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* Chocobo Breeding the Proper Way *
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* Version 1.0.0 *
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* [toc] Table of Contents *
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[toc] Table of Contents
[a10] Welcome!
[a11] How to use this guide
[a12] Quick Note on PSN Version for PSP
[b10] Miscellaneous Stuff
[b11] Copyright notice
[b12] Version History
[b13] Thank you!
[c10] Chocobos - notes about
[c11] Controlling Chocobos
[c20] What are Chocobos and why do I want them?
[c30] Where can I find them?
[c31] Getting Started
[c32] How do I catch one?
[c40] What's the deal with racing Chocobos?
[c41] Chocobo Stats
[c42] I have to feed these things?
[c43] Chocobo racing prizes
[c50] What are the different types?
[c51] Types of yellow Chocobos
[c52] Blue Chocobos
[c53] Green Chocobos
[c54] Black Chocobos
[c55] Gold Chocobos
[d10] Breeding Chocobos - why?
[d11] What do I need?
[d12] Breeding Blue/Green Chocobos
[d13] Breeding Black Chocobos
[d14] Breeding Gold Chocobos
[e10] Frequently asked questions
[f10] Still to Come
[f11] Final Notes
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* [a10] Welcome! *
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Hello! And welcome to my Chocobo guide. I have decided to take on writing this
guide because I have noticed several of the same questions coming up on the
GameFAQs Final Fantasy VII message board related to chocobo breeding and rais-
ing. After doing a little research for myself and listening to the comments
form the other users, I realized that the information in the other chocobo
FAQs on this site are not completely accurate. Using those guides will result
breeding a Gold Chocobo, but following them will also result in a loss of a
lot of time and money (gil that is, not cash money). I plan on providing this
guide to provide the answers to breeding a Gold Chocobo the fastest and cheap-
est way possible.
Let it be known that I have nothing but respect for the authors of the other
guides on this site. At one time, I believed that the techniques they de-
scribed were 100% correct, and we now know that is not true. Those guides will
lead to Gold Chocobos, but I describe a better method.
If you're having a particular problem with breeding or raising chocobos, check
out the Frequently Asked Questions portion at the end of this guide ([e10]). I
will have many of the questions that I've seen on the message boards several
times answered there. I will also answer them in the guide itself, but this
will have shorter, more to-the-point answers.
I thank you for taking the time to read through this guide, and I hope you
enjoy it.
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* [a11] How to use this guide *
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I have tried to set this guide up so it will be easy to find the information
for which you are looking.
If you are looking for the proper way to breed a certain color of chocobos,
simply highlight the corresponding label, press ctrl+C (on a PC) to copy,
ctrl+F to bring up your "find" browser and ctrl+V to paste the label in the
"find" box. Hit enter, and you're on your way to the right area (hopefully).
Other than that, the guide shouldn't be too long to read in one sitting.
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* [a12] Quick Note of PSN Version for PSP *
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First, be aware that the PSN version of this (and all PSOne Classics) is the
exact same game as the original, whether you play it on the PSP or the PS3.
There will be a few mentions throughout this guide of using the R2 and L2 but-
tons for different things. Obviously, the PSP doesn't have R2 and L2 buttons.
However, the analog stick on the PSP (the "nub") is not used for playing Final
Fantasy VII, as the analog stick was not used for the original game. To use
your R2 and L2 buttons while playing this on your PSP, your "nub" has been
assigned the role of L2, R2 and L2+R2 by pressing left, right and up respect-
tively.
I know this to be true for the older versions of the PSP, but I don't know a-
bout the PSPGo, as I do not have one, nor have I seen one. If someone could
let me know how that works, I will add it to a later update of this guide.
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* [b10] Miscellaneous Stuff *
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If there are any questions, concerns or comments pertaining to this guide, feel
free to let me know via e-mail. The address is gamefaqsuser30@sbcglobal.net.
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* [b11] Copyright notice *
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This guide and all of the contents herein are copyright protected. Anyone read-
ing this who possesses a current GameFAQs user name and password may post any
information from this guide on the GameFAQs message boards or answers forum.
The guide may only be posted on GameFAQs.com and its affiliates. If you wish to
use this guide in its entirety (including this notice) on your personal web-
site, you may do so, as long as you receive no payment for doing so. You may
not post any portion of this guide on any site outside of GameFAQs.com and its
affiliates without the express written permission from the writer of this
guide.
For the information that is in here from other users, let it be known that I
have contacted each person from which I've used information and they have auth-
orized the use of their information for this guide.
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* [b12] Version History *
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Version 1.0.0 - Started October 17, 2009, and finished October 20, 2009.
Initial information and guide completed, hopefully without any major errors.
Guide submitted to GameFAQs.com for possible consideration.
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* [b13] Thank you! *
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I know most people wait until the end of their guides and FAQs to thank the
people they want to thank, but I'm going to do it right from the get go. If
there is anyone that believes they deserve to be thanked, please let me know.
Thanks to phiefer3 - your dedication to making sure the board users know how to
properly breed their chocobos is what lead me to design this guide. I also use
a lot of the information I have picked up from you in this guide.
Thanks to shadow666 - you have also helped clarify breeding mechanics to me,
and your link has provided me with a great deal of information.
Thanks to Absolute Steve - for allowing me the use of information from your
guide to make sure this is the most accurate chocobo guide on the site. Not to
mention your guide has been a great deal of help to me and many other users
during its life on this site.
Thanks to Terrance (TFergusson) - for cracking the codes of this game to make
the actual mechanics behind chocobo breeding available to us all.
Thanks to you, the reader. Without you, there is no reason to write guides. I
am doing this as a labor of love, because I love Final Fantasy VII and all
aspects of it.
Thanks to GamrfAQs.com and its administrative staff for finding this guide
Worthy of being on this site.
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* [c10] Chocobos - notes about *
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Chocobos have been in the Final Fantasy games since the second game. They're
cute, and everyone should get one.
One last note, if you're one of the gamers that likes to "customize" their
controllers, set it back to default for all things chocobo related.
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* [c11] Controlling Chocobos *
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Chocobos are actually pretty easy to control. You continue to use the direc-
tional pad on your controller to maneuver them. Press the cancel button (de-
fault X) to dismount. Once you start breeding, press confirm (default O) to
mount. That's about it for controlling chocobos.
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* [c20] What are Chocobos and why do I want them? *
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Chocobos have a very important use in this game. They play a part in one of the
longest side quests in the game, and they allow you access to the most powerful
attack in this game that is not a limit break. They also make it possible to
reach other powerful material, which will make this game a whole lot easier in
the long run.
Chocobos also have the ability to keep you safe from enemies. While you're rid-
ing on a chocobo, you will not encounter any random enemies. How cool is that?
Be careful though, unless you've bought/rented a stable from ChocoBilly (We'll
discuss this later), once you hop off a chocobo, it'll run and be gone for
good.
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* [c30] Where can I find them? *
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There are several locations across the world map where you can find chocobos.
All you have to do is look at the ground as you explore. Anywhere there is a
bunch of marks on the ground that look like chicken tracks, you've found your-
self a chocobo area.
There are seven actual places where you can find chocobos around the world.
They are: the area east of Kalm - by the chocobo ranch; the area around Junon;
The area to the northeast of the Gold Saucer; the area to the north of
RocketTown; the area on the southern tip of the Wutai continent; the area by
Icicle Inn; and the area outside of Mideel.
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* [c31] Getting Started *
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Once you have made it to the point where you can breed chocobos (see previous
section), the first thing you will need to do is make sure you have plenty of
Gil to get started. Getting started isn't really expensive, and you should have
more than enough gil to start. The first thing I would do (if you didn't do it
the first time you visited the Gold Saucer) is purchase the life-time pass.
This will run you 30,000 gil. You also need to visit the Chocobo Ranch and
purchase/rent a couple of stables. These will cost 10,000 gil a piece, and I
would recommend getting all six. You don't have to do that right away, but
it'll make some sense later. Buy at least three to start though (30,000 gil).
You'll also want to buy some greens to aid in catching chocobos. I would re-
commend flying the Highwind to the Northern Continent. Nestled in the mountains
on the north side of the Forgotten city, lies a lonely house. This house be-
longs to the Chocobo Sage. A floating blue man who knows a lot about chocobos
but can never seem to remember too much of the information at once. He also
happens to sell the best greens in the game.
I would buy a few Reagan Greens at 3,000 gil a piece (four or five, maybe),
and I would buy a lot of Sylkis Greens. (Note: if you wait until you've finish
disc two, there is a way to "mass-produce" greens and other combat items. It's
called the W-item trick/glitch. I won't explain it here though.) Sylkis Greens
cost 5,000 gil a piece, but they are more than worth it when breeding choco-
bos. You'll probably eventually want to buy at least 50 total Sylkis Greens
for breeding purposes.
There's just a few more things that you'll need to breed. Nuts. You can buy
some nuts from ChocoBilly, but I wouldn't do that. To get the nuts you need,
you gotta go get them.
You'll want to get at least three Carob Nuts. You steal Carob Nuts from an
enemy called "Vlakorados". Vlakorados look kind of like a small dragon. They
are not the easiest enemy in the game with well over 30,000 hit points. The
Carob Nut is also a drop from the enemy, so if you don't like stealing for
moral reasons, you don't have to.
You will also need one Zeio Nut. The Zeio nut is only found in two places in
the world: Goblin Island and Cactuar Island. Goblin Island is to the northeast
of the "Main" continent. Goblins appear in the forest. Cactuar Island is lo-
cated south of Cosmo Canyon. I recommend going to Goblin Island as Cactuars
can be an exceptional pain in the rear to beat.
Once you have your life-time pass to the Gold Saucer, a few stables, some
greens and some nuts, you're ready to start catching and breeding some
chocobos!
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* [c32] How do I catch one? *
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The short answer would be "very carefully".
Actually, you will need a little help with this. Your first step will be to
acquire the "Chocobo Lure" materia. There are two ways to do this. Ideally, you
will want to grab it after you have been to Kalm for the first time. On your
way to the Mythril Mines, stop by the Chocobo Ranch. Speak with ChocoBilly, and
he'll offer you the Chocobo Lure for a small fee (of 2,000 gil). Most likely,
you will need this at this time of the game, since getting across the marsh
which lies to the southwest of the ranch is a little difficult without a choco-
bo (but possible).
Anyways, you will also have a chance to get the Chocobo Lure materia during
disc two. Once you have the Highwind available to you, you can return to the
Chocobo Ranch, and the Chocobo Lure will be right out in front of the pens, on
the ground. This will only be here once, so don't lose it or sell it off. If
you do, you will not be able to catch, raise or breed chocobos.
You will also need some greens. Greens? You ask. Yes, greens. Greens are cho-
cobo food. Without greens keeping them occupied, it is very complicated to try
to catch chocobos. Buy some greens from ChocoBilly. You should buy Curiel
Greens to catch chocobos as they will hold the chocobos longer than the others
available early on in the game. Once you have the Highwind, you will have
access to the Chocobo Sage's house. He sells greens as well. Reagan Greens are
great for catching chocobos.
After you've received your Chocobo Lure Materia and some greens, you need to
equip the materia on one character. It doesn't matter whom. It will also help
to manually re-arrange your items, so the greens are the first item. Once you
meet up with a chocobo, they don't hang around long, and the greens are the
only thing that will keep them around. All you have to do is wonder around the
area on the world map where you see the chocobo track, and one will show up
soon enough. Chocobos always show up with groups of enemies.
The breakdown of what greens do to chocobos in battle:
Gyshal Greens: Keeps a Chocobo occupied for 2 turns.
Krakka Greens: Reduces the Chocobo's chance to run to 33.3%.
Tantal Greens: Keeps a Chocobo occupied for 3 turns.
Pahsana Greens: Reduces the Chocobo's chance to run to 20%.
Curiel Greens: Keeps a Chocobo occupied for 5 turns.
Mimett Greens: Keeps a Chocobo busy for 1 turn
Reagan Greens: Keeps a Chocobo busy for 8 turns and reduces the Chocobo's
chance to run to 12.5%.
Sylkis Greens: Keeps a Chocobo occupied for 1 turn
So, as you can see, Curiel Greens are the best thing available from ChocoBilly
to keep chocobos around, while Reagan Greens are the best overall, but not
available early on. Just make sure you do not attack a chocobo during the bat-
tle or cast any magic or summons which will attack all, as this will cause the
chocobo to freak out and run. Use the green quickly and kill off the remaining
enemies. The game will confirm that "You've caught a Chocobo." You're ready to
run.
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* [c33] How do I keep one? *
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Once you have purchased/rented a stable from ChocoBilly (available disc two),
you will be able to keep any chocobo you catch. Once the ChocoBattle is fin-
ished, and you're riding high on your newly acquired chocobo, you can now
choose to dismount the chocobo. It will not run away. You will have the option
of sending it back to the stables or setting it free. Any chocobo you send to
the stables will be waiting for you outside of the barn in the pen.
Once you return to the Chocobo Ranch, talk to ChocoBilly. He will have a list
of options for you. One of the options will be "Moving Chocobos". Select this
and he will show you - one-by-one - each chocobo you have caught and give you
the option of releasing it or sending it to the stables. I'll talk more about
what he says a little later on and what it means. ChocoBilly will also tell you
the gender of the chocobo at this time and let you name the ones you keep. You
will be able to choose any chocobo you have moved into the stables to ride a-
round on at any time, unless you release it. Once you have started catching and
keeping your own chocobos, you can dismount them, and they will stay. You can
also ride your chocobos onto the Highwind (get close to it and hit the "con-
firm" button) and take your chocobos all over the world.
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* [c40] What's the deal with racing Chocobos? *
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There is one instance on disc one where you will have to race a chocobo. This
is a story-related event, and you must win the race. It is not a hard race, and
there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.
You need to understand the basics of racing chocobos. If you want to breed
chocobos, understanding racing will make things a lot easier on you. First off,
you'll notice that there are several things going on on the screen during a
race. The colors of the track are very bright. There's a meter on the left
that's filled with red when you start. This is your stamina bar. It'll tell you
how "tired" your chocobo is. There's the box on the bottom which tells you if
you're racing in "Manual" or "Automatic" mode. There's a thing on the right
that tells you the order of the chocobos in the race right now, and there's a
map of the course you're on. You'll notice on the map that there's one part in
white and the rest of it is grayed out. The grayed-out track is the long track,
and I'll talk more about that later.
Now you need to understand the racing controls. Again, anytime you're working
with chocobos, it is best to revert your controller back to its default set-
tings. Once the race starts you will have no control whatsoever of your choco-
bo, this is because all races start in "Automatic control". Pressing the
'select' button will change it to "Manual" control, which will make winning a
whole lot easier. Now that you have "full" control of your chocobo, here are
the controls:
Directional pad: use to control your chocobo's movement to the left or right.
Pressing up or down does nothing special. No, you cannot fly.
X: decreases your running speed. (note: slowing down enough will help to refill
your stamina bar.)
Square: increases your running speed. (note: speeding up enough will slowly de-
crease your stamina bar.)
O (circle): causes your chocobo to sprint. (note: sprinting quickly drains your
stamina bar and should not be done for long periods of time.)
Triangle: has no use in chocobo racing.
Select: switches from "Manual" to "Automatic" control and back again.
Start: Pauses the game.
R1, R2, L1 & L2 by themselves have on use during chocobo racing - more on that
later.
Next, any time you are racing, I would press the 'select' button to change from
"Automatic" control to "Manual" control. Then, there is a little cheat that you
can use to make sure you maintain stamina. Holding down R1+R2 on your control-
ler while you race will slowly but steadily refill your stamina bar. This will
come in handy, especially if you're not a seasoned veteran racer. Without this
little trick, it is very hard to gain large enough amounts of stamina to finish
the race strong.
Generally speaking, the first race isn't too hard. I usually start with a lit-
tle sprint just to get ahead of the pack or at least a steady second. Then I
will lay off the sprint and just increase my running speed until the stamina
bar is barely going down. I usually hold this until I cross over a little hump
and there's a path that (to me) looks like red carpet. I will sprint from here
and try to take the lead if I've not done so to this point. Once I get a bit
of a lead, I stop sprinting. You'll soon come up to a space-type area. Sprint-
ing here doesn't do much good, as all basic chocobos are slowed down at this
point. Watch the map on the screen, and if you see a chocobo start to encroach
on your lead (or if you can see one on your screen), then sprint as fast as
you can until you reach the finish line. This strategy usually works well for
me, but it is not the only strategy around. The race is a lot easier using the
R1+R2 stamina trick, since you will be able to sprint more.
Once you have finished this race, you'll not be able to race chocobos again for
quite some time.
Fast forward to disc two. With trying not to spoil too much, there is a short
time on disc two where your party will be split up. Once you have all your en-
tire party back together, you can begin catching and breeding chocobos. At
this time, you can also pick up the Chocobo Lure material in front of the pens
at the Chocobo Ranch.
Once you begin racing chocobos, you'll notice that each chocobo will be en-
tered into the "C-Class" races. After you win three races, you'll be promoted
to the "B-Class" races, and after another three wins, you'll find yourself in
the "A-Class" races. Finally, after another three wins, the "S-Class Races are
open to you. Esther will let you know each time you move up to the next level.
During the "A-Class" and "S-Class" races, there is a chance you'll see a cho-
cobo named TEIHO. That's Joe and his speedy chocobo. Don't worry about his
stats. His speed is always 10% higher and his stamina is always 25% higher than
yours. Luckily for you, he's not that good of a racer. He wears his chocobo out
pretty early. If you're having trouble beating him, use the "stamina trick",
and he'll lose to you pretty regularly.
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* [c41] Chocobo Stats *
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(Special thanks to Absolute Steve for the information in this section. This in-
formation is used by express written permission from the original author and is
copyright protected by Absolute Steve.)
Just like the characters that you fight battles with, your chocobos have stats
that grow. However, The stats don't grow by "leveling" your chocobos; they grow
by feeding your chocobos greens. Keep in mind that not all of these stats are
visible to the player. You can ask Chloe at the Chocobo Ranch to "rate" your
chocobos, and she'll be able to tell you which one is the fastest, quickest,
etc.
The Chocobo Stats (with a short description of each) are:
Dash - Chocobo's sprinting speed (holding O) - this is a visible stat...to an
extent. This stat is shown as "Speed" on the chocobo status screen before
each race. The total "Dash" value is between 1 and 6,000; "Speed" is
"Dash" divided by 34.
MDash - The highest "Dash" rating a chocobo is capable of getting - invisible.
Run - The chocobo's average running speed (with no adjustments) - invisible.
MRun - The highest possible "Run" rating - invisible.
Stamina - The chocobo's endurance/how fast the "Stamina Meter" drains while
sprinting or running faster - visible...to an extent. The stat shown as
"Stamina" on the chocobo status screen before a race shows the chocobo's
total stamina divided by ten. Stamina is a value between 1 and 9,999. You
will see a value no greater than 999.
Acceleration - how quickly the chocobo accelerates - invisible.
Co-operation - how well your chocobo gets along with you as a rider - invis-
ible. This stat determines how well the chocobo will listen to you while
under "Manual" control.
Intelligence - how smart your chocobo races on its own - invisible. This stat
will determine how well your chocobo races in "Automatic" control.
Races won - how many times a chocobo has crossed the line in first place -
invisible.
Gender - ummm...if you need an explanation on this, please ask your parents -
technically invisible, but ChocoBilly will tell you the gender when you
move the chocobo from the pen to the stables.
Color - what color your chocobo is - visible with a color TV.
Rating - the rating your chocobo is. This was told to you when you asked to
move your chocobo from the pen to the stable. It rates from "Terr-
ible" to "Wonderful". More on this later.
Now, how do you increase these stats?
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* [c42] I have to feed these things? *
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(Note: Again, special thanks to Absolute Steve for the information in this sec-
tion. The information provided in this section is copyright protected by Abso-
lute Steve and is used with express written permission from the original
author.)
To be an effective racer, yes, you have to feed your chocobos. What you feed
them makes a difference, too. The easiest way for me to describe it is, you get
what you pay for. As I have previously stated, Chocobos eat greens. The types
of greens they eat determine the amount their attributes increase. This list
is a little long, so please, bear with it.
Note: unless otherwise specified, only whole numbers are used.
Gysahl Greens: Tantal Greens:
-------------- --------------
Dash + [0-3] Dash + [1-4]
Run + [0-2] Run + [1-4]
Stam + [0-3] Stam + [1-2]
Co-Op + [1] Int + [1]
Co-Op + [1]
Krakka Greens: Pahsana Greens:
-------------- ---------------
Int + [1-2] Int + [1-8]
Co-Op + [1] Co-Op + 25%[1], 75%[2] (25% chance the
increase is 1, 75% chance the increase
is 2 points)
Curiel Greens: Mimett Greens:
-------------- --------------
Dash + [0-3] Dash + [1-16]
Run + [0-3] Run + [0-3]
Stam + [3-10] Stam + [3-10]
Co-Op + [2] Accel + 75%[0], 25%[1]
Co-Op + [2]
The following greens are only purchasable from the Chocobo Sage and have
Special Chocobo stat properties.
Reagan Greens:
--------------
Dash = [Speed * 34]
x = [Dash/20], y = [between 0 & 10]
Dash + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
x = [Run/20], y = [between 0 & 10]
Run + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
x = [Stam/100], y = [between 0 & 10]
Stam + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
Co-Op + [3]
Sylkis Greens:
--------------
Dash = [Speed * 34]
x = [Dash/10], y = [between 0 & 10]
Dash + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
x = [Run/10], y = [between 0 & 10]
Run + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
x = [Stam/50], y = [between 0 & 10]
Stam + 50%[x+y], 50%[x-y], minimum = 0
Int + [1-4]
Co-Op + [4]
Got all that? Good. Build up your chocobos a little and get ready to race.
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* [c43] Chocobo racing prizes *
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Once you start racing chocobos, you'll notice that there is board on the choco-
bo selection screen that has numbers on it. This board looks something like
this:
+---+---+---+---+---+
!1-2!1-3!1-4!1-5!1-6!
+---+---+---+---+---+
!2-3!2-4!2-5!2-6!3-4!
+---+---+---+---+---+
!3-5!3-6!4-5!4-5!5-6!
+---+---+---+---+---+
There will also be a list of possible prizes listed on the bottom, which will
look something like this:
+---+
! I ! POTION
+---+
+---+
! II! TRANQUIZER
+---+
+---+
!III! ETHER
+---+
This will tell you the prizes that you can win with the proper combination of
the first- and second-place chocobos. There is a mini-game in which you can
participate, where you can make a pick of who you think will win the race and
place a "wager" on the race. You can win prizes this way, but that doesn't help
you breed chocobos. So, I won't cover it here. As far as this guide goes, we
are only concerned with prizes for racing.
When you race, every time you win your race, you'll have the option of keeping
your prize or trading it for GP. As far as breeding goes, it doesn't matter if
you keep your prize or trade it. I would keep one of each material you get and
keep any megalixirs you win. Trade the rest for GP and use it in the Battle
Arena (also at the Gold Saucer) for more cool stuff.
C-Class Races
------------------
Prizes: GP
------------------
Potion 5
Phoenix Down 10
Hyper 10
Tranquilizer 10
Hi-Potion 15
Antarctic Wind 20
Blot Plume 20
Fire Fang 20
Ether 30
B-Class Races
------------------
Prizes: GP
------------------
Phoenix Down 10
Hyper 10
Tranquilizer 10
Hi-Potion 15
Antarctic Wind 20
Bolt Plume 20
Fire Fang 20
Ether 30
Ice Crystal 50
Turbo Ether 150
Elixir 200
Enemy Away 300
A-Class Races
------------------
Prizes: GP
------------------
Phoenix Down 10
Hero Drink 15
Hi-Potion 15
Antarctic Wind 20
Bolt Plume 20
Fire Fang 20
Ether 30
Fire Veil 50
Ice Crystal 50
Swift Bolt 50
Elixix 200
Counter Attack 300
Sneak Attack 300
Enemy Away 300
Cat's Bell 500
Sprint Shoes 500
S-Class Races
------------------
Prizes: GP
------------------
Phoenix Down 10
Hero Drink 15
Bolt Plume 20
Ice Crystal 50
Fire Veil 50
Swift Bolt 50
Turbo Ether 150
Elixir 200
Megalixir 300
Precious Watch 300
Counter Attack 300
Sneak Attack 300
Enemy Away 300
Chocobracelet 400
Magic Counter 500
Cat's Bell 500
Sprint Shoes 500
*******************************************************************************
* [c50] What are the different types? *
*******************************************************************************
There are five different colors of chocobos. They are Yellow, Blue, Green,
Black and Gold. Each chocobo has its own abilities which make it unique.
A very important thing to remember is to save often when breeding chocobos. You
should always save before attempting to breed or move chocobos. If you get a
type of chocobo that you don't want or need, you should reset the game advance
the RNG and try again.
This is also a pretty good time to mention the Random Number Generator (or
RNG). The RNG can be your friend or your enemy when it comes to breeding. It
can be a lot friendlier if you know how to work it a little bit, and here's a
little help with that.
For those that do not know, computers are incapable of picking completely ran-
dom numbers, so computer programmers have designed a Random Number Generator.
This produces "random" number is a set sequence.
Think about the series of numbers from 1-10. Most people would count those num-
bers "1, 2, 3, and so on". The RNG rearranges the numbers in a set pattern. As
an example, we'll say the pattern is 2, 5, 8, 1, 4, 7, 10, 3, 6, 9. Every time
you perform some type of action (fight a battle, visit a town, rearrange some
materia, etc.) the RNG advances one number.
Let's say (for the sake of this discussion) that the even numbers are assigned
to producing male chocobos and the odd numbers are assigned to producing fe-
males. If you breed a male chocobo and you need a female, you need to advance
the RNG. To do this, as I've said before, reset the game and reload from the
previous save (hopefully, you followed my advice and saved right before moving
chocobos). After you reload, go fight a battle or two and try moving the choco-
bo again. If you still don't have what you need, try to reload and do some
different things. Normally, you don't have to reset more than once or twice if
you're doing different things each time.
Of course, the RNG of Final Fantasy VII is much more complicated than 1-10 and
more things will move it along than the things I've mentioned, but you get the
idea.
*******************************************************************************
* [c51] Types of yellow Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Yellow Chocobos are your basic chocobos. They are the only ones you will be
able to catch on the World Map. To learn how to catch Yellow Chocobos, please
refer to section [c32]. When you catch a Yellow Chocobo and send it back to
pen, you'll have the option of moving it to the stables (if you've
bought/rented some) or releasing it from there. If you decide to move some
chocobos from the pen to the stables, ChocoBilly will first tell you what he
thinks of your chocobo. I will discuss this a little more in just a moment.
All Yellow Chocobos have the ability to run over grass, swamp, beaches, dry
ground and forests. Pretty much anything that's not water or a mountain. While
riding a Yellow Chocobo, you will not encounter any random enemies. The only
time you can get into a fight while riding a chocobo is if you stand still in
the marshes to the southeast of the Chocobo Ranch. The Midgar Zolom CAN ATTACK
YOU! If you don't want to fight the Midgar Zolom, keep moving. You will outrun
him.
If you decide to keep your chocobo, ChocoBilly will tell you to name you cho-
cobo and what gender it is. Gender is also selected at the time you move your
chocobo from the pen to the Stable. He will say something along the lines of
"Name your [male/female] chocobo!". There is a 50% chance of getting a male and
a 50% chance of getting a female.
There are actually eight different types of Yellow Chocobos, ranging from
Terrible through Wonderful. What type you have depends on where you caught it
and the enemies that were with the chocobo when you caught it. When in doubt a-
bout which enemy your facing with a chocobo, use scan, and that will tell you
the name.
Wonderful Chocobos: These are the best "natural" racing chocobos. Their stats
start higher than their counterparts and they have higher max stats. You will
need one of these to breed a Gold Chocobo. Wonderful Chocobos can be found
around the Icicle Inn area on the Northern Continent. They will always be found
with one or two "Hoppings" (they look like rabbits). Toss a green, beat up the
rabbits and send your Wonderful Chocobo back to the Chocobo Ranch. When you go
to move a Wonderful Chocobo, ChocoBilly will say "This...is a Wonderful
Chocobo!"
Great Chocobos: These chocobos are pretty good racers. You should have at least
one of these chocobos when breeding for a Gold Chocobo. More of that in a
minute. Great Chocobos can be found in the area around Mideel, which is on the
island to the southwest of the "Main" continent. They will always be with one
or two spirals. They look like flying sickles. They can also be found in area
north of RocketTown with two "Valrons" or two "Kyuvilduns". When you move a
Great Chocobo to the stables, ChocoBilly will say "This is a great chocobo."
Good Chocobos: These are about the lowest class chocobos that you should race
If you're interested in racing. You can use these chocobos when trying for a
Gold Chocobo. To understand this a little better, let me explain.
It was originally understood that you needed to have one good and one great
chochobo when trying for a Gold Chocobo. It has since been discovered that this
is not true. When it comes to breeding, Good Chocobos and Great Chocobos are
considered the same. You can mate two greats, two goods or a good and a great,
and you'll have the same chance of breeding the proper chocobos.
Anyways, Good Chocobos can be found around the area of the Gold Saucer with two
"Spencers". When you move the Good Chocobo to the stables, ChocoBilly will say,
"mmmm...this seems like a good chocobo."
So-So or Fair Chocobos: If you're a little crazy, you can race these
guys/girls, but it is completely unnecessary. You'll find So-So/Fair Chocobos
around Junon with two or three "Capprawires". You can also find them around
Wutai with two "Tail Vaults" or three "Razor Weeds". And lastly at Mideel with
two or three "Headhunters". If you decide to keep a So-So/Fair Chocobo,
ChocoBilly will say, "mmm...this one's not bad." Notes: the two "Tail Vault"
battle will be a "side view" battle. The two "Cappawire" battle will be a
"side-view" battle.
Average Chocobos: This is the lowest class of chocobos that I have tried ser-
iously racing. You'll find Average Chocobos around the Gold Saucer with one
"Harpy" or two "Flapbeats". They are also around Wutai with two or three "Tail
Vaults". ChocoBilly will tell you, "this is a pretty average chocobo. Note: the
two "Tail Vault" battle will be a "front view" battle.
Poor Chocobos: Poor Chocobos are just about useless as racers. You can find
Poor Chocobos around the Chocobo Ranch area with two "Mandragoras" or one
"Mandragora" and one "Levikron". They also hang out around Junon with two
"Cappawires" or two "Nerosuferoths". ChocoBilly's comment for these will be,
"This one doesn't seem very good." Note: The two "Cappawire" battle will be a
"side view" battle.
Weak or Terrible Chocobo: If you get a Weak/Terrible Chocobo, you might as well
throw it away. It will be hard to get out of the C-Class races with this one.
They are found in the Chocobo Ranch area with two "Levikrons" or two
"Elfadunks". They are also in the Icicle Inn area with two "Bandersnatches" or
one "Bandersnatch" and one "Hopping". If, for whatever reason, you keep a
Terrible/Weak Chocobo, ChocoBilly will tell you, "I really can't recommend this
one."
When racing Yellow Chocobos, they will be slowed by the "Space" area of the
short course and the "Water" area of the long course. All other chocobo that
you race against are Yellow Chocobos, regardless of their actual physical
color, with the exception of TEIHO. More on that later.
*******************************************************************************
* [c52] Blue Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Blue Chocobos have all of the same abilities as Yellow Chocobos. They can also
run over shallow waters (rivers, streams and shallow oceans). They are also
known as "River" Chocobos There are no extra materia that is obtainable with
the Blue Chocobos.
When you race your Blue Chocobo, it will not be slowed by the "Water" area of
the long course. Although it takes a little longer, you may want to race your
Blue Chocobos on the long course, especially if you're trying to gain the
S-Class status. Since TEIHO is not slowed by the water, this levels the field a
little.
*******************************************************************************
* [c53] Green Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Green Chocobos have all of the same abilities as Yellow Chocobos as well, but
instead of water, their forte is the mountains. They can climb any mountain in
the game. They are known as "Mountain" Chocobos. There are two materia that you
can get once you've bred a Green Chocobo. One is pretty much straight east of
the "Main" continent. There is a long string of islands leading away from
Mideel. If you follow these to the end of the string while flying the Highwind,
you'll see the cave at the tip of one of the islands. Land the Highwind in the
grass and use your Green Chocobo to traverse the mountains until you get to the
point where you can dismount and enter the cave. This cave contains the
"Quadra-Magic" materia. There is a way you can get this materia with chocobos,
but since this is a chocobo guide, I won't go into it.
There is one other materia you can get with your Green Chocobo. If you keep
going east from that cave with the Highwind you'll come across Wutai Island
(conversely, you can also go west). On the west side of the island, there is
another cave. Use your Green Chocobo to climb the mountains to get to the cave,
which contains the "Mime" materia. This materia is AWESOME!
When you race your Green Chocobo, it will not be slowed by the "Space" area at
the end of the short course. This is definitely very helpful. Again, TEIHO
takes no disadvantage into the "Space" area of the short course, so this will
level the playing field a little.
*******************************************************************************
* [c54] Black Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
The Black Chocobo has all of the abilities of the Yellow Chocobos AND the Blue
AND the Green Chocobos. This means the Black Chocobo can cross all forms of
land, can cross rivers and streams and can climb mountains. This leaves the
deep oceans as the only thing that Black Chocobos cannot pass.
Once you have a Black Chocobo, you can reach the cave to the North of North
Corel. This cave holds the HP <=> MP materia. This materia will swap your Hit
Points with your Magic Points. I don't know why anybody would want this, but
it's there. You should get it for completion's sake if nothing else.
The Black Chocobo takes no disadvantage in any area of any track. I stick with
The short course, just based on time, but you won't be slowed by either track's
"special" area. TEIHO is a Black Chocobo as well, and as such takes no disad-
vantage on either track.
*******************************************************************************
* [c55] Gold Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Ahhh...the creme of the crop of Chocobos...The Gold Chocobo! With these choco-
bos, you can literally go ANYWHERE in the world. If you want to go run in the
ocean, go for it. Stand on a Mountain? Go ahead. Now, it goes without saying
that you cannot dismount your chocobo while standing one a mountain or in the
ocean, but the idea that you can do it all with one chocobo is a great thing.
The Gold Chocobo can simply go anywhere in the world.
There is a cave on the northeast corner of the map. The entire island is sur-
rounded by mountains and is filled with forests. The only way on or off this
island is a Gold Chocobo. There is a cave on this island, which contains the
most powerful, individual, non-limit break attack known as "Knights of the
Round".
It's worth it just to cast this spell once.
Gold Chocobos also take no disadvantage into the races. They also receive a
Bonus to their stats based on the breeding process to get one.
*******************************************************************************
* [d10] Breeding Chocobos - why? *
*******************************************************************************
Without breeding, there is no way that you can produce the colored chocobos
(except a Gold Chocobo, but more on that in just a moment.). They give you
access to some of the most useful and powerful materia in the game. They also
make racing easier. As each of the colored chocobos has an area of the course
where they do not take speed "penalty". Chocobos just make this game overall
easier.
There are really two ways to get a Gold Chocobo. First, you can defeat Ruby
WEAPON once he appears. There are plenty of conditions that have to happen
before he will even show up. He is a VERY difficult optional boss with a mil-
lion HP, and that's not an exaggeration. You will also most likely fight him as
a solo character as he can instantly knock out two of your characters com-
pletely out of the battle. If you beat Ruby WEAPON, he'll drop the desert rose.
You can take this item to the village of Kalm and give it to the guy known as
the "Kalm Traveler". For this item, he'll provide you with a Gold Chocobo.
The other way to get a Gold Chocobo is to breed one. This way seems a little
long and tedious at times, but if you follow this guide, it'll cut a lot of
time from the breeding process.
It should go without saying that you can only breed males and females. This
game does not allow same-gender mating.
*******************************************************************************
* [d11] What do I need? *
*******************************************************************************
You will need just a few things when trying to breed a Gold Chocobo.
1) At least one "Chocobo Lure" materia. You can get this as soon as you get to
the Chocobo Ranch the first time. If you get this one, you can still get
the second one outside of the Chocobo Pens at the ranch during discs two
and three. I recommend having both as this will increase your chances of
getting into a ChocoBattle. I would also recommend taking a little time
(during a normal grinding session) to level up your "Chocobo Lure" materia
a couple of levels. This however is not necessary. It will speed up the
process slightly.
2) Purchasing a few stables for your chocobos. You will need at least four at
10,000 gil per stable. This includes two for your original "parents" and
two for the first two chocobos you'll breed. If you want to keep it cheap,
you can then release the "parents" and use the newly emptied stables for
the newborns. I usually buy as many stables as I can for making things a
little easier. You can buy up to six stables. It's your choice.
3) Purchasing some greens to catch and feed your chocobos to make racing
easier. Like I have said earlier, buying a few Reagan Greens for catching
will make the ChocoBattles easier. These greens keep chocobos busy for
eight rounds of battle. The longer they are busy, the better your chances
of catching a chocobo will be. Reagan Greens can only be purchased from
the Chocobo Sage for 3,000 gil a piece. Buy at least three or four. Buying
Sylkis Greens will make improving the stats of your chocobos faster and
easier. Just like the Reagan Greens, Sylkis Greens can only be purchased
from the Chocobo Sage for 5,000 gil a piece. They are well worth it. Buy
about 50 of these.
4) You will need some nuts to breed. For some unknown reason, chocobos do not
like to breed unless they're fed a nut. You will need two types of nuts
for the quickest breeding (although others work as well). You'll want to
get three Carob Nuts. You can steal these from Vlakorados on the Northern
Continent. They have over 33,000 HP, but you can steal them from them or
they can drop them after battle. You'll also need one Zeio Nut. You can
steal them from Goblins on Goblin Island (due east of the Chocobo Ranch)
in the forested area and from Cactuar also on Cactuar Island (due south of
Cosmo Canyon). Goblins and Cactuars also drop Zeio Nuts.
5) You will need to catch some chocobos to breed more. Other guides say you
need a good female, a good male, a great female and a great male. Some say
you need a good female and a great male or a good male and a great female.
This is where these guides are not accurate. When it comes to breeding,
mating Good Chocobos with Good Chocobos and mating Great Chocobos with
Great Chocobos have the same chance of breeding "Special" Chocobos as
mixing Goods and Greats. The easiest way to get a chocobo with the best
stats is to breed two Greats. When the stats for a newborn are determined,
the game (for the most part) uses the average of the parents stats, so two
Greats will produce a slightly better offspring than a Good and a Great.
You can catch Great Chocobos in the area around Mideel and north of
RocketTown, and you can catch Good Chocobos in the area around the Gold
Saucer. You will also need one Wonderful Chocobo. You don't have to catch
this one right away, as it will be one of the final breedings you have to
do. Wonderful Chocobos are found around the Icicle Inn area on the
Northern Continent.
6) A little time, a little patience. Breeding a Gold Chocobo, even using the
fastest method available, it'll probably take a couple of hours. Make sure
you save frequently, especially every time before you attempt breeding.
So, you have your materia. You have your stables. You have your greens and
nuts. You have some chocobos and you're ready to take a little time to breed.
Let's get started.
*******************************************************************************
* [d12] Breeding Blue/Green Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
The process for breeding a Blue Chocobo is the exact same as it is for breeding
A Green Chocobo. A common misconception is you have to feed your chocobos 90
Sylkis Greens and race them to S-Class racers before breeding. While this will
work, it is not necessary and is a tremendous waste of time and gil.
This is the most effective way to breed a Blue or a Green Chocobo. Catch two
Great Chocobos from the Mideel area. I say Mideel because the experience is a
little better there than the RocketTown area. The Great Chocobos in this area
will be found with one or two "Spirals". They look like flying sickles. Send
these back to the ranch and move them from the pen to the stables. You will
have the opportunity to name your chocobos, and I would suggest naming one a
masculine name and one a feminine name. This will make it a little easier if
you need to release one to know what gender you need to fill. Remember, gender
is determined at the time you move the chocobo from the pen to the stables, and
it is a 50% chance of getting either gender. After you move the first one,
leave the ranch, save the game and move the second one. If you get the same
gender for both, reload the game and advance the RNG (go fight a battle or move
some materia around) and try again. Once you have a male Great Chocobo and
female Great Chocobo, you are ready to race.
Racing is not a requirement for breeding, but it will increase your chances.
You can also save yourself a little money (gil) here. As I said before, you do
not need to race both chocobos to S-Class chocobos to breed. To gain a Blue or
Green Chocobo, your Greats need a combined four wins. That's all. You can do it
several different ways to do this, but I recommend you feed one Great five to
ten Sylkis Greens and use this one to race. Winning four races is kind of
child's play. After you have won four races with this chocobo, go back to the
stables and tell ChocoBilly that you want to mate chocobos. Select your two
Greats and use one of your Carob Nuts. If you breed two Greats with a combined
four wins and use a Carob Nut, there is a 100% chance of breeding a Blue or a
Green Chocobo. This is a 25% chance of getting a Blue Male, a Blue Female, a
Green Male or a Green Female. Save.
After two chocobos have been breed and become "Parent" chocobos, they need a
little time between breeding. Chocobo time is determined is random battles.
"Parent" chocobos require between three and ten random battles before they're
ready to breed again. This number is randomly selected by the game and varies
from breeding to breeding and chocobo to chocobo. Go fight about ten battles or
so, SAVE and try breeding again. Whatever you got from breeding from the first
mating, you need to get the opposite from this one. Example: if you received a
Blue Male Chocobo from the first mating, you'll need a Green Female Chocobo
from the second. If you don't get an opposite chocobo, reload and try again
(did I mention to save beforehand?). Remember to fight a battle or two to
advance the RNG.
Note: It is possible to breed Blue and Green Chocobos without racing. If you
breed a Good or Great with a second Good or Great, using a Carob Nut, you have
an approximately 27% chance of a Blue Chocobo, 27% chance of a Green Chocobo
and a 46% chance of a regular chocobo.
Once you've breed a Blue and a Green Chocobo and you have a male and a female,
you're ready to start trying for the next step.
*******************************************************************************
* [d13] Breeding Black Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Breeding a Black Chocobo is similar to breeding a Blue or a Green. You will be
mating your Blue and your Green that you've just produced. I know. It seems a
little sick as they are "related", but this is the fastest way.
Newborn chocobos are not ready to breed right away. They need a little time. As
we know, time in chocobo breeding terms means fighting. Newborn chocobos need
between three and 18 random encounters to be ready to breed.
You should also race your Blue and or Green Chocobos to increase your chances.
Again, you don't need S-class chocobos. To breed a Black Chocobo, your Blue and
Green Chocobos need a combined nine wins. To get these wins, start by feeding
the chocobos some Sylkis Greens. Probably about 5-10 would be pretty good for
starters. I recommend racing your Green Chocobo to A-Class (this takes six
wins). The reason I recommend this is because the Green Chocobo takes no speed
penalty from running through the "Space" area on the short course, and racing
the short course will save you time in the long run. You could keep going and
get S-Class with the Green Chocobo (nine wins), but the races are a little
harder, and you'll start racing against Joe and his chocobo TEIHO. It's your
choice. You could also feed your Blue Chocobo a few greens (mostly to increase
co-operation as speed and stamina should not be an issue on C-Class races) and
win three races (long or short track - remembering that Blue Chocobos don't
take a speed penalty in the "water" area of the long track) and mate with a
Green with six wins.
However you do it, once you have nine combined wins between you Blue and Green
Chocobos and you've fought about 20 battles, so they're ready to mate, breed
your Blue and Green Chocobos using a Carob Nut. Assuming you've won nine
combined wins and you're breeding using a Carob Nut, the chances of getting a
Black Chocobo are 100%. Again, gender is randomly selected and is a 50% chance
of either.
Note: It is possible to breed a Black Chocobo without racing. If you breed the
Blue and Green chocobos with a Carob Nut, you have a 10/256 chance of getting a
Black, 128/256 of getting a Blue, 118/256 of getting a Green.
Once you have your Black Chocobo, you're ready to finish things off and get
your Gold Chocobo.
*******************************************************************************
* [d14] Breeding Gold Chocobos *
*******************************************************************************
Take your new Black Chocobo and feed it about 15-20 Sylkis Greens. You will
also need to have a Wonderful Chocobo from the Icicle Inn area. You will need
to have 12 combined wins between your Black and Wonderful Chocobos to guarantee
a Gold Chocobo. I recommend winning nine races with your Black Chocobo, since
it takes no speed penalty in either the "Water" or the "Space" areas. Winning
nine races will give you an S-Class racer. You can race and win twelve if you
like with the Black Chocobo, as the S-Class races aren't really that hard with
a Chocobo that doesn't take a speed penalty in certain areas, but you can also
feed your Wonderful Chocobo a few greens and win three races with that one if
you want to stop the Black Chocobo at nine wins.
Take your Black Chocobo (after fighting three to 18 battles so it's ready) and
your Wonderful Chocobo and mate them using a Zeio Nut. If your Black and
Wonderful Chocobos have a combined 12 wins and you mate them using a Zeio Nut,
you have a 100% chance of getting a Gold Chocobo.
Due to a glitch in this game's mechanics, you MUST select the Black Chocobo
First in the mating selection process. If you do, it is a 100% chance of
getting a Gold. If you don't, it is a 0% chance of getting a Gold.
Note: It is possible to get a Gold Chocobo without racing. If you breed the
Black Chocobo with a wonderful chocobo using a Zeio Nut you only have a 1/32
chance of getting a Gold Chocobo.
*******************************************************************************
* [e10] Frequently asked questions *
*******************************************************************************
I'll try to keep answer here short, sweet and to the point. I want this to be a
quick reference for those wanting to breed chocobos.
If you have any questions about breeding chocobos, feel free to send me an
email. I can be reached at gamefaqsuser30@sbcglobal.net. I will do my best to
answer your questions, and if I get the same one enough, I will post it here.
Q: I keep getting a Blue Male, and I need a Blue Female. I've tried resetting.
What gives?
A: Your RNG is stuck. After you reset and reload, fight a couple of random bat-
tles, move some materia around, visit a town and try again.
Q: When can I start breeding chocobos?
A: You can start catching them as soon as the Highwind becomes available to you
at the start of disc two. Without spoiling much, there is a time at the
beginning of disc two where the party splits. You will be able to start
breeding once the entire party gets back together.
Q: How do I get my chocobos on the Highwind?
A: Ride your chocobo out of the stables. Approach the Highwind and press the
"confirm" button (defaulted to O). Only chocobos that you have moved from
the pen to the stables and named can be taken on board. When you get off
the Highwind, you will be riding your chocobo.
Q: How do I get my chocobos to the Gold Saucer to race?
A: Put your chocobo on the Highwind (see previous question) and fly to North
Corel (the town north of the Gold Saucer). Land the Highwind and ride your
Chocobo to North Corel. Go to the Gold Saucer and inside the Chocobo
Square, you'll want to talk to Esther (she's to the left of the main
counter), and she'll register you in the next race. Alternately, you can
ride a Gold Chocobo from the ranch to North Corel without the Highwind.
*******************************************************************************
* [f10] Still to Come *
*******************************************************************************
I have not put everything Chocobo related in this guide...yet. I only assembled
as much information as I could muster to get a majority of the questions that I
have seen asked through my days on GameFAQs. If this guide gets picked up as a
guide for the site, updates will be coming. Updated information will include:
Information on the Chocobo Sage
More information on the prizes for Chocobo Prizes
More in depth mechanics regarding breeding
As much information as I can dig up on chocobos that you might want to know
Any more questions that might need to be posted in the FAQ section
Keep watching
*******************************************************************************
* [f11] Final Notes *
*******************************************************************************
Again, I need to thank phiefer3, shadow666, Absolute Steve (cloud VS sephiroth)
and Terrance for their help in this guide. I hope I have answered as many of
the questions as you might have as I possibly can. Thank you all for reading
this guide.
Again, this guide is copyright protected to Greg Morris, GameFAQs username
gmorris7897. All rights reserved.
Contact me via e-mail at gamefaqsuser30@sbcglobal.net. You can also usually
find me on the Final Fantasy VII message board among a few others on GameFAQs.
Thank you for taking the time to read my guide. I enjoyed writing it, and I
hope it helps.
