Maze Mechanics

The Maze of Tribulations consists of three floors: Chasm of Repose, Indra’s Return, and finally, Terpsichorean Genesis. Each floor contains five bosses that must be defeated before you can proceed to the next floor. Each of the four intercardinal paths on the lobby of a floor leads to a monster-filled, multi-level area where a boss battle awaits at the top level. You must clear these four area bosses to unlock the fifth boss of the floor, located through the north path in the lobby. The first four bosses can be considered mini bosses and are generally less powerful than the final boss of the floor (except for perhaps one particular encounter…). Once the fifth boss is defeated, the center platform in the lobby transports the party to the next floor.

Each of the four subareas in the Chasm of Repose contains three levels to trek through. Indra’s Return’s areas consist of four, while Terpsichorean Genesis’ areas have five.

Unlike all other zones in Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, no in-game map is provided while you explore the Maze of Tribulations. The mazes aren’t too complex, but it can be confusing to navigate without a map (which can be found in the following pages of this guide). Usually, each level of an area will have one path leading to a dead end or a chest, with the other leading to the next level.

You can exit the maze any time you want using the Communicator Model G transport function. When you return, any bosses you’ve cleared will remain banished from the dungeon. However, they will return once you’ve completed the entire maze and enter its next iteration.

Once the three floors are completed and all 15 bosses are vanquished, the dungeon’s second and third floor main bosses, Gabriel Celeste and Ethereal Queen, level up and become increasingly difficult for much more of a challenge if the player decides to return to the maze. These changes in the bosses are evident by a visual distinction. The first time these divine beings are encountered, they’ll only have one pair of energy projection wings. The second time, they’ll have two pairs, and the third time, three pairs. The other bosses in the labyrinth do not power up at all and can most likely be defeated without much trouble since the party will have vastly leveled up and strengthened through the powerful equipment gained in the first run. Additionally, the treasure chests in the maze do not respawn after the maze’s first completion. However, all bosses still drop loot. This is useful for gathering Orichalcum and other rare materials for crafting better gear.

There’s a rather peculiar merchant by the name of Santa, the Mercantilean, who resides next to the save point on each floor. Interestingly enough, he has many more items for sale than he lets on; he’ll display a random set of items each time he’s interacted with. He carries a variety of items, including stat-buffing accessories, crafting materials, and defense-boosting consumables such as Signet Card: Angel Feather and Signet Card: Enlighten +. After Ethereal Queen is defeated for the first time and the maze is re-entered, Santa will have new stock, conveniently containing even more types of rare crafting materials. When the maze is completed for the second time and is entered in its third iteration, he’ll have the most powerful amulets in the game in stock—an incredibly excellent resource for augmenting the party’s equipment.

Santa’s Gifts

First Maze Iteration

Second Maze Iteration

Third Maze Iteration