Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky

[MilesTraysandor]

Well, Snover is only with you the first 10 floors. Just take some Oran Berries and use them as needed. Also once in a while, the weather will clear up on the floor, you can use that time to rest (Press A+B at the same time) and restore Bidoof's HP.

Also at the end you have to fight Jirachi. As a Steel type, you'll have a very hard time going one-on-one with it as Bidoof, unless... my reccomendation is not to try that episode until you have a Dig TM in storage, you can teach it to Bidoof and have a much easier time against Jirachi.

Which is also a second note about Special Episodes. Anything you have in Kangaskhan Storage that you've obtained from the main story can be used in Special Episodes. When you get to the end of a Special Episode, all of the items you obtained will be put into Kangaskhan Storage automatically, and any money you find will go to Duskull bank.

 

[PrismaticAngel]

Which is also a second note about Special Episodes. Anything you have in Kangaskhan Storage that you've obtained from the main story can be used in Special Episodes. When you get to the end of a Special Episode, all of the items you obtained will be put into Kangaskhan Storage automatically, and any money you find will go to Duskull bank.

Yeah, I know about that, It's very handy indeed.

Anyways, I've beaten it.

 

[MilesTraysandor]

I'll say this though, Special Episode 5 is easily the longest of them all. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't unlocked it yet, but you're going to be playing it for quite a while without access to Treasure Town. Make sure you start the campaign with 24 Reviver Seeds in storage, life will be a lot easier that way. =p

(Alternatively, you can start playing and quit the special episode at any Kang statue with access to storage, if you need to get more Reviver Seeds and stuff)

 

[PrismaticAngel]

Okay, I've just gotten through Amp Plains and when I came to the end I noticed there was something different, the Luxray tribe has been replaced by Manectric and Electrike. I'm wondering why... Could it have been because Luxray and Luxio were too hard?

 

[MilesTraysandor]

Perhaps they recieved a few too many complaints on the issue. Honestly, I never had much trouble with the Amp Plains boss, even when I had a Water Type as my starter/partner.

However it is the first time in the game that stresses the importance of having Reviver Seeds in your Treasure Bag. Sure, the fight's made a little easier if you recruited a Pokemon with the Lightningrod ability (effectively nullifying Electric attacks on the party). but the fact still remains that you're still outnumbered in the fight, and all you need is one ill-timed critical hit against you to send you and your team packing.

That's the only thing that was really changed in the main game plot between the beginning and Dialga, aside from the new content and improvements on some old stuff. Also, check Croagunk's Swap shop once you start making use of Xatu in Treasure Town -- it's been improved somewhat, and sometimes you'll find items for your starter and partner there to swap for.

 

[PrismaticAngel]

Well, I didn't have any trouble with Luxray and Luxio on Darkness either. I was a Torchic and Turtwig there and I easily beat them. I did the same here with the Manectric tribe.

And yes, I know about Croagunk's new swap system; It already got me a Flash Tag (for Shinx, me) and a Valiant Rock (for my partner Riolu).

I especially love Spinda's bar in here, it gives you a nice boost in your stats when you put Gummi's there.

Which I might say, here are my current stats (without stat boosters):

Luxor, Male (Shinx, me)
Level: 30
HP: 112
Atk: 74
Def: 65
Sp.Atk: 58
Sp.Def: 67
Item frequently worn: Sky Blue Bow
IQ: ****'
Moves: Tackle, Wide Slash+1, Spark, Crunch.

Riolu, Male (partner)
Level: 29
HP: 105
Atk: 60
Def: 59
Sp.Atk: 63
Sp.Def: 54
Item when wearing: Power Band
IQ: **
Moves: Quick Attack, Bite, Force Palm, Reversal.

I'm now at Crystal Cave.

And my Explorer Rank: Super Rank (to next, 2290)

 

[MilesTraysandor]

Spinda's Juice Bar is nice, but I like the Recycle Shop even better -- I've scored awesome prizes from recycling common, useless junk like Common Seeds, Escape Orbs, etc. Just by levelling it to the point where you can draw Silver Tickets, you can get TMs for prizes -- and I even got a Surf HM as a big-win prize in the silver category. You get better TMs in the Gold tickets, and you can score extremely rare stuff by winning big in the Prism tickets -- That's how I got my IQ Booster, but you can also win stuff like the illusive Wonder Gummi.

Tip: Don't throw away Oran Berries unless you have excess amounts. Later on in the game you will get offers from the Recycle Shop that commonly involves trading 3 Oran Berries and a random Seed for Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc.... and occasionally you might get a Life Seed to trade for if you have some Plain Seeds lurking around.

General Prizes for Tickets (This is not a complete list, so the prize you get may be different than what's listed here)

Prize Ticket

Consolation - Orbs, Oran Berry
Medium Prize - Common Stat Boost Scarf
Big Win - Random Gummi

Silver Ticket

Consolation - I forget what, but it's not that good
Medium Prize - Random TM
Big Win - Better TM, Random HM (Rare)

Gold Ticket

Consolation - Don't even bother. Reset the game and try again.
Medium Prize - Better TM or Rare Scarf (Like Mobile Scarf*)
Big Win - Very Good TM, I forget what else but Big Wins are always good for your team.

Prism Ticket
Consolation - Unless you get a Huge Apple, reset the game.
Medium Prize - Good TM, Scarfs, etc.
Big Win - Generally stuff that boosts IQ, like Wonder Gummi, IQ Booster, etc. or a Very Good TM. I've also gotten Sitrus Berries (Increases Max. HP) and Joy Seeds (Instant Level Up)

*Mobile Scarf - always handy to keep around in case you start getting spammed by a Ghost pokemon hiding in the walls, holding a Mobile Scarf will let you fight back with any move you have. You can even travel through walls -- But be warned, your Belly empties extremely fast at the rate of 5 Belly Points per step while doing this, save it mostly for fighting back against ghosts, or if you only need to move 1-2 steps through a wall as opposed to having to travel all the way around)