Before taking Sally's boat from Bayside Town to Blackwater, return to Alfheim and speak to Stromgaard on the first floor of the inn.
Speak to him in Credence.
Talk to Cid at the Madrigal inn to discover he is missing his sheet music. Retrieve the sheet music from the Blackwater innkeeper. Return it to Cid.
With Col in your party, go to Amen Corner and find Joe in a dead end on the northwestern road, next to Deke's mansion. Speak to Joe, and agree to help him. Clear the dungeon to complete the quest.
Find Mike at the pub in southwestern Mayfall City. Hire him for 400 Arn.
Find Outsider at the pub in southwestern Mayfall City. Hire him for 1,500 Arn.
With a dark-elemental character in your party, speak to Francesca inside her house in northern Matrech State Capital.
After recruiting Sally, have her take you to Midian's Island. Inside Midian's house, push the box located in the center of the room to the right side of the bookshelf with the chest on it, then proceed to try to reach the chest.
Note: This method will not work after the start of Chapter 6.
Castle Function: Statistics Record
Find Wilona inside her house in southeast Mayfall City. She will rate your active party's total STR or MAG value (entourage doesn’t count). Build a total of 500 STR or 400 MAG to receive an A-rank from her, and she will join you.
Note: Available as early as Chapter 3, but not likely to recruit until Chapter 6, due to the high stat requirement.
Castle Function: Item Shop
Achieve A-rank in the Battle of Grunthall in Chapter 3, then speak to Paris in Bergstadt.
Note: Without A-rank, he will not join you. Wait until Chapter 6 for the alternative method.
Speak to him in the following locations (in order):
Note: This event can be triggered as early as Chapter 2, but cannot be completed until at least Chapter 4.
(Boss Alert)
Available after the first Battle at Mayfall City. Bring Ljusalf and return to the hut in west Mayfall Forest to speak to Richard. Clear the dungeon to recruit him and Naja.
Joins with Richard.
Find him at the dojo in western Elysium Castle after meeting Bast.
Available after the Blackwater rescue mission. Find Myst’s house on the world map, located south of Madrigal. Examine the book on the surface near Myst to find the items needed to perform the ritual.
Items required: Brown Herb, Memento, Charged Jet, Leather Belt, Brown Clay, and Sea Spider Toxin.
Item locations:
Joins with Myst.
Castle Function: Blackjack
Available after the Blackwater rescue mission. Attempt to recruit him in northern Ansee. Make a total profit of at least 5,000 Arn in his Blackjack game.
Tip: In Chapter 7, his betting limit will be increased to 10,000 Arn, which lets you earn 5,000 Arn profit a lot easier.
After reaching the final story dungeon, the betting limit will be increased further to 100,000 Arn.
Castle Function: Teleporter
(Boss Alert)
Only available if Joe was recruited. Speak to Deke in front of his house in Amen Corner, and win the boss fight. Return to Elysium Castle, and a new room will be open, where Deke and his machine will be found. Talk to him and he will join.
Bring Klaus to speak with her at the Blackwater docks.
(Boss Alert)
Return to the last room of the Mad King Vault, in the basement of Shiro's mansion in Blackwater. Examine the northeast pillar in the final room to trigger a boss battle.
Castle Function: Unlock Herbs on Item Shop
Available after clearing Oischin Forest. Speak with Bartolli back at your castle and he will mention wanting herbs grown locally. Find Hawk in a field to the left of the house on the westernmost side of Sibet Town and ask him to join you.
Castle Function: Menu Set Editor
Available after clearing the Elemental Mansion. Speak to him at Cento Temple (eastern outside area), and he will challenge you to a race. Lose the race to recruit him.
Available after clearing the Elemental Mansion. Find Alex in a semi-hidden area of central Oischin Forest. (To the right of the first area you found ice at.) Talk to him and then follow him into the Sacred Circle of Druids. Solve the druids' problem to complete his quest.
Castle Function: Character Interviews
In Blackwater, trigger an interview with her four times. An interview can be triggered after any war battle (including the first Jargo Port City war battle on Chapter 2).
Bring Cid to speak to him at the Credence inn.
Bring Johnny to the dog in Bayside Town.
Talk to her at the Bayside Town inn, with an all-male party.
Castle Function: Magic Shop
(Boss Alert)
Speak to her at the Harlinton inn (2nd floor). Win her magic-only challenge fight.
Castle Function: Blacksmith
(Boss Alert)
Tip: The dungeon’s puzzle solution is hinted on the engravings on one of Mt. Bosch cliffs, and the solution is
Bring Rock to speak to him in Ansee.
Speak to him at Jargo Port City, and watch his performance. Then watch it again, alongside a character with Steal skill in your party (Joe, Rorschach, or Marcello).
Available after clearing Matrech Catacombs. Bring Teej to speak to her in a northeastern classroom of the Faraday University City academy.
Available after clearing Matrech Catacombs. Bring Nomad to speak with Marian at her office in Faraday University City academy.
Bring Erin to speak with Midian in Midian’s Island.
Bring a character with Steal skill (Joe, Rorschach, or Reod) to Jargo Port City. In the northwestern area, there is a locked door, which they will open. Inside, speak to Marcello and attempt to recruit him, and he will request a Black Ruby.
Black Ruby locations:
(Boss Alert)
Available after clearing Vishnu Citadel. Talk to Sef in Trarcia and offer to help. Go to Magma Caverns (northeast of Trarcia on the world map) and clear the dungeon.
Joins with Sef.
Joins with Sef.
Castle Function: Spectral Prisms
Speak to Darwin in a northeastern classroom of the Faraday University City academy, and he will ask for a Rainbow Ore. Bring him one, wait 5 minutes in real time, and then return to him.
Note: After recruiting him, find more Rainbow Ores to let him create more Spectral Prisms in your castle.
Rainbow Ore locations:
Available after clearing Vishnu Citadel. Bring Shadfork to speak to Tong Wu at the Cento Temple inn.
(Boss Alert)
Speak to him in the Forgotten Cave (hidden within a mountain located east of Levier), attempt to recruit him and win the boss fight.
(Boss Alert)
Go to Valduz and speak to either the old man in the northern house or southwestern house. Approach Avelion at the center of town and suggest that he is a dragon. Afterwards, go to Mt. Ea (west of Valduz on the world map) and clear the dungeon.
After recruiting Avelion, Ice can be found in a house in western St. Reinard. Bring Avelion to speak with him.
(Boss Alert)
Speak to him at the Muspelheim inn and offer to help him. Go to Nocturn Keep (north of Muspelheim on the world map) and clear the dungeon.
Joins with Luther.
Castle Function: Character Interviews
Speak to her after the Battle at Midgard Plains and she will join you immediately, without having to trigger four separate interviews.
(Boss Alert)
Available after clearing the Hall of Memories. Bring Rorschach to talk to her at Ashton Port. Offer to help her and clear the Shadow Clan dungeon.
Warning: You can’t leave the dungeon until the boss fight is cleared!
Joins with Yomiko.
Select New Game on the main menu.
Joins the morning after returning to Alfheim from Harlinton.
Joins the morning after arriving at Blackwater from Bayside Town.
Joins after speaking with Merrick in Mayfall City.
Castle Function: Port Travels
Joins after clearing Treasure Island.
Castle Function: Innkeeper
Joins the day after the opening ceremony for Elysium Castle.
Castle Function: Party Manager
Joins the day after the opening ceremony for Elysium Castle.
Joins while leaving the castle, after being invited to Highland.
Joins after the Blackwater rescue mission.
Castle Function: War Unit Manager
Joins after the recapture of Mayfall City.
Joins with Bast.
Joins after clearing Elemental Mansion.
Joins after meeting with Rock, before the Battle at Matrech Coast.
Joins before going to Fading Dream.
Joins after the Battle at Elysium Castle.
Joins after the Battle at Elysium Castle.
Joins after defeating Boris in the Harlinton Forest.
Castle Function: War Battle Simulation
Joins after the Battle at Mayfall City II.
Joins after the Battle at Mayfall City II.
Joins upon returning from the Battle at Mayfall City II.
Joins after returning from Jargo Port City with the Portal Key.
Joins when you meet him at the Credence church.
Joins after clearing Matrech Catacombs.
Joins after clearing Matrech Catacombs.
Joins after winning the Battle at Vishnu Citadel.
Joins after winning the Battle at St. Reinard.
Joins before the Battle at Jormundgand.
After obtaining all 75 characters, open the chest on the basement of Elysium Castle.
The first Shadow Boss will now be unlocked (with its location clued from the dialogues), and Battle Plan #23 is also obtained to unlock the hardest bonus war battle.