Want more Grade, loot — as well as a bit of an occasional extra challenge — out of your boss fights in Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition? Then how about trying to complete some of the game’s Secret Missions?
What Are Secret Missions?
Secret Missions, as the name suggests, are hidden mission objectives that can be completed during boss fights in exchange for extra Grade and rewards after the battle is over. As they are secret, their existence isn’t made aware to you at the start of the game and you’ll most likely chance upon one at some point — prompting you to realize that you’ve missed several up until that point. Fortunately, you do have the option of retrying these missions at a later point in the game if you missed them.
Okay, How Do I Complete Them?
There are 25 Secret Missions in total, ranging from objectives that are fairly intuitive to basically impossible to figure out unless you get lucky or read a guide (this one!) in advance.
Here’s what they are:
*Obligatory Spoiler Warning*
Secret Mission 1 (Zagi) – “Defeat Zagi while protecting Estellise from Zagi’s attack.”
Fortunately, the first Secret Mission is one you’re likely to get naturally. Just use Yuri to constantly pound on Zagi, thus forcing him to keep his attention on you at all times. It also helps to set Estellise to “Stay Away” and “Focus on Recovery” in the Strategy tab mid-battle so she stays as far away as possible while casting “First Aid” and not get any funny ideas when there’s no healing to be done.
Secret Mission 2 (Goliath) – “Down Goliath by attacking its Achilles’ Heel while it charges X-Buster.”
Notice how one of Goliath’s feet is smaller than the other with something resembling a glowing rock sticking out of it? Well, whenever it is charging its “X-Buster” arte (it will cross its arms in front itself in an “X” pattern), simply use Free Run to go behind and attack the foot in question to knock it over.
Secret Mission 3 (Gattuso) – “Use the billybally plants to stun Gattuso.”
A simple Secret Mission for a difficult boss. In theory, all you have to do is have Gattuso get hit by the spores released by the various billybally plants to stun it, ideally by using Yuri’s Azure Edge whenever the two are near a plant and the opportunity presents itself. The problem? Gattuso is renowned for being one of the most difficult bosses in the series relative to when it’s encountered. Rather than completing the Secret Mission, the real challenge will be simply surviving the encounter (tip: “Fireball” and “Destruction Field” are huge here).
Secret Mission 4 (Zagi Round 2) – “Lure Zagi to the edge of the ship and knock him overboard.”
This is the first Secret Mission that you’re likely to miss due to how obscure the objective is. In order to complete this one, all you have to do is lure Zagi to the edge of the boat and then use Over Limit while he’s in the air upon using “Light Spear” or “Cyclone Shot” to send him flying into the ocean (note: he comes back).
Secret Mission 5 (Dreaded Giant) – “Down the Dreaded Giant when it rears back and leaves itself wide open.”
Similar to the Goliath Secret Mission, this one will require you to topple the boss as it stands up straight on its hind legs in preparation for one of its attacks. Do be aware that the boss will have Iron Stance active while doing so, so be sure to use multi-hitting artes like Yuri’s Cerberus Strike to break through the armor.
Secret Mission 6 (Gigalarva) – “Use Serpent with Raven to prevent Gigalarva from healing.”
See that pool of water(?) as you’re fighting Gigalarva? Well, it will use its tail to drink from that pool once its health is low enough. In order to stop this, you’ll need to bring Raven in the fight with you and have him use his Serpent arte when the boss tries to post up by the water(?).
Secret Mission 7 (Barbos) – “Take out the bridge support to stop Barbos from calling in more of his thugs.”
As a leader of a guild, Barbos has the ability to call upon his underlings for aid while you’re fighting him. In order to stop him from doing so — and complete the Secret Mission — simply destroy all four of the bridge supports that his reinforcements would otherwise use to enter the arena when he calls for them. Honestly, you’d probably do this even if there wasn’t a Secret Mission involved.
Secret Mission 8 (Cursed Wanderer Round 1) – “Strike down the Cursed Wanderer while it is reloading.”
This Secret Mission is a new one added in the PlayStation 3 version of the game. In order to complete it, simply hit the boss while he reloads his gun after he does the arte where he jumps into the air and spins while shooting several times. Done.
Secret Mission 9 (Zagi Round 3) – “Allow Zagi to absorb too much magic and destroy his Bodhi Blastia.”
Another counterintuitive Secret Mission involving Zagi. This time, you have to allow him to heal himself using the blastia on his arm until it overloads and explodes. An easy way to complete this is to have your party refrain from hitting him while Rita casts “Fireball” to expedite the healing process.
Secret Mission 10 (Pteropus) – “Defeat the Leader Bat and prevent Pretopus from recombining.”
Your success in this Secret Mission will depend largely on your team’s capacity for aerial combat and ability to lock enemies down. Once Pteropus reaches a certain amount of health, it will split into several Attack Bats, Magic Bats, and one Leader Bat. Find the Leader Bat (it’s green and flies at a higher altitude than the other bats), then burst it down before the boss has a chance to reform. Judith (excels at aerial combat), Raven (ranged attacks, boosted stats via Chivalry) and Rita (“Stone Blast,” “Stalagmite” and “Splash”) are all welcome additions here.
Secret Mission 11 (Outbreaker) – “Destroy the core and prevent magic from inverting day and night.”
As its health depletes, the boss will occasionally release an orb that can change the time from day to night, changing it’s elemental affinity in the process. Your objective here is to destroy the orb by using either Yuri’s “Severing Fang,” Rita’s “Tractor Beam” or Judith to stop this from happening. Ideally, you’ll want to destroy the orb when it’s nighttime in order to fully take advantage of the boss’ weakness to fire using Yuri’s Flamberge weapon and Rita’s fire spells.
Secret Mission 12 (Belius) – “Light all candlesticks to eliminate the illusions of Belius.”
This boss is a relatively easy one, but things become substantially more difficult once Belius’ health reaches a certain point and she creates a clone of herself. In order to instantly remove the clone and put the battle back on “fairer ground,” simply use a fire elemental arte on the four candlesticks dispersed along the edge of the arena. An easy way to get this done is to use Yuri’s “Destruction Field” to do most of the work, while Rita fires off a quick “Fireball” to finish the job.
Secret Mission 13 (Nan and Tison) – “Time your strikes between Nan and Tison to knock them both down.”
During the battle against Nan and Tison, they’ll both occasionally do artes (“Rending Slash” and “Dragon Blade: Advent,” respectively) that cause their weapon to become stuck in the ground, leaving them off-balance for a brief period of a time. Simply get in a few solid hits during that period and the Secret Mission will be completed. Also, it’s worth noting that Nan can use healing and resurrection spells, so it would be in your best interest to take her out first.
Secret Mission 14 (Schwann) – “Down Schwann by attacking when he clutches his heart after his mystic arte.”
A fairly straightforward Secret Mission, really. Simply wait for Schwann to use his Mystic Arte and then use the Recover skill (you have it equipped, right!?) to immediately get up before running over to him and knocking him over using an arte like Yuri’s Azure Storm. Do be aware that he has a shield though, so be prepared to break through that first.
Secret Mission 15 (Zagi Round 4) – “Use Karol’s Nice Recovery Smash arte to force Zagi to recover from poison.”
Zagi again with another counterintuitive Secret Mission — it’s an easy one this time around though. Just use Karol’s “Nice Recovery Smash” to heal Zagi’s poison once he applies it to himself.
Secret Mission 16 (Baitojoh) – “Hit Baitojoh three times during its Ice Edge attack and fish it out of the water.”
Watch for Baitojoh’s fin for the Ice Edge attack, and when you see it, hit it. If you can hit it before “Ice Edge” is complete three times, then the Secret Mission will be a success. For an easier time, try using ranged attacks so you can react immediately whenever Baitojoh’s fin surfaces.
Secret Mission 17 (Estellise) – “Use Mother’s Memento in Yuri’s battle against Estellise”
All you have to do is use the appropriate item and you’re set. The hard part? Actually finding it. Mother’s Memento is an item gifted to you by Estellise during a scene in Mantaic after resting at the inn. If you do have it, simply use it during the second phase of the battle when it’s just Yuri against Estellise and you’re golden.
Secret Mission 18 (Yeager) – “Make Yeager’s heart explode by using Raven’s Rain arte.”
This is the hardest Secret Mission in the game, requiring you to not only hit the boss at a specific moment, but also forcing you to do it with a specific character’s arte. To start, you’ll need to be on the second phase of the encounter before you can even attempt completing the objective. Once there, you’ll want to activate Level 1 or 2 Over Limit with Yuri, and strike him slowly enough for him to guard. Once he does, proceed to spam Destruction Field while he has an axe equipped until Yeager’s guard breaks and clutches his heart. From there, immediately switch to Raven and have him use his “Rain” arte to make Yeager’s heart explode.
Secret Mission 19 (Alexei) – “Down Alexei by attacking him when he’s tired after his mystic arte.”
Perhaps as a bid to get back on your good side after Secret Mission 18, this one is an easy one that works exactly like Secret Mission 14. In other words, wait for Alexei to use his “Brilliant Cataclysm” Mystic Arte, immediately recover, and then run up to him and get down to business.
Secret Mission 20 (Cursed Wanderer Round 2) – “Use the Maris Stella during the fight.”
Very much like Secret Mission 17 with Estellise, but this time you can use the item in question immediately. As for its location, you get the Maris Stella in Zaude by approaching the center gate before unlocking it with a red orb.
Secret Mission 21 (Guisos) – “Attack Guisos’s tail then down him while he stands on his hind legs.”
Once again, this Secret Mission is reminiscent of an earlier one — Secret Mission 5. This time, simply attack its tail, which will cause it to go on its hind legs and pound its chest, and then him with your strongest attacks to knock him over once he does. An easy way to achieve this is by simply using Free Run to get behind him, activating Over Limit and then spamming multi-hitting artes.
Secret Mission 22 (Khroma Dragon) – “Down Khroma by timing your strikes between certain attacks of hers.”
You’ll likely get this even if you were unaware of the specifics, but for those who want to know them, then you’ll want to aim for when Khroma causes rocks to fall down from the ceiling or when she slams down from the ground. Once either of these occurs, simply hit her with your strongest attacks to break her guard and knock her over.
Secret Mission 23 (Flynn) – “Let Flynn use every arte he can, including his mystical arte.”
During your duel with Flynn, you’ll have to let him do every single arte in his arsenal — including his healing and Mystic artes — before winning.
Here is a full list of hs abilities (he has 16 abilities in the current version, as opposed to the original 12…thanks):
- Demon Fang
- Sonic Thrust
- Tiger Blade
- Hell Fire Blade
- Dragon Swarm
- Beast
- Shining Falcon
- ??? (I have the Japanese name…you don’t want that though)
- Severing Blade
- Rising Falcon
- Demonic Chaos
- First Aid (Heal)
- Guardian Field (Heal)
- Holy Lance (Spell Arte)
- Luminant Scythe (Spell Arte)
- Radiant Dragon Fang (Mystic Arte)
For reference, he won’t use his healing spells unless he’s weakened and you let him, and he’ll only use his Mystic Arte as a counter to yours. Fortunately, you’ll get a cutscene letting you know that he’s done all the moves in his arsenal, so there’s no risk of you completing the fight per usual only to realize at the results screen that the Secret Mission was incomplete.
Secret Mission 24 (Zagi Round 5) – “Down Zagi by attacking him after he gets exhausted from Blastia Bane.”
Very much like Secret Missions 14 and 19, except you don’t have to worry about getting hit by a Mystic Arte beforehand. Simply wait for Zagi to use his “Blastia Bane” arte, and then knock him over with an arte of your own.
Secret Mission 25 (Duke) – “Defeat Duke using a mystic arte.”
Defeat Duke while he’s in his second form using a Mystic Arte. Simple. Just be sure to whittle him down and not to overestimate your damage, so as to not find yourself facing down a weakened Duke with a smidgen of health left because your Mystic Arte failed to finish the job.
