There are a number of full walkthroughs out there, like one up on GameFaqs and on Steam, and there are also several specifically regarding the big missable-fest of the “Good Listener” trophy… but all of them either require following a full guide or spoiling way ahead of time. Thus, as I went thru the game, I kept track of the missables, in order, and in my own words. This doesn’t include completely unmissable conversations, or detailed explanations for every quest in the game, just stuff you can skip if you’re not careful. And there’s a couple real doozies where you have a fraction of a screen of movement to do the right thing, go in and out of a door multiple times to respawn things, etc. You only need to look one plot point ahead to keep track of the missables!
Ch 1 / Thief!
Don’t run after Black Joe into the second swamp area after the poison frog battle, go south to talk to Alfredo.
Ch 2 / Strawberry Hunt
Don’t hunt the boars, don’t leave the area, go help the merchant caravan – DO intervene. Not sure if hunting or leaving matters but don’t risk pushing any plot forwards.
Ch 2 (after the above)
When you find an Aged Lalaque Berry in Lalaque, you can get Eison. Use one while standing right next to him and it’ll wake him up; capture him. Go to Arua temple southernmost island southern shore, use Eison near the shore and mount him, head east, and then head east of the waters near your house to an abandoned mine. Solve the minecart puzzle, view the cutscene, and take the rewards. Leave. Look for a ! in the water to the NW and view the cutscene.
Ch 2 / Finding Anna
After the door, after talking to David in Anna’s house, immediately teleport to the mine, exit south, avoid the entrance of the village, and head to the small bridge just to the SW. You may need to go thru an enemy spawn to avoid the village entrance cutscene, hug the west edge as you exit the mine to absolutely stay away from the village. This is an extremely thin window to trigger this, one scene later and it’s too late.
Ch 3 (start of chapter)
First thing, go to the mine and walk to the back of the first area (and it’s a good time to start grinding the demons for stones, too) – there’s a scene there.
Also just as you start the chapter, go back to where the pirates fire a cannon at you and see a second scene. Then go back into their treasure cave and out again for their third scene.
Ch 3 / Exploring the Wreck
By the time you blow open the door with a cannon to get Dangerous Journal and Rusty Commander’s Key, you should have Shipwreck Diary pages 1, 2, 3, and 4. Ignore the objective and go all the way back to the Armory and then Brig, get Ethan scene and page 6, before returning to the plot. You might snag page 5 before triggering the boss but it’s okay, just come back after. Before returning to Desolate Hill, return to the armory to get pages 5 and 7, and the Crew List item. Pages 1-7 will turn into the Shipwreck Diary. (You can’t open the door behind Ethan yet.)
Ch 3 / Returning the Commander’s Insignia
Ignore everyone and go the the NE corner of Lalaque to find Ethan and give him the Crew List, he’s in a big wooden cage made out of tree trunks, lying down. A little hard to see. Especially ignore Livya, she’s standing right in the middle of that area and there’s a huge range to trigger her cutscene, so stick against the top of the camp near the big tent in the back to avoid her.
Ch 3 (after the above)
Not sure when available, but if you walk west of Ralph while grinding humans, before you get to the bridge with the golem, there’s another merchant train being beset by royal guards that you can intervene in.
Also now that you have Ethan’s key, go back to the locked door in the ship and fight the boss behind it.
Ch 3 / Hurried Review
Right after the Livya – Kate scene in the mine, talk to Alfredo first in town and no one else, for a scene. He’s near the water at the front of the village. Just stay out of the warrior’s tent area.
Ch 3 / Suspicious Justice
Ignore Justice and immediately return to town and talk to Livya. Talk to her. While close to her also go into your inventory and use the Shipwreck Diary from your inventory. You apparently have time to go back for the diary pages if you hadn’t yet but don’t talk to Justice.
Ch 3 / Barrier Wall
Don’t go into the basement, or at least don’t “stay” when asked, or you get stuck in an unwinnable and unrunnable fight, if you don’t already have the Tarnished Soul Blade and prepared as below. Stay away. For now.
When you find the Tarnished Soul Blade (somewhere in Aimhar’d temple), go back. Arm the sword. Disarm any shields. Wait on the pad to trigger the battle. Defend until you get zapped, which powers up the blade, then beating it is easy. Note that this fight is repeatable (and easy) to get the reward over and over. You can also kill the deer in Lalaque forest now, with the sword. You can also re-arm any shields.
Ch 5 / Tracking Down Justice
After talking to Verstein 3 times you can jump across the gap north, instead go SE and talk to Verstein again. Not sure if needed for Good Listener but it’s a missable conversation.
Ch 6 / Durok’s Spring
Not sure if it’s missable but as soon as you can enter Durok’s spring, turn around and go to Luna’s house again. Then the yeti. Then NW of her house. Then teleport home. Then her house again, and mount Lucca and beat her in a race. Naked frozen birdie. Back to her house. Ice Staff get. And a required convo.
Ch 6 / Behind Bars
Super thin window of opportunity, as soon as you are able to move around and see the long pond in front of you, go to the top, left side, and up and left around the blind corner, get the Old Spellbook. After going back, talk to the high lit room with the (!) on the map to get Matt’s Letter.
Ch 7 / Ready for War
Go to the hideout and talk to Reina with a Lightnoceros Horn in your inventory. Then on to the temple behind the waterfall across from Redbeard’s Lair. Leave the cave, go back in, arm the Faded Lightning Sword, and interact with the monument again for the Lightning Blade. Might as well arm and keep on for permanently, best weapon in the game; nourish it but don’t evolve it or it turns into a staff; temper it as much as you want at the armorer, too, 9x best result for a trophy.
Ch 7 / Cleanup
Not missable, but other quests you need for Good Listener not covered above (other than mandatory conversations that you can’t miss):
- Melinda’s quest with the 3 dragons and then the dragon egg
- Fighting Narrel the big dragon stuck in the ground, after the 3rd blessing
- Talking to Balt after the 3rd blessing
- Fight Nightmare behind the deer that you need to kill with the Soul Blade
Ch 7 / Point of No Return
After starting the war and past the point of no return, when you beat Kate, exit north (going south might work and is definitely safer, I didn’t test this), then IMMEDIATELY exit south (a single step forwards will trigger the next scene and progress the plot) again and talk to the doll and Alfredo. Exit south from the room with Alfredo again and immediately come back. Alfredo will be holding Kate’s doll, talk to him. That’s the last convo. Good Listener should pop when the game completes and you see the last cutscene before the credits.
