Many, many thanks needs to be said to several people for this run:
~Everyone who posted in the thread in the forums with their tips, tricks, and encouragement
~PeTeRL90, GamePsychotic, Cyril, Zeus Guy, and EvilThor at GameFAQs for their various guides and maps
~All those who watched my streams as I worked on the game and run
~Nate, Mike, and everyone else who maintains SDA and works hard to make it what it is today
~Lastly, my roommates for putting up with me taking over the TV for this run, and denying them of ESPN :P

This is my first speedrun I've ever done, and even today I wonder what exactly drove me to attempt Skies of Arcadia Legends (SOAL for short). Played normally, one could clock in an easy 30+ hours into it. This speedrun is completed in less than half that time, and required an insane amount of luck, patience, and sanity. Before I go into details about each of the segments, I'll cover some of the finer points of the game and run that may help understand why I do things the way I do (especially for those who've never played this game).

-Timer/Saving: The game's timer only shows the hours and minutes, but the seconds are indeed saved. The timer itself continually runs EXCEPT for in the inventory/menu screen. So I try to limit my time in that screen when I'm switching equipment, learning skills, and using items.

-Magic: Magic is learned by getting Magic Experience (MExp) from winning battles. Most battles will grant 2-3 MExp, so multiple battles must be won to learn the best spells. What spell a character learns is based on the color/element of the weapon equipped by themselves and by the rest of the party. Characters also earn double MExp for the color they are using. This MExp is applied to every character and from every character. For example, Vyse and Aika start the first battle using Red and Green weapons respectively. The battle yields 1 MExp. Vyse will gain 2 Red MExp (The color he is using, so it is doubled) and 1 Green MExp (For the color of Aika's weapon). Aika will earn 2 Green MExp (Color using) and 1 Red MExp (From Vyse). Once Silver becomes available, I switch everyone to it. In a four person party with 1 MExp granted, everyone earns 5 Silver MExp (2 for their weapon color, and 1 for every other party member).

-Weapon Color/Element: Six colors are used in SOAL - Red, Green, Purple, Blue, Yellow, and Silver. Each color representing an element and effect - Fire/Strength (Red), Poison/Heal (Green), Ice/Silence (Purple), Wind and Water/Speed (Blue), Lightning/Weakness (Yellow), and Void/Life and Death (Silver). Like many RPGs, the elements have advantages and disadvantages against each other. A full table can be found in the Moon Stone Guide by EvilThor at GameFAQs. I use the elemental attributes as best I can to deal damage and prevent damage.

-Battles: As would be expected, I try to minimize the number of battles that I fight. I will typically run from battles unless I can win them in one move. Advantages to winning battles include getting Exp for levels, MExp for spells, and not risking a failed attempt to run, thus ensuring that I get a faster time. The White Map makes this much easier to do.

-Battle Order: There isn't much I can do to change the order of battle. Quick is a stat that influences the order, however it isn't a guarantee. The order (as best as I can tell) is determined by the Quick + RNG, so sometimes your fastest character will go last. Some special moves, however, go first no matter what. Aika's Delta Shield, Fina's Lunar Light, and Drachma's Spirit Charge are examples of this. Defend will always go before anything, plus no animation makes it very nice for running. Rarely do I need certain characters to act before others, so the order of battle doesn't matter much. In the battles where it is important, I will note it in the segment notes.

-Moonberries/Moonfish/White Map: Moonberries and Moonfish are items that I collect throughout the game, but only what I need. Moonberries unlock a character's special moves, and as often as I use these moves, I need nearly every collectable moonberry in the game (I think I skip one in ...). 10 Moonfish are needed to obtain the best item for speedrunning this game: the White Map. The White Map is an accessory that reduces the rate of random encounters to almost zero for most areas. It also has two other added effects: I cannot be surprised, and I can run from battle without fail.

-Weapons: Vyse gets the most weapon improvements and is my main damage dealer. Aika and Fina do not get new weapons as their attack power is weak even with their best weapons, so they are mostly relagated to support. Drachma does get a new weapon or two, but only at the beginning of the game when he can deal more damage than Vyse.

-Magic Boxes: Useful items that hold multiple charges of a spell. The number of charges available varies from box to box. Every use of the box has a chance of breaking the box, making it disappear from the inventory. So although a box may have 7 or 8 charges in it, it can still break on the first use. The chances of the box breaking increases with each use, with some spells having a higher increase than others.

-Cutscenes: SDA requires that cutscenes be skipped if possible. This game doesn't provide a way to skip cutscenes, sadly, so we have to watch them. Feel free to pause and read the text, as there are many memorable lines in the game. I'd say that about 40-50% of this run is cutscenes.

-Swashbuckler Boosts: Choices will show up on occasion during cutscenes, allowing the player to improve Vyse's reputation. The higher the reputation, the more Vyse can do, including recruiting crew members, obtaining weapons, and getting price discounts. None of this really helps speed up the game though, as after Nasrad is destroyed an imposter ruins your reputation until you defeat him and his crew. I still choose the options that grant it though, as the majority of them have shorter texts to advance through.

-Discoveries: These are a good source of income besides battles and selling unneeded equipment. I collect as many as I can that aren't too out of the way until I return to Cresent Isle to build my base.

I think that is everything that can cover the majority of questions. Forgive the quality of gameplay for the first dozen segments or so, as I was still new at this and hadn't fully developed my own speedrunning procedure and standards. Now on to the individual segments!

Segment 1: Vyse of the Blue Rogues -

Would you beleive that this segment took the longest to produce? Almost 3 months. The main reason why it took so long was because I needed the Electri Box drop from the Soldiers. Sadly, that box only has a 1% drop rate. Meaning that if I didn't get it, I had to rewatch the intro. Also, I couldn't be picky about how the battle went. Otherwise it might have been a while before I get the drop again. I switch Aika to Red so that she can learn Pyri in the second battle. Pyri acts as my main crowd clearing attack for a while. The random encounter I get in this segment are easily dispatched by Pyri.

Segment 2: Shocking First Impressions -

Wondered what that Electri box was for from the first segment? Two-hit KO on Antonio. Aika gets to use it as she has the higher Quick stat. Drops him quickly and I get my first Moonberry. Along the way back to Pirate Isle I get my first Discovery. The rest of the segment is story advancement and treasure collection, including a second Moonberry. That ladder leading down from Vyse's room always was a pain to use, at least it went well.

Segment 3: Shrine Island -

The first battle is a favorite. Rarely do you get that many monsters in one battle, and take them all out in one shot! The battle that features the giant red fish is forced on you when you walk there, but you can escape from it. Got a little turned around in a couple of spots, but recovered quickly, so little time lost.

Segment 4: Ancient Guardian -

This fight could have been done better. I didn't need to use Focus on the first turn, and the counter-attack just wasted time. Still, for all that could have happened (and has happened in previous attempts), this fight went well. Everything else went as good as it can get.

Segment 5: Of Arcwhales and Old Men -

Everything goes well. I fight that last battle normally because I need 58 more gold for the next segment. Since the recording was going much better than several of the other recordings I decided to fight whatever I could get next. I should have used Pyri on the second turn instead of attacking. It would have been faster.

Segment 6: Tricking the Old Man -

Not really anything special here. Aika learns Alpha Storm, I get my first two Moonfish towards the White Map, and buy some Crystales Boxes for later.

Segment 7: Picking on Others, Pirates and Kids Alike -

Here we get our first taste of ship battles. Baltor makes for an easy fight, being defeated on the third round. On the way to Valua, a lone Scourfly decides to take Aika's new move head-on. Thanks to that, she now has Increm. In Valua, I meet Marco.

Segment 8: Sewer Time -

On the way to the sewer entrance I pick up a Moonberry that may seem to be out of the way, but I'll need it for later. Navigating the sewers is easy, but getting through with few battles (and successfully escaping from them) is the hard part. Fortunately several of the monsters here can be taken out with Aika's Alpha Storm, the problem is getting them lined up. I take a little time in selecting Aika's target as they will move on me most of the time, and I may miss some of them. Usually though, I'll try to select one that may move the furthest away, as others will move in close and will get caught in the attack. If there was more than one Mind Stealer (zombie-riding insect), then I would try to run.

Segment 9: Bleigock Gets Bounced -

This battle went well. I faced a painful problem with Aika when I was working on this boss. Her low HP made it easy to take her out, especially when being targeted by Bleigock. Many of Bleigock's attacks can poison, so that doesn't help her HP problem either. However, with a little luck, he goes down and Aika is still standing.

Segment 10: Executed, Pirate Style -

Two-turn win with underleveled characters on one of the hardest early game bosses and his goons? Go, watch, now.

Segment 11: Ridin' the Rails -

Every battle on the train is triggered at those points. Fortuneately they don't make you stick around, so I run. The battle against the Royal Guards can be tough since they can and will heal themselves, so I focus on taking them down one at a time. One more Moonfish is added to my collection at the end.

Segment 12: Land Under the Red Moon -

Fina gets the Vidal seed because she needs all the hp and def that she can get. I use the Captain's Stripe here because once I reach Maramba the Little Jack becomes unavailable until just after I get the Red Crystal. In payment for the Vidal seed, I take the Mystic Veil from Fina and give it to Aika. It increases Aika's Will and thus affects her Alpha Storm, making it a little more powerful and just strong enough to take out the upcoming foes. I head back to Sailor's Isle to purchase and equip the Little Jack with a pair of Secondary Cannons. I have to buy and equip here because like I said earlier, once in Maramba, the Little Jack becomes unavailable.

Segment 13: Dungeons & Deserts -

Weird that the moonfish cursor needed to 'lock-on' to the moonfish, even though I already had it in my sights. The rest of the segment is just getting everything in town taken care of and getting to the Pyrynn Temple. Resting in the inn is mandatory (and free!) to advance the story.

Segment 14: Where's My Whip and Fedora? -

This segment (14) and the following three segments (15-17) are perhaps the lowest point in my speedrun. I rushed to get these segments done and because of that, they aren't as good as they should be. I would have gone back to re-do them, but I had already overwritten the save files, so I'll just stick with them.

I use the Electri Boxes and Aika's Alpha Storm to try and clean house in one turn. Normally I would run from these battles (and I still would if there was more than one Death's Head), but I need to get Fina some exp so that she won't be as much a pushover at bosses. Another Moonfish is caught, and another Moonberry collected here.

Every treasure had a battle with Tikis attached to it, so I only get the treasures that are necessary for survival. Thankfully you aren't required to stay and fight. Speaking of battles, any area that you entered where you had to roll those stone cylinders was a battle-free area. I ran into no battles what-so-ever in every run of the areas. Once the last puzzle is solved in the lava chamber, however, that rule no longer applied. I really forgot about that set of stairs in the bottom corner until after I placed the first cylinder on the last puzzle.

Segment 15: Recumen & Lynx -

Boss battle, after boss battle, after boss battle. The girls finally get some new armor at this point. The key to Rokwyrm is that no one gets petrified, as I need everyone to attack all three turns (except Vyse on the first, he needed that Increm).

I've always wondered how Bellena...I mean, Belleza, could put on MORE clothes after taking off the veil. Most clothing change scenes have the person change to an equal amount or less of clothing within the time the cloak/cape/veil/coat/etc covers him/her. That's not even to mention how she loses her tan...

Recumen fight is a joke. The secret to not getting hit at all in his battle lies in how he gets hit. Damage doesn't matter in this fight, so no need for Increm. He will only attack on the red squares, so that helps with avoiding his attacks. I fire three shots (from the two secondary cannons), and only two of the three need to hit for Recumen to miss with his attack. It doesn't even matter if you use your cannons or secondary cannons, just as long as you hit him twice between the turn before and the turn he attacks. The reason why I just use secondary cannons at first is because they cost less SP at 2 SP per shot. As cool as using the S Cannon would be on the fourth and fifth turns, it just wastes time since damage doesn't matter. That fifth turn is why I needed two secondary cannons.

Segment 16: The Dreaded South Ocean -

This segment covers the travel from Maramba to Ixa'taka via South Ocean. South Ocean is known for having a seemingly higher encounter rate than anywhere else, so multiple battles are to be expected. Fortunately, Aika can take out most of the monsters on the way thanks to her new move: Lambda Burst. As I won't have enough SP to use Lambda Burst, I attempt to run. If I'm successful, great. If not, then I'll have enough SP for Lambda Burst and can take them out in one shot. I switch people to Blue so that Fina and Aika can learn Wevli in preparation for a ship battle two segments later.

Before landing in Horteka, I gather several discoveries, including two that you need to advance the story and unlock Rixis later. Normally you will go see the King first, save Isapa, learn about the need for two gems, then find them before going to Rixis. I get them now so that I can go straight to my destinations without the need to look for the gems.

Segment 17: Untrusting Natives & Pryomaniac Midgets -

I take of business here in the village by collecting Sacri crystals, a Moonberry, a Moonfish, a Paranta Seed, and finish with new defensive gear for Vyse and Drachma. All the while I'm advancing the story. After talking to the Village Elder I stay the night to fully heal the party and the ship for the upcoming battle.

Once I leave the village, I head towards the King's hideout (which you can easily see, so it isn't much of a hideout) and meet the midget admiral - De Loco. Against him, you want to deal enough damage so that he will go down once you use the Harpoon Cannon. Wevli makes itself useful here in preping De Loco for a new hole in his ship. I take a little time in selecting commands as I'm double-checking my notes, showing my inexperience and lack of practice. I get much better in later segments.

After De Loco goes down, it's a simple matter of talking to the king, then going to Moonstone Mountain.

Segment 18: Mining for the Midget -

From this segment on is when I feel I really started to improve. Thanks goes to everyone who urged me to re-do these next segments for a better time and cleaner execution!

Moonstone Mountain features monsters that cannot be taken out in one shot, so I have to run from every battle. There is one battle that is forced upon me, and I take care of that one easily. Pretty smooth otherwise. I heal Aika before the fight with the guards so that she will survive the battle (and it was a good thing too).

Segment 19: We Can Build Him Stronger, Faster! Antonio 2.0! -

Antonio loves his special move, Thunder of Fury. If given the chance he would use it every turn. But, a little thing called luck manipulation makes him only use it once this time around. After his fall (onto Alfonso), it's smooth sailing to the King's Hideout and to Rixis.

Segment 20: Follow That Ghost! -

Not much to say about this segment. Everything went smoothly save for one battle where that lone monster decided to guard instead of taking the full attack.

Segment 21: Funnest. Boss. Ever. -

The most optimal fight involves Aika being targeted by Ring of Sleep and Rik'Talish being subjected to chain petrification by Fina. However, for some reason Rik'Talish didn't want to target Aika with it, so I compromised. Enjoy the long cutscene! GRENDAL PAWWNNCCCHHH!!!

Segment 22: Mad Midget & Green Giant -

I know that it could be a few seconds faster (that mistake I made with Aika during the Grendel fight...ugh), but everything else went really well. I don't memorize the commands for these ship battles, I have a list next to me when I run them. If I memorize them, I'm sure to mix them up (especially when there are two battles back-to-back like this segment). So I use the time when the animations are running to look at the next set of commands and mentally prep myself to input them. Even that, though, isn't without minor flaws.

If you're wondering why I healed myself at the end of the Grendel fight, it's because I am using the slots leading up to the Harpoon Cannon to prep the Little Jack for one last ship battle that will take place in a couple of segments and I am not going to heal between now and at all during that battle.

Segment 23: The Grass Was Greener Back There -

As far as this segment goes, the only thing wrong with it is that Yulooper battle. Normally I'd reset if I failed to run twice in a row in a single battle, but I took my chances that the remaining Eloopers would just run (which all but one did). I tried to CF it (which is a guaranteed hit), but it ran. So they wasted about a minute of time. At least I'm 800 gold closer to the 100k I need later.

Gordo can be a pain to handle, but he gets served here (pun intended). Vyse gets a Sacri crystal in battle because I was playing it cautious and I don't have any Curia crystals at this point to cure the poison.

This is the only time that I save outside of a town or dungeon.

Segment 24: Jack -

And so we finish with Drachma (for now). The fight with the soldiers went well, and the ship battle was easy. The reason for the Wevli right after the Harpoon Cannon was because I missed with the B-type. There was a slight chance of not dealing enough damage with the Harpoon Cannon, so the Wevli was just insurance that I ended up not needing. Fortunately only a minimal amount of time was lost. Other than that, it was a solid segment.

Segment 25: Two Maps -

The only thing that gave me a headache was trying not to get the moonstone and wood locations confused (which did happen, but I only lost a couple of seconds total). The grapor battles were not the best I've had, but considering that only that first battle left me empty-handed (and was quick), this worked.

Segment 26: Following the Skull's Gaze -

This could be combined with the next segment, but I didn't want to watch Gilder's and Vyse's cutscene over and over, meaning that I could optimize this one easily.

Segment 27: Two Team Shenanigans -

There were a couple of ugly battles, but this was the fastest time I have gotten, all things considered.

Segment 28: Rock & Roll -

I am in awe at the combination of luck and curses that this segment gave me. Three events happened that I didn't want: Death Waltz, and two surprised battles on the way back to Nasrad. My original plan was to manip the segment so that Death Waltz wouldn't occur at all since it would kill one or two characters (Aika and Fina usually), but since Sinistra (the red rock) didn't use Explosion on the first turn I was able to have the girls defend and survive Death Waltz. Usually I would see about 4-5 Explosions/Tundra Blasts, but this time only 2 Tundra Blasts. Aika barely survived the second Tundra Blast, and that Vyse and Gilder killed off Destra before it could do anything, showing a great deal of luck. The two surprised battles weakened Aika further (which is perfect for the next segment, as she becomes a hindrance in the Vigoro fight), and I escaped on the first try. Don't know why the area box for that Nasrad ship was so large, I really should have been able to go under it.

Segment 29: Back to the Grand Fortress, Part 2 -

This segment was annoying because of the 5 minutes of cutscene at the beginning of it. Should any of the required fights go wrong, or I fail to escape too many times, I got the privilege of watching that cutscene over. Thankfully, this was my best recording, save for that issue with the 3rd spotlight at the end. I forgot that I needed to run below it and when I saw it coming, I panicked, thinking that I could get out of range in time (almost did too). Didn't waste too much time, thankfully (only one foe in that battle), but it just looks bad. Still, I'll take this over the other attempts.

Segment 30: Takin' Care of Business -

I will, with all honesty, say that this is perhaps the ugliest boss fight in the entire run. Of all the boss strategies possible, this is the one that I've found to have the best chance of victory with minimal loss, and it's ugly. The Dralkor Tank has two options: Attack and Wheel Blast. Guess which one it will use more often? This recording isn't my best fight against it, but at the same time, it places in the top three. At least the rest of the segment went well. No random battles on the way to Doc, and only one (which caught me off guard slightly, since I was used to not running into any) on the way to Nasrad.

Segment 31: Big Sale! (Almost) Everything Must Go! -

Not a whole lot to say about this. After selling everything that I won't need, I end up about 7700 gold short. Not a problem, as the Kanezls (green & yellow colored plant things) drop 1000 gold each and they are easily found around Cresent Isle. The battles also had the added benefit of building the Silver magic experience and Fina reaching level 20 (which always helps).

I have been told that my run will be rejected solely because I didn't chose Aika's flag. Thanks bmn!

Segment 32: Dodge Ram -

A fairly straight-forward segment. Only need the Moonberry in town, then just advance the plot. The two battles before Gregorio are simple. You get a Speed Wax from the second ship to use on Gregorio to avoid his Battering Ram attack, thus saving SP. Gear Grease is used as well to save some SP for later.

Segment 33: Dark Tunnels -

If you are experiencing dizziness or disorientation when I'm going through the tunnels, don't worry. I experience it too on occasion, and I'm the one running this!

This place is like a maze. If you go down the wrong tunnel, you'll end up back at the beginning. Thankfully, there is an easy way to tell if a tunnel is going to send you back or not. The entrance to the tunnel flashes a faint color. Red means that it will send you to the beginning, and blue means that it is safe. Obviously I take the fastest blue route to get to the end. Along the way I collect the Dream Cutlass for Vyse, a Moonberry, and the rare Aura of Valor.

Segment 34: Rift Guardian -

This boss is fun. A favorite tactic of his is to duck inside the tunnel he is guarding, dropping the accuracy of your shots dramatically. So the trick is to nail him when he is poking his head out. Once you've done enough damage, he comes out and wanders for a turn or two, allowing you to hit him hard. The Moonstone Cannon doesn't need accuracy, it's large enough to fill the tunnel and hit him.

Segment 35: Yafutoman Prophecy -

Phew...out of that dark and dizzying rift. I've timed how long you have after you pass that cloud wall before you trigger the cutscene (it's about 15 seconds), and one second before it is triggered, I switch out the White Map for the Counter Bracer.

This segment took its time because both the battle with the ship and with Jao & Mao needed the right amount of luck. The ship battle was really lucky in that a few of the shots were critical hits, defeating it on that third turn. If I wasn't so lucky, the ship might have healed itself at the end of the third turn (which happens fairly often). I can only hit it on select turns as it will fly to a higher altitude and make me lose my target. Jao & Mao can't KO anyone, as I wouldn't be able to use Prophecy, so there was some luck needed there. Once I got past them, it was smooth sailing.

Segment 36: Four People In One Underwater Suit?! -

Mount Kazai seems quick in comparison to the other dungeons that feature the Moon Crystals. But that can be attributed to not facing as many battles and escaping every battle save one that you must fight. The statues can petrify quite often with their attacks, hence the need for the Gem of Fluidity (which negates petrification). Fortunately, even if petrified, characters still add Spirit.

Segment 37: Tortigar & Tenkou -

Thanks goes to DoubleThink for this Tortigar strategy. He modified what I originally had and made the improvment suggestion.

Something that you may notice in this segment is that I stop by the ship shop to purchase and equip a torpedo - something that I could have done a couple of segments back when I bought the Deluxe Kits before going to the dungeon. Reason why I do it here is because when I was planning this segment a while back, I originally needed to buy a sword from the weapons shop at the same time as the Sacrum crystals, which would leave me with almost no money for the torpedo. So I saved the purchase until after the dungeon (which is when I would have enough money). However, I forgot two things. First, I already had a better weapon in the Dream Cutlass from the Dark Rift (which I remembered to equip in the final run). Second, when I altered my notes to reflect not needing to purchase a sword, I forgot to move about purchasing the torpedo to the same time as the Deluxe Kits. At least it didn't take too much time to take care of.

Segment 38: I Kinda Need My Ship Back... -

Two battles are thrust on you as you navigate your way to the bridge, but you can escape from them (easy with the White Map). Muraji and his goons are a piece of cake, especially when you drop a moon on them, so that's what I do. Thanks goes to bmn for pointing it out. Battling the Draco is nothing more than a slugfest. Every green square you lose your target, but the trade-off is that you get two chances every roundThe battle with Bleuheim (aka The Big Blue Bird) is where things can be dangerous. I cut this battle close with this strategy (as close as 50 of my ship's hp remaining in one attempt), but here it works well in my favor.

Segment 39: Upside-down Ice Dungeon? -

Not much to say about this part. I get more than enough Complete Kits on Cresent Isle and then make my way to the Lands of Ice. The dungeon itself is pretty straight-forward. No battles that I need to fight, and I escape any that I do run into.

Segment 40: A Penguin? And The Old Man?! -

Veltarn hits hard. His regular attack can confuse you, Death Lazer can kill in one hit, and Avalauncher is dangerous. Multiple deaths is normal when fighting him, and Enrique is the unfortunate victim...twice. Fina also falls, but Riselem crystals bring them right back. Add to that some persistant attacking by Vyse and Veltarn goes down. The rest of the segment is just cutscenes and returning to Cresent Isle.

Segment 41: Recruitment & Setup -

Another short travel segment. Thanks to having learned Riselem and the new engine allowing me to enter Upper and Lower Sky, I now can go an recruit Ilchymis. You have to talk to him twice to recruit him, and you must exit his home between the conversations. Since I'm in the neighborhood, I use the alternative entrance to the Lands of Ice to get a Moonberry. After that, it is on to the Maw of Tartas.

Segment 42: Making Holes Around The Maw of Tartar Sauce -

Thanks goes to Gojeran for the pun! I'll never read it the same again.

For a small dungeon, one can easily get lost in here. Maybe because everything looks the same. I switch to the Counter Bracer once I'm in the chamber with Yeligar since there are no random encounters in it. As for Yeligar himself, he is a pushover. His attacks don't deal a great amount of damage, and he doesn't have as much HP as the other Gigas. But, on the plus side, he explodes nicely. Back on Cresent Isle, I upgrade Ilchymis' shop so that later I can buy Seeds from him.

Segment 43: MGS: Solid Pirate -

Dangral Island isn't much. Get in, get the plans, get out. I stop along the way for a Moonberry. Otherwise, enjoy the cutscenes.

Segment 44: So Long, Midget! -

Deep Sky provides you with a minigame-esqe activity as you are searching for Fina's ship. Every square holds something for you to pull up. All but three of them, however, are monsters that you have to fight with your ship. One is Fina's ship (which I just go directly to and nab it). The last two are Velorium, an item that can be used to make the strongest weapon for Vyse in the game. It would make sense in this run to get them, however the crew member you need to make them won't join unless you have a certain Swashbuckler title or higher. Vyse the Fallen Pirate is the lowest you get, and until you defeat your doppleganger, that's all you're going to be. So while getting the best weapon is a good idea, it isn't feasible in a speedrun.

The final battle against De Loco comes in two parts. The first part lasts until he has half of his HP left. Then he uses his own Harpoon Cannon to attach to you and bring on the second part. The hardest part of these battles is that your accuracy is greatly reduced, meaning that you're fairly likely to see your shots miss much more often. A little bit of luck manipulation takes care of that. Once De Loco is taken care of, all that is left is to return to Sailor's Island. Baltor does show up for revenge, but he gets turned away quickly.

Segment 45: Silver Space Shrine -

Cutscene, a quick battle, and more cutscenes. When Ramirez shows up you are given a chance to fight him, but it is a battle you must lose. So instead I chose to just hand over the crystals and save myself the trouble.

The Great Silver Shrine. You don't have control of the camera here, so it just follows you. Going left or right on the analog stick makes you rotate in that direction, so if the camera seems messed up or I make a slight mistake, blame it on the controls. That said, this place can make you dizzy and lost easily. Along the way I collect some armor and Moonberries. More cutscenes ensue, including a flashback. After all that, I return to Dangral Island.

Segment 46: Vigoro's Last Stand -

Just a repeat of what happened before, minus the treasure. This time, instead of going for the plans, I'm to take the large elevator just before the room with the plans. It is on this elevator that I face off against Vigoro for the final time. He can be a pain to fight, especially if he uses Cannon Fire, which can kill anyone but Gilder in a single hit if they aren't defending.

Segment 47: Vyse's Blue Rogue Armada -

Remember this guy? Yeah, he's that boss from the beginning of the game, all cleaned up and fully functional. Sadly, all that it amounts to is an increase in HP and the damage it deals. It gets sent to the scrapyard in a short time. A short cutscene later, and then we get to escape by running up the rails as they fall behind us! Then...nothing but cutscene for a while. It's one of my favorites. Not because it is where the pirates put aside their differences and all the characters are gathered, but because I'm now in charge of a freakin' armada of my own! Once back in control, I take care of business with Fina and Aika. Then in the morning, I pay a visit to Ilchymis to buy as many Paranta Seeds as I can for Vyse, and immediately use them.

Segment 48: Slaying The Hydra -

If all that you are looking for is ship battles, this is the segment you want. The entire segment is three ship battles, one right after the other. I first take on a Valuan Spellship, which is weak and doesn't really deal any damage (especially since I silenced it :P ). Then comes an Elite ship. This one puts up a little more of a fight, but still goes down fairly quickly. The one to worry about most here is the Hydra itself. Thankfully, with the right planning, it doesn't pose as much of a threat.

Segment 49: Hydra Interior -

A short segment for a short dungeon. There is a forced battle right when you try to enter that doorway before the save point with three elite soldiers (buffer versions of the Executioner), but I found that if you hug the corner you won't trigger it.

Segment 50: Sacrifice -

Galcian is one of those fights that you want to save in a separate file just because of how awesome it is. I don't use a Glyph of Might here because Galcian has a move that removes it entirely, rendering it useless. If anything, I could have used it to waste one of Galcian's turns, but then I'd have to remove someone from their duty to do it. They're better served later when they won't be removed as often.

After the cutscene, I go out onto the deck to switch Gilder out for Drachma. Everyone deserves equal time in the party, right? On approach to Shrine Island, you get a single round ship battle against one of Soltis' defending robot things. If you can take it out, you get the best armor for the ship and one of the best ship cannons in the game. Naturally, that's what I do.

Segment 51: Soltis -

Soltis has, I believe, the highest encounter rate in the game. Why else would I run into so many battles with the White Map equipped? I don't think it is because if the size of the dungeon, as I blaze through it in a matter of minutes. Even so, this was a lucky attempt with only three battles. I collect the final pair of Moonberries on the way, but beyond that, not much else.

Segment 52: Legend of Vyse, the Fallen Pirate -

Watch and be amazed at the sheer amount of luck I had against Ramirez...both times I fought him! Downside was missing my first two shots against Zelos, but considering that this clocked in at 42 minutes (4 minutes under my estimated time), I'll take it! Aika falls at the end of the first fight, but it doesn't matter at this point. I even get so excited about how well the final fights are going that I make one of the biggest mistakes in the run at the final boss - I tried to use magic when Aika's Delta Shield is up (which negates magic). Well, at least it didn't waste too much time. The timer ends when the death animation starts for Ramirez.

Final Thoughts:

Wow. Here we are. I can't believe that it is done. Almost a year and a half in the making and many, many attempts in recording. I honestly don't know what else to say. I guess that a common question would be if this could be improved. Sub-12 hours is possible, but don't expect me to work on that anytime soon. ;P

If you have any questions/comments/suggestions/etc. feel free to PM me in the forum.

"A young boy had a dream.
A young girl had passion.
A mysterious stranger had a mission.
And the world will forever know their story.

As long as there are dreamers who
have the courage to pursue their dreams,
the world will have heroes.

And as long as there is a thirst to discover the unknown,
there will be new stories to tell...

and new adventures to be had."

See you next speedrun!

~Zyre