This page details useful techniques and general knowledge related to Shiren 5.

Related pages:
Gameplay Basics - overview of gameplay mechanics.
Dungeon Features - details about dungeon shops, monster houses, doors, lava, etc.
Trivia and Glitches - Miscellaneous knowledge and more obscure tips.

• Readiness
  • Expect the Worst
  • Common Missed Inputs
• Controls
  • Control Shorcuts
• Food
  • Replenishing Fullness
  • Protect Food from Decay Traps
  • Eating Priority
  • Grilling Onigiri
  • Making Squid Sushi Scroll
  • Ripening Peaches
• Dungeon
  • Early Game Combat
  • Step in Place
  • Heal Before Advancing
  • Gang Up on Monsters
  • Attack Through or Over Walls
  • Handling Confusion
  • Arrows in Hallways
  • Warping Methods
  • Utilize Traps
  • Check for Stairs? Trap
  • Lag Check
• Monster
  • Enemies Immune to Projectiles
  • Ranged Attackers - Zigzag Movement
  • Naptapir - Don't Get Close
  • Mudkin - Unequip Items
  • Foly - Watch its Color
  • Swordsman - What's Behind You?
  • Gyadon - Keep Items in Pots
  • Scoopie - Place Pots Down
• Item
  • Use Book when Naming
  • Name Preservation Pots
  • Gitan as a Projectile
  • Increase Max HP
  • Hit and Run Tactics
  • Throw Staves with 0 Uses
  • Inserting into Presto Pots
  • Throw Pots to Trigger Traps
  • Cursing / Sealing Items
• Equipment
  • Sub Weapon
  • Diet Shield
  • Binary Shield
  • Shield Added Runes
• Synthesis
  • Mixer Identification
  • Sub Equipment to Reduce Risk
  • Transfer Upgrade Value
  • Increase Mixer Count - Level Up
  • Increase Mixer Count - Stomach Expander
• Farming
  • Level Up Monsters
  • Arrows
  • Gitan
  • Super Status
  • Rotten Onigiri
  • Nigiri Morph Factory
  • Zalokleft Hunting
  • Mutaikon Hunting
  • Grass Kid Hunting
  • Grass Factory
  • Maneater Hunting
  • FO-UZZ for Revival Grass
• Earning
  • Ally Level Ups
  • Equipment, Upgrade Value, Synthesis Pots
  • Blessed Extraction Scroll Loop
  • Points
  • Blank Scrolls
  • Upgrade Value
  • Skill Points
  • Gitan - Coupon Scroll
  • Catstones
  • Always Win Pick-A-Choice
  • Experience Points - Past Lv99
  • New Item Bracelet for +99 Items

Readiness

Expect the Worst

The mantra of a roguelike is "Hope for the best, expect the worst".
Generally, the more you plan for bad situations, the further you'll be able to progress.

• Don't move without purpose near enemies
  • Draw enemies closer by stepping in place so that you get the first hit.
  • If there's a group of enemies, retreat into a hallway and fight 1-on-1.
  • Check the identity of distant enemies in the room using the Scout command.
  • Dashing is dangerous. Always walk when there are strong enemies around, or when it's night.
• Act before your situation gets bad
  • Have an idea how much damage each enemy deals.
  • It can sometimes be too late even if you use an item after your situation becomes dire.
    • Don't be stingy with items. Collapsing when you still had powerful items is the worst.
  • HP regeneration slows as max HP increases, making it harder to heal by moving around.
    • Use items to avoid receiving damage in the first place to conserve healing items.
• What if this direct attack misses?
  • Direct attack accuracy is 92%, so the chance to land 2 in a row is ~85%.
    • Direct attack accuracy increases up to 95% depending on weapon level.
  • If you and an enemy are both 1 hit away from collapsing, don't gamble on a direct attack.
  • Don't mash the attack button without checking how much damage you're taking.
• What if this projectile misses?
  • Projectile accuracy is 84%, so the chance to land 3 in a row is less than 60%.
  • Position a monster on top of a trap to cover for missed throws.
  • If a strong monster is adjacent, use a staff or scroll instead of a projectile.
• Run from an enemy, and then what?
  • What will you do if you become sandwiched by enemies in a hallway if you run?
  • The player entering or leaving a room can cause napping monsters to wake up.
• Even stronger enemies might appear
  • Have I leveled up enough?
  • Should I break a pot so that I have more usable items on hand?
  • Do I understand what each of the items in my inventory do?
  • Have I identified all staves and talismans before advancing?
• I might not find any more food
  • Is it really fine to discard Rotten Onigiri and grass? (Grass items replenish 5 fullness)
• There may be hidden traps nearby
  • Use direct attacks to check for Pit Trap, Explosion Trap, etc. when moving toward items.
• Monster House Encounter
  • Use the Scout command before taking any actions and note escape routes.
  • Check your items to see if you have something that lets you overcome the situation.
  • There are lots of traps in a Monster House, so moving on ground tiles is dangerous.
• Categorize inventory items
  • If you're struggling to choose what to discard, think of items as categories.
  • "Food", "Restore HP", "For Monster House", "Emergency Escape", "1-vs-1", etc.
• Don't be in a rush
  • This isn't an action game, so there's no need for fast inputs.
    • You're likely to attack in the wrong direction or throw a Preservation Pot if you hurry.
  • If you're feeling annoyed for being put into a seemingly unfair situation, set the controller down.
    • Your thinking performance drops when you're irritated, so take a moment to gather yourself.

There's really an endless list of thoughts or worries that can cross your mind, so it's similar to driving,
where you prepare for and are ready to react to situations. (Example: a squirrel running across the road).
It's important to be aware of what has the potential to occur at any given time, and act accordingly.

That said, you don't want to overdo the thinking to the point of getting stuck in decision paralysis.
Overthinking can lead to mistakes as well, so don't stress or worry too much, and enjoy the gameplay.

The key to the main story is to recognize when you're reaching your limit, and escape as needed to regroup.
No one will give you a hard time for escaping, even if it's on an early floor.

Common Missed Inputs

• Inserted main equipment into a Presto Pot
  • Often occurs when you're tired, or nervous in late game floors.
  • Remember that the cursor moves to the top when you press right while viewing the item you're standing on.
  • Perhaps it's best to make a habit of selecting the item with R before inserting.
• Stepped on a trap that you revealed using a direct attack.
  • Occurs when you get into the habit of "Direct attack → take a step".
  • Slow down your inputs, or make an effort to pause after using a direct attack.
  • Reframe checking for traps as "Take a step → direct attack".
• Threw an item at a Shopkeeper while identifying
  • Often occurs when you're naming items while checking a price chart, and usually results in a failed adventure.
  • Place items away from the Shopkeeper, or make a habit to face away before opening your inventory.
• (DS version) Pressed B + L to Scout, but shot an arrow instead
  • Make a habit to press B before L. (Pressing B alone doesn't end your turn)
  • However, that will make you dash instead of scout if you miss the L input.
  • Perhaps it's best to always select the Scout option from the menu, instead of using shortcuts.
  • ※ Use the right analog stick to scout on PS Vita, Switch, and Steam versions.

Controls

Control Shortcuts

Switch Pro Controller Inputs (From Game Manual)
※ Button placements are generally the same for other controllers.

Shortcuts or easy to miss inputs:

• Scout: Right Stick
• Diagonal Movement: Hold R
• Sort Items: Y
• Item Multi-Select: R
• View Item Details: +
• Message Log: ZR or B + Y
• Ability Menu: X
• Check Ally HP: ZL or -

Food

Replenishing Fullness

It might seem like eating food you find on the ground or buy from shops is the only way to replenish fullness,
but there are actually a number of other ways to either replenish fullness or obtain edible items.

Food items:

Other sources:

Methods to obtain food / increase quality:

Protect Food from Decay Traps

Decay Trap only affects onigiri and peaches that are not inside pots,
so simply keep onigiri and peaches inside pots to keep them safe.

Eating Priority

If you don't have a pot to store food in, it's best to eat food that restores a lot of fullness first
to reduce the loss from stepping on a Decay Trap.

If you have a pot to store food in, or there's no risk of stepping on a Decay Trap,
it's best to eat food that restores the least amount of fullness first to free up inventory space.

Grilling Onigiri

Get hit by fire or explosion damage to turn all onigiri that aren't in pots into Grilled Onigiri (60 fullness, 40 HP).
Seals and blessings are removed when onigiri are grilled, so it can be used to unseal onigiri items.
Rotten Onigiri (30 → 60) and Onigiri (50 → 60) are the two best types of onigiri to grill.

Zen Pot can be used to grill onigiri without receiving damage from fire or explosions,
but the Anti-Blast+ rune will make you unable to grill onigiri using explosions.

Making Squid Sushi Scroll

Kid Squid monsters turn into Squid Sushi Scroll when they get hit by an onigiri item,
granting experience points and a food item that replenishes 40 fullness.
Keep that in mind if you have Rotten Onigiri on hand.

Ripening Peaches

Changing floors ripens peaches outside of pots. (Hard Peach → Peach → Juicy Peach → Rotten Peach)
It takes 3 floors to ripen a Hard Peach into a Peach, and 2 floors for the others.

Water also ripens a peach by 1 stage, and floor count isn't reset when a peach ripens due to water.
(Example: Peach will become a Juicy Peach next floor, ripen it using water, it'll become a Rotten Peach next floor)
Water sources include Water Pots, walking on water using a Waterwalk Bracelet, and tsunamis in the DS version.
Decay Trap will always transform a peach into a Rotten Peach.

Juicy Peach restores the most fullness and refreshes 8 abilities, but Peach cures ailments and restores strength,
and also grants the powerful Immune status when blessed, so remember that when managing ripeness using pots.
Rotten Peach can be thrown at an enemy to lower their attack and defense.

Dungeon

Early Game Combat

In this game, HP regenerates faster when your max HP is low.
Get in the habit of retreating a few steps to recover HP while fighting near the start of an adventure.
Watch out for Seedie's high attack power in particular when you don't have a shield.

Step in Place

HP only regenerates when you either move or step in place - not when you attack.
So hold B and tap A to pass 1 turn when waiting for a monster to approach, rather than attacking to pass the turn.
However, if your HP is full, performing an attack is better since it checks if the tile in front has a hidden trap.
These are tiny optimizations, but can make a difference over the course of an adventure.

Heal Before Advancing

Step in place (B + A) while standing on the stairs to recover HP before advancing to the next floor.
You don't know what type of situation you'll start in, so healing when you can is important.
If a monster enters the stairs room, go ahead and advance.

Gang Up on Monsters

If you have an ally, position yourself so that you and your ally can both hit the enemy.
Keep in mind that you only gain skill points when your direct attack is the finishing blow.

Example: When lined up vertically, step to the lower right diagonally.

S = Shiren A = Ally M = Monster

□ M □ □   □ □ □ □
□ S □ □ → □ M □ □
□ A □ □   □ A S □

Attack Through or Over Walls

Direct attacks can't hit enemies that are around corners like this unless you have the Tri-direction rune.
However, projectiles like arrows and rocks, magic bullets from staves, and abilities can hit them.

S = Shiren M = Monster

□ □ □ M □
■ ■ S ■ ■
■ ■ □ ■ ■
■ ■ □ ■ ■

Rocks can also hit an enemy that's located on the other side of a wall:

S = Shiren M = Monster

□ □ □ M □ □ □
■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ □ □ S □ □ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■

Rocks can even hit an enemy inside a wall, such as a Pumphantasm:

S = Shiren M = Monster

□ □ □ S □ □ □ □
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ M ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Handling Confusion

Confused status only affects your direct attacks and movement,
so arrows, rocks, thrown items, magic bullets from staves, and abilities remain accurate.
If you're adjacent to an enemy and confused in a hallway, you can only move in one direction,
meaning you can still run away or buy time until the confusion wears off.

Arrows in Hallways

Most of the time, field of view is normally limited to a 1 tile radius in hallways.
This means you're likely to get hit by a surprise attack if you simply walk through hallways.
To counter this, you can shoot arrows or throw unneeded items to check for incoming monsters.

If that sounds too tedious, at least do it when you transition from a room to a hallway.
If a monster was present, step in place and wait for it to enter the room.

Warping Methods

It can be faster to warp out of a bad situation, or to a different room if the stairs is across the map.
This is especially true when speedrunning, or when you're rushing stairs during the night.

Utilize Traps

Some traps can be utilized to give yourself an advantage,
and visible traps can be created by dragging a Karakuroid along the wall in a room.
※ You may need to inflict Slow status or lower its attack power, depending on your shield.

If a trap is visible, you can throw an item onto the trap to trigger it.
Rocks can be thrown from 3 tiles away, and other items can be thrown from 10 tiles away.
If the trap is against a wall, you can simply throw an item at the wall to trigger the trap.

It's also possible to trap monsters by luring them onto a trap and then missing with a projectile.
Standard methods to trap monsters:

• Inacc. Bracelet or Dodger Pot
  • Projectiles are guaranteed to miss their target, ensuring trap activation.
• Throw a pot containing at least 1 item
  • If the pot hits the target, it'll break and the item inside the pot will land on the trap.
• Use projectiles until one of them misses
  • Projectiles have 84% accuracy, so one of them will eventually miss.

Usage examples:

• Wood Arrow → collect arrows
• Decay → obtain Rotten Onigiri
• Poison Arrow → weaken a Nigiri Morph for Nigiri Morph Factory
• Explosion → create Grilled Onigiri
• Strip → unequip cursed items / identify equipment
• Iron Arrow → synthesize Anti-Metal
• Idenitfy 3000G bracelets
  • Poison Arrow → Cleansing Bracelet
  • Spin → Anti-Cnf. Bracelet
  • Sleep → Alert Bracelet
  • Curse → Anti-Crs. Bracelet (place items down first)
• Trip → identify Nagging Staff (place pots down first)

Check for Stairs? Trap

Fake stairs called Stairs? Trap can be generated near the end in some dungeons.
It's actually a random trap, and using a direct attack or throwing an item onto it doesn't reveal its true form,
but there are a few standard methods you can use to check for them.

1. Trap Deletion Scrl or Trap Del. Staff or Water Pot
   • The above items destroy the fake stairs if it turned out to be a Stairs? Trap.
2. Transient Staff
   • The target always warps to the real stairs.
3. Stairlight
   • Stairlight always only displays the real stairs.
4. Dash next to the stairs
   • Position yourself so that you're off by 1 row or column, then dash in the direction of the stairs.
     If you stop on a tile that is diagonal from the stairs, it's real.

Stopping locations for method 4:

■ = Stairs　　S = Shiren
Real:　　　　　　　　　Fake:
□ □ S □ S □ □　　　　□ □ □ S □ □ □
□ □ □ ■ □ □ □　　　　□ □ S ■ S □ □
□ □ S □ S □ □　　　　□ □ □ S □ □ □

Example for method 4:

■ = Stairs　　S = Shiren
Start:　　　　　　　　Real:　　　　　　　　　Fake:
□ □ □ □ □ S □　　　　□ □ □ □ S □ □　　　　□ □ □ S □ □ □
□ □ □ ■ □ □ □　　　　□ □ □ ■ □ □ □　　　　□ □ □ ■ □ □ □
□ □ □ □ □ □ □　　　　□ □ □ □ □ □ □　　　　□ □ □ □ □ □ □
※ Dash to the left from starting position.

Lag Check

Perform a direct attack, then change the direction you're facing.
If an enemy is nearby, there will be a bit of lag before the direction change.
This technique is mostly used in hallways or at night where visibility is limited.
It costs a turn to check each time, so you might want to avoid using it on floors with lava,
and on floors where monsters have long-range or floor-wide attacks.

Monster

Enemies Immune to Projectiles

Can. Arm Bracelet can be equipped to ensure projectiles don't get eaten or thrown back at you.

• Mixer - Eats thrown items and synthesizes them. (Number of items depends on level)
• Sweet Nut - Eats thrown items and multiplies experience points, but can explode.
• Bored Kappa - Catches projectiles and throws them back. (Categories depend on level)
• Flamebird - The projectile burns up.
• Grass Kid, Pin Kid - Dresses itself in grass if you throw a grass item.
• Froggo - Thrown Gitan heals it instead of dealing damage.
• Gyaza - Converts projectile damage and effects into 2 damage.

※ Projectiles will hit sleeping Mixers and Sweet Nuts.
※ Grass Kid can dress itself in a number of grasses equal to its level.
※ Kojirouta's Gitan toss has piercing properties, and doesn't work on Froggos.

Ranged Attackers - Zigzag Movement

Monsters like Grass Kid, DJ Mage, and Dragon have ranged attacks that travel in a straight line,
so use diagonal movement as you approach them to ensure you don't get hit by their ranged attack.
Boy Carts have swift movement, so you need to use an item or lure it into a hallway.

Naptapir - Don't Get Close

Naptapirs can inflict Asleep status within a 1 tile radius when they're Napping, Asleep, or Sound Asleep.
They also have a chance to yawn when defeated, inflicting sleep status in a 1 tile radius,
so it's best to leave them alone, especially since they have higher HP and attack power.
If you encounter one that's awake inside a Monster House, go ahead and paralyze it.

Mudkin - Unequip Items

Mudkins lower upgrade value and erase runes, and can multiply when they receive damage.
However, they're harmless if you don't have anything equipped, so just unequip your weapon and shield.
Keep 2 slots open in a Preservation Pot, and use multi-select to insert both your weapon and shield
into to the Preservation Pot on the same turn. (Use a Seal Staff if other enemies are nearby)

Foly - Watch its Color

Foly's special ability varies depending on its body color, which changes every 8 turns.
It also tends to move along the walls inside rooms.

• Red: Nullifies direct attacks, reflects damage instead.
• Blue: Lightning damage (15 points) to all creatures in the room after it acts.
• Green: Heals your HP by 100 after getting hit by your direct attack.
• Purple: Counters with Berserk, Grounded, Inaccurate, Confused, or Shadow Bound after being hit.

It rapidly levels up when it's blue, so things can get out of hand if you don't defeat it quickly.
Only use direct attacks when it's blue or green, and use items if it has leveled up.

Swordsman - What's Behind You?

Swordsman monsters knock away your equipped items, sending them flying behind you.
Allies and NPCs always dodge flying equipment, but the items can hit monsters,
so it's good to get into the habit of fighting Swordsman with your back facing a wall.

It's best to leave 1 tile open between you and the wall so that you can pick the item up
without taking damage, as opposed to using the "Feet" command and taking damage that turn.
However, be aware that there may be a hidden trap in the tile between you and the item.

If you have a Can. Arm Bracelet equipped or have Cannon Arm status from Dracon Grass,
the disarmed equipment will fly forever, ensuring it's lost, so be very careful.

Gyadon - Keep Items in Pots

Keep items safe from Gyadon (staves) and Gyairas (scrolls, talismans) by inserting them into pots.
Gyandora and Gyandoron can peck pots, so use arrows or staves before they're adjacent.

Scoopie - Place Pots Down

Scoopie shovels dirt into an open pot with its special attack.
This ruins pots like Blessing Pot and fragrance pots, so place important pots down beforehand.
Just don't forget to pick up the pots after defeating it.

Item

Use Book when Naming

It's faster to name unidentified items by selecting the name from the item book,
and you can also see what has already been named or identified when selecting the name.

Name Preservation Pots

If Preservation Pots are identified, you can assign a name from a list of preset options.
It's easy to forget which pots you inserted specific items into when you have lots of pots,
so it's good to get into a habit of naming them to keep things organized.

Gitan as a Projectile

Gitan deals fixed damage equal to its value / 10 when thrown.
When the Gitan is blessed, it deals fixed damage equal to its value.
1650G one-shots anything except monsters immune to projectiles, night monsters, and shopkeepers.

• Hold the dash button and step on the Gitan, then insert the Gitan into a Preservation Pot.
  • It's safe to sort items inside the pot, even if the pot contains Gitan.
• Hold the dash button and step on the Gitan, then swap it with an inventory item.
  • Don't sort your inventory afterward, since it'll get added to your wallet if you do so.

Increase Max HP

The following items can be used when your HP is full to increase max HP:
Herb (+1), Otogiriso (+2), Heal Grass (+3)

Hit and Run Tactics

When you have swift status or if the enemy is slowed, you can loop direct attack → step away
to defeat an enemy without receiving any damage.

Throw Staves with 0 Uses

Staves with 0 remaining uses can be thrown to get one last use out of them.
Thrown staves can miss, and Pinning Staff doesn't have an effect when thrown at a wall.
Can. Arm Bracelet can be used to increase the effectiveness of thrown staves.

Inserting into Presto Pots

Presto Pots randomly transform inserted items into other items.
It's most cost effective to insert single arrows, rocks, or talismans at a time:

1. Shoot an arrow or throw a rock in the direction of a wall.
2. Hold the dash button and move toward the item to step on it.
3. Insert the item underfoot into the Presto Pot.

Inserting items into a Presto Pot inside a village Warehouse tends to give Escape Scrolls.

Throw Pots to Trigger Traps

If you have a pot containing at least 1 item, you can throw it at a monster standing on a trap
to guarantee that the trap activates whether the pot hits or misses the target.

Cursing / Sealing Items

If you have a Mojo Bracelet, it can be beneficial to intentionally curse or seal items,
and equipment like Glass Dirk and Shoddy Plank can be sealed to nullify their drawbacks.
To do so, simply throw any items you want to curse or seal onto a Curse Trap.

Equipment

Sub Weapon

Type effective weapons like Drain Dagger can one-shot applicable monsters once leveled up,
so if you want to avoid trading hits, keep them as sub weapons instead of synthesizing them.
This strategy is particularly effective against Aquatic and Dragon type monsters.

Diet Shield

If you're in a dungeon where field of view isn't limited or there are only weak enemies around,
you can equip Diet Shield or Heavy Shield at specific times to conserve fullness:

• Diet Shield while exploring, switch to main shield when fighting.
• Main shield while exploring, switch to Heavy Shield when fighting.

Binary Shield

Binary Shield significantly reduces damage received when the last digit of current HP is 1 or 0.
HP heals when you move or step in place, and doesn't heal when you use a direct attack,
so you can gain a big advantage if you make a conscious effort to manage your HP.
Just be careful of getting sandwiched in a hallway if you decide to retreat to adjust HP.

Shield Added Runes

Certain shields gain important runes when they level up, including the rare Magi-Twister rune.
Tinkerer status lasts for the entire floor if it's gained through Super status or a blessed Upgrade Seed,
so if the situation allows for it, aim to level up these shields in one sitting.

• Binary Shield → L6 Magi-Twister
• Red Shield → L8 Anti-Fire, L8 Anti-Peck
• Lock Shield, Safe Shield → L8 Anti-Blast
• Plain Targe → L8 CR Diet
• Targite → L5 Rustproof, L8 Anti-Theft
• Gyadon Blocker, Anti-Gaze Trge → L8 Agile

Synthesis

See Synthesis for an overview of how synthesis works.

Mixer Identification

Unidentified items are automatically identified when Mixer synthesis succeeds.
Grass items often succeed, so you can farm grasses from Grass Kids and then synthesize them
to both identify the grass items and potentially add effective runes to your weapon at the same time.
The best grass items for runes are those in the 100, 300, and 500 price range.

If you're concerned about synthesizing an unneeded rune, use a spare piece of equipment.
This method can be used to identify harder to tell items like Ordinary Staff and Balance Staff.

Sub Equipment to Reduce Risk

There are some advantages to using sub weapons or shields in synthesis before your main equipment.

• Avoid main equipment getting cursed or sealed if using an unidentified item.
• Avoid synthesizing an unneeded rune if using an unidentified item.
• Synthesize lower priority runes on sub equipment, then add it to main once you have more slots.

Transfer Upgrade Value

If your main equipment doesn't have any unfilled rune slots left, it's safe to synthesize
equipment with negative or risky runes in order to transfer upgrade value.

Example:

1. Add Anti-Metal to a Pathetic Blade (1 slot) by synthesizing an Iron Arrow.
2. Synthesize weapons with negative runes into Pathetic Blade, such as Rusty Pickaxe.
3. Synthesize the Pathetic Blade into your main weapon to transfer upgrade value.

Increase Mixer Count - Level Up

Mixers can eat more items at higher levels, and items they've eaten remain when they level up.
※ Keep in mind that status conditions reset and attack power increases.

Methods:

• Swing a Glorious Staff.
• Inflict Berserk status and have it defeat another monster.
• Throw Cheery Grass, Angel Seed, Glorious Talisman when it's full.
• Inflict Afraid status when there's a monster behind it.

Increase Mixer Count - Stomach Expander

Stomach Expander can be thrown at a Mixer to increase the number of items it can eat by 1.
The max number is 8 using this method, and blessed Stomach Expanders increase the number by 2.
※ The Stomach Expander must be thrown before it's full.

Farming

Level Up Monsters

Level up a monster and defeat it to gain lots of experience points and/or skill points.
If Shiren causes a swift monster to level up via an item, the leveled up monster can still act once,
but if the monster levels up by defeating another monster, its turn will end.

Level up methods:

• Swing or throw a Glorious Staff.
• Throw a Glorious Talisman, Cheery Grass, or Angel Seed.
• Swing a Clone Staff and have another monster defeat the monster with Cloned status.
• Throw a Berserker Tal. or Rage Grass and have the Berserk status monster defeat another monster.
• Throw a Fear Talisman or read a Fear Scroll and have the Afraid status monster defeat another monster.
• Throw a Conf. Talisman, read a Confusion Scroll, throw Confusion Grass, or trigger a Spin Trap
  and have the Confused status monster defeat another monster.
• Throw Blinding Grass or trigger a Blind trap and have the Blind status monster defeat another monster.
• Have a monster stand between you and the target monster so the target monster's attacks hit the monster.
  • Examples: Boy Cart's arrows, Yanpii's tackle, Dragon's fire breath, Moseal's tackle.
• Wait for a monster to use their special attack so that another monster takes damage.
  • Examples: Tiger Tosser's throw, Foly's lightning.
• Have a monster defeat an ally character.
• Be revived by the Boy's Sister NPC.

Notable monsters:

• Mamel family
  • Cave Mamel (6 HP, 888 exp, 100 skill points), Gitan Mamel (12 HP, 5500 exp, 444 skill points)
  • Defeat it using fixed damage like Rock (12), Gitan (value/10), Boring Staff (10), Electric Staff (25).
  • Seal its ability to convert damage to 1 point, then defeat it using a direct attack to gain skill points.
    • Use items like Fear Talisman, Inacc. Talisman, or Sanctuary Scroll for safety.
  • If you only have 1 item, have a Pit Mamel defeat a Colum so that the Colum rolls into another monster,
    resulting in the Pit Mamel leveling up twice and turning into a Gitan Mamel.
• Grass Kid family
  • Level it up into a Grass Poppa or Grass Gramps so that it generates grass on its own,
    then farm stat increasing effects (max strength, max HP, max fullness) by having it throw grass.
  • It can throw bad ones like Unlucky Seed and Rage Grass in some dungeons, so check the item table first.
• Nigiri Baby family
  • Nigiri King (3750 exp) - Instantly defeat it by throwing an onigiri item.
  • Nigiri Morph can be used to farm Large Onigiri. (Nigiri Morph Factory)
• Froggo family
  • Froggon (850 exp, 20 skill points) - The amount of Gitan it drops increases when it levels up.
  • Useful for collecting Gitan for shops, or storing a large sum of Gitan as a projectile.
• Kid Squid family
  • King Squid (1300 exp), Squidperor (2200 exp) - Instantly defeat it by throwing an onigiri item.
• Boy Cart family
  • Collect Iron Arrows (Cross Cart) or Knockback Arrows (Strong Cart) using a Dodger Pot.
• Pop Tank family
  • Ornery Tank (1600 exp, 80 skill points), Cranky Tank (3200 exp, 200 skill points)
  • Zen Pot makes you invulnerable to its attacks.
  • Pop Tank can be leveled down into a Pierce Cart (1100 exp), or even further into a Strong Cart
    or Cross Cart to collect Knockback Arrows or Iron Arrows using Dodger Pot.
• Zapdon family
  • Bunchukdon (1280 exp, 400 skill points), Zotdon (2222 exp, 600 skill points)
  • Innate Slow status, but has high attack and a lightning counter attack.
  • High defense, so you might not be able to damage it at low levels or with a weak weapon.
• Moseal family
  • Momomomoseal (670 exp, 100 skill points) - It won't attack you unless you're next to it.
  • It's best to hit it when it has Apathetic status after tackling.
• Mudkin family
  • Mudder (950 exp) - Completely harmless if you unequip your weapon and shield.
  • Hit it with weak attacks to have it multiply - best if it's standing on water so it heals HP each turn.
    Example: Equip an Inacc. Bracelet and trigger weak fixed damage traps.
• FO-Uβ family
  • FO-UZ (888 exp, 300 skill points), FO-UZZ (5555 exp, 777 skill points)
  • The grass it drops is based on level, so aim for FO-UZZ's Revival Grass drops.
  • It won't warp away if it's sealed, but it has high attack power so be careful.

Arrows

There are a few methods you can use to collect wood, iron, knockback, or poison arrows.
Aim for Knockback Arrows if you use either of the first two Boy Cart family methods.

Throw items onto arrow traps

• Wood, Iron, or Poison arrow traps
  • If the trap isn't against a wall, throw Rocks or Porky Rocks, or throw items from 10 tiles away.
  • Pickaxes can be used to create distance, and Fort. Staff can create a wall next to the trap.

Use Boy Carts

• Dodger Pot
  • Dodger Pot makes all projectiles miss, so collect the arrows that land on the ground.
  • Use Slumber Scroll, Swift Foe Scroll, Swift Staff, Swift Talisman, Swift Grass to increase efficiency.
  • ※ Missed arrows will trigger traps, so don't forget to check for traps before you take a step.
• Bored Kappa
  • Position the Bored Kappa so it's between Shiren and the Boy Cart monster,
    then collect the arrows the Bored Kappa catches and throws at Shiren.
  • Don't apply Swift status to the Bored Kappa.
• Strong shield
  • Equip a strong shield and step in place while getting hit by arrows, then collect the arrows that miss.
  • If your HP gets low, enter a hallway to regenerate HP.
  • Shiren takes 1~4 damage with Shoddy Plank (30 def), and 1 damage with Glass Buckler (35 def),
    so you can use either shield to farm arrows by intentionally sealing it beforehand.
    Other options include L8 Targite (25 def), Red Shield (27 def), or Fuuma Shield (30 def) + upgrade value.
  • Hard Peach, Rotten Peach, Poison Arrow, Poison Grass, or Super status can make up for lower defense.
  • Can obtain about 1 stack of arrows if done until the wind blows, but it depletes a lot of fullness.

Step on arrow traps

• Caution about this method
  • Arrow traps have 100% accuracy, and you'll lose Super or Awakened-ish status,
    so you'll generally want to use the thrown item method instead unless you're saving Fort. Staff uses.
• Dodger Pot
  • Dodger Pot causes arrow traps to miss, so dodge the arrows and pick them up.
  • Missed arrows won't land on the trap underfoot, so the trap can only be triggered once per turn.
  • It's wasteful to use Dodger Pot for Wood or Iron arrows as opposed to saving it for higher level
    Scoopie, Bored Kappa, Mutaikon, or Porky monsters, or collecting Knockback Arrows using Strong Cart.
• Mixer
  • Step on the trap so that Mixer eats the arrows that fly at you, then defeat the Mixer.
  • Extremely inefficient, so consider it more of a bonus than a realistic method to collect arrows.
• Bored Kappa
  • Place an item 3 or more tiles away so that Bored Kappa stands on it without throwing it,
    then step on the trap so that Bored Kappa catches the arrow and throws it toward you.
    If you're too close, the arrow will land on the trap underfoot and cause you to get hit by an arrow.
• Iron Door
  • Step on the trap while facing to the left of the door, then collect the arrows that hit the door.
  • Pretty inefficient, and it won't work with spear gates since projectiles can pass through them.

Gitan

• Hunt monsters
  • Hunt Froggo monsters, Gitan Mamels, and Ultra Gazers.
• Use shops
  • Sell inventory items, then either steal them back or read Coupon Scrolls.
  • Insert single arrows into Presto Pots for sale, then sell the contents.

Super Status

Duplicate Mudkin monsters and defeat them to gain Awakened-ish and Super status.
Requires either water tiles or Flamebirds to restore their HP.

Rotten Onigiri

Technique mainly used on floors where Karakuroid monsters appear.
Lure a monster onto a Decay Trap → throw items or shoot arrows until it misses and triggers the trap.
Projectiles have 84% accuracy, but Inacc. Bracelet or Dodger Pot can be used to ensure it misses.
Killer Arrow can also be used, since it only has 12% accuracy and almost always misses.
This works on Floating types, excluding Flamebirds since their body burns items.
(However, if you inflict the Flamebird with Cloned status, you can trap them)

The Rotten Onigiri can be grilled using an Explosion Trap or Pop Tank monster,
or thrown at a Kid Squid monster to create Squid Sushi Scroll.

Nigiri Morph Factory

Use a Nigiri Morph (55 HP) to intentionally transform inventory items into Large Onigiri.
Its special attack use rate is ~20%, so items that inflict Slow, Inaccurate, or Weakened help.
Requires disposable items, with the standard being single arrows or rocks.

Many players feel like it's a chore, but there's no denying how effective it is for alleviating hunger issues.
If you don't mind the routine, it's good to go for it when you happen to have the required items on hand.
Max fullness of 120+ lets you eat Large Onigiri without waste while maintaining Super status.

Items

Required:

• Items to be transformed into onigiri
  • Single arrows or rocks, or other unneeded items.
• Level up item
  • If you're using a Nigiri Baby, you'll need an item to level it into a Nigiri Morph.
  • Easiest items are Cheery Grass, Glorious Staff, Glorious Talisman.
  • Other items include Clone Staff, Rage Grass, Fear Scroll, etc.

Nice to have:

• Poison Arrow, Poison Grass
  • You'll get hit a lot, so it's important to reduce the amount of damage you take.
  • Poison Grass is better since it deals less damage and inflicts Slow status.
• Rotten Peach
  • Lowers Nigiri Morph's attack.
  • If used with Poison Arrows, throw the peach after shooting since the peach also lowers defense.
• Hard Peach
  • Increases your defense.
• Strong shield
  • Required if you don't have items to lower Nigiri Morph's attack or raise your defense.
  • Red Shield or Fuuma Shield are good options, or a sealed Shoddy Plank or Glass Buckler.
    ※ Don't use a shield that has the Retribution rune.
• Slow Staff
  • Lowers efficiency, but can be used to help you safely regenerate HP between hits.
• HP recovery items (Herb, Otogiriso, etc.)
  • Nigiri Morphs can't survive 3 Poison Arrows, so throw a healing item to shoot more arrows.
• Inacc. Bracelet or Dodger Pot + Perception Grass + Strip Trap
  • It's rare to have all of these items, but Strip Trap can be used to weaken Nigiri Morph.

Steps

1. Check the room for traps.

Any trap can cause problems, but you especially don't want to step on a Pit Trap or Monster Trap.

2. Prepare items on the ground.

After checking for traps, shoot arrows or throw rocks at a wall to separate them into single items.
If increasing max fullness from 100 → 200, you'll need to eat 25 Large Onigiri when you're full. (26 total)
It's best to stock up on a couple of extra Large Onigiri for the road too, so aim for 28 items or so.
Of course, feel free to adjust the quantity based on other inventory items or play style.

3. Swap items to add them to inventory.

Hold B to step on an item without picking it up, then swap the item with an inventory item.
This lets you pick up items like single arrows or rocks without them automatically stacking.
※ Don't sort your inventory after doing this, or else all single arrows and rocks will stack.

Inventory should be equipment, Poison Arrows or Poison Grass, and items to be turned into onigiri.
※ Equipped weapon, shield, and bracelets will never be transformed into an onigiri by a Nigiri Morph,
　but set arrows, rocks, staves, and talismans can be transformed.

It can be good to place the rest of your items in a different location, depending on the monster table.
Example: Place items in the stairs room on 22F of Onigiri Hollow, since Grass Dude can throw Warp Grass.
※ Remember where you place important items in case you need to use them in an emergency.

4. Have Nigiri Morph transform inventory items.

Once the above preparations are complete, it's time to transform items into Large Onigiri.
If you're receiving too much damage, don't hesitate to use Poison Arrows, Poison Grass, Slow Staff, etc.
Poison (Weakened status) in particular has a drastic effect, lowering damage dealt by 50% at stage 1.
Step in place if you can tank the hits, or circle the room to heal HP as you get hit by its attacks.
※ Be careful not to pick up other items while circling the room.

Swap onigiri with other single arrows or rocks, or place / throw onigiri on the ground during the process.
Once you've obtained the number of onigiri you were aiming for, defeat the Nigiri Morph.

Tips / Cautions

• Leveling up a Nigiri Baby
  • Easy if you use items like Cheery Grass, Glorious Staff, or Glorious Talisman.
  • If you don't have such items, use the current floor's monster table to your advantage.
    Froggo and Moseal often appear with Nigiri Baby, and both are easy level up fodder targets.
    Place Gitan on the ground to control Froggo's position, then use Afraid or Berserk status.
    Moseal has high HP, so damage it a bit first and use Cloned status.
• Using a Poison Arrow Trap
  • Shooting Poison Arrows to lower Nigiri Morph's attack is great, but they deal too much damage
    if you've leveled up, have raised your max strength, or have boosted attack from Super status.
    So in that case, use arrows from a Poison Arrow Trap instead, which only deals ~5 damage.
  • ※ The trap might break after 1 use, and you might lose Super or Awakened-ish status.
• Remember item locations
  • This was stated earlier, but it's worth repeating - remember where you placed your items.
  • The preparation means nothing if you collapse from not having a way to deal with a
    different monster that entered the room.
• Beware of Tiger Tosser
  • Tiger Tosser appears with Nigiri Baby in some dungeons, and can ruin your plans by throwing
    a weakened Nigiri Morph and leveling up, so be careful if you've used multiple Poison Arrows.
  • Memorize that Nigiri Morph has 55 HP, and that Tiger Tosser's throw deals 5 damage.
  • Fort. Staff or Paralysis Staff can be used to block room entrances to prevent accidents.
  • Froggos can also block entrances - just place Gitan down where you want the Froggo to stay.
• Beware of Zalokleft, Grass Kid, Absorbiphant
  • Nigiri Morph often appears with Green Zalokleft, Grass Dude, and Absorbiphant.
  • Don't let Zaloklefts steal your items on the ground, and keep grass items inside pots.
  • Position yourself in a way that prevents Absorbiphant from curing Nigiri Morph's ailments.

Zalokleft Hunting

Defeat Zaloklefts (100% item drop rate) to obtain items.
The Anti-Theft rune or the floor-wide effect from a Perceptive Pot protects your items from being stolen.
However, it's generally not worth keeping a Perceptive Pot in your inventory, since it has few other uses.

Zalokleft drops have their own item table, and generally don't include anything too special.
It also seems like Zaloklefts never drop food items.

Mutaikon Hunting

Have Mutaikon monsters throw grass at you to replenish fullness and linger until the wind blows.
You'll need Cleansing Bracelet for Mutaikon, Anti-Cnf. Bracelet for Dazikon, and Alert Bracelet for Dozikon.
Circle rooms or hallways, and if your HP gets low, defeat it and wait for another one.

Dozikon floors often have dangerous monsters, so it's usually better to rush stairs instead of lingering.
Don't use an Immunity Scroll to do this technique unless you're completely out of food.
Water Pot can be used to raise the Mutaikon monster's special attack use rate.

Grass Kid Hunting

Collect grass items by defeating Grass Kids or Grass Dudes.
Excellent for obtaining grasses for Mixer synthesis, and to identify grasses early on.
It's best to hunt Grass Kids since Mixer usually appears soon after, but hunger can be an issue.

Grass Factory

Pin Poppa and Pin Gramps can generate their own grass items,
so the idea is to have them throw or spread the grass they generate at Shiren to increase his stats.

The point of this technique is to gain permanent stat increases, so that means you're aiming
for Strength Grass, Stomach Expander, Herb, Otogiriso, Heal Grass, and Life Grass.
However, HP regeneration slows with higher max HP, and Nigiri Morph factory is much more
efficient at increasing max fullness, so this technique is mainly used to increase max strength.

It's recommended to only bother with this in dungeons where Strength Grass is common,
or in dungeons where there aren't many negative grass items in the item table.
(Pitfall of Life, Underground Manor General District, Monster Hotspot, and possibly Onigiri Hollow)
It's not worth the effort to perform this technique in other dungeons.

Items

• Immunity Scroll, blessed Peach
  • Protects against status inflicting grasses like Confusion, Sleepy, and Rage grass.
  • Skip it if these grasses aren't in the item table, like in Pitfall of Life and Underground Manor.
• Staunch Bracelet, Cleansing Bracelet
  • Protects against stat lowering grasses like Poison Grass and Stomach Shrinker.
  • Immunity Scroll prevents Slow status from Poison Grass, but it can't block the strength loss,
    so Cleansing Bracelet is needed in Onigiri Hollow.
• Paralysis Staff, Hide Pot, Transient Staff
  • Used for method 2.
  • Paralysis Staff is likely the most consistent of the three.
• Fort. Staff
  • Used for method 3, but isn't in the item table for Pitfall of Life or Underground Manor.
  • Method 3-2 is likely better for Onigiri Hollow.
• Rusty Pickaxe
  • Used for method 3.
• Steady Shield
  • Protects against Warp Grass, but it's usually fine even if you don't have it.
  • Perform this technique in the stairs room in Onigiri Hollow to avoid a game over situation.
• Level up item
  • Glorious Staff, Glorious Talisman, Clone Staff, etc.
  • Required if leveling up a Grass Kid or Grass Dude early on.
  • Grass Poppa and Grass Gramps have high attack, so don't stand adjacent to them.
• Reflection Pot
  • DJ Mage monsters often overlap with Grass Kid monsters, so this protects against magic bullets.
    ※ Higher priority if you don't have an Immunity Scroll or blessed Peach.
• Swap Staff
  • Used for method 3-2.
  • Also useful for method 2 when positioning a non-Pin Kid monster in the corner of a room.

Method 1

Read an Immunity Scroll in a large room, then wait on the opposite end for the Grass Poppa to throw grass.
Rectangular rooms work best, and it's an easy setup since you don't have to prepare anything in advance.
Some luck is required, since you'll end up needing to defeat or run away from the Grass Poppa
if they don't throw the grass before they're adjacent to you.

Other enemies approaching can be an issue, since they can be buffed by Power Up Grass or Swift Grass.
It's particularly dangerous if the positive effect grass hits the enemy but misses Shiren.

Method 2

Place grass in the corner of a room, then inflict Paralyzed or Hiding status on a monster on top of the item.

G = Grass M = Monster P = Paralyzed monster
■ ■ ■ ■　　 　　■ ■ ■ ■　　 　　■ ■ ■ ■
□ □ G ■　　→　　□ □ M ■　　→　　□ □ P ■
□ □ □ ■　　 　　□ □ □ ■　　 　　□ □ □ ■

The number of grass items a Grass Kid monster can carry increases based on level,
so they'll continuously approach the grass under the paralyzed monster, but won't be able to pick it up.
They'll still throw grass when you're lined up, and there's no worry of the Grass Poppa approaching.
They also won't attack you unless you move adjacent to them.

However, other enemies hit by Confusion Grass, Blinding Grass, or Rage Grass can cause trouble.
They might level up by defeating other enemies, or undo the paralysis of the monster in the corner.
Lots of Grass Kid and Pin Kid monsters will gather in the corner while performing this method,
so it's good to periodically approach them and thin them out to try and prevent accidents.
※ Confusion Grass and Rage Grass don't appear in Pitfall of Life or Underground Manor.

Method 3

Use items like Fort. Staff, Wall Clip Bracelet, and Rusty Pickaxe to wall yourself in.

Make use of a Grass Poppa as shown in the example diagrams below.
It's more efficient than methods 1 and 2, since you'll mostly get hit by its spreading grass
special attack (100% accuracy) rather than hoping thrown grass will hit you (84% accuracy).

The setup is ruined if you get hit by Warp Grass unless you have a Wall Clip Bracelet or Pinning Staff,
so it's highly recommended to equip a Steady Shield if you have one on hand.
Only use this method when you're able to defeat other monsters from inside the wall.
(Examples: Breeze Blade or Tri-direction rune, Wall Clip Bracelet, arrows, etc.)

It's generally safe to use this method without an Immunity Scroll if other monsters on the floor
don't have long-range attacks or the ability to attack through walls.

Example 1:

S = Shiren F = Fort. Staff wall
□ □ □ □ ■
□ □ □ F ■
□ □ F S ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■

This method consumes 2 uses of a Fort. Staff, but keeps you inside the room.
Place grass on the ground under Shiren to attract Pin Kid monsters and increase efficiency.
You can build it around the stairs to eliminate the need to defeat enemies when you're ready to move on,
but remember that you can't place grass under Shiren while standing on the stairs.

Example 2:

S = Shiren F = Fort. Staff wall
■ ■ □ □ □
■ F □ □ □
■ S ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
※ Can use Wall Clip Bracelet instead of Fort. Staff.

The idea is to dig out the corner of a room, and stand inside the dug out tile.
Inefficient if you're unable to defeat enemies from inside the wall, and since you're outside of the room,
you won't be able to attract Pin Kid monsters by placing grass on the ground under Shiren.
Enemies can spawn in the adjacent room too, so there are a lot of drawbacks.

The main advantage is that you only consume 1 use of a Fort. Staff,
and it can be performed without a Fort. Staff if you have a Wall Clip Bracelet.

Method 3-2

Similar to method 3, but trap a Grass Poppa inside a wall instead of Shiren.
Easiest way to accomplish this is to use items like Knockback Staff or Swap Staff.

It's not as efficient since you're relying on a single Grass Kid family monster rather than a rotation,
but it's very consistent because you can defeat other monsters that approach you.
Steady Shield isn't required, since you can just walk back to the room if you're hit by Warp Grass.

Maneater Hunting

Generating Maneaters

An Ominous Aura can occur after a set number of turns on select floors of specific dungeons.
Once the ominous aura warning occurs, Maneaters get added to the monster table of that floor.
From that point, every time a new monster is generated and Maneater is selected, it rolls a check.
If it succeeds, a Maneater appearance message occurs, the BGM changes, and a Maneater spawns.
If it fails, the new monster won't be generated. (So new monster spawns are reduced after the warning)
So depending on your luck, you can end up waiting until the wind blows without seeing a Maneater.
※ The roll occurs each time a new monster spawns and Maneater is selected, even if it previously failed.
※ Once the roll succeeds, Maneaters will spawn without any further checks.

Benefits

Maneaters have a 31% item drop rate, and the item is selected from the dungeon's shop table.
They provide lots of experience points and skill points, especially compared to early game monsters.
Defeating the same monster in a row grants bonus skill points, so you can rapidly level up equipment,
especially when combined with Tinkerer status to gain x4.0 skill points per Maneater.
※ Tinkerer status from blessed Upgrade Seed or Super status lasts for the duration of the floor.

Characteristics

Maneater = 100 HP, Villeater = 120 HP, Mounteater = 140 HP, Isleater = 160 HP.
Attack, defense, and experience points increases based on depth.
Normal speed while exploring, increases to Swift 1 when Shiren is in view.
Chance to roar while inside rooms, which inflicts Paralyzed status on Shiren.
Only takes a max of 10 damage from Gitan, and ignores Sanctuary Scroll.

Hunting Methods

The biggest danger is its roar that inflicts Paralyzed status, since it guarantees that the Maneater
gets the first hit and you can lose Super status - so Immune status gives you a great advantage.
Immune status is gained from using an Immunity Scroll or blessed Peach.

1. Disable using status inflicting items
   • Slow status is ineffective, since it changes to Swift 1 when Shiren is visible.
   • Ailments wear off in half the duration when it's Swift 1, so it's best to stay out of their view.
   • Staves: Clone Staff (30 turns) or Mage Staff (Asleep is 6 turns).
   • Talismans: Confusion (20 turns), Fear (15 turns), Slumber (12 turns), Inaccurate (10 turns).
2. Create a safe space
   • Hallways are safe if you have a Navigation Scroll or Monster Detector.
   • You can wall yourself in and attack through a corner using Tri-direction, Flame Shot, or arrows.
   • If you don't have a Fort. Staff, dig the corner of a room from a hallway to lure Maneaters in the room.
     ※ Dig in a T shape instead of L shape so that you don't get attacked from behind.

     S = Shiren　M = Maneater　X = Stairs
     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
     ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ X □ ■
     ■ ■ □ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     □ □ □ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ □ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ □ ■ ■ M □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ □ □ S ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■
     ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■
     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■

3. Change its focus to Chow
   • Maneaters will prioritize Chow or Cloned status monsters if they're in the room,
     and its roars won't affect Shiren when it's focused on another monster.
   • Don't let the Maneater defeat the Chow - use status inflicting items or create a barricade.
   • Maneaters can still hit Shiren if they become afflicted with Blind, Confused, or Berserk.

     Ex1.Walled in Chow    Ex2.Outside of room   Ex3.Violent Blade
     Fort. Staff           Rusty Pickaxe         or Obsessive rune
     ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■     ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■     ■ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■
     ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ □ □ □ X □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ □ X □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ □ X □ □ □ ■
     ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ M □ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ ■ M □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ □ □ M ★ □ □ □ ■     ■ □ S □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ C ★ □ □ □ □ □ ■     ■ ■ ■ ■ C ■ ■ ■ ■     ■ C □ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
     C = Chow M = Maneater S = Shiren X = Stairs
     ★ = Shiren, Paralyzed or Hiding enemy, or wall tile

4. Disable using traps
   • Onigiri Trap makes it trivial to defeat Maneaters using direct attacks.
   • Gen's Turf is the most practical location, but Trapper Bracelet + carry-in dungeon also works.
   • Traps can break if you relocate them, so don't pick up or set the Onigiri Trap.

     Ex1.Pretty safe:     Ex2.Trap is next to wall
     No items needed      Pickaxe / Boring Staff
     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■    ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
     ■ ■ ■ □ □ X □ □ ■    ■ ■ ■ □ □ X □ □ ■
     ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■    ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     □ M □ □ □ □ □ □ ■    ■ M □ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ T S ■    ■ □ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■
     ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■    □ □ ■ □ □ T □ □ ■
     ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ ■    ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ S ■ ■ ■
     ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■    ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
     T = Trap M = Maneater S = Shiren X = Stairs
     

FO-UZZ for Revival Grass

FO-UZZ is a rare enemy that always drops 1~3 Revival Grass when defeated.
6 HP, Swift 2 speed, warps when it takes damage or sees Shiren, and reduces damage received to 1 point.
Having a type effective rune raises damage dealt to 2 points, and Empathy or Seal staves can be used.
However, it has high attack power and hits twice per turn, so be careful if you seal it.

Earning

Ally Level Ups

Angel Seed Method

By far the fastest way to level up allies to Lv99, and works on 3 allies at a time.

• Obtain Angel Seeds from Madam Ateska's fortune.
• Duplicate the Angel Seeds using Fever Pots.
• Bless the Angel Seeds (Blessing Pot + Extraction Scroll).
• Equip True Knife + Anti-Parry Brce. to activate an effect that ensures thrown items always hit.
  ※ Can be skipped if you don't mind missing.
• Bring Dracon Grass, or equip a Can. Arm Bracelet if you're not using 100% accuracy resonance.
• Go to Destiny Trail with 3 allies you want to level up, and line them up in a hallway.
• Eat the Dracon Grass and throw blessed Angel Seeds to raise ally levels by 6 per throw until Lv99.

※ Koharu levels up through equipment level instead of experience points.
※ Glorious Staff and Glorious Talisman only grant 500 experience points.
※ Angel Seed can be registered as a New Item if you don't want to use Fever Pots.

See Rescue Passwords to obtain Fever Pots.

Equipment, Upgrade Value, Synthesis Pots

Merchant's Hideout + Wanderer Awaiting Rescue

Intentionally collapse on 1F of Merchant's Hideout, and request a rescue.
Choose the Wanderer awaiting rescue option from the main menu, and head to Merchant's Hideout.
The dungeon will only have a depth of 1F, so you can quickly find weapons, shields, bracelets, and pots.
※ Don't forget to deposit items between runs if you find items you want to keep.

Blessed Extraction Scroll Loop

A blessed Extraction Scroll blesses all items that are extracted from a pot, and the scroll is consumed,
so as long as there's at least 1 Blank Scroll or Extraction Scroll in the pot, you can continue to bless items.

There are many uses for this technique, like rapidly upgrading equipment (Fate, Earth, Gambler's scrolls),
blessing items like Pot God Scroll, Fixer Scroll, Expulsion Scroll, Angel Seed, Revival Grass, Undo Grass, etc.

Gen's Turf and Page of Youth offer many opportunities to obtain Blank Scrolls through monster licenses,
so this technique isn't necessarily limited to dungeons that allow carry-in items.
(Write Blessing and Extraction on 2 Blank Scrolls to get started)

※ You can skip having to bless Extraction Scrolls if you obtain a Blessing Pot.
※ Blank Scrolls can be obtained from the Point Shop for 200 points each.

Points

Destiny Trail

This can be done once you have a Point Card and 2 Trap Bracelets.

1~2F of Destiny Trail only has Point Switches for traps, so the idea is to generate
lots of Point Switches by passing turns while having both Trap Bracelets equipped.
You usually get somewhere around 3,000 ~ 4,000 points per trip.

Needed Items:

• Trap Bracelet x 2
• Escape Scroll or Undo Grass

Steps:

1. Equip a weapon and shield that grants 2 bracelet resonance, and equip the Trap Bracelets.
2. Ensure you have an Escape Scroll or Undo Grass in your inventory.
3. Go to Destiny Trail, step in place to spawn Point Switches, and step on them to collect points.
4. Repeat until Wind of Kron blows.
5. Read the Escape Scroll or use the Undo Grass to return to Nekomaneki Village.

Gorger's Manor

This can be done once you've significantly upgraded your equipment.

Gorger's Manor offers 200 points per Point Switch near the end. (47~50F)
Bring Trap Scrolls, Trap Deletion Scrl, Extraction Scrolls, and Blessing Pot to generate Point Switches.
You usually get somewhere around 30,000 ~ 50,000 points per trip.

Needed Items:

• Preservation Pot[5] --- blessed Trap Scroll x 4, blessed Trap Deletion Scrl x 1
• Preservation Pot[5] --- Extraction Scroll x 5 (Bring lots of these pots)
• Blessing Pot x 1
• Undo Grass

Steps:

1. Go to 47F of Gorger's Manor.
2. Read 4 Trap Scrolls (once per scroll), then read Trap Deletion Scrl.
3. Insert the 4 Trap Scrolls and 1 Trap Deletion Scrl into the Blessing Pot.
4. Read an Extraction Scroll to retrieve the 4 Trap Scrolls and 1 Trap Deletion Scroll.
5. Repeat 1~2 times if you want, and then step on all Point Switches.
6. Do this over and over until Wind of Kron blows.
7. Use the Undo Grass or clear the dungeon to return to Nekomaneki Village.

Blank Scrolls

Monster Licenses → Blank Scrolls

Far inferior method compared to exchanging points, but doesn't require any preparations.

• Be able to write Escape on Blank Scrolls.
• Go to Gen's Turf and obtain lots of monster licenses, and escape from the dungeon.
  • Aim for Mamel, Seedie, and Chintala licenses.
• Go to Destiny Trail to turn the licenses into Blank Scrolls.

Upgrade Value

Undergound Manor - District 4 (31-40F)

Repeat district 4 to take home a Dotanuki+8 and Wolfshead+10 each run, then synthesize them.

Blessing Pot + Extraction Scrolls

Needed Items:

• Preservation Pot[5] --- blessed Fate or Earth Scroll x 5
• Preservation Pot[5] --- Extraction Scroll x 5 (Bring lots of these pots)
• Blessing Pot x 1
• Weapons and shields --- Whichever ones you want to upgrade.

※ Fate and Earth scrolls can be found in Explosion Rocks.

Steps:

1. Go inside the Nekomaneki Village warehouse, and ensure there's 5 tiles of space on the ground.
2. Read 5 Fate or Earth scrolls (once per scroll).
3. Insert the Fate or Earth scrolls into the Blessing Pot.
4. Read an Extraction Scroll to retrieve the 5 Fate or Earth scrolls.
5. Repeat until upgrade value reaches +99, or you run out of Extraction Scrolls.

Skill Points

Gambler's Scroll

The idea is to read lots of Gambler's Scrolls in Destiny Trail for the weapon and shield level up effect.
This technique can also be used to level Koharu.

Needed Items:

• Preservation Pot[5] --- blessed Gambler's Scroll x 5
• Preservation Pot[5] --- Extraction Scroll x 5 (Bring lots of these pots)
• Blessing Pot x 1
• Shield with Anti-Blast rune --- Keep this equipped.
• Weapons and shields --- Whichever ones you want to level up.
• Undo Grass

Steps:

1. Place whatever weapons and shields you want to level up in your inventory. (Outside of pots)
2. Go to Destiny Trail 5F.
3. Read 5 Gambler's Scrolls (once per scroll).
4. Insert the 5 Gambler's Scrolls into the Blessing Pot.
5. Read an Extraction Scroll to retrieve the 5 Gambler's Scrolls.
6. Repeat until all of your weapons and shields reach Lv8, or you run out of Extraction Scrolls.
7. Use the Undo Grass to return to Nekomaneki Village.

Gitan - Coupon Scroll

Coupon Scroll

1. Be able to write Coupon on Blank Scrolls. (See Tanuki Passwords)
2. Stock up on Coupon Scrolls. (Blank Scrolls = 200 points, bless them for efficiency)
3. Insert high-value items into Preservation Pots, and search for shops in story dungeons.
   ※ Don't forget an Escape Scroll.
4. Sell all of your high value items → read Coupon Scroll → repeat until Gitan total reaches 999,999.

Repeat 100 times to max out your bank, which rewards you with a Fuuma Sword.
PS Vita and Steam versions also reward you with a trophy.

Catstones

Before Entering Post-Game Dungeons

The Tanuki who sells Catstones will only go to Destiny Trail, Tower of the Past, Tower of the Present,
Tower of the Future, and Tower of Fortune, so you can easily collect Catstones using Sparrow's Shuttle.

After Entering Post-Game Dungeons

Collect Catstones by cheating at Pick-A-Choice shops in Lost Well. (Read Collection Scrolls)
This is by far the most efficient method to obtain Catstones.

Soft-Resetting for Location

Quit the game without saving to change the Tanuki's location when it changes after purchasing a Catstone.
※ Save once after depositing all items and Gitan before using this method. (Point Card will be set to 0)

Always Win Pick-A-Choice

Reading a Collection Scroll after paying lets you collect the prize without having to step on a launch pad,
so the idea is to bring lots of blessed Collection Scrolls to rapidly collect items.
The best dungeons for rare items are Lost Well and Merchant's Hideout.

Check Rescue Passwords to see if there are passwords you can use to locate Pick-A-Choice shops.

Needed items:

• Strong equipment
  • 2 bracelet resonance is ideal, and important for Lost Well in particular.
• Something to get rid of unneeded items
  • Blazing Shield --- Burn selected items.
  • Can. Arm Bracelet --- Throw items out of the map.
  • Explosion Bracelet --- Place items on the ground and blow them up.
• Scout Bracelet or Monster Detector
  • Required in Lost Well.
• Time Stop Bracelet
  • For Lost Well. Bring Night-Day Scrolls if you don't have it.
• Identify Bracelet
  • Items are unidentified in both dungeons, but unnecessary if you're aiming for Catstones.
• Preservation Pot (blessed Collection Scroll x 5)
  • Only need to bring 1 if you're using the blessed Extraction Scroll loop technique.
• Preservation Pot (blessed Extraction Scroll x 5)
  • Bring lots of these, though only 2~3 if you're aiming for Catstones in Lost Well.
• Preservation Pot (Blank Scroll x 5)
  • Write Navigation, Extinction, Trap Deletion, etc.
• Preservation Pot (blessed Undo Grass x 5)
  • Just in case you run into accidents.
• Fort. Staff or Sanctuary Scroll or Hide Pot
  • Block the Pick-A-Choice shop's entrance.
• Gitan
  • Required amount varies based on the number of Extraction Scrolls you bring.

Steps:

1. Proceed until you reach the Pick-A-Choice shop floor.
2. Read Fixer Scroll at night without light or Navigation Scroll, and then Trap Deletion Scrl.
3. Change time of day if needed using Night-Day Scroll, and equip a Time Stop Bracelet if you have one.
4. Throw an Extinction Scroll (Lost Well)
   • 4-6F: Throw an Extinction Scroll at Dark Grass Poppa (night) if you don't have Time Stop Bracelet.
   • 7-9F: Throw an Extinction Scroll at Horrabbit (day) or Evil Archdragon (night)
5. Read a Collection Scroll to gather and get rid of floor items.
6. Enter the Pick-A-Choice shop and block the entrance.
7. Repeat paying Gitan, reading Collection Scrolls, and blessing Collection Scrolls.
8. Eat an Undo Grass when you're ready to escape from the dungeon.

※ Pick up the prize if you want to keep it, otherwise leave it on the ground and it'll vanish when you pay again.

Experience Points - Past Lv99

Reading Gambler's Scroll makes it trivial to reach level 99.
However, maxing experience points requires over double the amount needed to reach level 99.
(About 1,000 Abyss Dragons worth)

Monster Summoner

Equip 2 Monster Summoners and go through a 99F dungeon defeating higher level monsters.

Inori Cave Porgon + Blazebird

This method achieves 9,999 monsters defeated at the same time, but it's a complicated setup.

New Item Bracelet for +99 Items

Unlike Shiren 4, Upgrade Pots have a random chance of breaking when changing floors in Shiren 5,
so use the "Boost buff rates and # of usable items" new item bracelet effect instead, which selects
1 item at random when you change floors and increases upgrade value or use count by 1.

Required:

• 2 new item bracelets with the "Boost buff rates and # of usable items" effect.
• New item staves with the Transient → Swap effect. (Ideally, enough staves to last 99 floors)
• Weapon and shield set that grants 2 bracelet resonance.
• An ally NPC. (Max level Koharu is best for consistency)

Steps:

1. Head to Inori Cave, and insert all items except for the above equipment and staves into pots.
2. Equip the weapon and shield set, and both new item bracelets.
3. Set the new item staff, and swing it at your ally to warp to the stairs → repeat 99 floors. (~10 minutes)
   • This increases upgrade value or use count by 99 x 2 = 198 per run, since there are 2 bracelets.
4. Repeat until you have a nice stock of 99 use new item staves with the Transient → Swap effect.
5. Repeat the process, this time carrying other staves.