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* EXCALIBUR II + PERFECT GAME GUIDE *
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Welcome to the Final Fantasy IX "Excalibur II + Perfect Game Guide"!
I hope you enjoy challenges!
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,-----. / .~. .~. \ ,-----.
| o | / ~..' * `..~ \ | o |
| .---------------' `---------------. |
`---| |---'
| AUTHOR : Atomos199 |
| -----------------+----------------- |
. VERSION : 9 .
/ --------------------+-------------------- \
/ LATEST RELEASE : October 16, 2009 \
( -----------------------+----------------------- )
\ CONTACT : Atomos199.FAQs(at)gmail.com /
\ --------------------+-------------------- /
' COPYRIGHT © 2005-2009 Piotr Matl '
| -----------------v----------------- |
| This guide may only be hosted on www.gamefaqs.com |
.---| |---.
| `---------------. ,---------------' |
| o | \ ~''. * ,''~ / | o |
`-----' \ `~' `~' / `-----'
`---------------------'
VERSION 9 NOTICE:
It pleases me to say that the stats issue is finally solved for good! Huge
thanks go out to letao for his excellent and above all conclusive work! With
the aid of a self-written program, he was able to determine the best possible
set-ups and stat totals for every characeter and for a variety of perfect
stats definitions. It also rules out any more improvements like those which
have plagued this guide since the beginning. Again, thanks to letao for his
great work on this!
There is, however, one problem. The results obtained by letao did not only
improve the older stat paths or make some of them obsolete; a completely new
path is now available as well. Unfortunately, it is currently not known for
certain whether this path is possible within the limits of the Excalibur II
Perfect Game. It is also not so easily incorporated into the existing
walkthrough. For these reasons, the path in question is not yet covered in
the guide. Additional information as well as how you can help can be found
under "PATH-C-BETA" (search function).
* * *
NOTICE TO PAL GAMERS:
It is impossible to complete this challenge on the PAL version of the game.
Please consult Q03 in the Frequently Asked Questions section for more
detailed information.
* * *
Use the Ctrl-F function to quickly jump to any
section of the guide by searching for its code!
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | TABLE OF CONTENTS | *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(A00)
II. MAIN GOALS OF THIS CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(B00)
01. OBTAIN PERFECT AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE ITEMS..............(B01)
02. OBTAIN MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE UNIQUE ITEMS.......(B02)
03. OPEN ALL MISSABLE CHESTS..................................(B03)
04. SEARCH ALL MISSABLE FIELD ICONS...........................(B04)
05. OBTAIN ALL MISSABLE KEY ITEMS.............................(B05)
06. COMPLETE A LEVEL 1 GAME...................................(B06)
07. DELIVER & READ ALL MISSABLE MOGNET LETTERS................(B07)
08. BUY ALL OF STILTZKIN'S DEALS..............................(B08)
09. COMPLETE THE MR. MORRID'S COFFEE SIDE-QUEST...............(B09)
10. DEFEAT ALL MISSABLE TRENO WEAPON SHOP MONSTERS............(B10)
III. THE PROBLEM OF MAX STATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(C00)
IV. CHOOSING A STAT PATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(D00)
01. DETERMINING YOUR INTERPRETATION OF PERFECT STATS..........(D01)
02. DETERMINING YOUR STAT ALLOCATION..........................(D02)
03. PATH A....................................................(D03)
04. PATH B....................................................(D04)
05. PATH C....................................................(D05)
06. THE BASE STATS PATH.......................................(D06)
07. THE LV 1 PATH.............................................(D07)
V. THE GOLDEN RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(E00)
01. SKIP ALL DIALOGUE.........................................(E01)
02. SKIP ALL ATEs.............................................(E02)
03. SKIP ALL FMVs.............................................(E03)
04. MANAGE YOUR SAVES WISELY..................................(E04)
05. OPTIMIZE YOUR SYSTEM SETTINGS.............................(E05)
06. LEARN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BATTLE SYSTEM..............(E06)
07. PERFECT YOUR RUNS.........................................(E07)
08. DON'T LET THE CLOCK STRESS YOU............................(E08)
09. MAINTAIN YOUR INNER PEACE.................................(E09)
10. DON'T FORGET THE MAGIC SPELL..............................(E10)
VI. VIDEO ASSISTANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(F00)
VII. WALKTHROUGH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(G00)
01. USING THIS WALKTHROUGH....................................(G01)
02. CIRCUIT LIST..............................................(G02)
03. TIMETABLE.................................................(G03)
04. DISC 1....................................................(G04)
05. DISC 2....................................................(G05)
06. DISC 3....................................................(G06)
07. DISC 4....................................................(G07)
VIII. LEFTOVERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(H00)
01. SIDE-QUESTS...............................................(H01)
02. MINI-GAMES................................................(H02)
03. CHARACTERS................................................(H03)
04. ITEMS.....................................................(H04)
05. OPTIONAL BOSSES...........................................(H05)
06. MISCELLANEOUS.............................................(H06)
IX. PERFECT STATS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(I00)
01. REASONING.................................................(I01)
02. USING THE SET-UPS PROVIDED................................(I02)
03. ZIDANE....................................................(I03)
04. GARNET....................................................(I04)
05. VIVI......................................................(I05)
06. STEINER...................................................(I06)
07. FREYA.....................................................(I07)
08. QUINA.....................................................(I08)
09. EIKO......................................................(I09)
10. AMARANT...................................................(I10)
X. TREASURE LOCATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(J00)
01. ALEXANDRIA................................................(J01)
02. PRIMA VISTA...............................................(J02)
03. ICE CAVERN................................................(J03)
04. DALI......................................................(J04)
05. OBSERVATORY MOUNTAIN......................................(J05)
06. LINDBLUM..................................................(J06)
07. QU'S MARSH................................................(J07)
08. SOUTH GATE................................................(J08)
09. GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO.......................................(J09)
10. NORTH GATE................................................(J10)
11. BURMECIA..................................................(J11)
12. SUMMIT STATION............................................(J12)
13. QUAN'S DWELLING...........................................(J13)
14. TRENO.....................................................(J14)
15. GARGAN ROO................................................(J15)
16. CLEYRA'S TRUNK............................................(J16)
17. CLEYRA SETTLEMENT.........................................(J17)
18. PINNACLE ROCKS............................................(J18)
19. FOSSIL ROO................................................(J19)
20. CONDE PETIE...............................................(J20)
21. BLACK MAGE VILLAGE........................................(J21)
22. CONDE PETIE MOUNTAIN PATH.................................(J22)
23. MADAIN SARI...............................................(J23)
24. IIFA TREE.................................................(J24)
25. OEILVERT..................................................(J25)
26. DESERT PALACE.............................................(J26)
27. ESTO GAZA.................................................(J27)
28. MOUNT GULUG...............................................(J28)
29. HILDA GARDE 3.............................................(J29)
30. DAGUERREO.................................................(J30)
31. IPSEN'S CASTLE............................................(J31)
32. TERRA.....................................................(J32)
33. BRAN BAL..................................................(J33)
34. PANDEMONIUM...............................................(J34)
35. INVINCIBLE................................................(J35)
36. MOGNET CENTRAL............................................(J36)
37. CHOCOBO'S AIR GARDEN......................................(J37)
38. CHOCOBO'S PARADISE........................................(J38)
39. MEMORIA...................................................(J39)
XI. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(K00)
XII. CREDITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(L00)
XIII. VERSION HISTORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(M00)
XIV. COPYRIGHT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(N00)
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | INTRODUCTION | (A00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
Being the perfectionist and completionist that I am, I was always very
frustrated by the seeming impossibility of creating a truly perfect save for
my favorite game, Final Fantasy IX. For years I thought that it really was
impossible, although it was never more than an assumption on my part. The
reason for this was the not-so-secret Excalibur II, a sword found at the end
of Memoria which disappears following 12 hours after the start of the game,
without which this challenge would be unbearably boring. Having gotten used
to spending enormous amounts of time on perfect saves for even the simplest
of games, getting a perfect save for a game as huge as FFIX in under 12 hours
never even crossed my mind... until the winter of 2005, that is; just in time
for my annual FFIX binge! And that's how this guide was born.
This guide is meant to get you from the very beginning of the game all the way
to the Excalibur II, without missing any of the missable items, events,
side-quests, etc. In other words, you will get all the benefits of playing a
normal game without sacrificing that unique sword. The keyword here is
"missable". You will skip absolutely everything which can be done on Disc 4,
otherwise it is impossible to make it in time. It appears that the game is
very balanced in this respect; there is just barely enough time to complete
everything missable and still get the Excalibur II. As for what is and is not
missable, consult the next sections, which explain in detail what you will be
doing during this challenge.
So, let me say it, once and for all:
FACT: It is possible to have a perfect save which includes the Excalibur II.
,============================.
=======================' `========================
* | MAIN GOALS OF THIS CHALLENGE | (B00) *
=======================. ,========================
`============================'
Not everyone has the same conception of a perfect save. Some are satisfied
with getting all items, others with learning all abilities and still others
with getting max stats, or any combination of these ideas and more. Therefore,
this guide includes all possible goals which anyone could possibly want in
their perfect save, and all are accounted for simultaneously. This means that
you can complete all of the goals below using this walkthrough; compromise
was not an option when I set about doing this, and it should not be for you,
either. That said, here is a rundown of the goals which you will be guided
toward for a perfect save, with precise explanations below:
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 1) OBTAIN PERFECT AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE ITEMS (B01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
There are 31 items in the game which can no longer be bought on Disc 4.
Furthermore, 9 of these items are used in synthesis, which makes another 8
items potentially missable. 2 of these items are then used in further
synthesis combinations, which makes another 2 items potentially missable, for
a grand total of 41 missable non-unique items in FFIX.
The challenge here rests on having the funds to buy all these items, and in
buying them in the correct amounts. Although it may be fine to have only 1
copy left of each of these items at the end after synthesis, I have decided
on a different, more "perfect" amount. This guide will have you buy these
items in such amounts so that you have enough of each of them to equip
everyone who can equip them, plus 1 remaining for your inventory. This also
includes the items which are synthesized from these missable items, which is
why some of them are bought in larger quantities than one would first think
are necessary. In this way, these missable items will never be able to leave
your inventory unless you sell them.
Due to obvious temporal and monetary constraints, you won't be synthesizing
any of the missable items on your way to the Excalibur II. However, you will
have the necessary items in the necessary amounts to be able to do so
eventually, when you have enough money and time.
The following is a list of the 31 basic missable items, with quantities
needed, quantities bought and their total cost (in order of availability,
though not necessarily purchase):
NOTE: Some of these items are found during the game, so the quantities bought
and their cost does not include these copies, since you won't miss them
with this guide. Also, you will be told exactly how many of these items
to buy in the walkthrough itself, so this is just for reference and
monetary planning if you decide not to follow the walkthrough exactly.
NOTE: Quantities needed are calculated BEFORE synthesis and without taking
into account copies found or received. Once you finish the challenge,
you will have to use an appropriate number of some items for synthesis.
NOTE: All copies of missable items are mentioned in the guide, except for the
Diamond Gloves. 3 are needed but only 2 are bought. That is because 1
copy is obtained from Chocograph Treasure #5 - Abandoned Beach. All
other copies of missable items are specifically accounted for.
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ITEM | NEEDED | BOUGHT | COST |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Javelin | 3 | 1 | 880 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Silver Gloves | 4 | 3 | 2,160 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Iron Helm | 3 | 2 | 900 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Leather Plate | 3 | 1 | 530 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Air Racket | 6 | 5 | 2,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Mythril Sword | 5 | 5 | 6,500 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Bandana | 12 | 9 | 4,500 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Chain Plate | 3 | 2 | 1,620 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Chain Mail | 15 | 14 | 16,800 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Mythril Vest | 10 | 8 | 9,440 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Diamond Sword | 2 | 1 | 4,700 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Trident | 2 | 2 | 7,160 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Mythril Claws | 2 | 2 | 13,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Fairy Flute | 2 | 2 | 9,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Silver Fork | 2 | 1 | 7,400 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Diamond Gloves | 3 | 2 | 4,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Green Beret | 7 | 7 | 15,260 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Judo Uniform | 7 | 7 | 35,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Gold Armor | 3 | 3 | 8,850 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Zorlin Shape | 9 | 8 | 48,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Flame Saber | 2 | 2 | 10,380 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Heavy Lance | 2 | 2 | 9,400 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Scissor Fangs | 2 | 2 | 16,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Asura's Rod | 2 | 2 | 6,360 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Hamelin | 2 | 2 | 11,400 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Octagon Rod | 2 | 2 | 9,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Black Hood | 6 | 5 | 12,750 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Rune Blade | 2 | 2 | 17,800 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Obelisk | 2 | 2 | 12,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Tiger Fangs | 2 | 2 | 27,000 |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
|Diamond Armor | 3 | 3 | 26,400 |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.=====================================.
<|| GRAND TOTAL | 356,190 ||>
`====================================='
Although the grand total may seem daunting, it's possible to finance all
these purchases with some careful planning, as well as through the use of the
so-called "Cotton Robe" trick.
The list below shows how some of the above items are used in synthesis:
NOTE: You won't actually be buying any of these synthesized items until after
getting the Excalibur II.
Javelin -> Save the Queen
Silver Gloves -> Save the Queen
Air Racket -> Priest's Racket
Mythril Sword -> Grand Armor
Bandana -> Silk Robe
Chain Mail -> Power Belt -> Grand Helm
Mythril Vest -> Brave Suit
Zorlin Shape -> Sargatanas -> Thief Gloves
OR
-> Masamune
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 2) OBTAIN MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE UNIQUE ITEMS (B02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
As you may already know, some items in FFIX are available in finite
amounts no matter how long you play and no matter what you do. Therefore, we
will be getting each of these items' missable copies on our way to the
Excalibur II.
The following is a list of all such items in FFIX, with maximum quantities
and locations included:
NOTE: Only MISSABLE unique items are of importance, so ultimate weapons and
some other items such as the Hammer have been omitted (since you can't
miss them permanently).
NOTE: Some unique items can be synthesized using other unique items. The
quantities provided are maximum quantities without synthesis.
NOTE: There is only 1 Dragon's Claws in the entire game, so do NOT use the
Dragon's Claws in a synthesis combination with Tiger Fangs to get Duel
Claws. 1 copy of Duel Claws can be stolen from Deathguise. So, you
should have 1 Dragon's Claws and 1 Duel Claws in your perfect save.
NOTE: Some of the gems are also temporarily gotten during the Friendly
Monsters side-quest, but they cannot be kept without leaving the
side-quest incomplete. Those copies are therefore not included here.
NOTE: Ozma holds 4 unique items; 2 Dark Matter, 1 Pumice and 1 Pumice Piece.
You must steal a Dark Matter and a Pumice Piece, then end the battle
and hope that Ozma drops BOTH a Dark Matter and a Pumice. If not, you
must reset and try again.
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Diamond | 3 | On the boat in Conde Petie |
| | | Included in Stiltzkin's Bran Bal deal |
| | | Chocograph Treasure #17 - Sea at Dusk |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Emerald | 2 | Given to Freya by the Priest of Cleyra |
| | | Included in Stiltzkin's Oeilvert deal |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Ruby | 2 | Received when breaking the seal on the Iifa Tree |
| | | Included in Stiltzkin's Alexandria deal (Disc 4) |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Moonstone | 3 | Reward for impressing all 100 nobles |
| | | Conde Petie Mountain Path colored stones puzzle |
| | | Included in Stiltzkin's Alexandria deal (Disc 4) |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Ribbon | 4 | Given to you by Mog in Mount Gulug |
| | | Treno Auction House item |
| | | Given to you by Stiltzkin after buying all his deals |
| | | Chocograph Treasure #24 - Forgotten Island |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Dark Matter | 3 | Treno Auction House item |
| | | Stolen from Ozma |
| | | Dropped by Ozma |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Running Shoes | 4 | Dropped by Tantarian |
| | | Won by defeating Amdusias in the Treno Weapon Shop |
| | | Stolen from Hades |
| | | Found in the clock in Quan's Dwelling |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Pumice | 1 | Dropped by Ozma |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Pumice Piece | 3 | Dropped by Ark |
| | | Stolen from Ozma |
| | | Chocograph Treasure #22 - Outer Island 2 |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Rebirth Ring | 2 | Award for winning the Tetra Master Tournament |
| | | Chocograph Treasure #24 - Forgotten Island |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Blood Sword | 2 | Stellazzio reward |
| | | Stolen from Tiamat |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Genji Helmet | 2 | Stolen from Kraken |
| | | Mountain Crack on northeast of Forgotten Continent |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Genji Gloves | 2 | Stolen from Lich |
| | | Foaming Water at southern tip of Forgotten Continent |
|---------------o---o-------------------------------------------------------|
| Genji Armor | 2 | Stolen from Maliris |
| | | Chocograph Treasure #21 - Outer Island |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 3) OPEN ALL MISSABLE CHESTS (B03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Since we're going for perfection, we'll want to open all the treasure
chests in the game. However, you'll mainly be opening missable chests during
the course of the challenge. Furthermore, you'll be able to collect the Rank
S Medal if you do this, which is (in my opinion) fundamental for a perfect
save.
Keep in mind that this isn't really a difficult goal to meet; 99% of the
chests in FFIX are completely and comfortably along the way. Then again, 90%
of all chests in the game are missable, but don't worry, there's enough time
to open them all.
Although you shouldn't have any problems with finding all the chests, I have
created a treasure list in the event that you do. Check the Treasure
Locations section for the locations of all the treasure chests and all the
field icons in the game.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 4) SEARCH ALL MISSABLE FIELD ICONS (B04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This is the same thing as the chests, except for field icons. In case
you're not familiar with this term, a field icon is the exclamation mark
which appears over Zidane's head when he stands near a treasure. Although
this icon appears near chests and other places as well, field icons, for the
purpose of this guide, will be considered treasures which are not in a chest
but lie on the ground, on a shelf, etc.
As with chests, many of them are along the way. Unlike chests, however, many
of them are not missable, especially the ones later in the game.
You can find a complete list of all the game's field icons, with locations,
in the Treasure Locations section.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 5) OBTAIN ALL MISSABLE KEY ITEMS (B05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
There are 6 missable key items in FFIX: Moccha Coffee, Burman Coffee,
Rank S Medal, Moogle Suit, Autograph and Athlete Queen.
The Moccha Coffee and Burman Coffee are gotten as parts of the Mr. Morrid's
Coffee side-quest.
The Rank S Medal is gotten after the Excalibur II, but it is possible to miss
this key item by not picking up enough treasures before Disc 4. However,
since we'll be collecting ALL missable treasure (and can pick up the rest on
Disc 4), we'll be meeting the requirements for this key item automatically.
The Moogle Suit and the Autograph can both be gotten in Lindblum on Disc 1
after witnessing a short scene with Lowell.
The Athlete Queen can only be gotten at the very beginning of Disc 3, when
you control Vivi. You can play a mini-game in which you race a fat boy named
Hippaul to help him lose weight. You receive a reward for every 10 LVs which
Hippaul gains, and you get the Athlete Queen when he reaches LV 80.
This is the single most time-consuming event in the entire challenge; if you
don't lose a single time it'll take you about 21 minutes, with each loss
adding around 20 seconds. For some people this mini-game is a piece of cake,
but for others it borders on the impossible to reach LV 80. However, it's a
waste if you decide to skip getting the Athlete Queen, since the extra 20
minutes will make this challenge, well, not as challenging, and you won't
have a perfect save at the end, either. Thus, I suggest you get this key
item as well, no matter how painful it can get. Eventually, you will get it;
it's just a matter of practice and concentration, that's all.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 6) COMPLETE A LEVEL 1 GAME (B06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Stats pose the biggest problem in this perfect game challenge. This is
because in order to obtain perfect stats, you must start working on them from
LV 1. Furthermore, you can only work on them after getting the Excalibur II
as you are not only limited by the LV at which you begin, but also by the
available selection of equipment. Simply put, you do not have access to all
of the necessary equipment until after you get the Excalibur II, and if it is
available, then you either don't have the time to actually get it or to level
up with it to a meaningful degree. What does this mean for you? It means that
you will be playing the whole game at LV 1!
If the game let you, that is. There are many forced battles in the game and
most of them can be won without getting any EXP by using the Stop spell and
the Needle Fork's Add Status property, which is Petrify. However, there are
3 battles in which EXP MUST be gained, namely the battles against Amdusias,
Abadon and Shell Dragon in Pandemonium. Depending on what your priorities for
your perfect save are, you may have to defeat Tantarian and gain his EXP as
well. That said, there is an important difference between this challenge's
Level 1 Game and the "regular" one:
"The characters who gain EXP from Tantarian and the Pandemonium battles are
not restricted from being in the active party. The focus here is the benefit
of stat gains rather than self-imposed challenge."
-1whoistornapart
Don't be intimidated by a Level 1 Game; it has its difficult parts, but it's
very fun overall!
The issue of the Level 1 Game and max stats is covered in detail in the next
2 sections of the guide. It's a bit complicated and lengthy, but you have to
read and understand it if you want a perfect save which you'll be happy with.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 7) DELIVER & READ ALL MISSABLE MOGNET LETTERS (B07) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This is a pretty self-explanatory goal. In my opinion, it would not be a
perfect save if you missed any of the letters, as they're a part of the story
in a way. Moreover, you have to deliver them in order to revive Mognet
Central on Disc 4.
Reading and receiving all other mail is also a part of this goal. That means
you will receive all letters addressed to Zidane and read all the letters
from Stiltzkin and other moogles to each other. The point is to have all the
letters accessible at the end of the game under the moogles' Mognet menus.
You did say you wanted a complete and perfect save, didn't you?
The easiest way to achieve this goal is to simply check the Mognet option
every time you meet a moogle, even if it is for the second time in a row. If
there is anything to read, receive or deliver you will immediately be
prompted to do so. Don't worry, though, as the walkthrough will always
mention whether and which letters a moogle has at a particular time, as there
are some rare instances when you can miss a letter if you don't purposely
backtrack.
Here is a list of all the letters which you must deliver during the course of
the challenge, in chronological order:
Kupo -> Monty
Mois -> Gumo
Kumop -> Mogki
Mogki -> Atla
Grimo -> Nazna
Atla -> Monev
Nazna -> Mochos
Mopli -> Serino
Serino -> Moodon
Mosh -> Monty
Moodon -> Moonte
Kuppo -> Kupo
Mogmatt -> Suzuna
Mogryo -> Mocchi
Mogki -> Moodon
Mimoza -> Mooel
Mojito -> Mogsam
Mogrika -> Moolan
Moolan -> Mogtaka
Mogki -> Kumool
Moorock -> Mozme
...and here are the letters which you will read, also in chronological order:
Kupo -> Mosh
Ruby -> Zidane
Stiltzkin -> Monty
Ruby -> Zidane
Stiltzkin -> Moonte
Moodon -> Mogmi
Stiltzkin -> Mogrich
Ruby -> Zidane
Monev -> Mopli
Kupo -> Mosh
Stiltzkin -> Monty
Ruby -> Zidane
Kuppo -> Monty
Stiltzkin -> Mogryo
Stiltzkin -> Mocchi
Mogrika -> Kupo
Stiltzkin -> Kupo
Kupo -> Mogrich
Artemicion -> Mogrika
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 8) BUY ALL OF STILTZKIN'S DEALS (B08) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This is an easy goal to accomplish. It is also very profitable, as you
actually make a profit from most of his deals, get several copies of unique
items, and a Ribbon as a reward for buying all of his offers. They are all
listed below in chronological order, with prices:
Burmecia : Ether, Hi-Potion, Soft : [333]
Cleyra Settlement : Hi-Potion, Ether, Phoenix Pinion : [444]
Fossil Roo : Phoenix Pinion, Remedy, Ether : [555]
Mountain Path : Magic Tag, Tent, Ether : [666]
Alexandria : Phoenix Pinion, Hi-Potion, Elixir : [777]
Oeilvert : Hi-Potion, Emerald, Elixir : [888]
Bran Bal : Diamond, Ether, Elixir : [2222]
Alexandria : Moonstone, Ruby, Elixir : [5555]
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 9) COMPLETE THE MR. MORRID'S COFFEE SIDE-QUEST (B09) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This is also a pretty self-explanatory goal. The reason you have to do
this is that Observatory Mountain, Mr. Morrid's home, is locked off on Disc
4. Don't worry, though, it turns out that all 3 coffees are actually along
the way and delivering them is also along the way. The walkthrough will guide
you in completing this side-quest.
Some people insist on keeping all the coffees, as they are just as unique as
the Mini Prima Vista, which appears in the Tantalus hideout. This is true,
except that it leaves the side-quest incomplete. Then again, not completing
it lets you keep the coffees in your inventory. In the end, this is a
decision which every player must make for him or herself. You can leave this
decision up until the beginning of Disc 3, after getting the Burman Coffee.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 10) DEFEAT ALL MISSABLE TRENO WEAPON SHOP MONSTERS (B10) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Well, that's all there is to it; defeat Griffin, Catoblepas and Amdusias.
I'm not certain whether the rewards count toward your treasure ranking, but
it doesn't really matter. You want to be as complete as possible in this
challenge and you would have to defeat Amdusias anyway as the Running Shoes
are given as a reward. Thus, you may as well defeat the other 2 monsters for
the sake of completion.
,======================.
==========================' `===========================
* | THE PROBLEM OF MAX STATS | (C00) *
==========================. ,===========================
`======================'
Stats are a gray area in FFIX. The problem is that unlike with unique
items or side-quests, stat perfection is rather subjective. Due to the way
the stat system is designed, it is impossible to max all stats for any
character. The max for Speed and Spirit is 50, while the max for Strength and
Magic is 99. Everyone is capable of reaching 50 Spirit, but no one can reach
the max in the other 3 stats, except Zidane, who can reach 50 Speed. They are
all limited by the choice of stat-raising equipment available in the game,
which isn't good enough to reach the max in any stat besides Spirit.
At this point, you may be wondering whether the unattainability of max stats
means that there is no such thing as a perfect save in FFIX. No, it does not.
Stats, and even individual stat points, are unique in exactly the same way as
unique items. The perfect result is therefore not the highest possible to be
comprehended by the game, which would be 99, but rather the highest
attainable in normal gameplay. After all, what is the point of considering 99
to be the maximum amount of Pumice Piece when you can't get any more than 3?
It's the same for stats.
Unfortunately, this is not at the heart of the stats dilemma, and not quite
the problem with which we are faced.
The real issue here is that it is impossible to achieve all of a character's
highest stats SIMULTANEOUSLY. Simply put, you effectively forfeit points in 1
or more stats in order to raise another; you can NEVER raise any stat without
neglecting to raise another as much as possible. For example, using the Robe
of Lords will give each stat 1 bonus point, but that means you forfeit giving
Magic 2 points with the White Robe, or Spirit 3 with the Dark Gear, and so
on, depending on what equipment a character can use. That is why no character
can have their highest rating in all stats at once. This in turn means that
there is no universal set of highest stats for any character; each player can
allocate stat points differently.
This leads us to the next section...
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | CHOOSING A STAT PATH | (D00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
First things first: THIS IS NOT SIMPLE AND THERE IS NO DEFINITE ANSWER.
Since the entire stats issue is very complicated and convoluted, I will not
begin by explaining all the problems going on "behind the scenes" when dealing
with this matter; in the sincere interest of saving you a headache and saving
your interest in this otherwise fun and interesting challenge. Thus, let's
fast-forward to decision-time. You have 2 basic decisions to make:
1. Choose an interpretation of perfect stats
2. Choose an allocation of stats for your chosen interpretation
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| DETERMINING YOUR INTERPRETATION OF PERFECT STATS (D01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
We begin with decision #1. Basically, perfection is arbitrary and forces you
to make a choice which would otherwise be a given. What is your idea of
"perfect stats"? Let's find out!
First, check out sections 3.1 and 3.2 of letao's excellent Perfect Stats
Guide, which you can find at the following address:
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~letao/ff9stats/ff9-perfectstats.txt
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
The 4 possibilities presented in letao's guide are summarized below:
1. ORDERED WITHOUT FINAL EQUIPMENT
2. ORDERED WITH FINAL EQUIPMENT
3. COMBINED WITHOUT FINAL EQUIPMENT
4. COMBINED WITH FINAL EQUIPMENT
In addition to these, there are 2 more. For one, there is the BASE Stats path
The idea behind this one is that although it is impossible for any character's
stats to reach their highest possible values all at once, it IS possible for
them to reach their LOWEST possible values simultaneously. Think of them as
being perfectly minimal! This alternative offers the one thing the others
can't; complete conformity with all other perfect save goals, though it does
require a rather radical approach. The 6th and final possibility is completely
different and aims at not maxing stats at all, and instead keeping everyone
besides Zidane at LV 1. Zidane can then be either left at the minimum LV for
this path, or gotten to LV 99.
At this point I have to make it clear that this guide, in the interest of
clarity, follows only 3 of these interpretations, namely the ORDERED WITHOUT
FINAL EQUIPMENT variant, the BASE Stats variant, and the LV 1 variant. The
BASE Stats and LV 1 variants require little additional guidance, so they are
included. You can find my reasoning for choosing ORDERED WITHOUT FINAL
EQUIPMENT in the Perfect Stats section. As for the rest, covering all 4 and
their respective variations is simply impossible if the guide is to remain
clear and readable. If you'd rather follow one of those paths, then I'm afraid
you'll have to make all further decisions and planning on your own, though the
differences to the path followed in this guide are not enormous.
If you are following the BASE Stats or LV 1 path, then the following section
doesn't apply to you.
If you've chosen ORDERED WITHOUT FINAL EQUIPMENT as your perfect save set-up,
then it's time for decision #2, outlined below.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| DETERMINING YOUR STAT ALLOCATION (D02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Choosing an interpretation of perfect stats only solves half the problem.
Due to forced EXP awarded during the game, it is impossible for all 8
characters to achieve their best stat sets simultaneously. There will always
be one or two who are forced to take EXP before they have access to the
equipment necessary for their best stat set. Let's take a closer look at this:
In Pandemonium, your party must fight 3 monsters whose EXP cannot be avoided
in any way whatsoever. These are Amdusias, Abadon, and Shell Dragon.
Depending on your priorities for your perfect save, Tantarian's EXP may also
be considered unavoidable. Analysing all possible scenarios we come to the
following conclusions:
1. Only Zidane and Freya can afford to absorb Tantarian's EXP.
2. Freya can always absorb Amdusias' EXP without side-effects.
3. Only Zidane and Quina can afford to absorb Abadon's EXP.
4. Garnet can always absorb Shell Dragon's EXP without side-effects.
5. Garnet, Vivi, Steiner, Eiko, and Amarant are unaffected.
Thus, Tantarian and Abadon are the only 2 limiting factors keeping us from
attaining perfect stat sets for all characters at once. The only characters
affected by these factors are Zidane, Freya, and Quina; the rest can always
attain their best set regardless of what is done with Tantarian and Abadon.
Tantarian can be dealt with in 3 ways; by giving the EXP to Zidane, by giving
it to Freya, or by avoiding it altogether at the cost of 1 copy of the Running
Shoes and the defeat of a missable optional boss. Abadon's EXP must be taken
by either Zidane or Quina. Because Quina is potentially affected by forced
EXP, the choice of his/her stat set also influences this situation. Quina's
stat set can be either Strength-Oriented, Magic-Oriented, or Balanced; please
read Quina's section under Perfect Stats (I08) for a detailed explanation.
By analysing all possible options, we come to the conclusion that there are a
total of 12 (yes, twelve) possible scenarios. The scenarios as well as their
respective effects on the involved characters' stats are summarized in the
table below:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------.
| TANTARIAN | ABADON | SPD | STR | MAG | PRIMARY | OTHER |
.----o-----------o-----------o-----o-----o-----o-------------o-------------|
| A1 | Zidane | Zidane | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 |
|----o-----------o-----------o-----o-----o-----o-------------o-------------|
| | Zidane | | -1 | -1 | | | |
| A2 | | Quina-STR | | | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| A3 | | Quina-MAG | | +1 | -1 | -2 | 0 |
| A4 | | Quina-BAL | | -2 | +2 | -1 | -1 |
|----o-----------o-----------o-----o-----o-----o-------------o-------------|
| | Freya | | | | -2 | | |
| B1 | | Zidane | +1 | -1 | +2 | -1 | +1 |
| B2 | | Quina-STR | | | -1 | 0 | -3 |
| B3 | | Quina-MAG | | +1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| B4 | | Quina-BAL | | -2 | +2 | 0 | -2 |
|----o-----------o-----------o-----o-----o-----o-------------o-------------|
| C1 | | Zidane | +1 | -1 | +2 | -1 | +3 |
| C2 | | Quina-STR | | | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| C3 | | Quina-MAG | | +1 | -1 | -1 | +1 |
| C4 | | Quina-BAL | | -2 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
Now, let us assume for the sake of argument that we want Zidane to take
Tantarian's EXP. This leaves us with the A scenarios. Which do we choose?
A1 + party as a whole remains as perfect as possible with *ONLY 1*
character sub-optimal and 7 of 8 perfect
+ Quina remains flexible, stat orientation can be chosen later
- loss of 1 primary stat point
- net loss of 2 secondary stat points
A1 > A2 - A2 is similar to A1, except 2 characters are sub-optimal and you
aren't given anything whatsoever to make up for that
A1 > A3 - A3 subtracts another primary stat point and hurts another character
and only offers a net loss of 0 *secondary* stat points in return
A1 > A4 - saving 1 MAG on Zidane is not worth unbalancing Balanced Quina
We have a winner! Now let us assume that we want Freya to absorb Tantarian's
EXP. We can choose from any of the B scenarios:
B1 + net GAIN of 1 secondary stat
+ Quina remains flexible, stat orientation can be chosen later
- loss of 1 primary stat
- 2 characters sub-optimal, only 6 of 8 perfect
B2 + NO LOSS TO PRIMARY STATS OF ANY CHARACTER!
- net loss of 3 secondary stat points
- 2 characters sub-optimal, only 6 of 8 perfect
~ keeping max Eidolons un-flagged is impossible (check out the Shell
Dragon passage in circuit D3-14 for an explanation)
B2 > B3 - B3 is similar to B2 in every way, except it takes away the only
advantage to using B2 in the first place
B2 > B4 - saving 1 MAG on STRENGTH-Oriented Quina is not worth unbalancing
*Balanced* Quina
Looks like we have 2 winners this time. The only scenarios left are those
which ignore Tantarian. However, all of them are absolutely pointless. By
skipping Tantarian you give up a unique copy of Running Shoes and being able
to have defeated all the game's optional bosses. What to do get in return?
Nothing! 1 of your characters will still be sub-optimal no matter what. Here
is the summary:
C1 - Zidane loses a primary stat point but gains 3 secondary stat points
to try and make up for that, which would be great if we weren't
following the ORDERED stats approach; "Hooray!" for inconsistency!
C2 - Quina loses 1 secondary stat point, THAT'S ALL! WOW!!!
C2 > C3 - No point in giving up a primary stat point instead of a secondary
one, unless you just MUST have Magic-Oriented Quina and CAN'T live
with having Tantarian defeated and all copies of Running Shoes in
your inventory /sarcasm
all> C4 - you're giving up the Running Shoes and Tantarian's defeat in order
to UNBALANCE BALANCED QUINA *facepalm!*
Yes, C1 and C2 sound great, but remember that you are trading TWO perfect
save goals for those *miniscule* and above all *incomplete* improvements upon
A1, B1 or B2! That can't possibly be worth it. If it is, then you're following
a completely different idea of a perfect game and shouldn't use this guide.
At this point we are left with only 3 of the original 12 options. Comparing
them to one another doesn't disqualify any of them on all accounts, so in the
end the choice comes down to choosing 1 of these 3. Your choice essentially
depends on how important the following issues are to you comparatively. They
all conflict with each other to some degree and can't be fulfilled to their
best simultaneously, so this will depend on how much weight you assign each
individual factor and with which losses you can live with and with which not.
1. The number of characters with perfect stat sets
2. The number of primary stats attained
3. The number of stats attained in total
4. Quina's best stat set
The scenarios to choose from will be referred to as Paths A, B and C from now
on. The following sections present all the options for stats in your perfect
save:
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PATH A (D03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Zidane absorbs the EXP from both Tantarian and Abadon.
Zidane: -1 SPD, -1 STR, -1 MAG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ party as a whole remains as perfect as possible with *ONLY 1*
character sub-optimal and 7 of 8 perfect
+ Quina remains flexible, stat orientation can be chosen later
- loss of 1 primary stat point
- net loss of 2 secondary stat points
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PATH B (D04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Freya absorbs the EXP from Tantarian and Zidane the EXP from Abadon.
Zidane: +1 SPD, -1 STR, +2 MAG
Freya : -2 MAG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ net GAIN of 1 secondary stat
+ Quina remains flexible, stat orientation can be chosen later
- loss of 1 primary stat
- 2 characters sub-optimal, only 6 of 8 perfect
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PATH C (D05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Freya absorbs the EXP from Tantarian and STR Quina the EXP from Abadon.
Freya : -2 MAG
Quina : -1 MAG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ NO LOSS TO PRIMARY STATS OF ANY CHARACTER!
- net loss of 3 secondary stat points
- 2 characters sub-optimal, only 6 of 8 perfect
- keeping max Eidolons un-flagged is impossible
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| THE BASE STATS PATH (D06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
If this is the path you wish to follow, then all you have to do is NEVER gain
any LVs with equipment that boosts Speed, Strength, Magic and/or Spirit. This
will guarantee that your stats will be the lowest possible. The Perfect Stats
section does not apply to you, and neither do some of the suggested equipment
set-ups in the walkthrough, obviously.
The BASE Stats path makes this challenge much easier, as you won't have to
go through some of the most troublesome parts of the Level 1 Game. You don't
need the Needle Fork from Zaghnol, and you can let Freya absorb as much EXP
as you want after she joins at LV 1. Steiner can also gain LVs once Freya is
in the party. The other characters must remain at LV 1 until both Eiko and
Amarant join at LV 1, after which everyone can gain as many LVs as you like,
as long as they never have stat-boosting equipment on when doing so.
Why do you have to play the Level 1 Game at all? Well, if anyone joins at a
LV higher than 1, their stats will be lower than the so-called minimum
because they will have missed stat gains from the Level Ups they were given
for free; the game awards a set minimum amount of bonus points per Level Up,
but you don't get them when a character joins at the party's average LV. This
may seem to undermine the sense of this path, but it really doesn't; check
out Q07 for an explanation.
*thanks to SteelShades for proposing the BASE Stats idea*
*thanks to Cicatriz_ESP for pointing out that even BASE Stats players must
play the Level 1 Game in order to achieve the true minimal stats*
*thanks to Shaun for pointing out that BASE Stats players don't need to play
a true Level 1 Game in order to achieve these goals*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| THE LV 1 PATH (D07) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Zidane takes all the game's forced EXP.
+ absolutely minimal party with 7 of 8 characters at LV 1 with
everything in the game completed
+ interesting alternative to the maxing craze
- none if the LV 1 party is your perfect save goal, since this is
the only way to achieve it
Note that you really can complete everything in the game; this includes Hades
and Ozma! Simply have your characters under Virus status and you're good to
go. Have fun!
* * *
If you absolutely cannot decide which path to follow, then you can check out
Q09 for my personal opinion!
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | THE GOLDEN RULES | (E00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
Now that everything else is out of the way, you need to get acquainted
with the practices of doing a speed run. Here are the 10 golden rules:
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 1) SKIP ALL DIALOGUE (E01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Skip ALL dialogue by alternately mashing the X and SQUARE buttons. Using both
buttons increases the speed of running through text as opposed to using only
1, sometimes even quite drastically.
*thanks to Ekke for being the first to bring the use of the SQUARE button to
my attention*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 2) SKIP ALL ATEs (E02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Skip ALL ATEs unless instructed to do otherwise. Some ATEs are not skippable.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 3) SKIP ALL FMVs (E03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Skip ALL FMVs by opening the disc cover on your PS1 or ejecting the disc tray
from the PS2 while the FMV is playing. Then, close the disc cover or the disc
tray to resume the game.
Skipping FMVs on the slim-line PS2 is a bit more involved, but fortunately
still possible. This method should also work on the PS3. Here's what you do:
a) Once the FMV starts to play, open the lid
b) Replace the current disc with another one, possibly another FFIX disc
c) Close the disc cover and wait a moment for the console to begin reading
the disc
d) Open the lid again and put in the proper FFIX disc
e) Close the lid and wait for the game to resume
*thanks to CrAckLeT for being the first to inform me of this method*
This method is very reliable. However, if you would prefer to not swap discs
so often, then here is some advice from AtmaChild:
"If you got good hearing, you'll notice that there are 3 distinct sounds that
your slim-line PS2 makes after closing the lid. The 1st sound is somewhat of
a clicking sound, followed by 2 'screech' type sounds in quick succession.
The FMV starts to resume at the 3rd sound. It is just after hearing the 2nd
sound that you open and close the lid again (exactly 2 seconds after the 1st
open/close lid), guaranteeing an FMV skip.
Here it is step by step:
a) Open, and close lid after disc stops
b) Open and close lid again after hearing the 2nd sound (or open/close lid
exactly 2 seconds after Step a if you have trouble hearing)"
If you are using an emulator, the procedure is a bit more complicated. I have
no experience with emulators, so I'll quote Stunning SteveAustin on this
matter:
"First, you will either need an alternative disc ISO from the one you are
currently using, or in actuality you can just use any old useless file such
as a blank text document. Once the FMV starts, press "Esc" then "File>Change
Disc>ISO". Select the alternative disc or the blank text document you just
made (you will need to select "All files" from the list for it to show up),
then click "OK".
The moment the game loads back up you need to immediately press "Esc" and
change back to the correct disc. If you leave it for literally any more than
half a second, the game will hang and you will need to reload."
Finally, there is a so-called PAUSE trick you can employ to reduce the amount
of time you lose through FMVs even further, explanation courtesy of Louis1980:
"First, I've noticed that the time you might save before the FMV is minimal
at best (like almost always < 1s), so I overlook it. After the FMV, on the
other hand, can save you like 10-12s sometimes. What I do is this (for PS2):
I open and close the disc tray. When the disc tray is closed, I start
holding down the START button BEFORE the game finishes skipping the FMV
(i.e. before the screen goes black). The game always pauses for me right
after the screen goes black, then I release the START button. After about
10s, unpause, and the game resumes with no delay. Never fails."
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 4) MANAGE YOUR SAVES WISELY (E04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Try to have 1 memory card devoted to this challenge; you need to have at
least 5 back-up saves because you can always forget something or want to
improve a certain part of the game. I used 2 blank memory cards. If you only
have 1 memory card, I suggest you fill up the memory card with saves until
there is no more room. Then, if you have a PS2, copy all the files onto your
PS2 memory card and clear the PS1 card. Now you have another 15 save files!
If you ever want to return to a previous save, you have to copy it onto the
PS1 card before you can load it.
Also, try not to save on a single file more than twice in a row, especially
when having to do with longer and more difficult circuits. This will save you
real-life time in the long run as you won't suddenly find yourself having to
redo an hour or more of game-time if you make an error and save it.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 5) OPTIMIZE YOUR SYSTEM SETTINGS (E05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
If playing on a PS2, activate the Fast Disc Speed mode of the PlayStation
Driver; this will quicken the load times and therefore significantly reduce
your game time.
In order to activate this mode, turn on the PS2 without a disc in the disc
tray. Press TRIANGLE on the screen with the "Browser" and "System
Configuration" options to display your PS2's Version Information screen.
Here, highlight "PlayStation Driver" and press TRIANGLE again. You will be
shown the PlayStation Driver's Options screen. Set "Disc Speed" to "Fast".
While you're there, you may as well set "Texture Mapping" to "Smooth" to
improve the game's rendered graphics. Back out of these screens, insert the
proper FFIX disc and play as usual.
Soft resets will thankfully not reset the PlayStation Driver's settings, but
a "hard" reset (i.e., pressing the RESET button or turning the system on and
off) will. This means you need to repeat this procedure every time you begin
a new session of play. But it is very much worth it, so please make use of
this excellent feature if you're playing on a PS2.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 6) LEARN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BATTLE SYSTEM (E06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Playing the game at LV 1 requires you to use every trick up your sleeve just
to survive. Learning to abuse the WAIT ATB mode is of particular importance.
The WAIT ATB mode allows you to stop ATB time by entering a menu. This is
very useful when checking whether a Tent has succeeded, whether your
characters have managed to knock themselves out, or when your next actions
are determined by the effects of an enemy's or party member's attack. The
idea is to reduce the amount of ATB time between your characters' actions,
thus minimizing the number of turns the enemy gets, and making it easier to
carry out your battle strategies coherently.
Opening the menu at the right time can literally mean the difference between
a victory and a defeat. By not opening the menu, you are letting actions play
out in real time. If your other character(s) are only waiting to see the
effects of an attack before doing something themselves, it is in your
interest to open a menu. The action in question will still play out, but you
won't allow your enemy's ATB to gauge to fill during that time, which could
result in an enemy getting a turn between those of your party members. This
lets you use all your turns to the fullest, thus optimizing your performance
both in terms of the chance of success and the speed of victory.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 7) PERFECT YOUR RUNS (E07) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Play and read each circuit once or twice before attempting it seriously; you
need to acquaint yourself with treasure locations, shop lists, menu
operations and the overall route through each area. Read a circuit or two
ahead so that you have an idea of what you will be preparing for and what is
waiting for you.
It's also crucial that you have the minimum amount of enemy encounters
possible; try to follow the guidelines provided in the walkthrough. In no
case should you ever settle for having more than 1 extra battle in a given
circuit. A random battle wastes at least 45 seconds, and that's if you manage
to run immediately. Flee from all battles unless instructed to do otherwise,
and keep L1 and R1 pressed at all times during a battle in hopes of running
away sooner.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 8) DON'T LET THE CLOCK STRESS YOU (E08) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Use the PAUSE button to your advantage; pausing the game also stops the
timer, so use this when you need a break, or need to remember or think about
what to do next, especially during battles. If something unexpected happens,
just press PAUSE and analyze the situation.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 9) MAINTAIN YOUR INNER PEACE (E09) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This challenge has the potential to infuriate. Please don't dive in expecting
a walk in the park; it is anything but. That said, many aspects revolve
around luck, and you need to accept that. If something isn't working, just
take a break and do something else. More often than not, you'll get it within
the first few tries when you return.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| 10) DON'T FORGET THE MAGIC SPELL (E10) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + START + SELECT
^_^
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | VIDEO ASSISTANCE | (F00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
Believe it or not, this entire challenge has been recorded for your viewing
pleasure! It's all thanks to the skilled, determined and meticulous work of
1whoistornapart, InvncblGrlnd and Louis1980, who all tore this challenge to
shreds! Their master runs can now serve as your guide throughout this
endeavor, from beginning to end. If you need help, assistance, or just need
to see to believe, look no further!
.*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*.
// 1whoistornapart's videos \\
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7C21A6F5C05D3F2D
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
.*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*.
// InvncblGrlnd's videos \\
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2121FC41A5B357F7
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
.*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*.
// Louis1980's videos \\
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=451775E53849501E
O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O
You can find their videos at the addresses above. There you will find a
playlist with tens of individual videos. Each of them covers a specific
section of the game, titled accordingly, with comments. You don't have to
watch everything from beginning to end, just pick what interests you and
you'll be shown exactly how to complete that part of the challenge. However,
these videos are quite entertaining, so I suggest you watch them all anyway;
it will give you a very good idea of what this challenge is like and what it
takes to succeed.
SOME NOTES ABOUT THE RECORDED RUNS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most important note: none of them is current as of Version 9, so there will
be some minor differences between them and what is written in the guide, but
nothing really significant.
The runs recorded on the videos are on an expert level; 1whoistornapart had
an amazing 32 minutes to spare when he reached the Excalibur II, InvncblGrlnd
a colossal 54, and Louis1980 an incredible 30 minutes without having skipped
any FMVs, which speaks for itself. The videos only show the single most
successful runs; some of them took many hours of attempts to get just right.
Therefore, do not expect to just turn on the game and "simply do the same
thing"; it takes a lot of practice, luck and determination to see such
spectacular results. The purpose of these videos is to show the optimal route
through every circuit, including battles, to prove that it is possible to
actually follow it, and that this challenge isn't as impossible at it would
seem.
Remember that there is no need to complete the challenge exactly as depicted
in the videos. Such huge leads are overkill unless you're bent on setting a
record or something, because there is nothing you can use that extra time
for. Nonetheless, the videos prove that time can be made up at pretty much
any point in the game, as the leads grow steadily after each circuit. So, if
you are having trouble keeping up with the target times, take a look at the
videos for some inspiration and help.
These videos are extremely helpful and a very valuable resource, so make sure
you take full advantage of them; they're the official supplements to this
guide! I'm sure they will help you on your way to the Excalibur II in more
ways than one!
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | WALKTHROUGH | (G00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
Here it is, the walkthrough to help you on your way to a perfect save!
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| USING THIS WALKTHROUGH (G01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This walkthrough is divided into what I like to call "circuits". A circuit
contains all the action which takes place between 2 major save points.
Each circuit begins with an item checklist and ends with a target time, a Gil
check and a battle frequency check, if applicable. Try to keep to the
standards provided and you shouldn't come across any problems.
TARGET TIME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every circuit in the walkthrough has a target time listed at its end. This is
what your timer should read at that point in the game. Of course, this is
only an approximation, minor discrepancies are natural and expected, so don't
go killing yourself if you make it somewhere a bit later than listed.
However, with some luck and a lot of determination, it's possible to get a
lead of about AN HOUR by the end of the game!
Please keep in mind that the target times end with around 10 minutes of play
time left to spare before 12 hours. That means you can theoretically accrue a
lateness of up to 10 minutes and still complete the challenge. However, it is
in your interest to have as small a lateness as possible as you never know
how future circuits will play out for you, so don't let this flexibility get
to your head. After all, you don't want to find yourself having to replay the
Lich battle tens of times because of the Excalibur II disappearing the moment
you approach it or mere seconds earlier. It's happened to me, so don't let it
happen to you!
TARGET GIL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The target Gil entries are rather inaccurate, or so I've been told. They have
been manipulated and adjusted multiple times and across multiple versions, so
it's possible that they've become unreliable. From what readers have been
saying, you'll most likely have a deficit during most of the game, but I
haven't heard of anyone having to restart due to a lack of Gil or something
similar. Gil generally doesn't pose a problem. Also, Phoenix Pinions can be
sold at any time if you need extra cash as they serve no other purpose but to
fill your wallet. If you've got the time to spare then you can do an
additional Cotton Robe trick, which will solve any problems you may be having.
ENCOUNTERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The battle frequency check only takes into account random battles. Forced or
otherwise mandatory battles are NOT included in this number unless specified.
And just to be perfectly clear, if the number is 0, you are not to enter a
single battle during that circuit, regardless of what you would do in that
battle, be it run, fight or anything else. Most circuits have 0 encounters
listed.
There is no reliable method to avoid encounters, all you can do is reset and
try again. However, there are some tricks which seem to work in certain areas
or circumstances, or are at the very least worth a try. Check out Question 6
in the Frequently Asked Questions section for more information.
BOSS STRATEGIES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All boss strategies are for the Level 1 Game. If you're playing with a higher
LV party, you can still use them, though, since anything that works for a
LV 1 party will inevitably work for any party.
EQUIPMENT SET-UPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suggest you equip your characters as instructed, especially Zidane, who
will need to master certain abilities by certain points in the game. There
are also a few situations in which you absolutely MUST have your characters
equipped as listed due to available abilities, elemental defense, stats and
so on. I will not, however, point out when you can and cannot change your
equipment as you're using a guide for a reason, so just follow it. If you
don't, then don't blame me if you suddenly don't have access to a key ability
or something. As for the format, a dash (-) means the equipment category
should be left empty, whereas nothing written means you can equip any piece
of equipment available for that category.
STELLAZZIO COINS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All the Stellazzio Coins are available on Disc 4, so there is no reason to
collect them during this challenge. The only thing they are good for is
exchanging them for Gil, as the item rewards are useless. Since you shouldn't
have any major monetary problems if you follow the walkthrough, I don't see
any reason why you should waste time collecting them and then waste even more
time trading them in. However, if you decide that you want to buy some
expensive items not mentioned in the walkthrough, then you will most
definitely need additional funds, and you can get them this way. For this
reason, I have included the Stellazzio Coins in the walkthrough; collect them
if you wish, I didn't. You'll have to take care of all this on your own,
though, as the walkthrough will never instruct you to visit Queen Stella.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CIRCUIT LIST (G02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Search for the relevant code to be taken directly to that circuit!
DISC 1:
~~~~~~~~~
i) NEW GAME - Alexandria Steeple (D1-01)
ii) Alexandria Steeple - Alexandria Castle Guardhouse (D1-02)
iii) Alexandria Castle Guardhouse - Prima Vista Crash Site (D1-03)
iv) Prima Vista Crash Site - Evil Forest Spring (D1-04)
v) Evil Forest Spring - Gunitas Basin (D1-05)
vi) Gunitas Basin - Ice Cavern (D1-06)
vii) Ice Cavern - Dali Storage Area (D1-07)
viii) Dali Storage Area - Lindblum Inn (D1-08)
ix) Lindblum Inn - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D1-09)
x) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Lachenta Wetlands (D1-10)
xi) Lachenta Wetlands - Eunorus Plains (D1-11)
xii) Eunorus Plains - Gizamaluke's Grotto (D1-12)
xiii) Gizamaluke's Grotto - Daines-Horse Basin (D1-13)
xiv) Daines-Horse Basin - START OF DISC 2 (D1-14)
DISC 2:
~~~~~~~~~
i) START OF DISC 2 - Bentini Heights (D2-01)
ii) Bentini Heights - Gargan Roo (D2-02)
iii) Gargan Roo - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-03)
iv) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-04)
v) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra Inn (D2-05)
vi) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Inn (D2-06)
vii) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Sandpit (D2-07)
viii) Cleyra Sandpit - Red Rose (D2-08)
ix) Red Rose - Alexandria Chapel (D2-09)
x) Alexandria Chapel - Pinnacle Rocks (D2-10)
xi) Pinnacle Rocks - Lachenta Wetlands (D2-11)
xii) Lachenta Wetlands - Fossil Roo Cavern (D2-12)
xiii) Fossil Roo Cavern - Fossil Roo Mining Site (D2-13)
xiv) Fossil Roo Mining Site - Magdalene Forest (D2-14)
xv) Magdalene Forest - Conde Petie (D2-15)
xvi) Conde Petie - Mountain Path (D2-16)
xvii) Mountain Path - Lucid Plains (D2-17)
xviii) Lucid Plains - Iifa Tree Roots (D2-18)
xix) Iifa Tree Roots - Lucid Plains (D2-19)
xx) Lucid Plains - Pualei Plains (D2-20)
xxi) Pualei Plains - START OF DISC 3 (D2-21)
DISC 3:
~~~~~~~~~
i) START OF DISC 3 - Nolrich Heights (D3-01)
ii) Nolrich Heights - Treno Knight's House (D3-02)
iii) Treno Knight's House - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-03)
iv) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Kiera Desert (D3-04)
v) Kiera Desert - Oeilvert Outside (D3-05)
vi) Oeilvert Outside - Oeilvert Star Display (D3-06)
vii) Oeilvert Star Display - Desert Palace Rack (D3-07)
viii) Desert Palace Rack - Desert Palace Library (D3-08)
ix) Desert Palace Library - Esto Gaza (D3-09)
x) Esto Gaza - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-10)
xi) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Ipsen's Castle (D3-11)
xii) Ipsen's Castle - Blairsurpass Plains (D3-12)
xiii) Blairsurpass Plains - Bran Bal Storage (D3-13)
xiv) Bran Bal Storage - Pandemonium Maze (D3-14)
xv) Pandemonium Maze - START OF DISC 4 (D3-15)
DISC 4:
~~~~~~~~~
i) START OF DISC 4 - Memoria Entrance (D4-01)
ii) Memoria Entrance - Memoria The Past (D4-02)
iii) Memoria The Past - Memoria Portal (D4-03)
iv) Memoria Portal - Memoria Time Warp (D4-04)
v) Memoria Time Warp - EXCALIBUR II (D4-05)
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| TIMETABLE (G03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
DISC 1: DISC 2:
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Alexandria Steeple : 00:08:51 Bentini Heights : 03:17:15
Castle Guardhouse : 00:18:21 Gargan Roo : 03:29:29
Crash Site : 00:33:53 Cleyra's Trunk : 03:37:49
Evil Forest Spring : 00:45:24 Cleyra's Trunk 2 : 03:42:27
Gunitas Basin : 00:52:01 Cleyra Inn : 03:45:35
Ice Cavern : 00:57:55 Cleyra Inn 2 : 03:55:06
Dali Storage Area : 01:18:05 Cleyra Sandpit : 04:02:02
Lindblum Inn : 01:43:51 Red Rose Cabin : 04:19:23
Lindblum C. Guest Room : 02:00:05 Alexandria Chapel : 04:28:00
Lachenta Wetlands : 02:14:45 Alexandria Chapel 2 : 04:50:57
Eunorus Plains : 02:29:05 Pinnacle Rocks : 04:59:36
Gizamaluke's Grotto : 02:37:01 Lachenta Wetlands : 05:10:26
Vube Desert : 02:46:02 Fossil Roo Cavern : 05:23:11
Eunorus Plains 2 : 02:50:56 Fossil Roo Mining Site : 05:30:18
Daines-Horse Basin : 02:54:36 Magdalene Forest : 05:35:14
----------------------------------- Conde Petie : 05:44:43
START OF DISC 2 : 03:07:35 Mountain Path : 05:49:40
----------------------------------- Lucid Plains : 05:52:37
Iifa Tree Roots : 06:03:51
Lucid Plains 2 : 06:23:29
Pualei Plains : 06:37:22
-----------------------------------
START OF DISC 3 : 06:53:14
-----------------------------------
DISC 3: DISC 4:
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Alexandria Steeple : 07:26:34 Memoria Entrance : 11:20:15
Nolrich Heights : 07:38:22 Memoria The Past : 11:26:49
Treno Knight's House : 07:50:18 Memoria Portal : 11:37:06
Castle Guardhouse : 08:06:25 Memoria Time Warp : 11:45:20
Lindblum C. Guest Room : 08:12:28 -----------------------------------
Kiera Desert : 08:35:52 EXCALIBUR II : 11:50:15
Oeilvert Outside : 08:45:46 -----------------------------------
Oeilvert Star Display : 08:52:41
Desert Palace Rack : 08:59:52
Desert Palace Library : 09:04:24
Esto Gaza : 09:21:11
Mount Gulug : 09:29:48
Lindblum C. Guest Room : 09:41:37
Ipsen's Castle : 09:59:16
Blairsurpass Plains : 10:22:58
Bran Bal Storage : 10:35:01
Pandemonium Hall : 10:50:01
Pandemonium Maze : 10:57:43
-----------------------------------
START OF DISC 4 : 11:10:54
-----------------------------------
===============================================================================
* HAVE FUN, AND GOOD LUCK! (G04) *
===============================================================================
,:
,' :
.- - - - - - . ,' :
: `. ,' :
: : ,' :
: _ _ _ : ,' :
: : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. ,' :
: : : : :_ _ _; : : : : ,' :
: : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; ,' :
: :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' :_ _ _ :
: : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : :
: ,' : : : : : : : :
:_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : :
: :
:_ _ _ _ _ _;
i) NEW GAME - Alexandria Steeple (D1-01)
ii) Alexandria Steeple - Alexandria Castle Guardhouse (D1-02)
iii) Alexandria Castle Guardhouse - Prima Vista Crash Site (D1-03)
iv) Prima Vista Crash Site - Evil Forest Spring (D1-04)
v) Evil Forest Spring - Gunitas Basin (D1-05)
vi) Gunitas Basin - Ice Cavern (D1-06)
vii) Ice Cavern - Dali Storage Area (D1-07)
viii) Dali Storage Area - Lindblum Inn (D1-08)
ix) Lindblum Inn - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D1-09)
x) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Lachenta Wetlands (D1-10)
xi) Lachenta Wetlands - Eunorus Plains (D1-11)
xii) Eunorus Plains - Gizamaluke's Grotto (D1-12)
xiii) Gizamaluke's Grotto - Daines-Horse Basin (D1-13)
xiv) Daines-Horse Basin - START OF DISC 2 (D1-14)
===============================================================================
I) NEW GAME - ALEXANDRIA STEEPLE: (D1-01)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Remedy | Fang Card | Sahagin Card |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Potion | Tent | Fang Card | 9 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Potion | Ether | Skeleton Card | 33 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Potion | Phoenix Pinion | Lizard Man Card | 38 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Potion | Goblin Card | Zombie Card | 47 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Potion | Goblin Card | Bomb Card |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Immediately configure your settings under the Config menu:
MOVEMENT -> RUN
BATTLE SPEED -> MAX
FIELD MESSAGE -> MAX
CURSOR -> MEMORY
ATB -> WAIT
TARGET WINDOW -> ALWAYS
-Pick up the 2 treasures in the back of the room, then light the candle.
-----------------
BOSS: Masked Man
-----------------
-Have everyone Steal on the first round.
-During the second round, have Cinna Steal again and someone attack him to
knock him out; make the others Steal as well.
-If you don't get the Mage Masher by this time, reset.
-Once you get the Mage Masher, simply have everyone attack themselves to end
the battle; you won't get a Game Over, so don't worry.
*thanks to phileasbu for proposing this idea, and big_kake for refining it*
-Reply that you are kidnapping Princess Garnet; it takes quite a bit of time
to trigger the secret scene with Ruby. Although if you MUST trigger it, then
go ahead; it won't prevent you from successfully completing this challenge.
-As Vivi, search the house to the right, then head up the street.
-Search the item shop, but skip the pub; you'll search it on Disc 3.
-When you arrive at the square, head right and search the shops; do not
approach the ticket booth just yet. Also, don't forget the Phoenix Pinion to
the left of the main gate.
-Leave the square by way of the bottom left exit and head toward the docks;
enter the house ONLY if you see a girl run OUT of it, otherwise keep going.
There are 2 treasures in this house, but you can pick them up on Disc 3.
-Speak with the boy behind the steeple, reply "Yes" and head all the way back
to where you first gained control of Vivi.
-Head down, search the square and speak to the cat near the bottom of the
screen.
-Now go to the ticket booth and show the ticketmaster your ticket.
-Then, enter the alley once again and choose the first answer to every
question asked.
-Speak to Tom behind the steeple to claim your reward for finding the cat, a
Bomb Card.
-Follow the Rat Boy into the steeple, search it and then attempt to climb the
ladder.
-Pick up Kupo's letter for delivery and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 00:08:51
TARGET GIL : 630
NOTE: You can miss a Mognet letter depending on your actions in Alexandria.
The letter in question is the one Mosh receives from Kupo, about the
Jump Rope mini-game. In order to receive it, you must jump at least 50
times, which only takes about a minute. This letter is NOT visible on
Disc 4 because Mosh is then found in Mognet Central telling you how many
letters you delivered; his dialogue does not allow you to view any
letters he may have received in the past. It also does not count in the
total quoted by Mosh because only letters delivered by YOU are taken
into account.
So, should this letter be gotten? It depends.
You will eventually have to complete the Jump Rope mini-game and get
1000 jumps in order to obtain the King of Jump Rope key item. You can
do so on the first try to have a clean record with 1000 as the first
and only entry. The entries are only visible after 3 attempts, but that
doesn't mean it isn't possible to prove that you got 1000 jumps on the
first attempt by just playing 2 more games with 1 jump each. In this
case, getting the letter would mess up your ranking. But, you can also
go for a ranking screen with 3 1000's, in which case getting the letter
would be fine since it would be removed from the ranking anyway. It
depends on what you want your ranking screen to look like, and whether
you care about getting a letter not visible on Disc 4.
Getting 1000 jumps on Disc 1 would solve all the problems with this
letter, but there are better ways to torture yourself and destroy your
interest in this overall fun challenge. However, if you feel up to it,
then by all means give it a shot. Getting 1000 jumps takes about 8
minutes.
*thanks to AtmaChild for informing me of Mosh's whereabouts on Disc 4*
*thanks to Non Applicable for telling me how long it takes to get 1000
jumps*
===============================================================================
II) ALEXANDRIA STEEPLE - ALEXANDRIA CASTLE GUARDHOUSE: (D1-02)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Moonstone | 29 Gil | 63 Gil | 92 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Climb the ladder and follow Rat Boy over the rooftops; don't forget to
search all the bird nests for Gil.
-------------------------------
BOSS: King Leo, Benero, Zenero
-------------------------------
-Just attack King Leo with everyone and ignore his guards.
-If you're lucky, they won't use too much of that fake magic, which takes
longer than their physical attacks.
-Now comes the first real challenge; impressing all 100 nobles. Here are a
few tips:
a) Turn off the volume on your TV.
b) Accuracy is MUCH more important than speed, but you must be swift if
you want to impress 100 nobles instead of 99.
c) Stay calm and don't rush yourself.
d) Don't anticipate any of the buttons showing up, just take it one at a
time.
e) If you're still having problems, cover your TV screen so that you only
see the button prompts.
f) Try your best on the first attempt, reset if you don't get it by the
third time. Each attempt takes exactly 1 minute to complete,
regardless of whether you make a mistake or not, so take that into
consideration.
g) DO NOT MASH THE X BUTTON WHEN A SEQUENCE FINISHES!!! The default
option is to do the scene over, and you don't want that when you
finally impress all 100 nobles.
-Breathe a sigh of relief once you're done; this is one of the hardest parts
of this challenge.
-Please note that you MUST impress 100 nobles here. You will have serious
monetary problems which you may not be able to solve without the 10,000 Gil
you receive here as a reward. Moreover, Black Waltz #2 will be extremely
difficult; you must be very lucky to defeat him at LV 1 without access to
Shell. And of course, the Moonstone given as a reward is unique.
-When you encounter Garnet on the stairs, choose whatever you want.
-As Steiner, run up the stairs, through the lower exit and speak to Queen
Brahne to claim your well-deserved Moonstone.
-Run down the stairs, to the right and save your game with Mosh the moogle.
TARGET TIME: 00:18:21
TARGET GIL : 10,814
===============================================================================
III) ALEXANDRIA CASTLE GUARDHOUSE - PRIMA VISTA CRASH SITE: (D1-03)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Phoenix Down | Phoenix Down | Phoenix Pinion | Elixir |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Speak to either of the 2 guards, pick up the Phoenix Down near the door and
exit the room.
-Enter the door under the walkway and catch the Pluto Knight running on the
balcony.
-Enter the right chamber on the second floor and speak to the Pluto Knight
there.
-Go back and down the stairs to the first floor, and then enter the left room
to find yet another Pluto Knight.
-Exit the library and leave the castle.
-Talk to the Pluto Knight by the water, then head left and talk to the Pluto
Knight by the tower entrance.
-Enter and climb the tower.
-Speak with the final Pluto Knight on the stairway to receive an Elixir, then
continue to the top of the tower.
-As Zidane, equip the Mage Masher if you stole it earlier, and follow the
princess.
-Once in the boiler room, turn the lever both ways to make 2 treasure chests
fall from the ceiling; open them and go through the door.
--------------
BOSS: Steiner
--------------
-Have everyone physically attack while Cinna steals whatever he can.
-When Vivi becomes available, use his Fire spell.
-Ignore the soldiers during the second battle.
-In the battle with the bomb, knock out everyone except Zidane and wait for
the battle to end automatically.
-At the crash site, watch the ATE and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 00:33:53
TARGET GIL : 10,814
===============================================================================
IV) PRIMA VISTA CRASH SITE - EVIL FOREST SPRING: (D1-04)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Ether | Rubber Helm | Bronze Gloves |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Down | Ether | Wrist | 116 Gil |
|------------------o------------------,-------------------------------------'
| Ether | Leather Hat |
`-------------------------------------'
-Go through the forest to find Steiner, Vivi and...
------------------
BOSS: Prison Cage
------------------
-During the fight to save Garnet, use Zidane's Free Energy (NOT Tidal Flame)
ability and make Steiner attack physically.
-During the fight to rescue Vivi, simply attack with both Zidane and Steiner
until you win; there's no need to use a Potion on anyone.
-Every screen in the Prima Vista has some treasure in it, so search all of
them carefully.
-Go down the stairs and into the room on the right.
-Speak with Vivi, leave the room and choose to go look for Garnet. Choosing
the other option initiates an extra scene, but it has absolutely no impact
on the game whatsoever and takes an extra minute, so I suggest you skip it.
-Now head left, down the stairs and through the bottom exit; pick up the
Leather Hat and return to the previous room.
-Go through the right door, then backtrack and speak to Baku to initiate
combat.
-----------
BOSS: Baku
-----------
-If you have the Mage Masher, just attack 3 times and you'll win.
-If you're still using the Dagger, you'll have to attack 5 times, so you'll
need to use a Potion at some point during the battle.
-Now go to Steiner's room (don't forget to search it afterwards) and then to
Vivi's room.
-Exit the Prima Vista and save your game; there's also a letter from Ruby.
-Make your way through the forest until you reach the spring.
-Deliver Kupo's letter to Monty, read the letter Monty received from
Stiltzkin and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 00:45:24
TARGET GIL : 11,366
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
V) EVIL FOREST SPRING - GUNITAS BASIN: (D1-05)
===============================================================================
-Head deeper into the forest to find Garnet.
------------------
BOSS: Plant Brain
------------------
-Have Zidane knock himself out on the first turn to make Blank appear and
immediately push the battle into the second and last phase.
-Vivi and Steiner should have full or nearly full ATB gauges by the time
Blank shows up, so use Fire, Fire Sword and Blank's physical attack all at
once to finish the battle in a single round.
-If you're very lucky, Plant Brain may not even get a single turn.
-Don't waste your time stealing anything; it's not worth it at all.
-Unequip Blank and revive Zidane before doing anything.
-There will be a forced encounter against a party of Plant Spiders. If there
are more than 2 Plant Spiders, RESET THE GAME and try again.
-Use a spreaded Fire spell against the enemy party to win the battle; make
sure everyone survives to keep your party at LV 1.
-Do NOT have Blank absorb all the EXP, as that will make Amarant join the
party at LV 3. You have been warned.
-Skip the tutorial by choosing "Nothing".
-On the World Map, head south while the nameplate is displayed to avoid
random battles and save right outside Ice Cavern.
TARGET TIME: 00:52:01
TARGET GIL : 12,016
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
VI) GUNITAS BASIN - ICE CAVERN: (D1-06)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Phoenix Down | Elixir | Mage Masher |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Potion | Tent | Ether | Leather Wrist |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-This is a pretty straightforward area, just search every screen.
-NEVER make contact with the white wind as touching it instantly throws you
into a random battle. Wait for it to die down or turn dark; that's when it's
safe to pass through.
-Head LEFT at the fork near the end.
-Unequip everyone, then "optimize" Zidane.
-Defrost the moogle, skip the tutorial, accept the letter for Gumo and save.
TARGET TIME: 00:57:55
TARGET GIL : 11,993
ENCOUNTERS : 2-3
===============================================================================
VII) ICE CAVERN - DALI STORAGE AREA: (D1-07)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Eye Drops | Aries | 156 Gil |
|------------------o------------------,-------------------------------------'
| Potion | Ether |
`-------------------------------------'
-Return to the fork and head right.
-------------------------------
BOSS: Black Waltz #1 & Sealion
-------------------------------
-Alternate between attacking Black Waltz #1 and using a Potion.
-Once Black Waltz #1 is defeated, begin stealing from Sealion.
-Use a Potion when needed and wait for the Trance gauge to fill.
-Reset if you don't steal the Mythril Dagger; if you steal it and have extra
turns left, try to steal his Ether as well.
-Once Zidane reaches Trance, use a physical attack followed by Tidal Flame to
end the battle.
-If you stole the items very quickly and have extra turns, you should attack
Sealion once from the back row and once from the front row before entering
Trance, and then using Tidal Flame without the physical attack. This will
save you some time.
-Make your way up the slope by the waterfall and exit the cavern.
-Save in the middle of the plains (saving on the World Map requires less time
than engaging in a battle, it's convenient and reloading resets the
probability of an encounter; use this method whenever traversing the world
map).
-Enter Dali and deliver Mois's letter to Gumo; save if you didn't do so on
Nolrich Heights.
-Ignore all chests and field icons above ground.
-Leave the inn, head upwards and right to enter a farm plot, then go back and
meet up with Vivi by the windmill.
-Now enter/exit both the pub and the windmill, then go to the shop across from
the inn; Garnet should be there now.
-After the conversation, sell all your Phoenix Pinion and Leather Hat. Then,
buy the following:
> 1 Iron Sword
> 99 Wrist
> 2 Feather Hat
-Now return to your room at the inn and talk to Garnet, then go to where you
found Vivi earlier.
-Enter the windmill and go down the hatch; the Aries Stellazzio is behind the
container if you want to pick it up.
-Pick up all the items underground, then find Kumop in the barrel; take his
letter to Mogki and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 01:18:05
TARGET GIL : 729
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
VIII) DALI STORAGE AREA - LINDBLUM INN: (D1-08)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Phoenix Down | Iron Helm | 95 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Hi-Potion | Phoenix Pinion | Leather Wrist | 135 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Proceed onward until you find Vivi, looting all the chests along the way.
-Equip your characters exactly as follows:
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | VIVI | GARNET |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Mage Masher | Mage Staff | Rod |
| Feather Hat | Feather Hat | - |
| Leather Wrist | - | - |
| Leather Shirt | Silk Shirt | - |
| - | - | Moonstone |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Examine and choose to open the large door; run from the resulting battle.
-Open all 3 chests in the Mist room, then continue to the end of the area,
equipping Zidane with the Mythril Dagger at the very end.
-Don't bother healing or reviving anyone as you will be fully healed prior to
the upcoming boss fight.
-As Steiner, equip the Iron Sword, Rubber Helm, Bronze Gloves and Bronze
Armor.
-Head down the mountain, pick up both treasures at the base, enter Morrid's
house and stand still; this sometimes makes him come inside immediately.
-Talk to Morrid.
-Leave Observatory Mountain, then do whatever you like to the barrel :)
---------------------
BOSS: Black Waltz #2
---------------------
-Do not use Vivi's spells at all during this battle.
-Make Zidane attack physically and use one of Steiner's Sword Magic attacks.
-Black Waltz #2 should now target someone with a spell or attack. If he
targets:
> Zidane or Vivi -> cast Shell on Steiner
> Steiner -> cast Shell on Zidane
-It's possible that Black Waltz #2 gets a physical attack in before this. If
this happens to you, cast Shell on whomever of the two has more HP left after
Black Waltz #2's spell.
-Now quickly attack physically with both Zidane and Steiner once more, with
the one NOT protected by Shell acting first.
-If either Steiner or Zidane is knocked out before this, make Vivi use Fire
as the first attack of the second round.
-Black Waltz #2 will use Fira on everyone besides Garnet after the first
attack of the second round, which will knock out anyone not protected by
Shell.
-Use a Cure spell and attack once or twice more to win the battle.
-I have had 1 battle in which he did not use the spreaded Fira spell; Zidane
and Steiner made short work of him and the battle ended quicker. But don't
count on this because in all the years I've played this game, this only
happened to me once.
-Choose to depart immediately after Garnet corrects her speech.
-On the airship, climb the ladder in the back of the engine room and head
into the cockpit.
---------------------
BOSS: Black Waltz #3
---------------------
-During the first round, make Zidane attack physically, Steiner use Fire
Sword and Vivi Fire x 2, in that order.
-Repeat the same process as in round 1 to win the battle, but make Zidane
steal instead of attacking.
-You should not need to heal or revive anyone during this battle.
-In Lindblum, remove everyone's equipment before boarding the lift with
Minister Artania.
-Once you regain control of Zidane at the inn, skip the last tutorial, enter
the neighboring room and read the letter from Ruby; save your game.
TARGET TIME: 01:43:51
TARGET GIL : 1,363
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the forced battle after opening the door)
===============================================================================
IX) LINDBLUM INN - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D1-09)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Hi-Potion | Leather Wrist | Ore | 68 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Echo Screen | Glass Armlet | Mimic Card | 97 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Tent | Silver Gloves | Mini-Burmecia | 127 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ether | Leather Plate | Moogle Suit | 163 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Steepled Hat | Bronze Vest | Autograph | 282 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Head downstairs, pick up the Gil near the entrance and exit the building.
-Head upwards to the market square, search the left street area and the house
between the 2 streets (Card Freak Gon's house).
-Go down the right alley and enter Dragoos' Weapon Shop.
-Sell ALL your Ether, Phoenix Pinion, Hi-Potion, and Remedy.
-If you can afford it, do not sell any of your Tent at the shop. If you have
to, leave at least 1 and sell the Rubber Helm and medicinal items instead.
In my case, I was forced to sell them because otherwise I would have had to
make an extra trip to the shop, which wastes time.
-Now buy Steepled Hat so that the number of them in your inventory will equal
your Gil in thousands after you purchase them.
-Run outside and across the square to the synthesis shop; synthesize as many
Cotton Robe as you can.
-Return to the weapon shop, sell all the Cotton Robe you just bought and
repeat the process with the Steepled Hat described earlier.
-Keep buying Steepled Hat and synthesizing/selling Cotton Robe until you buy
your last batch of Steepled Hat (which should be equal to your remaining
Wrists).
-At that point, buy the following equipment as well:
> 1 Mage Masher (if you didn't get one at the beginning of the game)
> 1 Javelin
-Now go to the synthesis shop once more and buy the following:
> 1 The Ogre
> as many Cotton Robe as you can
-In case you are a bit confused, here is how I had to do this part:
> Bought 12 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 12 Cotton Robe.
> Bought 19 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 19 Cotton Robe.
> Bought 30 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 30 Cotton Robe.
> Bought 38 Steepled Hat along with the equipment listed above.
> Synthesized 38 Cotton Robe and 1 The Ogre.
-Return to the aircab terminal opposite the Lindblum inn and commute to the
Industrial District.
-Loot the place, then fly to the Theater District and head to the Tantalus
hideout.
-Pick up all the treasures in the hideout, then head down the stairs outside.
-Speak with the crowd, then follow the "moogle" to Artist Michael's studio.
-Take the Moogle Suit, the Autograph and the Ore, then take an aircab to
Lindblum Castle.
-Enter the guest room, speak with Steiner and then attempt to take the lift.
-Speak to the sleeping guard outside the guest room, then take the lift and
find Garnet at the overlook.
-Find all 6 areas with the telescope.
-Back in the guest room, open both chests, deliver Kumop's letter, take the
letter for Atla and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 02:00:05
TARGET GIL : 19,056
===============================================================================
X) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - LACHENTA WETLANDS (D1-10)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------.
| Tent | Coral Ring | Wyerd Card |
`---------------------------------------------------------'
NOTE: There are 2 issues to consider with the Festival of the Hunt; who wins,
and with how many points. This may be important to you as it is visible
on Disc 4 by checking the letter Mogmi in Gizamaluke's Grotto receives
from Moodon.
Who wins is really just a personal choice. The Coral Ring is certainly
more useful than 5,000 Gil or the Theater Ship Card, but you can get
another one at the beginning of Disc 2 in Treno. It comes in useful for
the rest of Disc 1, but it's not essential.
As for the amount of points, this is also a personal choice, but one
which you unfortunately have little control over. The points received
are random, so it's difficult to get a desired value. 303 points is the
maximum score. The tables below list the enemies you can fight, where
to find them and how many points they award:
.---------------------.
/ THEATER DISTRICT \
.---------------+-------------------------+---------------.
| MU | outside the station | 10-12 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| TRICK SPARROW | outside the station | 01-03 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| TRICK SPARROW | outside the hideout | 10-12 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| FANG | by the theater | 19-21 |
`---------------+-------------------------+---------------'
.---------------------.
/ INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT \
.---------------+-------------------------+---------------.
| FANG | chasing a cat | 19-21 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| MU | running down the stairs | 10-12 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| MU | hiding in the pub | 10-12 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| MU | end of the street | 07-09 |
`---------------+-------------------------+---------------'
.---------------------.
/ BUSINESS DISTRICT \
.---------------+-------------------------+---------------.
| TRICK SPARROW | outside the station | 13-15 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| MU | running out of a house | 13-15 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| FANG | left area of market | 16-18 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| FANG | outside the church | 19-21 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| TRICK SPARROW | on church doorstep | 04-06 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| FANG | chasing Vivi | 25-27 |
|---------------o-------------------------o---------------|
| ZAGHNOL | by the fountain | up to 99 |
`---------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to genkaku666 for this information*
The guide assumes you let Freya win, simply because she gets the best
reward. If you don't let her win, buy a Rod during your visit to Dali
and use it together with the Lightning Rod gotten in Burmecia to
synthesize a Coral Ring when you reach Treno. Make a note of this.
NOTE: If you are playing the BASE Stats game, then there is no need to fight
Zaghnol trying to steal the Needle Fork. Simply have whomever you want
to win win, and end the event as quickly as possible. The instructions
below don't really apply to you.
-Take the aircab to the Theater District, then immediately commute to the
Business District.
-Equip Zidane with The Ogre, Feather Hat, Leather Wrist and Bronze Vest;
activate the Beast Killer and Add Status abilities and make sure he's in the
front row.
-It isn't worth it to equip the Mythril Dagger for the Bandit ability because
you can almost always steal the Needle Fork within your first 3 attempts, it
isn't rare at all.
-Head for the Business District Shopping Area (the screen with Card Freak
Gon's house). You'll have to fight a Trick Sparrow and, if you're not fast
enough, a Mu before you get there, but there's more than enough time.
-Since there's nothing better to do, auto-arrange your items and place the
Tent and Cotton Robe at the top of the list.
-Oh yes, and don't forget to agonize as you completely and willfully waste
7.5 minutes.
-Wait until the clock reads less than 4:30, then go to the square to fight...
---------
ZAGHNOL:
---------
-Immediately throw a Tent on him and hope that it works; throw another one if
it doesn't and if you actually have another one. If it still doesn't succeed,
consider resetting.
-I completed this battle without any Tent, so don't worry if you don't have
any.
-Have Freya Defend while Zidane tries to steal the Needle Fork.
-Once you've stolen it, have Zidane attack Zaghnol 3 times to do around 1500
damage.
-Then, you have to decide who wins the Festival of the Hunt. If you want
Zidane to be the winner, have him deal the finishing blow. If you'd rather
have Freya be the winner, have her use Jump to deal the final blow. Finally,
if you want Vivi to win, knock out both Zidane and Freya.
-The battle should end at around 2:30 if you steal the Needle Fork on your
first attempt and everything else goes perfectly.
-If you decide to have Zidane win the Festival of the Hunt, then you will
need to maintain Zidane's lead and wait until time runs out.
*thanks to AtmaChild for pointing out these additional instructions in case
Zidane wins*
-Pay attention to the number of points the victor wins with. Reset if it is
less than 100 because otherwise you will miss the Mognet letter.
-Take the lift to the base level station, ride to and open the chest at the
Serpent's Gate and then ride straight to the Dragon's Gate.
-Read the letter from Stiltzkin.
-Speak to the merchant and sell all the Cotton Robe you have for a huge
monetary boost. Then, restock your inventory so that you have 60 Potion, 50
Phoenix Down, 10 Antidote and 10 Tent.
-Pick up the Tent behind the platform, then head out into the Mist; save once
you reach the marsh area, about halfway to Qu's Marsh.
TARGET TIME: 02:14:45
TARGET GIL : 76,056
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XI) LACHENTA WETLANDS - EUNORUS PLAINS: (D1-11)
===============================================================================
.--------------------------------------.
| Ether | Moccha Coffee |
`--------------------------------------'
NOTE: If you are playing the BASE Stats game, then you may let Steiner and
Freya absorb any EXP you come across after Quina has joined the party.
Do this by having everyone except them get knocked out before a battle
ends. If neither of them is in the active party at the time, then you
are forced to follow the instructions given in order to avoid EXP, and
you must do so.
This will often let you skip elaborate equipment set-ups and battle
strategies. I will NOT point this out every single time, because it's
obvious as long as you remember that only Steiner and Freya can gain
LVs from now on, and no one else. Just don't forget that they are not
allowed to have any stat-boosting equipment on when they do so!
From this point onward, you need to keep this in mind at all times and
adjust the instructions given accordingly. Seperate notes for the BASE
Stats game would just make the walkthrough unreadable, and all they
would really say is "you can skip this". You should be able to judge
what is necessary or not when not having to avoid every single point of
EXP in the game. That said, only battle preparation and strategy
differ, with the difference being that if you're playing the BASE Stats
game and have either Steiner or Freya in the active party, you can skip
whatever is written and simply absorb the EXP from those battles.
-Enter Qu's Marsh, head to the pond and catch a frog for Quina (the huge one
in the top right corner of the marsh is easy to catch).
-Leave Qu's Marsh by way of the right path to avoid the frog-catching
mini-game and head in the direction of Chocobo's Forest; save once the
marshlands end.
-Enter Chocobo's Forest, then exit and call Choco; save your game.
-Now reset and return to play a game of Chocobo Hot&Cold. If you don't
unearth the "Stone with Patterns" during your first game, reset and try
again.
-The "Stone with Patterns" will always be the "Streamside" Chocograph, so
don't bother replaying in hopes of getting anything else. Once you've got it,
leave and save again.
-Now play another game of Hot&Cold. Reset if you don't unearth a Chocograph.
-When you do, quickly check which one it is you received; leave the forest
and save if it is either "Healing Shore" or "Small Beach".
-Return and play 1 more game in hopes of getting the other one; reset until
you do.
-This process could take many hours, or it could take 10 minutes (in my case,
it was both as I did this twice), but it is possible to get all 3 of these
Chocographs in your first 3 games, so don't give up.
-If you don't also discover at least 2 Gysahl Greens, buy them from Mene.
-Leave Chocobo's Forest and dismount between South Gate and the wild forest
near the river.
-Loot South Gate.
-"Optimize" your party, but equip Zidane with the Dagger and place Freya in
the front row.
-It would be a good idea to save near the wild forest.
-Enter the forest and try to encounter a group of Mandragora.
-Choose 1 Mandragora and have Freya attack it physically, Vivi use Fire,
Quina use Eat on it and Zidane use Flee. This will let Quina learn the
overpowered Limit Glove spell.
-After the battle, heal the party, equip Quina with the Needle Fork, Feather
Hat, Leather Wrist, Bronze Vest and Coral Ring and activate his/her Add
Status ability; place him/her in the back row as well.
-I'm not sure whether a higher Spirit really does affect the chance of Add
Status working, but it won't hurt and this set of equipment gives Quina the
highest possible Spirit right now while keeping Strength as low as possible.
-Ride Choco to Gizamaluke's Grotto and enter; pick up the soldier's
Gizamaluke Bell, then leave.
-Make sure you're facing the entrance to the grotto and save your game.
NOTE: You should take care of the scenes inside the grotto and get the bell
before saving in order to reduce the time it takes to reach the battle
against the Type A's. You'll be replaying that battle who knows how
many times, so you'll be grateful to have gotten that over with.
TARGET TIME: 02:29:05
TARGET GIL : 75,807
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Mandragora)
===============================================================================
XII) EUNORUS PLAINS - GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO: (D1-12)
===============================================================================
-If you prepared your party in the previous circuit, then simply enter the
main cavern to initiate your first and worst forced EXP encounter :)
------------
TYPE A x 2:
------------
-This is the most annoying and luck-based forced battle in the game, from my
experience even the Type C's in Alexandria don't compare.
-This is also thankfully the only battle in which you will be completely at
the mercy of the Needle Fork, so be happy. In fact, you can ditch that
utensil once you get past this.
-Have Quina attack 1 of the mages and someone else throw a Tent at the same
one right after that.
-The third character throws a Tent at the other mage, and the fourth waits to
see which mage was inflicted with status and throws an Antidote at that mage.
-Repeat the process above until both mages have been inflicted with Darkness
and Silence; you can then try to Petrify them safely.
-Quina attacks constantly in hopes of Petrification.
-Follow up each of Quina's attacks with a Potion when Tents are no longer
necessary (Tents also heal so there's no need for Potions until the mage
Quina attacks is already under status).
-Once your other characters have nothing else to do, steal with Zidane; you
might just get your Tents back.
-You should aim to finish this battle with up to 7 hits of the Needle Fork.
-After the battle, revive everyone and heal Zidane to full health.
-You will now have to enter a random battle before you reach the save point
in the cavern with the moogles in order to have Quina knocked out.
-Return to the previous screen and check the soldier for another Gizamaluke
Bell.
-I suggest you exit the grotto once again now and save if you had a very good
battle against the Type A's.
-Go to the main chamber and run straight for the steps; you should be able to
skip the Black Mage in that area by heading for the left railing and then
quickly onto the steps. There isn't much strategy to this, just practice a
bit if you're having trouble. The most important thing is to not stop before
reaching the steps. This is not guaranteed to work every time, though. If it
looks like you won't make it, return to the other side of the bridge and
wait for the mage to go to the other end of the area, then try again.
-At the top, go through the large door. You could go through the left one and
get the other Gizamaluke Bell, but only if you saved after the battle with
the Type A's. Otherwise, don't as you'll be risking having more than one
battle.
-Pick up the Gizamaluke Bell from the chest and enter the moogles' room. If
you still have not had a battle, run around the door to the moogles' room
until you get one, knock out Quina and escape, then enter.
-Tell Moguta that you like Kupo Nuts, read the letter Mogmi received from
Moodon and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 02:37:01
TARGET GIL : 75,690
ENCOUNTERS : 1
===============================================================================
XIII) GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO - DAINES-HORSE BASIN: (D1-13)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Hi-Potion | Tent | Multina Racket |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with EXACTLY 1 HP; revive
Vivi and Freya as well.
-Exit the room and enter the opposite door to face...
-----------------
BOSS: Gizamaluke
-----------------
-If Zidane's turn comes up before Quina's, attempt to steal once.
-Use Quina's Limit Glove.
-As Steiner, speak to the guards by the gate.
-Take the Multina Racket from the chest to the left of the gate, then speak
to Part-time Worker Mary and choose whichever option you like.
-Next speak with the guy "repairing" the left gate and choose what you want
here, too.
-Finally, talk to the guy on the far right and then make your way to the
passageway.
-Open the chest for a Potion, take Grimo's letter to Nazna and board the
cable car.
-Equip Zidane with the Dagger and give Quina the Coral Ring; activate Quina's
Insomniac ability. Place Zidane and Freya in the front row.
-Run a bit toward Cleyra and save your game.
NOTE: If you are playing the BASE Stats game, you still need the Oak Staff,
so everything below applies to you as well.
-Make your way to the coast, hugging the mountain range so that you walk on
the grassy area; this is where you can encounter Nymph.
-Encounter a party of 2 Nymph. Zidane's physical attack does around 40 damage,
Freya's does around 180, and Vivi's Fire spell around 80. You'll likely need
to improvise during this battle, so use that data to successfully Eat a
Nymph. In order to do so, you'll need to inflict about 340 damage; Freya
attacking twice is probably the fastest and simplest method. You should be
able to do this and flee before they use Night. If they do, have Quina
attack and hope for the best. This isn't too tough, and probably easier than
doing it in Fossil Roo with Seeker Bat or Abomination.
-It is strongly suggested that you DO learn Night here as it will make the
forced battles against the upcoming Type A's and Type B's much easier and
faster.
-Save after the battle and reset.
TARGET TIME: 02:46:02
-Call Choco, open the Chocograph menu and select the Healing Shore Chocograph.
-Dig up the Healing Shore Chocograph to get the Reef transformation.
-After getting the transformation, head back to Gizamaluke's Grotto and save
outside.
-Go through the grotto, still evading the Black Mage, then run a little in
the direction of Chocobo's Forest and save.
-Reset and make your way to the Chocobo tracks outside Chocobo's Forest; call
Choco.
-Unearth the "Streamside" (it's along the way and quite profitable) and the
"Small Beach" Chocographs.
-Return to the entrance of Gizamaluke's Grotto, equip Vivi with the Oak Staff
and Coral Ring and activate his Insomniac ability; save your game.
TARGET TIME: 02:50:56
-Enter and engage the enemy.
-This battle won't remind you too much of the first one; Stop is far superior
to the Needle Fork with Add Status.
-Use the Night spell to put everyone except Vivi to sleep and then begin
comfortably casting Stop. Cast Night again if needed.
-Don't waste your time with Tent and Antidote, it's time-consuming and
completely unnecessary.
-You should be able to finish this battle with as little as 5 castings; Vivi
should have enough MP for at least 4. I managed to do it with only 3, and I
imagine it should be possible to do it with only 2, but a casting only takes
an extra 5 to 10 seconds, so don't kill yourself here :)
-After the battle, go get the last Gizamaluke Bell from the soldier, if you
didn't get it during your first run through this area.
-Leave the grotto and loot North Gate; revive and heal anyone in bad shape
and use an Ether on Vivi if he's got less than 16 MP; that is enough for
only 2 castings of Stop, though, so you may want to replenish his MP even if
he has more.
-Save outside Burmecia.
TARGET TIME: 02:54:36
TARGET GIL : 76,430
ENCOUNTERS : 1 (if you had to get the soldier's bell, otherwise 0)
NOTE: Technically, you could just evade the Black Mage again, but this would
mean:
1) not being able to collect all the treasure here, and
2) leaving some of the doors permanently locked.
If you defeat the Black Mage and pick up the soldier's Gizamaluke Bell,
you'll be left with 1 bell and 1 closed door, at which point it will be
up to you to decide what to do here on Disc 4. Evading the Black Mage
will leave the 2 doors permanently closed because both the Black Mage
and the soldier will be gone after Disc 1. The Gizamaluke Bell is just
as unique a key item as the Athlete Queen or the coffees, so I don't
see a reason why you should be able to just skip it if you want a
perfect save. Even if you decide to use it on Disc 4 to open the last
door, it will still be visible that you got all of the bells.
===============================================================================
XIV) DAINES-HORSE BASIN - START OF DISC 2: (D1-14)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Mythril Spear | Germinas Boots | Cancer |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Lightning Staff |
`------------------'
-Ignore all chests in Burmecia unless instructed to do otherwise.
-The Cancer Stellazzio can be found behind the overturned cart, if you want
it.
-Handle the pair of Type A's just like those you just defeated in the grotto.
-Make sure Quina is knocked out during the battle and unequip the Coral Ring
from Vivi once it's over.
-Head up the stairs to the right and head left until you reach a building
with balconies inside.
-WALK across the plank to the chest with the Germinas Boots, then RUN back to
make the plank fall to the level below.
-Return to where you fought the Type A's and go through the door on the left.
-Go upstairs, through the door and jump across the balconies on the outside.
-Speak to the dying soldier, then pick up the Protection Bell from behind the
bed and the Ether from behind the cabinet.
-Now make your way back to the terrace with the locked door which you passed
going to the Germinas Boots.
-Open and go through the door, then go up the stairs.
-Enter the doorway below the walkway, then return and take that walkway to
the left door after the scene.
-Go through the next door to appear in a rainy courtyard; enter the left door.
-Exit and enter the right door.
-Make sure you have a Feather Hat in your inventory, unequip it from someone
if necessary.
-Open the chest in the back of the room, buy Stiltzkin's deal, deliver the
letter to Atla, accept the letter to Monev and finally save your game.
-Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with EXACTLY 1 HP; revive
Vivi and Freya as well.
-Go outside and up the steps.
-Choose to leave Freya alone.
--------------
BOSS: Beatrix
--------------
-Steal once if Zidane gets a turn before Quina.
-Use Quina's Limit Glove.
TARGET TIME: 03:07:35
TARGET GIL : 76,097
ENCOUNTERS : 1
===============================================================================
* CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 1! (G05) *
===============================================================================
_ _ _ _ _
,' `.
.' `.
.- - - - - - . / \
: `. : :
: : : ,-. :
: _ _ _ : :_ _ _ _: ; :
: : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. .' :
: : : : :_ _ _; : : : : .' .'
: : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; .' .'
: :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' .' .'
: : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ .' .'
: ,' : : : : : : .' ,'_ _ _ _
:_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : :
: :
:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _;
i) START OF DISC 2 - Bentini Heights (D2-01)
ii) Bentini Heights - Gargan Roo (D2-02)
iii) Gargan Roo - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-03)
iv) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-04)
v) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra Inn (D2-05)
vi) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Inn (D2-06)
vii) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Sandpit (D2-07)
viii) Cleyra Sandpit - Red Rose (D2-08)
ix) Red Rose - Alexandria Chapel (D2-09)
x) Alexandria Chapel - Pinnacle Rocks (D2-10)
xi) Pinnacle Rocks - Lachenta Wetlands (D2-11)
xii) Lachenta Wetlands - Fossil Roo Cavern (D2-12)
xiii) Fossil Roo Cavern - Fossil Roo Mining Site (D2-13)
xiv) Fossil Roo Mining Site - Magdalene Forest (D2-14)
xv) Magdalene Forest - Conde Petie (D2-15)
xvi) Conde Petie - Mountain Path (D2-16)
xvii) Mountain Path - Lucid Plains (D2-17)
xviii) Lucid Plains - Iifa Tree Roots (D2-18)
xix) Iifa Tree Roots - Lucid Plains (D2-19)
xx) Lucid Plains - Pualei Plains (D2-20)
xxi) Pualei Plains - START OF DISC 3 (D2-21)
===============================================================================
I) START OF DISC 2 - BENTINI HEIGHTS: (D2-01)
===============================================================================
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| Phoenix Down | Elixir | 1,610 Gil |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Enter Summit Station, deliver the letter addressed to Nazna and accept the
letter to Mochos.
-Sell all your Rising Sun and Germinas Boots. Then, buy the following with
the money you make:
> 3 Silver Gloves
> 99 Steepled Hat
> 2 Iron Helm
-Equip Steiner with the Iron Sword, Iron Helm, Silver Gloves, Linen Cuirass
and Coral Ring and activate his Man Eater ability,
-Equip Garnet with the Multina Racket and Feather Hat.
-Speak with the attendant between the exits and head outside, picking up the
Phoenix Down from the chest.
-Re-enter the station after overhearing the conversation and speak to either
Marcus or Cinna, and then to Steiner.
-Leave the station and board the cable car.
-------------------------------
BOSS: Black Waltz #3 (rematch)
-------------------------------
-Attack physically with everyone, including Garnet.
-Don't heal anyone since he'll damage himself every other turn once Steiner
and Marcus are knocked out.
-It is literally impossible to lose this battle unless you attack yourself,
since Black Waltz #3 will never attack Garnet.
-At the fork, head LEFT, in the direction of Dali.
-Save in the middle of Nolrich Heights, then enter Dali.
-Buy 99 Wrist from the shop, then go to the farm plot and open the chest for
an Elixir.
-Buy a Rod as well if you didn't get the Coral Ring as the reward during the
Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum.
-Leave Dali and return to South Gate, taking the right path at the fork.
-Open the chest for 1,610 Gil, then make your way out of South Gate.
-Save the moment it gets completely dark on Bentini Heights.
TARGET TIME: 03:17:15
TARGET GIL : 35,271
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
II) BENTINI HEIGHTS - GARGAN ROO: (D2-02)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Mythril Dagger | Reflect Ring | Tonberry Card | 2,225 Gil |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Power Belt |
`------------------'
-Remove Marcus's equipment and enter Treno. This is your first opportunity to
grab that missable Leather Plate he's wearing.
-Watch the ATE "Treno Tradition" (press X when the ! appears to have him
steal only 500 Gil as opposed to 1,000) and go down the left stairway.
-Go down the next set of stairs and enter the building across from the cafe.
-Speak to the Four-Armed Man to claim your Power Belt, then continue into the
synthesis shop and synthesize as many Cotton Robe as you can.
-Synthesize a Coral Ring as well if you didn't get one on Disc 1.
-Return outside and head past the Card Stadium.
-Enter the little tower to make Mogrich appear; run after him and read the
letter he received from Stiltzkin, then save your game.
-Now go into the weapon shop, sell all the Cotton Robe you just bought and
buy the following equipment:
> 5 Mythril Sword
> 5 Air Racket
> 2 Bone Wrist
> 1 Mythril Gloves
> 1 Magus Hat
> 2 Bandana
> 2 Barbut
> 14 Chain Mail
-Next, "optimize" Steiner, place him in the back row and activate HP+10%,
MP Attack and Bird Killer.
-Challenge Griffin; use a Tent on him and then just attack physically. If the
Tent is unsuccessful, reset and try again.
-After the battle, return outside and save your game again.
-Enter the Auction House to reunite with Garnet, then go back inside.
-Make the following bids on the listed items in order to push the auction to
its final stages, but with a noble winning it:
> Mini-Cid - 2,800
> Griffin's Heart - 5,500
> Doga's Artifact - 7,000
> Une's Mirror - 12,500
> Rat Tail - 18,000
> Fairy Earrings - 7,500
> Madain's Ring - 8,000
-Bid 16,000 Gil on the Reflect Ring to win it.
-You don't need any of the other items up for auction, so reset if you win
anything besides the Reflect Ring.
-Please be aware that the mechanics of the Auction House are rather random,
so you may sometimes end up having offered too low of a price (which
prolongs the auction a bit) or too high of a price (where you win the item).
This process may require one or two resets, but nothing major.
-Don't leave Treno without the Reflect Ring; it is essential for rescuing
Garnet in Alexandria, and very useful in the Iifa Tree. It may also be
crucial to getting past Pandemonium, depending on which stat path you choose.
-Now head over to the Treno inn and speak with Marcus.
-Go down toward the dock and speak to Baku; ignore Steiner completely or you
won't make it to the bottom.
-After the attempted robbery, go to Doctor Tot's tower and pick up the
Mythril Dagger from the chest by the entrance.
-Speak with Doctor Tot once Marcus grabs the Supersoft, then climb the
ladders and go down the hatch.
-Deliver Nazna's letter to Mochos and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 03:29:29
TARGET GIL : 41,046
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
III) GARGAN ROO - CLEYRA'S TRUNK: (D2-03)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Phoenix Down | Tent | Ice Staff | Chain Plate |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Down | Ether | Needle Fork | Magician Shoes |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Go down the left passage, flip the switch and open both chests. Then, return
to Mochos and head down the right passage.
-Go up, pull the lever and then return to the entrance of the right platform
and go near the switch on the wall.
-Equip Steiner with the Mythril Sword, Barbut, Silver Gloves, Chain Mail and
Power Belt; activate HP+10%, MP Attack and Counter. Finally, put him back in
the front row.
-Make sure Garnet is equipped with the Multina Racket; leave the other
equipment categories empty.
-Leave Marcus bare of equipment as well, since he can't survive any of
Ralvurahva's attacks at LV 1 anyway.
-Press the button once you're ready for the upcoming boss fight.
-----------------
BOSS: Ralvurahva
-----------------
-This battle is won by strength in numbers; Ralvurahva can only target 1
character per round and you have control of 3 party members.
-Simply have either Garnet or Marcus throw Phoenix Downs on whichever of them
is knocked out in the given round, or heal Steiner with a Potion if he
happens to be the one targeted (Steiner will usually survive the boss's
attacks when at full health).
-In the meanwhile, have Steiner attack physically every round; the boss
should be defeated after 4 or 5 attacks.
-Alternatively, you may want to gamble with Garnet's Blind spell; a
successful casting will almost always spell quick victory as you can then
launch an all-out physical assault with the entire party.
-Save midway to the sandstorm to avoid a random battle.
-Enter the sandstorm, flip the switch and go through the door which opens.
-Open the chest and continue onward.
-Loot both chests in this chamber; there is a hidden one behind the branch in
the middle.
-Go all the way up the walkway outside, enter the top cave and choose to put
Zidane's hand into the hole in the wall.
-Pick up the Ether from the chest, return outside and enter the ornate
entrance by climbing the vines.
-Head into the tunnel-like passage and loot both chests in the next area.
-Equip Zidane with the Dagger and "optimize" Freya; unequip Vivi and Quina.
-Deliver Atla's letter to Monev and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 03:37:49
TARGET GIL : 41,046
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
IV) CLEYRA'S TRUNK - CLEYRA'S TRUNK: (D2-04)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Phoenix Pinion | Silk Robe | Ore |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Remedy | Flame Staff | Magician Shoes | 970 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Encounter a party of Carrion Worm on your way up the trunk; this is most
likely in the screen with the Flame Staff.
-Simply have Freya attack 1 of them, Quina Eat it and Zidane use Flee. If
this doesn't work, try the Javelin with the Bug Killer ability activated,
although this may sometimes deal too much damage. You need to inflict at
least 220 damage to a Carrion Worm in order to successfully Eat it.
-If you are playing the BASE Stats path, you'll probably need to experiment a
bit with different combinations of characters, attacks, abilities and
equipment, since your Freya will be much stronger.
-Don't leave the trunk until you learn Auto-Life from a Carrion Worm, this is
REALLY important.
-Don't pick up any of the out-of-the-way treasures just yet.
-Once you reach Cleyra, refuse Oracle Kildea's tour and head to the inn area,
picking up the Phoenix Pinion and Ore along the way.
-Buy the following equipment from Burmecian Soldier Dan:
> 1 Partisan
> 1 Mythril Armlet
> 1 Mage's Hat
> 2 Mythril Helm
-Watch the ATE "No Yummie-Yummies!" and go up behind the inn, taking the
Remedy on the stairs.
-In the next screen, watch the ATE "There a Mushroom!" and return to the
entrance of the Cleyra settlement.
-Go right to the Antlion's sandpit, take the 970 Gil and speak to Quina.
-Open the 2 chests on the branch, jump down and go to Monev to save your game.
TARGET TIME: 03:42:27
TARGET GIL : 38,293
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes learning Auto-Life)
===============================================================================
V) CLEYRA'S TRUNK - CLEYRA INN: (D2-05)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Echo Screen | Phoenix Pinion | Mythril Gloves | Desert Boots |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Echo Screen | Ether | Thunder Gloves | Yellow Scarf |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Remedy | Gysahl Greens | Mythril Vest | 1,250 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Return to Cleyra, picking up all the treasure you skipped earlier, except
the 2 chests by the sinkholes, the Elixir and the chest behind the ladder
to the settlement.
-In the chamber after the bridge, I suggest going for the Remedy first, then
continuing on through the little passage above the Remedy, which takes you
to the exit at the top of the screen. Pick up the Mythril Gloves and return
to the previous screen. Then, pick up the Mythril Vest and the Desert Boots
and continue onward.
-Note that there is no need to manipulate the switch found at the end of the
path with the Mythril Gloves. You will still be able to get the Elixir when
going down the trunk as the sand will have stopped by itself by then.
-This time take the left path of Cleyra all the way up to the Cathedral,
collecting any treasure along the way.
-Speak with the left guard inside and pick up the Yellow Scarf next to the
entrance, then head to the inn.
-Equip Zidane with the Bandana, Chain Plate and Yellow Scarf.
-Loot the inn, read the letter from Ruby and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 03:45:35
TARGET GIL : 39,543
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
VI) CLEYRA INN - CLEYRA INN: (D2-06)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Phoenix Pinion | Emerald | Ore |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Head straight to the Antlion's sinkhole to fight none other than...
--------------
BOSS: Antlion
--------------
-Make Zidane steal as often as possible.
-Have Quina cast Auto-Life on him/herself and get knocked out, then use Limit
Glove.
-Reset if your first attempt at using Limit Glove fails.
-Make sure Zidane survives this battle so that he gets AP.
-Skip all the dialogue that follows and choose whichever answers you want to
the prompts.
-As Freya, go to the Cathedral and collect all the items inside; don't forget
to speak to the High Priest to get an Emerald.
-Return to the inn, buy Stiltzkin's new deal, read the letter from Monev and
save your game.
TARGET TIME: 03:55:06
TARGET GIL : 40,715
===============================================================================
VII) CLEYRA INN - CLEYRA SANDPIT: (D2-07)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Hi-Potion | Elixir | Gysahl Greens | 900 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Make your way to the entrance of Cleyra and equip your characters as follows:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | VIVI | QUINA | FREYA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| The Ogre | Oak Staff | Needle Fork | Partisan |
| Bandana | Mage's Hat | Bandana | Mythril Helm |
| Mythril Armlet | Bone Wrist | Bone Wrist | Mythril Gloves |
| Mythril Vest | Bronze Vest | Silk Robe | Chain Mail |
| Desert Boots | Coral Ring | Yellow Scarf | Reflect Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Man Eater | Insomniac | Insomniac | HP+10% |
| Insomniac | | | Distract |
| Auto-Potion | | | Man Eater |
| | | | Insomniac |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Activate everyone's Insomniac ability. In addition, activate Zidane's Man
Eater and Auto-Potion and Freya's HP+10%, Distract and Man Eater.
-You can "optimize" Quina after equipping everyone else.
-Zidane and Freya should both be in the front row.
-Zidane is invincible if you set him up as described above. Neither Slash nor
Blizzara will knock him out in 1 hit, and Auto-Potion lets him heal himself
to full HP after every attack. He also evades the Soldiers' Slash attacks
quite often. If that wasn't good enough, he is also guaranteed to make a
Soldier escape as he will always do between 476 and 518 damage with his
physical attack.
-Vivi will usually make a Soldier escape with a single target Fira spell, but
there is a very small chance that he may defeat them, so it's not guaranteed
to work as with Zidane. He is also more vulnerable to the Soldiers' attacks.
-Quina should be used exclusively for casting Night or throwing Tent.
-Freya is also very good for these battles, but not as good as Zidane. She
can also survive both Slash and Blizzara, but she must be healed manually.
Her physical attack will also make a Soldier escape, but use it only if you
can use neither Fira nor Zidane's physical attack, as Freya has a 33% chance
of not dealing enough damage, which forces you to heal the Soldier and try
again. But, if you're equipped as shown above then you shouldn't have a need
to resort to Freya's physical attack, though it's not a bad last resort
anyway.
-Changing some of the equipment above for equipment which provides better
stat boosts will mess up the properties described, so equip your party
EXACTLY as shown to get these effects.
-Head down the trunk, picking up the treasures you skipped earlier (Gysahl
Greens, 900 Gil, Hi-Potion, Elixir).
-Simply use Zidane's physical attack and either Vivi's Fira spell or Freya's
physical attack to make all the Soldiers escape these battles. You shouldn't
have any problems, unless you're particularly unlucky with Fira. If so, just
have Zidane take care of all of the Soldiers; your success is guaranteed
that way.
-Use an Ether on Vivi after the third battle if he's almost exhausted his MP
supply.
-You'll face a single Type B when you return to the settlement. Start casting
Stop right away; since this first set of battles is so easy, you should aim
for Stopping the Type B with at most 3 castings. If his spells pose too much
of a problem for you, simply cast Night, this will give you enough time to
cast Stop 2 or 3 times.
-After the battle, run into the sinkhole area, revive and heal your party,
(including using an Ether on Vivi if he needs one), accept the letter
addressed to Serino and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 04:02:02
TARGET GIL : 41,615
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
VIII) CLEYRA SANDPIT - RED ROSE (D2-08)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Phoenix Down | Phoenix Pinion | Nymph Card |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Elixir | Remedy | Zuu Card |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Leave the sinkhole area and attempt to go up the steps; you will be attacked
first by a trio of Alexandrian Soldiers, followed by a pair of Type B's.
-There's really no strategy to this first battle. Either have both Zidane and
Freya attack and Vivi cast Fira, or have Zidane attack all 3. The former is
faster but riskier, while the latter takes a bit longer but is guaranteed to
work. I suggest you have everyone except Zidane Defend as soon as possible
and let Zidane take care of the enemies. This lets you keep your party in
good shape for the upcoming battle, which follows immediately after this one.
-Handle the pair of Type B's the same way as the first one. Cast Night as
quickly as possible and then go on a Stopping rampage. You may want to have
Zidane try to steal an Ether from them since he's got nothing better to do.
Throwing Tent isn't worth it as it takes longer than Night and is much less
likely to work, and even though the effects of Tent are permanent, this
battle won't last long enough to justify their use. You should be finish
this battle with at most 6 castings of Stop, preferably 3 or 4.
-Tell the Cleyran Oracles to head right when prompted to choose a course of
action.
-Before moving on, take a moment to revive and heal any hurt party members;
Vivi needs at least 8 MP for the next battle, but preferably more.
-Tell Dan's wife and children to head to the left.
-The next battle will be against 2 Alexandrian Soldiers and a Type B. Simply
have Vivi begin casting Stop on the mage immediately and Zidane take care of
the Soldiers. Use Night once only the Type B is left and continue casting
Stop until it works; this is the last time you'll be doing this during this
circuit.
-Take another moment to revive and heal your party.
-Tell Dan's wife and children to head to the right when prompted for a choice.
-The last battle will be against another trio of Alexandrian Soldiers. Handle
it just like the first. If you made it this far with some good luck Stopping
the Type B's, then don't risk your success here with either Vivi's Fira or
Freya's physical attack, have Zidane take care of all the enemies. Quina
must be knocked out in this battle, so don't end it without having done so!
-After Beatrix runs off, claim your rewards from all 7 survivors, leave Quina
bare with only the Fork if he/she has anything equipped, accept the letter
to Serino if you have not yet done so and save your game.
-Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with 1 HP, then run out of
the Cathedral and smack Beatrix with Limit Glove.
-Follow Freya and Vivi after overhearing Brahne on the airship, then
immediately return to the previous screen to find Serino the moogle.
-Deliver the letter from Mopli, take the one from Serino and save your game
once more.
TARGET TIME: 04:19:23
TARGET GIL : 41,615
===============================================================================
IX) RED ROSE - ALEXANDRIA CHAPEL: (D2-09)
===============================================================================
.-------------------------------------.
| Tent | Ice Brand |
`-------------------------------------'
-Return to the teleport pods and enter them by speaking to Vivi.
-Break out from the cage.
-You'll want to get through this area without a battle.
-Opening the disc cover or ejecting the disc tray while this screen is
loading will create some choppiness and put the game into slow motion; it
also reduces the reaction speed of the on-screen enemies. This will let you
evade the guards on the balcony around the cage quite easily. It is also
useful in the main hall of the castle, although noticeably less effective.
The other screens pose no difficulty at all.
-The correct moment for opening the disc cover or ejecting the disc tray here
is when you hear Steiner's armor clanking, but before the screen has been
fully rendered.
-Another method you may want to try is using the PAUSE button. Press it
whenever you get close to a guard, then make directional decisions by
tilting the analog stick and resuming the game. Repeating this multiple
times per guard could help you evade them.
*thanks to AtmaChild for the tip with the PAUSE button*
-Hug the railing to make the guards run next to it, then evade them when they
get close to you. You can also use the columns on the wall to get the guards
stuck in them and then run by. You'll need to practice and experiment with
this a bit, but it is easy to evade both guards once you get the hang of it.
-If, for your sanity, you decide to allow yourself a battle here, then you
must escape or make the Soldiers flee. You cannot let Marcus absorb the EXP
from these battles because that will cause Eiko to have un-natural stats.
True, they will simply be higher, but I really dislike this glitch because
there is no reason to use it when you can't take full advantage of it, which
would require Marcus to reach LV 99. Just don't do it.
-Unequip Marcus before going onward after climbing the ladder! Give him the
Iron Sword or Broadsword to replace the Mythril Sword if you equipped him
with it earlier!
-After joining up with the rest of the party, run to where you first gained
control of Steiner on Disc 1 and enter the door on the upper floor. Then,
run straight and enter the center door to find the Queen's chamber.
-Pull the purple lamp and enter the secret passage.
-Open both chests before proceeding further and equip your party as follows:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| STEINER | ZIDANE | VIVI | FREYA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ice Brand | Mythril Dagger | Ice Staff | Mythril Spear |
| Mythril Helm | Bandana | Magus Hat | Mythril Helm |
| Mythril Gloves | Mythril Armlet | Bone Wrist | Thunder Gloves |
| Chain Mail | Chain Plate | Mythril Vest | Linen Cuirass |
| Power Belt | Reflect Ring | Coral Ring | Moonstone |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| HP+10%t | Man Eater | Insomniac | Beast Killer |
| MP Attack | Bandit | | Cover |
| Man Eater | | | Insomniac |
| Insomniac | | | |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Place Freya and Vivi in the back row.
-Run all the way to the bottom of the pit and enter the chapel.
-------------------
BOSS: Zorn & Thorn
-------------------
-Have Steiner attack and Vivi cast Blizzara against Thorn, and Zidane attempt
to steal the Stardust Rod from Zorn.
-Freya should be kept on stand-by, ready to attack the twin which gets a
power-up.
-Keep attacking Thorn until the battle ends; he has less HP than Zorn.
-Don't worry or reset if you can't get the Stardust Rod; it isn't
particularly crucial, just nice to have for the upcoming battles.
-You should reach Garnet by 25:30.
-Equip Zidane with The Ogre and activate his Auto-Reflect ability.
-Read the letter Mosh received from Kupo and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 04:28:00
TARGET GIL : 41,615
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
X) ALEXANDRIA CHAPEL - PINNACLE ROCKS: (D2-10)
===============================================================================
NOTE: This circuit depends completely on luck, so even if some battles don't
go perfectly, keep going anyway. It is very difficult just to not get
GAME OVER in this circuit, let alone finish it quickly, so just focus
on getting to the save point. You can always try to improve your time
if you're not happy with it, but first try to obtain a time in the
first place.
-Run all the way back to the Queen's chamber to confront Beatrix.
--------------
BOSS: Beatrix
--------------
-Have Zidane and Steiner attack physically and Vivi cast Blizzara.
-Freya should remain on stand-by and revive the others with Phoenix Down. If
she is knocked out, then have Vivi revive her instead of attacking during
that round.
-Against the first Bandersnatch, simply have Freya attack physically, then
wait until she is knocked out somehow (either by herself or the enemy)
before using Climhazzard to win the battle (Beatrix is fully healed before
the next battle she'll be in, so you can afford to use Climhazzard here). If
Beatrix is knocked out, just use a Phoenix Down; Bandersnatch can only
target 1 character per turn, so it will eventually take care of Freya for
you, letting you defeat it with Beatrix. You are protected from the Tongue
attack thanks to the Insomniac ability, and being in the back row means that
Rush won't be a one-hit KO at full HP. But don't be tempted to equip the
Coral Ring; Vivi and Steiner are in much greater need of it.
-After the battle, place everyone in the back row.
-Equip Garnet with the Stardust Rod, Bandana, Bone Wrist, Bronze Vest and
Desert Boots and activate the Insomniac ability. Replace Vivi's Ice Staff
with the Oak Staff and the Magus Hat with a Bandana.
-Get ready for one of the toughest battles in the entire challenge,
especially when it comes to luck.
-You will face a trio of Type C's. Your priority at the start of the battle
is to throw Tents at them and hope that they work; if they do, then the
affected mage is practically harmless, although they may still be able to
hit you with their Strike attack if you're unlucky, but definitely not every
round. Use an Antidote on those mages as they can quickly die from Poison
and reflected spells from Zidane; heal them if such a risk exists. Cast Stop
with Vivi and have Garnet cast Reflect on him, if possible. You need to keep
track of which mages you target and with what, in order to not waste any
turns. Do not revive any party members until you've disabled at least 1 mage,
preferably 2. Don't underestimate them, and stay alert. Pause the game if
you need to think something through. Once they're all inflicted with
Darkness and Silence, simply have everyone Defend until Vivi needs an Ether.
Of course, Vivi should cast Stop during the whole battle; don't have him
throw Tents or do anything else. Good luck!
-After the battle, pause the game and take a moment to relax.
-Heal your party and continue down the stairs.
-You will face a pair of Bandersnatch. All you have to do is use Zidane's
Soul Blade to inflict them with Darkness, and you're safe. With the Coral
Ring, Vivi can only be hurt by a lucky Rush, but it's not even a one-hit KO.
Keep Zidane and Vivi healthy and you should have no problems. Make sure
Zidane survives so that he gets AP. This is the easiest of all the battles
in this circuit.
-Once the battle is over, exchange Steiner's Power Belt for the Coral Ring;
this is extremely important!
-Revive and heal everyone, then continue down the stairs.
-You will face a single Bandersnatch, but you'll have to use a Tent on it
before you can feel safe as Vivi no longer has the Coral Ring. You can open
the battle with either Soul Blade and Reflect on Vivi, or 2 Tent; it's your
choice as both are risky. However, you should not lose this battle as you
have control of 3 characters and Bandersnatch can only target 1 per round.
Therefore, immediately revive anyone who is knocked out. Begin casting Stop
from the very beginning. Heal your characters as Rush will sometimes succeed
even after inflicting Darkness, but it is not a one-hit KO to Zidane or Vivi.
Make sure Zidane survives this battle so that he gains AP. You can't lose
this battle as long as you don't neglect knocked out characters.
-After this point, there's nothing you can do but hope for good luck.
Everything you accomplished so far will now depend on how full Beatrix's and
Steiner's ATB gauges will be at the start of the upcoming battles.
-In the first battle with Beatrix, simply use Climhazzard as quickly as
possible. Unless you get very lucky, Beatrix will be knocked out if she
doesn't go first or at least second.
-In the second battle, have Steiner use an Elixir on Beatrix, wait for him to
get knocked out somehow (either by himself or an enemy), then use
Climhazzard to end this last battle. If Beatrix is knocked out, don't reset,
just use a Phoenix Down. Steiner won't go down as quickly as it may seem if
he's got the Coral Ring and is in the back row. If Steiner is knocking
himself out, open Beatrix's Seiken menu the moment he acts and wait to see
whether he is successful as you wouldn't want to redo all of this if he
happens to survive or miss. This also stops the Bandersnatches' ATB gauges
from filling up during the animation, which in my case was crucial. Use
Climhazzard once you see that he is in fact knocked out.
-If all this wasn't enough, you can still run into a random battle after
regaining control of Zidane's group. Don't move before you equip him with
the Dagger, then head for the chapel.
-If you do get a battle, just use Flee as soon as possible; don't even think
about resetting, as the 1 minute such a battle could take is nothing
compared to how much time you could lose due to bad luck with Stop, not to
mention real-life time.
-Accept the letter for Monty, then finally save your game.
TARGET TIME: 04:50:57
-Make sure Zidane has the Bandana, Chain Plate and Yellow Scarf equipped and
re-equip Vivi with the Ice Staff and Magus Hat, and make certain he has the
Mythril Vest, too.
-Head for the Gargant platform.
-----------------
BOSS: Ralvuimago
-----------------
-Compared to what you have just been through, this boss is nothing.
-Have Vivi cast Blizzara, Zidane steal and Garnet attack physically, in that
order.
-The boss will coil up, but will not attack while in this state.
-While he is coiled up, use Vivi's Focus and have Zidane steal.
-It will take 3 Blizzara spells to win.
-It's alright if you don't steal anything; it's only a bonus if you do.
-Vivi should master the Auto-Potion ability after this battle.
-Once you gain control of Garnet, head straight back to the crash site to
find the ending of the Hero's Tale.
-Return and run leftwards on the top path to find another piece of the story.
-Deliver Mosh's letter to Monty and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 04:59:36
TARGET GIL : 44,758
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XI) PINNACLE ROCKS - LACHENTA WETLANDS: (D2-11)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Bandana | Ore | 340 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Pinion | Mythril Armlet | Lindblum Card | 993 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| The Ogre | Mythril Vest | 262 Gil | 3,000 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Pinnacle Rocks is theoretically skippable, but since you're collecting all
the treasure, you may as well get the story pieces; they're right next to
the chests, after all. The only thing you may want to skip is choosing to
"Jump off later" and going back to Monty to read the letter he got from
Stiltzkin; Monty is unreachable on Disc 4, so it won't be visible whether he
got this letter or not. This takes an additional minute, so it's up to you;
I decided to read the letter for the sake of completion.
-Open the chest at the bottom of the slope, then find another segment of the
story below the top path in a little cove.
-Go left and approach the chest to find yet another part, and open the chest
afterwards.
-Go up the branch and around to jump down to the chest below; find the fifth
piece of the story near this chest.
-Return and go past the point where you jumped to meet Ramuh. Recite the
story with the ending you wish and attempt to leave Pinnacle Rocks.
-When given the choice to jump off from the ledge, choose NOT to and return
to Monty to read the letter he received from Stiltzkin, then leave Pinnacle
Rocks.
-In Lindblum, enter the inn, deliver Serino's letter, accept Moodon's letter
and read the letter from Ruby; save if you wish.
-Exit the inn and head to the market square, taking care not to trigger the
scene with the crowd around the black mage. Do this by walking as close as
possible to the left side of the screen.
-At the square, search Card Freak Gon's house and the rubble to the left of
it, then head to the shopping center to initiate some scenes.
-You'll find yourself in the shopping center afterwards, but we won't be
doing any shopping here; take an aircab to the Theater District instead.
-Once there, loot Artist Michael's studio and the Tantalus hideout. Then,
speak to Lowell outside the hideout to recruit him into Ruby's theater in
Alexandria.
-Return to the Business District and tell the man that you are ready to leave.
-Deliver Moodon's letter to Moonte at the Dragon's Gate, pick up the Bandana
from behind the platform and head out into the Mist.
-Save your game outside Qu's Marsh.
TARGET TIME: 05:10:26
TARGET GIL : 49,349
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XII) LACHENTA WETLANDS - FOSSIL ROO CAVERN: (D2-12)
===============================================================================
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| Elixir | Elixir | Fairy Earrings |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-If you wish, you may want to take a short detour to Gizamaluke's Grotto and
give Moguta a Kupo Nut. The first one you give him on Disc 2 is rewarded
with an Elixir, which, while not quite a unique treasure, IS a unique reward
from Moguta. All other Kupo Nut rewards are consumable items like Phoenix
Pinion, except this Elixir and an Extension on Disc 3. This detour isn't
included in the target times, but you should have enough time to spare to
pick it up anyway.
-Enter the marsh and find Quina by the pond.
-Take the right path from Quale's hut to find the entrance to Fossil Roo.
-Enter and run from Armodullahan; run along the upper side in the first area,
the lower side in the second and once again along the upper side in the last
area to ensure that he doesn't catch up to you.
-----------
BOSS: Lani
-----------
-Lani will always target Garnet if she is conscious, so revive her every
round in order to distract Lani from Quina.
-In the meanwhile, have Zidane steal as often as possible (why not?) and
Quina cast Auto-Life on him/herself.
-Get Quina knocked out, then use Limit Glove to win the battle.
-Reset if you aren't successful with your first Limit Glove attempt.
-Now comes the hard part: run all the way back to the entrance to get the
Elixir from Armodullahan's cage and return to go on.
-Before you go to fetch the Elixir, revive your party and equip Zidane with
the Dagger.
-If you have not yet learned Night, then this is your last chance to do so.
-If you need to learn it, equip Vivi with the Ice Staff and Magus Hat and
encounter a party of 2 Abomination. Cast Blizzara on 1 of them to be able to
Eat it successfully. You should do this while getting the Elixir to make the
most of the battles you'll have. You can also learn Night by Eating a Seeker
Bat, but it's easier to learn it through Abomination.
-You can still encounter these enemies in the rest of Fossil Roo if you don't
have any luck here.
-Go down the steps where you fought Lani once you get the Elixir.
-Pick the flowers and call the Gargant to get to a larger cavern with moogles
and a treasure hunter.
-Take the bottom path past the moogles and ride the Gargant to a chest with
Fairy Earrings, then ride back to the moogles.
-Buy Stiltzkin's next deal, read the letter Mogki received and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 05:23:11
TARGET GIL : 48,422
ENCOUNTERS : 6
NOTE: If you are running very late and don't anticipate yourself making up
any time in future circuits, then you may want to consider skipping the
Elixir here. This is most definitely a sacrifice on your part, but if
you can live with having missed 1 treasure, then this is the best
opportunity to save time in the entire game when you consider what you
have to sacrifice; you'll save around 7 minutes at the cost of a common
Elixir. However, your satisfaction at the end of this ordeal called a
challenge will be much greater if you get everything you can. The
target times assume that you pick it up.
===============================================================================
XIII) FOSSIL ROO CAVERN - FOSSIL ROO MINING SITE: (D2-13)
===============================================================================
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Lamia's Tiara | Survival Vest |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-This time, take the top path by the treasure hunter and ride the Gargant.
-Flip Switch #1, ride the Gargant and take the top path to a chest with an
Ether inside.
-Return to the previous screen and follow the lower path to reach Switch #2;
flip the switch and ride the Gargant back to Switch #1.
-Flip Switch #1 and ride the Gargant once more to return to the cavern with
the moogles; save your game.
-Take the bottom path, ride the Gargant and climb the stairs to which he
takes you.
-Flip Switch #4, then go right and ride the Gargant to another chest.
-Ride the Gargant back, flip Switch #4 again and ride the Gargant once more
to arrive at a chamber with vines.
-Climb the vines to the lower ledge on the right side of the chamber and
enter the doorway.
-Take the wooden walkway near the bottom of the screen to a storage area
where you will find a Survival Vest.
-Return to the excavation chamber, speak with the treasure hunter and give
him a Potion to borrow his pick-axe.
-Repeatedly hit the back wall on the upper level to free Kuppo.
-Kuppo has a Mogshop, and it's high time that you purged your inventory for
some cash! Unequip your party, auto-arrange your inventory and sell all your
copies of the following items:
> Ether > Feather Hat
> Remedy > Leather Wrist
> Phoenix Pinion > Rubber Helm
> The Ogre > Bronze Helm
> Broadsword > Silk Shirt
> Iron Sword > Bronze Armor
> Mythril Spear > Desert Boots
> Mage Staff > Magician Shoes
> Flame Staff > Yellow Scarf
> Ice Staff > Fairy Earrings
-This will get you more than enough Gil, but there's no harm in having some
extra!
-Pick up Kuppo's letter to Kupo and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 05:30:18
TARGET GIL : 91,102
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XIV) FOSSIL ROO MINING SITE - MAGDALENE FOREST: (D2-14)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Phoenix Pinion | Diamond | 1,800 Gil | 2,700 Gil |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Return the pick-axe, go back to the chamber with the vines and make your way
to the ledge with Switch #3.
-Flip the switch and go under any of the spouts to get thrown into the water.
-Surface and go through the right doorway, pick the flowers and ride the
Gargant at the end of the path to the exit of Fossil Roo.
-Run to the Chocobo tracks near Qu's Marsh and call Choco (there are no
random encounters while the nameplate is displayed). Don't hesitate to save
halfway, a few seconds after the nameplate disappears.
-Dismount outside Conde Petie and enter.
-Pick up the Gil near the entrance, then head right to the grocery store;
pick up the Phoenix Pinion and the letter to Suzuna, then return to the
entrance and enter the left doorway.
-Pick up the Gil behind one of the beds in the inn, then head up the stairs.
-Climb onto the boat to find a Diamond, then speak to Vivi and follow him
down the stairs.
-Leave Conde Petie and ride Choco to the Black Mage Village; dismount and
save.
TARGET TIME: 05:35:14
TARGET GIL : 96,842
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XV) MAGDALENE FOREST - CONDE PETIE: (D2-15)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Gysahl Greens | Virgo | 2,000 Gil |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Elixir |
`------------------'
-Enter the forest and head right twice, then left and then right again to
reach the Black Mage Village.
-Once inside, head right to find Mogryo; take the letter addressed to Mocchi,
then pick up the Gysahl Greens from inside the Chocobo stable.
-Return to the entrance of the village and take a left to reach the synthesis
shop; buy the following:
> 1 Rune Tooth
> As many Cotton Robe as you can
-Now go left from the shop to find Vivi.
-After the scene, run into the grocery store, pick up the Ether and then go
to the inn. If you have less than 5 Tent, buy some here.
-Talk to Vivi, then choose "Rest" to go to sleep.
-In the morning, go to the weapon shop and sell all your Cotton Robe. Buy the
following equipment:
> 1 Magic Armlet
> 99 Steepled Hat
> 7 Bandana
> 3 Ritual Hat
> 1 Leather Plate
> 2 Chain Plate
> 8 Mythril Vest
> 2 Adaman Vest
> 1 Magician Cloak
-Once you're done shopping, head over to Mogryo to read the letter he
received from Stiltzkin. He got it overnight, but will no longer have his
letter for Mocchi in the morning (I guess Artemicion beat you to it when
delivering Stiltzkin's letter!).
-Leave the Black Mage Village and head straight to Conde Petie.
-Once at Conde Petie, go to the area with the boat and talk to the dwarf
blocking the top right exit, then go to the corridor outside the inn and
speak to Father Heavenguard.
-After the ceremony, you may choose to let Quina and Vivi get married. It
really doesn't make any difference, so just do what you like. The marriage
scene does take a bit longer, but nothing major.
-Either way, save near the grocery shop.
TARGET TIME: 05:44:43
TARGET GIL : 114,904
ENCOUNTERS : 1
===============================================================================
XVI) CONDE PETIE - MOUNTAIN PATH: (D2-16)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Remedy | Oglop Card | Blue Stone | Red Stone |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Tent |
`------------------'
-Go past the weapon shop and onto the Conde Petie Mountain Path.
-Eiko will join your party at LV 1.
-Remove everyone's equipment, then equip Zidane with only the Dagger, Ritual
Hat and Survival Vest, and Vivi with only the Ice Staff, Bone Wrist, Silk
Robe and Power Belt. Place everyone in the back row.
-You need to enter a battle somewhere on the Mountain Path. When you do, have
Zidane Defend and then have Vivi attack him. Vivi will deal either 17, 18 or
19 damage with each hit. Prompty use Flee once Zidane's HP ends in a 7.
*thanks to Louis1980 for this improved strategy*
-After getting Eiko, head further along the path until you spot a group of
Oglops; catch one and return to Conde Petie.
-Don't run at the Oglops right away; wait for one of them to move in your
direction, then run at it and you should catch it.
-Go to the young boy behind the grocery shop, tell him your favorite dish (he
likes Seasoned Oglops) and give him the Oglop you caught for the Oglop Card.
-It is more convenient to catch the Oglop and save without getting into a
battle and preparing Zidane. That way, you won't have to complete both of
these luck-based tasks in 1 run.
-Save in the grocery store.
-Return to the Mountain Path and get the rest of the treasure, then keep
going until you find Stiltzkin and Suzuna.
-Equip Zidane with the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Adaman Vest and Diamond, and Vivi
with the Oak Staff; activate Zidane's Distract ability for good measure.
-Buy Stiltzkin's deal, deliver the letter you have for Suzuna and save your
game.
TARGET TIME: 05:49:40
TARGET GIL : 114,169
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the one described)
===============================================================================
XVII) MOUNTAIN PATH - LUCID PLAINS: (D2-17)
===============================================================================
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Yellow Stone | Green Stone |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-If you knocked out Zidane in the battle described above, then revive him and
reset until he gets revived with 7 HP, then save again.
-Climb the vines to the left of the moogles and keep going until you get
ambushed by...
----------------
BOSS: Hilgigars
----------------
-This battle would normally last a long time, but if you've prepared yourself
as described earlier, you can win in 2 turns, not even a full round.
-Use Vivi's Bio spell and Zidane's Lucky Seven ability.
-If you're lucky, Lucky Seven will deal 7,777 damage, leaving Hilgigars with
439 HP; a single Bio will be enough to win the battle.
-It's worth resetting until you're successful because you'll save a lot of
time and the save point is near the battle so it isn't too frustrating,
either.
-Zidane should master the Bird Killer ability after this battle.
-Take the Yellow Stone from the column and head down the right path.
-Follow the descending vine to the Green Stone and a chest, then return and
keep walking on the vines until you exit the Mountain Path.
-Save midway to Madain Sari.
TARGET TIME: 05:52:37
TARGET GIL : 116,305
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XVIII) LUCID PLAINS - IIFA TREE ROOTS: (D2-18)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Tent | Ore | Libra | Kirman Coffee |
|------------------o------------------,-------------------------------------'
| Phoenix Pinion | Ruby |
`-------------------------------------'
-Enter Madain Sari.
-As soon as you can move, exit to the bottom right, then immediately return.
Zidane will say a few things, after which the ATE "Eiko's Feelings" will be
triggered. When asked to distribute jobs, just keep pressing X and choose
the default positions.
-Now head over to Eiko's house and try to enter; Morrison will appear and
invite you over to the Eidolon Wall.
-Next, head back to the entrance of Madain Sari and take Garnet with you.
*thanks to Essentia for this alternate way of going through Madain Sari;
it's quicker than my original one*
-A new ATE will be triggered when you go to the screen with the fountain. If
you want to make the best dinner, then watch "Eiko's Kitchen" and follow the
instructions below. This will take you approximately 2 extra minutes, which
the target times do not take into account.
-If you're trying to get the best dinner:
> Pour enough water for 11 people.
> Don't add the seasoned Oglop.
> Help the moogle with the fishing rod.
> Let Quina help you during the third ATE.
-Either way, head over to the Eidolon Wall; you'll enter automatically.
-Leave Garnet, then watch the ATE "Eiko's Kitchen 2" if you're trying to get
the best dinner.
-Go to Eiko's house to finally eat.
-After the meal, bring the pot to Eiko on the back porch and speak with her.
-Don't forget to pick up the Kirman Coffee, then try to leave the house;
choose "Sleep" when the moogle stops you at the door.
-Eiko will decide to go with you in the morning after all, so leave Madain
Sari and save on your way to the Mountain Path.
-Go onto the Mountain Path once again.
NOTE: The 4 colored stones which you collected on your previous trip through
the Mountain Path can now be exchanged for a Moonstone. This a purely
personal choice, as both the stones and the Moonstone are unique items.
Do as you like.
-If you decided to keep the colored stones then just head to the fork and
take the left path to the Iifa Tree; save at its base.
-If you decided to get the Moonstone, then make your way to Suzuna and head
down the right path.
-Place all 4 colored stones in the altar to receive a Moonstone, then save
your game.
-Return to the fork where you fought Hilgigars and take a left.
-Equip Zidane with the Dagger, Ritual Hat, Mythril Armlet, Adaman Vest and
Reflect Ring; this should bring his Magic Defense up to 19 points and his
evade up to 17. Activate his Distract ability. Leave the other characters
bare of equipment, but make sure Garnet has the Multina Racket.
-Run up to the base of the Iifa Tree and save.
-Enter the Iifa Tree and go along the roots until you find Mocchi, for whom
you have a letter to deliver.
-Try the stop/run method on the roots, it seems quite effective here.
-It's possible to make it through the root screens with only a single battle,
though it's probably very unlikely (it's only happened to me once).
-Unfortunately, Dracozombie does NOT appear on the screens outside the actual
tree for now, so don't bother looking for it.
TARGET TIME: 06:03:51
TARGET GIL : 116,214
ENCOUNTERS : 1
===============================================================================
XIX) IIFA TREE ROOTS - LUCID PLAINS: (D2-19)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Hi-Potion | Phoenix Down | Ether | Lamia's Flute |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Remedy | Elixir | Healing Rod | Brigandine |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-In order to get through the Iifa Tree, you must have at least 1 character in
Zombie status. Zidane is the best candidate since he has the most HP.
-With the equipment listed in the previous circuit, with Shell status and
with full HP, Zidane will always survive a Dracozombie's Zombie Breath
attack with either 9, 21 or 33 HP left.
-In order to get Zidane Zombified, first encounter a Dracozombie. Have Garnet
cast Shell on Zidane immediately, with the other party members throwing Tent
at the enemy. Once it works, have Eiko and Vivi knock themselves out, Garnet
cast Shell on Zidane one last time and Zidane attack Garnet. After that,
simply hope that the Dracozombie uses Zombie Breath before Zidane's Shell
wears off. If it does, reset as you've wasted too much time. In the meantime,
have Zidane try to steal a Magic Tag from the Dracozombie as you might need
one shortly if one of your other characters got or gets Zombified and
knocked out. When you finally get the Zombie status, chuck an Elixir at the
monster to end the battle.
-Revive your party and make your way back to the save point and save.
-It's inevitable that you'll have battles going through this area. You must
revive all knocked out characters after every battle in order to reduce the
probability of an enemy attacking Zidane, and because Zombified characters
cannot flee from enemies. There's no need to heal them, though, they just
need to be conscious. Flee will succeed as long there is at least 1
non-Zombie character alive when it is used.
-Escape from all battles as quickly as possible. Keep the L1 and R1 buttons
pressed at all times during battles to further increase the odds of getting
away alive.
-Hope that you don't meet Stroper; its Sweep attack means instant death for
your party of LV 1 weaklings. You can't use a Soft on it because that will
award EXP. Just pray that Zidane gets the first turn, or that it uses its
Slap attack.
-Follow the path down until you reach a little niche with a switch on the
left side of the screen; press the switch.
-Now return up 1 screen and pick up all the treasure which you skipped
earlier (the Healing Rod appears only after pressing the switch mentioned
above).
-There is another switch in this screen as well, and it makes a chest with a
Phoenix Down drop down from above.
-Make your way down and revive all your characters before jumping onto the
green leaf platform.
-You will face a party of 2 or 3 Zombies on your way down. Use Elixir on them
to defeat them instantly. Pay close attention to which ones have acted and
which ones have not. For example, if one of them is the first to act during
the battle, make it your last target and throw an Elixir at another one in
hopes of defeating it before it gets a turn. Remember to have Zidane throw
the last Elixir once everyone else is knocked out. This battle requires a
lot of luck as you want everyone to have their ATB gauges start out as full
as possible and you don't want Zidane to be hurt.
-There will be some dialogue after this battle and then you will gain
momentary control of Zidane; by all means, REVIVE YOUR CHARACTERS BEFORE
SPEAKING TO VIVI!!!
-Once you talk to him, you'll continue straight into a battle with a
Dracozombie. The only goal in this battle is to hope that he attacks someone
besides Zidane. Have everyone knock themselves out and Zidane throw yet
another Elixir to win this battle. Do NOT, however, have your characters
knock themselves out even if they start the battle with full ATB gauges
(unless it's a pre-emptive strike and EVERYONE has full gauges). Wait for
his attack, then proceed to knock out everyone besides Zidane. The reason
for this is that you do not know how full the enemy's ATB gauge is, which
could mean that you have Garnet, Vivi and Eiko knock themselves out only to
have the Dracozombie get a turn right after that and have only Zidane left
to target. After all, it takes time to input commands and select targets,
and Zidane is always the last one to do this. You want the enemy to have as
large a selection of targets as possible in order to reduce the likelihood of
Zidane being chosen. This does reduce your chances of completing this battle
successfully to 75%, but not doing this is a gamble for which you don't know
the probability, and 75% is preferable to an unknown.
-You will now reach the bottom. Once again, REVIVE EVERYONE!!!
-Pick up the Elixir and Brigandine, then go to the bottom of the screen and
inspect the ledge.
-Run over to Garnet once the area begins to shake and get ready for...
---------------
BOSS: Soulcage
---------------
...the easiest boss in the game.
-If you've been paying at least a little attention in this area then you'll
know exactly what to do.*
-Before you do, however, knock out Zidane if his HP doesn't end in a 7.
-Save once you get out of the Iifa Tree.
-Revive Zidane and reset until he is revived with 7 HP.
-Equip him with the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Mythril Armlet, Chain Plate and
Reflect Ring; activate his Distract and Man Eater abilities and make sure he
is in the front row.
-Save after this, and once more outside Madain Sari.
TARGET TIME: 06:23:29
TARGET GIL : 118,307
ENCOUNTERS : 8
*Throw an Elixir.
===============================================================================
XX) LUCID PLAINS - PUALEI PLAINS: (D2-20)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Phoenix Down | Elixir | Exploda | Survival Vest |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Enter and follow Eiko to the back porch of her house and into the room below.
-Run to the Eidolon Wall after Lani kidnaps Eiko and go inside; just make
sure that you don't have the moogle heal your party!
--------------------
BOSS: Scarlet Hair:
--------------------
-This should be a 3-round battle, 4 at most.
-Use Lucky Seven until you do 7,777 damage, then finish him off with 1 or 2
physical attacks.
-You can use Lucky Seven even when he's moving around.
-You can't survive his attacks if you don't dodge them, so you'll need to end
this battle as quickly as possible.
-Zidane should master the Devil Killer, Man Eater and Insomniac abilities
after this battle.
-Eiko decides to leave Madain Sari in the room below the porch after the
battle.
-Afterwards, examine the field icon outside Eiko's house to find Garnet.
-Back at the entrance, Amarant joins the party at LV 1. Replace Eiko with
Amarant and head back to the Iifa Tree once again.
NOTE: If you are playing the BASE Stats game, then you are now finished with
the Level 1 Game. From this point onwards, you can gain EXP in any way
and with anyone you like, as long as it is without stat-boosting
equipment equipped.
That said, I suggest you spend a few minutes gaining LVs outside the
Iifa Tree to make the rest of the game easier. You should have a huge
lead on the target times at this point, since you were able to skip a
lot of time-consuming parts of the Level 1 Game.
Since you are no longer under the Level 1 restriction, much of the
walkthrough past this point won't really apply to you, especially if
you train your characters a bit. However, do not forget to pick up
missable treasures, buy missable items, etc. Don't do something like
trying to get through the Desert Palace without any encounters when the
only reason to do so is to avoid EXP. Please, use common sense.
-Equip your characters as follows:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | GARNET | VIVI | AMARANT |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Dagger | Multina Racket | Oak Staff | Cat's Claws |
| Ritual Hat | - | Ritual Hat | Ritual Hat |
| Mythril Armlet | - | Magic Armlet | Mythril Armlet |
| Adaman Vest | - | Magician Cloak | Adaman Vest |
| Diamond | - | Reflect Ring | Germinas Boots |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Distract | | Insomniac | HP+10% |
| Insomniac | | Auto-Potion | |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Place everyone in the back row.
-Getting to the top of the Iifa Tree and completing the forced battles there
may require many resets. I suggest you enter and get the scenes out of the
way before saving. If you do, take Vivi out of the party and replace him
with Eiko; don't equip her with anything.
-Heal Zidane to full health.
-Save at the base of the tree.
TARGET TIME: 06:37:22
TARGET GIL : 128,117
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XXI) PUALEI PLAINS - START OF DISC 3: (D2-21)
===============================================================================
.------------------.
| Aquamarine |
`------------------'
-You need to get Zidane Zombified one more time here. The strategy remains
the same as before and you can find Dracozombie on the roots. You can also
try your luck by not getting him Zombified and defeating all 3 of the
upcoming enemies with Stop. It's up to you.
-At the top, make sure that Vivi is out of the active party (unless you're
planning to use Stop during both of the upcoming battles), revive anyone
knocked out, heal Amarant to full health, and choose "Finished".
-You will first face a party composed of 2 Mistodon. With some luck, at least
1 of your characters will begin the battle with a full or nearly full ATB
gauge; it's never been otherwise for me. Use an Elixir on one of the enemies,
then wait for everyone else's ATB gauges to fill and for the enemy's attack.
Hopefully, Zidane will go unscathed. Have all the survivors knock themselves
out and Zidane chuck another Elixir to win the battle and nullify the EXP.
-For no particular reason, your party is healed of their status effects at
this point, but their HP isn't replenished. They're not even revived, which
would be extremely helpful, but alas... Time to remember how to use Stop,
it's been a while...
-You will start the battle with Zidane and Vivi, the others will still be
knocked out and Zidane's HP will be just as it was at the end of the
previous battle. Immediately throw a Tent and cast Stop at the Mistodon, and
hope that one of them works on the first attempt. Continue doing this until
a Tent succeeds; you can then revive Amarant and heal both him and Zidane to
full health. They can survive Fira and Mist and manually heal themselves,
meaning they can permanently distract the Mistodon from Vivi, although he
also survives Fira and Mist and will heal himself automatically. Head Attack
has a 75% chance of knocking out Zidane when at full health (if it connects,
that is), and 50% of doing the same to Amarant when at full health. Vivi
will always be knocked out by a Head Attack, but with Darkness inflicted and
2 other targets available, you should be able to safely cast Stop. That
said, you've pretty much won the battle once Tent works, the only question
is how quickly you succeed with Stop.
-Do a victory dance once you get past this battle; you've completed the most
annoying sections of the game by this point!
-After the battle, revive your characters, read the letter from Stiltzkin and
save with Mocchi, who is hiding behind the tree trunk.
-Run down the root and hope for no encounters. However, you can safely have 1
as long as it's against a single Mistodon and you Stop it quickly.
TARGET TIME: 06:53:14
TARGET GIL : 130,267
ENCOUNTERS : 2 (a Dracozombie, and a Mistodon on the final roots)
===============================================================================
* CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 2! (G06) *
===============================================================================
_ _ _ _
,' `.
.' `.
. .
.- - - - - - . : :
: `. : ,-. :
: : :_ _ _ _; ; :
: _ _ _ : ,.' :
: : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. : ,'
: : : : :_ _ _; : : : : : `.
: : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; _ _ _ _ `'. :
: :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' : : ; :
: : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : `-' :
: ,' : : : : : : : :
:_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : ;
`. .'
`. _ _ _ _ _ .'
i) START OF DISC 3 - Nolrich Heights (D3-01)
ii) Nolrich Heights - Treno Knight's House (D3-02)
iii) Treno Knight's House - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-03)
iv) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Kiera Desert (D3-04)
v) Kiera Desert - Oeilvert Outside (D3-05)
vi) Oeilvert Outside - Oeilvert Star Display (D3-06)
vii) Oeilvert Star Display - Desert Palace Rack (D3-07)
viii) Desert Palace Rack - Desert Palace Library (D3-08)
ix) Desert Palace Library - Esto Gaza (D3-09)
x) Esto Gaza - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-10)
xi) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Ipsen's Castle (D3-11)
xii) Ipsen's Castle - Blairsurpass Plains (D3-12)
xiii) Blairsurpass Plains - Bran Bal Storage (D3-13)
xiv) Bran Bal Storage - Pandemonium Maze (D3-14)
xv) Pandemonium Maze - START OF DISC 4 (D3-15)
===============================================================================
I) START OF DISC 3 - NOLRICH HEIGHTS: (D3-01)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Topaz | Wyerd Card | Ribbon Card |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ether | Amethyst | Carrion Worm Card| Genji Card |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Pinion | Lapis Lazuli | Tantarian Card | Athlete Queen |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Pinion | Goblin Card | Armstrong Card | Leo |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Pinion | Fang Card | Nova Dragon Card | 27 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Chimera Armlet | Flan Card | Shiva Card | 3,927 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Opal | Ironite Card | Ramuh Card |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-You will eventually gain control of Vivi outside the Alexandria pub. Go
right and down the street until you spot Hippaul and his mother near the
bottom. Talk to his mother to initiate a mini-game. You must now raise
Hippaul to LV 80 to earn the Athlete Queen.
-There are 7 basic strategies for success at this mini-game. They are:
1) Use both hands.
2) Use different fingers, saving the ones you are most comfortable with
for the last 10 to 20 races.
3) Always use the same fingers in both hands; it helps your coordination.
4) Turn off the volume; the music can be distracting as it has its own
rhythm.
5) Always finish the race as fast as possible; Hippaul can gain as much
as 5 LVs from 1 race, depending on how much you beat him by.
6) Stay calm and take a break if you're not having any luck. You can do
this between races by simply pausing the game.
7) Do your best on your first try since your wrists and fingers can
quickly become very tired.
-I suggest you reset and take a break if you lose more than 5 races.
-If you find this to be difficult, try changing the button configuration of
your controller. Setting the CIRCLE and SQUARE buttons to L2 and R2 (or
anything you're more comfortable with) can be much more effective for some
players.
*thanks to Ekke for this tip*
-Once you have obtained the Athlete Queen, go to the Square.
-Watch the ATE "Artemicion".
-Go straight to the Alexandria Bell Tower; climb the ladder and ring the bell
to find 5 cards.
-Buy Stiltzkin's new offer and finally deliver Kuppo's letter to his little
brother Kupo! Kupo should also have a letter from Mogrika if you watched the
ATE "Artemicion".
-Save your game!
-Search the house to the right of the bell tower for Eye Drops and 3 Gil if
you did not do so on Disc 1. In order to reach the second floor, keep
running into the girl and eventually you'll pass through her; this doesn't
work on Disc 1, for some reason.
-Run back to the alley and go into Ruby's mini-theater. A long sequence of
scenes will occur and eventually you will gain control of Zidane in the pub.
-Search the pub for the items which you skipped at the start of the game
(Potion, Flan Card, 27 Gil), then head for the Bell Tower once again.
-Read the letter Kupo received from Stiltzkin and save again.
TARGET TIME: 07:26:34
O---------------------------------[ PATH A ]--------------------------------O
-Purchase a Twist Headband and Survival Vest at the equipment shop, then
enter the adjacent synthesis shop and synthesize a Barette and a Black Belt.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Purchase a Twist Headband, a Survival Vest and a Plate Mail at the equipment
shop, then enter the adjacent synthesis shop and synthesize a Barette and a
Black Belt.
O-------------------------------[ LV 1 PATH ]-------------------------------O
-Synthesize a Barette at the synthesis shop.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Now go to the dock, pick up the treasures there and take the boat to the
castle. You can also unequip everyone now.
-Search the castle dock, then head left and enter the tower to find a Phoenix
Pinion and the Leo Stellazzio; the Phoenix Pinion here is missable.
-Enter the castle and another long sequence begins; you'll regain control of
the party in Treno.
-Exit Doctor Tot's Tower and watch the ATE "Memories By The Water", then go
to the Card Stadium and watch the ATE "City People"; you should get a
Chimera Armlet from the Four-Armed Man.
-Leave Treno and save midway to South Gate.
-Go through South Gate and save midway to Dali.
-If you no longer have a Sapphire in your inventory, then you'll have to
enter a random battle somewhere between Treno and Dali and get Zidane's HP
to end in a 7. You should have a wide selection of gems, which are helpful
for this purpose. Alternately, getting Zidane knocked out, running away, and
then reviving and resetting until he is revived with 7 HP works, too.
TARGET TIME: 07:38:22
TARGET GIL : 129,344
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
II) NOLRICH HEIGHTS - TRENO KNIGHT'S HOUSE: (D3-02)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Elixir | Dark Matter | Mini-Brahne | 30,000 Gil |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Cachusha | Burman Coffee | 15,000 Gil |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Enter Dali and go to the shop; buy 99 Wrist.
-Next, go into the mayor's house and choose to search the room.
-Check the desk for the Mini-Brahne, then check it 2 more times so that the
sleeping boy says "Zzz", and then check the heater for the Mayor's Key and
leave.
-Enter the windmill and use the Mayor's Key on the door to enter the Chocobo
pen; open the chest for 30,000 Gil and then check it again to discover the
Burman Coffee.
-Return to the windmill and take the ladder to the upper area; open both
chests, then leave Dali.
-Regardless of whether you wish to trade in the coffees, enter Observatory
Mountain in order to mark it on the World Map.
*thanks to AtmaChild for bringing up the issue of the area names on the map*
-If you want to trade in the coffees, Morrid will be sitting on the steps
outside, so give him his coffees and leave.
-Save midway to South Gate, then go through it and save midway to Treno.
-Enter Treno and take the left path to the synthesis shop to synthesize 99
Cotton Robe.
-Having done so, go to the Card Stadium and register at the booth; win the
first 2 rounds, then head over to the weapon shop.
-Use Tantarian, Armstrong, Nova Dragon, Shiva and Ramuh and you shouldn't
have too much trouble winning. Try to avoid card battles unless your attack
is much higher than their defense. Keep your strongest card for last and
have it defeat a card with many arrows for a surprise victory.
-Buy a Coral Sword.
-Unequip everything from Zidane and challenge Catoblepas; get knocked out as
quickly as possible. Then, equip the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Chimera Armlet,
Bronze Vest and Reflect Ring and activate the Distract and Jelly abilities.
-Save your game and challenge Catoblepas again.
-Simply use a Sapphire on Zidane and then defeat Catoblepas with Lucky Seven.
You'll have to reset a few times but you'll succeed eventually.
-Zidane's HP must end in a 7 if you want to have an easier time with
Tantarian shortly. This is very important, so don't heal him after the
battle.
-This is the best way to defeat Catoblepas, so you should do this even if you
are following Path B or Path E, which don't require Tantarian to be defeated.
-Once you defeat Catoblepas, return to Mogrich, read the letter he received
from Kupo and save your game.
O--------------------------------[ LV 1 PATH ]------------------------------O
-You need to win the Dark Matter from the Auction House.
-You'll need 17,000 Gil to win it easily. Go in and do the same thing you did
on Disc 2 when trying to get the Reflect Ring. Here are the approximate bids
for the new items currently up for auction:
> Anklet - 15,000
> Feather Boots - 16,000
-Return to Mogrich and save your game.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
TARGET TIME: 07:50:18
TARGET GIL : 39,074
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
III) TRENO KNIGHT'S HOUSE - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D3-03)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Elixir | Angel Earrings | Rebirth Ring | Running Shoes |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Egoist's Armlet |
`------------------'
-Go to the Card Stadium and defeat the champion for the Rebirth Ring.
-Order Blutzen & Kohel to gather information, then just mash the X button to
choose the remaining defaults; Garnet should receive the Angel Earrings.
-When controlling Steiner and Beatrix, leave Steiner bare of equipment and
"optimize" Beatrix; place her in the back row.
-You'll need 2 Ether and 3 Elixir to get past the upcoming battles with
minimal effort.
-It's possible to dodge the Mistodon in the first area; lure it to almost the
back of the ticket booth, then run down under the stand and out of the
square. This doesn't work if you don't lure it far enough, though. You don't
really need to reset if you fail to skip it, but try your best if you need
to make up some time.
-Make sure Steiner is knocked out in your first battle, and use Full-Life or
Elixir to defeat the monsters. Climhazzard will not kill 2 Mistodon at the
LV which Beatrix is at, so don't waste your time or MP.
-Handle the battles as listed below to minimize your Ether and Elixir
consumption. Use an Ether after the battle outside the pub. By that time,
Beatrix should have 88 MP, which is enough for 3 castings of Full-Life.
-Here is the battle roster of the encounters you will have and how you should
handle them (numbers indicate the number of Mistodon in the battle):
1. Square : 1 (you can dodge this battle; otherwise, use Full-Life)
2. Outside Shop : 1 (use an Elixir, or Full-Life if you didn't dodge #1)
3. Outside Pub : 2 (use Full-Life twice)
4. Long Street : 1 (use an Elixir)
5. Long Street : 1 (use an Elixir)
6. Long Street : 1 (use Full-Life)
7. Long Street : 2 (use Full-Life twice)
-Take a moment to remove your equipment from Beatrix and heal her one last
time right after the battle outside the pub; you will not get another chance.
-Leave her with only the Plate Mail for defense; you'll lose whatever
equipment she goes on with.
-When you gain control of the rest of the party, head up the stairway and to
the guardhouse.
O---------------------------------[ PATH A ]--------------------------------O
-Equip Zidane with the Ritual Hat, Bone Wrist, Survival Vest and Black Belt;
activate the Antibody ability.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Equip Freya with the Barbut, Bronze Gloves, Plate Mail and Barette, and
Zidane with the Survival Vest; activate Zidane's Antibody ability.
O--------------------------------[ LV 1 PATH ]------------------------------O
-Equip Zidane with the Ritual Hat, Bone Wrist, Survival Vest and Dark Matter;
activate the Antibody ability.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Save your game.
TARGET TIME: 08:06:25
-Go to the west library on the first floor and challenge...
----------------
BOSS: Tantarian
----------------
NOTE: If you are playing the BASE Stats game, then there is no reason to skip
Tantarian. Defeat him any way you choose.
O---------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]--------------------------O
-This battle depends completely on Lucky Seven, so you'll need to be patient
until you hit a lucky streak.
-Use Lucky Seven as quickly as possible once the battle starts; 777 and 7,777
damage will open the boss, so you have a 50% chance of opening him.
-Fire away with Lucky Seven once Tantarian shows his true form. You'll get 4
to 5 attempts before he closes, after which I would suggest to reset. You
need to hit him for 7,777 damage 3 times to defeat him.
-The damage you inflict to open him counts just like the damage you do after
he opens, so you can end this battle in as little as 3 rounds.
-Remember to knock out everyone except Zidane before finishing the battle.
-Zidane will master the Antibody and Locomotion abilities following this
battle, as well as Man Eater, Insomniac and Bug Killer if he didn't earlier.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-This battle depends completely on Lucky Seven, so you'll need to be patient
until you hit a lucky streak. Reset the game if Lucky Seven returns anything
except 7,777 during the battle. All other results will make this strategy
inapplicable, although you can afford to get 7 damage twice, so keep that in
mind.
-Use Lucky Seven as quickly as possible once the battle starts in order to
open the boss. You MUST do this with 7,777 damage, NOT 777.
-Now simply have Zidane use Lucky Seven 2 more times while the rest of the
party throws exactly 3 Hi-Potions at the boss.
-If you hit Tantarian with 3 strikes of 7,777 damage and 3 Hi-Potions, he will
be left with 16 HP; 2 HP or 9 HP if Lucky Seven returned 7 damage once or
twice.
-Have Zidane, Vivi and Amarant knock themselves out and Freya attack Tantarian
to end the battle and absorb the EXP.
-Freya will reach LV 18 after the battle and master Bug Killer, Undead Killer,
Man Eater, Gamble Defense, Chemist and Locomotion.
*thanks to 1whoistornapart for this modified Tantarian strategy*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Run to the top of the castle, using the same path Garnet used earlier.
-After waking up in Lindblum, open the chests, accept Mogki's letter for
delivery and save your game (avoid the steps by the closet).
TARGET TIME: 08:12:28
TARGET GIL : 49,522
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
IV) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - KIERA DESERT: (D3-04)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Chimera Armlet | Lapis Lazuli | 1,273 Gil | Sagittarius |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Black Belt | 970 Gil | 4,826 Gil |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Attempt to leave the room and choose "Where's Dagger?" when prompted.
-Go to the conference room, and then to the royal chamber (you have to talk
to either of the 2 guards every time you want to enter the royal chamber,
even if you are invited).
-There will be a lot of dialogue once you enter; go to the guest room when
it's over.
-Head to the aircab dock after the meeting with Doctor Tot and fly to the
Business District.
-Deliver Mogki's letter to Moodon at the inn, then head to the market square.
-Search the rubble on the left of the shopping area for the Sagittarius
Stellazzio if you want it, then proceed down the alley and ask Alice about
the potions to receive her Beautiful Potion.
-Return to the aircab terminal and board an aircab for the Theater District.
-Go to Artist Michael's studio, ask about the potions, then search the studio
for the Strange Potion and open the chest for a Lapis Lazuli.
-Now go the Tantalus hideout and get the Unusual Potion from Cinna; return to
open the chests inside for some Gil.
-Return to Lindblum Castle and go to the royal chamber once again.
-Following the upcoming meeting, take the lift to the base level and ride to
the Serpent's Gate; open the chest and board the Blue Narciss.
-Form any party you wish and sail to the Outer Continent by heading south
from the Lindblum dock; disembark and call Choco on the tracks behind Qu's
Marsh. Alternatively, save multiple times on your way to and back from the
village, though this will probably take longer.
-In the village, follow Vivi to the cemetery and get the Black Belt from the
upper floor of the item shop.
-Then, go to the Chocobo stable and leave the village after the scenes end.
-Board the Blue Narciss and disembark near the 4 sinkholes in the desert in
the north-east of the Outer Continent.
-Call Moguo and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 08:35:52
TARGET GIL : 56,591
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
V) KIERA DESERT - OEILVERT OUTSIDE: (D3-05)
===============================================================================
-Enter the northernmost sinkhole, the one without the wisps of sand coming
out.
-Choose to take Steiner, Amarant and Freya with you to Oeilvert, then use the
stop/run method (it seems effective here) to get to the airship at the dock.
-When you reach the Forgotten Continent, run a bit north and save your game.
-Keep going north past the marsh until you come to a forest at the tip of the
continent; call Choco using the Chocobo tracks there.
-Travel down the twisting path to Oeilvert and enter.
-You will meet Mimoza outside Oeilvert; she has a Mogshop.
-Sell all the Cotton Robe you bought in Treno, then purchase the following
equipment:
> 1 Diamond Sword
> 2 Trident
> 2 Mythril Claws
> 1 Magic Racket
> 2 Fairy Flute
> 1 Silver Fork
> 2 Diamond Gloves
> 7 Green Beret
> 1 Gold Helm
> 1 Cross Helm
> 7 Judo Uniform
> 3 Gold Armor
> 2 Soft
-This is a good time to replenish your Phoenix Down supply if you're running
out or already have; 30 should be enough.
-Take Mimoza's letter to Mooel and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 08:45:46
TARGET GIL : 148,165
ENCOUNTERS : 2
===============================================================================
VI) OEILVERT OUTSIDE - OEILVERT STAR DISPLAY: (D3-06)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Remedy | Diamond Sword | Shield Armor | Rising Sun |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Elixir | Power Vest | Feather Boots |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Equip Zidane with the Bronze Vest, Steiner and Freya with the Diamond Gloves,
and Amarant with the Rebirth Ring; activate Zidane's, Steiner's and Freya's
Jelly abilities and Amarant's Auto-Life ability. Do not equip any other gear.
-Encounter an Epitaph. You will definitely have at least 1 battle on your way
through Oeilvert, so it would be best if it was against an Epitaph.
-Have Amarant knock himself out, then wait for the enemy to use Petrify on
someone other than him. The spell will fail, so have Zidane, Steiner and
Freya knock themselves out and Amarant throw a Soft at the enemy to end the
battle; you will NOT gain any EXP, just 2 AP.
*thanks to Ekke for suggesting to use Epitaph, and big_kake for the current
method of preparing the party using this enemy*
-Make it back to the save point without any more battles.
-If you don't encounter an Epitaph while going through Oeilvert, don't worry.
Just save and encounter an Epitaph right there in the save room with the
moogles; it doesn't take long and you should have time to spare. Of course,
if you're running very late then it might be wiser (though more unlikely) to
do all this in one run. It's up to you.
-Enter Oeilvert and go up the steps and through the doorway, taking care not
to forget the 2 chests in the room.
-Touch the orb, open the chest and return to the foyer, then head RIGHT; buy
the deal from Stiltzkin, deliver the letter from Mimoza and save your game.
-Go back to the foyer once again and go through the doorway on the left.
-Open the chest, check out the hologram and go down the steps.
-Go to the top level and activate the holograms in a clockwise manner, then
loot the chests on your way to the stairway at the top.
-You can usually prevent a random battle in the room with the holograms by
exiting the screen after turning them all on, then re-entering and making
your way to the next screen.
-Go across the walkway, activating the sphere, then enter the door with the
locks.
-Return to the chamber with the moogles and head over to the right side of
the chamber to trigger the activation of the star display.
-Save your game after the scene.
-Revive the party and reset until Zidane is revived with 7 HP.
O---------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]--------------------------O
-Heal Zidane as close as possible to his max HP.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Heal Freya to her max HP.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Equip your party as follows (you can equip anything in the empty slots):
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | STEINER | FREYA | AMARANT |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Rune Tooth | Coral Sword | Trident | Mythril Claws |
| Green Beret | Gold Helm | Lamia's Tiara | Green Beret |
| | Thunder Gloves | | |
| Brigandine | Chain Mail | Chain Mail | Adaman Vest |
| Reflect Ring | | Power Belt | |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Bird Killer | Bird Killer | HP+10% | Bird Killer |
| Ability Up | Clear Headed | MP Attack | Clear Headed |
| Clear Headed | | Bird Killer | |
| | | Clear Headed | |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Place everyone in the front row.
-Save your game.
TARGET TIME: 08:52:41
TARGET GIL : 147,157
ENCOUNTERS : 2
===============================================================================
VII) OEILVERT STAR DISPLAY - DESERT PALACE RACK: (D3-07)
===============================================================================
.------------------.
| Gaia Gear |
`------------------'
-Pick up the Gaia Gear before descending.
----------
BOSS: Ark
----------
-Use Charge!, Lucky Seven and physical attacks for as long as possible. Have
Amarant throw the Rising Sun as well.
-If playing with LV 18 Zidane, just keep using Lucky Seven until you hit for
7,777 3 times. If he's equipped as was specified, then all of Ark's attacks
will deal damage in multiples of 10, meaning that Zidane's HP will always
end in a 7 if that's how he entered the battle. Only Photon and bad luck can
keep you from victory.
-LV 18 Freya can defeat Ark on her own, but it will take a long time without
the aid of the other attacks as she can only deal around 1,400 damage per
round and has to heal manually.
-Zidane will master the Distract ability after this battle if he survives,
but don't worry if he doesn't.
*thanks to big_kake for realizing how powerful Charge! is, and for telling
me how to easily prepare the party for its use*
-Remove all equipment from the current party before taking the Gulug Stone
from the altar.
-As Cid, run into the right room in the Desert Palace and retrieve the key
from the Hedgehog Pie. The timer in this mini-game will reset, so don't let
it stress you; not that you shouldn't reset if you waste 6 minutes here...
-The only advice I can give you is to press CIRCLE a set number of times
every time you get a chance, as opposed to as many times as possible. This
will prevent you from having to start over due to a quick turn from the
monster. I always pressed the button 5 times in quick succession and reached
the Hourglass Key within about a minute and a half.
-When given options near the scales, choose to put on the weights and pick
the last option, "B, C and D"; then climb them to get the key.
-Pick up the letter for Mogsam and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 08:59:52
TARGET GIL : 153,121
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
VIII) DESERT PALACE RACK - DESERT PALACE LIBRARY: (D3-08)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| N-Kai Armlet | Fairy Earrings | Anklet | Promist Ring |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Shield Armor |
`------------------'
NOTE: As crazy as it may seem, you'll need to get through this area without
any battles. This will most definitely require many resets, but, as
with all other things during this challenge, can and will be done with
enough perseverance and determination. It's happened to me and other
players, so there's no reason it shouldn't happen to you. Good luck!
-Return to the area with the prison chambers and go down the opposite path.
-Activate the Bloodstone in the next area and extract the Promist Ring, then
continue onward.
-Make the blue walkway appear by running to the ends of both sides of the
screen (to make the statues look away from the center), then take it to find
another candelabra; light it.
-Return and PICK UP THE FAIRY EARRINGS BELOW THE BLUE WALKWAY, ON THE RIGHT
SIDE OF THE AREA! It's really easy to miss this item, most walkthroughs
don't even mention it.
-Now return to Mojito and save your game.
*thanks to Louis1980 for suggesting to save at this point, it makes this
section so much easier! Why didn't I think of this...?!*
-Return to where you left off and continue to the left.
-In the next area, light the first 3 torches, then go through the door and go
to the opposite side of the room.
-Light the bottom-left torch, then return to the other side and light the
torches on either side of the central stairway.
-Next, light the remaining torches on the right side and then the middle one
to activate the next Bloodstone; extract the Anklet and head through the far
right doorway.
-Light the candle in the following hallway and extract the Shield Armor from
the activated Bloodstone.
-Go onward and up the stairs to find a candelabra; light it in order to
illuminate the stained glass on the wall.
-Continue onward to enter a library.
-Go across the room and light the candelabra on the far left; a staircase
should appear above the doorway through which you entered.
-Ascend the stairs and light the candelabra on the landing; the bookcase will
rise to reveal a doorway.
-Go through the door and extract the N-Kai Armlet from the Bloodstone.
-Make your way back to the bottom floor of the library, go up the short
stairs to the left and light the next candelabra to make the next bookcase
rise.
-Enter the doorway and head up the path, lightning both fixtures along the
way, then return to the library once more.
-Light the candelabra on the bottom right side of the library to make the
last bookshelf reveal yet another doorway; enter and light 1 more candelabra.
-Return to the library to find that the left wall has disappeared; go onward
to find Mogsam the moogle.
-Deliver the letter from Mojito and finally SAVE YOUR GAME.
TARGET TIME: 09:04:24
TARGET GIL : 153,121
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
IX) DESERT PALACE LIBRARY - ESTO GAZA: (D3-09)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Black Hood | Venetia Shield | Namingway Card | Wing Edge |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Continue to the left of the moogle to find a gargoyle statue on a wall;
light both of the candles beneath it to activate the Bloodstone on the
railing.
-Extract the Black Hood from the Bloodstone, then go through the doorway to
reach the other side of the room.
-Light all 3 candles on this side, extract the Venetia Shield from the
activated Bloodstone, put out the candle in the middle and return to the
opposite side of the room.
-Extinguish the left candle to make a blue staircase appear between the 2
sides of the room; go up the stairs.
-Equip your party however you like, but make sure that Eiko has the Magic
Racket and Ruby, Vivi an N-Kai Armlet, Quina the Rebirth Ring and Garnet a
Green Beret and the Reflect Ring; activate Quina's Auto-Life and Garnet's
Ability Up.
-Attempt to light the candelabra at the rear of the hall to provoke...
-----------------
BOSS: Valia Pira
-----------------
-A Limit Glove and 2 Water spells will end this battle, as will 2 castings of
Limit Glove.
-Get Quina knocked out and immediately cast Reflect on him/her after he/she
is revived with 1 HP, then use Limit Glove.
-If Valia Pira casts Reflect on itself, have Vivi bounce his Water spells off
of a party member who has Reflect, or have Quina use Limit Glove once more.
-Garnet should master Reflect following this battle.
-Light the last candelabra after the battle.
-Unequip your party, but make sure Eiko is equipped with the Magic Racket and
Ruby, then use the teleporter.
-Equip Zidane with the Dagger before making your way to the teleporter.
-Use the stop/run method to try to avoid battles at the airship dock.
-Enter Kuja's chamber.
-When prompted to form a party, choose whomever you want.
-DON'T FORGET THE NAMINGWAY CARD AFTER FORMING YOUR NEW PARTY; THIS IS THE
LAST ONE IN THE GAME! If you want it to have a specific arrow arrangement,
it would be best to save right after the fight with Valia Pira and then
reset from there until you get the arrangement you want.
-Take the teleporter and exit the Desert Palace through the airship dock.
-You will get another opportunity to arrange your party before disembarking
on the Lost Continent:
O---------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]--------------------------O
-Choose Vivi, Steiner and Quina.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Choose Vivi, Freya and Quina.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Call Moguo and save your game, then enter Esto Gaza.
-Before going on to Mount Gulug, head to the right inside Esto Gaza to find
the equipment shop (there's a Wing Edge around the counter). Make the
following purchases:
> 8 Zorlin Shape
> 2 Flame Saber
> 2 Heavy Lance
> 2 Scissor Fangs
> 2 Asura's Rod
> 2 Hamelin
> 2 Octagon Rod
> 1 N-Kai Armlet
> 5 Black Hood
-You should definitely have enough money for these purchases without selling
anything.
-Return to the lobby and go through the doorway in the back.
-Read the letter Mogrika received, accept her letter to Moolan and save your
game.
TARGET TIME: 09:21:11
TARGET GIL : 35,142
ENCOUNTERS : 2
===============================================================================
X) ESTO GAZA - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D3-10)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Ether | Red Hat | Gaia Gear | Ribbon |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Elixir | Golden Hairpin | Demon's Mail | 9,693 Gil |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Wing Edge |
`------------------'
-Go down the stairs to the right and go through the door to enter Mount Gulug.
-Enter the house on the left, pick up the items on both floors, then exit
through the hole on the upper floor.
-Climb down the ladder, pick up the Red Hat, then return to the entrance of
the area.
-Go into the house on the right and go through it to reach a hanging rope; go
past it and jump onto the walkway to the right.
-Continue along the path to find a chest with a Golden Hairpin, then return
to the rope and slide down; pull the lever down 3 times once you disembark.
-Take the right walkway to reach another building; pick up the Wing Edge in
the corner.
-Equip Vivi with the Octagon Rod, Bandana and N-Kai Armlet.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Equip Freya with the Heavy Lance and Thunder Gloves, and activate the Add
Status ability.
-You can use Freya's physical attacks against the Red Dragons along with
Vivi's spells for an added chance of success against them.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Deliver Mogrika's letter, accept the letter to Mogtaka and save your game.
-Exit the house through the right hole and make your way to the Gaia Gear at
the end of the path.
-Now backtrack until you get ambushed by a pair of Red Dragons; have Vivi
cast Stop on them. He can only be knocked out by a Red Dragon's Dive attack,
but 33 Evade protects him surprisingly well. If you don't manage to Stop
them both within 6 castings of Stop, reset and try again. My personal record
is 2 castings, the minimum.
-Return to Moolan, use an Ether on Vivi if he has less than 32 MP remaining
and save your game.
-Exit the house and slide further down the rope.
-At the bottom, move toward the wall to get ambushed by another pair of Red
Dragons; take care of them just like the first pair.
-CLIMB BACK UP THE ROPE AFTER THIS BATTLE!
-Go along the left walkway and enter the building on the left; pick up the
Demon's Mail and enter the other door outside.
-Meet Mogtaka, deliver the letter from Moolan, use an Ether on Vivi if he has
less than 16 MP left and save your game.
-Take the stairs, enter the building and head toward the chest to be ambushed
by one last Red Dragon; there's only 1 this time, so 1 or 2 castings of Stop
should be your goal.
-Open the chest in the back of the room for an Elixir, then return to Mogtaka.
-Unequip Vivi and equip the rest of the party as follows:
O--------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]---------------------------O
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | STEINER | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Zorlin Shape | Flame Saber | Silver Fork |
| Golden Hairpin | Cross Helm | |
| N-Kai Armlet | Bronze Gloves | N-Kai Armlet |
| Power Vest | Shield Armor | |
| Power Belt | | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------'
| Auto-Regen | Distract | Auto-Life |
| Distract | MP Attack | |
| MP Attack | Devil Killer | |
| Devil Killer | Antibody | |
| Gamble Defense | | |
| Antibody | | |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Zorlin Shape | Heavy Lance | Silver Fork |
| | Cross Helm | |
| N-Kai Armlet | Bronze Gloves | N-Kai Armlet |
| Judo Uniform | Shield Armor | |
| Power Belt | Angel Earrings | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------'
| Distract | Auto-Regen | Auto-Life |
| MP Attack | Distract | |
| Devil Killer | MP Attack | |
| | Devil Killer | |
| | Antibody | |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Make Sure Zidane and Steiner/Freya are in the front row.
-Save your game.
TARGET TIME: 09:29:48
-Return to the rope, slide down and go through the hole in the wall.
------------------
BOSS: Meltigemini
------------------
-A successful casting of Mini will guarantee your victory; it will reduce
Meltigemini's attack damage to double digits and make him take much more
damage as well.
-Open the round with Mini, physical attacks from Zidane and Steiner/Freya,
and have Quina knock him/herself out.
-Cast Reflect on Quina as soon as possible after he/she is revived.
-Use Limit Glove and physical attacks for as long as possible.
-If you got in at least 1 Limit Glove then you should be able to finish the
battle with only Zidane or Freya left and using physical attacks.
-Ignore the Virus status and don't revive anyone once they are knocked out.
-Overall, you'll need some luck to win this battle, but you should be used to
that by now :)
-A few scenes will take place after the battle and you will wake up to find
yourself in the Lindblum Castle guest room once again.
-Pick up the letter to Kumool and save your game.
TARGET TIME: 09:41:37
TARGET GIL : 51,263
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Red Dragons)
===============================================================================
XI) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - IPSEN'S CASTLE: (D3-11)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Potion | Elixir | Elixir | Capricorn |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Eye Drops | Elixir | Garnet | Aquarius |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Phoenix Down | Elixir | Elixir Card | 3,206 Gil |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Tent |
`------------------'
-Head straight to the conference room to initiate a long sequence of scenes.
-You will eventually gain control of the Hilda Garde 3; immediately press
CIRCLE to dock in Lindblum. Also, place Steiner, Freya and Quina in your
party when prompted to create a new one. Remove everyone's equipment when
you get the chance.
-Tell Erin that you want to board the airship and go to the bridge; then go
down the ladder and check the area for an Elixir and a Tent.
-Exit and board the airship once more, but this time selecting to go to the
World Map.
-Land near Pinnacle Rocks and open the 2 chests there.
-Fly to South Gate and open the chest which you couldn't get at the start of
Disc 2 for an Elixir Card.
-Now go to the South Gate on the other side of the mountain range by the
river and open the 3 chests there.
-Finally, visit North Gate from the Ice Cavern side and get the Potion and
Eye Drops there.
-Having gotten all those treasures, fly to Daguerreo in the south-west of the
World Map; save outside.
-Enter and go left.
-Examine the 3 levers in the bookshelf and pull the left one twice.
-Examine the hole by the leftmost lift, then take the stick by the bookshelf
and place it into the hole.
-Pull the right lever twice and board the right lift to make it to the weapon
shop. Get ready to make some serious money, then sell all your copies of the
following items:
> Phoenix Pinion > Mage's Hat
> Tent > Ritual Hat
> Rising Sun > Golden Hairpin
> Wing Edge > Gold Helm
> Exploda > Bronze Vest
> Rune Tooth > Adaman Vest
> Ice Brand > Survival Vest
> Healing Rod > Brigandine
> Lamia's Flute > Magician Cloak
> Oak Staff > Demon's Mail
> Fork > Germinas Boots
> Bone Wrist > Anklet
> Mythril Armlet > Promist Ring
> Chimera Armlet > Yellow Scarf
> Egoist's Armlet > Fairy Earrings
> Mythril Gloves > Angel Earrings
> Magus Hat > Cachusha
-Having stuffed your wallet, buy the following equipment:
> 2 Rune Blade
> 2 Obelisk
> 2 Tiger Fangs
> 1 Venetia Shield
> 3 Diamond Armor
-Now leave Daguerreo, taking the Capricorn Stellazzio on your way out if you
wish, and fly to Ipsen's Castle.
-Save your game before entering.
-Enter and let Amarant leave if you want; you can't keep him from leaving
anyway.
-Take Steiner, Quina and Garnet with you into the castle.
-Go through the door in the back; the Aquarius Stellazzio can be found to the
right after entering.
-Equip the party as follows:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | STEINER | QUINA | GARNET |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Zorlin Shape | Flame Saber | | |
| Green Beret | Mythril Helm | Bandana | Green Beret |
| | Thunder Gloves | N-Kai Armlet | |
| Judo Uniform | Diamond Armor | | |
| Feather Boots | Coral Ring | Rebirth Ring | Opal |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ability Up | Add Status | Auto-Life | Ability Up |
| | Ability Up | | |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Deliver Mogki's letter and save.
TARGET TIME: 09:59:16
TARGET GIL : 40,464
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
XII) IPSEN'S CASTLE - BLAIRSURPASS PLAINS: (D3-12)
===============================================================================
.-------------------------------------.
| Extension | Running Shoes |
`-------------------------------------'
-Slide down the pole to the right, then climb the ladder and enter the
doorway at the other end of the room.
-Enter the next door, climb down the ladder and climb all the way up the next
one.
-Enter the doorway, then take the lift.
-Take all 4 mirrors, then go down the steps to fight...
--------------
BOSS: Taharka
--------------
-Simply have Steiner attack and inflict Heat on Taharka, which will promptly
end the battle.
-I strongly urge you to reset until Steiner inflicts Heat successfully as it
is much faster than using Limit Glove and not that unlikely either. Try to
have it inflicted on the first or second round. You've undoubtedly had much
worse reset sessions than this one if you made it this far, so this should
not pose much of a problem.
-If you've got the time to spare, then don't bother with this and just abuse
Limit Glove. To do this, knock out Quina and immediately have Garnet cast
Reflect on him/her after Auto-Life kicks in. 2 Limit Glove and 1 or 2
physical attacks from Zidane and Steiner will suffice to end this battle.
-After the battle, Zidane should master Auto-Float, Steiner should master Man
Eater and Insomniac and Garnet should master Shiva. If he didn't master it
in Oeilvert, Zidane will also master Distract here.
-Run back the way you came and exit Ipsen's Castle; I suggest saving on the
way out.
-Run back and get Amarant from the chamber below the courtyard.
-Leave Ipsen's Castle.
-When given the option to form a party, choose Steiner, Vivi and Quina.
-Fly to the Water Shrine, the Fire Shrine, and the Wind Shrine.
-Next, fly to Treno and head to the Knight's Armory; unequip Quina of all of
his/her equipment and save your game.
-Challenge Amdusias and get knocked out as quickly as possible. Then, equip
the Reflect Ring and the Auto-Reflect ability and challenge Amdusias again.
-Simply use Limit Glove; Amdusias can't hurt you with Bio or LV4 Holy, and it
needs to ascend before it can use Horn, which takes a long time.
-Take care not to heal Quina after this fight.
-Leave Treno, board the airship and head for the Earth Shrine.
-Equip Zidane with the Red Hat, Gaia Gear and Reflect Ring, and Quina with
the Rebirth Ring. Activate Zidane's Auto-Reflect and Devil Killer abilities
and Quina's Auto-Life ability.
-Place Zidane in the front row.
O---------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]--------------------------O
-Activate Zidane's Distract and MP Attack, too.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Save your game.
-Enter the Earth Shrine and dodge the sliding walls.
---------------------
BOSS: Earth Guardian
---------------------
-2 Limit Glove and a physical attack is all you need to win. If Zidane is at
LV 18 and luck is on your side, then you might even get by with only 1 Limit
Glove.
-Quina should still be at 1 HP from the battle with Amdusias, so you can
begin casting Limit Glove right away.
*thanks to Louis1980 for suggesting to fight Amdusias in this circuit and
this way avoid having to fight an extra battle to prepare Quina for Limit
Glove*
-When prompted to form a party, take Garnet, Steiner, and Freya.
-Fly to the plateau above Gizamaluke's Grotto (the one with the 2 forests)
and land there.
-Equip your party as follows:
O---------------------------[ PATH A | LV 1 PATH ]--------------------------O
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | GARNET | STEINER |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Zorlin Shape | | | Coral Sword |
| Green Beret | Cross Helm | Green Beret | Cross Helm |
| | Diamond Gloves | | Diamond Gloves |
| | Chain Mail | | Shield Armor |
| Reflect Ring | Diamond | Feather Boots | |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ability Up | Ability Up | Ability Up | Ability Up |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | GARNET | STEINER |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Zorlin Shape | | | Coral Sword |
| Green Beret | Cross Helm | Green Beret | Cross Helm |
| | Diamond Gloves | | Diamond Gloves |
| | Chain Mail | | Shield Armor |
| Rebirth Ring | Reflect Ring | Feather Boots | |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Ability Up | Ability Up | Ability Up | Ability Up |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-The equipment mentioned only covers the essential abilities; you can add
more equipment to make the most of the AP which you'll gain.
-Save your game.
-Find the Rainbow Garuda in the eastern forest and give it a Lapis Lazuli to
get 40 AP.
-Zidane should master Ability Up and Clear Headed; he'll also master
Auto-Reflect if you equipped him with the Reflect Ring, and Flee if he
didn't do so earlier.
-Garnet should master Mini, Float, Auto-Float and Clear Headed.
-Steiner should master Charge!, HP+10%, Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer,
Ability Up, and Jelly.
-Freya should master HP+10%, Distract, MP Attack, Bird Killer, Devil Killer,
Ability Up and Jelly; she'll also master Body Temp if you equipped her with
the Diamond.
-After the battle, go into the other forest on this plateau and you should be
able to enter Gizamaluke's Grotto from there. Speak to Moguta and give him a
Kupo Nut; you will receive an Extension in return. Like the Elixir on Disc 2,
this most likely doesn't affect your Treasure Hunting Rank, but you can only
get it on Disc 3, making this one rather special. Get it while you're here
if you want, it only takes like 30 seconds.
O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]--------------------------------O
-Fly to the forest near the Iifa Tree and save your game.
-Encounter the Green Nymph and give it 3 Ore in order to have Zidane finish
learning Auto-Life and Freya finish learning Auto-Reflect. The other
characters can be whoever you want.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Unequip your party, then fly to the Forgotten Continent and save on the
grass by the Qu's Marsh.
TARGET TIME: 10:22:58
TARGET GIL : 53,068
ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Rainbow Garuda and Green Nymph)
===============================================================================
XIII) BLAIRSURPASS PLAINS - BRAN BAL STORAGE: (D3-13)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Remedy | Mythril Racket | Dragon Wrist | Angel Earrings |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Elixir | Coronet | Demon's Vest | Wing Edge |
|------------------o------------------o------------------,------------------'
| Elixir | Flash Hat | Minerva's Plate |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
-Board the Hilda Garde 3 and fly to the Shimmering Island just north of the
tip of the Forgotten Continent.
-On Terra, form a party with Garnet, Steiner and Eiko.
-Make sure Steiner is equipped with the Diamond Gloves and Coral Ring;
activate his Distract ability.
-Head down the path to the left to find a Coronet and a Dragon Wrist, then
return to the main path and continue onward.
-Open the chest to the left for an Elixir, then head across the blue bridge.
-Go down the rightmost web to find another chest, then go down the other web
and jump across the gap.
-Open the chest behind the wall for a Mythril Racket, then continue downward.
-Open the next chest, then go across another blue bridge.
-Go left "into" the wall just before the first set of stairs to enter a
hidden path; go downward to find a chest with a Minerva's Plate inside.
-Equip Garnet with the Magic Racket, Lamia's Tiara, Magic Armlet, Minerva's
Plate and Ribbon; activate the Auto-Float ability!
-Go back up and climb the stairs to reach Bran Bal.
-Form a party with Freya, Quina and whomever, then go down the right stairway.
-Enter the storage area; open the chest for a Wing Edge, then free Moorock
from the urn.
-You'll probably need some extra money to make the upcoming purchases, so
sell the following items:
> Wing Edge
> Mythril Racket
> Dragon Wrist
> Red Hat
> Coronet
> Gaia Gear
> Demon's Vest
> Shield Armor
> Extension
-Buy the following equipment from Moorock:
> 1 Orichalcon
> 1 Defender
> 1 Holy Lance
> 2 Adaman Hat
> 30 Phoenix Down
> 1 Minerva's Plate (Path A, Path B)
-If you can't afford all of this, skip the Defender and the Phoenix Down; you
can buy them right after the forced battles coming up.
-Equip your characters as follows:
O--------------------------------[ PATH A ]---------------------------------O
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Orichalcon | Holy Lance | Silver Fork |
| Green Beret | Barbut | Adaman Hat |
| N-Kai Armlet | Venetia Shield | N-Kai Armlet |
| Power Vest | Minerva's Plate | |
| Black Belt | Barette | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------'
| Auto-Reflect | Distract | Auto-Life |
| Distract | MP Attack | |
| MP Attack | Bird Killer | |
| Gamble Defense | | |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
O--------------------------------[ PATH B ]---------------------------------O
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Orichalcon | Holy Lance | Silver Fork |
| Green Beret | Barbut | Adaman Hat |
| N-Kai Armlet | Venetia Shield | N-Kai Armlet |
| Power Vest | Minerva's Plate | |
| Black Belt | Black Belt | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------'
| Auto-Life | Auto-Reflect | Auto-Life |
| Auto-Float | Distract | |
| | MP Attack | |
| | Gamble Defense | |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
O-------------------------------[ LV 1 PATH ]-------------------------------O
.--------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | FREYA | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o
| Orichalcon | Holy Lance | Silver Fork |
| Green Beret | Mythril Helm | Adaman Hat |
| N-Kai Armlet | Diamond Gloves | N-Kai Armlet |
| Power Vest | | |
| Dark Matter | Reflect Ring | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------'
| Auto-Reflect | Auto-Reflect | Auto-Life |
| Distract | Bird Killer | |
| MP Attack | | |
| Gamble Defense | | |
`--------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
-Save your game and reset.
-Buy Stiltzkin's new deal, then exit the storage area.
-Walk leftwards along the water to reach the left area of Bran Bal.
-Pick up the Angel Earrings by the water, then move to the bottom of the
screen and head to the right of the stairs to enter a secret area; jump over
the water to find a chest with a Flash Hat inside.
-Return to the left area of Bran Bal and enter the house on the left.
-After the scenes, enter the doorway at the top of the area.
-Go down the stairs and pick up the Elixir at the bottom of the screen, then
speak with the girl nearby; follow her back up the stairs.
-As Eiko, pick up the Elixir in the back of the room.
-Return to the storage area, accept Moorock's letter for Mozme and save your
game.
TARGET TIME: 10:35:01
ENCOUNTERS : 3
===============================================================================
XIV) BRAN BAL STORAGE - PANDEMONIUM MAZE: (D3-14)
===============================================================================
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Elixir | Carabini Mail | Battle Boots | 20,007 Gil |
|------------------,--------------------------------------------------------'
| Holy Miter |
`------------------'
-Go to the entrance of Bran Bal and through the yellow-green force field.
-After a brief scene, go onward and speak to the girl.
-As Zidane, follow Garland through Pandemonium, jumping from platform to
platform.
-You will eventually face 3 consecutive battles in which your party will have
to absorb 3 doses of unavoidable EXP.
O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH B ]----------------------------O
-Have Freya absorb the EXP from Amdusias, Zidane the EXP from Abadon and
Garnet the EXP from Shell Dragon.
O-------------------------------[ LV 1 PATH ]-------------------------------O
-Have Zidane absorb the EXP from all 3 battles.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
----------
AMDUSIAS:
----------
-The battle always begins with Amdusias casting Bio, which will knock out
Zidane, regardless of whether he is at LV 1 or LV 18. But thanks to
Auto-Life or Auto-Reflect, he will survive this first attack. Just wait for
his ATB gauge to refill and Freya will appear.
-Once Freya has joined the battle, do not take any actions; wait for the
enemy's attack before doing anything.
-If no one is knocked out, have both Zidane and Freya attack. Otherwise, have
the survivor revive the knocked out character with a Phoenix Down and wait
until the next round.
-Repeat this procedure until Amarant shows up; this will require around 6,000
damage to be inflicted on the monster.
-Once Amarant appears, do not take any actions and wait for the monster's
attack.
-Repeat the strategy used to make Amarant appear until you've dealt around
5,000 damage to Amdusias.
-At that point, 1 more hit will deal the final blow, regardless of who it is
that deals it. Simply wait for the enemy's move, then knock out everyone
besides the designated winner for your stat path and attack to end the
battle.
--------
ABADON:
--------
-This battle actually depends solely on Abadon's first attack; you've pretty
much won the battle if it doesn't knock out Quina.
-The idea is to have Quina get knocked out by Abadon's second attack and then
get revived with 1 HP, just in time to be guaranteed a shot with Limit Glove.
Therefore, have Steiner attack himself if he isn't knocked out during the
first round to force this to strategy in the second round.
-If Quina is knocked out by the first attack, then your only hope is Quina
not getting targeted again in the second round.
-Zidane will join the battle after Abadon's second attack.
-Have Zidane Defend and Quina use Limit Glove as soon as possible; you are
almost guaranteed to be able to do this before the third attack.
-Wait for Abadon's third attack, then knock out whomever is not designated to
absorb the EXP and attack again to win the battle.
*thanks to InvncblGrlnd for this much simpler and much more effective
strategy*
--------------
SHELL DRAGON:
--------------
-Have Zidane Defend and use Hi-Potion to heal; do not attack as the enemy
will be healed after Garnet joins the battle.
-Shell Dragon will eventually use Smash to reduce your HP to 1, which will
make Garnet appear and heal you to full health.
-Once that happens, begin attacking Shell Dragon. It has 10,921 HP; keep
track of how much you've done.
-Zidane's physical attack deals variable damage, but always within set
boundaries and at regular intervals; check out the Battle Mechanics Guide
and the Monster Guide (both written by rebirth flame 2002) to learn how to
calculate these variables. You can also calculate how much damage you can
take from Charge and Earth Shake, which will help you in deciding when to
heal with an Elixir and when to use a Hi-Potion instead.
-Fighting from the front row means you do more damage per hit, but it also
means you have to heal more often. The opposite is true for the back row.
Due to the limited amount of Elixir, I suggest you move Zidane to the back
row at the start of the battle.
-Don't do anything before you see the effects of the monster's attack. If you
are hit with Smash, use an Elixir. Otherwise, attack or heal, depending on
just how much damage was dealt.
-The attacks Shell Dragon uses are chosen completely at random, so you just
need to cross your fingers that he doesn't use Smash or Charge too often.
-Now, if your stat path requires Garnet to absorb the EXP from Shell Dragon,
then you must decide whether you want to keep all your Eidolons un-flagged
as part of your perfect save. What this means is that they have not yet been
used and will therefore appear in their full animation the first time they
are summoned, regardless of whether or not you activate Boost. Every Eidolon
has such a hidden property. It's fairly irrelevant and trivial, but you
don't NEED to use any of the Eidolons during this challenge, or even the
game, so I guess it's nice to keep them un-flagged. It doesn't require much
extra effort or risk, either. The only thing is, Madeen cannot be kept
un-flagged due to it being summoned automatically against Meltigemini. So,
you can either keep as many Eidolons un-flagged as possible, or none; your
choice.
-If you don't care about keeping Shiva un-flagged, then simply reduce Shell
Dragon's HP to 1,421 or less and make certain that Zidane has used up his
Auto-Life if he had it activated. The safe way to de-activate Auto-Life is
to revive Garnet until she survives one of the monster's attacks, then
promptly have Zidane attack himself and Garnet chuck an Elixir at him after
he is revived; this will prevent you getting a Game Over if Shell Dragon's
next attack is Charge. With that out of the way, simply go about reviving
Garnet until she manages to get a turn. Once that happens, have Zidane knock
himself out and Garnet summon Shiva for the win.
-The cooler way to end this battle is to manipulate Shell Dragon's HP with
Potions, Hi-Potions and gems so that he is left with around 200 or 300 HP.
Once you've done that, revive Garnet and have her attack Shell Dragon to
deal 72, 76 or 80 damage. Repeat this until it has 72 or less HP left, at
which point you should have Zidane knock himself out and Garnet attack for
the win. This does take slightly longer, but unless you're extremely late,
it won't make a difference anyway.
-Your party is reunited once again after the third battle.
-Head back along the corridor to find Moorock. His Mogshop is the same, so if
you couldn't afford to buy everything needed earlier, do so now by selling
the Flash Hat and the Angel Earrings.
-Form a party with Zidane, Steiner, Freya and Quina; unequip Garnet before
removing her from the party.
-Save your game.
TARGET TIME: 10:50:01
-You'll probably enter at least 1 battle before you reach the next save point.
-Activate Zidane's Auto-Life ability (by equipping the Rebirth Ring if needed,
otherwise give it to Quina so he/she gets Auto-Life, too), and remove all
equipment from your characters.
-In a battle, have everyone besides Zidane knock themselves out and Zidane
throw a Phoenix Down at Steiner or Freya. Now get him knocked out to be
revived with 1 HP and Flee the battle. You can divide this process between
more than 1 battle to make it easier.
-Do not revive Quina unless Auto-Life does it for you, and do NOT heal anyone
at all during this process; the point of this is to get the entire party to
critical HP!
-Go back a screen and search the throne for a Holy Miter.
-Now go onward until you reach a room with many columns. Press the switch at
the top and make your way between the columns, taking care not to pass by a
lighted one. The sequence of changing lights is always identical, so try to
memorize a path through this room.
-Cross the light-bridge and approach the machine; set it to height 3, then
continue into the next room.
-Run around the path to the higher dock and board the lift, then run up again
and board from the dock to the right to be taken to a chest with 20,007 Gil
inside.
-Return to the control panel and set it to 4, then take the lift from the
dock closest to the entrance.
-Climb all the way up and board from the leftmost dock to be taken to the
next floor.
-From the center, head to the right and take the pink teleporter.
-In the maze, take the 2 blue teleporters on either side of the pink one to
be taken to 2 paths, each leading to a chest; the teleporter to the right
takes you to an Elixir, while the teleporter on the far left takes you to a
Carabini Mail.
-Return and take the pink teleporter back to the floor below.
-Now take the leftmost pink teleporter; take the path which branches off to
the right to reach a chest containing Battle Boots.
-Go back and take the path to the next blue teleporter which will eventually
bring you to Mozme's level.
-Equip your party as follows before moving on:
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ZIDANE | STEINER | FREYA | QUINA |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Orichalcon | Defender | Holy Lance | Silver Fork |
| Adaman Hat | Cross Helm | Mythril Helm | Adaman Hat |
| N-Kai Armlet | Diamond Gloves | Diamond Gloves | N-Kai Armlet |
| Power Vest | Chain Mail | Diamond Armor | |
| Black Belt | Power Belt | Barette | Rebirth Ring |
|------------------o------------------o------------------o------------------|
| Distract | Distract | Distract | Auto-Life |
| MP Attack | MP Attack | MP Attack | |
| Bird Killer | Bird Killer | Bird Killer | |
| Man Eater | Man Eater | Man Eater | |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
-Place everyone in the front row and make certain that the entire party is at
critical HP.
-Deliver the letter from Moorock and save your game.
-If Quina is knocked out, revive him/her and reset until he/she is revived
with 1 HP, then save the game again.
TARGET TIME: 10:57:43
ENCOUNTERS : 2
===============================================================================
XV) PANDEMONIUM MAZE - START OF DISC 4: (D3-15)
===============================================================================
-Continue onward, telling Mozme that you are sure you want to continue.
--------------------
BOSS: Silver Dragon
--------------------
-This battle depends on 1 thing and 1 thing only; Silver Dragon MUST use its
Claw attack as its opening move and either hit Quina or miss completely.
-Simply have Steiner use Charge!, Zidane and Freya attack and Quina cast
Limit Glove to totally annihilate this boss.
--------------
BOSS: Garland
--------------
-Just use Charge!, physical attacks from Zidane and Freya and Limit Glove to
end this battle in 2 or 3 rounds.
-Have Freya distribute Ether to anyone low on MP, especially Steiner.
-----------
BOSS: Kuja
-----------
-Use the same strategy as for Garland.
-Run down the path and across the bridge to the teleporter between the eyes.
-Enter Bran Bal and wait to save.
TARGET TIME: 11:10:54
===============================================================================
* CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 3! (G07) *
===============================================================================
_ _ _ _
,' :
,' :
. :
.- - - - - - . ,' :
: `. . :
: : ,' , :
: _ _ _ : . ,: :
: : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. , ,_: :_
: : : : :_ _ _; : : : : : :
: : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; : :
: :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' : _ _ _ _ _ _:
: : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : :
: ,' : : : : : : : :
:_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : :
: :
:_ _ _ _;
i) START OF DISC 4 - Memoria Entrance (D4-01)
ii) Memoria Entrance - Memoria The Past (D4-02)
iii) Memoria The Past - Memoria Portal (D4-03)
iv) Memoria Portal - Memoria Time Warp (D4-04)
v) Memoria Time Warp - EXCALIBUR II (D4-05)
===============================================================================
I) START OF DISC 4 - MEMORIA ENTRANCE: (D4-01)
===============================================================================
-Choose to take Steiner, Freya and Quina with you and fly to the Iifa Tree.
-Repeat the process used in Pandemonium to reduce your characters' HP levels
to the critical point.
-Equip your party as you did in Pandemonium, but with the following changes:
-Equip Steiner with the Mythril Helm and Quina with the Holy Miter and
Emerald.
-Activate Zidane's Auto-Life ability (and Quina's if Zidane doesn't need the
Rebirth Ring).
-Activate Quina's MP+10% ability and everyone's Insomniac ability,
sacrificing Distract if necessary.
-Save your game once more, then fly into the purple orb above the Iifa Tree.
------------------
BOSS: Nova Dragon
------------------
-You've won this battle if you survive long enough to cast Night.
-Once you have, simply wait for all your characters' ATB gauges to fill, then
quickly select Charge!, followed by Zidane and Freya's physical attacks and
finished with Night.
-You must select Night as the last command of the round, and it must be
selected before Nova Dragon wakes up; if it does, then you may as well reset.
For this reason, you should begin inputting your commands with Charge!, as
it has a short animation during which you can finish inputting everything
else before Nova Dragon is attacked.
-Have Freya use an Ether on Quina once he/she runs out of MP; Quina has
enough MP for exactly 3 castings of Night.
-You should quickly win this battle, the only problem is surviving the boss's
opening attack.
-Keep the same characters in your party when prompted to form a new one.
-Replace Zidane's, Steiner's and Freya's Insomniac abilities for Distract and
their Bird Killer and Man Eater abilities for Devil Killer. Also, activate
Zidane's Bandit ability and give the Rebirth Ring to Quina once again to
activate his/her Auto-Life ability.
-Make sure that everyone is in the front row.
-Use an Ether on everyone.
-Run up the brick path and to the colorful orb to save your game.
TARGET TIME: 11:20:15
===============================================================================
II) MEMORIA ENTRANCE - MEMORIA THE PAST: (MALIRIS) (D4-02)
===============================================================================
.------------------.
| The Tower |
`------------------'
-Do NOT equip Freya with Kain's Lance if you pick it up here; the Holy Lance
is stronger if she also has the Mythril Helm equipped, as she should.
-Head onward and pick up The Tower; equip it on Zidane.
--------------
BOSS: Maliris
--------------
-DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI ARMOR!!!
-Charge! and physical attacks from Zidane and Freya will make short work of
Maliris.
-Place Quina on healing duty by having him/her distribute Phoenix Down and
Ether; the boss can only target 1 character per round, so you can't really
lose. If Quina is the one knocked out, have Freya revive him/her.
-Keep track of how much damage you are doing, and cast Auto-Life on someone
or have Freya Jump just before dealing the finishing blow; Maliris will use
Raining Swords as a final attack after being defeated, which will mean Game
Over if you don't.
-Equip Steiner with the Ultima Sword if you happened to steal it while going
for the Genji Armor.
-Revert your party's equipment and abilities to those used for the Nova
Dragon boss fight.
-Revive the party and use an Ether on whomever needs one, but DO NOT restore
anyone's HP!
-Save your game by using the secret save point on the right side of the
little balcony overlooking Alexandria Castle.
TARGET TIME: 11:26:49
ENCOUNTERS : 2
===============================================================================
III) MEMORIA THE PAST - MEMORIA PORTAL: (TIAMAT) (D4-03)
===============================================================================
-Continue onward until you reach a screen with the "eye" of the Invincible;
go up the stairs to initiate the next boss battle.
-------------
BOSS: Tiamat
-------------
-DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE BLOOD SWORD!!!
-The tactics for this battle are identical to those used for Nova Dragon.
-Continue into the next screen, where you can find another secret save point
about halfway up the stairs and to the right, just below a lamp; save your
game.
*thanks to AtmaChild for reminding me about the secret save point here*
-Change your party back to the one used for Maliris, except that Zidane will
need the Ribbon. Make sure that Steiner and Freya both have a pair of
Diamond Gloves equipped, and that everyone besides Quina has Distract
activated.
-Revive the party and once again use Ether on anyone low on MP.
-Save at the colorful orb before the waterfall.
TARGET TIME: 11:37:06
ENCOUNTERS : 3
===============================================================================
IV) MEMORIA PORTAL - MEMORIA TIME WARP: (KRAKEN) (D4-04)
===============================================================================
-Walk under the waterfall and up the steps until you get ambushed by...
-------------
BOSS: Kraken
-------------
-DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI HELMET!!!
-Use Steiner's Charge! and Zidane and Freya's physical attacks; big surprise,
huh?
-Kraken will counter every attack against it, but you will absorb or nullify
it if it's Water-based and likely dodge it if it's not.
-Zidane's HP will quickly be healed by the Ribbon's Water absorption property,
but that's better than being knocked out. However, keep track of the damage
you've dealt and have Zidane knock himself out before the battle ends.
-Have Quina distribute Phoenix Down and Ether as necessary.
-This battle will last a long time due to all the counterattacks, but there
really isn't any way to lose short of knocking everyone out yourself.
-Continue up the stairs and across the wires to a secret save point in the
right corner of the screen.
-Equip Zidane with the Feather Boots and Steiner and Freya with a Venetia
Shield each; activate all of their Auto-Float abilities, sacrificing
Distract if necessary.
-Make sure that Zidane, Steiner and Freya are all at critical HP; Quina no
longer makes a difference.
-Use Ether on anyone in need of MP replenishment, then save your game.
TARGET TIME: 11:45:20
ENCOUNTERS : 0
===============================================================================
V) MEMORIA TIME WARP - EXCALIBUR II: (LICH) (D4-05)
===============================================================================
.------------------.
.~. | Excalibur II ^_^ | .~.
~..' `------------------' `..~
-Having equipped your party as described earlier, simply run to the door and
climb the ladders to reach Lich's chamber.
-----------
BOSS: Lich
-----------
-DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI GLOVES!!!
-The almighty Charge! rips Lich to shreds, especially with Freya dealing
9,999 damage with a simple physical attack thanks to Lich's weakness to Holy.
-Have Zidane attack as well, and Quina distribute Phoenix Down, Ether or
Remedy as needed.
-This is an extremely disappointing final battle for this challenge :(
-Once you defeat Lich, approach the broken column on the right side of the
chamber and examine the field icon to find a note to Gilgamesh and the
EXCALIBUR II!
___ .-.
/ `. .-. : :
: __; .' `. : :
: :__ ,--. ,-.,-. ,-.-.,-.,-. .--. `. .' .--. :_;
: :: :: :: ,. :: :: :: ,._;' .; ; : : `._-.' _
`.___.'`.__.':_;:_;`._. ::_; `.__,_;:_; `.__.' :_;
.-. :
`._.'
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | LEFTOVERS | (H00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
Now that you have the BASIS for a perfect save, you have to build on it.
Here is a rundown of the goals which you have to meet in order to have a real
perfect save. Of course, these are only my suggestions and you can have a
different opinion on this matter, but I think that in meeting these goals you
will be as complete as possible.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| SIDE-QUESTS (H01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Revive Mognet Central.
2) Find and submit all the Stellazzio coins.
3) Defeat Behemoth in the Treno Weapon Shop.
4) Buy Stiltzkin's final deal in Alexandria.
5) Encounter all the Friendly Monsters.
6) Defeat the Ragtime Mouse and answer all its questions correctly.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MINI-GAMES (H02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Complete Chocobo Hot&Cold (including the Dead Pepper treasures and
visiting all the beaches), perhaps with beak LV 99 and max or no points if
you want. You may also want to pay attention to some of the stats quoted
by Mene when going about completing this mini-game perfectly.
2) Collect all 100 cards and get at least 1500 collector's points to show
that each card is unique. When you finally have a save you are 100% happy
with, you can try to get to 1700, one card at a time (or 1699, as the card
menu glitches at 1700, unfortunately). Each card should also reach its
highest possible numerical stats as well.
3) Complete the Jump Rope mini-game for the King of Jump Rope key item. You
may want to try to get this on the first try to have a record of 1000 for
1st place and 0's for the 2nd and 3rd places. Alternatively, you may want
to get 1000 3 times.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CHARACTERS (H03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Complete your chosen stat path.
2) Master all abilities for all characters.
3) Power up Thievery, Dragon's Crest and Frog Drop to maximum damage. If you
decided to keep your party at LV 1 for your perfect save, then just catch
101 frogs, this is the minimum necessary for maximum damage at LV 99. I
wouldn't even try powering up Frog Drop to deal 9,999 damage at LV 1; that
takes 9,999 frogs!
4) Keep all Eidolons un-flagged (where they appear in full animation the
first time you summon them; i.e., don't summon any ever). With the
exception of Madeen, which is un-flagged automatically for plot purposes,
all Eidolons can be kept un-flagged for as long as you want.
5) Get maximum or minimum EXP for all characters. The minimum EXP needed to
reach LV 99 is 6,633,167, while the maximum EXP a character can have is
9,999,999. Use different combinations of enemies and the Level Up ability
when aiming for the minimum EXP.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| ITEMS (H04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Get the rest of the missable and unique items, including the synthesized
ones.
2) Get all ultimate weapons.
3) Buy all non-missable items in "perfect" amounts; just like the missable
items.
4) Get all the Aloha gear.
5) Get 99 of all non-unique gems, including Aquamarine. Use Eiko's Jewel
spell to quickly accumulate all the necessary Ore; it can be used
repeatedly in a single battle until you have 99. You can get all the gems
by synthesizing Ore with various status cures.
6) Get 9 Promist Rings and the Thief Gloves from the Auction House. In order
to make Promist Ring appear up for auction, you must not have any in your
inventory, so equip one on each of your characters until they all have one
and then buy one more for your inventory.
7) Get 9 Protect Rings; play Chocobo Hot&Cold in Chocobo's Air Garden for all
those points.
8) Get 99 of all recovery items, including Phoenix Pinion, Ether, and Elixir.
Phoenix Pinion and Ether can be synthesized at the Legendary Synthesis
Shop. The only way to get more Elixir is to steal them from Yan.
9) Don't use the Hammer to synthesize the Tin Armor! The Hammer extends the
game's ending and having it still allows you to get the Tin Armor whenever
you want, whereas getting the Tin Armor is an irreversible decision.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| OPTIONAL BOSSES (H05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Defeat Quale.
2) Defeat Hades.
3) Defeat Ozma.
NOTE: It might be fun to try to defeat these bosses at LV 1. Try it out, as
you don't usually have such an opportunity in a regular game.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MISCELLANEOUS (H06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
1) Buy all the key items from the Treno Auction house. If you want, you can
resell them once and then reacquire them again.
2) Discover the secret of the Eidolon Wall.
3) Get max Gil, no Gil, or whatever other amount satisfies you. The most Gil
you can hold is 9,999,999.
4) Open all remaining chests and search all remaining field icons.
5) Claim the Rank S Medal. The Four-Armed Man will disappear after giving you
the key item, so make sure you have some copies of the unique airship
cards he carries before claiming the Rank S Medal.
6) Trip the remaining traps in Ipsen's Castle, or not.
* * *
I hope no one is disappointed, but I won't actually be covering any of this
in this guide; I think it's unnecessary with all the good FAQs already up on
these subjects.
I recommend YSF's "Secrets and Side-Quests Guide" for help with most of the
above points, as well as rebirth flame 2002's "Equipment List and Locations"
FAQ for help with the item section.
Trifthen's "Tetra Master FAQ" covers the card game quite well, and provides
some effective strategies and useful advice if you aren't too familiar with
Tetra Master. Use it in conjunction with either rebirth flame 2002's or
Barubary's "Card Locations FAQ"s.
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | PERFECT STATS | (I00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
This section is meant to show you how to make the most of your characters'
stat potential, and to explain why this is the best way to do it. The premise
of all this is that every character has a universal set of stat priorities
and that perfect stats are those which fulfill those priorities as best as
possible simultaneously.
Each character's stat priority is to get 50 Spirit, and as much Strength or
Magic as possible, depending on the character. Speed is ignored completely
unless it is gotten along with the superior Spirit, Strength or Magic boosts.
The order of importance and focus is thus:
1. Spirit >>> 2. Strength/Magic >>> 3. Strength/Magic >>> 4. Speed
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| REASONING (I01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
WHY ORDERED STATS?
All characters are required to reach 50 Spirit as part of the perfect stats
criteria. The reason for this is two-fold. For one, Spirit is the only stat
which everyone can max out, and it is the cheapest one to max out as well. If
we're going for perfect stats, we may as well max out the one which can
actually reach its max for every character in the party. Second, Spirit is
just as, if not more, important than Strength and Magic. It affects many
aspects of battle and the effects of having a high Spirit are more noticeable
than those of having a high Strength or Magic. As support, here is what the
game's instruction booklet openly tells us:
"Spirit affects the character's attack and defense. Higher values enhance
your ability to Steal, Counter, and deal critical damage. Also, the
character's Spirit determines how long status effects remain and how
quickly the Trance Gauge fills."
I'll also add that it directly affects the healing rate of Regen, which is
downright ridiculous at 50 Spirit; you'll regain HP nearly equal to your max
during even moderate-length spells and attacks, effectively making you
invincible.
Each character has a primary stat. Strength is the primary stat for those who
tend to use physical attacks or whose moves are based on the Strength stat.
Magic is the primary stat for those who use magic or whose moves are based on
the Magic stat. One of these 2 stats always takes second priority, and the
other one takes third place, as Strength and Magic are used for HP and MP,
which everyone needs regardless of their role in battle.
Speed is ignored completely unless it is gotten for free along with superior
boosts in the other stats. The reason for this is that Speed is, believe it
or not, irrelevant. Due to the way the ATB system works, Speed does nothing!
One would think that characters with higher Speed ratings would act more
often; this is not the case as the differences are not large enough to ever
result in a character acting twice for every time another acts only once.
Just play the game and you'll notice this right away; input actions the
moment a character gets a turn and no one will ever act more often than
another. This happens because only one target can act at any given time;
everyone else must wait for that target to finish before doing anything,
REGARDLESS of how long ago their ATB gauge filled and REGARDLESS of how long
ago they chose a course of action. This results in battles actually playing
out in ROUNDS, although it isn't obvious without some thought. So at this
point, one could at least hope that Speed would affect the ORDER in which
characters act, with the one with the highest Speed getting the first turn in
battle. Alas, this is not the case, either. ATB gauges start out at a random
point at the beginning of every battle. The MOST Speed could do is change the
order of turns after a few rounds, but not the frequency. In any event, it
would never be worth it to trade a point of Spirit, Strength or Magic for a
point of Speed, not to mention that Speed is the hardest to raise, requiring
many other stat points to be forfeited in its favor.
WHY NO FINAL EQUIPMENT?
Simply put, this option gives you the most flexibility. You can use any
equipment you want without having to compromise your "perfect" set-up. In
practice this makes no difference and with or without final equipment is
meaningless. In theory, however, no final equipment is better, because in
theory there should be many different enemies requiring a variety of
strategies, including selecting the right equipment. Only no final equipment
allows for this without penalties to your perfect stat set.
Furthermore, no final equipment allows you to have a full item list with
characters at their max. You can remove all equipment and give everyone their
weakest weapons to completely fill your item list and also show your
characters at their maximum natural stats at the same time, with a maxed 50
Spirit being the main attraction.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| USING THE STRATEGIES PROVIDED (I02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
A short description of the goal of each set-up will be given. The actual
equipment to be used will be listed below that, in the format below:
.==========================================================================.
| PATH ? | SPR : ?? | STR : ?? | MAG : ?? | SPD : ?? |
.==========================================================================.
| ?? | Weapon : Head Gear : Arm Gear : Armor : Add-On |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
The numbers next to each set of equipment represent how many LEVEL UPS the
set is to be equipped for. So, if the number is 9, for example, then have
that set of equipment on for 9 Level Ups. This can be from LV 10 to 19, 67 to
76 or any other LVs, as long as you keep it on for a total of 9 and ONLY 9
Level Ups. You don't need to and sometimes can't equip these equipment sets
in order, but as long as each of them is equipped for the listed number of
Level Ups, it makes no difference. *T designates a set-up for Tantarian and
*P a set-up for Pandemonium.
Please keep in mind that these will be your characters' NATURAL stats at LV
99, without any gear equipped. Once you are done with your perfect save, you
will have to unequip all the gear from your characters in order to completely
fill your item list, leaving only their basic weapon, which everyone should
have 2 copies of at the end. Then you will see the stats listed, otherwise
you will usually have higher values thanks to equipment.
Due to the way your stats are calculated, Spirit will only reach 50 at around
LV 99 when using these strategies. You'll notice that for many of the set-ups
listed you are told to remove Spirit-raising equipment before you even reach
50 Spirit. This is correct, so just follow the steps and everything should
work out at LV 99, or slightly earlier.
Finally, the set-ups illustrated in this section are now GUARANTEED to be the
most optimal possible, thanks to them being generated by a computer program
written by letao! If, however, you somehow come up with something better,
don't hesitate to submit your discovery; this section will be updated with
your set-up and you'll be given credit for its discovery.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| ZIDANE (I03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Zidane is obviously a physical attacker, so all of his set-ups will focus
mainly on Strength. Speed and Magic are equally useless, but we will focus on
Magic because at least in theory, it is useful for paying for his Skills.
Furthermore, you obtain more stat points in total by focusing on Magic than
on Speed, and Zidane will still be by far the fastest character in the game.
It's just too bad that he isn't good for anything besides using that cheap
Thievery skill, and for stealing on rare occasions.
.==========================================================================.
| PATH A | SPR : 50 | STR : 77 | MAG : 61 | SPD : 34 |
.==========================================================================.
| *T | - : Ritual Hat : Bone Wrist : Survival V. : Black Belt |
| *P | Orichalcon : Green Beret : N-Kai Armlet: Power Vest : Black Belt |
| 03 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
| 24 | Masamune : Twist Head. : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 47 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Power Vest : Black Belt |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| PATH B | SPR : 50 | STR : 77 | MAG : 64 | SPD : 36 |
.==========================================================================.
| *P | Orichalcon : Green Beret : N-Kai Armlet: Power Vest : Black Belt |
| 04 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Judo Uniform: Dark Matter |
| 09 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Power Vest : Black Belt |
| 10 | Orichalcon : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 54 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| PATH C | SPR : 50 | STR : 78 | MAG : 62 | SPD : 35 |
.==========================================================================.
| 42 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 56 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Power Vest : Black Belt |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| LV 1 PATH | SPR : 50 | STR : 76 | MAG : 65 | SPD : 35 |
.==========================================================================.
| *T | - : Ritual Hat : Bone Wrist : Survival V. : Dark Matter |
| *P | Orichalcon : Green Beret : N-Kai Armlet: Power Vest : Dark Matter |
| 01 | Masamune : Thief Hat : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Ribbon |
| 01 | Masamune : Bandana : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Ribbon |
| 02 | Masamune : Bandana : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 23 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 40 | Masamune : Green Beret : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to letao for these set-ups!*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| GARNET (I04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Garnet has tremendous potential. Her stat-maxing equipment is superb and her
starting stats are also quite good, especially when it comes to Magic, her
primary stat. It should be noted that she does become quite a potent physical
attacker as well, especially when given a racket, which is a long-range
weapon, and something which raises Wind Elem-Atk. It's all thanks to the
wonderful selection of equipment.
.==========================================================================.
| ALL PATHS | SPR : 50 | STR : 56 | MAG : 89 | SPD : 30 |
.==========================================================================.
| *P | Magic Racket: Mantra Band : Magic Armlet: Minerva's P.: Ribbon |
| 03 | Stardust R. : Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Power Vest : Pearl Rouge |
| 74 | Magic Racket: Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Minerva's P.: Pearl Rouge |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VIVI (I05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Vivi is a simple character to engineer stat-wise. Obviously, his set-up will
focus on Magic. His selection of equipment is very good, so he'll end up with
a high Magic stat and 50 Spirit with no problems. Just like Garnet, Vivi also
ends up with 56 Strength, but his staves are neither long-range, nor can
their power be boosted by element-raising equipment. They do have Add Status
properties, though, but Strength doesn't come in handy for that.
.==========================================================================.
| ALL PATHS | SPR : 50 | STR : 54 | MAG : 83 | SPD : 26 |
.==========================================================================.
| 24 | - : Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Magician's R: Ribbon |
| 35 | - : Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: R. of Lords : Ribbon |
| 39 | - : Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Dark Gear : Ribbon |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to AtmaChild for this set-up!*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| STEINER (I06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
This strategy focuses mainly on maxing Steiner's Strength. Although you might
think that Steiner's Magic stat is also important due to his Sword Magic
abilities, this is not the case. Sword Magic is not a magical attack, it is
only a boosted, elemental physical attack. The only thing Steiner's Magic
stat is good for is providing MP, which is sad. But Sword Magic isn't cheap,
so I guess it does come in handy. Thanks to the Defender's boost to Spirit,
you can focus on Strength for almost all of the available 98 Level Ups and
make Steiner your most powerful physical attacker.
.==========================================================================.
| ALL PATHS | SPR : 50 | STR : 79 | MAG : 65 | SPD : 27 |
.==========================================================================.
| 17 | Defender : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Genji Armor : Dark Matter |
| 31 | Defender : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Maximillian : Dark Matter |
| 50 | Defender : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Diamond A. : Dark Matter |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for this set-up!*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| FREYA (I07) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Freya is similar to Steiner in most respects. She is a physical attacker;
none of her Dragon skills make use of the Magic stat. Lancer is physical,
Dragon Breath depends on the enemy's max and current HP, Cherry Blossom is
magical but uses Strength to determine damage, and Dragon's Crest has fixed
damage. However, those skills and her others do cost a lot of MP, therefore
her set-up will focus on Strength, while still getting as many Magic points
as possible along the way.
.==========================================================================.
| PATH A | SPR : 50 | STR : 71 | MAG : 68 | SPD : 29 |
.==========================================================================.
| *P | - : Barbut : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Barette |
| 12 | - : Barbut : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Pearl Rouge |
| 22 | - : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Pearl Rouge |
| 43 | - : Barbut : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Barette |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| PATH B & PATH C | SPR : 50 | STR : 71 | MAG : 66 | SPD : 29 |
.==========================================================================.
| *T | - : Barbut : Bronze Gl. : Plate Mail : Barette |
| *P | - : Barbut : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Black Belt |
| 03 | - : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Barette |
| 21 | - : Kaiser Helm : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Pearl Rouge |
| 50 | - : Barbut : Venetia Sh. : Minerva's P.: Barette |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to letao for these set-ups!*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| QUINA (I08) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Quina is an odd character, to say the least. In keeping with this, Quina is
surprising stat-wise as well; he/she uses neither Strength nor Magic! Quina's
physical attack damage follows a random formula and only 4 of his/her Blue
Magic spells use the Magic stat for damage, 1 of which does random damage
anyway (Twister), and 2 of which are hopelessly weak regardless (Goblin Punch
and LV4 Holy). So, what should Quina focus on? Here are the most common
arguments for all sides:
STRENGTH:
- HP is more important than MP and increases the potency of White Wind
- more STR increases the damage cap of Quina's physical attack, which is
useful with the Counter ability for free damage
- MP can be made up for with Half MP, MP+10%, and/or Absorb MP, but no
such boosts available for Strength
MAGIC:
- Quina is above all a Blue *Mage* with Blue *Magic*
- party has 4 Strength-oriented characters and 4 Magic-oriented characters
- Earth Shake is a powerful spell
- Quina can attain a higher maximum Magic than maximum Strength
BALANCED:
- best of both worlds
- probably what was intended by the developers
- no need to make tough decisions
- author's *official* choice ;)
.==========================================================================.
| STRENGTH | SPR : 50 | STR : 67 | MAG : 63 | SPD : 23 |
.==========================================================================.
| 30 | - : Holy Miter : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
| 30 | - : Holy Miter : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
| 38 | - : Holy Miter : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Rebirth Ring|
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| MAGIC | SPR : 50 | STR : 59 | MAG : 73 | SPD : 23 |
.==========================================================================.
| 41 | - : Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Dark Gear : Ribbon |
| 57 | - : Holy Miter : N-Kai Armlet: Dark Gear : Ribbon |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| BALANCED | SPR : 50 | STR : 65 | MAG : 67 | SPD : 23 |
.==========================================================================.
| 04 | - : Holy Miter : N-Kai Armlet: Dark Gear : Rebirth Ring|
| 94 | - : Holy Miter : N-Kai Armlet: Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.==========================================================================.
| PATH C | SPR : 50 | STR : 67 | MAG : 62 | SPD : 23 |
.==========================================================================.
| *P | - : Holy Miter : N-Kai Armlet: Light Robe : Black Belt |
| 08 | - : Holy Miter : N-Kai Armlet: R. of Lords : Rebirth Ring|
| 69 | - : Holy Miter : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to letao for the Strength-Oriented set-up*
*thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for the Magic-Oriented set-up and the Balanced
set-up!*
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| EIKO (I09) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Eiko is really the only support character in the game. Garnet leans decidedly
towards attack magic, whereas Eiko specializes in all sorts of defensive and
supportive spells and summons. The equipment pool is identical, so Eiko will
be just as good as Garnet stat-wise, but with a different role to play in
battle.
.==========================================================================.
| ALL PATHS | SPR : 50 | STR : 56 | MAG : 87 | SPD : 29 |
.==========================================================================.
| 05 | Magic Racket: Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: R. of Lords : Dark Matter |
| 13 | Magic Racket: Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Minerva's P.: Ribbon |
| 28 | Magic Racket: Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: R. of Lords : Ribbon |
| 52 | Magic Racket: Holy Miter : Magic Armlet: Minerva's P.: Pearl Rouge |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to Evans Smith for this set-up, and letao for simplifying it*
NOTE: These results assume that Marcus stayed at LV 1 while he was in the
party. If he gained any LVs, especially with stat-raising equipment,
then some of Eiko's stats may be higher. If you leveled Marcus then it
is in your interest to use another set-up, as this one may no longer be
optimal.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| AMARANT (I10) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
Amarant is very similar to Zidane, except that he has more Level Ups
available at the end of the challenge. Just like Zidane, Amarant has
absolutely no need for a Magic stat outside of MP; No Mercy is not a magical
attack. His moves don't require much MP, either. Strength will be the focus.
.==========================================================================.
| ALL PATHS | SPR : 50 | STR : 72 | MAG : 56 | SPD : 31 |
.==========================================================================.
| 07 | - : Mantra Band : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
| 21 | - : Mantra Band : N-Kai Armlet: Dark Gear : Dark Matter |
| 70 | - : Mantra Band : Power Wrist : Dark Gear : Black Belt |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'
*thanks to Evans Smith for this set-up!*
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | TREASURE LOCATIONS | (J00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
The following is a list of the locations of all the treasures in FFIX, in
case you can't find some of them. They are listed by the area in which they
appear and then in categorical order; medicinal items are listed first,
followed by equipment, gems, cards, key items and finally Gil. The areas are
listed in the order in which you first visit them.
An [F] indicates that this is a field icon treasure, a [C] means the item is
found in a chest and an [R] means it is received as a reward or by other
means. An [*] indicates that this treasure CAN be picked up on Disc 4 after
obtaining the Excalibur II. Some location names are taken directly from the
LOCATION bar on the bottom of the menu screen, so check it when looking for a
treasure.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| ALEXANDRIA (J01) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
DISC 1: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [F] to the left of the spot where you first control Vivi
- Potion [F] by the table with 2 chairs in the Residence
- Potion [F] to the left of the Heroine Statue
- Potion [F] on the upper left of the Main Street
- Potion [F] in the pub; to the far right
- Potion [F] in the Steeple; to the far right
- Ether [F] in the Synthesis Shop; to the far right
- Eye Drops [F] in the far left of the Residence next to the Steeple
- Remedy [F] in the weapon shop; to the far right of the counter
- Phoenix Pinion [F] top left of the main Square, next to the inn
- Tent [F] in the Steeple; to the left of the entrance
- Goblin Card [F] on the bottom left of the screen with the pub
- Goblin Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster
- Fang Card [F] in the shelf on the upper floor of the Residence
- Fang Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster
- Skeleton Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster
- Flan Card [F] in the pub; to the right of the leftmost table
- Lizard Man Card [F] far behind the Heroine Statue
- Zombie Card [F] on the bottom left of the screen with the statue
- Bomb Card [R] speak to Tom once more after finding his cat, Mittens
- Sahagin [F] on the steps of a house to the left of the statue
- 3 Gil [F] top floor of the Residence next to the Steeple
- 9 Gil [F] near the bed on the bottom floor of the Residence
- 27 Gil [F] in the pub; to the far left
- 29 Gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops
- 33 Gil [F] to the bottom right of the screen with the pub
- 38 Gil [F] in the Item Shop; near the bottom of the screen
- 63 Gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops
- 92 Gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops
DISC 1: CASTLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Elixir [R] given to you by Breireicht for finding all the knights
- Phoenix Down [F] in the bottom left corner of the Guardhouse
- Moonstone [R] given to you by Queen Brahne for impressing 100 nobles
DISC 2: CASTLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Tent [C] on a platform in the pit leading to the Chapel
- Ice Brand [C] on a platform in the pit leading to the Chapel
DISC 3: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Ether [F] on the left side of the castle dock
- Phoenix Pinion [F] behind the left overlook of the dock near the Square
- Phoenix Pinion [F] on the right side of the castle dock
- Phoenix Pinion [F] inside the left tower; to the right in the first room
- Amethyst [R] \
- Opal [R] > given to you by Doctor Tot
- Topaz [R] /
- Lapis Lazuli [F] behind the fountain on the castle dock
- Goblin Card [F] \
- Fang Card [F] \
- Ironite Card [F] > pull the rope on top of the Steeple
- Shiva Card [F] /
- Ramuh Card [F] /
- Wyerd Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 10 and receive this as a reward
- Carrion Worm C. [R] help Hippaul reach LV 20 and receive this as a reward
- Tantarian Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 30 and receive this as a reward
- Armstrong Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 40 and receive this as a reward
- Nova Dragon C. [R] help Hippaul reach LV 60 and receive this as a reward
- Ribbon Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 50 and receive this as a reward
- Genji Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 70 and receive this as a reward
- Athlete Queen [R] help Hippaul reach LV 80 and receive this as a reward
* Leo [F] to the right of the Neptune Statue in the left tower
* 2,680 Gil [F] in Ruby's theater; on the bottom right
- 3,927 Gil [F] behind the right overlook of the dock near the Square
NOTE: The Goblin, Fang and Ironite Cards can also be gotten on Disc 1, but
the Shiva and Ramuh Cards can be gotten only on Disc 3.
DISC 3: TOWN (After Destruction)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Ether [F] to the left of the entrance to the second screen
* Remedy [F] in the bottom right corner of the Square
* Tent [F] to the right of the entrance to the Steeple
- Garnet [R] given to you by Beatrix
* Amethyst [F] on the bottom left side of the Square
* Peridot [F] to the right of the fountain on the castle dock
* Sapphire [F] directly to the left of the main entrance
* Sapphire [F] in the rubble blocking the entrance to the castle
* Opal [F] on the left side of the castle dock
* Topaz [F] behind the left overlook on the dock near the Square
* Alexandria Card [R] given to you by the girl running around the Square
* 365 Gil [F] in the entrance of the weapon shop
* 4,832 Gil [F] behind the right overlook on the dock near the Square
DISC 4: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Ribbon [R] given to you by Stiltzkin after buying his last offer
* Cactuar Card [R] gotten for skipping 50 consecutive times
* Tiger Racket C. [R] gotten for skipping 300 consecutive times
* Genji Card [R] gotten for skipping 100 consecutive times
* Alexandria Card [R] gotten for skipping 200 consecutive times
* King of Jump R. [R] gotten for skipping 1,000 consecutive times
* Superslick [R] given to you by Ruby after delivering every letter
* 10 Gil [R] gotten for skipping 20 consecutive times
NOTE: The prizes received for jumping rope can also be gotten on Disc 1.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PRIMA VISTA (J02) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
START OF GAME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [F] on the upper right side of the Prima Vista Cargo Room
- Phoenix Down [C] lower right chest in the Prima Vista Engine Room
- Phoenix Pinion [C] upper right chest in the Prima Vista Engine Room
- 47 Gil [F] on the upper left side of the Prima Vista Cargo Room
CRASH SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [C] in the Meeting Room; on the bottom behind the shelves
- Ether [C] in Vivi's room
- Ether [C] near the bottom of the Hallway outside Steiner's room
- Ether [C] in Steiner's room
- Phoenix Down [F] near the bodies outside the wreckage
- Leather Hat [C] in the Hallway with the exit of the Prima Vista
- Rubber Helm [F] in the back of the Cargo Room
- Wrist [C] in the Hallway; on the far left
- Bronze Gloves [C] on the Prima Vista Bridge; on the far right
- 116 Gil [F] in Vivi's room, on top of the bunkbed
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| ICE CAVERN (J03) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Potion [C] in the second screen; at the end of the bottom path
- Potion [C] in the Icicle Field; on the ice column
- Ether [C] in the second screen; behind the ice wall to the right
- Elixir [C] in the Icicle Field; behind the ice wall in the back
- Phoenix Down [C] in the fourth screen; on the right
- Tent [C] in the first screen; on the ledge
- Mage Masher [C] in the Icicle Field; on the bottom right of the screen
- Leather Wrist [C] in the fourth screen; on a path behind an ice wall
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| DALI (J04) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
DISC 1/2/3/4: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Potion [C] in the Dali inn; in the far left of the room
* Antidote [C] in the Dali inn; in the far right of the room
* Aries [F] in the Windmill; in the rear of the bottom floor
* 120 Gil [F] on the Village Road; next to the big wheel
DISC 2: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Elixir [C] in the Field; between the rows of crops
DISC 3: TOWN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Elixir [C] in the Windmill; on the upper level
- Cachusha [C] in the Windmill; on the upper level
* Mini-Brahne [F] search the desk in the Mayor's House
- Mayor's Key [F] search the heater in the Mayor's House
- Burman Coffee [C] search the chest in the Chocobo Pen a second time
- 30,000 Gil [C] in the Chocobo Pen; on the far right
UNDERGROUND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [C] in the second screen; in the hut
- Potion [C] in the first Storage Area; hanging on the machine
- Potion [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; in the middle
- Ether [C] in the first Storage Area; on top of the boxes
- Phoenix Down [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; on the left
- Eye Drops [C] in the second screen; bottom of the screen
- Phoenix Pinion [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; on the far right
- Iron Helm [C] in the second Storage Area; on top of the boxes
- Leather Wrist [C] in the second Storage Area; in the middle
- 95 Gil [C] in the Production Area; to the right of the door
- 156 Gil [C] in the Entrance; bottom of the screen
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| OBSERVATORY MOUNTAIN (J05) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Hi-Potion [C] at the base of the mountain; on the bottom
- 135 Gil [F] at the base of the mountain; in the back
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| LINDBLUM (J06) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
DISC 1
~~~~~~~~
- Hi-Potion [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
- Ether [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the upper level
- Echo Screen [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
- Tent [F] in the bushes outside the Church
- Tent [C] at the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform
- Steepled Hat [C] in the Industrial District Residence
- Leather Wrist [F] in the Industrial District Square; near the bottom
- Glass Armlet [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the lower level
* Silver Gloves [F] in the synthesis shop; on the table in the back
- Bronze Vest [F] to the right of the pub in Industrial Way
- Leather Plate [F] on the scaffolding in the Church
- Ore [C] in Artist Michael's Studio
- Mimic Card [C] in the Industrial District Residence
- Wyerd Card [C] in the back of the Serpent's Gate trolley station
- Mini-Burmecia [F] in the Tantalus Playhouse; on the bed
- Autograph [R] given to you by Lowell in Artist Michael's Studio.
- Moogle Suit [F] in Artist Michael's Studio; on the right
- 68 Gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse
- 97 Gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse
* 127 Gil [F] in the bushes outside Artist Michael's Studio
* 163 Gil [F] in the Lindblum inn; to the left of the entrance
- 282 Gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse
DISC 2
~~~~~~~~
- Ether [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
- Phoenix Pinion [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
- Bandana [C] in the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform
- Ore [C] in Artist Michael's Studio
- Lindblum Card [F] in the rubble next to Card Freak Gon's House
- 262 Gil [C] \
- 340 Gil [C] > in the Tantalus playhouse
- 993 Gil [C] /
- 3,000 Gil [R] given to you by Cid
NOTE: The Ore found on Disc 2 in Artist Michael's Studio is NOT the same one
which you find on Disc 1; it is another one. If you pick up the one on
Disc 1, then the chest will refill and hold another Ore on Disc 2.
DISC 3
~~~~~~~~
* Elixir [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the upper level
* Elixir [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
* Remedy [C] in Card Freak Gon's House
* Remedy [C] at the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform
* Chimera Armlet [C] in the back of the Serpent's Gate trolley station
* Egoist's Armlet [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the lower level
* Lapis Lazuli [C] in Artist Michael's Studio
* Sagittarius [F] on the far left of the Shopping Area
* 970 Gil [C] \
* 1,273 Gil [C] > in the Tantalus playhouse
* 4,826 Gil [C] /
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| QU'S MARSH (J07) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Ether [R] given to you by Quale for catching 5 frogs
* Elixir [R] given to you by Quale for catching 15 frogs
* Silver Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 23 frogs
* Bistro Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 33 frogs
* Gastro Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 99 frogs
* Silk Robe [R] given to you by Quale for catching 9 frogs
* Battle Boots [R] given to you by Quale for catching 45 frogs
* Ore [R] given to you by Quale for catching 2 frogs
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| SOUTH GATE (J08) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
BOHDEN ARCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Ether [F] on the ground to the right in the back
- Moccha Coffee [F] in the bushes to the right of the spring
BOHDEN GATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [C] in front of the cable car in Bohden Station
- Multina Racket [C] directly to the left of the entrance inside
- Elixir Card [C] on top of the wagon inside
TRENO ARCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Elixir [C] near the gate
- Elixir [C] near the stump
- 3,206 Gil [C] behind the rubble in the back
DALI GATE-TRENO GATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 1,610 Gil [C] on the ledge near the Bridge
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO (J09) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Magus Hat [F] on the path around the bell chamber
* Mythril Gloves [F] on the path around the bell chamber
* Bronze Vest [F] on the path to the second Burmecian soldier
- Extension [R] give Moguta a Kupo Nut on Disc 3
* Aloha T-Shirt [R] give Moguta a Kupo Nut on Disc 4
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| NORTH GATE (J10) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
MELDA ARCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Potion [C] behind the fence to the right
- Eye Drops [C] behind the fence to the right
BURMECIA ARCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Hi-Potion [C] in the back near the gate
- Tent [C] in the back near the gate
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| BURMECIA (J11) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Potion [C] to the left of the entrance inside the left Residence
* Ether [C] behind the fireplace in the room with the bed
* Phoenix Down [C] on the walkway inside the building in the Uptown Area
* Soft [C] to the right of the entrance inside the left Residence
* Soft [C] behind the stairs inside the right Residence
* Tent [C] on the walkway inside the building in the uptown Area
- Mythril Spear [F] in the back of the Armory; on the statue
* Lightning Staff [C] in the back of the Vault; behind the moogle
- Germinas Boots [C] on the top balcony inside the left Residence
* Cancer [F] behind the overturned cart in the Suburb
NOTE: There are some fake chests in Burmecia. Getting near one throws you
into a battle with a Mimic enemy and the chest will disappear. It's up
to you whether you want to keep these "chests" or not. Personally, I
would choose to leave them.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| SUMMIT STATION (J12) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Phoenix Down [C] to the left of the reception desk
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| QUAN'S DWELLING (J13) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Ether [C] on the ledge overlooking the hot springs
* Ether [F] climb the ladder in the living room
* Ether [C] on the shore of the hot springs
* Running Shoes [F] in the clock on the terrace
* Scorpio [F] on the shore of the hot springs; near the chest
* Opiuchius [F] where Scorpio was, after submitting the other 12 coins
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| TRENO (J14) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Ether [F] to the left of Queen Stella's palace; near the trees
* Elixir [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 6 coins
* Phoenix Pinion [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 2 coins
* Hammer [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting all coins
* Mythril Dagger [C] to the left of the entrance to Doctor Tot's tower
* Blood Sword [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 4 coins
* Circlet [R] reward for defeating Behemoth on Disc 4
- Chimera Armlet [R] given to you by the Four-Armed Man during "City People"
* Robe of Lords [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 12 coins
- Running Shoes [R] reward for defeating Amdusias on Disc 3
- Power Belt [R] given to you by the Four-Armed Man
* Black Belt [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 8 coins
* Rosetta Ring [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 10 coins
- Rebirth Ring [R] win the Card Tournament
* Yeti Card [C] to the left of the item shop in the Treno Slums
- Tonberry Card [R] reward for defeating Griffin on Disc 2
* Mini-Cid [R] \
* Griffin's Heart [R] \
* Une's Mirror [R] > win at the Auction House
* Doga's Artifact [R] /
* Rat Tail [R] /
* Magical F. [R] win at the Auction House (only on Disc 4)
* Taurus [F] behind the item shop in the Treno Slums
* Gemini [R] reward for throwing 10 Gil into the fountain 13 times
* 1 Gil [C] to the right of the item shop in the Treno Slums
* 1,000 Gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 1 coin
* 2,000 Gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 3 coins
* 5,000 Gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 5 coins
* 2,225 Gil [F] to the left of the Auction House entrance
* 10,000 Gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 7 coins
- 15,000 gil [R] reward for defeating Catoblepas on Disc 3
* 20,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 9 coins
* 30,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 11 coins
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| GARGAN ROO (J15) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Phoenix Down [C] to the left of the lever on the left platform
- Chain Plate [C] to the right of the entrance of the left platform
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CLEYRA'S TRUNK (J16) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Potion [C] at the fork near the top
- Hi-Potion [C] in the chamber with the 2 sinkholes
- Ether [C] next to the hole with the switch
- Elixir [C] at the end of the right path from the fork
- Phoenix Down [C] in the first screen inside the trunk
- Remedy [C] to the right in the area after the bridge
- Gysahl Greens [C] behind the ladder leading to the Cleyra settlement
- Tent [C] to the far right of Monev
- Flame Staff [C] in the area directly preceding the wooden bridge
- Ice Staff [C] behind the tree in the flooding chamber
- Needle Fork [C] in front of the "sandfall" below Monev
- Mythril Gloves [C] on the path to the switch near the Elixir
- Mythril Vest [C] in the left tunnel in the area after the bridge
- Silk Robe [C] on the branch above the flooding chamber
- Desert Boots [C] behind the center pillar in the area after the bridge
- Magician Shoes [C] near the bottom of the flooding chamber
- Magician Shoes [C] on the branch above the flooding chamber
- 900 gil [C] in the chamber with the 2 sinkholes
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CLEYRA SETTLEMENT (J17) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Ether [F] in the inn; on a nightstand on the upper floor
- Ether [F] on the balcony of the Cathedral
- Ether [R] \
- Elixir [R] > receive these from the survivors of the attack
- Phoenix Down [R] /
- Echo Screen [F] outside of the Cathedral; to the right
- Echo Screen [F] in the inn; to the left of the register
- Remedy [F] on the steps to the right of the inn
- Remedy [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack
- Phoenix Pinion [F] on the fork between the 3 paths below the Cathedral
- Phoenix Pinion [F] on the ledge overlooking the entrance
- Phoenix Pinion [F] behind the harp in the Cathedral
- Phoenix Pinion [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack
- Gysahl Greens [F] outside of the Cathedral; to the right
- Thunder Gloves [F] behind the clock next to the waterfall
- Yellow Scarf [F] inside the Cathedral; to the left of the entrance
- Emerald [R] given to Freya by the High Priest
- Ore [F] on the bottom right of the screen with the inn
- Ore [F] inside the Cathedral; on the podium in the center
- Nymph Card [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack
- Zuu Card [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack
- 970 gil [F] Antlion's sinkhole; near the bottom of the screen
- 1,250 gil [F] in the inn; to the right of the register by the desk
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PINNACLE ROCKS (J18) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] at the end of the path entering from the World Map
- Phoenix Down [C] at the end of the path entering from the World Map
- The Ogre [C] in the chest to the left of the rising branch
- Mythril Armlet [C] in the chest after jumping off the path
- Mythril Vest [C] below the Monty the moogle
- Peridot [R] given to you by Ramuh for assembling the Hero's Tale
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| FOSSIL ROO (J19) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Ether [C] above the path to Switch #2
- Elixir [F] in Armodullahan's cage
- Lamia's Tiara [C] take the path controlled by Switch #4
- Survival Vest [F] in the far left of the Storage Area
- Fairy Earrings [C] take the path controlled by Switch #2
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CONDE PETIE (J20) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Phoenix Pinion [F] on the stairs leading to the grocery shop
- Diamond [F] on the Kirkboat
- Oglop Card [R] give the boy behind the grocery shop an Oglop
- 1,800 gil [F] behind one of the beds at the inn
- 2,700 gil [F] to the left of the entrance to the settlement
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| BLACK MAGE VILLAGE (J21) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Ether [F] to the left of the counter of the item shop
* Elixir [F] to the right of the entrance to the weapon shop
* Gysahl Greens [F] in the Chocobo stable
- Black Belt [C] on the upper floor of the item shop
* Virgo [F] in the inn's room
* 843 gil [C] on the rooftops of the synthesis shop
* 2,000 gil [C] behind the synthesis shop counter
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CONDE PETIE MOUNTAIN PATH (J22) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Ether [C] to the left of the statue with the Green Stone
- Remedy [C] on the upper ledge in the first area
- Tent [C] on the rightmost ledge in the first area
- Moonstone [R] received after placing all colored stones in the altar
- Red Stone [F] in the statue on the rightmost ledge in the first area
- Blue Stone [F] in the statue on the uppermost ledge
- Yellow Stone [F] in the statue at the fork after the Hilgigars battle
- Green Stone [F] in the statue on the lower path to Madain Sari
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MADAIN SARI (J23) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] given to you by the moogles
* Phoenix Down [C] in the room below Eiko's back porch
* Phoenix Pinion [C] in Eiko's house, behind the table
* Tent [C] behind the bench in front of the fountain
* Ore [C] in Eiko's house, next to the table
- Exploda [C] given to you be the moogles
* Survival Vest [C] in the room below Eiko's back porch
* Kirman Coffee [F] on Eiko's back porch, to the left behind the counter
* Libra [F] behind the fountain
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| IIFA TREE (J24) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Hi-Potion [C] on the bottom of the second screen
- Ether [C] in a niche on the right of the third screen
- Elixir [C] near the bottom of the steps in the last screen
- Phoenix Down [C] in the second screen after pressing the nearby switch
- Remedy [C] on the far left of the third screen
- Healing Rod [C] in the second screen after triggering the switch
- Lamia's Flute [C] near the bottom left of the third screen
- Brigandine [C] behind the platform in the last screen
- Aquamarine [R] Garnet takes this from the Eidolon statue
- Ruby [R] received after breaking the seal on the Iifa Tree
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| OEILVERT (J25) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] on the upper level of the Planetarium
- Remedy [C] below the overlook on the yellow window in the Hall
- Rising Sun [C] on the right side of the overlook in the Hall
- Diamond Sword [C] to the right of the hologram in the Planetarium
- Gaia Gear [C] to the right of the Star Display
- Power Vest [C] on the lower right side of the Ship Display
- Shield Armor [C] behind the hologram in the Planetarium
- Feather Boots [C] on the upper right side of the Ship Display
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| DESERT PALACE (J26) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Black Hood [F] from the right bloodstone in the Shadow Chamber
- N-Kai Armlet [F] from the bloodstone in the Stairwell
- Venetia Shield [F] from the left bloodstone in the Shadow Chamber
- Shield Armor [F] from the bloodstone in the lower Hallway
- Anklet [F] from the bloodstone in the Fire Chamber
- Promist Ring [F] from the bloodstone in the Lobby
- Fairy Earrings [C] below the blue path in the Light Chamber
- Namingway Card [F] in Kuja's room; to the left of the entrance
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| ESTO GAZA (J27) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Wing Edge [F] around the counter in the Shop
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MOUNT GULUG (J28) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Ether [F] in the house to the left of the entrance; upper level
- Elixir [C] in the back of the room with the single Red Dragon
- Wing Edge [F] to the right of Moolan the moogle
- Red Hat [F] on the far left platform in the Interior
- Golden Hairpin [C] at the end of the Path leading up from the Well
- Gaia Gear [F] at the end of the Path leading right from the Well
- Demon's Mail [C] in the lower left house in the Interior
- Ribbon [R] given to you by Mog
- 9,693 gil [F] in the house to the left of the entrance, lower level
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| HILDA GARDE 3 (J29) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [F] in the hatch at the top of the ladder
- Tent [F] in a hatch on the wall
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| DAGUERREO (J30) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Elixir [F] on the right end of the middle floor
* Elixir [F] on the left end of the middle floor
* Excalibur [R] given to you by an old man for the Magical Fingertip
* Flare Card [R] reward for agreeing with the Young Man
* Meteor Card [R] reward for agreeing with the Sales Clerk
* Capricorn [F] in the water to the right of the entrance
* Rank S Medal [R] awarded by the Four-Armed Man for reaching Rank S
NOTE: You can only get 1 of the 2 cards.
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| IPSEN'S CASTLE (J31) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Dagger [C] to the left of the entrance
* Broadsword [C] on the middle walkway in the Stairwell
* Javelin [C] climb the right ladder in the Stairwell and jump left
* Cat's Claws [C] below the walkway in the courtyard; in the back
* Air Racket [C] on a walkway to the left of the elevator
* Rod [C] climb the left ladder in the Stairwell and jump off
* Golem's Flute [C] on the left side in Odin's Sword's chamber
* Mage Staff [C] on the chandelier in the courtyard
* Fork [C] on the chandelier in the courtyard
* Barette [C] on the terrace reached after solving the door puzzle
* Maiden Prayer [C] on the chandelier below the courtyard; fall down a trap
* Ancient Aroma [R] solve the vase puzzle and pick up the right vase
* Aquarius [C] to the right of the entrance
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| TERRA (J32) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] on the left ledge in Path by the Pond
- Remedy [C] on the rightmost ledge in the Treetop
- Mythril Racket [C] behind the "trunk" in the Treetop
- Coronet [C] on a floating island in the Stepping Stones screen
- Dragon Wrist [C] at the end of the Stepping Stones path
- Demon's Vest [C] at the Tree Base
- Minerva's Plate [C] below the steps leading to Bran Bal
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| BRAN BAL (J33) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] in the room where the party takes Garnet
- Elixir [F] near the bottom of the Laboratory
- Wing Edge [C] in the Storage
- Flash Hat [C] on an island below the Gate area
- Angel Earrings [F] near the water in the left area of Bran Bal
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| PANDEMONIUM (J34) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
- Elixir [C] in the Maze, in the center
- Holy Miter [F] on the throne which Zidane was sitting on
- Carabini Mail [C] in the Maze, in the left area
- Battle Boots [C] in the Maze, in the top right area
- 20,007 gil [C] select height 3 and take the lift to the top
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| INVINCIBLE (J35) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Pisces [C] near the entrance to the bridge
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MOGNET CENTRAL (J36) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Protect Ring [R] given to you by Artemicion for restoring Mognet
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CHOCOBO'S PARADISE (J37) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Fat Chocobo C. [R] from Fat Chocobo for digging up all Chocographs
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| CHOCOBO'S AIR GARDEN (J38) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Ozma Card [R] awarded for defeating Ozma
* Strategy Guide [R] awarded for defeating Ozma
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| MEMORIA (J39) |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* The Tower [F] on the "balcony" in Memoria Recollection
* Kain's Lance [F] in a niche in the right wall of Memoria Entrance
* Rune Claws [F] to the left of the entrance to Memoria Time Interval
* Angel Flute [F] on the left side of the terrace in Memoria The Past
* Mace of Zeus [F] on the left side of the platform in Memoria Stairs
Excalibur II [F] I hope you know where this is!
,========================.
=========================' `==========================
* | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | (K00) *
=========================. ,==========================
`========================'
.===========================================================================.
| Q01 : Is this challenge possible? How can you do all this in 12 hours?! |
`==========================================================================='
Yes, it is possible, and that's why this guide was written. I didn't write a
397 KB fairy tale, submit it to GameFAQs and have it get accepted. As for
the how, I don't know, it simply is; I didn't believe it for a long time
myself.
.===========================================================================.
| Q02 : All of this for a lackluster ultimate weapon? |
`==========================================================================='
The point of this challenge is not getting the Excalibur II, it is getting a
PERFECT SAVE which INCLUDES the Excalibur II, which is something completely
different. And anyway, you shouldn't be doing this only for the perfect save
and the Excalibur II, since this challenge is the most fun part of making a
perfect save. It is challenging and tests your skills and limits. The
Excalibur II is just icing on the cake and a mark of your success.
.===========================================================================.
| Q03 : Can I complete this challenge on the PAL version of FFIX? |
`==========================================================================='
No, it is impossible. The PAL version of the game runs at 50Hz while the NTSC
game runs at 60Hz, but the clock runs at the exact same speed in both
versions. This means that a PAL gamer will take approximately 12 minutes more
for every hour an NTSC gamer plays. On a scale of 12 hours, that becomes over
2 additional hours that the PAL gamer will need during this challenge, which
is astronomical. So what it comes down to is that PAL gamers would have to
complete this challenge within 10 hours instead of 12, which is impossible.
However, if you have a cheat device such as Action Replay or GameShark, then
you're completely justified in using it to even the odds. Simply play the
game until you hit 2:24:00, then save. Use the following code to revert the
timer back to 00:00:00:
D0024748 7190
8002473E AC60
Now load the game, save again, and reset the console. You can now continue
playing normally, and the challenge won't be any easier nor harder than for
NTSC players. Please keep in mind, though, that you can't use the target
times when playing on PAL. Instead, you have to go by the difference between
consecutive target times, and convert this to PAL as well.
*thanks to FFDude4Ever for the PAL timer code!*
.===========================================================================.
| Q04 : Is it possible to get the Excalibur II by overflowing the timer? |
`==========================================================================='
Yes it is, as supposed by Terence and proven by SoftReset. The timer will
change in color every 100 hours, but eventually it will "overflow" and the
time will start from 00:00:00 once again, as if you just began a new game.
Once this happends, go to the Excalibur II spot and pick it up before another
12 hours expire.
However, it apparently takes 2 years, 98 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 28.25
seconds of real time for the timer to restart. Your console might not survive
that long, and you'll probably want to play other games during those 2+ years.
In the end, I think it would be ridiculous to actually wait for this to occur.
And sad.
Furthermore, the bottom line is that the Excalibur II is meant to be gotten
in under 12 hours from the start of the game, so getting it any other way can
be considered cheating.
.===========================================================================.
| Q05 : How long does this challenge take overall in real life? |
`==========================================================================='
For someone who has never played a speed run and isn't all that familiar with
FFIX, I would estimate it at around 200 hours. But more experienced players,
especially those who have already gotten the Excalibur II in the past,
shouldn't take more than 100 hours. This can also be done faster by allowing
yourself a steadily growing lateness and not resetting trying to get the
perfect run through every circuit; you have around 10 minutes to spare
following the target times, after all, which is very much. Finally, luck
really is the greatest factor in this challenge, as you can either complete a
circuit on the first try, or after days of resetting. If luck is more or less
on your side then you can complete this challenge rather quickly and
painlessly. As 1whoistornapart once put it, "you're a plaything in the hands
of the random number generator for a great deal of the challenge".
.===========================================================================.
| Q06 : Is there any way to reduce the number of random encounters? |
`==========================================================================='
"As far as random battles go, I have no idea what the mechanics behind
them are, except that they always seem to come at the worst possible
time."
-1whoistornapart
I think that's the only mechanic we can be absolutely sure of! Other than
that, changing screens seems to reset the random battle counter.
There's also something known as the "stop/run method", which is basically
making your way through screens normally, but stopping completely for about a
second every once in a while, then continuing onward. It seems effective in
some areas, so there's no harm in trying it out as a second here and there is
nothing compared to a battle. Many people swear by this method, maybe you
will, too. Just remember that this "strategy" isn't proven to work in every
case, nor is it backed by any sort of tests or data.
.===========================================================================.
| Q07 : What is the point of the BASE Stats path when it does not yield the |
| : REAL lowest stats possible? |
`==========================================================================='
The thing is, the BASE Stats path DOES give you the lowest stats possible,
but only if you're playing the perfect game challenge. The REAL lowest stats
would be those obtained by having everyone join the party at the highest LV
possible, which is 99, and NOT the lowest LV possible, which is 1. For
obvious reasons, this is impossible to do during this challenge as it would
require you to have Zidane reach LV 99 before reaching Lindblum in order to
get Freya at LV 99. If that wasn't enough, you would then need Vivi to reach
LV 99 as well in order to get Quina at LV 99. Garnet would also have to reach
LV 99 in order to have Eiko join at LV 99, and Eiko would then have to reach
LV 99 in order for Amarant to join at LV 99. THAT would yield the lowest
stats possible for everyone. It also gives half the party significantly lower
stats than the other half, as only half of the characters can join at an
average LV.
The BASE Stats game gives you the lowest possible stats while still getting a
perfect save. It is the only way to have everything required for a perfect
save, the only compromise is a different conception of perfect stats. That is
the point of the BASE Stats path.
.===========================================================================.
| Q08 : Can't Vivi or Amarant also absorb Tantarian's EXP? |
`==========================================================================='
Of course they can, except that those would be worse choices than either of
the current options. Both Vivi and Amarant lose more than either Zidane or
Freya by taking that EXP, which is why they are ignored.
It is also pointless to spread the EXP between multiple characters as that
awards more Level Ups in total, and therefore results in greater overall stat
losses for the party. Giving 1 character all the EXP results in 17 Level Ups,
whereas spreading it between 2, 3 or 4 yields 28, 36 and 44 Level Ups,
respectively.
.===========================================================================.
| Q09 : Which stat path would you suggest? |
`==========================================================================='
I would personally choose Path A. Here's why:
I prefer Quina to have a balanced stat set-up, so Path C isn't an option.
As for Path B, I don't think it is worth messing up another character just
to prevent losing 2 and to gain 1 secondary stat point. Secondary stat points
are not my goal to begin with; perfection is. Considering the party as whole,
I would think it perfect to have as many characters reach their best stat set
as possible. Being able to do this at the cost of only 2 secondary stat
points is in my opinion an offer that can't be refused, especially since the
primary stat loss is the same for both paths.
I also prefer to have Zidane take the hit because he is the main character.
I find it somehow fitting that he should be the one to sacrifice his stat
potential for that of the rest of the party.
However, I do also like the idea of the LV 1 party, so that would be an
option for me as well - simply for its unique novelty value. I have a
weakness for LV 1 characters :)
.===========================================================================.
| Q10 : What should be done with the Marcus/Eiko glitch? |
`==========================================================================='
It should be ignored, period. Doing it makes this challenge impossible to
complete; you can't get both Marcus to LV 99 and still get the Excalibur II
and everything else. Eiko will not have "perfect" stats if you raise him to
LV 99, she'll simply have un-natural stats. Getting only as many Level-Ups as
possible without sacrificing the Excalibur II is even worse because the
glitch would only be partially exploited and thus you would be left with
neither natural nor godly Eiko. If you can't do it all the way, it's better
not to do it at all and get Eiko as she is meant to be.
.===========================================================================.
| Q11 : I can't keep up with the target times. What am I doing wrong? |
`==========================================================================='
There are many things which can slow you down and cause you to run late.
However, there are 6 main causes; they are:
a) you're playing the PAL version
b) you're playing on the PS1
c) you're not playing on the Fast Disc Speed setting of the PS2
d) you're having additional random encounters
e) you're taking too long navigating through menus
f) you're not fighting battles quickly enough
If you're playing the PAL version, stop immediately and get the NTSC version;
it is impossible to complete this challenge on the PAL version without the
aid of a cheat device to even the odds.
If you're playing on the PS1, then your lateness may be natural, because you
are accumulating fractions of seconds every time the game loads something.
The PS1 is simply slower than the PS2 or PS3. However, it is still possible
to complete this challenge on the PS1, because these added seconds aren't
enormous, and because the target times are rather exaggerated to begin with;
many people have multiple minutes to spare as early as on Disc 1. It'll be
tough, but you will make it if you are determined and settle only for the
best runs.
If you're playing on the PS2 and not using the Fast Disc Speed setting, then
it's like playing on the PS1, making your experience unnecessarily difficult.
Load times are longer and therefore add fractions of seconds to your time
every time something is loaded. Just turn on the Fast Disc Speed before
loading the game and you should be fine as long as you don't play sloppily.
As for the rest of the causes, the only solution is to try harder and
practice. InvncblGrlnd completed this challenge with an incredible 54 minutes
to spare, so I'm sure you can at least complete it on time.
Please keep in mind that your lateness should never increase by more than 15
to 30 seconds after circuits without battles, such as the circuits in
Alexandria. Such runs don't include any random factors, meaning everyone
should complete them within approximately the same amount of time.
Finally, the target times do end with around 10 minutes to spare, so you can
accrue quite a huge lateness before it actually begins to endanger your
chances of success. Take this into account when evaluating your situation.
.===========================================================================.
| PATH-C-BETA |
`==========================================================================='
The main problem with Path C is that it requires a Holy Miter, a Light Robe
and 99 Opal before Pandemonium. The only way to get all this that early is by
playing a lot more Chocobo Hot&Cold. In addition to what is already done in
all paths, Path C requires the following as well:
Chocograph #12 - Dawn Lagoon : Mountain Transformation
Chocograph #14 - Green Plains : Sea Transformation
Chocograph #15 - Dusk Plains : 14 Ore
Chocograph #16 - Forgotten Plains : 17 Ore, 14 Opal
Chocograph #18 - Ocean : Light Robe, 27 Ore
Chocograph #19 - Cold Lagoon : 9 Opal (might be optional)
ALL 6 CHOCOGRAPH PIECES
Chocograph #20 - Mist Ocean : Sky Transformation
Chocograph #23 - Fairy Island : Holy Miter
The question is, can all this reasonably be squeezed into the playthrough?
This will be 13 or 14 additional games, and each of those Chocographs must
then also be dug up, and the 3 transformations all come with a scene.
Assuming one plays as well as the best of the video runs, one would have
around 55 spare minutes. This appears to be enough, but it is not known for
certain whether these Chocographs and Chocograph Pieces can be dug up without
fulfilling some additional requirements first (such as completely digging up
all Chocographs in a given location, etc). The goal is Chocograph #23, so we
basically have to go through the whole minigame.
I'm planning to attempt this when I find the time. If Path C is possible, then
it will most likely require many changes in the walkthrough and the target
times. If anyone would like to try out this path then I would be interested in
hearing about your playthrough and results. Ideas and suggestions are also
welcome; I'm sure all information will come in handy when I get down to
incorporating this into the guide.
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | CREDITS | (L00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
* Thanks to MorbidDesire and Stunning SteveAustin for their support and
assistance during the first stages of this project, without which this
guide and this challenge may never have become reality. Testing this
challenge with the two of you was not only productive, but very enjoyable.
In particular, thanks go out to Stunning SteveAustin for the emulator
FMV-skipping technique. This guide would not have turned out the way it has
without you guys and it was a pleasure working with both of you! Hope to
meet you again on the message boards!
* Thanks to everyone who contributed to the making of this challenge and this
guide during its many stages and versions, be it directly or indirectly.
Whether it was through proofreading, commenting, testing or participating
in one of the many message board discussions, you've all done something to
make this guide what it is today. In particular, thanks go out to:
1whoistornapart ffixcrazyfan Master Vivi Tarissky
AtmaChild fphjr01 Non Applicable Terence
Avonej genkaku666 phileasbu thrende
big_kake Gwendal Ramina themostlazyone
Cicatriz_ESP Ins1ghtful rebirth flame 2002 TimeSpaceMage
CrAckLeT InvncblGrlnd Shaun WampaCow2
Ekke KADFC SoftReset wpot
Essentia letao Spinner 8 zarathustra47
Evans Smith LivingLegend17 SteelShades ZealotBoy
FFDude4Ever Louis1980 SubwoofersIcecream
* Thanks to 1whoistornapart for inspiring me to test the Level 1 Game during
this challenge with his initial 20 minute lead at the end of the game. If
it wasn't for him, we'd still be playing the "bootleg" Level 1 Game! Thanks
also for the modified Tantarian strategy, and for proof-playing the Level 1
Game and getting a large lead then, too. Thank you also for helping other
players with this challenge and responding to their posts when I didn't
have the time. Finally, THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEOS! They rock!
* Thanks to AtmaChild for informing me of Mosh's whereabouts on Disc 4, for
the alternate method for evading the Alexandrian Soldiers by the cage, for
realizing that Observatory Mountain must be visited in order for it to
appear on the World Map, for reminding me about the hidden save point after
Tiamat, and for the stat set-up for Vivi.
* Thanks to Avonej for correcting the location of one of the Echo Screens in
Cleyra.
* Thanks to big_kake for finding a way to avoid the EXP gained in Mount Gulug
in Version 3, for suggesting to perform an additional round of the Cotton
Robe trick on Disc 2 in order to lessen the gil strain, for the alternate
Masked Man strategy, for the Ark preparation strategy, for showing Charge!
to be a very powerful move and for proof-playing the Level 1 Game.
* Thanks to Cicatriz_ESP for finding 3 enormous errors in the guide, namely
the mistakes made in the bought quantities of Bandana and Zorlin Shape, and
the idea that BASE Stat-ers can gain EXP whenever they want. Also, thanks
for reminding me to mention the stat problems caused by Blank and Marcus,
for the information concerning the Duel Claws from Deathguise and the Dark
Matter and Pumice from Ozma, and for letting me know that I forgot to
include the Ozma Card in the Treasure Locations section.
* Thanks to CrAckLeT for coming up with a way for slim-line PS2 users to skip
FMVs; they wouldn't have been able to complete this challenge without a
cheat device otherwise.
* Thanks to FFDude4Ever for the PAL timer code.
* Thanks to Ekke for being the first person to send me comprehensive feedback
and corrections after finishing this challenge. In particular, thanks for
the dialogue skipping information, the idea to change the button
configuration during the Hippaul Racing mini-game and for pointing out to
use Epitaph for preparing the party for the battle against Ark.
* Thanks to Essentia for discovering a faster way through Madain Sari, and
posting a great speed run.
* Thanks to Evans Smith for improving Eiko's and Amarant's stat set-ups.
* Thanks to genkaku666 for the detailed information concerning the Festival
of the Hunt.
* Thanks to Ins1ghtful for proposing a more effective way to collect the
items in the Cleyra's Trunk circuits, and for pointing out an error in the
items to be collected.
* Thanks to InvcblGrlnd for wiping the floor with this challenge by getting a
54-minute lead, thus proving that it's even possible to complete without
skipping FMVs! And of course, THANKS FOR THE VIDEOS; very cool!
* Thanks to KADFC for his Max Stats Guide; the formulae and lists were useful
for creating stat strategies.
* Thanks to letao for being the one to finally put the max stats issue to
rest with his comprehensive analysis of stat maxing and the resulting best
set-ups, without which we would never be certain whether the ones we were
using were really the best. HUGE THANKS FOR THE EXCELLENT WORK!
* Thanks to Louis1980 for improving Zidane's, Quina's Strength-Oriented and
Amarant's stat set-ups, as well as for simplifying the set-ups for Zidane
Path D, Freya Path D, Quina Magic-Oriented and Quina Balanced. Also, thanks
for the explanation to the PAUSE trick, for a better way of preparing
Zidane for Lucky Seven on the Conde Petie Mountain Path, for suggesting to
move the fight against Amdusias to a more opportune time, and for a few
other minor corrections. Finally, a big thanks for uploading yet another,
possibly the best, master run of this challenge!
* Thanks to Non Applicable for testing how long it takes to get 1000 jumps in
the Jump Rope mini-game.
* Thanks to phileasbu for suggesting to end the Masked Man battle by knocking
everyone in order to increase the number of Steal attempts and thus the
chance of getting the Mage Masher.
* Thanks to Ramina for not being afraid to ask questions about this challenge
and thus helping to filter out many errors which had snuck into the guide.
* Thanks to rebirth flame 2002 for his Battle Mechanics Guide and his Monster
FAQ; I used both of them extensively when planning battle strategies.
* Thanks to Shaun for pointing out that BASE Stat-ers don't need to play a
true Level 1 Game.
* Thanks to SoftReset for proving how long it takes for the timer to
overflow.
* Thanks to Spinner 8 for correcting the location of one of the Ores in
Cleyra.
* Thanks to SteelShades for proposing the BASE Stat idea; it's an interesting
alternative solution to the stat dilemma.
* Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for continually revising the set-ups I and
contributors came up with, without whom we would probably be implementing
inferior set-ups. In particular, thank you for the current set-ups for
Steiner, Path D/E Zidane, Garnet, Freya, and the Magic-Oriented and
Balanced set-ups for Quina.
* Thanks to Tarissky for correcting the mistake concerning the direction in
which the Cleyran Oracles should be led during the invasion of Cleyra.
* Thanks to Terence for investigating how long it takes for the timer to
overflow and for discovering FFIX's stat system in the first place.
* Thanks to themostlazyone for bringing up the issue of the Marcus/Eiko bug,
which required clarification, and for an alternate set-up for Freya. Thank
you also for testing the Jump Rope mini-game and finding out that 9,999 is
not the highest number of attainable jumps.
* Thanks to WampaCow2 for pointing out some omissions in the treasure lists
of some of the circuits.
* Thanks to zarathustra47 for proof-reading Version 1 once it came out and
informing me of all the little mistakes which eluded my attention.
* Thanks to ZealotBoy for correcting the mistakes I made with the projected
values in the Perfect Stats section, as well as the miscalculations I made
in Steiner's set-up.
* Thanks to CJayC for creating GameFAQs and hosting this guide.
* Thanks to my mom for making sure that I didn't starve in front of my laptop
writing this guide, for always being there for me, and for believing in me.
* Thanks to my cat, Kichow, for keeping me company while I wrote this, and
for always being curious as to what I was writing.
* Thanks to Squaresoft for creating Final Fantasy IX.
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | VERSION HISTORY | (M00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 1 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Initial release
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 2 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Completed Section I: Max Stats
* Corrected some spelling and formatting errors
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 3 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Added ASCII art
* Added Notice to PAL Gamers
* Added Section C: The Problem of Max Stats
* Added Section M: Version History
* Added Section N: Copyright
* Added some questions to Section K: Frequently Asked Questions
* Rewrote Section A: Introduction
* Rewrote sub-section "Complete a "Bootleg" Level 1 Game" under Section B:
Main Goals of this Challenge
* Introduced the Quick Find feature for all the circuits of the walkthrough
* Introduced a completely new set of target times
* Proof-read and proof-played the entire walkthrough; found and corrected a
few contradictions and errors which appeared as a result of it being based
on 2 separate runs
* Incorporated some reader contributions into the guide
* Edited the equipment to be used for AP gains and made it clear when
specific abilities should be mastered
* Lowered Zidane's ending LV from 40 to 32 by introducing a way to avoid
the EXP distributed in Mount Gulug
* Corrected many of the projected values, as well as the set-ups for Steiner
and Eiko, in Section I: Max Stats
* Introduced better max stat set-ups for Freya and Quina in Section I: Max
Stats
* Improved some boss strategies
* Improved the formatting of the guide
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 4 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Incorporated a Level 1 Game into the challenge
* Introduced a completely new set of target times
* Rewrote or deleted all passages dealing with the "bootleg" Level 1 Game
* Corrected some mistakes concerning the bought quantities of some of the
missable items
* Incorporated some reader contributions into the guide
* Redesigned the Table of Contents
* Redesigned the Disc Number headers
* Clarified how to use the Max Stats section and replaced most of the old
set-ups with better ones submitted by contributors
* Extended my commentaries in the Max Stats section
* Rewrote the Frequently Asked Questions section
* Introduced a way for slim-line PS2 and PS3 users to play this challenge
even if they can't skip FMVs
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 5 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Rewrote The Problem of Max Stats section and included various stat paths
for players to choose from
* Added the Choosing a Stat Path section
* Rewrote the Max Stats section and changed its name to Perfect Stats
* Expanded the Treasure Locations section
* Rewrote the Frequently Asked Questions section
* Arranged the credits in alphabetical order
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 6 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Added the Video Assistance section, which links to 1whoistornapart's
playlist of videos, the official supplement to this guide
* Introduced a way for slim-line PS2 and PS3 users to skip FMVs
* Introduced better stat set-ups for Zidane, Vivi and Quina
* Incorporated some reader submissions into the guide
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 7 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Introduced the Quick Find feature for all sections of the guide
* Created an ASCII plaque for the guide info
* Redesigned the Table of Contents
* Redesigned the section headers
* Added InvncblGrlnd's playlist of videos to the Video Assistance section
* Edited the introductory sections
* Renamed the Before Beginning section to The Golden Rules
* Removed the Making Money section from the guide
* Modified how the BASE Stats game is played
* Reformatted the guide
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 8 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Added the PAUSE trick to the Golden Rules section
* Added Louis1980's playlist of videos to the Video Assistance section
* Edited all passages dealing with Path C, which has been improved
* Introduced better stat set-ups for Zidane, Quina and Amarant, and
simplified set-ups for some of the other characters
* Reformatted the item checklists and equipment set-ups
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
| VERSION 9 |
O---------------------------------------------------------------------------O
* Redesigned the Unique Items section
* Rewrote the Choosing a Stat Path Section
* Rearranged the timetables
* Edited the walkthrough to be compatible with the new stat paths
* Added additional information about the Festival of the Hunt
* Redesigned the Perfect Stats section
* Introduced better stat set-ups for Zidane, Freya, Quina, Eiko and Amarant
* Added a PAL timer code
,=====================.
===========================' `===========================
* | COPYRIGHT | (N00) *
===========================. ,===========================
`====================='
This document is Copyright © 2005-2009 Piotr Matl and is the intellectual
property of the aforementioned author. It may be not be reproduced under any
circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any
web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.
Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
The Final Fantasy IX "Excalibur II + Perfect Game Guide"
Copyright 2005-2009 © Piotr Matl
===============================================================================
* END OF DOCUMENT *
===============================================================================
