100% Magnus Collection in BK1

Missables and tips for 100% playthrough.

Intro

This intro gives some basic info about the challenge before you continue to the guide. I compiled this guide at the same time as I did my first 100% playthrough of BK. This guide focuses on finishing the magnus collection, but you can easily do the 100% combo list and all side quests in the same playthrough if you want to.

First, I do not recommend this challenge as your first playthrough. I recommend playing normally at least once, because this 100%ing this game is rough. I love this game, it is one of my favourite GC titles, but I think I need a few years break before I can replay it again.

Second, read through the whole guide before you start so you know the phases you'll go through and stuff you need to pay close attention to. There are missables in this game, meaning if you advance the plot at certain points, you miss the chance to get an one-of-a-kind magnus that you will never be able to get again.

Third, keep a pen and some paper close. Take notes when needed, because when you are doing multiple combos with multiple characters per battle and it's easy to forget in what order you need to play the cards. I got a lot of help from GameFaqs guides. I will list the guides I used in my playthrough in the last section, so check them whenever you are stuck.

Challenge Survival Tips

Important Photo Tips

• Take photos of all enemies and bosses when you first meet them. Some enemies do not respawn and majority of the bosses are only fought once.
  
• Keep extra camera in storage when you reach Alfard (the 5th island). You will soon lose all but one of your characters and you will need that extra camera to takes photos while not having a full party.
  
• Your team members can be photographed. Each has common and rare variant. Everyone has two pictures, except Mizuti who has 4 pictures. Two team member photos are missable (precise details in Missable Magnus section below).

Misc Photo Tips

• Getting the photo in rewards is enough to add it to the collection. You do not need to pick it as a reward.
  
• This game has reskinned enemies (= same enemy model, but different colors/details). They are still different creatures so you need to photo all variants.
  
• Some enemies do not appear on the map, but have a random chance to be in the battle with the enemy you bumped into. I missed two enemies this way, but these were in locations you can return to so it wasn't a big deal (these were dog enemy in Duke's Labyrinth and shellfish enemy in Illusory Garden).

Aging Magnus and Combo Tips

• The game registers transformed magnus into you collection when you open deck editing screen or are in combat. This is important fact for aging magnus. Some magnus exist very briefly, like Forbidden Fruit turns into Rotten Fruit in just 30 minutes. This means that during this time you need to open deck editing or enter a battle for it to get added. This is extremely important fact for the Yell cards, which go up one level every 5 hours. You cannot leave the game idling overnight if you do not have the Yells at max level of 6 because you will miss some of the levels permanently.
  
• Magnus aging (=transforming into something else, or disappearing in case of ice magnus) can cause some problems that hinder your progress. Always plan ahead on what you are doing and write down what you need for combos.
  
• At the end when you are just grinding combos, have at least two characters doing combos. This makes the process faster. Do not include any attacks or blocks in the decks so you can cycle through the deck fast with Pass cards (empty slots).
  
• I find it easiest to battle low level enemies that don't cause status effects, but can still take some damage without dying. Just have some weapons on one character to finish them off after you have done the combos. A good choice is the volcano dog enemy in Azha mines, it sleeps most of it's turns so which makes turns go by faster and saves you a lot of minutes in the end.
  
• My playthrough strategy was to play through the game normally while getting all photos and missables, then before Cor Hydrae I finished the remaining combos, left the game idle to get the last transformations (diaries, Peach Boy and Shampoo) and then at last did Cor Hydrae to get the missing magnus and photos.

Missable Magnus

Sadal Suud (first visit)
• Warrior's Mementos: you get it when you meet Xelha and her friends die. Keep it and let it transform into Warrior's Memories before giving it to women in Wazn.
  
• Shampoo: when you get explosives from Larikush, talk to woman at village entrance, find Aljeemo in city mansion, then return to the woman. This item takes the most time to transform in the game, +300 hours. You can get a second one in the Savyna's optional desert level at the end of the game, but better get it early (there's a man who sells it before entering the desert, he disappears when you finish the level).

Diadem (first visit)
• Thunderfish Bone: collect from fish boss skull at the river. Give it to the museum in Mira.
  
• 2 enemy photos in Diadem Castle battle.
  
• 6 different aura cards: save all soldiers in castle battle. These are aging magnus that gain a level every 5 hours, all go up to level 6.

Anuenue (first visit)
• Magical Piggy Bank: get it by talking to kids in School of Magic. Keep it and let it transforms first into Full Piggy Bank and then into Empty Piggy Bank.

Trail of Souls (cannot be returned to)
• 2 enemy photos
  
• Frost Cap: random drop from Zelmer enemies.
  
• Secret Recipe 4: completely destroy the last wave of enemies.
  This level is a mini-game. Battle enough Zelmers until you get a Frost Cap and make sure you don't miss any enemies in the last wave and you need to touch the dropped magnus to collect it.

Mira (first visit)
• Golden Pickaxe. Keep it and later give it to the museum in Mira.

Mintaka (first visit)
• Secret Recipe 6: in the port where you arrive, there are golden spikes you can walk on at the top of the screen, examine the air at the end of one of them.
  
• 2 enemy photos when escaping the soldiers.

Goldoba
• 1 enemy photo

Azha
• Mephistoles Cloak + Secret Recipe 7: give kid 13 magnus, talk to the sitting guy for Mephistoles Cloak, then give 7 more and get Secret Recipe 7. You can just give them lava from the caves or salt from the house.
  
• Platinum Buckle: Collect Lava, let it transform to Hot Rock. Give it to a woman, then talk to the old woman in the same room.

Mintaka (2nd visit)
• 1 enemy photo when it's invaded by monsters.
  
• Girl's Thoughts from a dresser in a house in middle of Mintaka. It's a house where a girl and mother live. Give it to a boy upstairs in Azha when you can visit there.

When free travel unlocks
• Fairy Barrette: Give yogurt to soldier in Komo Mai palace, then return to him after visiting Celestial Alps.

Land Below Clouds (first visit)
• Mizuti has two special photos without a mask. These 2 photos can be taken only during one boss battle. Take a lot of photos and retry the boss if you don't get both of them at rewards screen.
  
• Sun Anklet: Return to Gemma Village, after defeating the boss in Algorab village, talk to man walking around.

Phantom Goldoba (cannot be returned to)
• 1 enemy photo
  
• From chests you get Agni Tuba, Mithril Helmet, Jasper Gem and Skull Earring.
  
• Master revenant drop: Varna Horn.

Useful Guides

These are the guides I used when I did my 100% playthrough. They are very good and clear, but there was some inaccurate info here and there (for example, wrong amount of hours for a transformation, wrong enemy listed for magnus drop), but comparing the guides helps.

Keep in mind that some magnus have different names in this new release. Biggest difference is that words that refer to alcohol have been replaced ("wine" is now "drink", "beer" is "wheat tea" and so forth) and Voodoo Doll is now Effigy. There are most likely others too. Check Magnus List guides and compare to in-game list if names are causing trouble.

Guides can be read on the GameFaqs page for original Baten Kaitos release:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gamecube/917921-baten-kaitos-eternal-wings-and-the-lost-ocean/faqs

• 100% Completion Guide by Atomos199
  
• Aging Magnus List by deadSamson
  
• Constellation Magnus FAQ by Fei_Hong
  
• Magnus Combos FAQ by trin
  
• Magnus Combos FAQ by Daredevil3181
  
• Magnus Enemy Drop List by inoble
  
• Magnus List by Badaro
  
• Magnus Locations FAQ by Sister
  
• Missable Magnus FAQ by Fei_Hong
  
• Quest Magnus FAQ by Ket_Shi
  
• Sidequest Guide by mr_cow
  
• Guide and Walkthrough by Emperor-Justinian-I

Thank you, guide writers, for all of the help during all these years! Most of these guides are almost 20 years old, but they are still useful. Amazing work!