Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition (PSP)

Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition (PSP)
Ultimate Weapon FAQ v1.0

by CptnJustc -- questions, comments and suggestions to [email protected]

Much of the information in this guide comes from Gamefaqs forum members --
particularly hardcore rpg gamer, who provided many of the main tables -- with
some revision and fleshing out from myself.

Table of Contents
-----------------

1. Introduction
2. FAQs
3. The Ultimate Weapons
3.1. Stats
4. The Arcane Labyrinths / Sanctuary
4.1. Key words and timing
4.2. Key word lists
4.2a. Minwu
4.2b. Josef
4.2c. Gordon
4.2d. Leila
4.2e. Ricard
4.2f. Leon
4.2g. Firion
4.2h. Maria
4.2i. Guy
4.3. Other rewards - Revive and Destroy
4.4. Finding new key words
5. Bonus: Getting the Masamune
6. Version History

1. Introduction
----------------

Final Fantasy II for the PSP brings a new set of dungeons (the Arcane
Labyrinths) with fancy new weapon rewards. You can even get some of these
rewards (and, through the dungeons, a whole lot of other late-game loot) pretty
early in the game. Unfortunately, the game doesn't exactly spell out what the
heck it expects you to do, so here's a little FAQ to help out.

Basically, you have to make your way through three dungeons: Arcane Labyrinth
NW (west of Salamand), Arcane Labyrinth NE (east of Salamand) and Arcane
Labyrinth S (west of Kashuan). The northwest dungeon is four levels long, the
northeast dungeon is seven levels, and the south dungeon is ten. To progress
from one level to the next, you use one of the 'key words' you learn throughout
the game to break a seal. With one before the dungeon and one at the end, this
means you need five, eight, and eleven key words for the northwest, northeast,
and south dungeons respectively. Most (but not all) levels of the dungeon give
you the chance to learn a new key word by performing some sort of task. You
can only use a particular key word once per run through a dungeon, and there is
no saving or teleporting out once you're in.

Further complication: In order to get the fancy Ultimate Weapons at the end of
everything, you'll need to use words appropriate for each character. Luckily,
they've stuck mages at the entrance of each dungeon that will tell you which
key words are compatible with which characters, as long as you know the words
and have the characters in your party at the time.

Once you're done opening all the seals in each dungeon (with a boss at the end
of each), you can go to the Arcane Sanctuary, which can be reached by walking
into the mountain with the white dot just north of Poft. At the top of a long,
winding staircase you can find Deumion.

After the seals are released, you'll be able to talk to him for a test -- a
boss fight against the monster Phrekyos. Talk to him after the fight and he'll
ask if you want something. Give him the appropriate key word for a particular
character, and he'll give you that character's "ultimate weapon", something
only that character can equip, and which provides some nice stat boosts in
addition to pretty decent attack power. Now you can run through the dungeons
again, and repeat.

Other "ultimate weapons" are obtained in the Soul of Rebirth's Unknown Palace.

2. FAQs
--------

Q: How ultimate are these "ultimate weapons"?

A: It depends on the character. Some of them are pretty modest (especially
Josef's), almost all of them will provide less in attack power than, say, a
Masamune. But those stat boosts can be substantial, allowing you to max out
particular stats instantly. Whether you use them or just go through the toad
game to get a set of Masamunes is up to you. And considering that Gordon, for
example, won't get much use out of it, you may want to consider skipping the
tedious dungeons for him. In addition, as your stats naturally rise toward 99,
the ultimate weapons' stat boosts may become less useful.

Q: Can I repeat the dungeons and get multiple copies of each weapon?

A: Nope. You'll probably get an elixir. Not sure about other prizes yet.

Q: How can I get the Light of Hope item from the Guardian stage?

A: You have to head off the soldiers coming to Deumion's house. Confusingly,
the path you take is actually the super long, winding way around, and if you
try to get to Deumion's place any more directly, the soldiers will show up
there ahead of you. For the actual path, check Mr. Jingles' FAQ, linked from
section 4.4.

Q: Why can't I get any of the prizes you list from the matching game?

A: You probably don't have your Toad spell leveled to 16. Before that, the
prizes are of much lower quality.

3. The Ultimate Weapons
------------------------

3.1. Stats
-----------

As you can see, the Masamune beats most of the weapons for attack power, but
the stat boosts can be phenomenal. In addition, the Wild Rose's use effect can
be a real killer.

Weapon Character Atk Def Str Sta Spi Agi Int Mag Use Effect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gungnir Gordon 90 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 --
Dancing Dagger Leila 85 0 30 0 0 70 0 0 --
Longinus Leon 155 0 50 30 30 30 0 0 --
Ragnarok Firion 150 0 50 0 30 99 0 0 --
Artemis Bow Maria 117 0 30 0 0 0 50 99 --
Gigantaxe Guy 199 0 99 30 0 0 0 0 --
Staff of Light Minwu 60 0 0 0 50 50 50 50 --
Stardust Rod Minwu 90 0 0 0 99 0 99 99 Fire XVI
Wild Rose Scott 149 0 99 0 0 0 99 0 Berserk XVI
Dragon Claws Josef 65 0 30 0 0 30 0 0 --
Bracers Josef 0 30 65 30 0 0 0 0 --
Abel's Lance Ricard 125 0 50 30 0 50 0 0 --
Wyvern's Lance Ricard 169 0 99 0 0 99 0 0 --

Masamune Any 150 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haste XI

4. The Arcane Labyrinths / Sanctuary
-------------------------------------

4.1. Key words and timing
--------------------------

The following table describes when you can acquire each weapon -- that is, when
you'll have the chance to get enough compatible keywords to get through the
labyrinths and score enough 'points' with Deumion.

Weapon Character Earliest chance to obtain
--------------------------------------------------------------
Staff of Light Minwu After getting Minwu
Dragon Claws Josef After getting Minwu
Gungnir Gordon After Dreadnought
Dancing Dagger Leila After Deist
Abel's Lance Ricard After Deist
Artemis Bow Maria After Leviathan
Longinus Leon After cyclone
Gigantaxe Guy After cyclone
Ragnarok Firion After Palamecia

Stardust Rod Minwu Soul of Rebirth, Unknown Palace
Wild Rose Scott Soul of Rebirth, Unknown Palace
Bracers Josef Soul of Rebirth, Unknown Palace
Wyvern Lance Ricard Soul of Rebirth, Unknown Palace

The following are the key words you can obtain, in the order you can obtain
them. The 'root words' are words you obtain in the regular game, while the
'subordinate terms' are the words you obtain by using those words in the Arcane
Labyrinths and completing the specific tasks in those levels (more on the tasks
later). The last word in each chain leads to a dungeon which does not provide
an opportunity to learn a new word, so your only task is to get through.

This table and most of the following key word lists for each character come
from Gamefaqs forum member hardcore rpg gamer. For convenience, I've also
added the teammate you'll have filling your fourth party slot when those words
become available. Occasionally you get them just before you get a party
member, which I've labeled 'pre'.

Teammate Root word Subordinate Terms
-------------------------------------------------
None Wild Rose Tracking
Pre-Minwu Mythril Mirror
Minwu Dreadnought Aquifer -> Cave-> Wizard-> Candelabra
Minwu Airship Wind
Minwu Sunfire
Pre-Josef Goddess's Bell Dense Fog
Pre-Leila Dragoons
Pre-Leila Wyverns Darkness -> Thundercloud
Leila Mysidia Desert -> Oasis
Leila Mask Tundra -> Greed -> Authority
Leila Ekmet Teloess Woodlands -> Fire -> Cauldron
Leila Ultimate Tome Sorcery -> Soul -> Mercy
Ricard Cyclone Giants -> Utopia
Ricard Palamecia Iron Bars -> Chronicles -> Miasma
Leon Jade Passage Oblivion -> Hope -> Destruction -> Guardian

The last sequence in particular adds to the story, revealing Deumion's
background. On the Guardian stage, you can find the 'Light of Hope' key item,
which is necessary to obtain the Revive tome.

There are several special combinations. If you visit the first and then the
second in each pair, the second will have no random encounters. The combos
known so far are:

Dragoons Wyverns
Candelabra Darkness
Fire Sunfire
Sorcery Wizard
Dreadnought Palamecia

4.2. Key word lists
--------------------

The following are the key words for each character, with each category
reflecting how ecstatic the wizard at the labyrinth entrance is about the
character's affinity for the word. What prize you get seems to depend on some
kind of point system -- note that you don't _necessarily_ need to use only
words from this list to get your prize, as on one I was able to do it with ten
of the highest-ranked listed words and one 'does not bode well' word.

4.2a. Minwu
------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Candelabra Tracking Dreadnought Wild Rose Wizard
Wind Mythril Airship Mirror
Sunfire Aquifer
Cave

4.2b. Josef
------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wild Rose Mirror Aquifer Tracking Mythril
Dreadnought Wizard Cave Wind
Airship Candelabra
Sunfire

4.2c. Gordon
-------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aquifer Tracking Candelabra Sunfire Goddess's Bell
Cave Mythril Wind Dense Fog
Dragoons Darkness
Wyverns Thundercloud

4.2d. Leila
------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dragoons Mysidia Ultima Tome Ekmet Teloess Oasis
Wyverns Fire Tundra Desert
Thundercloud Soul Woodlands
Sorcery Mercy Cauldron

4.2e. Ricard
-------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Candelabra Goddess's Bell Darkness Wyverns Dragoons
Wind Dense Fog Thunderclouds Soul
Sunfire Desert Fire
Ekmet Teloess Woodlands Cauldron
Ultima Tome
Oasis

4.2f. Leon
-----------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tracking Mirror Ultima Tome Dreadnought Palamecia
Aquifer Wizard Tundra Authority
Cave Cyclone Woodlands
Hope Oblivion Cauldron
Destruction
Guardian

4.2g. Firion
-------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dreadnought Mask Cyclone Destruction Hope
Authority Greed Utopia Guardian
Palamecia Sorcery Jade Passage
Chronicles Giants Oblivion
Miasma Iron Bars

4.2h. Maria
------------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Desert Ekmet Teloess Ultima Tome Mysidia Mercy
Woodlands Oasis Tundra Sorcery
Cauldron Giants Chronicles
Jade Passage Iron Bars Miasma
Destruction

4.2i. Guy
----------

Good fortune Promising Quite well Auspicious Superb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ekmet Teloess Mysidia Sorcery Iron Bars Giants
Ultima Tome Mercy Utopia Miasma
Tundra Jade Passage Chronicles
Oblivion Destruction
Hope
Guardian

4.3. Other rewards - Revive and Destroy
----------------------------------------

You can also get either the Destroy or Revive tomes. Present Deumion with the
'Light of Hope' item recovered from the Guardian stage to get the Revive tome.
This gives you a spell which takes all the caster's MP, and completely restores
HP and MP to your party -- though it completely recovers the enemy as well!
Might be useful if, for example, you have one character who moves at the
beginning of a turn, and you need a major boost. But by the time you get
Revive, the game should no longer present much of a challenge, unfortunately.

On the other hand, you can use the Destruction keyword on Deumion, leading him
to fight you. Beat him to get the Destroy tome, giving you a spell which takes
all the caster's MP and all but one of the caster's HP, killing everything else
(including allies!) on the screen.

No, you can't get both. I got the Revive tome before I got Firion's weapon,
and when I went to claim Firion's reward, he didn't even ask me what I wanted
-- he just handed me Ragnarok. And if you kill Deumion to get Destroy, there's
not much point in asking him for anything else....

4.4. Finding new key words
---------------------------

Many apologies for being slow in adding this oft-requested feature. Luckily,
Mr. Jingles has picked up the slack with his excellent Arcane Labyrinth Guide,
located at: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/psp/file/937910/52406

Keep in mind that, after learning a dungeon's key word once, there's no need to
complete the task on subsequent trips through. Just head straight for the exit
seal.

5. Bonus: Getting the Masamune
--------------------------------

So you've looked over the ultimate weapons and decided they're not for you.
Instead, you'd rather have a ton of copies of the Masamune, the Aegis shield,
and full sets of Genji armor, and you want them way early. Well, you're in
luck. These are all prizes of the memory-matching game you can play on the
snowfield after you retrieve Josef's snowmobile.

To access the game, any time you're on the snowfield hold the cancel button (O
on the PSP) and tap the choice select button (X on the PSP) 22 times. Now you
can play a matching game where you get prizes based on the number of errors you
make. But the trick is, if one of your characters has leveled his Toad spell
up to 16, all the cards turn to frogs, and the prizes change to the
aforementioned craziness.

To get your Toad to 16, you may want to refer to other FAQs on spell leveling.
But you can get Toad to drop from captains in Fynn, as soon as you can take
them down. After that, you may want to level it on those captains, or by
getting into random, easy battles, and casting it on your teammates over and
over and over again. It can take a few tedious hours. My technique (probably
not the fastest) was to get into battles with weak enemies, and cast Toad
repeatedly on my own characters. Each character has to cast it an increasing
number of times _in the same battle_ to gain points toward a level, or cast it
on harder enemies, which can of course be more difficult.

Once you're in the memory game, you have to figure out a way to beat it. The
best way I could figure (not having referred to the other FAQs on the memory
game) was to make an index key of the pictures, something like, say:

1 blue tabard looking down
2 blue tabard looking up
3 grim look blue trim
4 grim look no trim
5 hand to face
6 purplish hat
7 armored hat
8 red jewel

And then record a few examples of the layout, for example:

1 2 7 8
8 7 2 1
3 5 6 4
4 5 3 6

Now, the trick is that each time you start the minigame (by tapping the button
22 times), it only runs through 32 layouts in a row before starting over with
the exact same layout you saw the first time (thanks to many contributors for
sending me the exact number). Then it starts the cycle over. So you're likely
to keep coming across the same layout again and again.

One approach would be to record a few layouts in a row, then quickly start new
games and cancel out of them until you find the same matches -- just be careful
not to cancel out of the match game entirely, or you'll have to record a new
set of layouts.

The prizes are:

Misses Money Prize
-----------------------------
0 40000 Masamune
1 25000 Aegis Shield
2 10000 Genji Armor
3 5000 Genji Gloves
4 3000 Genji Helm
5 2500 Hermes Shoes
6 1500 Sage's Wisdom
7 1000 Saint's Spirit
8 500 Bacchus's Win
9 300 Conch Shell
10 100 --

Earning a set of near-total protection armor and Masamunes for your entire
party, including members not yet joined, can take about 30 minutes, making the
whole process several hours. Tedious and maybe a lot to invest in the game,
but on the whole a lot quicker than going for all the ultimate weapons. Of
course, you could always do both....

6. Version History
-------------------

1.0 - Filled in some stats, touched up a few things, pointed people toward Mr.
Jingles' keyword FAQ. Thanks Joe F. for Gungnir's lack of effect.

0.7 - Added in just about all the weapons' stats -- thanks, CronoDAS!

0.5 -- Initial version