[kh2walkthrunav]

Trouble at the Sandlot

Following your little incident yesterday, the gang tries to make another run for the beach. When Roxas tries to meet them, he encounters a very mysterious girl named Namine. The scene moves to the “Sandlot” where Seifer and his crew are being attacked by a group of Dusks!

Event: Defeat all the Dusks

Defeating the Dusks here is identical to your initial encounter with the Dusk on the 1st Day. At first, you won’t be able to deal any damage because of your Struggle Bat, but once the Keyblade comes along, you can defeat them using a similar strategy to the first fight. Keep in mind that you are dealing with more than one enemy this time, and while it is most effective to eliminate them one at a time, you should never ignore the others while you single one out.

Dive to the Heart

Clearing this battle transports Roxas to the “Station of Serenity” area, which should look rather familiar to anyone who has played the first KINGDOM HEARTS. Three weapons hover before you. You need to choose one, just as you did on the 1st Day, but this time, your decision holds a little more weight. The weapon you choose determines your character’s growth and development for the rest of the game, dictating when you will learn certain Abilities. Choosing the sword will cause your character to learn more physical Abilities early on. Choosing the staff means learning magic-boosting Abilities in your early Levels. Finally, choosing the shield will have your character learning defensive and supporting Abilities early in the game. Choose whichever style of gameplay you prefer. You’ll receive either a Strength +1, Magic +1, or Defense +1 Get Bonus for your choice.

Regardless of what you choose, Roxas can now wield the Keyblade, and the Dusks that were lurking on the outer edge of the platform now start to creep in.

Event: Defeat all the Dusks

Again, follow a similar strategy to when you fought them in the “Sandlot”, keeping an eye on the others while you take them down one by one. Use the Reversal Reaction Command to gain the upper hand and quickly defeat them.

Victory in this event earns you the Aerial Recovery Ability as a Get Bonus.

You should be aware as you play that the Get Bonuses you receive for clearing objectives in the game are not affected by the weapon choice you made. That decision only affects the Abilities you learn as you level up.

Head through the door that appears. Continue moving on, defeating the Dusks that appear in the “Station of Calling” until you reach another door. Enter it to be brought to your first real Boss fight!

Boss: Twilight Thorn

HP: 300          STR: 5          DEF: 2

Right off the bat, the Twilight Thorn will imprison Roxas in a glowing ball of light. This will trigger a series of Reaction Commands that you need to be quick with if you want to continue through the fight. Every now and then, the Twilight Thorn will repeat this series of events randomly throughout the battle, so watch out for it and be ready.

To make it through, press the Triangle Button when prompted for the Key Counter, Lunarsault, and Break Raid Reaction Commands. Each of them will give you ample time to trigger the Reaction Command, so you should have no problem. Following this attack, both the Twilight Thorn and Roxas plummet back down to the ground. Roxas gets up, but the Twilight Thorn will be down for a little while. Use this opportunity to land a few hits before it gets back on its feet.

Once it stands back up, the battle becomes a little more tricky. Your target is the creature’s head, which is well out of reach. To get at him, you’ll need to make use of the Reversal Reaction Command that accompanies its energy wave attacks. This will bring you right up to its head while dodging its attack, so you can land a few more hits. Continue this until the Twilight Thorn starts to use some of its other attacks.

At some point, the Twilight Thorn will wind up its arm and swing fast, so jump to avoid being hit. Also, be on the lookout for when the Twilight Thorn starts to do a back flip. It’ll follow up by swimming through the air across the platform, flailing its arms all around. Hug the outside edge of the platform to avoid getting hit. When it lands, you’re presented with another opportunity to attack. Its head will be on the ground, but you’re not entirely in the clear. The energy waves will be all over the place, so you’ll have to rapidly trigger Reversal Reaction Commands as they appear to avoid being hit. Also, watch out for the smaller Creepers that appear. They’re not very dangerous, but you should still keep an eye out for them and take them down to avoid getting swarmed.

The Twilight Thorn’s worst attack involves it taking the form of a floating ring with its head in the middle. Again, you can use the Reversal Reaction Commands to get up to the head and land a few hits, but you need to be careful. If you’re caught underneath the ring when the Twilight Thorn releases its massive energy blast, you’re in for some real pain. Try to make sure you’re above the head when the charge goes off, or you might find yourself losing the fight.

Victory against the Twilight Thorn earns you the Guard Ability and HP +5 as Get Bonuses.