And a minigame fan and self-proclaimed champion of Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII, I’ve spent an insane amount of time on Wheels. Wheels is a Sea of Stars minigame you first unlock in Brisk after the events in the Tavern. Here’s how to play it (and be good at it too!).
How to play Wheels in Sea of Stars
Before we talk about winning in Wheels, let’s talk about how to play it first.The goal in Wheels is to reduce your enemy’s HP(called the “Crown”)to zerobefore they can. You can protect your HP with a wall called aBulwark. Bulwarks cap at 5 damage resistance/levels. Even if the damage goes over the Bulwark’s resistance level, the attack will not reach the Crown until it’s fully down. Usually. Some heroes are an exception to the rule, which I’ll discuss below.
For a hero toact,theirrodmust befully down. Based on my experience, I think you want a total of 3 or 4Energyfor this to happen.
Roulette Icons
Here are all the roulette icons and what they mean. Note thatany row of icons fewer than three will NOT have their effect triggered.
Every turn, you can spin your roulette up to three times to get a combination of icons to use during the next bout. You can lock and unlock parts of the roulette you’re happy with.
Hero Symbols
When playing Wheels, you can choose to play two heroes to fight for you. Theseheroes are definedby two icons, which should tell you exactly what they’re used for.
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Heroes
There are six heroes to choose from in Wheels:
Initially, you’ll only be given a Warrior and Mage, but more will unlock as you progress through the tournaments. Each Tavern has a champion you can beat to win something cool.
How to win at Wheels in Sea of Stars
Now that you understand the rules let’s talk about strategy. The first thing you have to do isremember what all the heroes do. Look at your opponent’s line and devise a plan based on that knowledge. For example, a Warrior on the other side of the field would mean keeping a Bulmark up at all costs. Meanwhile, an Assassin would mean focusing more on turn delays, getting things done quickly, or adding a Priest to your team.
Then, adjust your plan based on what’s going on in the field. If your enemy is dying and you have an Assassin, focus on raising them and send out a powerful attack.
If you want more specific advice, however,just never remove the Mage from your line up. Again, it attacks twice, with the second attack guaranteed to hit the Crown no matter how tall the enemy Bulwark it. And if there is no Bulwark, then both attacks hit the Crown. The Mage is also good for destroying enemy Bulwarks to make way for other heroes (such as Warrior and Ranger) to land their hits. It’s a unit that has good synergy no matter who it’s paired with.
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Are the rewards for Wheels worth it?
I’d say no for the casual battles. Winning those will only net you asmall amount of G, which you may gather from defeating enemies instead.
However, you’ll be able to challenge theWatchmakeronce you’ve beaten all the Wheels Champions. Some of the Champions hold the Hero rewards you want, too, so always aim to defeat them in all towns/villages. Mid-game Taverns like Docarri might be worth it, but it depends on how fast you’re able to finish a game.
All Wheels Champion locations & rewards
Here are all the locations of every Champion in the game so you know exactly where to find your challenges. Unless specified, you’ll find your Champion in anInnor aTavern.
Based on the last dialogue I had with the Watchmaker—and this is just an assumption—each Champion will give you the rewards in a specific order: Archer Figurine, Bronze Wheel, Silver Wheel, Engineer Figurine, Gold Wheel, Priest Figurine, Diamond Wheel, Assassin Figurine, and Platinum Wheel. After you’ve received thePlatinum Wheelandall six figurines, you canchallenge the Watchmakerin Clockwork Castle.
How to defeat the Watchmaker in Wheels
In my run,the Watchmaker used an Engineer and Archer—which is a pretty good combo if I do say so myself. In theory, you’d have to constantly raise your Bulwark high enough for the Archer not to hit your Crown, but the Engineer will just destroy it. If this is the figurine set you’re up against, forget about any Bulwarks and bring in yourPriestandAssassin. The strategy should be pretty straightforward: heal up, don’t die, and steadily bring her Crown to 0 using your Assassin.
The reward for winning against the Watchmaker is aFlimsy Hammer, which you can use to view Sea of Stars' final secret in the Ancient Crypt. You must first see thetrue endingthough!
For more help with Sea of Stars, take a look atAll Relics & Unique Accessories in Sea of Stars - All locations & what they doandAll Artifact Locations in Sea of Starshere at Pro Game Guides.
