Etrian 1:Advice

List of Advice in Etrian Mystery Dungeon. They can be read in Explorers Guild using Ask Advice or the Menu Reference > Guild Advice. As you progress through the game's story, various tutorial will be unlocked.

Quitting and adventure

Unlocked after creating the first character

Should you need to quit while in a dungeon, press X to access the System menu and then select Suspend. After your adventure is saved so you can quit the game, turn OFF the power once you are back at the Title Menu. If you follow this procedure, you will be able to pick up the game from where you left off. Above all, do not turn the power OFF without quitting your adventure first. Else, you will be assumed to have given up. You will lose all items and money in your possession and be returned to town, from which you must restart your adventure. If you need to quit your adventure or end the game, use Suspend while in the dungeons or Save at the inn in town.

Malingering

Unlocked after creating the first character

You may be tempted to stay on one floor for a long time to earn money and Experience. But there are limits to this practice. They are due to a mysterious fog that begins to settle around adventurers who stay on a single floor for too long. Spend too much time in it, and it will rob you of your consciousness and ability to move until you awaken in Aslarga. Naturally, when this happens, you will be without any of the items or money you brought into the dungeon.

The party leader

Unlocked after completing the tutorial in Mysterious Labyrinth

While exploring, the leader stands in front, with their allies flanking. The leader determines which path to take. When encountering monsters, party members will step away from the leader and begin fighting on their own. They will use skills automatically, but Blast Skill and item usage is up to the leader. The leader must watch the party's HP and TP so they don't miss a chance to use Blast Skills or healing items. Leaders have several duties and are under heavy pressure. The stress is visible in the leader-only FP meter. Switching party members lets you split the burden of a dwindling FP meter with your allies, which can extend your trips. You're all in this together. A leader's duties can be summed up as making the most of their allies.

Preparation advice

Unlocked after completing the tutorial in Mysterious Labyrinth

When preparing to set out, you must set skills and equipment, and choose what items you will carry. If you're having trouble deciding how to spend your skill points, you can take advantage of the automatic option. Press X on the set skills screen to access the auto setting screen, then select which growth type you prefer. If you're unsure which growth type is best, simply choose Balanced Type for the time being. You can change it anytime. It's a tough call deciding what equipment or items to buy on limited funds. But there are some standard guidelines. Prioritize recovery items, such as Medica for HP or Amrita for TP. You'll want at least one of each. Though with a medic in the party, TP recovery items will suffice. The remaining money should go towards equipment. Allies whose attacks are weapon-based, like the landsknecht, protector, and gunner, should be top priority. Next, you'll want gear for skill-based members, such as the runemaster, medic, dancer, and hexer. If you have money to spare at this point, you should buy gear for weapon-based allies and weapons for skill-based ones. Whatever you replace should be sold immediately, and the money put towards buying bread or more recovery items.

Party forming tips

Unlocked after completing the tutorial in Mysterious Labyrinth

Choosing a party can be daunting. Let me teach you a standard party formation. First, take the landsknecht, who excels at melee attacks. When low on items or TP, this class is viable purely on gear. Next, the runemaster, who has elemental and ranged attack skills to handle all sorts of situations. Defense is as important as offense. That's why you'd want a healer, like the medic. These are the three basic classes. Who you pick as a fourth depends on how strong your starting three are. At low levels, I suggest protectors or gunners. If you like to bulldoze through battles, you may want a protector, who is equally skilled at offense and defense. But if you're a careful sort, I say it's best to field a gunner. At higher levels, a dancer or hexer would be a good choice for a fourth. They excel at support skills. A rushing offense could use a dancer's support skills, while a careful type may prefer the hexer's crippling skills. Those are the basics, but standard party formations do have their limits. You can always readjust at any time.

Attributes

Unlocked after completing the tutorial in Mysterious Labyrinth

There are seven attributes that an attack can have: Cut, Stab, Bash, Fire, Ice, Volt, and Untyped. Cut, Pierce, and Bash are physical types sorted into a few different families of weapon.

Cut: Swords, Katanas

Stab: Smallswords, Rifles

Bash: Maces, Staves

Fire, Ice, Volt, and Untyped are elemental attacks. Each skill or weapon will have one of the four. Some monsters may strongly resist one or more of the attributes, while others will be vulnerable to them. If you identify a weakness with the Monster Tome and then exploit it, you will gain the advantage in battle.

Spread Tiles

Unlocked after accepting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

While exploring dungeons, you will find red-colored amber tiles at room entrances. We call these spread tiles. They are named from the effect the tile has when used. The spread tile allows members in a corridor out into the room.

Let me explain how to use them. First, stand on the spread tile and press either L or X to bring up the menu. Then select Party, and then Spread Out. Afterward, your party will spread out to the tiles surrounding the spread tile. You can change the spread formation as many times as you'd like. Once you have your ideal formation, press A to confirm. After confirming the formation, spreading out takes one turn. The whole party moves during this turn, which is useful. However, don't overrely on spread tiles. They can break at any time while being used, but even broken ones have their use.

They restore TP to the whole party, more than a normal amber tile would. That can be quite a boon.

Dealing with traps

Unlocked after accepting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

You can see traps by using Eye Drops. However, only the person who uses the item may see the traps. Say, for instance, that the party leader uses Eye Drops. The leader may avoid the trap, but other allies may still spring it. There are two ways to keep the entire party safe: give them all Eye Drops, or swing your weapon at any visible traps. The gust of wind caused by the swing will blow away any dust or sand covering the trap, thereby fully exposing it.

Turn-based combat

Unlocked after accepting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

An important technique in turn-based combat is closing the distance between yourself and the enemy.

For instance, say you're separated from the enemy by a distance of 1 space.

If you move up to the monster, that move would count as your turn.

After that, now that you're next to the monster, it can attack you when its turn comes, leaving you at a disadvantage.

When taking turns into consideration, this would be a better course of action.

Instead of approaching the monster, stay where you are and press A to swing your weapon.

Then the monster will move to approach you when its turn comes.

This leaves you free to strike first on your turn. If that slays the monster, you'll end the battle unharmed. Minding your turns can make a crucial difference. Keep that in mind.

Rare monsters

Unlocked after reporting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

Have you ever encountered a monster with a shining aura? Those are known as Rare Breeds. You can earn more experience and money from rare breeds than normal monsters. Often, you'll win an item as well. They are indeed rarely found, and they are a bit stronger than normal, but take every opportunity you get to defeat one. There are three types of auras: Yellow,Blue, and Red, which indicates the monster's strength and reward. When encountering monsters, be sure to check for a rare breed aura, and for the color of that aura should one be present.

Encountering adventurers

Unlocked after reporting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

If you meet adventurers in the dungeon, by all means, talk to them. You can see their status while doing so. If they seem promising, you can enlist their support or recruit them directly. They may also give you an item, or even return to you everything that you lost when your party fell. Press Y as you approach an adventurer to face them, and then press A to speak with them. Using Y to turn is also useful during battle to face approaching monsters, making it easy to pick out a target.

Guild Cards

Unlocked after reporting the mission Fiend in the second dungeon

A Guild Card is like a calling card for interacting with other guilds. The card can contain a message and a representative guild member to introduce to other guilds. The landsknecht who formed the guild and a simple message are already listed on your Guild Card. I advise editing your Guild Card before you begin trading it with others. In order to trade, you will need to activate StreetPass. If you rarely utilize StreetPass, you may wish to create a QR Code of your Guild Card instead, to trade over the Internet. When recruiting another guild's representative, pay attention to the level difference between your guilds. You will not be able to recruit these adventurers if they are higher-leveled than your own guild members. If you wish to recruit one of these high- level adventurers, you must raise your own levels first. Try your best.

Geomagnetic Pole forts

Unlocked once the mission Rescue Dr. Stein is available

When the Guild District reaches three- star status, you may build Search Forts. These are fitted with a Geomagnetic Pole. Forts equipped with a Geomagnetic Pole allow for free travel between the fort and Aslarga. This is not their only use. With this, you can force the flow of time to speed up. Using it passes enough time to search through one floor. For example, using this function after you begin constructing a fort will skip to the fort's completion. But there are drawbacks. You will get hungry in accordance with how much time you skip, so watch your FP.

Limiting skill usage

Unlocked after accepting the mission Rescue Dr. Stein

As you learn more skills, they may become overwhelming.

To narrow down what you use, try the Disable setting found in the Skills screen. Party members will no longer use skills marked OFF. This can be toggled by pressing Y.

Narrowing down the skills you use makes it easier to specialize in different skill sets, such as attack or support.

Abandoning an excursion

Unlocked after accepting the mission Rescue Dr. Stein

Quitting an adventure is the same as failing. You will lose all items and money in your possession. If you still wish to quit, first press X to access the System menu, and then select Options. Under Other in Options, you'll find a selection labeled Give Up. This will return you to town. Once more, quitting is the same as failing due to your party falling. Be prepared for significant losses.

Successful rescues

Unlocked after accepting the mission Rescue Dr. Stein

A successful rescue is like a successful exploration, with the only difference being your overall goal. Naturally, to succeed, the rescue party's level, equipment, and items will be paramount. Though in most cases, the rescue party members will be of lower level compared to the regular party. If you've been using your money on gear and items for your regular party, you may not have much left. If this is the case, having the rescue party take a monster head-on could be extraordinarily dangerous. You must reach the fallen party while avoiding any battles along the way. That is the key to success.

Fort usage advice

Unlocked after accepting the mission Rescue Dr. Stein

When you enter a dungeon, first build a fort on B1F. A Basic Fort is fine to start out with. Continue exploring, and when you're notified that the fort is complete, deploy allies to it as soon as you can. With that done, continue to build forts and deploy allies until you've deployed all the guild members you intended to. Leveling your guild members helps expand your party options, giving you more means of getting through a dungeon. If you fund the Guild District up to the three-star rank, you may also build Search Forts. Its floor detection function covers a wider range than the Basic Forts, and it comes fitted with a Geomagnetic Pole. It makes travel between the fort and Aslarga easier, which is useful when a rescue attempt is underway.

Resting members

Unlocked once the quest Pick a small flower is available

Are there any members you feel you made a mistake in when spending skill points? You might consider Resting. A member who rests at the Explorers Guild can redistribute their skill points. There is a downside, though. A resting member's level will go down. The amount of skill points you may redistribute is also connected to level. You should factor that into your decision to rest or not. I can give you some advice you may find helpful, though. Low-level allies do not need to rest. They have few skill points to reallocate, making the cost outweigh the reward. Resting is a problem for high-level allies as well. It can be hard for them to reach their level prior to the rest. Not only that, but they are vital to the party's survival, making it easier for the party to fall in the dungeon. Resting is best for mid-level members. You lose a few levels, but not to the drastic detriment of your party. If you still find yourself unable to decide, I suggest that you don't. It isn't essential.

Monster houses

Unlocked after accepting the mission Explore the fourth dungeon

You may sometimes find rooms where many monsters are gathered. These are called Monster Houses. There are two ways to encounter them. One is when the room you're exploring suddenly becomes a Monster House. The other is when you venture into an area where they are sleeping. Half of them will wake up as you enter the room. Of the two, the first variety is more dangerous because you can be surrounded in an instant. Don't force yourself to fight the enemies in this type of Monster House. Better to focus on finding a way to survive. The sleeping room, on the other hand, isn't necessarily so bad. You can pick off enemies with ranged attacks first. And after the monsters are cleared, you are free to pick up the items scattered about. Beware the many traps, however.

Monster Houses can be daunting, but they are also a chance to gain a lot of experience or items. Try not to be spooked by the size of the horde or let your greed make you act recklessly. Stay calm and be careful.

Using forts vs. DOEs

Unlocked after accepting the mission Explore the fourth dungeon

The first way is to use an unmanned fort. DOEs will destroy these upon encountering them, then retreat to the lower levels. If protecting Aslarga is your main goal, that should suffice, so long as you rebuild afterwards. A Basic Fort will hold it off.

Another way is to deploy guards to the fort. When a battle against the DOE begins at the fort, you may command the guards posted there or give them your items. If they withstand the siege, the fort remains. But this is no easy feat... You will no doubt suffer many setbacks. Should you fail to hold the fort against a DOE, it will be destroyed, but the DOE will at least be driven off. After a loss, the guards will return to your guild. There will be no loss of items or equipment. But winning a defense battle is no easy feat. You will face several losses before finding a strategy that works. Not to mention how reckless it is for a party to challenge a DOE without a strategy in mind. For now, try to run.

8-member defense teams

Unlocked after reporting the mission Explore the fourth dungeon and reporting 2 quests or more

To win a defense battle against a DOE, I recommend eight members. Four from your party and a four-man defense team. But it's uncommon to have a defense team and a party lined up when a DOE invades a fort. Geomagnetic Poles are useful here. Build a fort with a Geomagnetic Pole on the DOE's path, and can use the fort's time skip function to ambush the DOE. A defense battle victory is attainable with eight members. But it's a difficult fight nonetheless.

Cursed items

Unlocked after reporting the mission Master the seventh dungeon and seeing the cutscene at Stein Labs

The power of the mystery dungeon will cause defects in some of the items you find. Curses are one such defect. If you equip cursed gear, you will be unable to remove it, and any forged effects it has will be nullified. You'll need to use a Blessed Scroll to remove any curses on gear. Though you won't always have one handy. In this case, use a Disarm Trap. These are ordinarily irritating to deal with, but work wonders when it comes to curses.

Unidentified items

Unlocked after reporting the mission Master the seventh dungeon and seeing the cutscene at Stein Labs

As the mystery dungeon's powers wax, the changes it causes in the items within it grow worse. For instance, items which have become unidentified. Even if you know something is medicine, you won't know what type. There are a few ways to identify these items, the most reliable of which is the use of an Assess Scroll. You can always identify something through use, but that can pose tremendous risk. The item may actually be harmful to use. That said, I will teach you a way to identify these items at minimal risk. For sigils, strike a monster with one and see how it reacts. Once you discover what it does, I advise naming the sigil. For bottles, throw one that you have spares of at a monster and see how it reacts. Don't forget to name it after. Scrolls should be read while standing on a staircase, so that you can move to another floor in an emergency.

Level resets

Unlocked after reporting the mission Master the seventh dungeon and seeing the cutscene at Stein Labs

Among the newly discovered dungeons is one that resets your level to 1 the moment you step inside. When you leave, your level is restored to what it was before entering. The problem is how to explore at such a low level. Battles won't go how you've grown used to, so you'll need to be careful, as your HP and TP will be lower than you expect. Since you can't bring items inside, you should make procuring them your highest priority by fully exploring each zone. Only by mastering this level-resetting dungeon can you claim you've conquered the mystery dungeons. I wish you luck.