Optional NPC Dialogue: Using the Blue (Far) Cursor

When talking to characters/npcs you will notice two different types of cursors: one yellow for up close and one blue for when you are far away. What you might not know is: you can actually listen to optional dialogue between any two npcs. All you have to do is stand far enough away from the two characters and select them with the blue (far) cursor. Each character will have something different to say, so be sure to check both of them for multiple dialoque options. There is quite a lot of hidden dialogue you can miss if you neglect to do this. And these conversations add more depth to the characters that you would otherwise miss if you failed to use this mechanic.

Changing Day into Night

When walking up to any main entrance you will be given the option to change day into night or vise versa. There are certain conversations you can only see at night. For example: like being able to talk to An'jou and Enkak sitting by the fire at the Caravan.

The Dragon's Hidden Moves: Getting the Kuo Pollen, Villatuya Fruit and the Dragon Booster

There are a few hidden moves you can add to your dragon's moveset as you progress through the game. By acquiring certain hidden items, you will be able to perform secret button functions and moves not explained or known to the player as stated below:

Location: Garil Desert/Green Oasis/ Disc 1

Item: Kuo Pollen

Item Locaiton: Found in one of the strange plants at the Green Oasis near the large ruin. Lock-on to the plant, fire a laser and you will see a strange red object pop out. Lock-on to it again to acquire the mysterious item.

Function/Move: This fruit allows your dragon to maintain its momentum. While flying (holding B), press L, let go of L, then let go of B. You will now be able to fly without having to constantly hold down the B button!

Location: Georgius/Inside Shellcoof/ Disc 3

Item: Dragon Booster

Item Locaiton: Once you have acquired laser rank level 3 you should have no problem activating three of the four pyramids, found throughout Georgius. After you destroy a pyramid, energy spheres will enter the back of the ship. The spheres are unlocking doors within Shellcoof. Once three pyramids are destroyed, the spheres pull you towards Shellcoof's entrance. So go inside.

As you near the end of the corridor make sure not to miss the Blast Chip X 1 and Dragon Booster X 1, that can be found on the left and right walls, just before the last green door.

Function/Move: The Dragon Booster has a special ability. When in movement and in the vicinity of multiple item containers or objects, if you perform a roll by pressing R, then immediately press A to activate your lock-on cursor. The dragon will lock-on to all surrounding targets at once instead of just one.

Location: Forest of Zoah/ Disc 4

Item: Villatuya Fruit

Item Locaiton: After having defeated the Infested Grig Orig near the end of Disc 4, return to the Forest of Zoah. The Villatuya Fruit is found due north from where you begin, on a large patch of vegetation. Lock-on to the blue plant and acquire the strange fruit. The exact location of the Villatuya Fruit can be found on this map.

Function/Move: When flying, press the R button to perform a roll, your speed will increase to its maximum velocity!

Changing the Time of Day in Uru

There is one location within the game where you can actually change the time of day! In Uru if you leave and re-enter the map you can change the time of day from: daytime, sunset and nighttime. This mechanic actually has a function on Disc 2 and 3, because you can only fight the Neo-Stryder and Neo-Stalker enemies on Disc 2 during sunset and the Kolba enemies on Disc 3 during the day.

Interacting with the Environment

Throughout the game you can use the cursor to select and examine multiple objects within the environment. For instance: at the start of the game inside the ruins, there is a dragon crest on the wall which you can select and read information about. Another example would be the Town of Zoah. You can select a giant windmill hanging above the town and it will spin, displaying some dialogue. Aside from examining objects, you can also receive items from examining objects. For instance in the Holy District, if you examine what looks like a stack of hanging objects, you will receive Zal Nuts or Zoah Harvest. So, keep a lookout for information on this in the main walkthough!

Enemy Item Drop Criteria

Normal enemies, sub-bosses and bosses, usually have two items you can receive after fighting them. What players might not realize is: your battle rank (Great or Excellent) determines which of these items you get.

For instance: against Bosses you will *always* get one of two items, determined by your rank. A "Great" rank will get you the fist lesser item drop, but an "Excellent", the highest ranking, will get you the second more prized item on their drop list.

With normal enemies and sub-bosses, the criteria is different. Even with a Great or Excellent ranking you still may not even get an item. So, your chances regardless of your rank are completely random. And getting a rank below Great make your chances go down to zero. Special thanks to forum member Delta for confirming and testing this criteria.

Telepathy Shard Item: Lets you detect enemies

A lot of people who play PDS for the first time probably sold this item without a second thought. But, it actally has a function during exploration. It's directly connected to your radar in the upper right hand corner of the screen. This item allows your radar to turn yellow when you are in range of an enemy encounter. Without this item, the radar will just stay blue.

Learning Astral Phantoms Early

Astral Phantoms is a special move your dragon can learn for taking good care of it in camp. What you might not know is: that's not neccessarily true. I've discovered that learning Astral Phantoms is determined by your level. The earliest you can learn the technique is at level 26 on disc 1, just before going to the Forbidden Zone. To level up fast you can fight the Sand Mites in the Garil Desert/Blue Ruins as shown below. Once you're level 26 just go to camp and pet your dragon repeatedly until you learn the technique!

Special thanks to forum member Delta for helping me test out the criteria needed.

Editing the Color of Defeated Enemies

While in the player menu, you can view data on enemies you've defeated. When viewing a certain enemy, press start on controller 2. Another menu will appear on the right hand side. By pressing X, Y, Z, A, B, C, L or R, you can edit the color of the enemy you're currently viewing.

Clear the End of Disc Text

When you get to the end of disc 1, 2, or 3, of Panzer Dragoon Saga, you will be prompted to insert the next disc. If you hold X, Y, and Z together, you can clear the text away. This allows you to view the nice artwork in the background.

Speed Up or Slow Down Game Dialogue and Voices

During in game conversations or when talking to towns people, hold L to speed up game dialogue and voices, and hold R to slow down game dialogue and voices. This is good for a few laughs at most!

Rotating the World Map

While on the World Map, you can rotate it by pressing L or R, on the Saturn Controller.

View Panzer Dragoon's Opening Movie and Unlock "8th" and "Special" Episodes in Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei

First, when at the title screen of Panzer Dragoon Saga, do a soft reset (hold A, B, C, and press Start). You will then be taken to the Saturn's system configuration screen. Second, without shutting the system off, open the lid and take Panzer Dragoon Saga out, replace it with Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei, and close the lid. Lastly, select "Start Application", and Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei, will load. The opening movie of the game, will now be replaced with Panzer Dragoon's opening movie (weird). Also, you will unlock the "8th" and "Special" episodes in Pandra's Box. These are both test episodes. Awkwardly, you will be forced to play the "Special" episode, on a small screen, in the middle of your TV.