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Early on inVisions of Mana, you might find yourself wondering whether the game has many side quests. You’re introduced to the system in Longren, pick up a handful, and… for a while, that’s it. Yet it won’t be long until you’re being bombarded by a high number of side quests, and we doubt it’s controversial to say that most of them are not exactly compelling.
Even so, there are several gems tucked away, heartfelt one-offs, or standard fare packing in surprisingly high-tier rewards. We’ve gathered the best of the bunch so that you can skip the rest if you find them overwhelming.
Behind The Scenery
Early in the game, inLongren, you will meet awoman who wishes to see the location illustrated in a painting. She’ll show you the painting (which you may pull up in your side quests menu at any time), andyou’re off to Aery Passage to find the spot.
The gamemarks the general area, so long as you set the quest as priority; butyou’ll need to do some pixel-hunting within that areain order to find the exact spot. Refer to the painting to get the perfect angle.
Your reward for this is a small helping ofGold Clovers, which can be substituted for Elemental Points when learning abilities.
It’s not great, butthere are seven subsequent Behind the Scenery side questsin various settlements as you progress the game, each withincreasingly impressive amounts of Gold Clovers, but culminating with the acquisition of theLove’s Light ability seed, which restores five percent of the party’s HP after every battle.
That might not sound too useful, but it adds up. Perhaps more importantly, Behind the Scenery is the somewhat rare example of a side quest (or rather, chain of side quests) with real heart in its writing.
Feelings Bottled Up
Feelings Bottled Up is anotherchain of side quests which can be progressed throughout the gamerather than a singular task. You canbegin the chain at Ledgas Bay, by speaking with Organizer Limoney.
Limoney has found a bottle with a peculiar letter from a sick child andwants you to set the bottle out to sea with his own reply. What follows, as you’ll learn when further side quest markers appear in various settlements, isa string of people placing their own letters into the bottle.
Like Behind the Scenery, it’s cute, soulful, stuff. TheLucre rewards and valuable restorative Honey Elixirsyou’ll obtain along the way are fine enough, butcompleting the chain nets you the Invisible Bonds ability seed,whichsplits the MP cost evenly between party members when a spell is cast.
This isterrificif you have, say, theheavily spellcasting Palamena and/or Juleiin your party alongside someone like Val, who is far less prone to requiring MP in most of his classes.
Nemesis Takedown
Nemesis Takedownis the second side quest you’ll receive fromHistorian Fuyeu in Illystana, whose first side quest should appear by the time you’re finished with theLuka Ruins plot events.
Whereas previously, hewanted you to approach each of the eight Ancient Ruins, this time, heneeds you to clear them all out of monsters. Easier said than done -the monsters are all in the fifties level range, and a Nemesis sub-boss is fought at each location.
You’requiteunlikely to be able to defeat these creatures until far later on, but theRespect for the Ancients ability seed consumes three percent of the wielder’s HP but increases damage by 30 percent.
This might not seem like a good deal, butit fits Val’s Berserker class like a glove, since his damage naturally increases as his HP is lowered.
Even better,defeating each Nemesis unlocks a treasure chest with an excellent rewardin its own right, such as ultimate weapons. Really,Nemesis Takedown is arguably the most rewarding side questin Visions of Mana.
Meelpa’s Methodology
Meelpa’s Methodologyis a late-game side quest availableafter defeating the Benevodon at Castle Cresceno. To start, returnto the Fallow Steppe, specifically near the entrance, where you’ll find Morley’s friend, Meelpa.
The quest is, well, about as engaging as most, which is to say,you’ll be sent to battle three groups of monsters. With its conclusion, however, you’ll gain theMeelpa’s Teachings ability seed, which elevates ATK by 30 percent while lowering DEF by 50 percent.
This is good stuff for several ofMorley’s classes, especially Nightblade, which relies on fast strikes with sky-high crit rates. Play your cards right, and you’ll seldom get struck by a thing while wrecking opponents by boatloads.
Ramcoh’s Roost
The prize at the end ofRamcoh’s Roostis another one that works well for physical attackers, namelyBeastly Force,whichconsumes five percent of the wielder’s MP but increases damage by 20 percent when using normal attacks.
Following your journey to theWind Sanctum in the late-game stages, return to Longren, andyou’ll get this personal quest of Careena’s involving Ramcoh(naturally). All you’ll need to do isgrab some grub for Ramcoh and then go to her favorite place.
This is another lovely quest from a narrative standpoint as well, as itexplains how Careena and Ramcoh met.
A Certain Late-Game Side Quest
We’re deliberately obscuring the titleof this side quest becauseit contains pretty massive spoilers, but to get started,revisit Tianeea after the conclusion of the events at Dorpher Volcano.
To be more precise,you’ll likely need to revisit Tianeeaagainafter returning there for the post-Dorpher story.
The goal here is a simple one:talk to the Tianeean villagers marked for the side questand thenfind the letter just outside town(which is, as always, conveniently marked on your map). The excellent eward isMortal Dawnblade, one of Val’s best weapons.
