Suikoden 1 HD allows players to re-experience the first entry in Konami’s Water Margin-inspired RPG series. In this first entry, the Son of a powerful Imperial General ends up on the run due to a powerful rune sought by the Court Magician, becoming Leader of the Liberation Army in the process.
As you journey through Suikoden 1 HD, you’ll recruit the 108 Stars of Destiny and face off against the Empire alongside your allies, while unraveling the History of the Cursed Rune “Soul Eater.” This guide will offer tips, tricks, and useful advice to help you start your adventure on the right foot and get the hang of the game’s various systems.
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Suikoden 1: Hero & Castle ‘Canon’ Names
Players who need help naming the hero and castle in Suikoden 1 HD Remaster can find several good options detailed in this guide.
Formation Is Important!
One of the most important things to learn early in Suikoden is the formation system. Your party consists of up to 6 characters at any given time, organized into three in the front row and three in the back row. When deciding where to position them, you’ll want to look at their attack range. The table below breaks down how attack ranges work:
|
Range |
In Front Row |
In Back Row |
|
S |
Can Hit Enemies in the Front Row. |
Can’t Hit Any Enemies |
|
M |
Can Hit Enemies in the Front and Back Rows. |
Can Hit Enemies in the Front Row |
|
L |
Can Hit Enemies in the Front and Back Rows. |
Can Hit Enemies in the Front and Back Rows. |
Essentially, any character with a range of S should always be in the front row, and there’s rarely a reason to put L-range characters in the front row. M-Range characters, like the protagonist, are flexible and can be moved around to accommodate the other two without losing much effectiveness.
Make Multiple Saves, Talk to Everyone!
With 108 characters to add to the roster, it was probably inevitable that some would become permanently missable. While there are only five characters that can be permanently missed, it’s still important to make multiple saves and rotate save files, so you can jump back if you think you’ve missed something.
On the subject of recruiting all 108 Stars of Destiny, it might be worth checking a guide if you want to track down all of them. Also, as a general rule, always show mercy when the option is given to you, since dead people can’t join you.
Use Your Rune Pieces!
Rune Pieces, which come in two different varieties, will be found throughout the game as loot from enemies and in chests. Elemental Rune Pieces will change the element of a weapon when applied at a blacksmith, and will also slightly increase the weapon’s damage. You can stack up to nine of the same Elemental Rune Pieces on a weapon to further boost its damage, but putting a different elemental piece onto the weapon will set the stack back to 1, so try not to do that too often.
The other kind of Rune Piece you’ll encounter are Stat Rune Pieces. These can be used from your inventory to apply a permanent stat bonus to a party member of your choice, making them useful for strengthening your favorites as you progress through the game.
Get the Fortune or Prosperity Orb Right at the Start!
There’s a unique opportunity to grab a powerful rune right at the start of the game, as long as you’re willing to brave some dangerous terrain. As soon as you get control of the Protagonist inside the House, after going home from meeting the Emperor, you can ignore the game’s prompting and head back outside. From here, run over to the Inn and save your game, since this could take a few attempts.
Exit town through the south entrance and travel southeast on the World Map to find a bridge (You’ll probably want to pick some fights against weak enemies on the world map and gain a few levels to make this easier), then cross it to find Mt Tigerwolf. You’ll want to make your way upward to the top of Mt Tigerwolf (best to run from as many fights as possible, or bribe them if things are looking especially dicey) to exit back out into a new part of the World Map.
From here, you’ll want to head straight north to reach Sarady. In this town, you’ll want to head for the building in the top right and speak to the man inside. He’ll be impressed you made the trip alone, and give you the Fortune Orb. This, when equipped, will double the experience gained by a character, which is handy early on.
Alternatively, you can get the Prosperity Orb instead by going upstairs to meet Ted first, and then heading right back downstairs and traveling to Sarady with him in the Party. From there, speak to the man in the building to get the Prosperity Orb, which doubles money earned. This Orb is arguably a lot more useful than the Fortune Orb, especially in the late game.
If you’re looking for some good armor, the Blade Bunnies on Mt Tigerwolf can drop the Martial Arts Robe sometimes. While it’ll take a bit of time, you could always come back here with more party members and farm one for a great defensive boost. They’re also sold further into the game for 3,000 Potch.
Save Before Army Battles to Avoid Losing Characters Permanently!
This sort of falls under the “Save Regularly” advice I gave earlier, but you’ll want to save before attempting any Army Battles since your units can permanently die if they are killed during an Army Battle. This means you could potentially lose one of the Stars of Destiny Permanently, so save beforehand and reload if you lose anyone.
- Released
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March 6, 2025
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence, Simulated Gambling, Language