Star Ocean: The Second Story – Ending/Relationships FAQ

From: HooliganBoy1@webtv.net (Michael Welch)
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 06:51:17 -0400 (EDT)

Ending/Relationships FAQ by HOOLIGAN BOY

Hello everyone. This is a guide to the complex ending/emotional level
system of Star Ocean 2 for Playstation. This is also my first FAQ/Guide
I'm submitting to GameFAQ's, so please by kind.^_^
Credit and thank for some things(mainly the beginning emotional level
values)go to the Star Ocean Guide by Prima, and I also thank IKelley,
since his guide's were useful and informative, and not for any
particular reason, but it was just overall a general help.(this is the
NA version afterall)

CHARACTERS

This section will give the character info pertaining to this Guide, not
age, race, etc.

Claude Kenni
favorite food-steak
favorite instrument-silver trumpet(rare item)
most powerful weapon-Eternal Sphere

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS(this will become very very very important
once you start to better understand the ending system, and you start to
try to go for pairings you want)
The order is--
Character, Friendship level, and Romance level
Rena-5,6
Celine-5,5
Ashton-5,4
Precis-5,5
Bowman-5,5
Dias-6,4
Leon-5,4
Opera-6,5
Ernest-5,5
Noel-5,5
Chisato-5,5

Rena Lanford
favorite food-shortcake
favorite instrument-lyre
most powerful weapon-Empresia

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS 
Claude-6,5
Celine-5,5
Ashton-5,5
Precis-5,4
Bowman-5,5
Dias-7,6
Leon-5,5
Opera-5,5
Ernest-5,5
Noel-5,5
Chisato-5,5

Celine Jules
favorite food-baby rabbit risotto
favorite instrument-violin
most powerful weapon-Prime Prayer/Silver Moon

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-5,5
Rena-5,5
Ashton-5,4
Precis-4,3
Bowman-5,5
Dias-4,3
Leon-5,4
Opera-5,5
Ernest-5,7
Noel-5,5
Chisato-5,5

Ashton Anchors
favorite food-hamburger
favorite instrument-piano
most powerful weapon-Melufa

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS    
Claude-4,4
Rena-5,4
Celine-4,4
Precis-5,7
Bowman-5,5
Dias-5,4
Leon-5,5
Opera-(can't get Opera w/Ashton)
Ernest-(can't get Ernest w/Ashton)
Noel-5,5
Chisato-5,5

Precis Newman
favorite food-chocolate crepes
favorite instrument-harmonica
most powerful weapon-SDUGA Punch

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-7,6
Rena-7,6
Celine-6,5
Ashton-5,5
Bowman-(can't get Bowman w/Precis)
Dias-5,5
Leon-6,5
Opera-5,5
Ernest-5,5
Noel-6,5
Chisato-5,5

Opera Vectra
favorite food-apple cider
favorite instrument-piano
most powerful weapon-Psycho Box

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-6,5
Rena-4,4
Celine-5,4
Ashton-(can't get Ashton w/Opera)
Precis-5,4
Bowman-5,4
Dias-5,4
Leon-5,5
Ernest-7,8
Noel-5,4
Chisato-5,5

Bowman Jean
favorite food-daikon miso soup
favorite instrument-harmonica
most powerful weapon-Flare Burst

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS 
Claude-5,5
Rena-6,5
Celine-6,5
Ashton-5,5
Precis-(can't get Precis w/Bowman)
Dias-5,5
Leon-5,5
Opera-6,5
Ernest-5,5
Noel-6,5
Chisato-6,5

Ernest Raviede
favorite food-hassaku tea
favorite instrument-cembalo
most powerful weapon-Cat o'9 Tails

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-6,5
Rena-5,5
Celine-5,6
Ashton-(can't get Ashton w/Ernest)
Precis-5,5
Bowman-5,5
Dias-5,5
Leon-5,5
Opera-5,7
Noel-6,5
Chisato-5,5

Leon Geeste
favorite food-carrot juice
favorite instrument-violin
most powerful weapon-Book of Chaos

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-6,5
Rena-5,5
Celine-5,5
Ashton-5,4
Precis-6,5
Bowman-5,5
Dias-(can't get Dias w/Leon)
Opera-5,4
Ernest-4,4
Noel-6,5
Chisato-5,5

Dias Flac
favorite food-chicken skewers
favorite intrument-cembalo
most powerful weapon-Cromlea Sword

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-5,5
Rena-7,5
Celine-4,4
Ashton-4,4
Precis-4,4
Bowman-4,4
Leon-(can't get Leon w/Dias)
Opera-4,4
Ernest-4,4
Noel-4,4
Chisato-4,4

Noel Chandler
favorite food-big tuna
favorite instrument-shamisen
most powerful weapon-Death Fangs

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-5,5
Rena-5,5
Celine-5,5
Ashton-5,5
Precis-5,5
Bowman-5,5
Dias-5,5
Leon-6,6
Opera-5,5
Ernest-6,5
Chisato-5,5

Chisato Madison
favorite food-none
favorite instrument-organ
most powerful weapon-Psychic Gun

STARTING RELATIONSHIP LEVELS
Claude-6,6
Rena-5,5
Celine-5,5
Ashton-6,5
Precis-6,5
Bowman-5,5
Dias-4,4
Leon-5,5
Opera-6,5
Ernest-6,5
Noel-5,5

HEY, HOW DO I USE THOSE NUMBERS?
I'll now explain to you how to alter you characters, so you can get the
groups and couples you want in the 1 out of 87 endings you will recieve.
First, here is how the computer tabulates endings-
1-Game checks for characters with relationship points 10 or above.
2-Totals the values.
3-The pair with the most relationship points becomes a couple for your
ending.
4-Then the game does the process over again, until all the people with
10 or above are linked up, and all eligable pairs are made ending
couples.
It is kind of complicated, but you will get used to it. Also please note
that same-sex end couples are like best friends, while different-sex
couple get together, so don't go thinking you can get Rena and Precis
"together", cause you can't, you just can't you pervert.
WHAT IF IT IS A TIE?
If more than 2 people have the same amount of relationship points, the
computer will sort them out by this TIE Breaker Table-
1-Claude
2-Rena
3-Celine
4-Bowman
5-Dias
6-Precis
7-Ashton
8-Leon
9-Opera
10-Ernest
11-Noel
12-Chisato
OH MAN! NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Easy-I'll use the example from the Prima Guide. If Claude, Rena, Opera,
and Chisato end the game with the same relationship points, the
ending-couples would be sorted Claude+Rena and Chisato+Opera. It goes in
the order of the list.
SOME MORE. . . 
Note that some ending couples have different versions of that couples
ending. This is determined by whose points are greater for the other.
So, if Claude and Opera are an ending-couple, you'd get a different
ending if Claude had more points, and a different ending if Opera had
more points. Easy, right?
HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE LEVEL OF TWO PEOPLE, WHEN ONE IS NOT A MAIN
CHARACTER?
Ah, this is where it gets difficult, but not impossible, and with
practice, you'll be able to pick you endings with relative ease. Here
are some helpful things you can do to try to help you get the ending you
want.
Books-Using the Super Specialty "Publishing" any character can write a
book, and have it published. Each character can write two books, one
rare and the other common. The common books increase(or decrease,be
careful!!!!!)the reader's FRIENDSHIP level toward the author to 8
points, and the rare books do the same, but with you ROMANTIC level. If
you want to have a REALLY REALLY good chance at picking your endings
easily, learn "Publishing as early as you can. Machinery and Writing
skills create Publishing. I usually learn Perserverance to lv.10
first(you always should!), then increase writing to lv.5(it will take 5
skill points with perserverance maxed out). Next, just keep devoting
points to mech knowledge and mech operation to get good at machinery. It
is not that hard to get publishing early in the game. Until you get some
Fountain Pens, keep your Private Actions to a minimum. Once you get a
good flow of publishing, just get the rare book for you character, and
let whoever you want to love you read it. Their level will now be
automatically 8 for your love(which will also fix any Private Actions
you messed up^_^). This is a good way to set up the characters you want
to hook up. After you accomplish this successfully, you can just have
these 2 love birds fight in about 200 battles together, and they will
both be at 10 for their love level, but what if they are not in you
battle party?! or if you don't want to walk around for 6 hours fighting
to get 2 people to hook up?! Okay, okay, hold on. Be aware that if you
have you main character be mean to both of the characters you want to
get together, it really, really, increases chances. I'm pretty sure the
less the people like the main character, the more points get put toward
other people. For example, if you are Rena, and you want Claude and
Celine to get together, just be real mean to them both. Pick the option
in Private Actions you think will reduce Relation points the most. For a
short time after eating their favorite food, a character seems more like
to be nice and build points toward another character, and also if you
have orchestra playing during private action scenes important to your
chosen ending pair you are trying to hook up, the points increase is
more effective, and more so if that character has their favorite
instrument in you inventory somewhere. Also, most people that are not
Claude or Rena have at LEAST one or two Private Actions where they talk
and stuff, and the trick is to be as unhelpful and mean as you can, and
force the two characters to help themselves, and raise points.(I don't
know why the best weapon is there, it just looked good) Overall, though,
fighting together seems to be the most affective in hooking up non-main
character couples together. Also, it appears that if you show a lot of
attention to another character, the character with the highest number of
points for you will start to decrease, so this means that you don't have
to be a jackass the whole game just to get people together, just be a
jackass to them.
OKAY, THEN HOW DO I HOOK UP MY MAIN CHARACTER MORE AFFECTIVELY?
Easy-Private Actions. All the tricks above will work, and work well, but
you have the private action advantage! There is no reason NOT to end up
with who you want ot end up with concerning your main character. Just be
nice to them, and mean to everyone else. You can't pair with more than
one person, afterall. I have seen so many of my friends be nice to every
character when Claude, and then complaining when he got with Rena again,
in the same way. I tell them, and they say "I know, but I can't be mean
to Celine, Rena, etc."WELL YOU HAVE TO BE!!!
FINAL WRAP-UP AND A LITTLE NEW THING
The little new thing is just an explanation that may help you. For every
Private Action choice, there are 5 ways it will affect the other
characters feelings for you.BIG AFFECT=2 point increase, SMALL AFFECT=1
point increase, EH. . . . =no change,POO-HEAD=1 point lost,
POO-POO-HEAD!!!!=2 points lost. Every choice you make in a PA will fall
into one of these categories. The Fav-Food thing, and the Orchestra will
always be positive, so they increase everything 1, and if they are
happening at the same time, it will be two points. So if Claude eats
steak, then plays on his Silver Trumpet in the Orchestra, you CANNOT
decrease you points(which as you know by now, can be good, or bad!). Oh
yeah!!! I got a couple of weird endings. As Rena, Celine can do 3
Private Actions outside of Cross, eventually leading here to marry the
Prince of Cross as here ending. Doing this closes here off as a
character for an end-couple. As Rena again, the same thing can be done
for Ashton and Eleanor, with 3 PA's outside of Herlie. And if you have
Opera, but don't take the steps to get Ernest, her ending will be her
waiting for him to return to her. Again, this cuts here off as an
end-couple, so just get Ernest because Claude and Opera's endings are
cool! There might be more of these strange endings I missed, but I doubt
it.
IN CLOSING. . . . 
Well, I sure hope after reading this(maybe, just maybe, understanding it
fully your first time)you can start picking your ending couples. It will
take a few time through(after I went through about 8 times, I really got
a good hold of it, and for my 9th ending, I saw everything I wanted.
This was my first FAQ, and I enjoyed writing it, and I hope it helps you
find your soul mate, no matter how many hearts you have to cruely
crush.^_^C'YA!!!!!