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Es'owa is a mini-game you can play in Star Ocean: The Divine Force against NPCs in towns, villages and cities. The game allows you to collect pieces for the board by beating other players, steadily ranking you up to face the Masters of Es'owa.
You can start playing Es'owa once you reach the Seaport Of Rythal. If you speak to Shady Merchant just outside of the Rythal Inn, he will sell you an Es'owa board for 1,200 Fol.
Once you acquire an Es'owa board, you can then edit your deck of pawns by going to the Main Menu, selecting Collection and then Es'owa. You can find Es'owa pieces all over the world but some of the better ones come from defeating NPCs in towns.
How To Play Es'owa
Once you have acquired your very own Es'owa Board, you can then play against NPCs in towns. You'll notice which NPCs are available by looking on your mini-map and finding the large circle dots; these mean the NPC can be interacted with and more often than not, it means they can be challenged to an Es'owa game.
You can only challenge NPCs that have a rank similar or lower than your own. You rank increases as you beat more players.
Once you find an NPC of similar rank, go up to them and talk to them to trigger an Es'owa game.
Each game begins with a grid placed in the middle. Either side of the game are your Es'owa pieces and your opponents. Each turn you get to draw one piece from your deck.
When it's your turn, you can place a piece of the grid. Each piece has it's own special ability that when placed, is activated. Some pieces deal damage immediately, others boost your other pieces attack power and some even wipe out your opponent's pieces.
The aim of the game is to get your opponent's health down to 0 first. Your health bar is at the bottom corner, whilst your opponent's is at the top.
You'll also notice an MP bar. This increases by 1 each turn, but can also be decreased/increased by playing special pieces with MP abilities.
You can use your MP to perform special moves. By default, You'll have Flame Charge, which deals a fixed 200 damage to your opponent when you get 3 MP bars.
When you place a piece on the grid, it will deal damage to your opponent at the end of the round. The aim of the game is to have as many pieces on the grid as possible dealing as much damage as possible.
The strategy comes in by trying to prevent your opponent from doing the same. If you surround an opponent's piece, that piece will be removed from the grid and placed in the graveyard section, where they will no longer be usable.
You'll also have special abilities from the pieces you play, which can turn the tide of a game in your favor if you play them correctly.
As you move up in rank, the grid becomes bigger and bigger, along with the strength of your opponent's pieces.
Creating an Es'owa Deck
You can modify your Es'owa Deck by going to the Main Menu, selecting Collections and then choosing the Es'owa option.
Your deck can have up to 20 pieces in it. When it's your turn to play, 1 random piece is selected from your deck.
You can view all the pieces you have collected in this menu, along with their abilities. Whilst high-damage pieces are important, choosing the right abilities is just as important to making sure you get out of tricky situations.
Special Move
At the bottom of the deck, you can select a special move. A special move consumes MP that you build up when it's your turn.
Below are the following Special Moves available:
| Move | Description | MP Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Flame Charge | Inflict direct damage on your opponent |
3 MP: 200 Damage |
| Revive | Resurrect pawns from the graveyard and place them in your hand. | 2 MP: 1 revived 4 MP: 2 revived |
| Reinforce | Draw pawns from the deck and place them in your hand. | 3 MP: 1 drawn 5 MP: 2 drawn |
| Enfeeble | Weaken your opponent's pawns that are placed on the board. | 4 MP: nullifies the abilities of your opponent's pawns. 7 MP: nullfies the abilities and the attack of your opponent's pawns. |
Es'owa Pieces
Collecting Es'owa pieces is critical to building strong decks. Below is a table of all the Es'owa pieces you can collect in Star Ocean: The Divine Force.
| Piece | Attack | Ability | Category | Rank | How To Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridley | 203 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 5 Star | Given at the beginning of the game. |
| Vulcan | 189 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 5 Star | Beat Nihilistic Poet (Master Level 3) at Imperial Capital |
| Lymle | 124 | Increase the attack of your adjacent pawns by 40. | Wizard | 5 Star | Beat Boy Seeking Help (Master Level 4) at Imperial Capital |
| Asmodeus | 315 | When adjacent to other pawns, decreases attack by 30 for each of those pawns. | Berserker | 5 Star | Beat Proud Henchman (Master Level 4) at Imperial Capital |
| Maria | 133 | When placed on the board, earns 1 more MP than normal pawns. | Commander | 5 Star | Beat Opportunistic Man (Master Level 5) at Imperial Capital |
| Nel | 125 | When placed on the board, sends a random adjacent enemy pawn to the graveyard. | Assassin | 5 Star | Beat Urban Man (Master Level 6) at Royal Palace Capital City |
| Fayt | 215 | Increases Attack by 30 every 1 turn. | Hero | 5 Star | Beat Woman with Empirical Spirit (Master Level 7) at Imperial Capital |
| Opera | 77 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 3 Star | Beat Woman Looking For A Change (Beginner) at Parrapoeiam |
| Roger | 96 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 4 Star | Beat Haughty Woman (Master Level 3) at Parrapoeiam |
| Pericci | 36 | When placed on the board, sends a random adjacent enemy pawn to the graveyard. | Assassin | 3 Star | Beat Man Who Fights Fair (Beginner) at Parrapoeiam |
| Daril | 184 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 5 Star | Beat Sports Fanatic (Master Level 5) at Parrapoeiam |
| Verda | 185 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 5 Star | Beat Woman Who Never Loses (Master Level 7) at Parrapoeiam |
| Calude | 205 | Increases Attack by 30 every 1 turn. | Hero | 5 Star | Beat Waiting Man (Master Level 8) at Paladurnia |
| Jack | 162 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 5 Star | Given at the beginning of the game. |
| Lezard | 143 | Increase the attack of your adjacent pawns by 40. | Wizard | 5 Star | Given at the beginning of the game. |
| Lenneth | 143 | When placed on the board, earns 1 more MP than normal pawns. | Commander | 5 Star | Given at the beginning of the game. |
| Mirage | 129 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 4 Star | Beat Puffy's Best Pupil (expert) at Imperial Capital |
| Cyuss | 126 | When adjacent to other pawns, decreases attack by 30 for each of those pawns. | Berserker | 3 Star | Beat Respectful Boy in the Seaport Of Cotto. |
| Ashton | 123 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 4 Star | - |
| Faize | 117 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 4 Star | Beat Monopolistic Man in the Baldaar Citadel |
| Ronyx | 117 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 4 Star | Beat Sheltered, Naive Girl in the Royal Palace Ascendros City. |
| Precis | 104 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 4 Star | Beat Gatekeeper-Admiring Man in Baldaar Citadel |
| T'nique | 101 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 4 Star | Beat Misunderstood Noble (Expert) in Imperial Capital |
| Tika | 94 | When placed on the board, earns 1 more MP than normal pawns. | Commander | 4 Star | Beat Mysterious Fortune Teller in the Seaport Of Cotto. |
| Opera | 77 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 3 Star | Treasure Chest in Larcette Village |
| Yrian | 77 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 3 Star | Beat Man Yearning For Color in Village Of Eda |
| Henri | 68 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 3 Star | Beat Masterful Boy in Delryk Village. |
| Farleen | 58 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 3 Star | Beat Anxious Man outside Larcette Village Inn. |
| Berserker | 54 | When adjacent to other pawns, decreases attack by 30 for each of those pawns. | Berserker | 2 Star | - |
| Millie | 50 | Increase the attack of your adjacent pawns by 40. | Wizard | 3 Star | Beat Competitive Man in Village Of Eda |
| Noel | 52 | Increase the attack of your adjacent pawns by 40. | Wizard | 3 Star | Beat Mindful Sister in Village Of Eda |
| Erys | 53 | Increase the attack of your adjacent pawns by 40. | Wizard | 3 Star | Treasure Chest in Del'vyr Region |
| Elite | 30 | When placed on the board, inflicts damage equal to its attack. | Elite | 2 Star | - |
| Gunner | 30 | Reduces your opponent's MP by 2 when placed on the board. | Gunner | 2 Star | - |
| Soldier | 24 | After you place three soldier pawns on the board, you can put down another pawn. | Soldier | 2 Star | - |
Es'owa Ranks
As you win more matches against opponents in Es'owa, your rank increases, allowing you to challenge stronger NPCs.
You can view the amount of wins you have by going to Game Data in the Main Menu > Collection.
- Beginner
- Apprentice
- Expert
- Master (level 1)
- Master (level 2)
- Master (level 3)
- Master (level 4)
- Master (level 5)
- Master (level 6)
- Master (level 7)
- Master (level 8)
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