Birth by Sleep: Mirage Arena help

Olympus Colosseum has always featured in Kingdom Hearts games with numerous rounds. On the PSP however, the gladiatorial foray has evolved into the Mirage Arena. You can fight huge amounts of Unversed in one battle, followed by a boss. On the first three difficulties it's very easy to complete Birth by Sleep, with the occasional death. However, once you get to Proud mode that game over screen you see once in a while can be a frequent problem.

The arena has quite a wacky environment.

After farming the Mirage Arena on Ventus, Aqua and Terra, I thought I would leave a list of hints and tips for anyone who is struggling to complete all the rounds. Some of the bosses are extremely potent, and you need to utilize every tool in your arsenal to beat them all. So for anyone having trouble with the Mirage Arena, have a read through here and see if you learn anything.

If you can grab a couple of friends to play with it's easy to complete the Mirage Arena.

Mirage Arena: Hints and Tips

- Remember that you can't pause the game during rounds, so get comfortable or abuse the home button.
- Always have at least one Cure spell in your deck. Install more cures as you need them, sometimes when I am taking a lot of damage I will use up to three.
- Shotlock commands are your most powerful weapon. They grant you invulnerability, can buy you time, and put out a fair amount of damage. Master them all, and pick the one you find most useful. I personally like Flame Salvo or Bio Barrage. Remember to get maximum locks for maximum damage.
- When you are outnumbered in the early rounds, play very cautiously against enemies that can combo you to death. Sometimes if you're not careful all it takes is for one Unversed to land one attack and then the rest will keep hitting you before you can recover. Thin out their numbers before throwing yourself in there.
- Find a good deck balance that works for both taking down hordes of Unversed and bosses. It's generally good to pack a couple of long range Blizzard or Fire spells to hit enemies from a distance.
- AOE spells are useful for crowds of enemies, but they can't always hit at distance.
- The dodge ability should be used all the time. It's the same speed as running and can evade nearly all incoming damage. Block doesn't always work against heavier attacks, so don't rely on it in challenging situations.
- Mobility is your biggest advantage. You can avoid attacks until your hearts content. Try dodge rolling, attacking from the air, and using abilities from a distance. Fighting cautiously will always mitigate more damage than being offensive.
- Every enemy and boss has a rotation and attack style. If you learn how they function and what their dangerous moves are you won't get caught by them. Learn to abuse the weaknesses.
- Bosses on Proud mode are not a pushover. If you run at them swinging blindly you will die. Learn to dodge their devastating attacks first, and once you can survive the burst; try to start fitting your own damage in.
-  When in a precarious position and you haven't got any health left; it's always acceptable to dodge and evade until your Cure spell is off cooldown. Don't screw around on less than half health, it gets me killed more than I'd like to admit. Patience is also an important skill to winning.
- Your finishing move can be either a destructive force or a liability. Pick the right one, it's something you can activate frequently.
- D-Links cannot be used in the Mirage Arena, so don't rely on them.
- If you're stuck on the tournaments you currently have and cannot progress further, buy some tickets to the other Arenas. You can often pick up some extra money and Arena levels. The Arena shop also has various useful abilities for you to buy.
- Mirage Arena is fantastic for mastering abilities. Take a full deck of unleveled spells with you for a match and come out with them ready to meld. It's one of the faster ways to experiment, so don't worry about losing just try new skillsets.
- Farm the easier missions if you're having too much trouble. It's also advisable to go and complete the story for a new keyblade or bonus once in a while.

If you are having trouble with the Mirage Arena, I hope this guide helps you. I don't think many people should struggle with Birth by Sleep at all until you set it to the hardest difficulty, Proud mode. If you're getting frustrated try to incorporate the information in this guide to cement your strategy. Or take a short break and come back refreshed and ready to take on the challenge. Good luck, fellow arena goers!

Birth by Sleep review

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