How to rescue all the castaways in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA has you venturing around the Isle of Seiren, rescuing the castaway passengers of the Lombardia. Here’s how to find and recruit all 24.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is a fabulous RPG out this week that manages to perfectly balance main story and side quests in an enjoyable way. One of the side quests that frequently blends with the main story is the way Adol gradually tracks down and recruits the 24 passengers of the Lombardia (and a few others) to join him in Castaway Village and, eventually, escape the island. Many of the passengers join automatically at certain story beats, but some require a bit more of a search.

If you’re going for completion, or if you just want the full story, you’ll want to find and recruit all the members of Castaway Village before you finish the game. You’re given plenty of time to do it, and most of them are fairly easy to track down. Each character has their own little side quests, gifts, and conversations with Adol enabling him to learn more about him. By making many of the villagers happy, you can also unlock the game’s true ending by raising Adol’s reputation through completing tasks for them.

If you’re struggling to find the castaways, here’s a quick list of everyone you can recruit, and how. Some Castaways may leave and return later, making the number a bit more than 24. Warning, this list contains some light spoilers:

Party members

• Adol – You’re Adol, and you start the game as him.
• Laxia – Recruited in Part 1 on the Nameless Coast. It’s impossible to miss her as you progress.
• Sahad – Recruited in Part 1 on the Nameless Coast after fighting a boss. It’s impossible to miss him.
• Hummel – Recruited in Part 2 in Beast Hills. He’ll leave the party for a bit later, but don’t fret, he’ll join automatically again later for Part 4 and beyond.
• Ricotta – Joins automatically in Part 3.
• Dana – You begin playing as her early on during her segments, but she officially joins the party at the start of Part 5.

Part 1

• Captain Barbaros – Joins in the Calm Inlet with the establishment of Castaway Village
• Dogi – Joins in the Calm Inlet at the end of the chapter.

Part 2

• Alison – Found at the end of White Sand Cape, joins as part of the story.
• Kiergaard – Encountered in the Raised Coral Forest with Sir Carlan.
• Sir Carlan – Encountered in the Raised Coral Forest with Kiergaard.
• Catherine – Found on the Distant Roar Shore after clearing the Raised Coral Forest.
• Sister Nia – Found in the Waterfall Limestone Cave. You don’t have to go through the cave yet to find her (as you won’t have the Adventure Gear needed); she’s near the entrance.
• Dina – Sunrise Beach, on the other side of Eroded Valley. She’s another it’s impossible to miss.
• Aaron – Joins automatically after encountering him in Sclamm Jungle.
• Licht – Odd Rock Coast, at the end of Schlamm Jungle. He will take Kiergaard’s place in the village following an event, during which time Sir Carlan also leaves.
• Reja – On Longhorn Coast, he needs you to find his Pickard first, who is a little farther along the shore.

Part 3

• Kuina – Recruited automatically at the start of the chapter.
• Austin – In Western Foot Plateau, just before you head into King’s Cave. He’s easy to miss if you don’t travel around the side before going in. He’ll be surrounded by a pack of wolves, which you’ll need to defeat for him to join.
• Miralda – Miralda can be found behind an Assist Request in the Water and Forest Hills. The Assist Request only requires twelve people, but you may find it tough to access simply because it’s located in such a tough area. Sprint on through, remove the rocks, and recruit Miralda for all your cooking needs.

Part 4

• Sylvia – Another one that’s easy to miss. Sylvia appears on the Pangaea Great Plain, but not until after you’ve met Thanatos later in the chapter. She’s just standing out in the open with her amazing sword.

Part 5

• Thanatos – Joins automatically. You’ll meet him in Part 4, but he won’t actually start fighting with you until Part 5.
• Ed – During Part 5, Allison will go into premature labor, sparking a quest to find her favorite flowers. Complete the quest to find and recruit Ed.
• Will – Not actually a useful member of the village but a member just the same. Will is Allison and Ed’s baby and will automatically appear after Allison gives birth in Chapter 5.
• Kashu – Found on the Tower Road by climbing some ivy near the end.

Part 6

• Sir Carlan – Return to the Nameless Coast in Part 6 to find the remains of Sir Carlan’s boat. Perform an Assist Request to repair it, and sail it to the small island in the center of the bay. You’ll find Sir Carlan around the back of the tree at its center, and he’ll rejoin you.
• Franz – Found at Vista Ridge Hill, you’ll need 21 people in the village to assemble a rope ladder to overcome an Assist Request. Franz waits on the other side.
• Griselda – Found on Eternity Hill. This area is not unlocked until Dana clears the rubble blocking the river in her era during the “A Painful Decision” segment. If you miss it, don’t worry, you can return as Dana any time and reclear it.

More app trigger: 50 Best PS4 Games Right Now

Additional members

• Little Paro – Not exactly a member of the village, but assists in Interceptions. Joins with Captain Barbaros.
• Shoebill – Found in the village automatically after a time, located on the top level around the corner from the garden. You can give him fish you catch in exchange for items. He will join you for Interceptions automatically after Ricotta introduces him as her Superior in Part 3.
• Master Kong – Keep an eye out for a sidequest “A Gift for Master” on the board from Ricotta in Chapter 4 and beyond asking for you to take her to her “Master” with a Ripe Mangoh. Master Kong will greet you at several locations across the Isle of Seiren, teaching a different character a special move each time. Learn all he has to teach, and Master Kong will join you for Interceptions.