How to Recruit Opera and Ernest in Star Ocean: The Second Story Remake
Are you a fan of the classic JRPG Star Ocean: The Second Story? The recent remake brings this beloved experience back to modern platforms, and in this guide, I’ll show you how to recruit two fan-favorite characters: Opera Vectra and Ernest Raviede.
Important for Recruitment:
- You cannot recruit Opera or Ernest if you have already recruited Ashton Anchors.
- These characters become available only within a specific window of the main story.
Recruit Opera and Ernest in Star Ocean
Here’s a step-by-step guide to unlocking both Opera and Ernest in the Star Ocean: The Second Story remake:
- Advance the Story: Progress the main storyline until you’ve completed the tournament in the city of Lacour. Avoid the events in Linga that lead to meeting Keith.
- Visit Hilton: Return to Hilton, the port town where you landed on the second continent. Enter the bar, and a cutscene with Opera will trigger automatically.
- Gain Access to the Mountain Palace: Travel to Krosse Castle and speak to the receptionist on the left side of the entrance. Then, approach the throne room to speak with the King. He will grant you access to the Mountain Palace.
- Find Opera: Enter the Mountain Palace, located on the northwestern side of the first continent. Follow the quest markers to locate Opera. While exploring is encouraged, head directly to Opera to continue her recruitment quest.
- Invite Opera: When prompted, agree to let Opera join your party. This isn’t the end of her side quest and it’s necessary to complete it to recruit Ernest.
- The Sacred Forest: After Opera joins, travel back to the Sacred Forest, located south of Arlia. This is the area where Claude initially landed. Look out for a timed event where you’ll encounter Opera’s crashed ship.
- The Hoffman Ruins: Continue progressing the main story until you reach the Hoffman Ruins. Complete the dungeon, and upon exiting, you will encounter a cutscene where Opera and Ernest reunite.
- Welcome the Duo: After a battle, you’ll be given the option to recruit both Opera and Ernest. They must be recruited as a pair.
Tips:
- It’s wise to explore the Mountain Palace fully, as it contains some valuable treasures.
- If you want Opera but not Ernest, you can skip the Sacred Forest event after recruiting her, preventing the final cutscene with Ernest from triggering.