STAR OCEAN BLUE SPHERE Early Guide (GB/GBC): Party, Skill Allocation, and Mile Ruins

Speak to every companion aboard the spaceship and select 3 explorers. If you are unsure about the party, an attacker such as Ashton and Noel, who can cast healing spells, make an approachable starting point. Choose the last member according to whom you want to use for exploration. Your selected 3 are not permanently fixed; you can reorganize the party aboard the ship. Before departing, set learned special moves and spells so they are usable, and check who will attack and who will heal.

Skill points earned in combat are shared and can also be spent on characters outside the party. Before distributing a few to everyone, decide the roles of the members you will use for now. Raising skills changes stats and available moves, so how you spend the points matters as well as how many battles you fight. Rather than spending everything simply because it is available, check the field action or spell you need next before allocating points.

Combat and Knowledge oppose each other, as do Technique and Sense. Developing one can prevent learning difficult skills in the other. You cannot reallocate points, so avoid a plan that raises all 4 categories evenly. If you want a particular special move or creation ability, check that character's required skills first. Do not assume every front-line character should follow the same order; checking individual requirements is safer.

Follow the boy you meet in the forest, ask around in Scout Village, then enter Mile Ruins north of the village. The early obstacles are the Mile Key on 2F and the mechanism leading to the upper floors. After the battle in the room left of the escalator on 2F, obtain the key and proceed through the room below it. After operating the lever on 4F, return to 3F and use the newly moving escalator to take another route. Returning to a lower floor can solve what appears to be a dead end.

You fight Grigri deep on 5F. Heal before challenging it instead of trying to push through with your front line's HP low. Practice timing the next attack to connect with a hit rather than just pressing repeatedly. After victory, you can use Field Bombs: break the nearby cracked wall and operate the switch beyond it to activate the elevator. Do not assume beating the boss ends exploration; check the newly available transport before returning to the village.

Some Mile Ruins chests cannot be reached with your first party or field actions. You do not need to exhaust your healing trying to collect everything visible immediately. After checking reachable objects such as desk drawers, note the floor and landmarks for places requiring floating movement or pulling, then revisit them. When reading an item list, distinguish the required route from detours that use additional abilities.

After finishing Mile Ruins, meet the village chief and proceed toward Rupert Forest. Field Bombs are used in the next exploration too, so check how to replenish them if you run out. Later, Garp Ruins requires Ashton's fire field action. Including someone whose abilities overcome obstacles matters more than keeping a fixed trio of strong fighters. When changing explorers, also review equipment, move settings, and healing options.