Overview
This guide will explain the different times you can add Sheena to your party. Contains mild spoilers for the early hours of the game (beginning after encountering Sheena after releasing the first seal).
Normal Acquisition Run
After initially fighting Sheena and sailing to Palmacosta, you should eventually run into her at a House of Salvation, and then again later at Luin. The party will confront her each time and you’ll be given a couple of choices on how to talk to her.
When Luin is destroyed, the Desians will be marked as your common enemy, and she’ll join forces with you in order to infiltrate the Desian human ranch.
Delayed Acquisition Run
To delay getting Sheena as a party member, never enter Luin before it is destroyed.
Complete all of the other seals and save the Tower of Mana’s seal for the very last. Try to enter the Tower, and then go to Luin. When you meet Sheena there, if her affection level is low enough, she will go off by herself, and the group will have to infiltrate the Desian ranch on its own.
Sheena will rescue you during your first infiltration, and officially join forces.
Whichever run you choose, Sheena will be always with your party when the time comes to tackle the Asgard Desian human ranch for the second time.
“Early” Acquisition Run (Hard) – Intro/Disclaimer
If you have never played Symphonia, this method is NOT recommended.
This run is recommended on an NG+ or higher, because you will need to level a fair bit, which will be easier/faster to do with the boons you receive from the Grade Shop. Also, you will be much more familiar with the characters, the story, and the layout of the world after already having done a playthrough. Finding the entrance to Hima can be a bit of a pain the first time around, for example, and that’s not an area where you want to be lost, especially when you’re under-leveled, given that the enemies are tough there.
This is more or less an alternate, somewhat more difficult storyline (as far as this early section of the game is concerned, when the party is releasing the seals before going to the Tower of Salvation).
NOTE: You will physically NOT be able to reach Palmacosta for a good while once you start on this path. Obviously you cannot cross Hakonesia Peak, and the ability to access the boat in Izoold will disappear (temporarily, please don’t run back to Izoold and freak out) until there’s nothing left to do but head out for that final seal. On the other hand, by the time you do get to the Palmacosta region of Sylvarant, you will be plenty strong enough to handle everything in the area – not to mention Sheena will already be there with you to confront Undine.
Sidequests that are affected:
– You will not be able to do the private training lessons with Lloyd and Kratos on this run. The first scene that you can access in Palmacosta will still be available, however, when you finally make it there.
– Aifread’s quest, which takes place much later in the game, will still be accessible if you do this path. (Don’t forget to talk to Max after the whole quest is over in order to get Aifread’s Hat!)
– The Fake Chosen Group should be unaffected as well.
Up for a challenge?
If you aren’t on NG+, I wouldn’t recommend going for titles that involve the Wooden Swords, No Gels, No Running from Battles, Gung-Ho, etc. – unless you want to challenge yourself, of course!
Getting Sheena early doesn’t necessarily add much to the storyline, aside from some altered scenes and dialogue here and there. When I say *early*, I mean as far as the regular storyline would be concerned; she’ll now be with you for Palmacosta and its Desian ranch, as well as the seal at Thoda Geyser, when normally she wouldn’t join your group until much later.
I just think it’s nice to have her around, she’s a great character both in and out of battle. I also think it’s really neat to see the small nuances and things that change or are added when you take this path (again – much more interesting and easy to notice if you’ve already played through the story before).
If you are attempting this run without having played Symphonia before, here is a map for reference[aselia.wikia.com] if you are having any troubles locating towns or dungeons (spoilers, of course).
“Early” Acquisition Run (Hard)
When the time comes to progress the story by going from Izoold to Palmacosta, WALK alllllllll the way to Hima INSTEAD of choosing to take the boat to Palmacosta. I don’t even bother talking to Lyla or anyone in Izoold, I just use the inn as I need, stock up and head out.
Be wary of the enemies near Hima, especially the Cockatrice, which can petrify your party members, and the Wyvern, which takes a while to run from and can potentially one-shot you. If you are not on an NG+, you will want to stock up on Holy Bottles and/or healing/cooking items, as well as search for the Long Range Mode guide post ASAP.
You’ll run into Sheena right as you enter Hima. When prompted, you will have to claim that Sheena IS indeed your friend. Talk to the woman in the inn to get this ball rolling. Agree to go to the Tower of Mana. (Kratos will wallow in silent fury in the corner thinking about the Chosen’s journey to release the seals.) Don’t forget to pick up a nice new pair of swords for Lloyd while you’re in Hima.
Go to the Tower of Mana. It’s locked, as usual, so you’ll have to do a bit of running around to find its key. The party will decide on its own to make the next destination Luin.
Hop over to Luin – you can actually briefly bump into Sheena here too, same as if you were doing a normal run – and go to the small chapel in the central area (next to the item shop) and talk to the man inside.
Make the trek over to Asgard, head right up the stone steps at the entrance, and talk to the priest standing there. Then head to the Balacruf Mausoleum.
At the Balacruf Mausoleum, talk to the pastor in order to receive the key to the Tower of Mana. From here, you now have two options:
1. Go back to Asgard and complete the events leading up to discovering how to reach the seal at the Balacruf Mausoleum, or
2. Go to the Tower of Mana and release the seal there
Naturally, this means we are doing the seals out of order… which means you’ll most likely want to do a bit of level-grinding. The order doesn’t matter and the choice is up to you, but personally I go to Asgard and save the Tower of Mana for later.
If you choose Asgard, make sure you’re prepared for the fight with the Windmaster!
If you choose the Tower of Mana, keep in mind that when your group is divided you will be forced at times to deal with a battle party that includes only Lloyd and Colette. It’s easier to just speedrun the tower and avoid enemies, join the two groups back into one, and then go ahead and work on any grinding you want to do.
A heads up: Whichever seal you choose to do first, you will have to fight Sheena right after releasing it. Normally the second fight with Sheena occurs in the Balacruf Mausoleum, as the party is leaving it after taking care of the seal. However, on this path, you can actually fight her in the Tower of Mana!
Either way, be prepared for her. If the boss at the seal you chose is giving you grief, Sheena will definitely give you a rough time.
After releasing both of these seals, there will be no indication of where to go or what to do next, aside from Remiel’s advice to go to the Thoda Geyser. Of course, we still can’t access that yet. Now is the time to go to Luin, which has been destroyed by the Desians while you were off playing the hero. You will find Sheena just like on the normal run, in the western part of the city in front of the fountain. When prompted, agree to call a truce with her, and she’ll join your group at last. The final thing to do is clear the Desian human ranch nearby.
After clearing the human ranch, you will automatically be taken to Asgard to rest. There will, once again, be no explanation of what to do next. But we know it’s time to blow this popsicle stand. As you go to leave the city, talk to the man standing near the inn at the entrance, and you’ll find out that the only way to progress to Palmacosta is to return to Izoold. Get ready for a long hike. Don’t forget to stop by Lake Umacy on your way back!
And that’s that! Hope you enjoyed this guide. If you need clarification on anything, ask away!
Update Notes
Added some screenshots from my current playthrough (I decided to tackle the Tower of Mana first this time around) and a bit more details about when to finally go back to Izoold.