Please note this article is completely SPOILER FREE, and will cover the requirements for the Ys VIII true ending without specifically referencing any meaningful element of the plot.
Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana is a terrific game with an excellent story steeped in mystery. In my review, I couldn’t help mentioning similarities with the famous TV show Lost. But unlike Lost, the secrets of Seiren actually have satisfying conclusions.
That is, as long you get the true ending.
How many endings are there in Ys VIII?
Ys VIII doesn’t make this abundantly clear, but there are actually three possible endings. Namely, the bad ending, the normal ending and the best of the lot – the true ending.
Is it worth getting the true ending?
Again, rest assured there are NO SPOILERS here.
My honest opinion is that it is well worth getting the true ending. The normal and bad endings leave some important plot points unresolved, and you also miss out on a section of gameplay. The true ending is considerably more satisfying, and ensures the mysteries of Ys VIII’s plot are resolved.
How do you get each ending?
The ending shown depends entirely on the reputation points Adol has gained throughout his adventure on Seiren.
The number required depends on the platform you’re playing on.
On the PS Vita, a minimum of 150 reputation points are required to obtain the true ending. But let’s face it, you’re probably not playing on the PS Vita.
On the Nintendo Switch or PS4, it would appear the requirement for each ending is as follows:
True Ending – A minimum of 198 reputation points
Normal ending – Between 103 and 197 reputation points
Bad ending – Less than 103 reputation points
I actually think this is a great way of doing it, as it rewards players for generally being a great all-round help to Castaway village rather than setting a bunch of obscure, arbitrary criteria to hit.
How do you check how many reputation points you have?
This can be done at any point in the menu.
Simply select Adol’s journal, open the ‘Help’ section and, look at the ‘Total’ page, which shows a host of interesting stats about the adventure. Towards the bottom, you’ll be able to see how many reputation points you’ve accumulated.
How do you gain reputation points?
Reputation points are gained by such things as completing quests, clearing raids, clearing hunts and completing bonding events with the inhabitants of Castaway Village.
These are the main ways of obtaining reputation points:
- 2 points for finding each castaway
- 1 point for completing each quest
- 4 points for completing raids and hunts (S rank grants 4 points, every rank down reduces this by a point)
- 2 points for increasing approval of a castaway
- 3-5 points for each 10% completed of the map (note you need to show the map in the village)
- 2 points for finding memos
There are a few other ways to boost points further but these are the only ones you really need to think about as the other things require a lot of completion for fairly low reputation rewards.
Generally, every castaway will set a quest on the board at some point, and can also receive a gift from Adol. When the quest is completed and the gift is given, then the character’s affection will be maxed. At this point, a smiley face speech bubble will appear over their head and speaking to them again will result in the bonding event occurring.
As long as you are generally looking to explore each new areas of the map in full and hunt down every event point marked on it, you’ll be fine.
Is the Ys VIII true ending missable?
If you aren’t careful, then quests on the notice board can disappear when they are not completed in time.
As such, the true ending is missable – but be aware that lots of reputation points are available in Chapters 5 and 6, so do not be alarmed if your reputation appears a long way off during earlier chapters.
It’s also worth remembering there is a huge margin for error. It’s possible to get over 300 reputation points, so unless you completely neglect all sidequests until right at the end of the game, you’ll probably be fine to get the required total of 198.
What is the best way of gaining reputation points towards the end of the game?
At the end of the game, there are a lot of points that can be racked up in a short space of time. The final chapter has a host of new quests and hunts, and no part of the map will be locked. Of course, you may need to enlist more castaways before certain blocked areas can be cleared with a help request – but you’ll be able to find them all now.
Without spoiling anything, when you reach the final dungeon and have the option of facing the final boss, the game will clearly make you aware you’re at the point of no return. Obviously check your reputation points at this stage and do not proceed if you aren’t on 198 points or more.
At this stage, fast-travel back to Castaway Village and you’ll be informed of a bunch of extra hunts that are now available. These unlock when you get to the last area of the final dungeon.
When it comes to both raids and hunts, note that the rank achieved affects how many points are given. Thankfully, you can still revisit previous raids so if you did not achieve S rank first time around, complete them again and with your increased power it should be a breeze to hit the top ranks on earlier raids.
Speak to Dina, scroll to the ‘Deals’ section and be sure to purchase every single gift you can. If there are any gifts that are on the list but you lack the materials, then of course check the materials needed and see if you can trade up to obtain them.
When you have gifts in your possession and have found all the castaways, go and talk to everyone. If you have a gift suitable for them, the option to hand it over will present itself immediately.
Summary
In summary, the best ways of increasing reputation at this stage are:
- Talk to Dogi and clear all available raids and hunts with S rank if possible
- Clear all available quests from the board
- Fully explore the map and try to find every treasure chest and search point
- Find all castaways, who are marked in green on the map
- Purchase all gifts from Dina
- Talk to all castaways to give them gifts and max the affinity of as many as possible
Hopefully, by following these guidelines you’ll comfortably reach the necessary reputation and enjoy the Ys VIII true ending.
