UPDATE TIME FINALLY WOOHOO There will be two posts after this one with the new progress.

Okay but first, it's a bit long, but in case you aren't all caught up, here is a recap for anyone who wants it:

Characters who join automatically will have a next to their name and characters who do not join you automatically will have a next to their name. There are a total of 108 recruitable characters in this game, and the goal is to recruit them all.

Part 1
Riou, our hero, and his friend Jowy are a part of the Highland Youth Brigade. The Youth Brigade is hit by a surprise attack, said to be by the City-State, who they just signed a peace treaty with. Jowy and Riou find out that their captain, Rowd, and Highland itself is behind the attack. Jowy and Riou manage to escape by jumping off a cliff in to a river.

Recruits: 1
Riou

Part 2
Riou is found by two mercenaries, Flik and Viktor and is brought to their fortress as their prisoner where he does chores. Jowy finds him eventually and they manage to escape. Their plan is to head back to Kyaro, their hometown. On the way there, they meet traveling performers, Eilie (who has a crush on Riou), Rina, and Bolgan. The gang travels together to reach Kyaro and separates there.

Part 3
Riou and Jowy arrive back to find out they have been labeled traitors. Riou goes home to find his sister, Nanami, who tells him of the situation. Rowd arrives and takes them all prisoner. We learn that Highland is trying to declare war on the City-State and making it seem like they are behind the attacks, when they aren't. Jowy and Riou are to be executed. Just in the nick of time, Viktor and Flik arrive to rescue them, and they all escape back to the Mercenary Fortress.

Recruits: 2
Mukumuku: Examine the tree behind the Dojo in Kyaro 3 times before going to see Nanami.
**If you miss him here, he can be recruited later on with much more difficulty, depending on your luck. You have to walk between the path of Greenhill and the Greenhill/Muse border with a free spot in your party and wait for him to show up. This could happen right away, or in my boyfriends case, hours later.
Nanami: Joins now if you decide to save her before escaping. If not, she joins automatically later on after the Mercenary fortress is destroyed.

Part 4
The gang heads back to the Fortress where they get some free time for recruiting. Jowy and Riou eventually end up in Toto, where Riou meets a girl named Pilika, who's family had taken Jowy in after they jumped off the cliff. Pilika asks Jowy and Riou to go get an amulet for her to give to her father for his birthday. When they return, they find Toto has been burned to the ground. There, they meet a girl named Apple, who wants to see Viktor.

Recruits: 8
Genegn: Joins upon returning to the fortress
Rikimaru: Find him in Ryube next to the Inn. Agree to pay for his meal.
**If you missed him here, this can be done later on in Coronet.
Millie: Also in Ryube, agree to help her find Bonaparte in the forest and beat him in a fight.
Kinnison: In Ryube Forest, find a birds nest on the ground and put it back in the tree. Leave the area and return in a few minutes.
Shiro: Same as Kinnison.
Zamza: Speak with him in Toto with Nanami in your party.
**If you miss him here, you can recruit him later on in South Window with Nanami in your party after defeating Solon Jhee's army.
Apple: Joins automatically after returning to a burned down Toto.
Hanna: Return to Toto after recruiting Apple and speak with her.

Part 5
We bring Apple to speak to Viktor and she warns that Luca (Prince of Highland) is coming for the Fortress. Viktor sends me to Ryube forest to find a man named Tsai, who can repair weapons known as Fire Spears. We go get him and come back to find that Ryube is also being burned to the ground. We head back to the Mercenary Fortress and prepare for battle. We win the first one, but the Highland Army comes right back and defeats us. The Mercenary Fortress is burned to the ground. Viktor tells everyone to escape to Muse. On the way, Pilika stops us in Toto and there Jowy and Riou think of their friendship and receiver the True Runes of The Black Sword Rune (Jowy) and The Bright Shield Rune (Riou).

Recruits: 1
Tsai: Joins automatically when you go see him about the Fire Spears.

Part 6
The group heads to Muse to find that they can't get in without a Pass because of teh attacks. So they head over to White Deer Inn and find a man named Alex, who runs the Inn with his wife Hilda and is a treasure hunter. He agrees to lend them the Pass if they help him search for treasure. He find a Healing Herb as the treasure, which helps save the life of his wife, who had fallen ill as he searched for his treasure. He gives us the Pass and we head to Muse.

Part 7
Once in Muse, we meet with Anabelle, the leader of Muse, and chamberlain Jess. Anabelle talks of Master Genkaku, the adoptive father of Riou and Nanami. She doesn't say much. We later meet up with Jess, who asks us to sneak in to the Highland camp and see how much they have in the way of provisions. So they head over and are caught by Rowd. They first sneak in to Princess Jillia's tent to hide, and talk with her. She says her brother, Luca, is a monster. When they leave the tent, Rowd had been waiting for them and he sets up an ambush. Jowy hold them off with Riou escapes. Nanami, Riou, and Pilika all wait in to the evening for Jowy to return, when he does eventually.

Recruits: 3
Tuta: Speak with him in Muse after being sent to sneak in to the Highland camp.
**If you miss him here, he joins automatically after defeating Solon Jhee's army later in the game.
Anita: Speak with her in the Inn in Muse after being sent to the camp and do stuff for her and compliment her. Leave the town in between each time. She will join you.
**If you miss her here, You can do the same thing in the Inn in Banner Village later in the game
***OR you can bring Valeria (future potential recruit) to the Inn in Banner Village later in the game and recruit her that way.
Templeton: After being sent to the camp, head back to the Mercenary Fortress and speak to him. After that, head to Toto and speak with him again.

Part 8
After a conference where Anabelle asks the City-State for reinforcements fighting off the Highland Army, we enter battle. We manage to hold them off for a bit, a small victory, and Jowy begins acting strangely. Riou and Nanami head over to see Anabelle to discuss Genkaku, but instead they find her dead, assassinated by Jowy, who runs away. Muse is taken over by Highland and everyone makes a plan to escape and meet at South Window.

Recruits: 1
Gilbert: Damage his unit (meaning he gets one sword sticking out over his unti) in the war battle to protect Muse.

Part 9
Riou and Nanami head south to get to South Window. They unfortunately find out that no boats are allowed to leave, by order of Luca. They meet Eilie, Bolgan, and Rina in Coronet and they try to come up with a plan together. They meet a man named Tai Ho, and his brother Yam Koo, who agree to take them on their boat if Riou winds a dice game. When he does, the group heads south where Tai Ho and Yam Koo take their leave. Eventually they reach South Window, where they meet up with Flik and Viktor once again. Viktor arranges a meeting with Granmeyer, Mayor of South Window, to ask for money and help. Granmeyer agrees, but asks Viktor to investigate North Window, Viktor's hometown, because it is said to have a monster. He sends Freed Y with Viktor to help.

Recruits: 6
Eilie: Joins in Coronet.
Rina: Joins in Coronet.
Bolgan: Joins in Coronet.
Viktor: Joins in South Window.
Flik: Joins in South Window.
Freed Y: Joins in South Window after meeting with Granmeyer.

Part 10
The group heads to North Window and finds Neclord, an enemy of Viktor and a vampire. The village is a ghost town, ahving been destroyed by Neclord years ago. In order to defeat him, Viktor brings us to the Cave of the Wind, to find the Star Dragon Sword, a talking sword. We also meet a man named Kahn, who also wants to kill Neclord. We return to North Window and Neclord escapes, leaving us with a monster to fight.

Part 11
After defeating the monster, North Window is restored, becoming our headquarters. We learn that Granmeyer was killed and South Window was taken by Highland. Apple has a plan to recruit the strategist Shu, but he refuses.

Total recruits: 22/108



UPDATE COMING UP NEXT