Salva Mines is one of the dungeons in Star Ocean: The Second Story R. Rena has been forcibly taken by Allen, who has been acting like a completely different person, into his mansion to make him his wife. It’s up to Claude to save her and find out what caused Allen’s strange behavior.
Read ahead as we go through the events in the Salva Mines of Star Ocean: The Second Story R and share some tips as well as some helpful items that can be found throughout the game.
See previous: Introduction Walkthrough
On this Guide:
Salva Mines
The Salva Mines are full of enemies, and it’s also another good location to level up, especially since you’ll be encountering your first boss in here soon. There’s also a save point by the entrance where you came in, so make sure to save up right away.
On your first encounter, you will learn another combat mechanic involving Spheres. These spheres fill up the Bonus Gauge which can deal additional effects towards enemies.
From the save point, your objective will lead you to the north path, but we’ll take a detour to the west path to grab some items. Follow the west path all the way to the end to find chests that contain an Anklet and Blueberries.
Back at the save point, take the north path and head towards the east at the fork to find more Blackberries.
Head back to the fork and take the west path to discover Unique Spot – Quietly Gleaming Minerals. Inspect it to get 100 EXP, x2 Ruby, and x2 Silver.
Continue following the northwest path and you’ll find a chest that contains the Resurrection Elixir at a rest site. The path up ahead is blocked, so head back to the fork at the unique spot.
Take the small path to the east where you can find a Buckler.
Then, head to the northeast where you will find another save point. To the northwest are more chests that contain some Spectacles and more Blueberries.
Once you’re ready, take the path to the north where the objective is.
As Rena, you’ll arrive at the altar where Allen is waiting. Rena tries to escape, but Allen’s guards drag her back to the table, where she is chained. Claude then arrives at the altar to stop Allen.
As Claude, you’ll find Rena chained down to a table by Allen as he begins the ritual.
Allen, who is under the influence of the stone, then gets enraged and turns into a monster.
Boss Fight: Allen Tucks
You’ll then be fighting against the monstrous Allen as the first boss fight. This boss fight will serve as a test of your basic combat understanding, as not only is Allen super strong, but the character you didn’t choose to play as will still be at level 1.
Before the fight, you’ll learn about character switching since now you’ll be able to control either Claude or Rena one at a time.
Allen’s hits can range from staggering amounts of damage to instant KOs, which is why it is recommended to control Claude even though he’s just at level 1 since he has the ability to perfect blocks and parry easily, while having Rena provide supporting fire from a distance. It’s also important to get Allen’s aggro at all times as Claude, especially if you have a level 1 Rena.
Allen does not have any special attacks, but his basic attacks still pack a punch. Pay attention whenever the boss glows red, as this is an indication that he will be performing an attack. Once you see the red outline, press the block button to nullify the attack and gain a window for a counterattack.
Continue being on the defensive until his health bar is depleted, and you will win the fight. Your characters will get 150 EXP split evenly if both survive the fight; otherwise, only the surviving character will get the EXP.
After the fight, the stone that has been controlling Allen will be destroyed, and he’ll return back to normal.
Post Salva Mines
After making sure that Allen is alright, Rena and Claude will set back to Arlia and head to the mayor’s house. The mayor then talks more about the Sorcery Globe and how it might have connected Rena and Claude together. With Claude convinced to investigate the Sorcery Globe and letting Rena accompany him on the journey, they decide to set off the next day.
Outside the mayor’s house, the two protags get to talk, which gets cut short.
As Claude, your friendship level with Rena will increase. Friendship levels often get raised between two characters after fighting together or experiencing a special dialogue via the Private Action mode, which will be explained further in the next few scenes.
You’ll also get another dialogue with the mayor about Rena’s past and how she was found in the Sacred Forest near a similar device that brought Claude into the same forest. Rena then comes and asks Claude for a chat.
As Rena, you head back home to ask permission to go on a journey from Westa. After doing so, go back outside and follow the objectives, with one of them meeting up with Claude by the bridge. The two then talk about the reason why Rena wants to go on the journey and that she wants to know where she actually came from.
Post Salva Mines – Next Day
On the following day, the two then set out for their journey.
As Rena, you will be introduced to how the World Map operates as well as the different combat mechanics, similar to what Claude did before.
Private Actions
Before heading to Salva, head back to Arlia from the World Map to learn more about Private Action. Private Action is a mode where special events can happen between two characters on your roster. In these events, characters will have special interactions, and in most of them, there is an opportunity to raise Friendship Levels.
For this instance, you can enter Private Action mode and you’ll see that the current map will have the Private Action marker on it. Head to the marker to initiate the interaction.
For Rena, go to the marker to find Claude talking to himself, worried about ever going back to Earth.
For Claude, follow the marker back to Rena’s room, where you’ll have a conversation with her. You will have to choose a dialogue option that can increase or decrease your Friendship level with Rena. Choose the “What happened in the past?” option to raise your Affection with her.
It’s important to mention that you may want to save your game before engaging with these interactions in case you make a mistake with the dialogue options.
Salva – Revisited
Make your way back to Salva, as you’ll need to cross through the town to get to your next destination: Krosse City.
While in the town, especially as Rena, you can check the shops and the chests that you may have missed. Make sure to stock up on consumables that you will need for the road ahead, and also purchase some upgrades for your characters’ gear and weapons.
Head back to the altar down in the mines to get the chest that you were only able to see during the cutscenes to find a Robe. You could also talk to Allen back in his mansion, and he will give Rena a Ring of Happiness as a way to make amends.
World Map – To Krosse
From Salva, take the exit path northwest to get to the route that leads to Krosse City.
The path to Krosse City is straightforward towards the north, but you can take the time to grind some levels from the enemies out in the World Map. Also, you can take some detours to find some chests that contain helpful items.
- x3 Blackberries
- Gold Cross
- x5 Eggs and Dairy
- Lunar Talisman
Once you’re done, you can then continue to follow the marker that leads to the castle in Krosse City.
