters. Head left from the door.
Fall down the pit and go right to enter the town of Dartmoor.

--------
Dartmoor
--------

There isn't much here. Buy as many Red Potions as you can, you'll face a
hard enemy soon. Red Potions are 2000g, but you should be able to afford it
on your Superhero or Myrmidon salary. If you've really been building
levels, you could even be a Paladin by now. There are hardly any people in
this town, but the man in the pub tells you to look for a Guru in the
castle. That's important, so remember it.

Next stop: Castle Fraternal.

---------
Overworld
---------

From Dartmoor, exit left and go down the ladder. Go one screen left and
fall down the pit. Go right here, staying on top of the blocks. Notice the
door here won't open without a key...
Climb the ladder above the door and go right. Climb the ladder up to the
next screen. Follow the path here up, right, and down until you reach a door
situated on a single block. DON'T miss the jump, or you'll have to walk all
the way around again.

----------------
Castle Fraternal
----------------

***Proceed carefully through these rooms. Almost every room can be gotten
through without taking a hit. You need all the life you can get.***

From the entrance, go right one screen and down the ladder. Go right and
climb the ladder where the two blue antelopes are. Go right, staying on the
top level. Go one screen right (there should be a ghost-worm on the lower
level.) Climb the ladder here and enter the door in the bottom right corner.
Here, you'll fight King Grieve, the Dwarf King. He's been mutated by the
meteorite and the Evil One into a giant flying dragon. He swoops down and
spits fire similar to the bat-dragons, but this time you can't jump his
flames. You're going to take a lot of hits in this battle. Jump and stab
when he swoops down and when he retreats. Try to get him against the right
wall so you can get double hits with your sword. Also try jumping and
casting magic (Death works well) from far away to get in an extra hit or
two. He isn't that hard, but he takes a lot of hits. Expect to use 3-4 Red
Potions.
After he's dead, grab the Dragon Slayer.
Remember the Guru that guy mentioned? He's in this castle, and you should
talk to him. From the door where the Dwarf King was, head left, down (this
should look familiar) and down. Enter the door here and speak with the Guru.
He'll give you the Ring of Demon, which opens the door to the Evil One's
fortress. You're done here, so head out. Up, left, up (you can sometimes get
an Hour Glass here), left, left.

--------
Dartmoor
--------

Fill up on Red Potions. Spare no expense, this is the end.

----------------------
Palace of the Evil One
----------------------

This palace is behind the door that you passed earlier on the way to
Castle Fraternal. You should have a bunch of Red Potions and the Dragon
Slayer, Battle Helmet, and Battle Suit equipped.
This palace is easy to navigate once you realize that the screen repeats
endlessly in any one direction.
From the entrance, go down, left, left, up, left, and up. Run under the
jumping boss and enter the door.
The Evil One is easier than the Dwarf King. You're better equipped now
than you were, and you can hit him anytime. Ignore his fireballs. You'll get
hit, but keep jumping and stabbing. Try for double hits as often as you can.
Red Potion when you need it...this one shouldn't be too hard. Hour Glasses
don’t work, by the way.
After he goes down, sit back and relax. The World Tree is restored,
congratulations!

*******
CREDITS
*******

Nintendo, for producing some of the most innovative, fun, and influential
games out there.

Hudson Soft. It's their game.

This document is legal and intellectual property of Matt Toothman. September
05 2001

Contact me at [email protected] with any additions or changes you’d like
to see in this guide.


fin.