Zelda Phantom Hourglass Online Guide!

[jbenhoff]

This is an excellent beginners guide with some extremely valuable information that most new players would otherwise have to learn the hard way (like I did) and lose many games to these tactics before employing them themselves.

I'm currently A Rank with 268 Wins - 62 Losses - 12 Ties and it's taken a hell of a lot of patience and practice to get to that point. I still have a long way to go, but I'd like to share a few advanced tips that I've picked up that aren't covered in the guide currently.

First, I'd just like to give some general advice to you players and ESPECIALLY you cowardly disconnectors out there (you know who you are). Phantom Hourglass uses a fair-play system. This means when you decide you don't want to lose and you quit, the game knows. As the OP said above, Link's face in the upper right-hand corner of your Battle Record shows your Fair Play status. The more unhappy the face, the more that person is likely to drop out on you. How do you avoid- as I like to call it- "losing face?" Don't quit! If you start a match just finish it. No one is impressed by your 100 W - 0 L record when your Fair Play rating is Scowling Link w/ Skull. All that shows is that you have no sense of good sportsmanship. **NOTE** It is possible to raise your Fair Play rating by simply NOT disconnecting. In my experience, losing a match and taking the loss is the best way to raise your rating. Winning matches can raise your rating as well, but not as quickly. I'm not sure if a Tie has any effect on your Fair Play rating as Ties are generally pretty rare.

Also, every time you quit before the end of a match, you lose 30 Battle Points and your opponent gains 30. If you consider the fact that losing a battle to a player with a higher Rank only results in the loss of about 5-10 Battle Points, it's absolutely retarded of you to disconnect from a match and lose 30 points. On the other hand, losing a match to a lower ranked player results in the loss of much more than 30 points. However, there is still no excuse for disconnecting except in the unlikely event that you get matched against a cheater, which has happened to me a few times. Even then, I usually stay for the entire game, and in my experience, people who use Invulnerability cheats are so God awfully bad at the game, that I still win.

With that being said, ON WITH THE POST!

Link Tips:

- By placing your gems on the very edge of a safe area or your base, you can actually pick it up without stepping outside of the safe area. Keep this in mind when dribbling across a stage. If a Phantom gets too close, toss your gem to the edge of a safe zone, get inside, and pick your gem up in safety.

- During the first round (and even the second round), don't score points with your gems. Instead, take them as close to your base as you can WITHOUT scoring. The purpose of this is to minimize the chances of your opponent getting a Gem Shuffle while still keeping your gems safe.

- Following the same idea as the above tip, which can prevent a Gem Shuffle; there are tactics you can use to promote the chances of a Gem Shuffle appearing... if that's what you need. As stated by the OP, the side with the least amount of points has the better chance of their color Gem Shuffle appearing. With that in mind, it is sometimes in your best interest to score points FOR your opponent. By increasing their score you also increase your chance of shuffling up the gems. Likewise, by tossing your gems into safe zones you reset them to neutral, thus decreasing your score, and again increasing your chances of a Gem Shuffle. Always, always, ALWAYS be sure to capture any gems near your base BEFORE reshuffling! **NOTE** THESE TACTICS ARE HIGHLY RISKY! USE THEM AT YOUR OWN PERIL! There is no way to 100% guarantee the appearance of a Gem Shuffle.

- Somersaulting is performed by making a small, quick, circular motion with the stylus while moving Link. If you didn't know this by now, you should read the game manual. It can also be a lifesaver. Phantoms may be slow to move but when they take a swing at you they mean business. A well-timed somersault can be just as valuable as the One Hit Invulnerability item, and maybe even moreso as you can somersault past a Phantom and keep moving, whereas being hit with the One Hit Invulnerability causes a brief stun. Somersaulting also makes Link move just a hair faster for a split second. Performing 2 or 3 quick somersaults in succession can get you to where you want to be faster. However, NEVER go 4 in a row. This causes Link to get momentarily dizzy and naturally makes him an easy kill for the Phantoms.

- Sometimes it's actually better to sacrifice Link in order to prevent your opponent from shuffling your gems. Nothing is worse than having all of your gems scattered about right after you get them tucked safely away. If you see your opponent's Gem Shuffle appear, make a bee-line for the nearest Phantom and take the hit. You may lose your turn, but you won't lose your gems.

Phantom Tips:

- In every stage, there are usually one or more HIGHLY strategic locations where you can position you Phantoms that will effectively trap Link and prevent him from getting past you. It would require a new post complete with images in order for me to properly illustrate these locations, but for now I can only advise you to watch your opponent carefully. If it seems like they have you completely trapped, make a note of where they've positioned their Phantoms and do the same with yours. Using these "trapping" tactics effectively is the #1 factor that separates an advanced player from the amateurs. **NOTE** Over the next few days I plan to put together a post which will more clearly illustrate what I'm talking about here.

- Always try to position your Phantoms to be facing in Link's direction, wherever he may be. A Phantom with its back turned to Link will not react as quickly as one who is facing him. Many's the time that I've set up what I thought was an impenetrable defense, only to have Link slip right past me because one of my Phantoms wasn't facing the proper direction.

- When dealing with defending your hard won gems, more is always better. Place your gems in a position where they can be defended by at least two Phantoms. Also, don't just set your Phantoms on TOP of the gems. This just invites a One Hit Invulnerable Link to swoop in and grab one right from under your nose. Instead, position your Phantoms NEAR the gems so that Link will have to get PAST them first. This ensures that any Invulnerability he has will be gone before he can even get his grubby paws on the gems.

- Your Phantoms are slow, and cumbersome, and more than a little stupid. The less you have to move them the better. Drawing out long and elaborate travel lines more often than not results in Link slipping past you and getting into areas you'd rather he not be. Try to keep your lines short, quick, and the straighter the better.

- Never ever ever ever EVER just set your Phantoms outside your opponent's base and expect it to be a solid defense. This is the true mark of an amateur player. Also, don't set "patrols." By this, I mean don't have your Phantoms walking around in circles like they're on patrol. Any idiot can figure out simple patterns like this and exploit them.



There are many other tactics around, both general and stage specific that I'm not going to get into here. That is all best saved for a more in-depth discussion which I will hopefully get started in the next few days. Until then, I hope these tips will be a useful addition to the already fantastic guide provided here.

[Dark Pyro]

THanks for the info post. Sorry there hasnt been muych time for me to update this, i cant fit it all into the first post either so ill just make a link to important stuff now...

Dont forget to say thanks xD

Dark Pyro

[DustinR]

well you know when you lose and the game gives you a tip in order to help you improve your game well from the one i spotted when i lost awhile back to gamer it said the more battle points you have earned the easier it is to carry the larger force gems. hopes that helps any of you guys.

[Jjeeffeerryy]

Hey is this game any good because iwant to know before i buy it

[Kid Ninja]

Woah, I've never seen this before O_o
Nice guide Pyro, It really helps