Quick reference for stat abbreviations, game terms, and terminology used throughout the guide.
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Coming Soon
Sections currently in progress — content planned for upcoming guide updates.
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Site Map
Quick links to every section and page in the SOBS Visual Guide.
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Changelog
Version history, page additions, corrections, and guide updates over time.
Credits
Guide Credits
This visual guide was created as a fan resource for Star Ocean: Blue Sphere for the Game Boy Color. All game content, characters, and trademarks are the property of tri-Ace / Square Enix.
Guide Author
Nihilspire
All writing, translation, layout direction
Japanese Translation
Nihilspire
Battle system, IC skills, bestiary, character data
Source Material
Official Guide Book
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere Official Strategy Guide (JP)
Game Developer
tri-Ace
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere (2001, GBC)
Publisher
Enix / Square Enix
Original publication and IP ownership
This guide is a non-commercial fan project. No copyright infringement is intended. All translated material is used for informational and preservation purposes only.
Glossary
Terms & Abbreviations
Quick reference for abbreviations and terminology used throughout the guide.
SP
Skill Points — earned after battle, used to acquire and level up skills.
MP
Magic Points — consumed by Special Arts and Symbology spells.
HP
Hit Points — character health. Reaching 0 causes Battle Incapacitation.
STR
Strength — governs physical attack power, especially for Swordsmen.
CON
Constitution — governs defense and reduces Guts consumption.
DEX
Dexterity — governs hit rate for Swordsmen and Brawlers.
AGL
Agility — governs hit rate for Brawlers, evasion, and Brawler movement speed.
INT
Intelligence — governs magic power, spell damage, and symbology effectiveness.
Guts — hidden stamina pool consumed by techs and combos. 0 GUT = Fatigue.
IC
Item Creation — the crafting system. Requires specific skill combinations to unlock.
PAT
Party Attack — the player-side attack power value used in damage calculation.
EDF
Enemy Defense Force — the monster defense value subtracted from PAT to get damage.
DAM
Damage — the final damage value after PAT − EDF, modified by attributes and nature.
FOL
Fol — in-game currency used to purchase items from vendors.
BTL
Battle — skill category. Opposes Intelligence on the skill balance graph.
INT
Intelligence (skill category) — opposes Battle. Governs knowledge and field actions.
TEC
Technique (skill category) — opposes Sense. Governs IC skill unlocks.
SEN
Sense (skill category) — opposes Technique. Balanced parameter growth.
In Progress
Coming Soon
Sections currently being worked on or planned for future updates. Check back regularly — the guide is actively expanding.
In Progress
Party Builder
Interactive tool for composing a party of 3 — shows archetype coverage, skill category spread, IC unlock reach, and field actions available.
In Progress
Maps Hub
Dedicated section collecting all area and dungeon maps. Currently only Crash Forest is complete. Additional maps being added as scans are processed.
In Progress
IC Overview Hub
A landing page explaining the Item Creation system before linking to individual IC skill guides. Duplication, Art, and Expertise already have full guides.
Planned
Status Effects
Full reference for all status ailments — what causes them, their duration, and how to cure each one in and out of battle.
Planned
Items Database
Complete item listing covering consumables, accessories, weapons, armour, and key items with stats, descriptions, and acquisition sources.
Planned
Additional IC Guides
Remaining Item Creation skill guides beyond the current three — Compound, Smith, Alchemy, Cooking, and others still to be documented.
Planned
Controls Page Update
Controls page exists but awaits final image assets for the camp, overworld, and battle control diagrams.
Site Map
All Pages
Every section of the SOBS Visual Guide. Greyed-out entries are in progress and not yet linked from the index.
A running log of additions, corrections, and updates made to the guide.
v1.0
Initial release. All 12 character guides, character select, archetypes, index, controls, crash forest map, and IC guides (Duplication, Art, Expertise).
v1.1
Battle System added. Full 14-scan translation covering Battle Basics, Damage Formulas, Combo System, Basic Techs, Special Arts, Symbology, and Skill Acquisition.
v1.2
Bestiary added. All 124 monsters translated from official guide scans with full stat data, HP breakdowns, weak points, drop tables, sprite image slots, and tactics.
v1.3
Vendor List added. Shop browser with item table, category filters, search bar, and vendor info panel.
v1.4
Skill Descriptions added. All four skill categories with alphabetical sorting, coloured parameter tags, special effect column, global cross-category search, and collapsible Field Action / IC unlock reference drawers.
v1.5
Field Actions guide added. Full overworld ability reference — default actions table plus seven unlockable actions with descriptions, unlock requirements, availability, and usage notes per action.
v1.6
FAQ added. 25 questions across six categories (General, Combat, Skills, IC, Characters, Exploration) with live search and collapsible accordion answers. Cross-links to other guide pages throughout.
v1.7
Gallery added. Tabbed image gallery (Characters, Screenshots, Promotional) with full-screen lightbox, keyboard navigation, and graceful placeholder fallback for missing images.
v1.8
Misc page updated. Party Tips removed. Coming Soon section added with in-progress and planned entries. Site Map updated with coming-soon markers for unlinked pages. Index updated with New Here banner and FAQ link. Changelog brought up to date.