Addition is the combo system that is used in The Legend of Dragoon. An addition is a series of timed button mashes. Most additions are gained at set character levels, except each person's final addition which is unlocked by mastering all other additions.
Usage
Dart and Master Tasman training
Additions are originally explained by Master Tasman in Seles who can give the player the full run-down of how additions work but it will also be explained here.
When the player picks the attack option from the battle menu, two blue squares will pop up, one in the center and the other on the outside edge. When the outside square reaches the center square the player should press the X button and if timed correctly the center of the square will turn white and the addition will continue and the process will be repeated. If the player misses it, the center of the square will turn one of two colors. It will turn Blue if the player is too slow and will turn Gray if he/she is too fast.
During the longer additions there will be a chance for the enemy to counter. When it does the squares will turn red and there will be a sound in the background. Instead of hitting the X button the player must hit the O (circle) button. If timed correctly the addition will continue counter free. But if he/she happens to miss the counter, the party member will be thrown back receiving some damage. Interestingly, with addition system even a character with low level can easily defeats a boss if the additions are well trained and players input the buttons successfully, an advantage in Legend of Dragoon that other RPG games don't have.
The addition selection screen with some of Albert's additions.
Once an addition has been completed, its use counter will increase, as can be seen on the menu screen. When it has been used and completed enough its stats will go up. For some additions, only one stat or both stats may go up. Once the player have used it at least 80 times the player will have maxed out the addition and may move on to the next addition if he/she wish, but it is not necessary to max it to move on.
There are two accessories that make additions complete (meaning the addition is done without needing to press a button). They are the Wargod Calling and the Ultimate Wargod. The Wargod Calling makes an addition complete but does half damage, gives half SP and does not add to the use counter or increase Addition Level. The Ultimate Wargod is much more expensive, but does full damage, gives full SP and does add to the use counter meaning it is completely successful.
Below is a list of the levels required for obtaining each addition, base SP gained, and base damage output for each character. Full stats on set additions can be found on characters main page.
- Note: Shana and Miranda are not added as they have no additions. However the amount of SP they obtain from each attack does increase with each Dragoon Level.
Dart
| Name | Add (# of hits) | SP (at Max) | Damage % (Max) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Slash | 1 | 35 | 202 | Initial |
| Volcano | 3 | 36 | 250 | 2 |
| Burning Rush | 2 | 102 | 150 | 8 |
| Crush Dance | 4 | 100 | 250 | 15 |
| Madness Hero | 5 | 204 | 100 | 22 |
| Moon Strike | 6 | 20 | 350 | 29 |
| Blazing Dynamo | 7 | 100 - 150 | 250 - 450 | Master Addition |
Rose
| Name | Add (#) | SP (at Max | Damage % (Max) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whip Smack | 1 | 35 | 200 | Initial |
| More and More | 2 | 102 | 150 | 14 |
| Hard Blade | 3 | 35 | 300 | 19 |
| Demon's Dance | 4 | 100 | 500 | Master Addition |
Lavitz/Albert
| Name | Add (#) | SP (Max not known | Damage % (Max not known) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpoon | 1 | 50 | 150 | Initial |
| Spinning Cane | 2 | 35 | 200 | 5 |
| Rod Typhoon | 4 | 30 | 150 | 7 |
| Gust of Wind Dance | 6 | 35 | 350 | 11 |
| Flower Storm | 5 | 60 | 300 | Master Addition |
Haschel
| Name | Add (#) | SP (at Max) | Damage % (Max) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Punch | 1 | 50 | 150 | Initial |
| Flurry of Styx | 2 | 20 | 202 | 14 |
| Summon 4 Gods | 3 | 100 | 100 | 18 |
| 5 Rings Shattering | 4 | 50 | 300 | 22 |
| Hex Hammer | 5 | 15 - 15 | 200 - 400 | 26 |
| Omni Sweep | 6 | 50 - 150 | 350 - 501 | Master Addition |
Meru
| Name | Add (#) | SP (Max not known) | Damage % (Max not known) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Smack | 1 | 20 | 100 | Initial |
| Hammer Spin | 2 | 35 | 150 | 21 |
| Cool Boogie | 3 | 60 | 100 | 26 |
| Cat's Cradle | 4 | 20 | 150 | 30 |
| Perky Step | 5 | 100 | 200 | Master Addition |
Kongol
| Name | Add (#) | SP (Max not known) | Damage % (Max not known) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pursuit | 1 | 35 | 100 | Initial |
| Inferno | 2 | 20 | 100 | 23 |
| Bone Crush | 3 | 100 | 200 | Master Addition |
Dragoon Additions
Rose about to preform a Dragoon Addition.
Whenever an ally has transformed into a Dragoon, he/she can choose to attack with his/her weapon. Just like ordinary additions, the X button must be pressed at the right time in order to deal as much damage as possible.
The timing is however different, a dot inside a circular meter starts to spin around. If the X button is pressed when the dot reaches the marking at the top, the dot will spin faster and faster until the X button has been pressed for the fifth and final time, however the last time X is pressed must be slightly before the top mark at a notch around 10 o'clock in order to execute a perfect attack ending in an elemental blast. If the X button is pressed while the dot is not on the mark, a number of attacks will be executed based on the number of times the X button has been pressed while the dot was on the marker.
Trivia
- Enemies cannot counterattack the first or the last move in an addition, making additions with 1-2 moves very good for beginners.
- During your battle with Kongol at Hoax and Black Castle, if you miss any of your moves during an addition, Kongol will perform a special "counter attack" that will deal damage to the character.
- Speaking of Kongol, when he fights his brother Indora inside the Moon, Indora will launch a counterattack when Kongol does not complete his Additions.
- Kongol's Additions are NEVER counterattacked.
- Dart is the only other character, besides Kongol, whose Final Addition is never counterattacked
- Meru's Final Addition has the highest damage rate of any character in the game, at 600%. She can also gain the most amount of SP of any character in the game. Equipping the Pretty Hammer and Wargod's Sash with her mastered Cool Boogie addition nets 495 SP.
- Lavitz learns Additions the fastest, as it takes him getting to Level 5 for Spinning Cane, Level 7 for Rod Typhoon, and Level 11 for Gust of Wind Dance. When he joins your party, he starts off at Level 3.
- It takes Meru the longest amount of time to learn Additions. Many have complained about how long it takes her to reach Level 30, when she learns Cat's Cradle.