Merilla = 5 / 5
Meritas = 21 / 21
Ul Gibbon = 5 / 5
Zol Gibbon = 30 / 30
Gee = 5 / 5
Mericarol = 90 / 75
Mericus = ? / ?
Merikle = ? / ?
Gibbles = 85 / 75
Gi-Gue = 85 / 75
Sinow Berrill = 17 / 17
Sinow Spigell = 39 / 39
Gal Griffon = - / -

Summary: Dim weapons aren't much use in C3. The enemies that are weak to Dim attacks can be killed quite easily by all classes anyway. It is theoretically possible to kill a mini-boss with Dim in C-mode, but it's a very slim chance and not worth the hassle caused damage cancelling. Ditch Dim weapons in C3.

Note: You do not need to kill any enemies to progress to Area 16, only to keep yourself safe/for exp

There are 4 rooms / clearings in Jungle north, each with a pressure floor switch that has to be pressed in order to drop a barrier. Behind each of the 4 barriers there is a one-touch floor switch. These four one-touch switches collectively open the warp to Area 16. If you have 4 players in the team, split into 2 groups - one pair go for Switches 1 & 2, the other get 3 &4, then all meet at the warp.

1. Switch 1 - On exiting the log, there is a small area to your right, near the vine that leads to switch 2, containing boxes. Break the rocks in front of the boxes to access them (3 hits to break).
   
   There are 3(?) Merilla and 2 Ul Gibbons here, you don't have to kill them but you can if you wish - a new wave will spawn. It's safest to kill all but one of the Merilla, and leave it at that.
   
   The pressure pad ahead and slightly to the left of the log opening (start point) on the floor lowers a barrier. One player should go through the barrier, leaving their team-mate to dodge / kill enemies until they return. Once through the barrier you will see lots of Gee incubators. Run straight past the first few, and look left. There is a computer-like terminal on the left wall (seen at the end of an area in normal Jungle) - the incubator under / next to this needs to be hit twice, relieving the first one-touch floor switch. Stand on this and exit the way you came in.
   
   Both (all if less than 4 in team) players can now head for Switch 2.
2. Head over the vine leading from the Switch 1 clearing. On the vine you will meet 3 Merilla, kill and continue into the Switch 2 clearing. Damage traps in here, careful if you can't see them.

   There are 2 or 3 Gee here, and 2 or 3 Merilla. We have found killing all but one of the Merilla the safest way to go - the next wave contains a Zol Gibbon, which can be awkward to dodge while waiting for your team-mate to return.

   The pressure floor switch is directly ahead of where you enter - head straight for it. One player should go through (only). Descending the steps ahead you will meet 2 Ul Gibbons, and there's a damage trap in the air. You don't have to kill the Gibbons, but there are Fire Traps on the way out, and it can get a little messy. Light, Light Hard x2 with a HU is generally enough to connect and damage enough to kill an Ul.

   Once the Gibbons are dead, stand on the floor switch at the bottom of the steps. On the way back out you will face 3 fire traps coming from the floor that will need to be dodged or destroyed (3 hits to destroy, not 2 as in Temple) - only dodge if your team-mate that needs to let you out is well prepared, otherwise you'll take damage. The first is in the middle of the steps as you run back up, the second comes out of a rock to the left of the path, and the third from a rock to the right of the path, right by the gate.

   Exit this area and head for the switch 3 clearing. On the way back across the vine, a fire trap will appear. As you step off the vine look to your right - boxes have appeared on the edge of the area. Get these if you need them.

3. As you come into this clearing you'll see 4 Ul Gibbons ahead, and three Merilla in the ground by some rocks. Those rocks are your exit, and take 6 hits to break - you need to move the Merilla out of the way. Let one player through the barrier towards the one-touch floor switch, and deal with the enemies in the room as you choose, either fight or dodge doesn't matter other than EXP.
   
   The player who goes for the floor-switch should be a Hunter, at least at first try. After going past the barrier you will move through a narrow corridor and come out into a small cave. The one-touch floor switch is visible ahead. After stepping on the switch the lights will go out, the room is dark. 2 or 3 Zol Gibbons spawn, and there are three freeze traps coming out of the floor (the ones that fire at you not float in the air). I recommend you use the map to navigate and just run straight back out of the room, dodging left and right to avoid the traps shooting at you.
   
   Once the one-touch switch has been pressed, head for the switch 4 clearing. On the way down the steps, after the first player passes, a fire trap will come out of the floor. More rocks to break at the bottom of the steps to access the final clearing in this area.

4. The simplest one. There is a long path leading away from the clearing, at least 2 players (if present) should take that. On the left of the path, there is a hidden opening leading to a small clearing containing boxes - don't let enemies follow you in here, it's tough to get back out otherwise.
   
   At the very far end of the path there is the last one-touch floor switch. On the way there, you will see one of the electrical traps that closes on your from the floor, trapping you. Dodge round it. As you close with the floor pad, there is another one of these traps, and it's hidden - move down the very right-hand edge of the path to and from the switch to avoid getting caught. On the way back, a freeze trap comes up from the floor to fire at you - dodge this. Finally, a Sinow Berrill will drop in the middle of the path - ignore it completely and head for the warp to the next Area

1. On entering this area, there are 4 item boxes directly behind your starting point, and a pathway to the rest of the level. Grab the boxes, ignore the path, and head the way you were facing when you spawned in. You will come into a single clearing. There is one Mericarol in this glade - kill this and exit to the next Area via the warp that appears. One character should get the item boxes marked on the map via the narrow path, as one is guaranteed to be a weapon.

   If you're not used to fighting these enemies, be very, very careful - they can be deadly. Suggest reading up on Mini-boss strategies (but for level up play), and stats.

   For Mericarol, you need to follow the "Not cheap method" in the strategies. Main tip is: If the Mericarol is targeting you, don't try and attack it, let your team mates do it. Ideally one HU should distract its missile attacks while the FOs pound it with Barta. If it closes its claws in on itself and makes squealing / bleeping noises, run away - a high-level Megid cloud will come out from it. Also, when attacking it, be aware it can charge at you. I would recommend all players stay on full health at all times - this is the hardest mini-boss in C3.

1. Players will be start off split apart, half at the top of the mountain and half at the bottom. The FO should ignore all enemies and move to the middle of the mountain, where it gets dark (i.e. if you start at the bottom of a slope move uphill, if you start at the top of the slop move downhill). If you go fast enough you will leave all the enemies behind.
   
   On reaching the dark area, the FO will see a Gi-Gue floating around - this must be killed to reach the next area. Have the FOs hammer it with Zonde. Don't try and close, just use Zonde from a distance. Be careful of its protective shield - when it makes a hissing / squeaking noise it will surround itself with a pink globe - don't attack until that goes away, otherwise he will fire a ball at you, which is effectively a good-level Rafoie and can 1-hit kill.
   
   Also, there are moving barriers with spikes on to be avoided while fighting the Gi Gue, another reason to leave it to the FOs. You can see the spikes coming from the barriers, the best place to practice dodging these is the Tower quests (in level up play).
   
   While the FOs are killing the Gi Gue, one Hunter should get all the orange boxes near the bases of the spiked barriers - there are some vital fixed items here - 1xGeneral HP, 1xResta 3 disk and 2xSoul Frame (4-slot). You MUST get these items to have a good chance at beating the boss. The other players should group on the upper slope of the mountain and kill as many Gee as possible before the Area clears, if any busters, autoguns or lockguns drop be sure to check the % and call out to your team what you have found.
   
   Once the Gi-Gue is dead and you have the box items, you face a choice. The boss is far, far easier with a decent Buster for at least one of the HUs (note that's a Buster, NOT a Brand). I would recommend clearing this area, levelling in the process, until at least one decent A. Beast Buster drops.
   
   We have explored the rest of mountain - there are no other vital fixed drops, just lots of Gibbons and Gees, and general boxes. It's not worth getting / killing all these IMO, but you can if you want

1. The team again spawns apart, but only at opposite ends of the same room. One half of the team will spawn by 2 Ul Gibbons - ignore them, turn round and head back into the medium sized clearing. A Gibbles will spawn here.

   Again, if done correctly, this is easy. Barta is extremely effective from FOs. For HUs, fight as a Hildebear - avoid the Gibbles' right side, run around it clockwise to its left. This should keep it turning on the spot while the FOs Barta it to death. If you have a freeze trap left, use it to pound it a little quicker. If the Gibbles does manage to leap into the air, run like hell and make sure you're on full health if you were close to it when it took off.

2. Once it dies, the warp appears to area 19. Don't take it yet (at least not everyone) - head back to where the 2 Ul Gibbons were and down that path. In the boxes at the far end of the next clearing there is another General HP, again a fixed drop. Make sure you get this if you have either 2 FOs or a HUcaseal with you (Basically you only don't need this if you have at least three HUcasts, and got the earlier General / HP).Clearing Seaside is also an excellent way to find better weapons for the boss, although it's tougher fighting (more Gibbons) the drops seem to be a little better.

You spawn next to the boss warp, and have the option of heading back to the start of CCA or going straight to the boss. Be careful, there's a Sinow Berrill in every room - in the final room there are three Berrils in one wave, so watch out. There's also a healing ring here. The main area of interest in CCA is the lower sections (first seen in Seat of the Heart), with three sets of fixed drop boxes, but surrounded by minibosses. Each lower platform is accessed individually via a warp in the room directly above - only ever send one person into each lower section. The safest way to get the items is to go and do the furthest one first (warp 6 on the map). There's a Gi-Gue when you warp down, and three moving spiked barriers. Before progressing, turn round and attack through the rock / wall behind you - you will break three boxes you can't access yet if done correctly. The barriers only move through 180 degrees, so each has a 'safe' side. Move down the safe side, don't attack the Gi-Gue. Get the boxes at the end - 4-slot cross armour (only useful to a HU who has levelled once), a General Power and an Autogun +5. If you want to play it safe, just get these and head back to the boss. Otherwise, head for warp 5. As with the Gi-Gue room, you have the option of turning around as soon as you warp and breaking the boxes you can't reach yet through the rock / wall behind you. Run across the room to the items ahead (they shouldn't be in boxes as you opened them from the Gi-Gue area). If possible, drop a freeze trap in the middle of the room (where the red floor switch is marked on the map) to freeze the incoming Gibbles as it lands. Grab the items (a repeat of the above - another gen power, cross armour and autogun +5) and turn round and run out following the line indicated by the grey and red markers on the map above. If you don't follow the markers you will get stuck in a warp loop and could well end up under the Gibbles. Once you are back at the lower warp 5 take it back up top. Finally, you have the option of warp 4 which leads to more items. There's a Mericarol in here, and they're dangerous. You have three options - dodge it for the items (not recommended), freeze it (ok if you can get it), or kill it - to kill it, 2 players should go down, 1 HU and 1 FO. The HU should distract its missiles from range (not easy in the tight space), while the FO bartas. Under no circumstances try for these items without breaking the boxes in advance from the Gibbles area first. On the whole, the Gi-Gue items are definitely worth getting as its very safe; the Gibbles items are good if you need the autogun, but probably not worth just for the gen / pow alone; the Mericarol items are overkill IMO, and an unnecessary risk. Of course, the Gi-Gue items take the longest to get.

In summary, if you already have good weapons don't bother with the lower areas. If you have at least one HUcaseal without an effective weapon, it's well worth getting at least one autogun.

Gal Gryphon FAQ

The Gal Gryphon plays very differently in C-mode compared with level up play.

- Many of the Gryphon's attacks are physical, and as such can cause critical hits. Be aware of this if a normal hit is close to killing you, a critical definitely will.

- Forces should equip at least one General HP to be able to survive a standard hit from his Winged Attack and Stomp, and 2 Gen HP to have a hope of surviving a critical for these attacks. RAs need one or two gen hp to survive a critical, dependent on their race / gender.

- Learn his attack patterns, and what threat they are for your character class. E.g. a Winged Attack will never kill a HUcast even on a critical hit, but it can kill a RA with a critical.

- Do not be near the Gal Gryphon when he uses his Shockwave - EVER. The whole of the boss fight can be made very easy by getting good at avoiding this attack.

- The Shockwave attack kills all classes instantly if even slightly close. The shockwave damage does have a small radius effect, HUs at the very edge of the wave can sometimes survive.

- The FO is very important in this fight. It is vital the FO keeps the boss Zalured when he's on the ground (see below for best way to do this), and the high damage characters with Shifta. Don't blindly Shifta - only if it's worth it. E.g. any character with an autogun is worth it, as is any Hunter with a good brand or Buster; but don't bother with a HUnl using a 0% brand unless you can cast on them at the same time as others. Resta is also important.

- If TP & casting time are available, FOs should use Barta if they know how to target with it, or Zonde if they don't. Zonde can also be used when the Gryphon is in the air. Support and healing techs are the top priority. Only cast when it's safe to attack, as with a HU.

- HUcaseals / HUmars with autoguns, and Rangers, should shoot his head.

- HUcasts / HUnewearls should attack the legs with the best melee weapon they have, preferably a %AB Buster. Be especially careful of the shockwave attack if you're using melee weapons.

- Other than the Shockwave, his Stomp attack does the most damage. This can be hard to dodge, but you can minimise the damage a little. The more directly under the final jump-->land animation you are, the more damage will take, so try and stop him landing directly on you.

- Don't bother trying to shoot him in the air, you will do 0-2 damage at best.

- When the Gryphon is in the air, and begins a swoop to make a Winged Attack, the safest place to be is directly under him at the edge of the arena. The FO should always be here, and should Zalure the boss whilst in the air / as he starts to swoop. This one casting of Zalure will last the entire time he lands on the ground. Melee weapons users are also fine here, and if the party is grouped together here it's a good time to cast Shifta.

- If you're using a gun on the head, the correct position to take during the Winged Attack is more complicated. You have three options - Wait with the FO; wait at the opposite end to the boss' starting flight point; wait exactly half-way along his flight path at the edge. The boss will make a long swoop, or a short one. On a long swoop, he will return and land to face his starting point of flight. On a short swoop, he will land and face away. If you're under the start point, the head is exposed on a long swoop but not a short one; vice versa if you stand opposite it. The best place to be is halfway, giving you the option of always moving to hit the head - it's also the most dangerous, as it's hardest to avoid the Winged Attack, which has heavy critical hit damage. Also try and ensure you are making it as easy as possible for the FO to Shifta you before he lands.

- If at any point you're using a gun and can't get at the head without risking running into a Shockwave, target the wings.

- Keep your HP full as much as possible, many of his attacks do 95% damage or greater and if you're 10 HP short of max you could lose a scape.

- Already said above, but worth saying again - Stay away from that Shockwave!!!