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FF6 Advance Fewest Steps Challenge v1.1
by o_chew (dbenzito@gmail.com)
===============
Version History
===============
v1.1 11/29/2008
- Fixed some errors in the step guidelines
- Added section 2.6
- Added #6 in section 2.1
v1.0 8/20/2008
- initial release
=================
Table of Contents
=================
1.0 Introduction to the challenge
2.0 Things to know before getting started
2.1 Traveling Tips
2.2 Characters You'll Use
2.3 Magic You'll Need
2.4 Items Available
2.5 Gaining Levels
2.6 No Lethe/No Death Challenge
3.0 Walkthrough
3.01 Narshe
3.02 Overworld to Figaro
3.03 Figaro Castle
3.04 South Figaro Cave
3.05 Mt. Kolts
3.06 Returner's Hideout, Lethe River Part 1
3.07 Lethe River Part 2
3.08 Locke's Scenario, South Figaro
3.09 Locke's Scenario, South Figaro Cave
3.10 Sabin's Scenario, Imperial Camp
3.11 Sabin's Scenario, Phantom Forest and Train
3.12 Sabin's Scenario, Baren Falls, the Veldt, and Serpent's Trench
3.13 Terra's Scenario and Defending the Frozen Esper
3.14 Overworld to Zozo
3.15 Zozo
3.16 Overworld to Jidoor and to the Opera House
3.17 The Opera House
3.18 Overworld to Vector
3.19 Magitek Research Facility
3.20 Narshe and the Imperial Outpost
3.21 Cave to the Sealed Gate
3.22 Imperial Banquet
3.23 Albrook and the Thamasa Region
3.24 Thamasa and the Burning Building
3.25 Overworld to the Esper Cave
3.26 Esper Cave
3.27 Imperial Air Force
3.28 Floating Continent, Solitary Island
3.29 Overworld to Nikeah
3.30 Nikeah and South Figaro
3.31 South Figaro Cave, Figaro Engine Room
3.32 Overworld to Darill's Tomb
3.33 Darill's Tomb
3.34 Preparing for Kefka's Tower
3.35 Kefka's Tower, up to Guardian
3.36 Kefka's Tower, the Warring Triad
3.37 Kefka's Tower, the Final Battle
4.0 Conclusion, Credits
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[1.0] Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the name suggests, this guide is all about finishing FF6 Advance in the
fewest steps possible. Since the SNES days, I always wanted to know the rock-
bottom number of steps it takes to get to Kefka. Thanks to my recent lapse in
sanity, I was able to get this guide done.
Curiosity finally got the better of me after reading Ilsoap's Fewest Steps
Challenge for FF3 on the SNES. There were many instances where I felt Ilsoap
allowed too many luxuries, or took longer than needed paths; I felt like I
could do better. His guide allowed me to create a lot of my own ideas, and
ultimately inspired me to document the journey.
As a result, my guide isn't as lenient when it comes to things out of the
direct path. In fact, it's very strict. To successfully finish a "Fewest
Steps Challenge," you only need to follow one rule. Going out of the way for
anything, even one step away, isn't allowed. Aside from cheating or the use of
bugs, do whatever it takes to beat the game in the fewest number of steps.
The difficulty varies greatly throughout the game. Finding the right items
ends up being more difficult than most of the game, but it gets considerably
more difficult at the end. Still, 75% of the challenge is exploratory, 15% is
treasure hunting, 10% is actual gameplay (totally made up percentages).
I can't say for sure if this guide can be directly used on the FF3us version.
There are plenty of differences between the games, but nothing that leads me to
believe it takes any more or less steps to complete.
As a final note, this shouldn't be used as a normal walkthrough. There are
going to be spoilers and only information related to the challenge is covered.
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[2.0] Things to know before getting started
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before beginning, you might want to know what you're up against. In this
section I have some traveling tips and lists of available items. Not crucial
stuff, but you might want to read the options in 2.5.
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[2.1] Traveling Tips
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Know the towns, know the dungeons, know the game. Most importantly, know
the shortest distance between point A and point B. Many times throughout the
game you'll find turns and corners can be cut closer than you might expect.
2) A straight line is the shortest distance to anywhere, but you can only walk
4 directions in this game. This diagram is mostly for peace of mind, in case
you have any doubts about your next step.
________________________
|_|_|_|_|_|_|X|X|_|_|_|_| S=Sabin
|_|_|R|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| X=Can't step here
|_|_|_|X|X|X|_|_|_|_|_|_| 1=Village 1
|_|_|_|X|X|X|X|_|_|_|_|_| 2=Village 2
|_|_|_|_|X|X|X|1|_|_|_|_| C=Chocobo Stable
|S|_|_|C|X|X|X|X|_|_|_|2| R=Reference Point
In this example, Sabin is headed for point R. To get there, Sabin needs to
take 6 steps. See for yourself which way he needs to go. You will see it does
not matter. He can go 4 up and 2 right, 2 right and 4 up, 1 right and 4 up and
1 right, there are many different ways. This is to reassure you that finding
the fewest steps to a point is fairly easy to judge yourself, provided that you
can see the steppable squares easily.
Same can be applied for more obstructed areas. To get to village 1, Sabin can
take a lot of routes and still end up with 14 steps. 14 is a lot though, so
going out of your way to the chocobo stables will save you a few steps.
Sometimes straying from the obvious path will save you steps in the end.
3) When dismounting chocobos, be aware that the direction you enter a village
will be the same spot you exit to. If you need to go to village 2 after doing
an event in village 1, be sure you get off the chocobo right of village 1.
This way you will save two steps later on.
4) Another piece of advice I can give is don't over-write your saves after each
segment. Alternate between two save files in case you discover any mistakes
you made. Nothing sucks more than starting from the beginning because you
saved with one accidental step. Use all three saves if you want, but there are
rumors that the third save file can corrupt your data.
5) Walk slowly. Don't hold the run button unless you're on a long stretch
without any turns. One wrong step can ruin a run.
6) Holding a directional button down as you enter towns or chocobo forests
seems to let you keep walking as the zone changes. When you're in the
town/forest you will have an extra step on your counter. Just let go of the
directional button once you're on the town/forest tile and you'll be fine.
7) Finally, whenever you are on the Overworld, you can save anywhere. This is
helpful later on when you need to learn magic. If you save, you can
continually reset until you get a battle within a few steps. Then you can
repeat the process, netting you a lot more AP than you would have gotten if you
walked across the Overworld normally.
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[2.2] Characters You'll Use
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the WoB, you'll use every character but Mog at some point during the game.
A few, however, will sit on the bench if they are not needed for story.
Outside of Sabin's scenario, you'll never need to use Gau or Cyan. Same
applies for Strago and Relm; once they've served their purposes in the story,
say goodbye. And you just flat out won't get Gogo, Umaro, Mog or Shadow
(excluding his brief walk to Thamasa). So this leaves us with..
Terra- You'll use her at the beginning, of course. After the Magitek Factory,
she'll be around until the Floating Continent.
Locke- He's not in the final party, but his Steal command is invaluable in
this challenge. He'll be around a lot in the WoB, including the FC.
Sabin- He's got good power through the entire game, but won't be joining you
in the WoR. After the Magitek Factory you won't use him anymore.
Edgar- He'll be used all the way up to Kefka. Learn to love him, because he
loves you.
Celes- Pump her up, because she's on board.
Setzer- Same as the previous.
You'll be focusing on Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. Focus on their magic and
equipment before all others. I'll ask you to teach one spell to Terra at one
point though, and Locke will get some recommendations since he'll have so much
play time in the WoB.
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[2.3] Magic You'll Need
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are 9 Espers you can get without any extra steps. These are Ramuh,
Shiva, Unicorn, Maduin, Shoat, Phantom, Carbuncle, Bismarck, and Bahamut.
These columns of magic are set in order of priority. If you can't learn the
spell yet, move down the column until you find one you can. This is the order
I usually teach them. You don't really NEED anything until Ultima Weapon, but
you do need them all before facing the final few bosses.
Celes Edgar Setzer
--------------------------------------
Osmose Reflect Rasp
Rasp Haste Osmose
Protect
Cura Shell Cura
Teleport
Reflect Reflect
Haste Rasp Haste
Protect Osmose Protect
Shell Shell
Bio
Thundara Break Berserk
Blizzara Death Vanish
Fira
Fire Fire
Fire
Cura Esuna
Esuna
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[2.4] Items Available
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When taking as few steps as possible through the game, you're going to miss
most of the equipment that makes it easier to complete the game. Below are
lists of what useful items you can get along the way, in chronological order.
I hope I haven't forgotten anything major, but the walkthrough will go through
important items in greater detail.
===========
Field Items
===========
This is it. That spear will be the best one until you defeat one of the
Warring Triad. The money can be used to buy phoenix downs, and the Fixed Dice
are awesome. Everything else isn't much help to you at all, although the stone
might be useful for running from a battle in Kefka's Tower.
-Mythril Spear (Taken from Mog)
-Mythril Shield (Taken from Mog)
-500 gil (Locke's Scenario)
-1000 gil (Locke's Scenario)
-Teleport Stone (Albrook Docks)
-Phoenix Down (Thamasa)
-Regal Gown (Darill's Tomb)
-Man Eater (Darill's Tomb)
-Bahamut Magicite (Airship)
-Fixed Dice (Kefka's Tower)
========
Stealing
========
This is to get you an idea of what is possible with Locke. He should be with
your team until the Floating Continent, gathering many of these items as you
progress through the game. Some steals are just absolutely required, while
others are nice to have. I'll mark the most crucial ones, but you should try
and get most of this stuff.
* indicates most important steals
-Hi-Potion rare (Megalodoth, Narshe Mines)
-Hi-Potion rare (Magitek Armor, Forced Battle)
-Bandana always (Zaghrem, Mt. Kolts)
-Hi-Potion rare (Gorgias, Mt. Kolts)
-Hi-Potion always (Ipooh, Forced Battle)
-Iron Helm rare (Heavy Armor, South Figaro)
-Plumed Hat common (Merchant, Forced Battle)
-Bioblaster rare (Tunnel Armor, Forced Battle)
-Phoenix Down common (Fidor, Narshe Invasion)
-Mythril Vest common (Hell's Rider, Narshe Invasion)
-Elixir rare
-Hi-Ether common (Kefka, Forced Battle)
-Elixir rare
-Phoenix Down rare (Vulture, Kohlingen Overworld)
-Gold Needle common (Rock Wasp, Kohlingen Overworld)
-Twist Headband rare (Iron Fist, Kohlingen Overworld)
-Gigas Glove always (Hill Gigas, Zozo)
-Phoenix Down rare (Gobbledygook, Zozo)
-Jeweled Ring common (Dadaluma, Forced Battle)
-Dragoon Boots* rare (Wyvern, Southern Continent)
-Green Beret* rare (Joker, Southern Continent)
-Phoenix Down rare (Belzecue, Magitek Factory)
-Tent common (Sergeant, Magitek Factory)
-Mythril Vest rare
-Mythril Mail rare (Proto Armor, Magitek Factory)
-Magicite Shard rare (Flan, Magitek Factory)
-Mythril Shield rare (General, Magitek Factory)
-Flash always (Destroyer, Magitek Research Facility)
-Rune Blade common (Number 24, Forced Battle)
-Blood Sword* rare
-Bioblaster always (Chaser, Vector)
-Noiseblaster always (Left Crane, Forced Battle)
-Debilitator rare (Right Crane, Forced Battle)
-Holy Water common (Provoker, Cave to the Sealed Gate)
-Amulet always (Outcast, Cave to the Sealed Gate)
-Phoenix Down common (Zombie Dragon, Cave to the Sealed Gate)
-Gaia Gear* always (Briareus, Thamasa Overworld)
-Phoenix Down always (Balloon, Burning House)
-Flametongue always (Flame Eater, Forced Battle)
-Golden Shield* always (Adamankary, Esper Caves)
-White Cape always (Ultros, Forced Battle)
Floating Continent Steals
-Debilitator always (Missile Bay, Forced Battle)
-Elixir always (Air Force, Forced Battle)
-Earring always (Brainpan, Floating Continent)
-Hermes Sandals*always (Behemoth, Floating Continent)
-Angel Ring* always (Apocrypha, Floating Continent)
-Alarm Earring always (Misfit, Floating Continent)
-Angel Wings always (Ninja, Floating Continent)
-Genji Glove rare (Dragon, Floating Continent)
-Elixir common (Ultima Weapon, Forced Battle)
-Ribbon* rare
=====
Drops
=====
Drops provide another unique opportunity for getting more items without taking
additional steps. These are the ones you should keep an eye out for.
* indicates most important drops
-Hi-Potion rare (Megalodoth, Narshe)
-Hi-Potion always (Ymir, Forced Battle)
-Hi-Potion always (Guard Leader, Forced Battle)
-Hi-Potion rare (Magitek Armor, Forced Battle)
-Hi-Potion rare (Belmodar, South Figaro Overworld)
-Elixir always (Tunnel Armor, Forced Battle)
-Black Belt* common (Captain, Forced Battle)
-Tent always (Phantom Train, Forced Battle)
-Peace Ring always (Kefka, Forced Battle)
-Twist Headband common (Dadaluma, Forced Battle)
-Bioblaster rare (Proto Armor, Magitek Factory)
-Icebrand common (Number 24, Forced Battle)
-Flametongue rare
-Tent always (Number 128, Forced Battle)
-Golden Armor* rare (Chimera, Thamasa Overworld)
-Smoke Bomb rare (Land Grillion, Esper Cliffs)
-Princess Ring always (Air Force, Forced Battle)
-Elixir always (Ultima Weapon, Forced Battle)
-Golden Shield* rare (Dante, Figaro Cave/Castle)
-Magicite Shard rare (Mover, Kefka's Tower)
-Excalibur always (Goddess, Forced Battle)
-Radiant Lance always (Demon, Forced Battle)
============
Metamorphose
============
Morphing is only possible in this challenge through Setzer's slots and any
Magicite Shards you might pick up along the way. Clearly, this is not the way
you want to acquire items since the odds are extremely low that you'll succeed.
I am throwing these out there because they are technically obtainable in this
challenge, and some of the stuff would be extremely useful for Kefka's Tower,
but you need to realize how slim your chances of getting these are. If you
decide to go for anything, I think the Flame Shield will be the most valuable
through the game, with the Thunder Shield as a close second. Please keep in
mind the game is possible without anything here.
-Flame Shield (Balloon, Burning House)
-Flame Shield (Chimera, Thamasa Forests)
-Crystal Shield (Platinum Dragon, Floating Continent)
-Crystal Helm
-Crystal Mail
-Thunder Shield (Dante, Figaro Cave/Castle)
-Growth Egg (Marchosias, WoR Overworld around Kohlingen)
-Ribbon (Cherry, Kefka's Tower)
-Thunder Shield (Vector Chimera, Kefka's Tower)
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[2.5] Gaining Levels
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This challenge requires quite a bit of leveling to complete. With a limited
number of steps, the number of experience points you can gain is also,
seemingly, limited.
There are two things you can do about this, and I'll let you decide what you
want to do in your game.
Option A: Lethe River
As you might already know, the Lethe River has a point where you can float in
an infinite loop and engage in battle without adding any steps to the step
meter. If you do not want to do option B, I would get your team to at least
level 60 here.
I never do this because it just takes too long, and it also sucks much the fun
out of the WoB. I think you might have trouble getting Locke through the Heavy
Armor at the beginning as well.
Option B: Step Meter Resetting
When you die in battle, you keep all experience you've gained since your last
save AND your step count resets back to what it was at your last save. Meaning
you can go level anywhere for as long as you want so as long as you kill
yourself off.
There is no limit to how many levels you can gain with this, but in the
interest of saving time, most levels are gained after Darill's Tomb, before
going to Kefka's Tower. The two other times you need to do this are before Mt.
Kolts (get Locke close to level 11) and before the Caved to the Sealed Gate
(get Terra to level 26).
What you DO keep after dying:
-Experience and Levels
What you DON'T keep after dying:
-Esper boosts from leveling
-AP and Magic learned
-Gil Earned
-Items obtained
-Time Taken
-Steps Taken
I can see why this might be considered cheating the challenge. You're taking a
lot of steps, they just aren't counted after finding a loophole. The way I see
it, this is no different than the Lethe River and doesn't use glitches or
cheats to accomplish, so it is a legitimate way of completing this challenge.
On the other hand, I wouldn't consider a speed run legitimate if someone
leveled to 99 and died to reset the timer back to the beginning, then proceed
to dominate the game. So I suspect this method will be scrutinized. If you
don't like it, you can do the same thing on the Lethe River without dying.
In my runs through the game, I get Celes, Edgar, and Setzer to level 56 after
Darill's Tomb. If you wish to try a lower level, I would get everybody at
least 5000 HP. Most attacks from Kefka's Tower bosses do between 2000-4000
damage, so you need to be able to at least survive that.
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[2.6] No Lethe/No Death Challenge
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section is purely theoretical at this point. As the section states, the
goal is to beat the game in the fewest steps WITHOUT taking any extra loops on
the Lethe River or getting a game over to reset the step meter.
I considered all that needs to be done to make this possible. From a gameplay
standpoint, the largest handicap is the lower levels. From a practical
standpoint, the greatest challenge is getting the random events to fall into
place.
Below are the steps you need to take to complete this, as well as some
workarounds to simulate the challenge without actually having to put up with
the endless resetting.
1) Force more encounters on the Overworld.
Right from the start of the game you need to focus on leveling. Every time
you travel the Overworld you need to save and reset until you find a random
encounter in only a few steps. Very time consuming and boring.
Your 3 characters will be roughly level 25 by Kefka's Tower if you run through
the game normally. It's still doable at this level, but these extra battles
mark the difference between surviving Metal Cutter and surviving Metal Cutter
25% of the time.
Workaround: At best, I'm guessing you can bump their levels to 30 if you
diligently cram as many battles in as possible right from the beginning of the
game. This is probably a generous level, but it should be close enough. So,
rather than going through the trouble, just use the step meter resetting
method to get your characters to level 30 after Darill's Tomb. This gives you
the same challenge with less of the hassle.
2) Take advantage of Catoblepas' and Bahamut's level boosts.
For every level Celes, Edgar, and Setzer gain after getting Catoblepas, have
them equip it. With the tight demand on AP later on this might be a nuisance,
but all the magic won't mean anything when you're dead. You need all the HP
you can get.
If you use the workaround for the problem above, you will end up with slightly
less HP at level 30. This is because the levels you gain after dying won't
carry over the Esper boosts. It is a drawback worth considering, but the
overall difference may not be worth hours of resetting.
Where Bahamut was optional in a standard Fewest Steps Challenge, his 50% HP
boost will only help you. Defeat Deathgaze after Darill's Tomb and have it
equipped for each of your levels in Kefka's Tower.
3) Gain 50 AP before reaching the end of the Cave to the Seal Gate.
It is impossible to get Terra to level 27 before this time, so you must teach
Teleport to one of your character in a very short timeframe. Many battles need
to fall into place for this work; it's not easy. In addition to the Blood
Sword (and Magicite Shards, covered next), you need to get certain encounters
after the mine cart in the Magitek Factory, further complicating the factory.
This is what your AP schedule should look like.
-8 AP from the mine cart ride.
-5 AP from Number 128.
-9 AP from 3 encounters after the ride. Specifically, the Chaser with 3 Onion
Knights formation.
-1 AP in the first room of the cave, any formation.
-2 AP in the second room from the Outcast x3 formation.
-2 AP in the altering bridge room from a Zombie Dragon formation.
-23 AP in the large room. This takes a minimum of 12 battles. Anywhere you
can get more AP before this room, the better off you'll be.
Of everything listed in this section, this is probably the challenge-ending
obstacle. I'm just not confident this is possible without taking extra steps.
4) Acquire a Flame and Thunder Shield.
You need to steal Magicite Shards from Flans (they're only found in the room
with Ifrit and Shiva. They're rare steals, and you need a minimum of two of
these. Once you get to Thamasa, use one of the shards to summon Ragnarok on a
Balloon. Keep trying until you get a Flame Shield. Later on, in the WoR, use
the other to morph a Dante into a Thunder Shield (they're in the South Figaro
cave).
Workaround: Cheat. In this case it's the most sane thing to do. You should
still steal 2 Magicite Shards from the Flans to simulate actually morphing
these items. Add the Flame Shield to your inventory after the Burning House
in Thamasa and the Thunder Shield after getting Edgar in the WoR.
Note: This part I actually tried. Inferno, Guardian, Fiend, and Goddess are
actually easier with these shields at level 27 than without at level 59.
Demon is still very hard, maybe impossible without save states. I haven't
tried Kefka yet, but a few things have me worried against him. To be updated
later.
5) Play on an emulator.
Honestly, you don't want to do this without one. This entire ordeal depends
on random chance, so it's going to take forever. Normally, I don't condone
save states as a means of getting around the hard parts, but things are so
difficult in Kefka's Tower that you practically need them.
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[3.0] The Walkthrough
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the tedious walkthrough. If you haven't noticed already, it's going to
be pretty dry. Maybe in future versions I'll spice things up a little. Maybe.
The start of each segment has an outline containing the step count of each
"screen." I will point out ways to navigate tricky areas, or when you need to
do something special to avoid taking steps, but for the most part I leave it up
to you to meet the benchmarks for each segment. Checking your step meter after
every screen was annoying for me, so I think you'll feel the same. At least
make sure you're on the right track by the end of a section, but if you have
any doubts during a segment all the numbers are there (if I didn't mess them
up, that is).
I'll end each section with a single number, not a spanning number. The last
number is the step count you should have when you save. Sometimes this single
number is used away from save points as a landmark in longer sections.
I'll also detail items you can get during the segment, how to get them, and
also other things you should be doing that aren't immediately obvious, such as
learning certain magic.
Below the segment outlines are my hastily written notes about the section. I
tried keeping things brief and to the point, but I have a tendency of saying
more than needs to be said.
Okay, onto the guide before I over-explain the self-explanatory!
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[3.01]
Zone: Narshe
Steps: Narshe, Main Town 0-48
Narshe, Path to the Mines 48-87
Narshe, Mines 87-121
Narshe Mines, Esper Room 121-138
Narshe, Arvis' House 138-153
Narshe, Overpass 153-180
Narshe, Mines 2 180-256
Narshe Mines, Defending Terra 256-290
Narshe, Main Town 2 290-292
Overworld, Outside Narshe 292
Steals: Potion- Megalodoth, Silver Lobo
Hi-Potion- Megalodoth (rare)
Drops: Hi-Potion- Megalodoth (rare), Ymir (always), Guard Leader (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
======
Narshe
======
Kill off Biggs and Wedge so Terra gets more experience.
Head straight through town. The two Megalodoths have a small chance of
dropping Hi-Potions. Other than that, there is really nothing special to look
out for.
=====
Mines
=====
Continue on the shortest path. Ignore the save point. Engage Ymir.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ymir
Drops: Hi-Potion (always)
Missile his head a few times.
-----------------------------
Skip the next save point and the treasures. Make sure your battle speed is at
6 to help with Snowstorms.
================
Protecting Terra
================
Before doing anything when defending Terra with the moogles, strip Mog and give
the shield to Locke. Put Mogret in the back row and start heading down with
Locke's team. Don't move the others at all, and don't wait for the enemies to
reach you.
Take the middle path down. When the paths split again, take to route that goes
down. Go right around the last rock, defeat any monsters that get in your way.
Attempt to steal once from the Megalodoths before killing them for a chance at
more Hi-Potions. If you have any potions, restore a little HP before fighting
the leader.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Guard Leader, Silver Lobo x2
Steal: Mythril Knife (always)
Drops: Hi-Potion (always)
Kill one Lobo, leave the other alive. Take out the boss and heal with Moggie
if needed. After that's done, defeat the remaining Lobo.
-----------------------------
After the battle, you'll be placed at the front of Narshe. Forget the academy,
head outside and save.
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[3.02]
Zone: Overworld to Figaro
Steps: Narshe to Figaro 292-352
Overworld, Outside Figaro 352
Steals: Potion- Leaf Bunny, Dark Wind, Alacran
Antidote- Sand Ray
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============
Trip to Figaro
==============
The Overworld is easy to misplace a step if you're not entirely familiar the
waterline or mountain ranges. If you're attentive and careful, it's not so
difficult, but explore the area first if you have to. Don't save over a file
until you're outside the next destinations with the specified number of steps.
Steal potions from every enemy you encounter, maybe some antidotes too. After
you finish collecting their stuff, kill them. Use Terra's magic to conserve
items.
Save outside of Figaro.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.03]
Zone: Figaro Castle
Steps: Figaro, Main Gate 353-357
Figaro, Front Tower 357-365
Figaro, Hub 365-383
Figaro, Back Tower 383-398
Figaro, Throne Room 398-419
Figaro, Back Tower 419-433
Figaro, Hub 433-453
Figaro, Left Tower 453-458
Figaro, Stairwell 458-467
Figaro, Sand Path 467-489
Figaro, Rest Area 489-514
Figaro, Sand Path 514-529
Overworld, Outside Figaro 529
Figaro, Main Gate 530-534
Figaro, Front Tower 534-542
Figaro, Hub 542-560
Figaro, Back Tower 560-575
Figaro, Throne Room 575-588
Figaro, Kefka Scene 588-622
Figaro, Library 622-638
Figaro, Stairwell 638-647
Figaro, Sand Path 647-669
Figaro, Terra's Room 669-678
Figaro, Burning Figaro 678-688
Overworld, Outside Figaro Cave 688
Steals: Hi-Potion- Magitek Armor (rare)
Drops: Hi-Potion- Magitek Armor
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================
Figaro Castle, first time
=========================
Head straight into Figaro and up to the throne room. When exiting the throne
room, you can walk straight down, no need to exit through the center of the
door.
Walk over to the old lady to get the Sabin scene. After that, instead of
heading back into the castle, cut left out into the desert and enter Figaro
again from the Overworld.
==========================
Figaro Castle, second time
==========================
Now head back to the throne room from the Overworld.
You need to talk to the soldiers and Kefka to continue, so walk between them
all and start chatting. Go up afterwards and speak with Locke.
You'll get control of Terra and you need to follow Locke. Once you get to the
library (room after the first door while following) you can watch Locke take an
unnecessarily long route. Feel your way along the wall, you can turn left one
step sooner than Locke did, thus saving two steps. Keep this in mind for
later.
When you're done following Locke to Terra's room, you'll meet Kefka again.
Don't talk to him this second time. Instead, head up and talk to the guard.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Magitek Armor x2
Steal: Hi-Potion (rare)
Drop: Hi-Potion
Try stealing while Edgar and Terra MT them. It's no big deal if anyone dies.
-----------------------------
Take the chocobo to South Figaro Cave and save.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.04]
Zone: South Figaro Cave
Steps: Cave Entrance 689-695
Spring Area 695-714
Large Area 714-764
Small Area 764-773
Exit Area 773-784
Figaro Cave to Mt. Kolts 784-817
Overworld, Outside Mt. Kolts 817
Steals: More potions from everything
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================
South Figaro Cave
=================
The game will automatically take you to the spring. No more dying for awhile.
Make sure of this, because you will have no way of reviving your characters.
Try picking off potions and remedies from the monsters here. (Uroks have rare
remedies.)
The corners are like the library in Figaro castle, you may be able to cut some
corners closer than you can see.
=================
Trip to Mt. Kolts
=================
Once you're through, head directly to Mt. Kolts, ignoring South Figaro
entirely.
Save on the Overworld.
Before moving on to the next section, you want to get Locke to level 11. To do
this, you should use the method described in section 2.5. Walk around Mt.
Kolts and kill stuff, once Locke is close to level 11 kill your team off. You
should be back on the Overworld, just outside of Mt. Kolts, with a step count
of 817. At this point, save again. I level Edgar and Terra up with him just
to speed things along.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.05]
Zone: Mt. Kolts
Steps: Mt. Kolts Entrance 818-830
First Cave 830-855
Slopes Connecting Caves 855-862
Second Cave 862-891
Short Slopes 891-899
Long Slopes 899-925
Long Cave 925-965
Rope Bridge 965-1004
Save Cave 1004-1012
Spiraling Cliffs 1012-1166
Last Cave 1166-1188
Exit 1188-1196
Mt. Kolts to Returner Hideout 1196-1232
Overworld, Outside Returner Hideout 1232
Steals: Bandana- Zaghrem (always)
Hi-Potion- Gorgias (rare), Ipooh (always)
Antidote- Cirpius
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========
Mt. Kolts
=========
Head into Mt. Kolts after getting those needed levels. Your first goal here is
getting 2 bandanas. These are tough to steal, but they are likely your best
head gear for a long time.
You can get petrified here, so don't wait around too long stealing from
Cirpius. The antidotes aren't really important.
In the cave with the save point, there is a small ramp leading up to the save
point. You can see the sides of the ramp like they would be an obstacle, but
you can walk straight across the ramp.
Ignore all the chests and save points and get to Vargas.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Vargas, Ipooh x2
Steal: Hi-Potion (always)
Drop: none
MT Fire and Auto Crossbow the bears, Locke should focus on stealing the
hi-potions from the bears. Damage Vargas the same way, but he doesn't have
anything worth stealing.
-----------------------------
Sabin joins, continue on the shortest path to the hideout. Save outside.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.06]
Zone: Returner's Hideout, Lethe River 1
Steps: Entrance 1233-1240
Main Area 1240-1252
Banon's Room 1252-1266
Room with Locke 1266-1279
Room with Sabin 1279-1319
Room with Edgar 1319-1320
Main Area 1320-1360
Entrance with Banon 1360-1365
Passage to river 1365-1383
Lethe River Jump Point 1383-1385
Save Room 1 1385-1387
Save Point 1387
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================
Returner's Hideout
==================
Enter the hideout and go through the events. Talk to Locke and Sabin like you
normally would, but skip the treasures and the shop.
Edgar is moving around, so you need some patience here to save steps. Well, a
lot of patience. Edgar WILL approach Terra without taking a single step in,
it's just he likes to change his mind whenever he is one step away. When he
finally does step on the square right of Terra, you need to react quickly and
press right to face him. Once you speak to Edgar, exit the room.
There are a couple more points in the game where you need to wait for
characters to come to you, but none are as time consuming as Edgar here.
Head to Banon outside and say yes the first time to get the Gauntlet.
===========
Lethe River
===========
Head straight down the hidden passage after the meeting and hop onto the raft.
Here on the Lethe River you can fight endlessly without taking any steps. This
trick can actually get you to level 99 easily if you run an emulator. But this
guide is designed for cartridge players, and I know you don't want to spin
around for hours and hours holding the A button.
If you choose to level on the Lethe River instead of by dying, get your
characters to level 60 or so. Celes needs to be around level 55 to make it
through Kefka's Tower, and her level will be averaged lower since Locke is only
level 11 or 12. For reference, Terra learns Holy at level 57. I did my
leveling later.
Save at the forced save point, make sure nobody has the Gauntlet, Mythril
Shield, Mythril Sword, or the Kenpo Gi equipped. Also have 1 Bandana in your
inventory THEN head off to Ultros. Put everyone in the back row too.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.07]
Zone: Lethe River 2
Steps: Save Room 2 1387-1389
Scenario Screen 1389-1392
Scenario Save Point 1392
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================
Lethe River cont.
=================
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ultros
Have Banon use Defend unless the party needs a big cure. Otherwise Terra is
safest handling the healing. Edgar and Sabin use Aura Canon and Auto Crossbow.
-----------------------------
After this battle you'll be on to the scenarios. Save with Mog on the black
screen.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.08]
Zone: Locke's Scenario, South Figaro
Steps: Scenario Screen 1392-1396
South Figaro 1396-1458
Pub 1458-1488
Pub Basement 1488-1514
Pub 1514-1544
South Figaro 1544-1577
Old Man's Basement 1577-1587
Old Man's House 1587-1624
Old Man's Basement 1624-1634
Stairwell 1634-1638
Rich House Store Room 1638-1654
South Figaro 1654-1665
Rich House First Floor 1665-1684
Rich House Second Floor 1684-1702
Master Bedroom 1702-1722
Stairwell 1722-1731
Underground Passage 1731-1759
Celes' Room 1759-1770
Underground Passage 1770-1782
Clock Room 1782-1835
South Figaro, Underworks 1835-1899
Stairwell 1899-1905
South Figaro 1905-1914
South Figaro to South Figaro Cave 1914-1932
Overworld, Outside Figaro Cave 1932
Steals: Plumed Hat- Merchant
Iron Helm- Heavy Armor (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
============
South Figaro
============
Equip Locke with the Gauntlet, Mythril Sword and Shield, Bandana, and Kenpo Gi.
Place him in the back row and face off against the Heavy Armor.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Heavy Armor
Steal: Iron Helm (rare)
Drop: none
Ok he's not actually a boss, but this fight is not easy, you're basically as
strong as your Hi-Potion stock. You'll want to play conservatively against
this guy.
Attack does around 40 damage, Metal Knuckle will do about 65, and Magitek Laser
will do nearly 140 damage.
If your hp is 120-140, throw out a regular potion to try and conserve
hi-potions. I found six hi-potions was enough to get you through even on the
most unlucky fights. Also note the Armor won't use Magitek Laser or Metal
Knuckle twice in a row.
-----------------------------
Take the hidden passage over the water and go to the pub.
Be careful of getting the soldiers trapped between the tables and the hand
rails. They won't step on a certain square to the right of the last table and
can get trapped, forcing you to take a few steps back. Let them clear the way
before strolling through the pub.
Get the cider, I find the Plumed Hat a better steal, but whatever. Then
retrace your steps back to the old man's house from the back. Give him the
cider and tell the kid the password. (Courage, in case you forgot.)
================
Rich man's house
================
Make your way straight to Celes. Don't forget the clock key on the soldier, I
do this all the time. The clock room has a couple treasure chests in your
direct path. Sweet, get them, but leave the others not in your direct path
behind. Wind the clock and move on. There is no fancy path in this room
between pots or boxes, just take the route that you clearly see.
Skip all the goodies here in the sublevels and get back above ground. Exit
town from the right. You can walk through that little nub jutting out of the
concrete, so don't walk around it.
Make your way to the cave entrance and save your game.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.09]
Zone: Locke's Scenario, South Figaro Cave
Steps: Cave Entrance 1933-1944
Small Area 1944-1953
Large Area 1953-2003
Spring Area 2003-2020
Scenario Screen 2020
Steals: Bioblaster- Tunnel Armor (rare)
Drops: Elixir- Tunnel Armor (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================
South Figaro Cave
=================
Take the same path you did on your last stroll through here.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Tunnel Armor
Steal: Bioblaster (rare)
Drop: Elixir (always)
This fight isn't much different than your normal play through. Runic with
Celes, attack with Locke. The Bioblaster is useful, and this is the easiest
time to get one. Reset until you steal it.
-----------------------------
Scenario over. Save with Mog.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.10]
Zone: Sabin's Scenario, Imperial Camp
Steps: Scenario Screen 2020-2024
Overworld 2024-2085
Imperial Camp 2085-2086
Doma Battlefield 2086-2090
Imperial Camp 2090-2141
Doma Roof 2141-2148
Stairwell 2148-2155
Doma Main Room 2155-2166
Throne Room 2166-2174
Doma Main Room 2174-2184
Imperial Camp, Battle Sequence 2184-2204
Imperial Camp, In Magitek Armor 2204-2244
Camp to Phantom Forest 2244-2271
Overworld, Outside Phantom Forest 2271
Drops: Black Belt- Captain
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================
Traveling to the imperial camp
==============================
By now you might be low on potions. You'll just have to find a way to endure a
little while longer.
Don't stop by the crazy guy's shack, you're not the repair man and you'll never
be the repair man. Shadow isn't needed. Walk to the imperial camp and save
outside.
======================
Imperial camp and Doma
======================
Take one step down into the camp and watch the scenes unfold. Make sure you
get the black belt from the Captain; this is important.
Follow Kefka each time he moves. Aura Canon through the templars and soldiers,
things get dicey here if you have few restorative items.
Take Cyan directly where he needs to go after Kefka poisons the water.
When Cyan rushes to fight, speak with him each time he moves from his closest
side (not front or back). If you speak with him to his face, you'll get
knocked away and waste steps.
Head out of the camp in the magitek armors. Use their abilities for some free
healing. You'll also get a few Hi-Potions here which should last you until you
hit a shop. When you move around the discarded magitek armor near the bridge,
you can save a step by continuing straight up along the right side of the
bridge.
Head on down to the Phantom Forest, still no chocobos around. Save!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.11]
Zone: Sabin's Scenario, Phantom Forest and Train
Steps: Phantom Forest, First Path 2272-2303
Spring Path 2303-2326
Short Path 2326-2333
Train Path 2333-2358
Train Station 2358-2368
First Car 2368-2396
Between 1 and 2 2396-2404
Second Car 2404-2432
Between 2 and 3 2432-2443
Third Car 2443-2446
Jump Scene 2446-2458
Fifth Car 2458-2462
No More Ghosts 2462-2463
Fifth Car 2463-2496
Between 5 and the switch room 2496-2592
Switch Room 2592-2607
Head of Train 2607-2615
Phantom Forest to Baron Falls 2615-2635
Overworld 2635
Drops: Tent- Phantom Train (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============
Phantom Forest
==============
The forest is pretty straightforward. On the path with the spring, you'll have
to walk UP around that little rock near the sign. Go up whenever you're given
a split path.
=============
Phantom Train
=============
Now that you've found the train, don't go up any steps. Go left until the you
are in front of the door. The game will take you inside, saving you the
trouble of a potential step or two.
Check the door you entered right when you get inside, now just head left into
the next car. Don't recruit any ghosts, but talk to all of them. Find the
shop in the second car. Spend most of your money on phoenix downs. I bought 2
Green Cherries, and 7 hi-potions too, making a total of 12 hi-potions and 35
phoenix downs.
These phoenix downs should be conserved as much as possible. I recommend using
one on the boss here to spare you the frustration of losing to it, but other
than that, use them sparingly. You'll have a chance to buy a few more in
Mobliz once you sell all your useless stuff, and you'll have many opportunities
to steal more later. You don't really have time to learn Raise, so these will
be your only way to revive dead characters towards the end. Provided you don't
kill your characters every other battle, these should be plenty.
Continuing on, enter the next car from the front. Walk two spaces forward then
1 back to talk with the ghost. Watch Sabin's impressive training and flip the
switch. Flip it again, skip the save, and move on. Remember to fight all
these ghosts.
Walk around the sixth, seventh, eighth, and the save car. Don't enter any of
them, use the ladders on the outside to get around. Enter the last one and hit
the correct switches. Now fight the Phantom Train.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Phantom Train
Drops: Tent
Phoenix Down it. You'll only get mad if you die here.
-----------------------------
Don't move when Cyan is being all depressed, the screen will eventually fade.
Save outside of Baren Falls.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.12]
Zone: Baren Falls, the Veldt, and Serpent's Trench
Steps: Baren Falls Entrance 2636-2646
Baren Falls Cave 2646-2654
Baren Falls Cliff 2654-2662
Washed Ashore 2662-2665
Veldt Shoreline to Mobliz 2665-2716
Overworld, Veldt 2716
Mobliz 2717-2746
Item Shop 2746-2751
Mobliz 2751-2779
Mobliz to Crescent Mountain 2779-2830
Overworld, Veldt 2830
Crescent Mountain 2831-2880
Nikeah Docks 2880-2898
Scenario Save Point 2898
Drops: Remedy- Rhizopas (always)
X-Potion- Aspiran (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========
Baren Falls
===========
I clumped these all together because there is nothing really complicated or
difficult about all of them, and you're on the Overworld most of the time.
I should note you don't have to jump off the center of the cliff, just walk
straight up from the cave part. Also, your characters are fully restored for
the next fight, so save your items.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Rhizopas
Drop: Remedy
Just attack the yellow ones and Aura Canon/Sky the red one. Put the Blackbelt
on someone if you want a few free kills. El Nino might kill you, but there's
not much you can do about that other than reset.
-----------------------------
Head down after Gau finds you, then go to Mobliz. Make sure you have 150 gil
before reaching there (shouldn't be an issue).
======
Mobliz
======
Once in Mobliz, you've got to walk around those blue flowers, stupid flowers.
Enter the item shop here, sell your leather caps if you have a plumed hat,
otherwise keep one. You can also sell your daggers, Sabin's Claw, and Cyan's
Ashura. Buy 1 Dried Meat and every last penny you've scrounged up on Phoenix
Downs. Leave Mobliz to make way for Crescent Mountain. By the way, that was
the last shop you'll ever visit.
================
Serpent's Trench
================
You have to get Gau before reaching Crescent Mountain, so don't miss him. You
won't use Gau after Serpent's Trench, so don't bother with Rages.
Take the shortest path in the cave and enter Serpent's Trench. When given a
choice of direction on the ride, go left each time. Aspiran drop X-Potions,
which are nice to have.
Unequip Gau and Cyan of everything. Skip the shops in Nikeah, just finish the
scenario. Save with Mog.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.13]
Zone: Terra's Scenario and Defending the Frozen Esper
Steps: Scenario Screen 2898-2900
Waterline to Narshe 2900-2920
Overworld, Outside Narshe 2920
Narshe 2921-2949
Locke's Passage 2949-2987
Cliffs around Narshe 2987-3014
Cave Area 3014-3046
Security Point 3046-3068
Large Cave 3068-3177
Overpass 3177-3204
Arvis' House 3204-3212
Preparation 3212-3213
Battle Against Kefka 3213-3248
Arvis' House 3248-3257
Narshe 3257-3323
Overworld, Outside Narshe 3323
Steals: Phoenix Down- Fidor
Mythril Vest- Hell's Rider
Hi-Ether/Elixir- Kefka
Drops: Peace Ring- Kefka (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========
Lethe River
===========
After finishing up the river, fell your way around the water on the Overworld.
Save outside of Narshe.
============
Narshe Caves
============
Enter Locke's secret cave once you get to Narshe.
Continue through the normal path until you get to the security checkpoint. You
don't want to follow the light. You're going to have to successfully tag the
orange light 5 times. If you mess up you'll have to reset.
There are two shortest paths in this room, but I'll try and explain one of
them. Go up a step or two, you'll be facing the first rock. Go right two
steps then up some more. Go left one step, then up some more. The rest will
be self-explanatory.
Skip the moogle area and retrace the path Terra took at the beginning.
Continue ignoring treasures.
Go through all the dialog until you're controlling Terra behind your line of
dudes.
=======================
Defend the frozen Esper
=======================
Don't do any preparations, just talk to Banon.
Team 2 is closest to Kefka, so they'll be doing all the fighting. You want
Locke for Steal and Celes for Runic. Edgar and Sabin are the best for the
other two spots.
Once the battle starts, you'll want to start moving immediately so none of the
soldiers have time to get to Banon. There's not much point in fighting all of
the soldiers, and they can slip through your line of defense quite easily since
you can't be walking around.
Take Celes' team down, then left when you hit a rock, head down more, then
left, then down again. Now go right until you can go down even more, then
left until you can go down.
Steal a Mythril Vest from the Hell Rider. If you get an Elixir, that's even
better. Fidors might have Phoenix Downs, try and get one or two.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Kefka
Steal: Hi-Ether / Elixir (rare)
Drop: Peace Ring (always)
For Kefka, Steal his item, keep Runic up at all times, have Sabin and Edgar
work his health down, Locke can join them once he successfully steals.
-----------------------------
======
Narshe
======
You'll be prompted to form a party after the battle. Take the same team
(Locke, Celes, Edgar, and Sabin). Leave Arvis' house and head down the stairs
below you. Take the rightmost path toward Narshe's exit but be very careful.
An NPC can get in your way here, and you'll have no way of getting by without
backing up. If this happens you'll have to reset and re-do a rather large
sequence.
To easily prevent this, stand back a few squares from the old guy staring at
the cliffs and wait for the moving NPC to check the steam thing. You can
either take the chance while he's stopped to get through or simply follow him
as he goes to his next stop.
Either way, I'm making it sound more difficult than it really is because it
happened to me.. twice. Save on the Overworld.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.14]
Zone: Overworld to Zozo
Steps: Narshe to Figaro 3323-3384
Figaro, Main Gate 3384-3388
Figaro, Stair Room 3388-3393
Figaro, Switch Room 3393-3402
Figaro, Stair Room 3402-3407
Figaro, Main Gate 3407-3410
Overworld, Outside Figaro 3410
Figaro to Chocobo Stables 3410-3471
Outside Stables 3471-3476
Inside Stables 3476-3479
Overworld, Outside Zozo 3479
Steals: Gold Needle- Rock Wasp
Phoenix Down- Vulture(rare)
Twist Headband- Iron Fist(rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================================
Traveling to the Kohlingen region
=================================
Head straight to Figaro and let the castle take you to Kohlingen. Skip the
shops and all that.
=================
Traveling to Zozo
=================
Be on the lookout for these steals while travelling the Overworld. Especially
the Gold Needles. You want at least one of these for the last battle, but more
is better.
Head up to Dragon's Neck (Northwest corner of the map) and enter the chocobo
stables northwest of the shack. Ride the chocobo all the way to Zozo. Be
careful where you get off and enter Zozo, because the same way you go in is the
same way you go out. Dismount above the top orange building or to the right of
it. Save.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.15]
Zone: Zozo
Steps: Zozo 3480-3518
Relic Shop 3518-3529
Relic Shop Balconies 3529-3541
Bandit Line Room 3541-3578
Balconies 3578-3603
West Building 3603-3643
Balconies 3643-3670
Large Stairwell 3670-3720
Balconies 3720-3760
Esper Room 3760-3795
Zozo 3795-3801
Overworld, Outside Zozo 3801
Steals: Gigas Glove- Hill Gigas (always)
Phoenix Down- Gobbledygook (rare)
Jeweled Ring- Dadaluma
Drops: Twist Headband- Dadaluma
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
====
Zozo
====
Nothing special here on the first part. Just head straight to the relic shop
and make your way to Dadaluma. You can get a Gigas Glove from a Hill Gigas,
but I never really used it.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Dadaluma
Steal: Jeweled Ring / Thief Bracer (rare)
Drops: Twist Headband / Thief Knife (rare)
Aura Canon and Bioblast him until his buddies arrive. Use Auto Crossbow when
reinforcements show up. This is one of those fights you might have to spare a
phoenix down or two.
The Jeweled Ring was initially a key item to steal. When I realized you need a
Ribbon later on, this item kind of lost its use. Thief Bracer is the better
steal, but don't reset to get one. What he drops doesn't matter much either.
-----------------------------
Head up and go through the next scene. Take Ramuh and head straight down to
speak with Cyan. FORGET the other Espers.
Form a team with Sabin and Edgar again after the events of Zozo are done.
Save outside.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.16]
Zone: Overworld to Jidoor and to the Opera House
Steps: Zozo to Jidoor 3801-3865
Jidoor 3865-3917
Mansion 3917-3936
Jidoor 3936-3990
Chocobo Stable 3990-3992
Overworld, Outside the Opera House 3992
Steals: Gold Needle- Rock Wasp
Phoenix Down- Vulture(rare)
Twist Headband- Iron Fist(rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start Celes off with Ramuh.
Not much you can do here. Just walk to Jidoor. You can save and reset to get
more battles across the Overworld, but it's not really worth it right now with
only 1 Esper.
Head to the mansion through the underpass in Jidoor, get Setzer's letter, and
head to the chocobo stable by taking the high route of town (the right).
Save outside the Opera House.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.17]
Zone: The Opera House
Steps: Entrance 3993-3995
Auditorium 3995-4006
Entrance 4006-4036
Celes' Room through Opera 4036-4097
Celes' Room again 4097-4121
Entrance 4121-4151
Auditorium 4151-4203
Switch Room 4203-4219
Entrance 4219-4251
Auditorium 4251-4289
Stairwell 4289-4307
Rafters 4307-4353
Airship 4353-4354
Overworld, Southern Continent 4354
Steals: Hi-Potion- Goetia
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========
The Opera
=========
Take Ramuh from Celes and give it to Edgar.
Enter the Opera House, watch the first scene and head for Celes' room. Skip
the score, I assume you know the lines you need to know.
When Celes meets Draco during the Opera, wait for Draco to stop moving before
speaking to him. Speak to him from specific directions to save steps. In this
order, from Draco's position: bottom, left, right, bottom.
============
Saving Celes
============
You'll have 5 minutes to get to Ultros. Run to the right and up to the switch
room. Hit the far right switch, then immediately hit the switch left of the
switch you just pulled. You'll fall down on stage and then hop away. Now
you're in the entry way, go up the stairs on your right and head to the
catwalks.
Let as many rats come to you as you can for the AP. Arrange your party like so
before engaging Ultros:
1)Edgar 2)Locke 3)none 4)Sabin
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ultros
Steals: none
Drops: 2 gil!
Ultros is slightly more difficult this time. Blitz will be countered by Acid
Rain, so you might have to use some hi-potions to keep Sabin alive.
I don't know exactly how this battle works, but it seems every time he dives
into the stage his health is restored. The best way to deal with this is hit
him with everything you got as quickly as possible. Sabin uses Aura Canon,
Locke keeps him alive, Edgar summons Ramuh and shoots his crossbow. With any
luck, Ultros won't restore his health and you can kill him relatively quickly.
-----------------------------
Save on the Overworld when you get to the southern continent.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.18]
Zone: Overworld to Vector
Steps: Land Site to Vector 4354-4385
Overworld, Outside Vector 4385
Steal: Dragoon Boots- Wyvern(rare)
Green Beret- Joker(rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===================
Traveling to Vector
===================
Give Ramuh back to Celes.
You should aim for specific monsters on your way to Vector, because you want to
steal here. Steal 1 pair of Dragoon Boots from the Wyverns, and 3 Green Berets
from Jokers. These are all rare steals, and will take a lot of resets to get
them all before reaching Vector. When going for some berets, the Joker/Don
fight is a lot more manageable than the 3 Joker fight.
The way to do this is to simply get into a fight without taking many steps,
then saving only if you steal the right thing. Repeat this process until you
have everything. Vector is 31 steps away, and if you get 1 item per fight,
then you can allow 7 steps for each of the four encounters.
Save outside of Vector once you've finished stealing.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.19]
Zone: Magitek Research Facility
Steps: Vector 4386-4462
Factory 4462-4514
Armor Production Room 4514-4534
Esper Pit 4534-4554
Giant Stairwell 4554-4613
Magitek Research Facility 4613-4650
No. 24 Room 4650-4665
Esper Containment Room 4665-4692
Mine Cart Room 4692-4696
Vector through Terra's Recollection 4696-4924
Airship, Deck 4924-4928
Airship, Casino 4928-4935
Airship, Party Room 4935-4938
Airship, Casino 4938-4944
Airship, Deck 4944-4949
Overworld 4949
Steals: Mythril Vest- Sergeant (rare)
Phoenix Down- Belzecue (rare)
Mythril Mail- Proto Armor (rare)
Magicite Shard- Flan (rare)
Mythril Shield- General (rare)
Flash- Destroyer (always)
Blood Sword- Number 024 (rare)
Ether- 128's claws (always)
Bioblaster- Chaser (always)
Noiseblaster- Left Crane (always)
Debilitator- Right Crane (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============
Magitek Factory
===============
Speak with the Returner by the boxes, get to him around the left side of the
boxes by walking beneath the girders. Cut corners as needed and enter the
factory.
Now you're in the factory, and boy is there a lot to do, and it all involves
stealing. Of the list provided, the most valuable thing here is the Blood
Sword. Everything else isn't that important, but you might as well try and get
some of them.
The problem with this place is there are no save points for you to visit, and
Number 024 takes a good 15 minutes to get to. You'll most likely find yourself
redoing this place again and again, but this sword is probably the single most
important piece of equipment you'll find.
Onto the factory. Head down the staircases and go directly into the left tube
of the two tubes next to each other. Ride the conveyor, then take one step
right onto the next. Skip treasures and go down to the next conveyor.
At the next screen, go right a couple steps and onto yet another conveyor! Let
Kefka talk then jump down the pit yourself.
Go speak directly with Ifrit, from the top or the right.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ifrit and Shiva
Steal: none
Drop: none
You can hit Ifrit with Blizzard and Raging Fists to kill him ASAP, or you can
wait him out to fight Shiva. If you wait, Rising Phoenix is your best damage
on her. Keep Runic up if you can't defeat them quickly.
-----------------------------
After the battle TALK TO IFRIT FIRST, then talk to Shiva. You will be leaving
Ifrit behind, he's an extra 2 steps and isn't worth a single one of them.
Shiva, on the other hand, is great. Slap her on Edgar.
Next room is your chance for Mythril Shields, steal them from Generals.
Trappers have Lv.5 Death.
The Magitek Research Facility is pretty straightforward. Try stealing a Flash
from Destroyers, they always carry them.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Number 024
Steal: Blood Sword (rare)
Drop: Icebrand (common), Flametongue (rare)
When the fight with Number 024 starts, start stealing immediately. The other
characters should start with their best attacks too. Edgar summoned Shiva,
Celes summoned Ramuh, Sabin used Aura Cannon. Make sure you steal the Blood
Sword before killing it. If you get a Rune Blade, reset and redo the entire
segment.
If it's not dead by the time Barrier Change is used, just use Raging Fists and
Flash to finish him off.
-----------------------------
I'm not sure if Celes will remove her equipment on her own or not, but take it
off manually just in case. Don't forget to remove relics and Ramuh.
Now you'll get a nice assortment of useful Espers. Give Edgar Carbuncle right
away. He'll need to learn teleport before reaching Darill's Tomb, might as
well get it out of the way. The others don't matter so much. I gave Bismarck
to Sabin, and Unicorn to Locke to start teaching him Cura.
==================
Escape from Vector
==================
Talk to Cid again after the game is nice enough to not quite move you onto the
save point (DON'T SAVE HERE, OR AFTER THE RIDE FOR THAT MATTER). I know those
few steps will save a lot of frustration, but remember the point of this
challenge is to get through with as few steps as possible.
Ride the cart and eventually face...
-----------------------------
BOSS: Number 128
Steal: Ether (his arms)
Drops: Tent
Number 128 isn't too hard. Use your MT commands (Flash, Rising Phoenix) to
damage him. Locke can steal Ethers from the claws if he needs something to do.
-----------------------------
After the mine cart you'll have one last chance for Mythril Vests and
Bioblasters in case you missed them earlier. Don't fuss over the vests (they
become obsolete soon), and you should have the tool already.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Crane x2
Steal: Noiseblaster, Left Crane (always)
Debilitator, Right Crane (rare)
Just have Sabin and Edgar cast Thunder on the Right Crane while Locke tries to
steal from it. Try using Mysidian Rabbit with Setzer for some light healing.
On the left Crane, switch to Blitz, Tools, and Slots for damage. Again, have
Locke trying to steal.
Both tools are useful, but not necessary. Don't worry about missing them,
escaping with the Blood Sword is what's important. This is your only chance
for a Noiseblaster, but the Debilitator can be stolen from the Missile Bay
later on.
-----------------------------
===========
Esper World
===========
When you're in control of Maduin, it's easy to make a wrong step. I'll try my
best to make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Leave Maduin's cave. Head through the opening in the fence and up the path on
your right to find Madeline.
Follow the fairy up to Madeline and speak to her at the foot of the bed.
Back at Maduin's cave now. Leave it again. Head up the same path you found
Madeline earlier and find her again across the bridge. I guess Terra got that
green hair during her wild pre-teen years as a slave.
After witnessing the Empire punch some fairies, ignore your new family and
speak to the blue guy by the table. After the blue guy leaves, head straight
down to the door and talk to the fairy that is just barely showing. Madeline
will run outside, follow her.
Head out of the cave, take the westward path. Skip the cave you walk by and
head down the grassy ramp. Don't walk along the water, that first tree you see
along the bank will trap you. Walk left around the tree and go straight up the
path you originally found Madeline at once again.
Speak with the collapsed Madeline in front of the exit to finish the
recollection.
=======
Airship
=======
You'll now find yourself on the airship deck. Immediately head inside, don't
take the controls just yet. Might as well use the guy to unequip everyone
while you're here. Take only three steps down inside the cabin, nobody will
ever walk closer than right next to the blackjack table. Wait for someone to
walk by and talk to them.
For the next part, you'll need Terra to continue. You also need to teach her
some magic to get through the Flame Eater with less hassle. Setzer and Edgar
are a given, they need all the AP they can get. Then Locke can use some AP as
well as steal, so bring these 4. Equip your team again.
Give Edgar Carbuncle to resume learning Teleport.
Setzer should take Shiva until he learns Osmose.
Locke goes back to Unicorn for Cura.
Terra should use Bismarck for Blizzard.
If you finish these spells at any point, consult the table in section 2.3.
Now take the wheel and fly to Narshe. At last, save your progress.
By the way, you may have noticed Setzer comes with a Mythril Shield and Vest.
Score.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.20]
Zone: Narshe and the Imperial Outpost
Steps: Narshe 4950-4960
Mayor's House 4960-4969
Narshe 4969-5047
Overworld, Narshe 5047
Overworld, Outside Imperial Outpost 5047
Imperial Outpost 5048-5105
Overworld, Bridge 5105-5106
Overworld 5106
Steals: none
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
======
Narshe
======
Not much to do here. Just go through the cutscenes. While leaving, go south
when you walk by the relic shop and you'll find a path that leads beneath a
building. Take this route to Narshe's main path and leave town.
================
Imperial outpost
================
Fly to the imperial outpost and save before going inside.
Before going on, you need to level Terra up several levels. I took her to the
infinite loop on the Lethe River for some mindless fights, but go anywhere you
want. Kill everyone else off so the experience pools to Terra.
Get her to level 26 to learn Teleport, then kill yourself off.
You should now be back by the outpost with 5047 steps. Head inside and save
before entering the cave.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.21]
Zone: Cave to the Sealed Gate
Steps: Cave Area 5107-5123
B1F 5123-5141
Alternating Bridge Area 5141-5164
Huge Room 5164-5356
Final Path to Sealed Gate 5356-5376
Overworld, Bridge 5376-5378
Imperial Outpost 5378-5433
Airship Deck 5433-5437
Airship Casino 5437-5444
Airship, Cabin 5444-5447
Airship, Entrance 5447-5455
Overworld to Chocobo Stable 5455-5464
Outside Stable 5464-5469
Inside Stable 5469-5472
Overworld, Outside Vector 5472
Steals: Phoenix Down- Zombie Dragon
Holy Water- Provoker
Amulet- Outcast (always)
Dragoon Boots - Wyvern (rare)
Green Beret- Joker (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================
Cave to the Sealed Gate
=======================
Skip the treasures as usual once inside. These first rooms have Provokers in
them, and are likely your first shot at getting some Holy Waters. They are a
common steal, so it might be worth your effort to get one or two.
The alternating bridge was a little confusing seeing the shortest path, but it
is rather simple. Go right to the rock with the eastern chest, then down from
there toward the next part of the cave. You need to go right one step when you
get to the end of the second bridge and wait for the bridge to change a couple
times. You shouldn't have to press left or up once to get through here.
Through this next area, get 3 amulets from Outcasts. Don't do any damage to
them and you'll have a much easier time waiting for Locke to succeed.
Head down the staircase in the huge room. When you get the choice between the
hidden passage that is closer and the large ramp that is further, take the
ramp. Don't hit that switch on the bridge at the top of the ramp, but hit the
switch on the next bridge as you walk across.
The cave after the big staircase is invisible to you, so feel your way through.
Don't step on any of the buttons you see. Wind your way across the bridges,
hit the switch on the left, and make your way toward the sealed gate.
After the scene at the gate unfolds, have Terra immediately use Teleport. You
should be on the Overworld bridge now. Now go crash your airship.
=======
Airship
=======
Make your way out of the airship. When you get to the room with your party
members wandering around, take 3 steps down again. Wait for someone to walk by
and change your party. Have the same people (Terra, Locke, Edgar, Setzer).
Doing this seems pointless but it will teleport you to the next room, saving
you 12 steps.
===================
Traveling to Vector
===================
You'll now be on the Overworld for the first with some usable Espers. There's
a chocobo stable in the forest near the airship, so you can't make much use of
this walk. Try and get into two or three fights before reaching the stable.
Ride to Vector, make sure you dismount on the right side of the castle so
you're closer to Albrook. Save.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.22]
Zone: Imperial Banquet
Steps: Vector 5473-5559
Outside Palace 5559-5596
Inside Palace 5596-5620
Throne Room 5620-5638
Dining Room 5638-5640
Throne Room 5640-5664
Inside Palace 5664-5687
Outside Palace 5687-5720
Vector 5720-5808
Vector To Albrook 5808-5839
Overworld, Outside Albrook 5839
Steals: Dragoon Boots- Wyvern (rare)
Green Beret- Joker (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================
Imperial banquet
================
Which way you go, either left or right around the first burning house, doesn't
seem to matter. It will still take you 84 steps to get to the palace.
Head straight into the palace and find Gestahl.
Normally you'd be running all over talking to soldiers, but in this game it is
not worth it. Stand still for 4 minutes until the banquet begins.
Tell the Emperor whatever you want, just don't take a break. After the
banquet, you can head STRAIGHT DOWN through the throne room, just like in
Figaro's throne room.
Going back through Vector is a little awkward, but go left after the first
staircase. You'll see the double-ended staircase after going down a little,
take the right one and go right around that burning building in front of the
exit.
====================
Traveling to Albrook
====================
Head straight to Albrook on the Overworld. Last chance for Green Berets and
Dragoon Boots. You won't have your 3 core characters for awhile, so you'll
just have to wait on teaching them magic.
Give Locke Shiva as soon as he finishes Cura. Once he finishes learning
Osmose, give him anything else you want. Bio might be handy to have. Terra
can be given pretty much anything. Make sure she knows Blizzard though.
Save outside of Albrook.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.23]
Zone: Albrook and the Thamasa Region
Steps: Albrook 5840-5897
Albrook Docks 5897-5946
Albrook 5946-5972
Albrook Inn 5972-6000
Albrook 6000-6025
Albrook Docks 6025-6049
Boat, Night Scene 6049-6055
Boat, Day Scene 6055-6060
Landing Point to Thamasa 6060-6099
Overworld, Outside Thamasa 6099
Field: Teleport Stone (Albrook Dock)
Steals: Gaia Gear- Briareus (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=======
Albrook
=======
Head into Albrook for the first time and take the lower path to the docks.
Right when you enter, the crate on your right has a Teleport Stone inside at
the cost of no additional steps. Save this stone. Go through all the stuff as
you normally would.
==========
Out at sea
==========
You'll have two points to move around on the boat. At night, just talk to Leo.
In the morning, talk to Leo then Locke.
====================
Traveling to Thamasa
====================
Shadow has Ninja Gear. Take it and slap it on Locke. Steal 2 Gaia Gears from
Briareus before reaching town. Equip them on Terra and Locke. That Ninja Gear
didn't last long, did it? Save outside Thamasa.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.24]
Zone: Thamasa and the Burning Building
Steps: Thamasa 6100-6139
Strago's House 6139-6144
Thamasa 6144-6171
Thamasa Inn 6171-6178
Thamasa Red 6178-6207
Burning House, Entry Way 6207-6215
Burning House, First Balloon Room 6215-6231
Burning House, Second Balloon Room 6231-6262
Burning House, First Split Path 6262-6270
Burning House, Second Split Path 6270-6279
Burning House, Stair Room 6279-6284
Burning House, Flame Eater Room 6284-6285
Strago's House, Upstairs 6285-6295
Strago's House, Main Floor 6295-6310
Thamasa 6310-6345
Overworld 6345
Field: Phoenix Down (barrel next to the Inn)
Steals: Flametongue- Flame Eater (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=======
Thamasa
=======
Head straight to Strago's house and go through the dialog. Then go straight to
the inn on the left side of town to start the house on fire. There is a
phoenix down in your direct path (right of the inn) that you can get.
Watch the long and boring attempt to put out the flames and enter. (Strago has
another Mythril Shield for you.)
=============
Burning house
=============
Let every ball of fire come to you here, you want AP for Locke.
The paths are straightforward. The first time you see two doors, take the far
one. The first one is a forced encounter.
The next room also has two doors, take the left door, and the left door in the
next room while you're at it.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Flame Eater, Balloon x4
Steal: Flametongue
Cast Aqua Breath to clear the Balloons, then cast Shiva and Blizzard the boss
until it dies. If you have Blizzara, use it. Heal and use Phoenix Downs if
you need to.
-----------------------------
Exit town from the way you entered (the bottom). Save outside of town.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.25]
Zone: Overworld to the Esper Caves
Steps: Thamasa to Esper Cave 6345-6392
Overworld, Outside Esper Cave 6392
Drops: Golden Armor- Chimera (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================
Traveling to the Esper Caves
============================
This gets its own section because you want to get a rare drop from a random
encounter.
Chimeras are in the forest near the Esper Caves. The save point outside of
town is a good distance from the forest, so don't save much closer. Well,
maybe a little closer is ok. Just don't save too close or you'll have to reset
a lot more.
If you don't encounter a Chimera on your pass through the forest, reset. If
they don't drop a Golden Armor, reset. You only need one.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.26]
Zone: Esper Cave
Steps: Cave Entrance 6393-6423
Outer Slopes 6423-6449
Large Area 6449-6470
Statue Room 6470-6510
Drop Zone 6510-6524
Large Area 6524-6540
Slopes 6540-6557
Esper Room 6557-6568
Thamasa 6568-6573
Thamasa to Airship 6573-6574
Overworld, Airship 6574
Steals: Golden Shield- Adamankary (always)
White Cape- Ultros (always)
Drops: Smoke Bomb- Land Grillion (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========
Esper Caves
===========
First things first here. You'll want to steal 2 Gold Shields on your travels.
They're better than Mythril Shields, and they always come with Adamankary.
Stealing them takes some luck though. Adamankary will counter Steal with Snort
occasionally. Reset until you get at least 1 shield in the first room. If you
don't get another before finishing the cave, I recommend trying again. These
are the best shields in this challenge (barring metamorphose). You will get a
third shield in the WoR as a rare drop, but go for a third if you get the
chance.
There is a less important item you can get here. Land Grillions on the slopes
have smoke bombs as their rare drop. Useful, but not absolutely needed. If
you get one or more, save them for Kefka's Tower (along with your Teleport
Stone).
Head right on the first room, then follow the path and step toward the gold
statues. After the scene you'll be in a battle with Ultros.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ultros
Steal: White Cape
Drops: none
Steal the cape while you're here. Locke does well in the front row with a
Gauntlet and Flametongue. Terra can cast Fire for ok damage. Strago is better
off distributing potions or casting Revenge Blast if is health is low.
-----------------------------
Jump in the closest hole to continue on to the Espers.
=======
Thamasa
=======
You'll have control of Leo soon. Here just walk straight to Kefka and Shock
him a few times.
Leo dies, and for some reason they don't take his equipment. I would have,
that Aegis Shield would have been nice. Hell, all of it would. Oh well..
You're done with the WoB now. Just need to take on the Air Force and smash the
Floating Continent. Unequip everyone besides Locke of EVERYTHING. Armor,
weapons, relics, Espers, all of it. These people are retired and you don't
want them taking anything useful for the next section.
Keep Shiva on Locke if he has yet to learn Osmose. The only spells you really
need to teach him are Cura, Osmose, Rasp, and Bio.
Save on the Overworld on top of the airship.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.27]
Zone: Imperial Air Force
Steps: Airship, Deck 6574-6582
Floating Continent 6582-6585
Save Point 6585
Steals: Elixir- Spitfire (rare)
Elixir- Air Force (always)
Laser Gun- X-Ether (always)
Missile Bay- Debilitator (always)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=======
Airship
=======
Who to bring to the Floating Continent? Locke is still a must. The relics you
can get are just too valuable. So I brought Edgar and Setzer with him; Celes
will join you at the end if you don't bring her, so this maximizes your AP.
Your first battle against the air force won't let you equip anything, so tough
it out. Hit them with Flash and your best spells. They are weak to thunder
and can be confused.
Equip your team with gear and Espers after the first battle. I'll remind you
want magic you need. Of course, you'll learn more on your way to learning
these, but this is easier to type. When you get Celes after Ultima Weapon,
everyone should be done with Shiva, so equip it on her.
Edgar- Teleport, Osmose, Death
Setzer- Osmose, Cura, Shell, Vanish
Locke- Cura, Bio, Osmose
Celes- Osmose, Cura, Shell
Move to the back of the airship and wait for Ultros to come. I think there are
6 battles before here gets there.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ultros, Typhon
Steal: White Cape (always)
Use Slots and Flash on Ultros until Typhon arrives. Locke can keep the party
healthy if he has Cura. Use Blizzard or Blizzara on Typhon to finish the
battle. If you don't have those, Slots and Flash work fine too.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Air Force, Laser Gun, Missile Bay
Steal: X-Ether- Laser Gun (always)
Debilitator- Missile Bay (always)
Elixir- Air Force (always)
This boss can mess you up if you wait for Locke to Steal everything. The stuff
isn't really worth the effort though. The Elixir is the best thing here.
I just use Tools/Slots to kill this thing. Locke should be mainly healing.
You'll get a Princess Ring for your trouble, I never used it.
-----------------------------
Luckily, the save point is in your direct path on the Floating Continent.
Save!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.28]
Zone: Floating Continent, Solitary Island
Steps: First Section 6585-6654
After First Pit Gate 6654-6730
After Second Pit Gate 6730-6747
After Third Pit Gate 6747-6769
Return to Third Pit Gate 6769-6786
Return to Second Pit Gate 6786-6904
Gate to Ultima 6904-6931
Ultima to Cutscene 6931-6936
Cutscene to Jump Point 6936-7037
Cid Shack 7037-7046
Outside Cid Shack 7046-7047
Cid Shack 7047-7055
Cliffs 7055-7072
Beach 7072-7082
Outside Cid Shack 7082-7088
Cid Shack 7088-7113
Overworld 7113
Steals: Earring- Brainpan (always)
Hermes Sandals- Behemoth (always)
Angel Ring- Apocrypha (always)
Alarm Earring- Misfit (always)
Angel Wings- Ninja (always)
Genji Glove- Dragon (rare)
Elixir- Ultima Weapon
Ribbon- Ultima Weapon (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================
Floating Continent
==================
This place is big and confusing for the avid step counter, so I'll use the
easily identifiable reference points to break apart the minimum step counts for
these sections. Namely those pits you jump in that bring you somewhere else.
But first I'll go over the steals. They're all nice to have. I would grab at
least one Hermes Sandals and Alarm Earring. Three Angel Rings aren't too hard
to get, so get them. The Genji Glove, Earrings, and Angel Wings are there if
you need them, but I never used them.
The main problem with this place is similar to getting the Blood Sword. This
is a pretty big area and there is a lot you want to do while going through it.
At the end, Ultima Weapon has a rare Ribbon steal that you MUST get. You
specifically need it for Sleep protection against Goddess, but also Petrify
protection if you skipped the Jeweled Ring. So expect to run through this
place a lot.
The random monsters here have some things to worry about.
Focus on taking out one Ninja at a time if you run into any. Counter each
scroll with a full party Cura and a Mysidian Rabbit.
Dragons will counter you with Snort, which sucks because they give nice AP.
Locke is the least important AP-wise, so have him cast Bio on these and just
wait for it to die. If Locke gets Snorted away it's no biggie. Later in the
battle Revenge Blast will knock out a character, but the Phoenix Downs are
worth the AP.
Everything else isn't too bad. Don't forget to steal their stuff.
Now onto the actual FC. Skip Shadow again and head inside.
I assume you know your way through the FC. If not, you'll need to explore it
first, because it is difficult to explain. The route you go is the same as
your normal route (minus detours for chests), there's just one point that you
need to do something different.
When you hit the switch that lowers the large piece of land below you, you need
to backtrack the way you came. Go back and enter the two pit gates you just
jumped in, then get to the large chunk of land you just lowered. The rest of
the FC is just like normal. Don't forget to hit the switch for the last pit
gate.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Ultima Weapon
Steal: Elixir
Ribbon (rare)
Drops: Elixir (always)
Rasping his MP away is the safest strategy, and is the one I used. Feel free
to confront his full battle script though, I'm sure it can be done. Pray for a
Ribbon. If you steal the Elixir you should reset.
-----------------------------
When you get Celes again, suit her up with gear and Shiva right away.
The best way I found to deal with the Naudes is to cast Imp on them. They will
run away if they're Imped, but only after removing the status themselves.
While the magic animation is going on, have your cursor in a menu to stop the
ticking clock. If Celes is frozen before she can cast Imp, Rasping away their
MP will kill them.
Even though you're being timed, don't forget to switch out Espers if you finish
getting all the magic you need from them.
When you see a treasure orb to the right, the path will split. Go down here,
even though it looks longer. The land will crack and fall away if you try
going straight across.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Nelapa
Steal: none
Drop: none
Nelapa is weak to Blizzard but also has inherent reflect status. You can cast
reflect and bounce Blizzaras onto Nelapa or use Slots/Tools/Icebrand to defeat
it. If you're short on time, sit in the menus while spell animations are going
on (like the 4 Dooms at the beginning).
-----------------------------
World is destroyed. See how the airship breaks apart? Well they all died.
Every. Last. One of them. Except Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. The others are
dead, stop worrying about it.
My step count at the time of ruin was 7037. I feel pretty good about this
number, but nothing would please me more than for someone to find an even lower
WoR number (then telling me how, of course).
===============
Solitary Island
===============
Anyway, you're not done with the game yet, let alone this segment. Still no
point to save, so this section continues. When Celes wakes up, set her up with
your best equipment. Give her back an Esper she needs magic for, and walk
outside.
Wait at the door for a few minutes, then immediately turn back in to speak with
Cid. If you think you've waited enough, I would wait an extra minute or two
just to be sure Cid is dead when you reenter.
When you're at the cliffs, head straight up, then left one step to examine the
bird. At the beach, go left 2 steps around that rock above you, then straight
up. Head up into the Cid Shack again and grab the letter from the left, then
you can go straight left from there. Hit down whenever you walk into a wall.
It's difficult to see the path to the raft, but as long as you don't hit right
or up, you won't take more steps than you need to. Hit A when you're standing
at the center of the raft.
At last, save on the Overworld.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.29]
Zone: Overworld to Nikeah
Steps: Overworld to Chocobo Stable 7113-7194
Outside Stable 7194-7199
Inside Stable 7199-7202
Overworld, Nikeah 7202
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===================
Traveling to Nikeah
===================
Now the WoR really begins. Since I left Celes off the FC, she is really
hurting for some magic. She managed to learn Thunder back in the Magitek
Factory, but other than that, she hasn't learned anything from Espers.
What you need to do is get as much AP on the Overworld as you can stand. You
have 81 steps to work with. Make Osmose a priority, so continue with that.
Start learning Shell with Unicorn until you learn Cura, then switch over to
Carbuncle to finish Protect and Shell.
Every fight around here gives you 1 AP, except for what is in the desert. A
single Black Dragon nets 3 AP, so be extra patient when walking through the
small desert.
After this trip, you'll still have South Figaro Cave, Figaro's Engine Room, a
smaller trip on the Overworld, and Darill's Tomb. You'll still have some time
to learn magic in Kefka's Tower, but you better be close by then.
In short, have a huge emphasis on AP from now on.
The closest chocobo stable is northwest of Tzen, southwest of the Phoenix Cave.
If you're not exactly sure where it is, or what the shortest route to it is,
explore the area before grinding that AP. Note you can walk between that small
inland lake and the ocean just after the desert. You shouldn't have to press
right or down to get there.
If you want to use me as a reference, I got 20 AP over the course of 18 fights
before reaching the chocobo stable. That averages to a fight every 4.5 steps.
Ride your chocobo to Nikeah and save.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.30]
Zone: Nikeah and South Figaro
Steps: Nikeah 7203-7255
Pub 7255-7272
Nikeah 7272-7315
Nikeah, Docks 7315-7317
South Figaro, Docks 7317-7333
South Figaro 7333-7348
Pub 7348-7373
Inn 7373-7392
Pub 7392-7416
South Figaro 7416-7441
Chocobo Stable 7441-7443
Overworld, Outside Figaro Cave 7443
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
======
Nikeah
======
Head into Nikeah and go straight to the Pub. After the Returner talks to you,
go up one step then right. You can walk behind this house. All these shops...
so close... yet none are free to your step meter. Skip them.
In the Pub you need to speak to all four of the bandits. Wait for the two
wandering ones to come up to you near the entrance, then speak to the one at
the bar. After you have those three, talk to the guy sitting in the corner.
Go speak with Edgar back by the shops. When you talk with him, you'll need to
lead him to his next stop, so be careful not to take too many steps. He'll
stop near the kid's relic shop where you can talk to him again. He'll lead
from this point on, just go talk to him in front of the docks.
============
South Figaro
============
Don't forget to talk to Edgar in the South Figaro Inn. He is closer if you go
through the Pub, rather than the Relic Shop. Exit the building the same way,
then grab a chocobo. Dismount at the cave, save.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.31]
Zone: South Figaro Cave, Figaro's Engine Room
Steps: Cave Entrance 7444-7455
Small Area 7455-7464
Large Area 7464-7514
Spring Area 7514-7526
Turtle Passage 1 7526-7554
Turtle Passage 2 7554-7580
Figaro, Prison 7580-7604
Figaro, Stair Room 7604-7609
Figaro, Switch Room 7609-7618
B2F 7618-7633
B3F 7633-7643
Treasure Room 7643-7652
B2F, Lower Walkway 7652-7663
Engine Room 7663-7680
B2F, Lower Walkway 7680-7690
Treasure Room 7690-7699
B3F 7699-7709
B2F 7709-7724
Figaro, Switch Room 7724-7731
Figaro, Stair Room 7731-7736
Figaro, Main Entrance 7736-7739
Figaro to Kohlingen 7739-7766
Kohlingen 7766-7780
Kohlingen, Inn 7780-7790
Kohlingen 7790-7803
Overworld, Outside Kohlingen 7803
Drops: Golden Shield- Dante (rare)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=================
South Figaro Cave
=================
Make sure you get your third Golden Shield in this section. You can find
Dantes in the cave and in Figaro Castle. I find it easier just to reset until
I get one right away in the cave.
The passage behind the turtle doesn't give you much of a view, but feel your
way through for the fewest steps.
=============
Figaro Castle
=============
Inside Figaro there's nothing special to do. Just skip everything and head
straight for the engine.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Tentacle x4
Drops: none
If neither Celes or Edgar have Cura you'll just have to win this one with
Celes. It's no big deal, Edgar doesn't have an Esper equipped anyway.
Give Celes an Amulet, Hermes Sandals, Blood Sword, and the rest of her normal
gear. Start the battle by using the Bioblaster with Edgar. If Edgar is still
around for his next turn, have him cast Shell on Celes.
That's pretty much all you need to do then. Whenever Celes gets hurt, have her
attack the upper left Tentacle. Eventually, three will die from the poison and
you can handle the remaining one pretty easily. Blizzara works fine if your
health is full.
-----------------------------
Resume Edgar's magic training schedule after the battle. I'll remind you it's
Death > Fire > Esuna.
You have to retrace your steps to get out of here. Before taking another step
in the switch room, make sure you travel the castle over to the Kohlingen
region after it surfaces.
======================
Traveling to Kohlingen
======================
On the Overworld, repeat what you did when Celes was by herself. Try and get
your encounters in grassy areas to fight Marchosias (they give 2 AP). I got 7
AP before reaching Kohlingen.
Go grab Setzer from the Inn real quick and save out on the Overworld. His
magic schedule should be Shell > Vanish > Fire > Esuna.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.32]
Zone: Overworld to Darill's Tomb
Steps: Kohlingen to Darill's Tomb 7803-7832
Overworld, Outside Tomb 7832
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==========================
Traveling to Darill's Tomb
==========================
This deserves its own section because it is your last time walking across the
Overworld. The walk isn't very long, so make the best of it. I think I got
another 4 or 5 AP here.
Save outside the tomb when you're done.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.33]
Zone: Darill's Tomb
Steps: Outside Tomb 7833-7837
Entry Way 7837-7849
Tomb Hub 7849-7872
Small room with stairs 7872-7880
Regal Gown Room 7880-7889
Water Filled Room 7889-7898
Overworld, Outside Tomb 7898-7899
Outside Tomb 7899-7903
Entry Way 7903-7915
Tomb Hub 7915-7933
Upper Right Room 7933-7944
Room Behind Headstone 7944-7955
Overworld, Outside Tomb 7955-7956
Outside Tomb 7956-7960
Entry Way 7960-7972
Tomb Hub 7972-7982
Turtle Room 7982-7984
Bigger Turtle Room 7984-7989
Save Room 7989-8014
Dullahan Room 8014-8037
Long Staircase 8037-8056
Overworld 8056
Field: Regal Gown (First time through)
Man-Eater (Third time through)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============
Darill's Tomb 1
===============
You need the spell Teleport to get through this place in the fewest steps. You
actually need to cast it twice, so that stone you picked up in Albrook wouldn't
work. I told you start teaching it to Edgar immediately after getting
Carbuncle, so you should have it. If not, hope you learn it before reaching
the switch. If you can't, well, you've failed the challenge.
Head inside and into the large room (I call it the Hub). Go to the southwest
corner first and make your way to the switch down there. What's this? A
treasure chest? Right before your very feet? Hoo-rah! Inside is the Regal
Gown, nobody can use it.
When you hit the switch down there, use Teleport for the first time.
===============
Darill's Tomb 2
===============
Make your way back to the Hub. This time take the Northeast door. Examine the
tombstone inside and go into the passage you opened. Hit the switch in the
back and Teleport for the second and final time.
===============
Darill's Tomb 3
===============
Get back to the Hub once again and enter the center room. Ride the turtles, go
right when you see the save point on the left. There is yet another chest you
can get here, and people can actually equip this item. The Man-Eater won't be
useful though, so another dud.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Dullahan
Drops: none
The ?Holy attack at the beginning will only do around 500 damage if it hits, so
don't even worry about it. I set my team up with Angel Rings whatever else I
could find. Cast Shell on your entire team before going anywhere with this
guy.
Once you have your defense up, just Rasp this guy to death. You should be able
to survive any attack with Shell up, so just use Cura if anyone gets hit with
Blizzaga or Holy. The only thing to look out for is Northern Cross, which
might Freeze your entire team. If someone has a Fire spell, use it. Otherwise
just wait it out, the Angel Rings will help out a little in that situation.
-----------------------------
Just wait by Setzer while his flashbacks are going on, don't wander around the
staircase.
Now that you have the Falcon, you have one (not so) quick thing to do before
going to Kefka's Tower. There is another optional thing you can do too. Land
anywhere and save the game. Saving on the Overworld costs no steps so as long
as you don't take one. Feel free to land and save anytime you're out.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.34]
Zone: Preparing for Kefka's Tower
Steps: Overworld 8056
Field: Bahamut Magicite
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================
Final preparations
==================
Deathgaze is an optional boss you can fight without taking any steps. You'll
get the Bahamut Magicite for doing so, but truthfully, it's not very useful in
this challenge. You need 50 AP to learn Flare, and there just isn't that much
to go around. You can still fight him for the fun of it. He's a pretty
challenging boss if you don't level up before facing him. Although, I needed
to run into him 10 or so times to actually win. I would just skip this guy.
This next thing is REQUIRED to do in order to beat the game though. I've been
putting this off since the Lethe River; it's time to level. Remember, you need
to kill yourself to reset the step counter, so don't forget to save on the
Overworld before wandering around.
I usually set a self-imposed limit to how much I level. I think everyone at
level 55 is about as low as you want to try it at. I later bumped it up to 56
to avoid Lv.5 Death. Try keeping it under level 61, you might run in to
trouble if you go much higher than that. A few bosses in the tower know Flare
Star, which does damage equal to 80 times your level.
Don't forget you can get the Growth Egg from Darill's Tomb while you're doing
this to speed things along. I leveled up in the grass around the dinosaur
forest. With Vanish up, you should be mostly safe.
Celes will gain some new spells after this. They are Confuse, Berserk,
Blizzaga, Vanish, and Hastega. These are all pretty useful.
When you're done, make sure you kill yourself like you've done in the past.
Your step counter should remain at 8056 when you land into Kefka's Tower.
Save AFTER you die.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.35]
Zone: Kefka's Tower, up to the Guardian
Steps: T3 Drop Point 8056-8098
T3 Small Room 8098-8106
T3 Factory 8106-8120
T3 Inferno Room 8120-8156
T3 Small Room 8156-8167
T3 Outside Again 8167-8199
T3 Small Area 8199-8211
T3 Dragon Room 8211-8227
T3 Small Metal Room 8227-8246
T3 Weights Room 8246-8266
T2 Drop Point 8266-8292
T2 Indoor Stairs 8292-8328
T2 Ultima's Bathroom 8328-8344
T2 Factory Drop-In 8344-8376
T2 Tube Room 8376-8393
T2 Outside Again 8393-8409
T2 Floor Move Room 8409-8420
T2 Outside Again 8420-8430
T2 Small Room 8430-8442
T2 Dragon Room 8442-8458
T2 Small Metal Room 8458-8477
T2 Weights Room 8477-8497
T1 Drop Point 8497-8528
T1 Far Conveyor Room 8528-8557
T1 Metal Room 8557-8593
T1 Outside Again 8593-8616
T1 Floor Move Room 8616-8630
T1 Shattered Tube Room 8630-8667
T1 Small Room 8667-8680
T1 Outside Again 8680-8709
T1 Weights Room 8709-8727
T1 3 Switch Room 8727-8750
T2 Off switch 8750-8751
T3 Off Switch 8751-8752
T1 Weights Room 8752-8754
T1 3 Switch Room 8754-8765
T2 Weights Room 8765-8781
T2 3 Switch Room 8781-8804
T2 Weights Room 8804-8806
T2 3 Switch Room 8806-8817
T3 Weights Room 8817-8833
T3 3 Switch Room 8833-8854
T3 Weights Room, Top 8854-8857
T3 3 Switch Room 8857-8872
T3 Guardian Room, Center 8872-8876
T3 Save Point 8876
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There nothing else to do but take on Kefka's Tower.
Setzer should be Team 1. Edgar is Team 2. Celes is Team 3. These are
abbreviates T1, T2, T3 in the step guidelines.
The random encounters here a little dangerous, so I'll go over what you can do
if you encounter something nasty.
========
Bestiary
========
Primeval Dragons- Lifeshaver makes them dangerous to fight with Edgar. If he
encounters one of these with a Malboro, confuse the Malboro and wait for it to
Snort the dragon. Celes and Setzer have Gaia Gear, so they'll be fine.
Great Malboro- Berserk them and you have nothing to worry about. Edgar can
take them out before they get dangerous with Auto Crossbow.
Vector Lythos- Not very dangerous. Weak to ice.
Great Behemoth- They've got some decent attacks, but nothing that should give
anyone trouble.
Landworm- Edgar will have the hardest time with these without Gaia Gear. He
can Petrify them though.
Fortis- Berserk them and you'll be fine. Edgar can confuse them.
Death Machine- Same as above.
Duel Armor- Same as above.
Yojimbo- Don't even try fighting these. When they die they use an instant
death attack. Run away if you find any.
Dark Force- Their first moves include Roulette and Doom. Too risky to fight,
so just run from these too.
Cherry- They have magic that will hurt you pretty badly. They mostly appear
alongside other dangerous things, so just run from this monster.
Outsider- They put on a lot of damage quickly. You're best off running from
them.
Fiend Dragon- They're too much for one character with what you have. I believe
they only appear in one small room, just run from them.
Muud Suud- Generally not worth fighting. You can get frozen by this guy. Run
away from these.
Mover- Auto Crossbow takes them out immediately.
Junk- They will Self-Destruct for 2000 damage if their health is full. Either
damage them quickly to soften the blows or cure yourself immediately after they
explode.
Metal Hitman- More annoying than dangerous.
Prometheus- You'll only find these with Setzer. Safest thing to do against
them is equip a Blackbelt and Fixed Dice and only cure yourself. Let your
counter attacks take them out.
Demon Knight- Only fight these if you have an Amulet equipped. Otherwise run
from them.
Ahriman- They can cast Doom and Roulette. Too risky to fight if you ask me.
Daedulus- These aren't too bad. You can kill them if they're by themselves,
but sometimes other dangerous monsters are alongside them.
Gamma- They start off with a Doom attack, so you just have to run from these as
well.
InnoSent- Probably the most dangerous monsters here. Have a Ribbon or Peace
Ring Equipped when in their areas. Edgar should use Teleport to run, Celes and
Setzer should use that Teleport Stone you've saved for so long. You'll just
have to try running the old fashion way after that.
=============
Team 3, Celes
=============
Deal with Celes' part first. Equip her with a Blood Sword and Blackbelt to
handle random encounters. If you're having trouble killing the Malboros
quickly, give her the Man-Eater after the other enemies have been cleared.
Keep going down when the path splits. In the factory looking area, Celes needs
to walk around the stuff in the middle and get to the conveyor at the top of
the screen.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Inferno, Rahu, Ketu
Drops: none
This is a fairly difficult boss. Be sure to equip Celes with the Jeweled Ring
or Ribbon before starting. Keep the Blood Sword and Blackbelt on her. Also
put Celes in the front row for this one.
Cast Shell, Haste, then Protect. Attack the main body if you need some health.
If you're REALLY hurting you can attack an arm for a little more health, but
you don't want to kill Rahu or Ketu. If one of his arms are dead, Inferno will
cast Meteor and Thundaga. You're better off with all three alive.
Use the Blood Sword for damage. If your health is full, you can use Thundara/
Blizzaga. Just direct all your attacks to Inferno.
-----------------------------
Head down the stairs, follow the path, skip the chest on the right and keep
going down toward the door on the bottom left. Hit the chest with the sparkle
before going into the door though.
Skip the dragon and go up the stairs on the right.
Step on the switch on the right side. Remove the Celes' Blood Sword and
Blackbelt then switch to Edgar.
=============
Team 2, Edgar
=============
Give Edgar the Blood Sword and Blackbelt and head in.
In the next room, wrap around the stairs and take the exit at the bottom of the
screen.
Skip Ultima, jump down into the factory-like area. Head for the stairs on the
left. The next room is full of tubes. Start going left right away and enter
the far left tube.
You'll be out of the factory area now. Skip the treasure on the left, keep
going down and enter the door on your left. Hit the switch inside and exit.
Then enter the door you saw on your right before going in the switch room.
Head straight up in the next room, go up the left stairs in the dragon room,
all the way onto Edgar's switch across from Celes. Remove Edgar's Blackbelt
before switching to Setzer.
==============
Team 1, Setzer
==============
Setzer's turn to prance around! If you're having trouble with his fights,
things will get better once you get his Fixed Dice.
Go to the far end of the room and ride the conveyor. Grab the Fixed Dice in
the next room since they're along the way, and you have to have them to live.
Give Setzer the Black Belt while you're at it for some more damage. Go down
the stopped conveyor when you're outside.
If you hit a dead end in the next room, it's because you didn't hit that button
across the pit with T2 like you should have. Continue on.
Walk straight through the next couple areas. Eventually the path will split
outside with a chest on the left end, go right here, skipping the chest.
You'll now be in the same room as Celes and Edgar. Equip Setzer with a Peace
Ring or Ribbon before going into the next room. Head straight up into the
opened door, then go LEFT in the next room with the 3 switches. Head DOWN
first on the left side, push the weight down after moving your other teams down
one step, then head back UP and onto the left switch. Switch to Edgar.
=============
Team 2, Edgar
=============
Give Edgar a Peace Ring or Ribbon, then take him up the stairs. Go RIGHT at
the switch. Like before, go DOWN to push the weight over the edge before going
back up to hit the right switch.
=============
Team 3, Celes
=============
Like the others, give Celes a Peace Ring or Ribbon for the next room. Step on
the third switch to change the layout of the 3 Switch Room. Go back DOWN after
stepping on this switch to hit a new switch below. After heading back down and
hitting this switch, go up again and prepare to fight Guardian.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Guardian
Drops: A save point!
Now you're one on one with Guardian. It is all that stands between you and an
important save point here in Kefka's Tower.
Equip Celes with an Angel Ring, a pair of Dragoon Boots, and the Blood Sword.
Guardian's battle script is pretty complex. It will constantly change
throughout the fight, and you need to be ready. He starts off harmless enough,
so cast Haste, Shell, then Protect. The general strategy against this boss is
to Jump for HP and cast Blizzaga or Thundara (if you have it) when you're
healthy and Guardian's Reflect is not up.
Guardian has 5 modes of attack. His standard mode alternates between 4 other
modes. This is his Default program. Atomic Rays will hurt, but this program
isn't too dangerous.
Next up is the Ultros program. If he uses Entwine you'll need to cast Haste
again. You might get confused, but this is not very dangerous. Damage him
with Blizzaga and your Jumps in this stage.
Guardian reverts back to his Default program for a couple turns. Jump/Blizzaga
him until the Dadaluma program loads up. Don't Jump here. You can cast a
spell before his first turn, but just wait if he attacks first. Wait for
Guardian to attack TWICE in this mode, then immediately cast Vanish before its
third turn. If you're hit by the weapon it throws you'll die.
Now Guardian has Reflect up, so hold off those Blizzagas for awhile. Do any
damage you can with the Blood Sword until the Air Force program starts. You
can jump after the first attack, but no more after that. On the third attack,
there is a chance it will use Launcher. Ideally, you would want to Jump over
this attack, but due to a bug, if you're in the air when an enemy uses Launcher
you'll get stuck in the air. Just let Launcher hit you. Jump immediately
after getting hit by the third turn, regardless of what he uses. You should
land before the fourth turn. Guardian will start charging Wave Cannon. You
want to Jump over this attack. Luckily, Jump seems to take precedence over
just about anything, so even if Guardian is counting down before you Jump, you
can Jump up between the numbers. Anyway, after Wave Cannon the Air Force
program is done.
During the Default program, Jump again if you need some health. On your next
turn, cast Reflect on yourself. Make sure to have this up before the Ultima
program starts. Guardian will cast Meteor (the fireball one) and Flare in this
stage. Flare can be reflected, Meteor can't. Try and be in the air on the
Ultima program's first turn. Meteor will not be cast on the second turn, so it
is safe to be on the ground this turn if Reflect is still up. Jump again to
bypass the third turn. When you land, Guardian might be charging up Flare Star
for its fourth turn. You definitely want to jump over this attack. Like Wave
Cannon, you can squeeze a Jump in even if Guardian is already glowing. You
should have no problem getting this Jump off if you have Haste.
Guardian goes back into Default mode after Flare Star and repeats this entire
cycle. By now, his Magitek Barrier should have faded, so it's safe to cast
Thundara/Blizzaga again. I went through the whole cycle twice before killing
this boss.
-----------------------------
Glorious twinkling light! I am not worthy in your presence! SAVE!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
[3.36]
Zone: Kefka's Tower, the Warring Triad
Steps: T1 3 Switch Room 8876-8888
T1 Weights Room, Top Left 8888-8891
T1 3 Switch Room, Lower Left 8891-8900
T1 Guardian Room, Left 8900-8906
T1 Fiend Room 8906-8914
T1 Fiend's Save Point 8914
T2 3 Switch Room 8914-8926
T2 Weights Room, Top Right 8926-8929
T2 3 Switch Room, Lower Right 8929-8938
T2 Guardian Room, Right 8938-8944
T2 Goddess Room 8944-8958
T2 Goddess' Save Point 8958
T3 Guardian Room 8958-8966
T3 Small Room with Conveyor 8966-8974
T3 Demon Area 8974-8996
T3 Save Room 8996-8998
T3 Final Save Point 8998
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you're on a save point with one of your teams, things become a lot
less strenuous. However, the boss battles ahead are very tough still, so this
sigh of relief will be very brief.
Next up is the Warring Triad. You can do them in any order you want. After
you defeat each one, a save point will appear in your direct path. How nice of
them. Anyway, I like to use the Guardians save point to my advantage and get
either Edgar or Setzer close to their battle so there isn't so much down time
when you lose.
==============
Team 1, Setzer
==============
I'm going for Fiend first because he requires the most luck to defeat than
Goddess and I just wanted to get him out of the way. When taking Setzer to the
statue, keep your Ribbon or Peace Ring on to avoid confusion.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Fiend
Set up Setzer with some Dragoon Boots and an Angel Ring. Does that setup look
familiar? This guy isn't as near as complicated as Guardian, but it provides a
fairly difficult fight.
What you need to do on this guy is hit him with those Fixed Dice as much as you
can, as fast as you can. Before doing that, however, cast Haste then Shell.
Once you have those two up, just keep Jumping. If you are frozen at any point,
you're pretty much dead. Whenever it comes down to the Fixed Dice, it actually
comes down to luck. Hope for a bunch of 9999s.
After you do around 30000 damage Fiend will start glowing. Be happy once this
happens, because you're pretty much home free here. Cast Vanish on Setzer and
continue Jumping him. Vanish will go down when Fiend uses Targeting, but you
can recast it before he gets his attack in. Just keep Vanish up and you'll
eventually beat this guy.
-----------------------------
Save on the new save point Fiend leaves behind.
=============
Team 2, Edgar
=============
Next is Edgar. Give him a Peace Ring or Ribbon on his way to Goddess. He's
got one hell of a fight in for him as well.
-----------------------------
BOSS: Goddess
Drop: Excalibur
Set Edgar up with the Blood Sword, Dragoon Boots, and the Ribbon.
Goddess begins with a three turn battle script. On the second turn, she has a
chance of using Entice. If you get hit by this, you're done for and there's
nothing you can do to negate its effect.
The only way around it is to be in the air every time the second turn rolls
around. This should be the only time you attack Goddess for the time being.
Keep track of how many times you hit her as well. What turn she is on can be
confused with counter attacks, so pay attention to the timing of her attacks as
well. If she casts Thundara immediately after a jump, don't consider that a
turn. After jumping over Entice 7 times, you should be close to her next stage
of attacking.
Before hitting her again, Edgar has to get Reflect up. Wait for her to cast
Thundaga or Thundara, and make sure it bounces back to heal her. Once Goddess
has been hit by that spell, that should be the eighth time she's been hit.
Immediately jump in the air now.
Goddess should use Cloudy Heaven while you're in the air. If not, either you
counted wrong, or she's got it ready for you when you land. After the first 8
times she's been hit, she will use Cloudy Heaven. This attack is sort of like
Doom, but it turns you into a zombie. In other words, you're screwed. Goddess
only does this once per fight, so you're past the hardest part now.
Goddess moves into a new battle script after you've done a little over 10000
damage. This is a 4 turn script which is mostly Thundagas and Flash Rains.
On turn 3, however, she might use Quasar. Just keep jumping and you should
come out on top.
-----------------------------
Two down. One to go. Bring Edgar to the new save point and save again.
=============
Team 3, Celes
=============
The Excalibur is nice, but stick with the Blood Sword. Suit Celes up with the
Blood Sword, Dragoon Boots and an Angel Ring. Get ready for Demon!
-----------------------------
BOSS: Demon
Drop: Radiant Lance
Demon is, by far, the toughest boss of the challenge. He has two stages of
attacks like the others, but his second stage is more difficult than the first
this time.
At the beginning of the battle cast Shell then Haste. Just hope he doesn't
cast Stop during that time.
Demon has a two turn battle script initially. The only thing to really look
out for is Stop. If Celes has the Stop status, Demon will target her with an
instant death attack. So Stop = Lose. The best way to counter it is to keep
Reflect up during the entire first part of the battle. Notice you need to get
Haste and Shell up before this. If you're Stopped before getting these spells
up you should reset.
Once your support spells are up, you can start jumping on Demon. Try jumping
the second turn and being on the ground for the first turn (when he might cast
Stop). Too many Metal Cutters in a row combined with Demon's Firaga counter
can kill you. Firaga should be stopped by Reflect as well, but the Reflect
spell isn't very reliable--you need to recast it every few turns. Fortunately,
Demon is vulnerable to his own Stop spell. This will give you breathing room
to make it to the second stage of the battle.
Once you have dealt enough damage, Demon is going to get a lot tougher. His
new three turn battle script allows for the chance of 2 Flare Stars in a row.
At level 58, each does 4640 damage to you. You want to be in the air for at
least one of these turns (they are turns 1 and 3). Turn 2 isn't as big of a
threat, so stay on the ground that turn if you are in good shape.
Keeping jumping on him to keep your health up. This battle is mostly luck, but
the way you time your jumps is key. The sword and the ring are just enough to
overcome his average damage, but too many Flare Stars will put you in a bad
spot. If you're badly hurt, try casting Cura instead of jumping to avoid his
Firaga counter attack. Casting Reflect at this point is difficult. You're
better off hoping he doesn't counter very much.
Keep trying is the last piece of advice I can give you. I wish I had a better
strategy, but I couldn't think of anything more reliable.
-----------------------------
Walk up through the door after defeating Demon and save in the next room.
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[3.37]
Zone: Kefka's Tower, the Final Battle
Steps: T1 Fiend Room 8998-9001
T1 Last Room 9001-9006
T1 On switch 9006
T2 Goddess Room 9006-9008
T2 Last Room 9008-9013
T2 On Switch 9013
T3 Save Room 9013-9015
T3 Last Room 9015-9017
T3 On Switch 9017
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All three of your characters should be on save points now. The order you hit
these last switched doesn't matter. Keep one person on their save point so you
can save with the other two already there. Set your team up with Angel Rings.
If anyone has Esuna, give them the Ribbon. Otherwise give it to anyone. Give
someone else a White Cape (Celes in my case). I gave Setzer the Blackbelt.
You don't need the Blood Sword for this fight, so you can equip all of your new
weapons. What Espers you have on doesn't matter. Unicorn might be useful. If
you have Bahamut, that's the next best choice. Once everyone is set, save your
game one more time and take the last person to the third switch.
There you have it. It takes 9017 steps to get to Kefka. You've taken all the
steps, but you still have the K-man to deal with. He's not as hard as the
Warring Triad since you'll have all three characters, but he's always fun.
Fixed Dice + Auto Crossbow made quick work out of Kefka.
==========
First Tier
==========
Put up Haste, Shell, and Protect first. These will stay up when you switch to
the next battle too. Casting Death on the Long Arm is the easiest way to deal
with that one. Setzer should just throw Fixed Dice at the main guy. Kill this
one before taking out the Short Arm to avoid its Quake attack. Fixed Dice/
Auto Crossbow the short arm once the main monster is dead.
===========
Second Tier
===========
This one is a little more complicated. First cast Death on Machine (the center
monster). Use the Bioblaster to start working Tiger's health down. Tiger is
the lower right monster. Use Blizzaga, Auto Crossbow, Fixed Dice on Tiger and
take it out ASAP. Once Tiger is dead, keep Runic up with Celes as Edgar and
Setzer use the same weapons to defeat the last two. Focus on Magic first, the
leftmost target. You might get dispelled here, so put your spells back up if
you do.
==========
Third Tier
==========
Not much to this guy. Same attacks will take out Lady (up top) pretty quickly.
You need to take her out first anyway, otherwise she just revives the other
target.
Rest (the lower dude) will cast some nasty magic. With Shell up he's not much
of a problem though.
When you kill Rest, he will use Repose once or twice. I'm not sure what it
does, I've seen two effects from it. It will either outright kill one
character, or put them to sleep. If one person dies Kefka is still manageable.
Ideally you'll have all three characters alive for Kefka.
=====
Kefka
=====
The first thing he'll do is knock everyone to 1 HP. Have everyone use Cura
right away to get some of that back. Havoc Wing will do over 5000 damage
without Protect.
Other than that, Fixed Dice/Auto Crossbow him. Have Celes ready to toss out
Curas or Phoenix Downs. If you're down to two characters one person should
attack while the other keeps the team healthy. Attack with both characters
when you're in good shape.
Once you've done enough damage, he'll change his pattern. Kefka will say
"The end draws near" when this happens. The Havoc Wings are still your main
concern. Forsaken does under 2000 damage with Shell up. Vengeance is like a
full party dispel, so be ready to put your spells back up. I find Haste is
most important at this point, so keep that up for sure if Vengeance is being
used too much. Continue damaging him the same way when you can.
Kefka will counter with Ultima for a short period of time, which did around
3000 damage with Shell up. Be careful of this.
Once he says his line again, you're in the last stage of battle. Setzer can
end it with one lucky roll at this point, but he's not much of a threat
anymore.
-----------------------------
Watch the amusingly incomplete ending and save your game afterwards. This
clear file with 9017 steps is the proof of your efforts. I know, this is more
rewarding than devoting your life to the cure for cancer, finding said cure,
then selling it for 10 trillion dollars. Just try to be graceful. Ah, what
the heck, go nuts.
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[4.0] Conclusion, Credits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know what I was thinking writing down all these numbers. What a huge
pain that was.
On my last run through the game I was able to cut 17 steps off my total. On
the run before that there were 156 steps I got rid of. I'm sure if I played
again there would be more corners to cut.
If you wish to contact me about any corrections, improvements, or any other
comments, drop me an email at dbenzito@gmail.com
I'm especially interested if anyone sees any extra steps I took.
I'd like to thank a few people for their help in making this guide, whether
they know it or not.
-Ilsoap, for inspiring me to try this myself. I also kept the name of the
challenge the same as yours.
-Lufia_Maxim, your bestiary FAQ was a huge help in understanding the more
difficult battles. Anything about battle scripts you find in my guide is all
thanks to Lufia's document. The same guide also helped me find what items were
available in this game. Thanks!
-Djibriel, thanks for locating all of the chocobo stables for me. I dedicate
those 151 steps this information saved to you.
-Meeple Lard, I found out when Terra and Celes learn their natural magic with
your FAQ. Thank you kind sir.
-Master_ZED, your Attack Guide helped me plan ahead for bosses with attacks I
wasn't entirely familiar with.
-ReyJavikVI, for pointing out the Launcher/Jump glitch that was really
disrupting my Guardian strategy.
-Nneeve lastname, corrected some of my step errors.
Thanks everyone.
***Copyright Disclaimer***
Copyright 2008 Daniel Benz (o_chew)
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web
site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation
of copyright.
