Visions Of Mana Walkthrough

While you enjoy switching between Val, Careena, Morley, Palamena, and Julei, you’ll be able to explore vibrant lands, encounter fascinating NPCs, and face tough decisions that shape the fate of the world. If you need a little advice along the way, check out this Visions of Mana walkthrough or our additional guides linked at the bottom of the page.

Visions of Mana Walkthrough - Side Quest list

There is no main quest list in Visions of Mana because the game directs you toward your goal quite linearly. However, there are plenty of side quests dotted around each area for you to enjoy. During your journey, you should find each of these side quests:

Visions of Mana Walkthrough - Quests and solutions

This section of the Visions of Mana walkthrough is a guide to the side quests that require you to find items out in the wild, as well as other quests that are a little harder to complete.

Words on the Wind

After speaking to Keshi in Longren, you’ll be tasked with finding a letter he let blow out of his hand. He lost it somewhere in the Aery Vale, but only has a vague idea of where. There’s a small, light blue circle on the map which gives you the area to search. You’ll find the letter between some pine trees.

Lost and Found quest

This quest is given to you in Rhata Harbor by Nikoko the Town Beauty, who has lost their hairpin. She’s located opposite the docks. Finding the lost hairpin is one of the more annoying side quests; only because Fallow Steppe is HUGE. Go to the tower in Fallow Steppe (the one on the large hilltop that has three different Elementite crystals around it), and you’ll find the hairpin on the left side of the building.

Mushroom Mania

This quest is given to you by a man on the right side of the exit that takes you from Ledgas Bay to Pritta Ridge (you’ll find him near the armor seller across from the fountain). Gastronomist Nostimo, the man in question, wants you to find a rare variety of mushroom that grows on the beaches of Pritta Ridge. The red glowing spot that indicates the mushrooms’ location can be found near the back left corner of the beach (where the shore starts on the left side of the map). The spot is in the first thicket of trees, and it’s easy to run past. I did so twice because I misread the quest and thought I was looking for the mushroom enemies again like a past quest in the Vale. There’s a light blue circle on the map to indicate the area, just go towards that and find the edge where the trees begin. This section is still in progress and will be updated soon.

All controls and keybinds (PC)

All controls and keybinds (console)

Visions of Mana Walkthrough - All characters and builds

Val - How to recruit, best Vessel, & best build

How to recruit Val

There’s no special trick to recruiting Val in Visions of Mana. Once you start up a new game on Visions of Mana, Val is the first playable character after the prologue. You start your story as him, and you’ll be on your quest in a few minutes.

Best Vessel for Val

It took me a while to find a Vessel for Val that I was happy to write about in this Visions of Mana walkthrough. I thought that the Moon Vessel was going to work well for him, considering he’s made to be a tank character, but the Aegis class is SO SLOW. Until you pick up the Fire or Darkness Elemental Vessels, I’d advise keeping Val classless or equipping him with the Wind Vessel. Val’s playstyle is supposed to be both strong and protective. You’ll want to focus on giving him the ability to attack and defend. The Darkness Vessel is certainly the best Elemental Vessel for Val. It combines the power of Gravity with Val’s typical hard hits, making it a great choice for his playstyle. If you also equip Val with some attack-based seeds, you’ll find that you’ve got the makings of a great build for our favorite Soul Guard. I’d suggest the Strength Sigil ability seed and either the Fireball or Explode ability seeds. If you’re still playing early on in the game, the Fireball ability seed is one of the first ones you get. Despite this, I actually prefer using Val with the Salamando Candle. He gets a lot more fire abilities than darkness ones, and it’s a lovely nod to Hinna.

Best Val build

If you decide to go with the Darkness Vessel for Val, you’ll be able to combine his fire abilities (provided you’ve unlocked them in the Elemental Plot tab of the menu) with the gravity effects of Shade Sight. Be sure to have the Fireball ability seed and a Strength Sigil seed equipped to Val. With Val’s abilities unlocked up to the sixth Elemental Plot skill as a Fire Vessel user, you’ll now have five fire abilities set to your quick access wheel. Unlock the first Darkness Elemental Plot for a funky little Dark Saber so that you can give an ally dark elemental damage. This gives you the best attack-based build for Val, while also including several buff skills for himself and any party members.

Careena - How to recruit, best Vessel, & best build

How to recruit Careena

Careena isn’t difficult to recruit, but she is stubborn and has a bit of a bad attitude - you’ll find out why as the story evolves. She has a duty to fulfill for her village, but isn’t very keen on fulfilling it because the village is downright awful to her. She’ll send you on a quick quest to find her friend, Shiriu, who you’ll find studying a windmill outside of the village (back out the way you came, immediately turn left and walk up to the windmill). However, even when you retrieve him, she still won’t cooperate. It takes you (as Val) trying to fulfill her duty for her and failing, badly, for her to step in. The faerie is summoned, and Careena fights for her right to become the Alm of Wind. You’ll need to journey with her to visit the Wind Elemental to have her officially approved. It’s at the start of this journey that she becomes a part of your team.

Best Vessel for Careena

The best Elemental Vessel for Careena is, undoubtedly, the Sylphid Boomerang. This is the Wind Vessel, and it works perfectly with her character. When Careena has the Wind Vessel equipped, her class changes to the Dancer, and she gains a new skill set alongside an outfit change. Her stats rise significantly when she has this Vessel - in comparison to Val, whose stats both rise and fall when he has the Vessel equipped. What you need to understand about Careena is that she is supposed to be a support class character. If you give her a Vessel that can help her unleash wider attacks, you’ll see great improvements in your battles. The Wind Vessel gives Careena a pair of powerful fans to work with, and she can use the binding gusts of the Vessel against every enemy in the area. However, Careena also works well with the Moon Vessel. The combination of Wind magic and the effect of the Luna Globe makes her a wonderfully balanced character. The Luna Globe gives her the power to slow down time in an area, meaning that your enemies suddenly move at a speed that even a tortoise could overtake.

Best Careena build

I’m going to write about Careena’s Moon Vessel build here because it has saved me so much during boss fights. As a Luna Globe user, Careena can take advantage of the Vessel’s effect to slow down time in an area or create a shield for the party to hide in. I added a Critical Rate Boost and Phantom Blade ability seed to Careena because she’s supposed to be the balanced character of my team. She needs to attack well and defend, which requires a bit of extra power when she’s using her skills. Like Val, have Careena unlock the sixth Elemental Plot for the Luna Globe and have the first Sylphid Boomerang plot unlocked (Cyclone). This will ensure that Careena has both Moon and Wind skills, which will help her attack her enemies and defend her allies. One of the Luna Globe Elemental Plot skills (Moon Saber) can even make an ally’s weapon absorb HP, which is just wild. You can, of course, unlock more Wind Elemental Plot skills, and I would recommend that if you have enough points from Elementite crystals.

Morley - How to recruit, best Vessel, & best build

How to recruit Morley

Morley’s backstory is incredibly sad, and it takes a little longer to recruit him than it does to get Careena on board. You’ll meet him at the gates of what used to be Etaern, but you’ll soon find out how the Parish fell to disarray - and it’s not as Morley remembers it. After you find the Luna Globe in the Lefeya Drifts, you’ll need to head back to Morley’s camp with him. Shortly after, you’ll find yourself in Etaern, watching the events of the past. Morley reverts to his younger self and runs out of the Parish into the Lefeya Drifts. Follow him back to where you found the Luna Globe and listen while he deals with his trauma. When you go back to Etaern once more, Morley will be named the Alm of the Moon.

Best vessel for Morley

You would think that the Moon Vessel would be the best one for Morley, considering he’s from Etaern, but it actually butchers his stats. Instead, try equipping Morley with the Water Vessel. Morley is very much a rogue-type character; they need to be able to fight fast and then get out of the way just as quickly. The Water Vessel gives Morley two weapons - a cane and a set of cards. Using these, Morley is able to attack directly and from a slight distance, all while harnessing the power of the Water Vessel to blast enemies off of their feet.

Best Morley build

My favourite Morley build combines Water and Darkness for a powerful rogue-like set of attacks. Unlock the Undine Flask Elemental Plot to the sixth level and the Shade Sight one to the first level, at least. By doing this, and adding in the Stamina Sigil and the Blade and Scepter Sigil, Morley will become a fast-moving party member who deals a decent amount of damage and has plenty of tricks up his sleeves. The Stamina Silgil gives him an extra 10% Stamina, and the Blade and Scepter Sigil gives him a 10% boost for both his Attack and Magic Attack stats. The reason I add in the Darkness element to his build is because that first skill on the Elemental Plot line is the Phantom Blade skill, which allows Morley to cast four magical blades that deal slash damage. Spicy.

Palamena - How to recruit, best Vessel, & best build

How to recruit Palamena

Palamena will quite literally run into you while you’re in Ledgas Bay. In disguise, she is caught by Morley, who offers to stay with her until she feels up to walking around by herself - she hurts her ankle when she crashes into Val. After a little bit of exploring, you’ll return to another cutscene where Palamena’s identity is confirmed and she reveals why she’s running around in disguise. When night falls and the ceremony has begun, Palamena will accept her fate as the Alm of Water in front of Val, his companions, and the rather despicable Passar. You’ll meet Palamena’s younger brother after the ceremony, and find out that Morley’s adoptive father has been falsely imprisoned. The story continues to unfold as you find out more about Passar’s plot to become King instead of Palamena’s brother. You must journey to the Luka Ruins in Pitta Ridge to find out more and stop Passar. It isn’t easy. Passar has control of a large crab-like beast. He sets this on you and you must defeat it before you can go back to the palace and finish righting Passar’s wrongs. When the battle is finished, water begins flowing freely in Illystana again. The Faerie and Undine both appear, and Palamena is named Alm of Water publicly. She will now join you on your quest to the Mana Tree.

Best Vessel for Palamena

The Wind Vessel works incredibly well with Palamena. When I discovered this, I immediately changed Careena from the Wind Vessel to the Moon Vessel, and had Palamena take on the Sylphid Boomerang instead. Palamena specializes in long-range magic attacks, and this is something that you should keep in mind when deciding which Elemental Vessel to equip to her. The Wind Vessel controls the air currents, allowing the user to suspend an enemy in the air and deal damage at the same time - an excellent long-range attack, if I do say so, myself.

Best Palamena build

Wind and Water goes pretty well together, I feel. Especially when the Water magic often becomes Ice magic. With Palamena equipped with the Sylphid Boomerang and a few water/ice abilities at her beck and call, she’ll be a great asset to your team. Unlock the Sylphid Boomerang Elemental Plot to the sixth level and have the Undine Flask’s first level unlocked. This will give you Thunderbolt, Thunder Storm, and Ice Smash. But, we’re not done yet. Go over to your ability seeds and add the Intellect Sigil and Magical Dismantle abilities. Have fun with a Palamena build that can ensure you always have a magical back-up.

Julei - How to recruit, best Vessel, & best build

How to recruit Julei

Once you locate Julei in Mylos Woods as part of the ongoing story, you’ll need to follow him and find out why the flowers aren’t blooming. He really doesn’t want to be bothered, and you’ll have to follow him a few times to get the full story. Every four years, one sproutling in Verdous Borough awakens to become the Custodian, responsible for caring for the other sproutlings in the forest. During Val’s visit to the forest, Julei is the one currently fulfilling this role. He’s been watering his friends, waiting for one to be named the Alm of Wood. You’ll enter a boss fight with Grapplavine a little while after talking to him. Once you defeat Grapplavine, you’ll chat with Julei again and Dryad, the Wood Elemental, will show up. Julei blooms, and becomes the Alm of Wood.

Best Vessel for Julei

Julei is the perfect healer character for your group, replacing Hinna. Either equip him with the Wood Vessel or the Light Vessel for the best results. Personally, I was happy with Julei using the Dryad Sprig. It suits him well, which is more than I can say for the Vessels of the other Alms. With the Dryad Sprig, Julei can create a healing area where your party’s HP can be restored. You need to stay in the restorative area to be healed, but it’s an excellent Vessel to have attached to one of your Alms.

Best Julei build

Welcome to the only Alm in this Visions of Mana walkthrough that fits perfectly with their land’s Elemental Vessel. You can absolutely equip Julei with the Dryad Sprig, and you should. But, we like mixing and matching here, so once you’ve got the Dryad Sprig Elemental Plot up to at least the sixth level, throw in some Light magic from the Lumina Lantern! Even just unlocking the first Elemental Plot for the Light Vessel gives Julei the ability to heal an ally with the skill “Healing Light.” Now, this next bit of the build is a bit risky. When adding the ability seeds, give Julei Life Sigil and Peacebringer. Life Sigil raises his max HP by 10%, while Peacebringer allows Julei to take 30% of the damage dealt to his allies. That, alongside the abilities from the Dryad Sprig and Lumina Lantern Elemental Plots should make Julei the best healer build in Visions of Mana. As always, when you have enough points, be sure to add more Light abilities.

All classes

Val’s classes

Rune Knight (Wind) Aegis (Moon) Duelist (Water) Liege (Fire) Edelfrei (Wood) Weapon Master (Earth) Paladin (Light) Berserker (Darkness)

Careena’s classes

Dancer (Wind) Moon Charterer (Moon) Dragon Master (Water) Divine Fist (Fire) Conjurer (Wood) Warrior Monk (Earth) Starlancer (Light) Maverick (Darkness)

Morley’s classes

Nomad (Wind) Nightblade (Moon) Ascetic (Water) Rogue (Fire) Samurai (Wood) Ninja Master (Earth) Sovereign (Light) Soothsayer (Darkness)

Palamena’s classes

Rune Seer (Wind) Majesty (Moon) Grand Diviner (Water) Masquer (Fire) Beastleader (Wood) Magus (Earth) Archmage (Light) Reaper (Darkness)

Julei’s classes

Piper (Wind) Occultist (Moon) Scholar (Water) Gatekeeper (Fire) Sage (Wood) Hunter (Earth) High Cleric (Light) Necromancer (Darkness)

Best classes for each character

Best team compositions

Here are some of my top team compositions for Visions of Mana, including a couple of compositions that you can use earlier in the game when you’re lacking Vessels/Alms: My absolute favourite combination is Liege Val (Fire), with Sage Julei (Wood), and Moon Charterer Careena (Moon). This gives you a powerful tank with plenty of fire magic, a healer who can cast a restorative area, and a defensive character that can slow down your enemy’s attacks with both wind magic and the Lumina Lantern.

Best skills

Best early skills (Ability Seeds)

These are the best Ability Seeds that you will come across early on in the game. You’ll find these or be able to buy them before you exit Illystana, so you should be able to benefit from them in the first three chapters of Visions of Mana.

Fireball - Unleashes a Fireball on your enemy when used, may Burn enemy. Strength Sigil - Raises STR stat by 10%. Move Damage - Increases Move damage by 15%. Class Strike Damage - Increases Class Strike damage by 20%. Resist Poison - Decreases the chance of being poisoned by 30%.

Best magic skills (Ability Seeds)

These are the best Ability Seeds that you can equip to cast magic.

Explode - Unleashes a Fireball that detonates when it hits an enemy. Deals Fire damage, may Burn an enemy. Healing Light - Uses the power of Light to recover an ally’s HP. Thunderbolt - Creates a ball of lightning that deals Wind damage. May Paralyze an enemy. Ice Smash - Throws an ice shard, dealing Water damage. May Freeze an enemy.

Best stat buffs (Ability Seeds)

Strength Sigil - Raises STR stat by 10%. Critical Rate Boost - Raises Critial Hit Rate by 20%. Move Damage - Increases Move damage by 15%. Class Strike Damage - Increases Class Strike damage by 20%. Resist Poison - Decreases the chance of being poisoned by 30%. Life Sigil - Raises max HP by 10%. Magic Sigil - Raises max MP by 10%. Purger of Evil - Shortens the duration of status effects by 50%.

Tips and tricks

All voice actors

Additional Guides

Where to find all Elemental Vessels All Elementite locations in Visions of Mana

Want to read more about Visions of Mana at Pro Game Guides? Check out our Visions of Mana Review or learn about All Elemental Vessels in Visions of Mana.