Monster Badge & Transformation Guide
One of the new features of Dark Cloud 2 allows you to change into a monster. It's Monica's special power much like Max is able to use the Ridepod. However, transforming into a monster is not nearly as strong as the Ridepod is even after you've level up the transformation and acquired more powerful ones. You start out with the Flora badge and all the rest of them need to be acquired through other means. The primary method of getting a badge is by giving a monster a Gift Capsule filled with a specific item.
Gift Capsules can be purchased from Claire (once you recruit her), the Jurak Mall or invented and then crafted. You won't be able to purchase these until late during Chapter 2. For more information on that check out my photography invention guide. A picture of what they look like and filled one can be found above. You can fill them up and move items around in your inventory by pressing Triangle while mousing over one of them.
You'll want to then throw this Gift Capsule at an enemy in order to give it to them. If they catch it and you've put the right items into the capsule a little Musical Note will appear over their head. This means when you kill them they will drop the badge! A picture of what it will look like with the Musical Note over their head can be found below.
That's really all there is to acquiring badges for Monster Transformation in Dark Cloud 2/Dark Chronicle! Before I give you a list of all the badges and how to acquire them there's more you may be interested in knowing involving Monster Transformation.
There are a few different badges that don't fit this same mold for how to acquire them (similar to the Flora badge). I will talk about them later. For now though here's a list of the badges you can acquire through the gift giving method.
Beast Badge
Sewer Rat (Underground Channel) or Ram (Starlight Canyon)
You'll need to give the Sewer Rat 3 cheeses which can be found in chests or purchased from Starlight Temple (Future chapter 3).
If you want to get a Ram for this badge you'll need to give them 3 Premium Chickens
Aquatic Badge
Froggy (Underground Channel) or Goyone (Ocean's Roar Cave)
You'll need to give these enemies 3 Battans which is a type of fishing bait and can be purchased from Fabio if you've recruited him or from the Mushroom Burgers store located at Jurak in the future of Chapter 2.
Darkling Badge
Spider Lady (Rainbow Butterfly Woods) or Medusa mobs (Ocean's Roar Cave)
You'll need to purchase 3 Gold Bars for 1000 Gilda each and give them as a gift to one of these two mobs.
Card Badge
Any Card enemy you come across in Moon Flower Palace or Zelmite Mines
You'll need to purchase Diamonds and/or acquire them through other means and place them into a Gift Capsule for these mobs.
Spirit Badge
Pixie (Rainbow Butterfly Woods)
You'll need to purchase or find 3 Gooey Peaches and place them into a Gift Capsule which you'll want to give to a Pixie. You can find Pixies in the Rainbow Butterfly Woods starting on the "I'm a Pixie" dungeon floor.
Reptile Badge
Wind Gemron (Starlight Canyon)
You'll want to place 3 Wind ELEMENTS into a Gift Capsule to toss at a Wind Gemron. Make sure these are Wind Elements and not Crystals or Stones. The elements are the ones in the jars that are used for making Georama pieces - not the ones you use on your weapons!
Magical Badge
Statue (Ocean's Roar Cave)
Those are all of the badges I know of/have found that you can acquire through giving gifts to monsters. As aforementioned there are badges you can acquire through different means and those badges will be listed below with information on how to acquire them.
Undead Badge
You have to kill an undead monster with Holy Water
Flora Badge
This is the first badge you get in the game through the storyline and it's required to get it.
Windup Badge
You have to kill a Bomber Head enemy in Mount Gundor with bombs. If you need some extra bombs you can buy them from Morton in Palm Springs.
Moon Badge
You can acquire this badge from Donny after your Photography reaches level 7. This badge actually isn't a monster transformation badge, instead it increases the time Monica is able to stay in her Monster transformation form. For more information on Photography and how to acquire this badge check out my photography guide!
Sun Badge
You can acquire this badge from Donny after your Photography reaches level 8. This badge, much like the Moon Badge, isn't a monster transformation badge either. Instead this badge increases Monica's Attack and Defense in her Monster Transformation form. For more information on Photography and how to acquire this badge check out my photography guide!