The Advance Walkthrough and Battle Tactics Guide; WoB
Version 1.2
Djibriel, August 2007
"It doesn't seem fair, does it?"
- Final Fantasy IIIus ad
..."The OC guide to beating the game while rabid and one-armed making clever
use of a wall"
- Imzogelmo
Contents
No number: Contents
Foreword (11/14/2005, by Imzogelmo)
1.0 Version History
2.0 Introduction
3.0 Set-up of the document, and slang you're going to start recognizing
4.0 The Walkthrough
5.0 Menus and Game Options: As boring as a concrete floor in math class
6.0 Characters. Poor saps.
7.0 Game mechanics; real quick, I promise
8.0 Not Infrequently Asked Questions
9.0 Espers and their Magicite
10.0 Final Fantasy VI Junkie links and contact information
11.0 Credits; People I love because they've done things I wanted them to do
No number: Disclaimer
**********************************
Foreword (11/14/2005, by Imzogelmo)
**********************************
The year was 1994. Until that time, humanity seemed a bleak existence --
why, the 20th century alone saw the world ravaged by two world wars, a tense
period known as the Cold War, and various regional conflicts. Finally, in the
latter decades of the century, a new ray of hope emerged -- the video game.
Instead of fighting and killing one another, now mankind could do so
vicariously or, if it was preferred, two could team up and do battle against
a fictional foe.
Like all forms of expression, the video game underwent many reformations
(or generations) before the recipe became "just right." Several genres of game
sprang into being: platform games, shoot-em-ups, action/adventures, sports,
puzzlers, fighting games, and RPGs. Each type of game appealed to a different
type of player or interest, and all the while advances were being made both in
capacity of games' data and complexity of the hardware used to run it. By the
early 1990's, the types of presentation that would work with a given genre
were well-established, and players could afford to specialize in a particular
genre without narrowing the field of games too greatly.
That brings us back to 1994, or, as Nintendo called it, "The year of the
cartridge." In that year, _Final_Fantasy_VI_ was released, and there was much
rejoicing. The genre was RPG; the fictional foe was the evil Emperor Gestahl,
and later, the pompous nihilist Kefka. Sure, there were other RPGs before it,
but none that struck the perfect balance of character similarity vs. diversity,
importance of storyline vs. gameplay, and plot linearity vs. non-linearity.
The depth of characters and robustness of the game engine (plus the time
investment required to fully explore the nuances of the game) made this one of
the highest-rated games in terms of replayability. Furthermore, the vivid
graphics and moving musical score made it a complete experience, not just a
game.
"But it is just a game!" I hear someone in the back say.
No, it is not just a game. In the fast-paced world where information is
old as soon as it can be emailed, a video game generally has a very small
window of time that it is considered new or exciting. For the early history of
video games that may not have been so true, but for the entire history of this
game, the internet has been a very influential medium for discussion among
players. For many fans of the series, this is still the greatest game, in spite
of the hype surrounding some of its successors. So no, it is not "just a game"
-- it is a culture. And like many great cultures, it needs great works to
explain, enhance, and record its story.
To document every piece of useful (and no-so-useful) data on a culture --
that's a difficult task. Many approximations have come forward, but always
they have had inaccurate, inconsistent, or insufficient information. That is
not meant as an insult on previous guides -- like I said, it's difficult.
Much information has been uncovered through deliberate playing and replaying
of the game, through hacking its internal code and data, and through combined
effort of its many fans. This guide seeks to improve upon and surpass all
previous attempts. This guide seeks to be the great work of which I speak.
This guide covers _everything_.
**********************************
1.0 Version History
**********************************
Version History:
- Version 1.2 (12/28/2007)
Fixed the missing monster formations in the IMRF and the Esper's gathering
place. In addition, the shops have been straightened out (there's gotta be
a system, y'know) the format of the monster formations has been made
entirely consistent and I've replaced every 'esper' with 'Esper' again. I
was taken aback shortly by the new translation, but decided I didn't like
it. This bodes ill for the Coliseum spelling in the WoR document...
- Version 1.1 (12/6/2007)
With some minor corrections, this was the debut version to appear at
GameFAQs
- Version 1.0 (10/17/2007)
Initial release. This document is primarily a kind of upgrade over my
FF VI walkthrough for the SNES. Version 1.7 was used as a basis. You can
check the SNES document for a longer version history.
**********************************
2.0 Introduction
**********************************
Hi, I'm Djibriel. 'Sup?
A very important thing to realize about this document is that it's a
translation of a SNES-based document which can be found elsewhere on this site.
Too bad for you lot it was done by the document's original author, that being
me, so you have little room for complaining about translation 'errors' and my
apparant inability to capture the original document's air. Don't forget, oh
perfect reader, I know you better than you know yourself >:)
The original document was first released in November 2005, and we're roughly
two years down the road now. It may seem weird to some that 'simply 'adapting
the original 1381 kB file took about as long as writing the monstrosity in the
first place, but you'd be surprised at how much work it is! Saint Jerome and
Ted Woolsey would've shared my pain I'm sure, had they not both passed away 16
centuries ago.
At the very start of this document I'd like to mention that none of this would
have ever happened if there weren't so many righteous characters out there who
advised my walkthrough to people on the message boards, who e-mailed me just to
say they enjoyed the FAQ in one way or another or otherwise made me feel like
I didn't spend all this time just for personal enjoyment... I had a market to
work for. Hotels around the globe replaced their Holy Bible with a printed
version of the Battle Tactics Walkthrough. Rumors have comely women carry
snippets of my guide in their panties to feel sexier and more confident. Like
Stephen King and Robert Jordan, I had to struggle to deliver my ultimate work
before Death's ever-fickle hand took me in its grip. Before you, you see the
results. The all-inclusive Walkthrough and Battle Tactics Guide for Final
Fantasy VI Advance.
But what is this document you're seeing? Does it really contain everything? Is
it some kind of Hitchhiker's Guide to FF VI Advance? The Encyclopedea CCLV VI
Supremea? The Cosmog Sutra, where you'll learn all about Tantric Gameplay
(lasts for hours; winning the battle is NOT the main goal)? I think the best
mental image of the document can be extracted from all the following possible
titles that have passed the revue while creation of the original document was
still a process of the present:
(by PrattDaBard, of which the last part of his name is more apt than the middle
part will reveal)
"The Spoiler-Filled Walkthrough"
"The Ecumencial FF3 Encyclopedia"
"The Compendious FF3 Companion"
"The Un-Restricted FF3 Reader"
"FF3: an Exhaustive Exhortation"
"The All-Inclusive FF3 Compendium"
"The Far-Reaching FF3 FAQ"
"FF3 for Fools"
"A Discursive Dissertation on FF3"
"A Panoptic FF3 Primer"
"FF3: The Liberal Lexicon"
"The Hefty FF3 Handbook"
"The Full FF3 Folio"
"Djibriel's Dictionary"
(by Imzogelmo)
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know about FF3 (But Would've Got Flamed for
Asking)"
"640 KB Ought to be Enough for Anybody" (ed: 640. Heh)
"The FF3 Bible"
"Detailed Journal of Information By Resolute, Industrious Exploratory
Learning" (ed: I especially loved this one, people with thinking brains can
figure out why)
(by assassin)
"Mages are from Thamasa, Warriors are from Doma"
"An Idiot's A-Z guide to FF3: from Albrook to Tzen"
"Gestahl: The Man, the Dog, the Legend"
"101 Easy Pet Care Tips for your Emperor"
"Just Hold it 'til Vector: A Globetrotter's Guide to Bladder Control"
"I Feel Safe in Suits: Gary Newman's Easy Tutorial to Dancing in Magitek"
"Djibriel's Humility Fest"
--Warning
At the time of writing I have written four documents in total, all meant for
Final Fantasy III for the SNES and/or Final Fantasy VI Advance for the GBA.
Though the Level # Lore and Sketch Guides are more novelty knowledge than
anything, grabbing my Rage Guide off the shelves could be a worthy addition,
even though all directly important information is given in this document as
well.
My style is verbose. This document is meant for players who like to take their
time for games, who like to know background information, a little extra
suspense, detailed explanation for equipment choices and technique formulas.
It doesn't matter if you're a first-time player or a veteran FF junkie as it
gives both basic descriptions and advanced info, but as long as you like to
dive in there, it's cool.
However, if you're repelled by overly verbose descriptions, if you like your
walkthroughs clean and quick and to the point with tables and abbreviations and
all that, there are other documents for you. The one I'd like to specifically
mention is the one written by Lufia_Maxim. As you can read in its final
chapter, it was greatly influenced by this very, at the time untranslated
document. It's got all but the useless info and it's only half the size, so he
must've been doing something right.
**********************************
3.0 Set-up of the document, and slang you're going to start recognizing
**********************************
First off: if you have a question, I've answered it. That's the premise we're
working with here. If the question you have seems oddly GENERAL to you, as in:
is of influence through the entire game, you won't find it in the Walkthrough;
you will find it in the FAQ at the bottom. So, if you want to know about stats,
or what-does-this-do or something, go there.
Obviously, this document will use the new translation used by the GBA version
of the game. Boo for Ted Woolsey, give it up for Tom Slattery!
Super Famicom/SNES:
Release Data
Final Fantasy VI Square Enix 04/02/94 JP
Final Fantasy III Square Enix 10/20/94 US
PAL version:
Release Data
Final Fantasy VI (w/FFX Demo) Sony Interactive Studios America 03/01/02 EU
Final Fantasy VI Square Enix 03/11/99 JP
Anthology:
Release Data
Final Fantasy Anthology Electronic Arts 05/17/02 EU
Final Fantasy Anthology Square Enix 09/30/99 US
GBA:
Release Data
Final Fantasy VI Advance Square Enix 11/30/06 JP
Final Fantasy VI Advance Nintendo 02/05/07 US
Final Fantasy VI Advance Nintendo 06/29/07 EU
Slang:
Ctrl + F:
That most holy of combos, the road to salvation. Had enough of the ridicule of
those more adapted to today's lifestyle than you? Have you been bossed around
by the 'elite' for far too long? Don't take it out on the naturally superior,
but Physician, heal thyself: Ctrl + F is the search function. Learn to love it
like your long-lost little brother.
ST:
Single-target. It targets a single target.
MT:
Multi-target. It targets multiple targets, in most cases all.
LLG:
Low Level Game. A playthrough in which the level of the characters is kept
as low as possible. The current lowest score has been an average of around 7.2,
ranging from 6 to 13.
NMG:
Natural Magic Game. Called a challenge while it's really not, it just prevents
you from equipping Espers and items which teach spells. Naturally learned Magic
and Lores are allowed.
!Special:
It's great to have an obvious distinction between spells and Special attacks,
the modified physical attacks which either set a status effect, do x times
as much damage as the normal physical attack or drain HP/MP. Every Special
I've listed in this document (that's quite a lot) is preceded by an exclamation
point to identify it as such. My Sketch Guide already featured this. The
exclamation point doesn't find any feedback in the game whatsoever, and isn't
canon in the current other documents out there, but I felt it was a good idea.
One-hit KO attack:
One-hit KO attacks are attacks that check for the one-hit KO protection bit.
Most of the time, these attacks set KO (Death, Snare, ectera), but other
attacks also use this feature, most noticeably percentage-based attacks like
Gravity and Cyclonic. Several Petrifying spells will check for one-hit KO next
to Petrify protection and the oddball Cloudy Heaven and the level-halving
attack Dischord also check for it. The X-type one-hit KO of the Assassin's
Dagger, Viper Darts, Ichigeki, Wing Edge and the dicing effect of the
Zantetsuken also check for one-hit KO protection.
The following attacks are one-hit KO attacks:
Roulette, Break, Gravity, Death, Graviga, Tornado, Banish, Zantetsuken (Odin),
Shin-Zantetsuken (Raiden), Demon Eye (Catoblepas), Oblivion, Tiger, Antlion,
Cave in, Cockatrice, Snare, Snowball, Sonic Boom, Air Anchor, Chainsaw's one-
hit KO attack, Banisher, Doom, Dischord, Lv. 5 Death, Roulette, Blaster,
Cyclonic, Gravity Bomb, Cloudy Heaven, Shamshir, Sabre Soul, Star Prism
Note that this makes Joker's Death the only KO-setting attack that doesn't
check for the bit, and Dread Gaze the only 'normal' Petrify-setting attack that
doesn't check for one-hit KO protection. In addition, while Diablos' Dark
Messenger attack and Gravija are both percentage-based attacks, neither checks
for immunity to one-hit KO attacks.
(Enemy) Meteor, (Umaro) Snowstorm:
Both Meteor and Snowstorm, as attacks, have two incarnations in this game.
There's the Meteor spell, an unblockable spell that deals non-elemental
barrier-piercing damage to all targets. And then there's the enemy attack
Meteor, which is blockable to the point of being rather inaccurate but a lot
more powerful. When I'm talking about the spell Meteor, I'll just call it
Meteor. The enemy attack Meteor is called "(enemy) Meteor" in this document to
differate between the two.
In addition, there are two kinds of Snowstorm attacks. The enemy attack
Snowstorm, which is a weak MT Ice-elemental attack used by the Megalodoth
monsters at the beginning of the game. And then there's Umaro's Snowstorm,
which is far stronger but not Umaro-exclusive. Gau has access to the attack
through, for instance, the Black Dragon Rage. The first will be called
Snowstorm, the latter "(Umaro) Snowstorm".
Redux:
The Dragon's Den features eight new elemental dragons. They're called exactly
the same and they look exactly the same. To differate between the two sets of
dragons, I've given the Dragon's Den version the title 'Redux'. It sounds
cool, and it helps :) It's Latin for 'brought back', and if anything, it
references Apocalypse Now: Redux, which is an awesome movie.
**********************************
4.0 The Walkthrough
**********************************
Table of Contents:
4.1.1 Prelude: The attack on Narshe
4.1.2 Prelude: The newly dug mineshaft
4.1.3 Prelude: The battle with Ymir
4.2.1 Old Man's House
4.2.2 Escape through the mines
4.3.1 Defending Terra from the Guard Leader
4.4.1 Adventuring School
4.4.2 Traveling to Figaro Castle
4.5.1 Figaro Castle
4.5.2 Fighting off Magitek power
4.6.1 Traveling through Figaro Cave
4.7.1 South Figaro
4.7.2 The Overworld Map around South Figaro
4.8.1 Sabin's Hut
4.8.2 Mt. Koltz
4.8.3 The battle with Vargas
4.9.1 Traveling to the Returners' Hideout
4.9.2 The Returners' Hideout
4.10.1 Escaping over the Lethe River
4.10.2 The first fight with Ultros
4.11.1 Choosing a scenario
4.12.1 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Lethe River continued
4.12.2 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Traveling to Narshe
4.12.3 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Narshe
4.13.1 Scenario Sabin: Meeting Shadow and finding the Imperial Camp
4.13.2 Scenario Sabin: The Imperial Camp and Doma
4.13.3 Scenario Sabin: Satellite and the Imperial Camp continued
4.14.1 Scenario Sabin: Traveling to the Phantom Forest
4.14.2 Scenario Sabin: The Phantom Forest
4.15.1 Scenario Sabin: The Phantom Train
4.15.2 Scenario Sabin: Apparition and the Phantom Train continued
4.15.3 Scenario Sabin: The battle with the Phantom Train
4.16.1 Scenario Sabin: Traveling to Baren Falls
4.16.2 Scenario Sabin: Baren Falls
4.16.3 Scenario Sabin: Traveling over the Veldt to Mobliz
4.17.1 Scenario Sabin: Mobliz
4.17.2 Scenario Sabin: Recruiting Gau
4.17.3 Scenario Sabin: Crescent Mountain
4.18.1 Scenario Sabin: The Serpent Trench
4.18.2 Scenario Sabin: Nikeah
4.19.1 Scenario Locke: South Figaro
4.19.2 Scenario Locke: Secret Underground Passge of South Figaro
4.20.1 Scenario Locke: Traveling to Figaro Cave
4.20.2 Scenario Locke: Figaro Cave
4.20.3 Scenario Locke: The battle with Tunnel Armor
4.21.1 Defending the Esper from Kefka
4.21.2 Hell's Rider
4.21.3 The battle with Kefka
4.22.1 Narshe
4.23.1 Traveling to Kohlingen and optional trip to the Veldt
4.24.1 Kohlingen
4.25.1 Traveling to Jidoor
4.25.2 Jidoor
4.26.1 Zozo
4.26.2 Chainsaw Riddle and Zozo continued
4.26.3 The battle with Dadaluma and the meeting with Ramuh
4.27.1 Magicite and Owzer's Mansion in Jidoor
4.28.1 The Opera House
4.28.2 The Dream Oath
4.28.3 Stopping Ultros
4.28.4 The second fight with Ultros
4.29.1 The Blackjack
4.30.1 Albrook
4.30.2 Traveling on the Southern Continent
4.30.3 The Imperial Observation Post
4.30.4 Tzen
4.30.5 Maranda
4.31.1 Vector
4.31.2 Imperial Magitek Research Facility; Magitek Factory
4.31.3 Imperial Magitek Research Facility; The Pit
4.31.4 The battle with Ifrit and Shiva
4.31.5 Imperial Magitek Research Facility
4.31.6 The battle with Number 024
4.31.7 Imperial Magitek Research Facility; Mine Cart Ride
4.31.8 The battle with Number 128
4.32.1 Escaping Vector
4.32.2 The battle with the Cranes
4.33.1 Zozo; Terra's flashback
4.34.1 Airship Exploitation: Seraph
4.34.2 Airship Exploitation: Auction House: Golem and Zona Seeker
4.34.3 Airship Exploitation: Locating Grenade
4.34.4 Airship Exploitation: Obtaining Gaia Gear
4.34.5 Airship Exploitation: Intangir
4.34.6 Airship Exploitation: Veldt hunting
4.34.7 Intermezzo; Espers 101
4.35.1 Allied Narshe
4.35.2 Lone Wolf persecution and recruiting Mog
4.35.3 Dance lessons, including Water Harmony
4.36.1 Cave to the Sealed Gate
4.36.2 Gil Toss and Cave to the Sealed Gate continued
4.37.1 Esper rampage; Snake Eyes
4.38.1 Vector; Imperial palace
4.38.2 The Banquet
4.38.3 Items of the Imperial Observation Post and Setzer's cutscene
4.39.1 Departing from Albrook
4.40.1 Traveling to Thamasa; Crescent Island
4.40.2 Thamasa
4.40.3 The Burning Mansion
4.40.4 The battle with Flame Eater
4.41.1 Leaving Thamasa
4.41.2 Crescent Island's Eastern Mountains
4.41.3 The third fight with Ultros
4.41.4 Relm and the Espers' gathering place
4.42.1 Epilogue
4.42.2 Leo versus Kefka
4.43.1 Airship Exploitation: Rage and Lore hunting
4.43.2 Airship Exploitation: Doma Castle
4.44.1 Preparation for the Floating Continent
4.44.2 Imperial Air Force
4.44.3 The fourth fight with Ultros
4.44.4 The battle with Air Force
4.45.1 The Floating Continent
4.45.2 Gigantos and the Floating Continent continued
4.45.3 The decisive battle with Ultima Weapon
4.45.4 Kefka's Betrayal
4.45.5 Escape from the Floating Continent
4.45.6 The battle with Nelapa and Exit
Take note that this is a walkthrough for the first half of the game; the World
of Balance. Right now the GBA version of the second half isn't done yet, but
the SNES walkthrough for the second half can be found here:
http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/file/final_fantasy_iii_l_2.txt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1.1 Prelude: The attack on Narshe
**********************************
Location: Narshe
Party members: Terra, Biggs, Wedge
Opponents: Guard, Silver Lobo, Megalodoth
Narshe, a coalmine city that manages its own business and cares not for the
war that is waged far away, has stumbled upon a mysterious find in their mines.
The Empire, the all-consuming power-hungry nation to the far south of the world,
has learned of this.
-Command to the Empire Force in particular.
-Commence to launch the attack on Narshe, the coal mines city.
Three of their most dangerous units are dispatched to claim this discovered
treasure for the glory of the Empire and by all means necessary. Three soldiers
of the Empire, piloting Magitek Armors, are sent out. One of them is a very
special soldier of the Empire, and a future unlike any other is waiting for her.
Preparation: Put all your characters in the Back Row. Magitek attacks, being
MAGICAL BEAMS and all, won't suffer from the 50 % damage reduction, but you'll
be reaping the benefits soon enough. From the reduced damage you'll be taking,
that is.
To learn about Magitek attacks: [MAGITEK-LINK]
Monster formations:
Silver Lobo
Silver Lobo, Silver Lobo
Guard, Guard
Silver Lobo, Guard, Guard (forced Pincer attack)
Megalodoth, Megalodoth, Guard, Guard
This is the prologue of the game, and it concerns you, being overpowered,
blasting your way through poor defenseless Narshe. Enjoy the Magitek powers
while they last.
You can't really touch equipment right now. Ogle your mystery girl and her
Imperial Starsky and Hutch buddies, as the situation is about to change. For
trivia knowledge, this is the equipment of your generic soldiers:
Mythril Sword
Buckler
Leather Cap
Leather Armor
Any offensive attack you perform at this point results into Death on the other
side. With this in mind, the choice is simple. If Terra comes up, have her use
the MT Bio Blast attack. The Imperial soldiers can make themselves useful by
using any of the three beams; they are identical in power and are always
fatal, so it doesn't matter what you do. After you've leveled, you can use
Terra's Cure out-battle to restore HP. Use it once with an MT effect and you're
set. Do the same after the forced pincer attack you had to endure from the
Silver Lobo, Guard, Guard monster formation. The next one will feature
Megalodoth.
These monsters will start using Snowstorm, an MT Ice-elemental on you as soon
as Terra (or, if not available, a randomly decided party member) has a level
equal to or higher than 7. This is not the case when you encounter them now,
so they will only attack you physically.
Although they have the second-highest Attack in the game, the fact they're
level 1 effectively screws them out of any significant damage output. If you're
in the Back Row, you'll see them doing 0 damage. Savor the sight; it'll be a
while before you see it happening again on a physical attack. For extra fun,
try using Confuser against them; it'll give you a little taste of what
Snowstormy violence will be sent your way later in the game. For imminent death
on their side of the battlefield, Bio Blast works well enough as it kills all
four targets instantly.
There is a maximum of 5 battles and a minimum of 2 battles to be fought in
this part of Narshe. When you enter, you can try to go right of the Inn. A
single Silver Lobo will be sent after you.
You have no choice but to press on. You will encounter two Guards when you try
to pass the Inn, there's no avoiding them.
There are lines of what appear to be vents on the ground. You've been following
the vertical line, you now come across a horizontal line of vents. If you stand
on the tile where the two cross, two Silver Lobos will be sent after you, and
then two Narshe Guards. You can avoid this by going around the tile in question.
If you pass the Item Shop, you'll be caught in a Pincer attack of two Guards
and a Silever Lobo; this is unavoidable.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1.2 Prelude: The newly dug mineshaft
**********************************
Location: Narshe Mineshaft
Party members: Terra, Biggs, Wedge
Opponents: Wererat, Spritzer, Bandit
You've entered a newly dug Mine Shaft in search of the Esper you're supposed to
retrieve. You're up for some vermin in the mines.
Preparation: Still in the Back Row, are we? There's nothing interesting here to
do, so let's move on.
Monster formations:
(First Cave)
Wererat, Wererat, Wererat (10/16)
Wererat, Bandit (6/16)
(Second Cave)
Bandit, Spritzer (6/16)
Spritzer, Spritzer (5/16)
Wererat, Wererat (5/16)
You're past the town of Narshe. You can be proud of yourself; you just killed
a number of brave men, undoubtedly with a happy life and a family. Faintly, you
can hear an orphan crying.
You can pretty much blast your way through these monsters too. In the first
cavern, there are Wererat and Bandit, in the second, Spritzer. Wererat
absorbs Poison, so while it may be tempting to use an MT spell against the
largest group of enemies you're facing, don't. Spritzer absorbs Lightning, so
in any battle you find one, avoid Thunder Beam like the demonic plague it is.
Electricity fails at success, anyway.
Bandit...This little goblinoid (is that a word?) is one messed-up little dude
with self-destructive tendencies of the worst kind: the kind that can hurt you
as well. Every time you'll hurt it without killing it, there's a 33 % chance
he'll use !Wrench on himself. If, however, you dealt a fatal blow to him and
he decides to execute that !Wrench, he'll find that he can't actually attack
himself. Nay, one cannot attack the dead. Only on the GameFAQs Board, and
that's limited to kicking and horses. He'll fling the tool in your direction
instead. Avoid this by using Banisher, or try to not care.
Eventually, you'll come across a barrier. Biggs will knock it down for you, but
as soon as you want to continue a Narshe guard rushes out with quite a nasty
surprise...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1.3 Prelude: The battle with Ymir
**********************************
Ymir (shell)
Level: 4, HP: 50000, MP: 120
Steal: Nothing (always), Win: Ether (always)
Absorbs: Lightning
Special: !Hit : Attack x 4
Vulnerable to: Nothing
Attacks: Megavolt
Head (Ymir's head)
Level: 6, HP: 1600, MP: 1000
Steal: Nothing (always), Win: Hi-Potion (always)
Special: !Slime: sets Slow
Vulnerable to: Nothing
Attacks: Attack, !Slime
This battle is quite simple. Biggs and Wedge will alert each other about the
grave importance of avoiding attacking the shell at all costs. When they're
done, you can move in your very first boss battle.
The shell and the head are two separate entities. The shell will do nothing as
long as you won't attack it, but every time you do damage, it will counter
with Megavolt. Megavolt won't be strong enough to actually kill a character
at full HP, but it will be strong enough to do so in two hits.
The head will just attack physically and on occasion slow you down with !Slime.
After every 10 seconds, it'll 'retreat in its shell', i.o.w. disappear from the
battlefield. He'll keep this up for 10 seconds, and he'll pop out again. Both
actions are accompanied with an oh-so-sinister "Grawwwk...".
Your strategy? The main thing to avoid is selecting an attack on the head just
when it retreats. It's because of this it's best to just go with one attack for
each character in one period of 10 seconds. When you can move, make your
generic Imperial soldiers attack with a Beam-class attack and the mysterious
girl use Magitek Missile. Wait until the head has retreated and appeared again.
Repeat. Ymir should be dead by now if you fought all the battles against the
Narshe guards; if not, just go for another round.
Ymir is, to be honest, nothing more than a big sign saying: "You see, this game
isn't about mindless violence...it's about strategy, about good thinking".
Yeah...
Note: If you are beyond the shame of any man, you can go for the Ether the
shell provides. Since the shell only has 120 MP, he can only use six Megavolt
attacks. After this, it is helpless. If you whittle down its 50000 HP and make
sure you kill both the shell and the head with one attack (use a calculator!),
you'll get both an Ether AND a Hi-Potion, and it'll only have cost you over an
hour and your dignity.
In the second cave, you finally come across the object of your mission: the
dug-up Esper. But as soon as you get near it, the mind-slave of your party acts
very weird indeed, and it's not long after the two soldiers grow suspicious
they are removed. Note that we can't say for sure the Esper killed them or
simply warped to some place, but we never ever see them again.
Alone, the Esper does *something* to Terra. Her Magitek Armor explodes
underneath her, and all turns to an inky black.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2.1 Old Man's House
**********************************
Location: Old Man's house
Party members: Terra
Opponents: None
Container contents: Elixir
Miscellaneous items: Sleeping Bag x 2
You wake up alone, scared, and confused. An old man has found you in the
mines and has nursed you back to health. To make matters worse, you have to
flee as soon as there's somebody to explain the situation to you. Such plot
device! You get the fact that Narshe guards outside are trying to get to you.
Scones will not be involved in the meeting, so you'd better make a run for it.
Preparation: Remember when you were in the Back Row? Let's stick to that.
When you awoke, you received two Sleeping Bags (from Arvis, we could assume).
Sleeping Bags are like Tents, but for one person only. They completely restore
HP/MP and remove any status ailment except for Zombie, but are only usable on
a Save Point or the Overworld Map.
Before you go, grab the Elixir in the clock.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2.2 Escape through the mines
**********************************
Location: Narshe, Forsaken Mines
Party members: Terra
Opponents: Wererat, Spritzer, Bandit
Container contents: Phoenix Down, Sleeping Bag
Remember those kick-ass attacks you just did? Yeah, about those? They're gone.
Your party members have been magically consumed, and your magical tank of
happiness exploded under your seat. Everything you love is finite. But don't
fear too much, for a Final Fantasy tradition of old is about to set in: you can
now hurt stuff with pointy things that you push into them using your muscles.
Use it to your advantage.
Preparation: If you're in for some leveling, I suggest moving to the Front Row.
You'll take more damage, sure, but you can also kill Wererat and Spritzer with
a single Attack command now, which is much more MP-friendly in the long run. If
you seek to breeze through, stick to the Back Row and use Fire. Out-of-battle
Cure is your friend.
Monster formations:
Bandit, Spritzer (6/16)
Spritzer, Spritzer (5/16)
Wererat, Wererat (5/16)
These monsters and monster formations seem awfully familiar, don't you think?
The difference is, though, that now you're by your lonesome, without magical
machines of malice and maniacal maiming under your command. I guess we can
do it the old-fashioned way, then. Double Spritzer should be taken care of
with an MT Fire spell, as should a double Wererat. Start the Bandit/Spritzer
battle off with an MT Fire spell and finish Bandit off with a physical. You
can't do anything about !Wrench now, so suffer in silence.
There are two chests here. Feel free to grab the left one; it contains a
Sleeping Bag. Later it turns into an Elixir, which is much better, but you can
steal them in large quantities by then so there's no need to wait. It'd be best
to leave the right chest alone; while the Phoenix Down it now contains is nice,
the Guard Bracelet Relic it transforms into later will be much nicer.
When you're past the two chests and the Save Point (did you save? Saving is
good, word on the street says even Jesus saves!), remove Terra's Mythril Knife
and Buckler, and press on.
The Narshe Guards will corner Terra, but she has a plan: quickly, she
collapses down a conveniently thin layer of rock that caves in underneath her.
One could argue this isn't so much a plan as it is sheer luck, but I'm willing
to give our heroine some credit here.
Three flashbacks will be seen now: Terra getting her Slave Crown from Kefka,
Terra being tested as the Imperial weapon she was meant to be, Terra at an
Imperial parade. Behind the Emperor here, from left to right: Kefka Palazzo,
general Leo Christophe, general Celes Chere. A cozy bunch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3.1 Defending Terra from the Guard Leader
**********************************
Location: Narshe, Forsaken Mines
Party members: Locke, Mog, Moglin, Mogret, Moggie, Molulu, Moghan, Moguel,
Mogsy, Mogwin, Mugmug, Cosmog
Opponents: Silver Lobo, Megalodoth, Guard Leader
Miscellaneous items: Mythril Spear (Mog), Mythril Shield (Mog) Mythril Knife
(Guard Leader Steal)
Locke arrives to the game! Locke and the old man chat about bygones and
memories past, while the old man (still anonymous) takes care of some
exposition. Basic points: The Gestahlian Empire is evil, the Returners are
fighting the Gestahlian Empire, and Narshe should join the Returners but, right
now, has not done such a thing.
Locke manages to reach Terra before the Narshe guards do, which is a good thing
all in all. Terra is still unconscious, so She Needs To Be Rescued.
Locke is your new permanent character. That naming screen sure is a dead give-
away, is it not? You can now control him using your controller. It won't be
for long though, as the half dozen enemies, which come storming into the place,
will ensure Terra is captured and Locke smacked around.
But lo and behold, there are eleven Moogle friends for you to exploit as well!
Sadly, you cannot enter their equipment. Except for one, Mog. How bizarre.
Here's the rundown of the Moogles:
Mog - Level average + 5
Mythril Spear; Mythril Shield
Moglin - Level average + 2
Mythril Spear; Buckler
Mogret - Level average + 0
Morning Star; Buckler
Moggie - Level average + 0
Mythril Claws; Buckler
Molulu - Level average - 5
Chain Flail; Buckler
Moghan - Level average + 0
Mythril Sword; Buckler
Moguel - Level average + 2
Moonring Blade; Buckler
Mogsy - Level average + 2
Chocobo Brush; Buckler
Mogwin - Level average + 0
Mythril Spear; Buckler
Mugmug - Level average + 0
Mythril Sword; Buckler
Cosmog - Level average + 2
Boomerang; Buckler
Note that all level adjustments stem from the average of all characters, not
just Terra and Locke. This means that (for instance) Molulu is only 2 or 3
levels below Terra, not 5.
They're all collected in three teams. These are the teams:
Locke's group:
Locke
Moglin
Mogret
Moggie
Mog's group:
Mog
Molulu
Moghan
Moguel
Mogsy's group:
Mogsy
Mogwin
Mugmug
Cosmog
Preparation: Equip Locke with the equipment you snatched from Terra; the
Buckler will be especially nice. You can put Mogret, Molulu, Moguel and Cosmog
in the Back Row, as their weapons will still do full damage. Now, head into
battle. Already know which team you want to use for the boss battle; read
below. Try to avoid fighting with this group, and catch the other monsters with
your inferior groups. If you fail, the monsters will reach Terra, prompting
Locke to say: "No...! I failed her..."
Monster formations:
Silver Lobo, Silver Lobo, Guard Leader
Megalodoth, Silver Lobo
Guard Leader
Level: 8, HP: 420, MP: 150
Steal: Mythril Knife (common), Win: Hi-Potion (always)
Weakness: Poison
Special: !Charge: Attack x 2
Sketch : !Charge, Attack
Control: Attack, !Charge, Thundara
Vulnerable to: Imp, Petrify, KO, Doom, Mute, Berserk, Confused, Sleep,
Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Charge, Net
There are two battles here. First, I'll talk about the battle you engage in
when you meet the walking monsters. This is the Megalodoth and the Silver Lobo
formation. Aim all attacks on the Megalodoth at first, then the Silver Lobo.
Don't bother using Steal with Locke; they carry nothing of importance. If you
use Mog's party, you will notice that Mog learns the Twilight Requiem after one
battle. Have him use this Dance for the other battles, as it kills stuff dead
very seriously.
For information about Steal and how it works: [STEAL-LINK]
Mog's Dance skill is limited to the Twilight Requiem, a Dance he will learn as
soon as he has fought one battle here. The Twilight Requiem will have the
following random effects every turn:
7/16 43.75 % Cave In - Removes 75 % of target's current HP
6/16 37.50 % Snare - Sets KO to a single enemy, prevents final counters
2/16 12.50 % Will o' the Wisp - ST magical, Fire-elemental attack
1/16 6.25 % Poisonous Frog - ST magical, Poison-elemental attack, also sets
Poison
Unless both Mog's team and Locke's team have been beaten down severely, there's
no good reason to use the four-generic-Moogle party against the Guard Leader.
Between the other two, the choice is up to you. As you cannot get a Game Over
in this part of the game - a defeated party is sent back to a certain point
with all characters at 1 HP - you can always fight Guard Leader with Locke
until you have a Mythril Knife. If you have trouble with the actual 'killing'
part of the Guard Leader battle (Power-wise, not moral-wise), Mog has extremely
dangerous attacks to offer, so you can use him for that.
If you picked Mog's team, the Twilight Requiem will make short work of the
fight regardless. If you picked Locke's team or the third and inferior party,
you will want to kill one Silver Lobo and then focus your attack on the Guard
Leader. As long as he's not alone, he won't use !Charge, an extremely strong
physical attack that can kill weaker units in the Front Row. He will, on the
other hand, use the Net attack to stop some of your party members. You can try
to stall if Locke is hit if you want to.
Before you engage in the Guard Leader battle, remove Mog's Mythril Spear and
Mythril Shield. Equip the Shield on Locke if you're fighting the Guard Leader
with him.
For some trivia knowledge some would appreciate, Molulu is Mog's girlfriend.
Molulu is the weakest Moogle you'll find here and stands next to Mog on the
battlefield on the second position of his group. Male chauvinist pig
explanation of Molulu's weakness: she's a woman. Family-friendly support group
-evading explanation: although lacking in combat experience, Molulu shows some
proverbial nuts by going with her lover anyway. At any rate, the Molulu's Charm
you'll find later in the game, a Mog-exclusive Relic, is supposed to be given
to him by Molulu. Previous english releases did not make this connection,
though it existed in the original Japanese game.
Also, the Japanese Creation Data Collection Book supposedly clearly says the
Moogle Charm is a "crystal ball charm given by his lover, Moruru". I've never
seen it myself and wouldn't recognize Japanese if it exploded from my stomach
like the aliens in the aptly-named movies with Sigourney Weaver, but I have
no reason to doubt it either.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4.1 Adventuring School
**********************************
Location: Adventuring School
Party members: Terra, Locke
Opponents: Silver Lobo
Container contents: Ether, Potion, Sleeping Bag, Monster-in-a-box (Silver Lobo)
It was going to happen regardless of your wishes. This is the place where the
game is explained to you. They should've just listed the GameFAQs URL in my
opinion, but hey. It's Square. You shouldn't expect anything from them when it
comes to logic.
If you really want to learn about general Battle Mechanics: [BATTLE-LINK]
Preparation: There will be one battle against the weakest opponent in the game.
Try finding your chi or something. I hear it's located within you.
Monster formations:
Silver Lobo
When you enter, the first thing you'll see is a man standing over a bucket.
While normally I wouldn't advise you to go near people bending over buckets,
let alone drink anything those buckets may contain, this specific bucket
contains water from a Recovery Spring, magical springs that heal HP, MP, and
remove all status effects.
There are three rooms in this building. Field Science is the one to the far
right, and it's where the only monster here is located. Open the chest to fight
a single Silver Lobo. Have Terra Defend (press right when in the command menu)
and Locke Steal until you've gotten that Potion. You know you want it. Kill him
with violence.
Find the Ether in the yellow pot in Field Science and open the chest in Battle
Tactics (middle door) for a Sleeping Bag. Then, be bold and walk straight into
Advanced Battle Tactics. There's a chest containing a Potion in there. Now,
exit.
The guy in front of the door advises you to skip Advanced Battle Tactics. What
a Tonic-hogger, eh?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4.2 Traveling to Figaro Castle
**********************************
Location: Overworld Map. Between Narshe and Figaro Desert
Party members: Terra, Locke
Opponents: Leaf Bunny, Darkwind, Sand Ray, Alacran
Having been dissed by a Narshe guard, you have no choice but to pursue a
career in fighting for the greater good. Locke was told to bring Terra to the
king of Figaro, and so he does. Castle Figaro lies in the middle of the desert,
denying the rules of logic and reason. You need to cross the Overworld Map in
order to reach it. Hold me.
Should you try to enter Narshe, a Narshe guard will rush to the scene and
inquire to your name. You quickly run off.
Preparation: Equip the newly acquired Mythril Knife on Terra. She won't use it,
gods no, But it's still a 4 point increase in Attack, and I don't see why
the hell not. Keep the Mythril Shield on Locke; he has more Hit Points,
granted, but he will be taking more damage as well. For the battles against the
grassland and forest monsters, it would be best for both Terra and Locke to sit
safely in the Back Row, as neither of them will be using the Attack command. In
the desert, put Locke in the Front Row, and keep Terra in the Back Row.
Monster formations:
(Grasslands)
Leaf Bunny (10/16)
Leaf Bunny, Leaf Bunny, Darkwind (6/16)
(Forest)
Leaf Bunny, Leaf Bunny, Darkwind (10/16)
Leaf Bunny, Leaf Bunny, Darkwind, Darkwind (6/16)
(Desert)
Sand Ray, Sand Ray (5/16)
Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (1/16)
There are two kinds of battles here. There are the desert battles and the
non-desert battles. The non-desert battles are no threat to you. If Locke
comes up first, have him Steal. It'll get you moderately useless junk,
solely limited to Potions. If Terra comes up, an MT Fire spell kills everything.
Desert battles are different. In here, you'll face danger. And sand in your
boots. If you come across a double Sand Ray formation, have Locke Steal
(Antidotes!) and Terra use an ST Fire spell, which should take one down in a
single hit. Repeat for the other. If, however, you come across more than two,
an MT Fire spell followed by a physical from Locke kills. Do just that. Don't
waste more than one Fire spell in one battle unless you're close to the castle.
Hey, did you know that the Sand Ray was based off an actual creature, the
Trilobite? They're related to crabs, scorpions and spiders, but are extinct
due to the fact they failed at life in general.
There's a Chocobo Stable hidden in the forest south of the desert. There's no
reason to go there whatsoever. The owner will charge you 100 Gil to rent-a-
bird. If this seems insane to you, remember that this is the same guy who hides
his own shop in the woods. And here I was thinking you'd want to promote your
shop if it depended on your amount of customers. I'll never understand
capitalism.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5.1 Figaro Castle
**********************************
Location: Figaro Castle
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: None
Container contents: Antidote, Gold Needle, Phoenix Down, Potion
Miscellaneous items: Auto Crossbow (Edgar)
You've reached Figaro Castle. Everybody's mighty polite. There's not a whole
lot to do here. Walk on. In the farthest room, Edgar Roni Figaro is casually
lounging in his throne.
Before you talk to Edgar, put Locke in the Front Row (if you hadn't already)
and take his Mythril Shield from him. He'll leave.
Edgar hits on you! Oh my, I can't see that working out. After the failing of
his charmings, he leaves, leaving Terra to question her sexuality.
When controlling Terra, equip the Mythril Shield on her and put her in the
Front Row as well. There are two shops here, an Item shop and a Weapon shop:
Item Shop:
Potion 50
Ether 1500
Antidote 50
Gold Needle 200
Echo Screen 120
Phoenix Down 500
Sleeping Bag 500
Tent 1200
There's really not anything that you need to buy here. You could buy a Tent or
two if you have the money, but you'll need 1250 Gil for the Weapon Shop.
Weapon Shop:
Auto Crossbow 250
Noiseblaster 500
Bioblaster 750
Buy a Noiseblaster and a Bioblaster; you have obtained an Auto Crossbow by
talking to Edgar. One should wonder where Edgar keeps his hands if he has the
power to sneak stuff in your inventory without you noticing, especially since
he's the token pervert of this game. Haha, now that was a mental image that
delivered big funny!
Make sure to find the Potion, Antidote, Gold Needle, and Phoenix Down in the
castle. All of them are easy to find so I won't bother pointing them out to you.
Try to find the High Priestess of the castle; she is located in the left wing
of the castle. She'll tell you all about the rather tragic past of the Figaro
throne; twin brothers. Twins. Poor Figaro. Luckily, Sabin Rene Figaro ran away
leaving his brother as the sole monarch, as things should be. In the Japanese
game, she also states here that Sabin was smaller and weaker than Edgar when
they were children.
When the High Priestess is done telling her story, you can find Edgar again,
who has returned to his throne. In the hallway, you meet the second man of the
Figaro army, the Chancellor. Have a chat, by all means.
As soon as Edgar starts to make small talk again, he is disturbed by the
gravest of messages; Kefka Palazzo, a big man of the Empire, is coming for a
visit, and something tells you he won't be wanting any of your scones.
When controlling Edgar, keep him in the Front Row and equip Mog's Mythril Spear
on him. As this is the first time you're actually handling Edgar, this might
be the perfect time to learn about his fighting powers:
If you'd like to learn about Tools: [TOOLS-LINK]
Edgar defies the Empire! He blatantly lies to Kefka when he asks if he knows
anything about Terra, the girl who 'stole something of minor importance'. The
only thing she stole was the Empire's dignity! Zing!
Edgar calls Kefka Emperor Gestahl's court mage. Does that mean that Kefka knows
Magic as well?
Now, when you're controlling Terra again, take hold of that Mythril Sword.
What a switch-happy game it is. You can follow Locke now if you want to.
You'll notice that Terra is one level, if not two, behind Locke. Edgar will be
even stronger. If you want to equal the situation out a little, you can choose
to leave the castle and fight some solo-Terra battles outside. I advise you
do the training in the forest, though, as the desert enemies might Numb you
and grant you a Game Over of Death. You might opt to rent a Chocobo to return
to Figaro Castle, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5.2 Fighting off Magitek power
**********************************
Location: Figaro Desert
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: Magitek Armor
That night: misfortune! Kefka has royally screwed Figaro's alliance with the
Empire up its currently non-existent ass. For a moment, all seems hopeless, but
Locke had a plan! Turns out Edgar and the Chancellor had taken this possibility
in account. But see, I know it's Locke's plan, because his music is playing.
Anyway, you escape your castle while said castle is digging its way through the
desert. No, I don't know either why they didn't do that right away, before
the bad guys set it on fire. You're now being chased by the Magitek Armors.
We saw how powerful they are, remember? You are going to die a painful but
mercifully quick death.
Preparation: You did the preparation thing in the castle, right? All one can do
at this moment is pray to whatever god you worship.
Monster formations:
Magitek Armor, Magitek Armor
Magitek Armor
Level: 8, HP: 210, MP: 250
Steal: Hi-Potion (rare), Potion (common), Win: Hi-Potion (common)
Weakness: Lightning
Status: Protect
Special: !Metal Kick, Attack x 1.5
Sketch : Magitek Laser, Attack
Control: Attack, Magitek Laser
Vulnerable to: Mute, Berserk, Muddled, Sleep, Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Metal Kick, Magitek Laser
It turns out that, like Uruk-Hai, Magitek Armors are about as laughably
incompetent in combat as they were awesome out of it. For this battle, the main
objective is to avoid being hit. The enemies are susceptible to Confuse, so use
that knowledge to your advantage. By which I mean the Noiseblaster. Have Edgar
use it as soon as possible and keep them confused during the rest of the battle.
Simply let him bide his time if both are still confused and it's his turn to
move again. Locke should Steal; Potions and Hi-Potions are nothing to get
excited about, but Attack removes the Confuse status. Terra should pump out ST
Fire spells. It'll get you a 'hilarious' scene. I guess it looked good on paper.
Terra's Magic and their own self-destructive tendencies (Magitek Laser hit
themselves for super-effective damage) will grant you victory. Bravo Figaro!
By the way, you won't believe the "son of a submariner" versus "son of a
sandworm" discussions out there. You can recognize survivors by their thousand
yard stare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6.1 Traveling through Figaro Cave
**********************************
Location: Figaro Cave
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: Hornet, Urok, Foper
Container contents: Ether x 2, Phoenix Down
Figaro Castle is gone, and you still can't go to Narshe...I guess it's time to
quest further into Edgar's Lands, Figaro, to reach the Returners' Hideout.
Terra should be useful in their battle against the evil Empire, which is evil.
Preparation: Everybody in the Back Row again. I know it gets boring now, but
I promise I'll eventually let you keep characters in the Front Row. If you're
wondering why Back Row characters still take reduced damage even when there's
nobody in the Front Row to protect them - which is the initial point of being in
the Back Row - then I have no satisfying answer.
Monster formations:
(First Cave)
Hornet, Foper, Foper, Foper, Hornet (10/16)
Hornet, Urok, Urok (6/16)
(Second Cave and Third Cave)
Urok, Urok, Urok (6/16)
Foper, Foper, Urok (5/16)
Hornet, Hornet (5/16)
Note: if you didn't use Terra's Magic spells in the battle against the
Magitek Armors, you still can trigger the 'flipping-out' scene in normal
battles.
Throughout the cave you retain this possibility, but once you step on the tile
just in front of the exit, the ability to see the scene is lost if you haven't
already.
Hornets are Floating creatures, but that doesn't make any difference at this
point of the game. They attack physically with Attack and !Iron Stinger.
Urok are horribly defenseless creatures, but something about Urok monsters
I find particularly repulsive, so I don't feel bad about killing them. Besdies,
!Digestive Fluid sets Sap, of which I'm no fan. When you confuse them with the
Noiseblaster, they might try to use the Magnitude 8 attack, but they have
insufficient MP.
Foper are the only creatures here that *might* stand through a single
Auto Crossbow attack. They can force you to sleep when you look in their eyes
with !Forthy Winks, but you'll have killed them before they get a chance to use
an attack like that. They may try to use Dread Gaze when confused, a Petrifying
attack, but it will fail due to insufficient MP. Their name is likely a
bastardization of 'faux pas', which is French for 'not done'.
Edgar is a very nice addition to your team. In fact, I'd say he's horribly
overpowered at this stage of the game. Time to take advantage of it! Edgar can
one-hit KO Hornet and Urok with his Auto Crossbow. If you don't meet Foper
monsters, have Terra simply Defend and Locke Steal while you're waiting for
Edgar's turn to come up. When Foper does in fact make an appearance, have Locke
still Steal, Terra use a single MT Fire on the group, and Edgar finish it off
with his Auto Crossbow. If you're scared you wasted Gil on the Bioblaster,
you'll gain use for it soon enough. If there's a choice, always try to Steal
from Urok. A Potion is a Potion, but a Remedy is a Remedy, if you know what I
mean!
As far as chests go, there are three in this cave. I know you're just dying to
grab them, but desist and cease! Know that the amount of chests you shouldn't
get is about to rapidly decrease, and these items, while 'meh' at this point
(Phoenix Down upstairs, two Ethers downstairs) will transform into rad items
in the near future. I advise you to let them be.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7.1 South Figaro
**********************************
Location: South Figaro
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: None
Container contents: 500 Gil, 1000 Gil, 1500 Gil, Antidote, Elixir, Eye Drops,
Gold Needle, Green Cherry, Hyper Wrist, Hermes Sandals, Phoenix Down,
Potion x 3, Teleport Stone
You've reached South Figaro! Great. This is the first town you arrive in where
you don't try to slaughter innocent inhabitants, so you should be able to shop,
sleep at Inns, steal stuff from houses, talk to NPCs, the usual RPG to-do
list. How awesome.
Item Shop:
Potion 50
Antidote 50
Gold Needle 200
Eye Drops 50
Echo Screen 120
Phoenix Down 500
Sleeping Bag 500
Tent 1200
You might want to buy one or two Gold Needles, as it *is* possible to
accidentally get a Petrified character in a bit, and you'll want something to
counter its effects.
Weapon Shop:
Dagger 150
Mythril Knife 300
Mythril Sword 450
Great Sword 800
Noiseblaster 500
Bioblaster 750
Buy a Great Sword and give it to Terra. Give the Mythril Sword to Locke.
You'll be switching to a better weapon in no time, but for the time being, it's
a free upgrade from the Mythril Knife. You can buy the two non-Auto Crossbow
Tools for Edgar if your ignorant brother saved after the Figaro Castle
experience without buying them there.
Armor Shop:
Buckler 200
Heavy Shield 400
Hairband 150
Plumed Hat 250
Cotton Robe 200
Kenpo Gi 250
Buy two Heavy Shields, three Plumed Hats, a Cotton Robe, and a Kenpo Gi.
Equip them with Optimize.
Relic Shop:
Spring Shoes 1500
Silver Spectacles 500
Star Pendant 500
Jeweled Ring 1000
Knight's Code 1000
Buy three Star Pendants and a Jeweled Ring. Knight's Code and Sprint Shoes
I'll leave up to you. Silver Spectacles have an actual purpose in this GBA
release of the game (as opposed to earlier versions where the Darkness status
did close to nothing). They are, however, still crummy as Darkness isn't a
dangerous status ailment. Equip a Star Pendant on every character. The Jeweled
Ring protects against Petrify. Because you won't be able to get yourself
Petrified unless you level Terra up to level 68 (she learns the Break spell at
that point) or take tremendously stupid actions when facing Cirpius, you can
just let the Relic rest in your Inventory. You'll need it later on.
Hidden Items: Like in the first cavern you explored with a lone Terra, there
are items hidden here that are best left untouched for a while. Here's a list
of the items in South Figaro:
(items now) (items they become)
Phoenix Down - Phoenix Down
Potion - X-Potion
Antidote - Tent
Eye Drops - Remedy
Potion - Holy Water
Green Cherry - Tent
Gold Needle - Elixir
Teleport Stone - Phoenix Down
There's a Potion in the barrel between the Weapon and Armor Shop. I suggest
skipping this one; you've got plenty of Potions, but X-Potions will always be
nice to have. There's an Eye Drops in a box north of the entrance to the port,
and an Antidote in the barrel just above it. They become a Tent and Remedy
respectively, so it doesn't really matter what you do. The barrel next to the
Chocobo Stable contains a Potion that becomes a Holy Water (leave it), the
Green Cherry behind the Chocobo Stable becomes a Tent (grab the Cherry) and the
Gold Needle in the box to the far southwest corner of the town becomes an
Elixir (definitely leave this one to change).
Enter the large house in the northwest corner of South Figaro. You'll enter
through the left door; exit through the right door. In one of the barrels you
see here, there's a Phoenix Down.
Continue behind this corner of the house and you'll find yourself in a hidden
room! Search the clock for an Elixir. Now, go back in the house and go up the
stairs.
In one of the rooms, there will be a man writing a letter (who is he writing
to? I'm sure it's not important. Couldn't be the enemy, anyway). Behind the
bookcase, you'll find a secret entrance to a staircase, which leads to another
staircase. Follow it in the next screen. Now, go all the way to the right until
you're facing a wall. Now, go all the way down to the bottom. You should be out
of sight now. Now, go right to enter a secret area with a Hyper Wrist and a
pair of Hermes Sandels. The Hyper Wrist boosts Strength, increasing your
physical attack power; the Hermes Sandels gives you inherent and unremovable
Haste status.
I suggest giving the Hermes Sandels to Locke and the Hyper Wrist to Edgar. If
you had some Sprint Shoes equipped on either, you can just pass it to Terra.
Exit. Going up will take you two a room with three doors. The first is empty,
the second one contains a Save Point, and the third one contains four chests,
respectively containing 500 Gil, 1000 Gil, 1500 Gil, and nothing. I, for one,
believe the last one is symbolic for the meaning of life. Exit.
On the town wall, there's a group of three barrels you can see when standing
near the Chocobo Stable. Find your way there (stairs are near the Armor Shop)
and grab a Teleport Stone. It'll become a Phoenix Down later, but Teleport
Stones are infinitely cooler at this stage of the game than Phoenix Downs will
ever be. Finally, there's a Potion in the house of the old servant of the
richest man in town. I figured I'd save the best for last.
Other stuff to do: In the Pub, there will be a dark man with a dog near the
counter. Talking to him will make you be able to name him. Shadow sure is
mysterious. If you thought he was going to join your party now, think again.
This guy is a ninja; they don't bother in RPGs unless you're at least past the
first serious town.
In the Japanese game, an old man in the Pub will also say that 'you' (Edgar)
look like one of Duncan's students, which is the first hint there that Sabin
went off to train under Master Duncan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7.2 The Overworld Map around South Figaro
**********************************
Location: Overworld Map. Around South Figaro
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: Mu, Belmodar, Unseelie
Miscellaneous items: Mythril Claws
You've had your fun in South Figaro, bought some new armor, equipped some
Relics, and met a mysterious stranger with the name of Shadow. I'd say it was
worth it.
But, time to move on. Go straight north, as there's something of interest
there. But woe to those who seek to cross the Overworld Map!
Preparation: You prepared in South Figaro. Still keep everybody in the Back Row.
Monster formations:
(Grasslands)
Belmodar (6/16)
Unseelie, Unseelie (5/16)
Mu, Mu, Unseelie (5/16)
(Forest)
Mu, Mu, Mu, Mu (6/16)
Belmodar, Mu, Mu (5/16)
Belmodar, Unseelie, Mu, Mu (5/16)
Fairly standard stuff, now. Unseelies take more damage from Bioblaster than
from Auto Crossbow, so use that on double Unseelies. They'll just attack
physically and won't start using !Mythril Wrench until they're alone, which
they probably will never be. The Anthology Bestiary claims they're Imperial
maintenance troops. It's official media, but one wonders why Imperial
maintenance troops would wander off into the lands to smack people with
wrenches as opposed to, say, carry out maintenance to Imperial stuff.
Mus are obscenely boring creatures as they do nothing but Attack under
any circumstance. The only interesting thing to note about them is the fact
that they cannot be struck by Meteor Strike. A character you'll meet in the
future can lift trains, hold up houses and whatnot, but he cannot lift this
squirrel up in the air. It makes sense when think about it while you're drunk.
Belmodars are the first genuinely dangerous-looking creatures you meet. They
attack with Attack and !Rush, and counter Magic spells with a 1/3 shot at
using Megavolt, so don't do that. You'll want to try to Steal a Mythril Claws
from him; it's a weapon none of your characters can equip...yet.
Any monster fight should include Edgar using Auto Crossbow (double Unseelie
can be taken down easier with Bioblaster, though), Locke Stealing and Terra
using Defend and Cure outside of battle when needed. When your level is
decently high (9), Edgar should be taking out Unseelie in one hit as well
with the Auto Crossbow.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8.1 Sabin's Hut
**********************************
Location: Sabin's Hut
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: None
Container contents: Potion
The three of you come across an odd hut in the middle of nowhere. Obviously,
you choose to explore it and take a nap if nobody is around. Let's just hope
the beds and spoons are decently sized, or some *bear* might come for you. It's
a Goldilocks/FF VI cross-reference!
The flowers, stove, and dishes all draw a comment from Edgar. What is he
talking about? We can rest assured it's a woman, however, since no man would
profile himself through tea and domestic ornament like this. There's a Potion
in the bucket.
Egads! He was talking about his long-lost twin brother, Sabin. Outside, Edgar
will show his double-headed coin to an old man and ask if he's seen 'this guy'
(Sabin) before. Sabin has headed into Mt. Koltz; his mentor has been killed,
and the mentor's son, Vargas, is missing too. Nice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8.2 Mt. Koltz
**********************************
Location: Mount Koltz
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar
Opponents: Zaghrem, Trillium, Gorgias, Cirpius
Container contents: Main Gauche, Gigas Glove, Tent x2
Miscellaneous items: Bandana (Zaghrem Steal), Mythril Claws (Vargas)
Mountains are always nasty to cross, and Mount Koltz is no exception. You will
be attacked, spied upon, and tested severely. Also, a boss fight at the end I
might add. If that sounds fun, you're doing well.
Preparation: I think this section will grow in usefulness once the game
progresses. In the meantime, I feel like I should say something about the Back
Row and in what fashion everybody should be in it.
Monster formations:
(Caves)
Zaghrem, Zaghrem (10/16)
Gorgias, Gorgias (6/16)
(Slopes)
Cirpius, Cirpius, Cirpius (11/16)
Gorgias, Cirpius, Cirpius, Cirpius (5/16)
(Great Slopes)
Trillium, Trillium (10/16)
Trillium, Gorgias, Cirpius, Cirpius (5/16)
(Foot of Mount. Koltz)
Zaghrem, Trillium, Spritzer, Spritzer (10/16)
Gorgias, Gorgias (6/16)
This is highly frustrating for console players, but Zaghrem enemies carry
Bandanas, which are incredibly hard to obtain right now. They're rare steals,
and the common steal is empty. This means that you automatically have a 7 in 8
chance to fail at your Steal attempt. It's a slightly stronger helmet for
Locke, Terra, and a character you're about to obtain, so if you're really
adamant/near the entrance anyway/playing on an emulator, try to get three of
them. For killing them, the Auto Crossbow works great. If it doesn't outright
kill them, you can finish them off with Back Row physicals or an MT Fire spell
(although you should really be saving your MP in this 'dungeon').
Zaghrem, by the way, are martial artists who have turned to a life of evil,
using their combat skills for personal gain. It's like the Dark Side, only
different. Their Special, which you never get to see unless you bring a
late-game character around to use Sketch on them, is called !Punch; the
Japanese SNES version was Holy Moon Sword. Way to boringify an attack,
Flattery. You Woolsey wannabe.
Cirpius are potentially the most dangerous, but never live up to that promise.
If you allow them to take three turns, they have a rare chance of using !Beak,
which sets Petrify on a character. A triple Cirpius formation can be killed in
one go with the Auto Crossbow; when they come with a Gorgias you'll want to
confuse them until one of them has petrified the Gorgias with either !Beak or
the Break spell.
Gorgias' are the only real threats here. They have stronger physicals
comparable to Guard Leader's pounding, and they have a 1/3 chance at countering
every Attack command. Don't use it. An MT Fire spell and an Auto Crossbow round
kills them.
Trillium, lastly, are annoying because they Poison you with !Poison Touch. They
only use it the first round though, after which they'll take two turns by just
attacking you physically. This means you can easily use an Antidote or the
Poisona spell first and kill them second.
The first slopes feature no enemies, so you can safely walk into the cave. The
cave is straightforward. The other side takes you to another slope, with
monsters this time. You see a chest there, but you can't reach it.
This cave has two 'hidden' passages to treasure. The first is to the south of
the entrance. Around the square-ish bulge, you can reach an exit where you can
open the chest you saw earlier. It's a Main Guache! It's the first weapon with
a stat boost you see, and it's a better weapon for Locke. Go back in.
To the right of the path/stairway, there's a hidden passage into another room,
which holds a chest containing the Gigas Glove. The Gigas Glove is much better
that the Hyper Wrist; while the Hyper Wrist boosts a stat used for physical
damage calculation by 50 %, the Gigas Glove simply boosts your physical damage
by 25 % period. Equip it on Edgar to boost his Auto Crossbow. With the Gigas
Glove equipped, Edgar should be taking everything out in one hit except for
Gorgias', which can be finished with an ST Fire. Locke should Steal.
Continue up the wooden pathway. Outside, you walk around two slopes and reach
two entrances into the mountain. Now, for the first time, you'll see a shadow
figure leaping away from you. Who could it be? Mystery.
The first entrance takes you to a chest with a Tent, the second one continues
your way through Mt. Koltz.
Misty slopes with a bridge this time. The bridge looks like it might collapse,
but it doesn't. Ever. Unlike that one bridge from King's Quest; you'd get a
point every time you'd cross it, but while you were having a blast collecting
points, a big goofy grin on your young face, it would suddenly go down. Bad
pun, the end.
The next room contains a Save Point, and when you leave it, you'll be on what
I've dubbed as the Great Slopes at the Monster formations section. Follow them
all the way down, and...
...eventually you'll meet the shadowy figure that has been stalking your every
move. It's Vargas. He believes you have something to do with Sabin, so he
commences his violence.
You get to hurt him now. Obviously you made sure that your HP is high enough
for boss battles, as is Terra's MP. Take the Gigas Glove from Edgar and give it
to Locke; give his Hermes Sandals to Terra. Equip Edgar with the Hyper Wrist
or, if you have it, the Knight's Code. The first one will give you a slight
increase in offensive power, and the latter will make sure that Edgar takes
physical damage for characters in Critical. It's a matter of personal
preference as neither should really be of any significant use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8.3 The battle with Vargas
**********************************
Ipooh
Level: 11, HP: 360, MP: 60
Steal: Hi-Potion (rare), Hi-Potion (common)
Weakness: Fire
Special: !Claw: Attack x 1.5
Sketch : !Claw, Attack
Control: Attack, !Claw
Vulnerable to: Imp, Silence, Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Claw
Vargas
Level: 12, HP: 11600, MP: 220
Steal: Mythril Claws (rare), Potion (common)
Weakness: Poison
Special: !Doom Fist: sets Doom, Attack x 1.5
Sketch : !Doom Fist, Attack
Control: Attack, !Doom Fist
Vulnerable to: Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Doom Fist, Gale Cut
Two Ipooh bears initially protect Vargas; you can't harm him until you
have killed the Ipooh. Ipooh attack physically only, with Attack and !Claw.
Vargas will casually switch between Attack and Gale Cut in a Attack-Gale Cut-
Attack rhythm. Dance to it. After every 50 seconds, he will taunt you cruelly
by saying: "Come on! What's the matter?" and use Attack twice, as if to insult
you. What a bastard.
Once he hits 10880 HP - that's after 720 damage - he will start getting bored
with you and exclaim: "Enough of this! I'll send you all to the great beyond!".
Just then, a new character will appear. It's Sabin Rene Figaro, long lost heir
to the throne of Figaro and twin brother to Edgar.
It seems that Vargas misunderstood the outcome of a successor issue of Duncan,
their master and father to Vargas. Vargas turned to patricide, and here Sabin
is complimenting Vargas on his FINE SPIRIT. Morals these days, let me tell
ya... Anyway, Vargas executes "Blizzard Fist!" Blasting all inferior warriors
of the field, the battle is up to Sabin alone. In the Japanese version,this
attack was called 'Super Wind Tsunami Fist', which makes a whole lot more
sense.
When Sabin has appeared and Vargas hits 10368 HP - that's 512 more damage -
Sabin will lament about his master's teachings. You'll have to use a Blitz to
win this battle. Once the primary Blitz technique has been used, Vargas will
...die or run, it's kind of vague. At any rate, Vargas is never to be heard
from again.
Your strategy? When you engage Vargas, try to pick some Ipooh possessions
with Locke, have Edgar use Auto Crossbow, and Terra use ST Fire spells on the
Ipooh you looted. After you've taken care of the Ipoohs, switch to the
Bioblaster with Edgar, have Terra on stand-by for an MT Cure spell for every
Gale Cut that is sent your way. After a successful Steal attempt with Locke,
have him attack. The Bioblaster will do the bulk of your damage
anyway, so it's probably not justified to take a turn moving to the Front Row
and take more damage there.
Eventually, Sabin will crash the party. PAY ATTENTION, AS YOU ARE ABOUT
TO DO THE MOST COMPLICATED THING INVENTED IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY. That's right,
you're about to execute a Blitz technique. Follow on-screen commands closely.
Write them down. Remember. After you've completed a Raging Fist technique,
you've won your battle.
If you'd like to learn more about Blitz: [BLITZ-LINK]
If your life is a complete, miserable failure, try this:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/file/930370/46958
So there you have it! It's a sad and symbolic story, the rivalry of Sabin and
Vargas. As a son to Duncan, he was forced to pursue a career in martial arts,
even though Vargas resented it. When Master Duncan, after training (among
others? It's not clear) Sabin and Vargas for 10 years, decides he's too old to
uphold the title of Master any longer, he decides that Vargas should be his
successor.
However, somehow Vargas understood that Sabin would be his father's follow-up.
The cause of this misunderstanding is never explained, and much like how Judas
betrayed Jesus to his death, so did Vargas betray his father and took care of
him. After that he went searching for Sabin, who knew that it was Vargas who
was supposed to be the next Master. Believing that Edgar had something to do
with Sabin, he attacked them, which led to the stand-off between Sabin and
Vargas, from which Sabin emerges victorious.
Little can be said about your Mount Koltz experience with Sabin. You can meet
Spritzers here, which seem horrible misplaced in space. Aura Cannon is the
strongest ST attack you have at this point; take advantage of it. Only after
you annihilated everything non-Gorgias on screen though. If you have a Bandana
and/or Mythril Claws in your inventory, give them to Sabin.
Oh yeah, and there's a Tent in the chest, but you can't miss it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.9.1 Traveling to the Returners' Hideout
**********************************
Location: Returners Hideout (and surrounding lands)
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin
Opponents: Mu, Belmodar, Unseelie
Monster formations:
Mu, Mu, Unseelie (6/16)
Unseelie, Unseelie (5/16)
Belmodar, Mu, Mu (5/16)
After descending from Mount Koltz, you'll find yourself on the Overworld Map
again. The Returners' Hideout is to the north. I won't bother explaining the
battles and how Sabin fits in here; you were fully capable of handling them
without a 400 damage producing righteous killing machine, so I suspect you'll
do just fine. If you still don't have a Mythril Claws, try going for one here.
You can, if you want to, hike back to South Figaro with Sabin in your party,
which will get you a small cutscene with Duncan's wife. It's not very
impressive and it's needlessly time-consuming, but if you're like me, you'll
wind up doing it anyway:
Duncan's Wife: Sabin, where are Vargas and Duncan...?
Sabin: Vargas...turned on our master... Vargas, he...
Duncan's Wife: Oh, Vargas... Why would you do such a thing? But my husband was
able to pass his techniques along to you, Sabin... I'm sure he'd have no
regrets.
Sabin: For the past ten years you've treated me like a son. I'll never forget
all the things you've done for me!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.9.2 The Returners' Hideout
**********************************
Location: Returners' Hideout
Party members: Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin
Opponents: None
Container contents: Antidote, Air Knife, Ether, Green Cherry, Hi-Potion,
Knight's Code, Phoenix Down x2, White Cape
Miscellaneous items: Gauntlet or Genji Glove (Banon or Returner)
Once you enter the Hideout, you'll have to follow a Returner and enter the door
he points you to. Enter and watch the cutscene. There's a Greek mythology
reference here (a rather obvious one) and a symbolic position for Terra. How
neat. When the scene's over, you're by yourself again.
Hidden Items: You can find a Phoenix Down in the chest in the room you woke up
in. Go out and head up. You'll find three chests here: a Knight's Code, another
Phoenix Down, and an Air Knife, a stronger weapon for Locke that's also Wind-
elemental. A hidden passage to the right of the three chests (walk around them)
leads to a White Cape. Be sure to grab it. In the bucket and pot, which are
standing next to each other, you can find an Antidote and a Ether.
Furthermore, there's a Green Cherry in the pot in the conference room (the one
with the large table) and a Potion in the save point room.
If you examine the top-right part of the large conference table, near Sabin,
Terra'll crouch down and say: "There's a scrap of paper lying here..." and
you'll get two options:
Toss it in the trash.
Leave it.
If you toss it in the trash, nothing will happen. If you leave it there, and
Banon calls the Returners around the table for a meeting, he'll freak out, say:
"Who threw this here? Don't you people know what a wastebasket looks like?" and
throw it away himself. This makes Terra laugh (which, incidentally, probably is
the only time Terra laughs in a long, long time as far as I can recall). This
whole thing is supposed to be a Japanese joke that didn't port so well in the
transition. Nobody has ever been able to explain to me why exactly this is
supposed to be funny, so let's move on.
There's an Item Shop here:
Eye Drops 50
Potion 50
Hi-Potion 300
Ether 1500
Echo Screen 120
Sleeping Bag 500
Tent 1200
Sprint Shoes 1500
This is the first shop you can actually buy Hi-Potions at, so if you're low on
them, it might a good idea to stock up on some. A few Eye Drops are also nice
if you think those black sunglasses are just SO 1983.
Other stuff to do: You need to talk to your three companions before you can
talk to Banon. You find Locke immediately upon crawling out of bed, Sabin is in
the conference room and Edgar in the Save Point room where you met Banon
earlier. You can now exit the Returner Hideout and talk to Banon. Now, you'll
have to make a choice. If you immediately want to go for the offer, you'll get
a Gauntlet. If you decline, you can get a Genji Glove from the Returner walking
around in the storage room. If you decline three times, you'll get a Genji
Glove from from that same Returner in the middle of some important
conversation. You'll want to pick the Genji Glove, trust me. Granted, the
Gauntlet is more of a rarity, but that doesn't mean it's also better (it
isn't).
You could, with Terra alone, hike back to Mt. Koltz. However, there will be an
Imperial soldier guarding the entrance who'll chase you out on the World Map
if you talk to him: "You! You're Returners!"
If you declined Banon's offer three times, Terra will walk back into the
Hideout and mutter: "Hope... How could anyone put their hope in me?". Just
then, a wounded Returner stumbles in with Banon. Locke, Edgar and Sabin come
rushing in, Locke leaves for South Figaro and Terra, Edgar, Sabin and Banon
will be going to Narshe through the back door, the Lethe River. A Returner
quickly sneaks into the conversation to give you a Genji Glove (truly one of
the few acceptable reasons to interrupt important dialogue) and off you go.
If you did anything else, there'll be a meeting. Banon gets angsty about
Magitek power, failing to realize that on the two occasions Magitek power
has been employed so far, it accomplished NOTHING. Banon kinda steers towards
the 'we need Magic too' topic when a wounded Returner stumbles in. Returners,
assemble! Locke goes off to stop Imperial Forces in South Figaro by his
lonesome and Terra, Banon, Edgar and Sabin will escape via the Lethe River,
raging river of the wilderness.
After the sequence has played out, you've had Locke split (don't worry, his
equipment is in your inventory) and Banon added. The fact that you couldn't
name him should tip you off to his inferior status in your party. Although
he's a PC in battle, you cannot access his Equipment and Relic screen. His
equipment:
Punisher
-
Magus Hat
Silk Robe
Don't immediately go to the raft; go up and remember where you came out.
You'll need to find the hidden access to the Lethe River later in the game. For
a fun little tidbit, go to the room Terra woke up in and stand under the chest.
Pride yourself in having seen one of the most elusive minor cutscenes in the
game. :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.10.1 Escaping over the Lethe River
**********************************
Location: Lethe River
Party members: Terra, Edgar, Sabin, Banon
Opponents: Lesser Lopros, Nautiloid, Exocite
The Empire invaded South Figaro (notice how Edgar didn't respond *whatsoever*
to that notion?) and is coming to the Hideout. We must run like the wind.
We'll escape using a raft and the flowing water that carries it. Fun!
Preparation: Everybody in the Back Row. You can strip the Star Pendants from
your characters and apply Gigas Glove/Hermes Sandals to Edgar, Hyper Wrist and
Knight's Code to Sabin, and a White Cape to Terra. There's nothing remotely
useful you can put in Terra's second Relic Slot (you'll want to have those
Sprint Shoes in your inventory, and you won't be walking anyway).
Monster formations:
Okay, this is rather complicated to do right here, so I'll explain it a few
paragraphs down the line.
First, I want you to exit the hallway you find yourself in through the northern
entrance. Not only will you now know where you can find it from the Returners'
Hideout, you can also walk over to the room where Terra woke up in and find the
wounded Returner in bed. If you stand beneath the chest here, you'll catch the
poor sap having a nightmare:
The Empire! The Empire's invading! (cue 'Troops march on')
(Troops march on fades out)
"What the...? ...Sleeptalking?"
You can trigger this cutscene every time you re-enter the room :P
Welcome to Lethe River. The first rule of Lethe River is: you don't talk about
Lethe River. The second rule of Lethe River is: you do NOT talk about Lethe
River.
The third rule of Lethe River is when Banon goes down, the game is over. If
Banon receives KO status, you'll get a Game Over. Protecting Banon should be
your first priority. If you fail, you'll get a neat message saying, "Banon has
fallen..."
Fun fact: if you level Terra up to level 68 before meeting Banon, you can set
Petrify with the Break spell she learned and make him invincible. Then again,
if you're leveled like that, you really needn't worry in the first place.
Exocite is your average physical attacker. He seems to have a specifically
strong, instinct-based hatred for the elderly, as after every six turns, he
will always target Banon for a single Attack. You should have turned
Exocite in little bits of Exocite nuggets by then, though.
Nautiloid is more annoying. Rather than doing damage with his Special, !Ink
sets Dark, which is a useless thing to do but still looks rather stupid on
your characters. To top that, his Defense is very strong (partly thanks to
an inherent Protect status), so the Auto Crossbow and Attack commands will do
little here. Also, after three turns he'll turn on Banon for an Attack,
so BEWARE.
Lesser Lopros are the strongest enemies here. They can use Attack, execute
!Wing to set Sap on the party the second turn and can actually use Fireball the
third one, which is an MT Fire-elemental attack and particularly dangerous.
Less Lopros should be subdued by Noiseblaster at all times and taken out first
if possible.
The strategy is simple. Keep the monsters at bay with Noiseblaster, use Fire
and Aura Cannon to deliver damage, and have Banon use Pray to recover from any
damage you might have taken.
As soon as you decide to hop on board the raft, you'll be taken down the
Lethe River. However, there are many ways to Rome, and many ways to travel the
Lethe River. At two points in the trip, you'll be asked to pick a direction.
Each direction has an influence on the monsters you face.
Here's the run-down of your possibilities:
Monster Formation Pack # 1:
Nautiloid, Exocite (3/4)
Lesser Lopros, Exocite, Exocite (1/4)
Monster Formation Pack # 2
Lesser Lopros, Lesser Lopros (3/4)
Nautiloid, Exocite, Lesser Lopros (1/4)
Start:
(Invoke Battle with # 1)
You'll reach the Straight/Left/Right decision.
You'll want to pick Left for the shortest time of passing through and the
potentially least amount of battles. If you're going for the most battles, or
want to make sure you encounter a Lesser Lopros, obviously pick
'Straight'.
Straight:
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 2)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1)
Left:
Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 2 50 % of the time)
Right:
(Invoke Battle with # 1)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
Regardless of your choice, you will end up at a small cave with a Save Point
in it.
(Invoke Battle with # 1)
You'll reach the Up/Left decision.
Up:
(Invoke Battle with # 2 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
You're back at the Up/Left decision.
Left:
(Invoke Battle with # 2 50 % of the time)
A cave with a mandatory Save Point. Last Save Point you can get the 'strange
light fills the air' speech at!
From second Save Point to exit:
(Invoke Battle with # 2 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
Ultros Battle if you haven't fought him before.
At the end of the Lethe River ordeal, you'll encounter what looks like the
ultimate Nautiloid, a huge purple octopus who goes by the name of Ultros...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.10.2 The first fight with Ultros
**********************************
Ultros
Level: 13, HP: 3000, MP: 640
Weakness: Fire, Lightning
Special: !Ink: sets Dark, Attack x 1.5
Vulnerable to: Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Ink, Tentacle
"Gwee-hee-hee... You're up the creek without a paddle! And I'm not gonna let
you through! ...Does that make me a bad octopus?"
Ultros is a tough bastard whose Tentacle attack can be a huge pain if you're
playing the game without over leveling. Everybody *must* be in the Back Row. If
you are a moron and played with any of your characters in the Front Row, fix
that.
He'll start by delivering his intro speech and using an Attack.
Then, if 10 seconds have passed (and they will have), he'll say "Oh, that one's
a tasty morsel! I'd love to get my tentacles around her... *sluuuuuurp*!" and
target Terra with an ST Tentacle attack. If at his next turn another 10 seconds
have passed, he'll say "Muscle heads? Hate 'em!" target Sabin with an ST
Tentacle attack and use an MT Tentacle attack on his next turn, followed by
either Attack, !Ink or an ST Tentacle in that very same turn; if not, he'll
spread the happiness with an MT Tentacle/follow up with Attack/!Ink/
ST Tentacle, wait a turn, and THEN hate Sabin for his body.
His next turn is devoted to an Attack and either an Attack, !Ink or ST or
MT Tentacle attack in the same turn.
Then, he'll say "Your ugly mug gives me the creeps!" and use an ST Tentacle
attack on Banon, from where he'll start at his first MT Tentacle-Attack/!Ink/ST
Tentacle turn again.
Also, every time he is targeted by a Fire-elemental attack, which at this
stage is either a Fire spell from Terra or Sabin's Rising Phoenix Blitz, he
will say "Yeeeouch! Seafood soup is NOT on the menu!" and counter with an !Ink
attack.
...yeah, it's a talkative guy.
Beating Ultros down is relatively simple if you pay close attention to his
AI script. Have at the very least Terra and Banon in the Back Row using their
Defend skill to reduce the power of Tentacle when you know they'll be targeted
by it. Have Banon use Pray at all times, as his Attack is nothing to consider
seriously (even though he possesses a snazzy weapon that you won't get on other
characters for a long, long time from now).
For damage output, have Terra use her Fire spells, Edgar fire off arrows with
the Auto Crossbow, and Sabin use Aura Cannon. IF he knows Rising Phoenix at
this point, it's stronger than Aura Cannon, but if you're highly leveled like
that, you probably don't need to worry about anything.
If you defeat him, he'll go "*sploosh*! *blub blub*..." and escape underwater.
Sabin won't like this and he'll go after him; sadly, Sabin does not consider
he's more of a 'land-based' guy and Ultros appears to sane people as a
generally aqua-themed creature. In other words: Sabin is dead in the water.
Pun!
P.S.: On Ultros being 'obviously' aqua-themed, I suppose several people now
think that Lovecraft's Cthulhu is entirely capable of surviving on land. But
as it is generally held into account that whoever sees Cthulhu will turn mad
within an instant, it still can be said that no SANE man will assume a
squid-like creature to be land-based, and my statement still stands.
He'll rise and feed upon your brain and soul and is more powerful than anything
you could begin to comprehend.
Cthulhu will rise.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.11.1 Choosing a scenario
**********************************
Location: ???
Party members: Mog
Opponents: None
There were initial plans for a normal menu screen where you could select your
scenario from, but I guess they figured this would be more fun. They were
right. Unlike the previous Mog, you can't access this guy's equipment or
relics, so don't bother. It's here that you'll need to decide what scenario to
do first. Here's a quick list what you can gain from each scenario:
Terra/Edgar/Banon: a Rune Blade, and the ability to de-equip, most likely
freeing a Gigas Glove and Hermes Sandals.
Locke: Iron Helms, a Ribbon, one Earring, a Thunder Rod (if you left the Phoenix
Down alone when you passed through the Cave of Figaro with Edgar,
Locke, and Terra). Ends with a boss fight, so it's dangerous to de-equip at the
end.
Sabin: a Mythril Glove, a Barrier Ring, Green Berets, an Earring, a Sniper Eye,
a Tintinnabulum and the ability to buy new equipment, including Magus Hats,
Iron Armor, Silk Robes, and Bandanas. Ability to de-equip at the end.
Now, I would advise you take the scenarios in the following order:
Terra --> Sabin --> Locke
Terra's scenario is a cinch where no extra items are needed by a long shot.
However, it does contain some strong Relics you can't free until you've played
through it. Therefore, Terra's scenario first. Now, Locke's scenario could use
Sabin's items and vice versa...but the fact that Locke's scenario is probably
the more difficult of the two, and you can't properly de-equip at the end of
Locke's scenario, made me advise Locke's scenario last.
On to the three scenarios: I'll handle them in the same order I advise you to
take them in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.12.1 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Lethe River continued
**********************************
Location: Lethe River
Party members: Terra, Edgar, Banon
Opponents: Lesser Lopros, Nautiloid, Exocite
Preparation: Ain't nothing you can do, lil' missy.
Monster Formation Pack # 1:
Nautiloid, Exocite (3/4)
Lesser Lopros, Exocite, Exocite (1/4)
Monster Formation Pack # 2
Lesser Lopros, Lesser Lopros (3/4)
Nautiloid, Exocite, Lesser Lopros (1/4)
(Invoke Battle with # 2 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
(Invoke Battle with # 1 50 % of the time)
With Sabin gone, battles will take a little longer. Not to worry, though. Keep
the Lesser Lopros Confused, take Nautiloid with an ST Fire spell, and Exocite
with the Auto Crossbow. Have Banon on stand-by. You should be used to these
guys by now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.12.2 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Traveling to Narshe
**********************************
Location: Overworld Map
Party members: Terra, Edgar, Banon
Opponents: Leaf Bunny, Darkwind
You rode that Lethe River (more commonly known as 1337 River by flourishing
people around the world...by which I mean flowers of ACNE) like a professional.
You're right in front of Narshe; this should be a cinch.
Preparation: Keepin' it in the Back Row there? I promise this is going to
change. If you did any of the other scenarios before this one, upgrade your
equipment, give Terra one or two Earrings, and have Edgar stick to Gigas Glove/
Hermes Sandals.
Monster formations:
(Grasslands)
Leaf Bunny (10/16)
Leaf Bunny , Leaf Bunny, Darkwind (6/16)
(Forest)
Leaf Bunny , Leaf Bunny, Darkwind (10/16)
Leaf Bunny , Leaf Bunny, Darkwind, Darkwind (6/16)
(Desert)
Sand Ray, Sand Ray (5/16)
Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (1/16)
You can just slaughter these guys left and right however you please; MT Fire
spell or Auto Crossbow, your pick.
In other versions of the game, you could send your party to the hidden Chocobo
Stable south of the desert and witness Banon's lack of rider sprite. They fixed
it so that Terra takes over whenever a Chocobo's involved. Boo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.12.3 Scenario Terra/Edgar/Banon: Narshe
**********************************
Location: Narshe
Party members: Terra, Edgar, Banon
Opponents: Wererat, Spritzer, Bandit, Darkside, Specter, Eukaryote, Valeor,
Wild Rat.
Container contents: Rune Blade
Miscellaneous items:
Now, that was ridiculously easy; I told you this scenario was nothing to get
your underwear in a twist about. After some Narshe Guards show you disrespect
(remember to murderalize them later for that), it's up to you to find an
alternative entrance. Luckily, you remember that secret entrance from the
start of the game. No, yes you do. The one to the left?
Preparation: You should've done that on the Overworld Map. Life does *not*
start and stop at your convenience. Games do, though, so you can do it anyway.
Enter the cave and walk through it. You'll recognize it as being the one Locke
carried the unconscious Terra through.
Monster formations:
Were-Rat, Were-Rat, Were-Rat (10/16)
Were-Rat, Repo Man (6/16)
You'll walk over a snowy slope. You can see Narshe already to the right of
you, but you still can't reach it. The next cave contains new enemies:
Monster formations:
Wild Rat, Valeor, Valeor, Wild Rat, Wild Rat (6/16)
Valeor, Valeor, Valeor (5/16)
Valeor, Wild Rat (5/16)
Both Valeor and Wild Rat monsters attack physically only, so there's little
point in explaining what it is that they do. Valeors are the highest-ranking
maintenance troops in the Empire. What the hell are all the Imperial guys
doing in places where there's nothing for them to maintain?
Pass through it. On the other side, you'll encounter the Dreaded Security Check
Point. From the Japanese game, you could have learned this is a testing place
for Narshe Guards. Who made it? Who creates something like this *period*, let
alone in a desolate cave like this, punishing the weakest fighters in the game
to follow its path with legions of undead monstrosities? Drunken wizards? Frat
boys who find little pieces of Magicite and, being too poor to buy the pretty
girls a drink, try to impress by feats of magic?
So here's the deal. Follow the path of the sparkle thingy. Abandon knowledge
of the will o' the wisp and DO follow this one. If not, nine revolving lights
will quickly surround you. If you manage to tag the yellow one, you'll be given
a chance to get back on track. If not, you will have to fight a battle:
Darkside, Darkside (3/4)
Darkside, Specter, Eukaryote, Eukaryote, Eukaryote (1/4)
Suffice to say, if you mess up here, you'll have to fight a battle. Now, I was
assuming that you acted on mistake and you were incapable of avoiding this
bold act. However, it should be noted that you'll probably want to fight this
illuminating magical sphere, as this is the only place where you'll find the
nefarious Darkside enemy.
Lo and behold, as there is a small chance (25 %) you will encounter here the
interesting Specter and Eukaryote. There's no reason you want to meet them and
killing them is easy, but you'll make them appear on the Veldt so you don't
end up with a needlessly incomplete Rage list. Specter has a rare Ice Rod for
stealing, but you sadly lack Locke at the moment.
Intruding further into the dark, cold mines will allow you to come across
the location where the Moogles live.
Resuming your quest will get you past the chest in this room; reach it and
open it to obtain the Rune Blade*. It's is stronger then your current blade.
Unfortunately, it consumes 12 to 18 MP to inflict a critical hit every time, so
grab onto your few MP and stick with the Great Sword, as the Rune Blade is
horribly cost-inefficient at this stage of the game.
* Actually, it would make more sense to just leave it here. Despite the fact
that the Rune Blade allows Terra or Celes to do more damage than she could do
without it, you probably will never use it. Much later, the treasure here will
change into a Ribbon, which is much better at that time than the Rune Blade is
now.
Monster formations:
Bandit, Spritzer (6/16)
Spritzer, Spritzer (5/16)
Wererat, Wererat (5/16)
When you walk out of the Moogle Den, you're pretty much done. Keep ignoring
any closed chests you might encounter; their contents haven't changed yet.
When you're out of the cave, you can safely de-equip everything. That just was
Scenario # 1... hope you liked it.
The Old Man has been given a name! His name is Arvis. Nothing much has changed
in Narshe; they're still neutral even though the Empire attacked them, they
haven't really done anything with the Esper, and are a generally indecisive
bunch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.13.1 Scenario Sabin: Meeting Shadow and finding the Imperial Camp
**********************************
Location: Overworld Map
Party members: Sabin, Shadow
Opponents: Stray Cat, Aepyornis, Nettlehopper, Chippirabbit
So, Sabin was thrown off the raft and separated from his 5-minute friends.
Getting back to Narshe is going to be tedious, as you have no idea which way
to go. Your only hope is to find somebody who can point out the way...
Preparation: Keep Sabin in the Back Row. White Cape and a Star Pendant.
Even if you do have an Earring, Aura Cannon kills everything in one shot anyway,
so a power boost isn't needed. Beakor's !Featherdust can Poison you, so
that's why I advise a Star Pendant. Clever, no?
Monster formations:
(Grasslands)
Aepyornis (6/16)
Rhobite, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
Aepyornis, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
(Forest)
Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper, Stray Cat, Stray Cat (5/16)
Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
Aepyornis, Aepyornis, Stray Cat (5/16)
Aepyornis, Stray Cat, Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper (1/16)
You start near a little house. Walk over to it. If you couldn't figure that
out by yourself, I advise you to equip a Gun Relic in your mouth and use Pull
The Trigger for offense.
Here, there are three main points of interest. The guy you met in South Figaro
is here, there's a green soldier-type merchant on a chocobo who comes in and
leaves pretty quickly, and there's a house to go in.
First, go over to the merchant. He has a nice set of items for you:
Potion 50
Phoenix Down 500
Tent 1200
Plumed Hat 250
Shuriken 30
Invisibility Scroll 200
Shadow Scroll 400
Sprint Shoes 1500
I suggest you buy 99 Shurikens from him. 2970 Gil is not that much, and it'll
stop any worrying about the limit of Shadow's attacks for a good while. Also,
buy 5 Invisibility Scrolls and 5 Shadow Scrolls. You probably won't ever need
any more.
Now, go over to Shadow (you can talk to his dog from various angles and watch
Sabin hide behind several objects, that always gets a kick out of me: "Don't get
too close... He doesn't like strangers."), chat with him, and accept him in
your party.
I guess I should note it's not required as such; you can perfectly well finish
the scenario without him. It's just that there's no reason whatsoever to ignore
him, as not only is he a great asset to your team at this stage, he also comes
with some Ninja Gear on him, which is great armor for now. Your additions to
his equipment should be a Heavy Shield and a Plumed Hat (you can buy the latter
from the merchant if you have none to spare). Like I mentioned in the
preparations, you'll want an Gigas Glove and a filler Relic on him, such as the
Hyper Wrist. Stick him in the Back Row, as the very purpose of throwing
something is ignoring the distance between you and the target.
Since this is the moment Shadow is officially a party member, it'd be nice to
know what it is that he does in battle. Learn it: [THROW-LINK]
Entering the house will be difficult. You'll need to locate the door. It's
hidden somewhere on the front side of the house itself, so look carefully.
Inside the house, you can touch the stove for a neat little scene about how
crazy this guy in fact is, but there's nothing remotely useful for you to do
here otherwise. Make sure you talk to the Crazy Old Man in question several
times, as his lines change.
There are moments in the game Shadow has the annoying tendency to have a chance
of running off after every battle. I'll explain that when that chance actually
presents itself. For now, Shadow is your loyal sidekick. In other words, Shadow
will NOT run out on you right now.
On the Overworld Map, all violence directed at you is physical. In the first
battle you fight with Shadow, have him Throw an Invisibility Scroll. This makes
him invulnerable for the remaining journey on the Overworld Map. Throw
Shurikens and Aura Cannons at your heart's delight; you'll find there's little
strategy in this scenario as most of your fights consist of taking hits and
returning ST one-hit KO's.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.13.2 Scenario Sabin: The Imperial Camp and Doma
**********************************
Location: Imperial Camp, Doma Castle
Party members: Sabin, Shadow, Cyan
Opponents: Imperial Soldier, Doberman, Magitek Armor, Captain
Container contents: Barrier Ring, Mythril Glove, Remedy, Star Pendant, Monster-
in-a-box (Satellite)
Miscellaneous items: Black Belt (Captain drop), Green Beret (Satellite drop)
It seems there is an Imperial obstruction in the way. This is the Imperial
Camp Shadow talked about, the one that will have to overcome the defenses of
Doma at some point in the near future. We'll have to try to sneak past it.
Preparation: Keep Sabin in the Back Row, as well as Shadow if you brought him.
As soon as you enter the Imperial Camp, a cutscene will ensue. It becomes
apparent that general Leo is leading the attack on Doma, and that he's pretty
popular with the soldiers. Kefka, on the other hand, is expected to drive Leo
out of the mission, becoming a general himself, a thought that inspires fear in
the soldiers. Also, Doma is being attacked. Right now.
The scene switches to Doma, where chances of overcoming the attack are slim.
The retainer however, Cyan Garamonde, has a daring plan: rush out of the castle
to kill the leading officer; this might send the soldiers scurrying off for the
time being.
After the scene, you are in control of Cyan. Equip Cyan with fancy new
equipment you can offer him (Heavy Shield, Plumed Hat or even an Iron Helmet
if you went through some pains in Locke's scenario already).
I suggest you take a moment to check up on the character that is Cyan:
[BUSHIDO-LINK]
Outside, eight Imperial soldiers are banging their heads against the walls of
Doma in a sophisticated attempt to infiltrate it. The leading officer does
nothing. You can pick a fight with any of the wandering Imperial soldiers
(which will trigger a battle with two Imperial Soldiers), but it's of little
use, as you'll be forced to fight Imperial Soldiers in the near future anyway.
I suggest you simply go for the leader.
Captain
Level: 12, HP: 456, MP: 20
Win: Fenix Down (rare), Black Belt (common)
Status: Protect
Special: !Axe: Attack * 1.5
Attacks: Attack, !Axe
The captain, surprisingly called 'Captain', will sometimes use !Axe in between
his normal physicals. He has a 33 % of countering any damage with !Axe, and
that wraps it up for Captain.
Cyan should be in the Back Row, so Captain's attacks shouldn't really hurt him.
Cyan's # 1 Bushido skill, Fang, will deal sufficient damage to easily kill
Captain before Captain can come anywhere near killing Cyan. Bushido skill # 2,
Sky, will make sure that the Captain is killed in one hit. Bushido skill
# 3 works as well, although it takes needlessly long.
Make sure you end up with a Black Belt rather than a Phoenix Down; the Black
Belt is a nice Relic at this point of the game, and you can't get another one
for quite some time.
When you're done playing around with petty officers, and the Imperial Soldiers,
despite their overwhelming number, have decided it would be best to flee, the
scene switches back to Sabin and Shadow.
Proceed to explore the Imperial Camp. To the left is an Imperial soldier
marching around; engaging him will get you an Imperial Soldier, Imperial
Soldier, Magitek Armor battle. This walking soldier will re-spawn every time
you leave and enter the Imperial Camp, by the way.
To the left are a seemingly passive guard dog and a chest in the large military
tent. You'll be given three options when examining the chest:
Urrgh! It won't open.
(Kick it.)
(Hit it.)
(Leave it.)
- If you Kick it, the guard dog outside will be alarmed and will attack you,
triggering an attack:
Monster formations:
Doberman, Doberman, Doberman (3/4)
Doberman, Doberman (1/4)
They're the only Dobermans you'll ever see in the game, so if you're still
cruising for the perfect Rage list, this is the option you'll want. Dobermans,
strangely, do NOT appear in the Bestiary. After Kicking it, the chest is open.
It contains a Star Pendant.
- If you Hit it, you'll fool an Imperial soldier by pretending to be a
NEKO NEKO KAWAII. I meant a cat. After the soldier has disappeared, you'll be
able to open the chest, which contains a Star Pendant.
- If you Leave it, nothing will happen, unlike, say, leaving your wife.
If you're done in this part of the Imperial Camp and are ready to continue,
you'll come across a cutscene in which general Leo is called home to Vector by
Emperor Gestahl, leaving Kefka in charge.
You can get up and stretch you muscles for two steps before Leo and Kefka meet
before your eyes. Kefka and Leo do NOT get along. Leo hasn't disappeared from
your sight for a second when Kefka orders the poisoning of Doma's water supply,
which not only goes against the laws of honor and war, but will take out several
Imperial prisoners within the walls of Doma castle. Even given your
current position, you cannot allow this to happen.
You'll be fighting a character Kefka, who runs after taking one hit. He'll
simply smack you over the head with his Morning Star if you let him, so getting
your ass kicked isn't even terribly interesting in this case.
Don't immediately follow him all the way; there are important things to be done:
- In a tent, there are two chests. Ignore them for now, walk behind this tent.
Automatically, you'll jump off a ledge in walk into another Tent. Here, you'll
find a Barrier Ring; swap it with Sabin's Star Pendant. He can enjoy the slight
Aura Cannon damage increase. Now, walk back into the tent with two chests.
- The right one contains a Mythril Glove, which you can ignore for the rest of
your life.
- The left one contains one of NASA's old-time prides: the Satellite. If you
already completed Locke's scenario, give the Ribbon to Sabin at this point.
If not, give him the Genji Glove and move him to the *gasp* Front Row.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.13.3 Scenario Sabin: Satellite and the Imperial Camp continued
**********************************
Location: Imperial Camp, Doma Castle
Party members: Sabin, Shadow, Cyan
Opponents: Imperial Soldier, Templar, Magitek Armor, Satellite, Soldier,
Officer
Satellite
Level: 14, HP: 1800, MP: 250
Steal: X-Potion (rare), Win: Green Beret (rare), Green Beret (common)
Weakness: Lightning, Water
Status: Float
Special: !Supersonic Wave: sets Muddled
Vulnerable to: Slow, Stop
Attacks: Attack, !Supersonic Wave, Dischord, Scintillation, Mega Berserk,
Magitek Laser, Missile
Satellite will normally use Attack, !Supersonic Wave, Scintillation, Magitek
Laser and Missile to make your life harder than it already is. Every ninth turn
it takes, Satellite will use Dischord to halve a character's level.
After 25 seconds of fighting, Satellite will call two Imperial Soldiers to aid
him. 55 seconds later, he'll call in three Imperial Soldiers to help him (if
there are Imperial Soldiers from the previous calling still standing, he'll
fill the number to 3), and 120 seconds later, he'll call four Imperial Soldiers
(once again, he fills the screen up to four Soldiers anyway).
Finally, Satellite will counter any Blitz attack with Mega Berserk, making sure
that Sabin will be Blitz-less in this battle, like an animal.
Shadow should be Throwing Shurikens while Sabin can keep on pumping out
Aura Cannons. If you didn't have a Ribbon, he will be Berserked by Satellite's
Blitz-counter, Mega Berserk. It should be noted that Shadow will, for the first
time, be vulnerable to attacks here as there's a large chance at least one of
Satellite's magical attacks will be striking Shadow, removing the Invisible
status.
After the fight, you win a Green Beret. Equip it on Sabin and swap his White
Cape with the Mythril Glove (don't worry, it'll soon fade into the non-existence
it was created for). Return Sabin to his Back Row Aura Cannon self
and move on. Following Kefka further will get you into another battle with
character Kefka. Have Shadow re-apply his Invisible status if you lost it
versus Satellite.
After talking to Kefka for the third time, he'll run off and sends Imperial
Soldier, Imperial Soldier, Templar, Templar at you. If Shadow is still visible,
take care of that problem. Have Sabin Defend and keep his own HP up, while
Shadow takes out the enemies one by one (Templars first). There's a large
chance they will use strong physical counters on you, and Shadow can avoid all
of them.
After Kefka breaks the universal honor code and Cyan learns that everything he
loves is subject to Poison, you gain control of the good knight. Equip the
Hermes Sandals on him and another nice filler Relic. You don't really have a
choice but to go downstairs and watch Cyan rush into the royal chamber. The King
of Doma (whose name is King Doma; I like to think his first names are 'King of')
is dying. Then, he dies.
Do not go into the door to the right when you leave the royal chamber. It
contains graphic adultery, you hear? Instead, go on do the bottom of the screen
and see two doors there. Pick the right one and enter. There's a Remedy in a
pot here. Talk to the Doma Sentry you see in this room, and try to explore the
available door next to him. It seems the statement about 'survivors' was too
hopeful. When you're done, put Cyan in the Front Row and enter the room I
previously forbid you to enter.
You regain control of Sabin and Shadow once the scene is done. You can't exit
left, as there's poison there (although you'll learn in a little while
there's good distance between the Imperial Camp and Doma Castle, plot device
laughs in the face of logic). No choice but to help Cyan! For some extra fun,
try talking to Cyan when between the two attacking Imperial soldiers:
Cyan: Grrr! Art thou an enemy as well!?
Sabin: Ouch! Probably shouldn't have gotten in the middle of that...
Too bad you don't lose HP there; that would amuse my bitter, bitter self.
Cyan will fight automatically in this battle, having a 66 % of using Attack and
33 % shot at Fang. Sabin and Shadow can stick to their trusted ST power-
blows, and you'll win the day without breaking a sweat in the battle formations
you have to go through:
Soldier, Soldier, Soldier (3/4) / Soldier, Soldier, Soldier, Soldier (1/4)
Soldier, Soldier, Soldier (3/4) / Soldier, Soldier, Soldier, Soldier (1/4)
Officer, Soldier, Soldier
After all is said and done, you get to run around in Magitek Armor again! How
sweet it is! Heal any damage done to Sabin and Cyan with Healing Force
(obviously Shadow wasn't touched at all; he's a non-generic ninja). Use Healing
Force anyway, as his invisibility can, believe it or not, become a negative
factor in the near future. Put Cyan back in the Back Row and blast your way
through any opposition with whatever beam you can use. Everything kills
everything, to be blunt. The helpless opposition:
Magitek Armor
Imperial Soldier, Imperial Soldier, Magitek Armor
Magitek Armor, Magitek Armor
When you're done, leave. This is, by the way, a good strategy for a large
portion of your life, although it doesn't seem to work as effectively after
you've taken what you want from girls.
Finally! You've managed to sneak through an Imperial Camp without the loss of
your life. Of course, you didn't so much 'sneak through' as simply murdered
everybody you saw, which was half of the Camp's population. Still, you live.
That's good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.14.1 Scenario Sabin: Traveling to the Phantom Forest
**********************************
Location: Overworld Map
Party members: Sabin, Shadow, Cyan
Opponents: Stray Cat, Aepyornis, Nettlehopper, Chippirabbit
Having broken out like a bad case of acne, your only hope to reach Narshe is
to travel through a dark forest to the east of Doma Castle.
Preparation: Save, darn you! Now that Sabin is no longer alone and scared, there
is little direct reason for Shadow to linger. That means that starting
from your escape from the Imperial Camp, he may randomly decide to leave you
after every battle:
Shadow: My job is done. I've earned my pay.
Shadow: So long...
It's just a 1/16 chance though (which, by the way, is in NO way
influenced by the order you performed the scenarios in, there are many myths
and misconceptions about that). I can say that in a short while, there will be
a situation in which Shadow will no longer be able to escape, but you'll need to
make it there with Shadow at your side, preferably. This can be reached by:
a) Saving beforehand and relying on your luck
b) Killing Shadow until the party reaches said destination.
c) Running from every battle
If you're playing the game on an emulator, I suggest the first (you can always
Quick Save after every battle and Quick Load when Shadow decides it's time to
hit the road). If you're playing on the console, the Quicksave feature can save
you a lot of frustration older games brought you. Quicksave until you reach
the destination where Shadow'll stick.
Monster formations:
(Grass North of Imperial Camp)
Aepyornis (6/16)
Rhobite, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
Aepyornis, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
(Grass South and West of Imperial Camp)
Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper (6/16)
Stray Cat, Stray Cat, Stray Cat (5/16)
Aepyornis, Stray Cat, Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper (5/16)
(Forest)
Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper, Stray Cat, Stray Cat (5/16)
Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit, Chippirabbit (5/16)
Aepyornis, Aepyornis, Stray Cat (5/16)
Aepyornis, Stray Cat, Nettlehopper, Nettlehopper (1/16)
(Desert)
Sand Ray, Sand Ray (5/16)
Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran (5/16)
Sand Ray, Alacran, Alacran, Alacran (1/16)
You know how to handle the wildlife here. You can travel to Doma Castle, but
you'll find it occupied by Imperial troops so you cannot enter. Just travel
to the forest to the southeast.
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4.14.2 Scenario Sabin: The Phantom Forest
**********************************
Location: Phantom Forest
Party members: Sabin, Shadow, Cyan
Opponents: Ghost, Poplium
Welcome to Phantom Forest, called the Forest of Illusion in the Japanese game.
After entering the forest, something quickly seems...off. Eyes from the
darkness leering at you. Sounds from places you can't keep your eye on. You
being on fire.
Preparation: Shadow's still a possible run-away, so keep him down if that's
your strategy.
Monster formations:
(First and Second Screen)
Ghost (10/16)
Ghost, Poplium, Poplium (6/16)
(Third and Fourth Screen)
Ghost, Ghost, Poplium, Poplium, Poplium (10/16)
Ghost, Ghost, Ghost (5/16)
Ghost (1/16)
Ghosts are unfriendly, generally unpleasant, Undead, and they hate you. Every
first turn will be a Fire spell or nothing, but the second turn can contain
Attack, !Time Freeze (which sets Stop) and Dancing Flame, a very strong ST Fire
-elemental attack that will probably shave off 150 HP.
Poplium are waiting to be relieved from this unlife they're doomed to suffer
through. They attack physically and if they're feeling particularly grumpy they
might even use !Cling to slow you down.
This is, strategy-wise, a very boring and straightforward part of the game.
Sabin, Cyan, and Shadow all have ST attacks that can take out all enemies in
one hit. Keep up with Fang, Shuriken, and Aura Cannon. Use Potions when you are
hit with an unlucky Dancing Flame or when your HP is running low due to other
causes.
You will find a Recovery Spring you will automatically heal yourself in. Make
sure to kill Shadow again if you're a SNES player. Think: "Take this,
nemesis! A Shuriken to the face! Oh, wait. Fitting as it is for my dark,
brooding character, I myself am my nemesis. My physical agony is without
boundaries."
Always stick to the next exit on the top of the screen; other exits will lead
you in circles. Laugh at their attempts to trick you.
Eventually, you'll reach a train. The train was destroyed in the recent war
between Doma and the Empire, and Sabin will talk about survivors and taking
looks. Cyan will freak, but we're used to that by now and pay little attention
to him as we climb aboard.
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4.15.1 Scenario Sabin: The Phantom Train
**********************************
Location: Phantom Train
Party members: Sabin, Shadow, Cyan
Opponents: Cloud, Angel Whisper, Oversoul, Bomb, Ghost, Living Dead, Phantom
Train, Siegfried, Apparition
Container contents: Earring, Phoenix Down x2, Sniper Eye, Monster-in-a-box
(Apparition)
Miscellaneous items: Hyper Wrist (Apparition drop), Tent x2 (hidden)
Preparation: You can revive Shadow now as, trapped on the Phantom Train as
he is, he won't run away anymore. You'll want to keep hold of your high-tech
reviving utilities, as a Save Point is nearby.
Monster formations:
(Outside entire Phantom Train)
Angel Whisper, Angel Whisper, Cloud (5/16)
Bomb (5/16)
Angel Whisper, Angel Whisper, Angel Whisper, Angel Whisper (5/16)
Bomb, Bomb, Bomb (1/16)
Behold, the Phantom Train! This is the first area where we'll fight multiple
monsters that regularly use spells; learn to love it.
The Phantom Train is a luxury, a transportation device unlike any other. Pulled
by a locomotive, the Train features a Save Point, two train wagons for the rich,
a restaurant wagon, and five normal wagons with the Conductor's working
area in the far back. This is it:
( LOCOMOTIVE )
( SAVE POINT CAR )
(APPARITION CAR, POSH )
( SIEGFRIED CAR, POSH )
( RESTAURANT CAR )
( MAGIC SWITCH CAR )
( LEAP OVER CAR )
( NO ESCAPE CAR )
( HUMEROUS TUMBLE CAR )
( STARTING CAR )
( CONDUCTOR CAR )
Angel Whispers are emissaries from a magical world. They use Attack, as is the
wont of monsters, and Gravity, a spell that halves your amount of current HP.
It's pretty annoying. This is also the first monster you'll see with inherent
Sap status. The undead were supposed to be healed by this status, so this
was supposed to be a recovering opponent. Instead, due to a bug, Whispers just
waste away in their own misery.
Living Dead are warrior zombies possessed by an evil spirit. Nice. They attack
physically and with !Slip Touch, which sets Sap. They're inherently boring
and mediocre.
Cloud monsters are NOT undead. This is a surprising feat for a creature on
the Phantom Train, and I don't really know why this is. They cast Drain to
little avail, as you'll be doing one-hit KO's against them, but it's a nice try.
Also, !Unseen Strike damages.
Oversouls are undead skeletons born from a coalescence of hatred. Also, they're
most rude. Every second turn they take can make them use Dread Gaze, an attack
that sets Petrify on a single target. If they're alone they won't ever use Dread
Gaze but they can use !Insanitouch, which sets Confused and is potentially even
more dangerous than Dread Gaze.
Bombs are mostly found when you're walking outside, and they have nothing to
do with the Phantom Train and its destination. If they attack at all, they
use Blaze, a strong Fire-elemental attack they can either aim at a single
character or at the entire party. Always go for Bombs first, but never allow
yourself to hit them with a non-fatal attack as they could use Self-Destruct,
which harms you as much as the Bomb in question has for current HP. Luckily,
as Self-Destruct is all about self-destruction, the Bomb will be dead.
Even though a great variety of attacks will be sent your way, there's very
little you can do about them. Continue to use your powerful ST attacks, and
have Shadow target Bombs and then Whispers before anything else, as their Blaze
and/or Demi attacks are the biggest threats you face.
It's feasible that your Sabin has learned Rising Phoenix by now.
While you must've leveled him to level 15 for Rising Phoenix to be an option,
and while level 15 is over leveled at this point, it's not entirely dramatically
high. Bombs absorb Fire/Rising Phoenix, so refrain from using it
when facing them. Aura Cannon is more powerful on a single target, but both
feed off the weaknesses that seems inherent to all undead enemies: Fire and
Holy. You'll learn to use Rising Phoenix, I'm sure. Give Shadow the Hermes
Sandals, as his ST attacks will be the most important ones. Mythril Glove/Gigas
Glove Cyan in the Front Row, Aura Cannon Sabin in the Back Row with a White
Cape and Barrier Ring.
Once you decide to board the train, there's no going back. The door will close
behind you and the train will start moving. Examine the door, and Cyan will
explain about the Phantom Train, which brings the deceased to the afterlife.
Business must be small, with all them Phoenix Downs.
Monster formations:
Bomb (10/16)
Bomb, Bomb, Bomb (6/16)
When you're done gasping and shaking in fear, head to the right. You'll walk
out of the train car and, if you keep that button down, into a new one. You'll
see a ghost here. Talk to him and have him join your party! It's only temporary,
but I'll discuss the White Robed a bit:
The ghost joins on a level quite similar to yours, and can use Attack, Possess,
and Item. Since he has no weapons, his Attack is horribly weak. Possess is a
quirky command that is only seen here; Possess will remove both the caster and
the target from the battle. The caster is gone from the party after the battle
ends. This command has a 3 out of 8 chance of succeeding against every target,
regardless of one-hit KO protection, Evasion, or Magic Evasion. The ghost comes
equipped with NO equipment, and only one Relic: the Lich Ring. This turns the
wearer into an Undead creature, which is exactly the story behind the temporary
character. This means you will *hurt* the poor bastard with Potions and
Hi-Potions and kill it instantly with Phoenix Downs. If it has fallen in battle,
you cannot revive him (the Phoenix Down will miss). Outside of battle,
however, you can heal with restorative items. If a temporary ghost character
dies, he will be removed from the party.
If you haven't brought Shadow, you can recruit two Ghost characters. You'll
always obtain the stronger one first, and should you have left Shadow behind or
allowed him to run off, a weaker one will come second.
Enter the cabin. If you look at the switch, you'll see a cutscene in which
Cyan's fear or machinery is once again displayed in a humorous manner. If you
examine the book, you'll see some dialogue. If you talk to the Conductor, you
can ask some questions. In the top-left corner of the car, there's a hidden Tent
just waiting for you to be discovered.
If you leave again, you'll see another ghost. If Shadow left you/if you haven't
bothered with him at all, you can have this guy join you too, although this
second ghost is always significantly more useless.
Monster formations:
Angel Whisper, Cloud, Cloud, Cloud (6/16)
Angel Whisper (5/16)
Living Dead, Living Dead, Living Dead (5/16)
Okay