______ _____ _ _ _
| ____|_ _| \ | | /\ | |
| |__ | | | \| | / \ | |
| __| | | | . ` | / /\ \ | |
| | _| |_| |\ |/ ____ \| |____
|_| |_____|_| \_/_/ \_\______|
______ _ _ _______ _______ __ ___ __ __
| ____/\ | \ | |__ __|/\ / ____\ \ / / | |\ \ / /
| |__ / \ | \| | | | / \ | (___ \ \_/ / | | \ \ / /
| __/ /\ \ | . ` | | | / /\ \ \___ \ \ / | | \ \/ /
| | / ____ \| |\ | | |/ ____ \ ____) | | | | | \ /
|_|/_/ \_\_| \_| |_/_/ \_\_____/ |_| |___| \/
FAQ/Walkthrough
by Relle
[email protected]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Updates
3. Frequently Asked Questions
4. Walkthrough
4a. Part 1 - A Dark Knight's Path
4a-1. The Crystals Fade...
4a-2. I Been Through the Desert with a Girl with No Name
4a-3. You Spoony Bard!
4a-4. From Fabul, With Love
4a-5. Trial by Light
4b. Part 2 - Dash for the Crystals
4b-1. The True Face of Baron
4b-2. Lord of the Skies, Lord of the Earth
4b-3. The Tower of Zot
4b-4. Through the Darkest Depths
4c. Part 3 - Trouble in the Underground
4c-1. The Ruined Kingdom
4c-2. The Tower of Babel Revisited
4c-3. Secrets of the Underworld
4c-4. The Final Crystal
4d. Part 4 - Lunar Radiance
4d-1. One of These Days...Pow! Straight to the Moon!
4d-2. Earth is in Danger! Where's Godzilla When You Need Him?
4d-3. The Legend Reborn
5. Bonus Dungeons
5a. Cave of Trials
5b. Lunar Ruins
5b-1. Yang's Trial
5b-2. Edward's Trial
5b-3. Rydia's Trial
5b-4. Cecil's Trial
5b-5. Rosa's Trial
5b-6. Edge's Trial
5b-7. Kain's Trial
5b-8. Cid's Trial
5b-9. The Twins' Trial
5b-10. The Final Trial
6. Secret Stuff
6a. The Developer's Room
6b. Special Summons
6c. The Pink Tail
7. Acknowledgements
8. Copyright Info
===============================================================================
1. Introduction
===============================================================================
It's been a while! Both since I started writing a FAQ, and since Final Fantasy
2/4 has blessed our otherwise meaningless lives. I am, in fact, old enough to
remember the original Final Fantasy 2 for SNES (still have my cart). I did it
all: killed every boss, got every summon, hit level 99. The only thing I could
never get was a pink rat's tail. But that's covered in the guide.
Anyway, this guide is spoiler-free, my favorite type. While some of you won't
even care about spoilers, since you've either gone through FF2 on SNES or
played FF Chronicles for the rest of you, this guide is a way to get through
the game while letting you discover the story for yourself.
So read on, and enjoy!
===============================================================================
2. Updates
===============================================================================
1.05 - Revised Brach's strategy, cut it down a bit as well.
1.04 - Some various additions.
1.03 - More stuff. Added some to the developer's room. Put in easy searches
for each character's lunar trial, thereby making the table of contents OMGBIG!
1.02 - More fixes.
1.01 - See? Small update. Always happens within the first 24 hours. Various
fixes, added one more "strategy" to Brach's boss section.
1.00 - Killed Brachiorados and the final boss of the Ruins, so I'm done! Well,
except for small updates that will undoubtedly be done over time. And I may
want to redo the boss format. But other than that, yeah, it's done.
0.99 - All trials done. Working on strategies for the final boss of the Ruins,
then I can put this puppy to rest.
0.97 - More trials of the Lunar Ruins. I'm done with six of them, which means
I'm on my final run-through with Edge, Cid, Cecil and the twins. It's going to
be weird fighting bosses without the Bahamut spam...
0.95 - Fixed a few things, completed the Cave of Trials. Making my way through
the Lunar Ruins.
0.90 - Main walkthrough's finished. Working on beating the game with all
characters so I can go through the bonus dungeons quickly.
===============================================================================
3. Frequently Asked Questions
===============================================================================
Q. OMGWTFBBQ, I thought this was FF2?!
A. No. FF2 was Square's little brain fart, since they didn't localize the
real FF2 and FF3 on the NES. FF2 for SNES is, in reality, FF4.
Q. What's been changed from the SNES version?
A. The inclusion of two new dungeons, along with a new feature to change your
party at the end of the game. The game's translation has been redone correctly
(supposedly). They've also added an active battle system, which is a little
hit and miss.
Q. Is..."the line" still in it?
A. Yes, you spoony bard.
Q. Can I repeat the Lunar Trials?
A. Yes. Just use the Grimoire you won from that trial in any battle and you
can repeat that particular trial.
Q. What's the best party?
A. Up to you. Yang and Cid have tons of HP and can absorb a lot of damage,
but later in the game Kain and Edge become pretty powerful. Rosa and Porom are
just healers, no big difference, and Rydia's Bahamut summon sidesteps a lot of
magic counters the bosses tend to have, whereas Palom only has Flare and Meteor.
So...yeah, your choice.
Q. What's your favorite party?
A. Before the Lunar Ruins, I substituted Yang for Edge and Cid for Kain since
neither Kain or Edge did a whole lot of damage. After going through and beating
each trial, Kain and Edge have won their way back into my heart. The rest are,
of course, Cecil, Rosa and Rydia. Bahamut > all.
===============================================================================
4. Walkthrough
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a. Part 1 - A Dark Knight's Path
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-1. The Crystals Fade...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the game opens, you'll be treated to a nice 2d FMV. We called 'em "Shifties"
back in the day, due to all them shifting sprites. Look at 'em shift...
Anyway, watch the cutscenes, marvel at how Cecil fights, gaze in awe at the
effing amazing graphical update this game got. I mean, geez. When you gain
control, marvel as well at how freaking fast you move. I love this game all
over again.
All right, enough of that. Time for some treasure hunting! Go right and talk
to Kain for some banter if it please you. When you're ready, exit south. See
those three treasure chests? Go around to the faintly-visible outline of a
secret door south of them and hit the switch to the door's left. Go on in and
snag yourself an ether, a tent, and 480 gil. You can take the nearby stairs
up, but at this point in the game that path has nothing of interest besides
dialogue.
There's actually nothing else to do for now, so use the leftmost exit and
follow the path for some scenes and dialogue. Once outside you can visit the
little building to the left, but it's just the jail. Go up to the tower for
another encounter. Head on up to the tower and sleep. Who the hell sleeps in
full body armor, though?
More scenes follow. When you reach the outside, rather than go off to Mist,
enter the town of Baron. As you enter, check the pot to your right for a
potion. Enter the inn and swipe another potion from the pot to the left of
the door by the firewood piles. Go upstairs and examine the X-crossed swords
to open a door to the three treasure chests. Loot away! Talk to the smallfolk
for some interesting responses, then move on.
Stock up on potions at the item shop, but don't go nuts since you'll find a few
along the way. North of the inn, next to the item shop there are four jars.
Take a potion from the southmost one. Now take the little bridges and go up to
the top of the aqueduct. Walk down the middle one and get your feet wet a bit.
Walk along the river and you'll find a tent and hourglass in invisible chests
in the small pool at the end. That's all for Baron's treasures.
Now go on out and fight some monsters. Try out Cecil's Dark attack. It damages
all enemies, but also hurts Cecil. Use it sparingly, only against large groups.
Don't spend a lot of time here, since Cecil and Kain can pretty much stomp
through the next section as they are. The extra gil does help, though.
When you're ready, go west from Baron and follow the path through the mountains
to the cave. Save outside if you want, then go on in.
Misty, ain't it? Follow the path till you get a short scene. Head up for a
potion, then across the bridge and up for eye drops. Go back down and climb
down the next two ladders for a tent. Take the middle path now and snag one
last potion before going up to meet...something. Choose Yes when prompted and
prepare yourself...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Mist Dragon
HP - 465
EXP - 350
Gil - 200
Weaknesses - None
Things start out simple. Have Cecil attack and Kain use his Jump move. The
dragon doesn't hit very hard at first, but after 3-4 rounds you'll see a message
saying it's turned into mist. At this time, DO NOT ATTACK. Any attack you
deliver will result in no damage to the dragon, and will result in a nasty
counterattack. Just heal up if you need to and wait it out. As soon as the
dragon reforms, go all out and it'll be over soon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Walk out of the cave and go to Mist, the town. Wander in and watch the Shifty.
It doesn't matter what you do, events play out as they should.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-2. I Been Through the Desert with a Girl with No Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pardon the slightly butchered song lyrics. Head up and right through the
desert till you spot an oasis, and the town of Kaipo. It's pretty close, so
don't worry about getting lost. Just be careful when fighting. The XP is
good, but you'll be pretty outnumbered in some instances.
As you go in, you'll be forced into a night at the inn, which will result in a
mini-boss battle. It's not very difficult. Take out two of the soldiers, but
leave the third alive for a bit. The general will order the soldiers to attack,
but you should have two dead well before he ever opens his mouth. Spend the
rest of the battle pounding on the general. As soon as you kill him, the
remaining soldiers will...attack themselves and commit suicide. Real dedicated
men there, yep.
Anyway, the general gives out a lot of XP, but he will flee if his soldiers are
all killed first. It's an easy battle either way. At the end, Rydia will
reveal her name, and all is well.
Except for, you know, all the other problems of the world. When morning dawns,
you can find the item shop inside the inn to the right. Exit when ready. Talk
to the people around town for various gossip, then visit the weapon shop and
buy Rydia a staff if you really want, but you'll find something better soon.
Check the northernmost of two pots above the weapon shop for an ether, then
visit the house to the north of those pots for...a Shifty!
When it's over, talk to the people and leave town. Switch Rydia to the back
row for now, she's about as weak as can be. Fight around the desert for a bit,
till your new walking jailbai--err, I mean, summoner, learns a few spells.
Level 6-7 should do it for now. When you're ready, you'll find the Water Cave
to the northeast of Kaipo. Be sure to stock up on potions first.
Thunder here is your most important spell, obviously, but use it sparingly. If
Cecil can one-shot the monster, don't waste Thunder on it. At the start, go up
for two chests with a potion and a Maiden's Kiss. Follow the main path past a
bridge and go down for a tent, then up for a scene. After you meet Tellah, go
right and down into the water. Trudge up and snag the Iron Ring in the chest.
Give it to Tellah immediately, and stick him in the back row while you're at it.
Now go back into the water and go down and left. Walk into the center of the
big waterfall to reach...a hidden chamber! Your prizes are a Dry Ether,
X-Potion and Phoenix Down! Huzzah! Now just make your way back to dry land
and go to the next room.
Head on up, then climb down into the drink again. Go up the first stairs to
the left for a potion, then continue down to the next. Collect the ether over
on the left before going down along the path. You'll reach your first dungeon
save point, and a welcome sight it is. Watch the scene, save, and move on.
Snag the first chest you see for an Ice Rod for Rydia. Equip it to her, and
you can use it in battle as an item for a free casting of the ice spell, which
finally makes her a decent combatant. Follow the only path to the next room.
Around here you might face off against zombies and other undead. Cecil is
useless against them, a fact made readily apparent the first time you try to
attack them. Use fire spells that affect the entire enemy party to get rid of
them quickly. Rydia's thunder spell will suffice for her.
Go right at the intersection for 580 gil and a bomb fragment. After that, go
on to the next room. At the beginning here, go left and through a hidden
passage to find a rather pointless "shortcut" to the end, and a chest with a
potion. Next room. Get the two chests to the left for an ether and antarctic
wind. Go south from the exit to get an hourglass and Shadow Blade for Cecil.
Next room!
Actually, not a room. You'll be outside. Use a tent as per Tellah's suggestion
if you want. Save, and head in. You'll end up in a new part of the cavern.
Follow the path, then go down the ladder and grab some new gear for Cecil. Go
up to the next room and follow along for more Hades armor, then rest up before
you move on. Go up to the hole in the waterfall to encounter...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Octomammoth
HP - 2350
EXP - 1200
Gil - 500
Weaknesses - Shadow, Thunder
The trick to this boss is dealing a lot of damage as soon as possible. His
eight arms give him a fast attack speed, but he loses them one by one the more
he's hurt. So, the faster you take out the arms, the easier it'll be. Have
Cecil attack, Tellah cast thunder and Rydia summon her chocobo. Use potions
rather than waste MP with cure spells. Don't bother using those ethers to
restore your casters' MP if they run out. By that time the boss should be
about dead.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Congratulations! You've laid waste to Captain Calamari! Walk out of the cave
and behold...Damcyan! Except...not.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-3. You Spoony Bard!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, the line survives! While it may seem callous, when you first enter the
castle, don't go inside. Instead, take one step out into the desert and follow
the wall up and right. Talk to the fallen guard there and open the secret
door for a Crossbow, Feathered Cap and Ruby Ring. Go downstairs for more
spoils, and don't forget to check the jars for some arrows.
Now go inside and head upstairs. Talk to the guards if you want, but keep
going up. You'll get a tent along the way from the one unopened chest. On
the third floor, there will be some drama, and you'll trade in your old and
busted for some new hotness. Unfortunately, like Rydia before him, Edward
starts out at a low level and requires some training first. Level 6-7 is fine.
It's more for his HP than his other stats.
You can ride across the shallows west of Damcyan to get back to Kaipo to rest,
and the cave you want is along the shallows to the northeast. Swing around
southwest once on land to find it.
A quick word on monsters: the yellow puddings are weak against thunder, the
adamantoise are weak to blizzard, and Edward's harp can put enemies to sleep,
so have him attack one the rest of your party isn't on to get it out of the
way temporarily. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward.
Go left across the first bridge for Spider's Silk, then grab the potion in the
other chest. Head back right to the other side of the cave and go up for yet
another item, down the stairs, then left and back up under the bridge for a
potion. Now run all the way back left on this lower level and head down when
you can for another tent and potion. Return right and exit the room by the
south.
Go on down for an antarctic wind, then enter the room you see for a Lamia Harp.
This is one of Edward's more insidious weapons. It'll randomly confuse the
monster he attacks. Head out and go up, then around the corner for a potion,
then left across the little bridge for Spider's Silk. Now return right and
go up those stairs to a new area of B1. Enter the room to find three chests
and a save point. Rest up, save, then return to B2.
To reach the final level, go down the first stairs to the left and keep going
down till you reach B3. From there, just go straight down till you encounter...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Antlion
HP - 1100
EXP - 1500
Gil - 800
Weaknesses - None
The antlion's shtick is he will counterattack everything you throw at him, but
only for 20-30 damage or so. However, it will be to a random person, so if he
consistently targets Edward or Rydia, you're in a bit of trouble. Cecil is,
of course, your main man, so have Rydia summon and Edward provide support. His
new Heal command will use a potion, but its effect will hit the entire party
(reduced, of course). The antlion will only counterattack physical attacks,
so Rydia's summons will do the most good here. Keep at it, he'll die soon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After the battle's over, either use the Emergency Exit you should have picked
up earlier, or have Rydia cast Warp a few times to get yourself out of the cave
quickly. Take your hovercraft and go back to Kaipo.
Go to Rosa right away and deliver the Sand Ruby. Cutscenes ensue, and you'll
have a quick battle using only Edward. Enjoy the easy combat, and morning will
dawn again. Talk to the old man. Cecil's been like a daughter to him,
apparently.
With Rosa in your party, you now have a dedicated healer. She uses a bow and
arrow combination to fight, but you should have plenty of iron arrows to last
till Fabul. Her Pray command is insanely useful. It heals the entire party
for a small amount, but costs no items or MP. The downside? Occasionally it
doesn't work. Stick her in the back row and stock up on gold needles at the
item store. You'll need them soon. Board your hovercraft and go back to the
antlion cave. In that same area, to the northeast, is the mountain pass to
Fabul.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-4. From Fabul, With Love
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside, Rydia will learn her fire spell, after a time. Congratulations, now
you can burn things! Start with that puppy over there.
Err, never mind that. There are undead wandering around this place, and the
best way to defeat them is with FIRE! Ahem. Sorry. The spirit monsters are
healed by fire, though, so be careful when you're fighting a mixed battle. The
Cockatrices can turn you to stone, but if you confuse them with Edward's Lamia
Harp, they might just hit themselves with it (instant death!)
Go up the stairs and into the first doorway you see. Head along the path for a
save point and some loot. Use it if you want, then return to the first screen
and go right, then through the next doorway. Pick up the chest and head up.
You'll soon encounter...a half naked man and a bunch of monsters. Well, you'll
help out, won't you?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Mombomb
HP - 11000
EXP - 1900
Gil - 1200
Weaknesses - None
This boss has three stages. First, you'll fight an ordinary-looking bomb
creature. Not too tough. Heal up Yang while Cecil and the others beat on it.
Eventually it will expand into a very large bomb...thing. Deal enough damage
to that and it'll explode, damaging your entire party. Just keep everyone
above 100 HP and they'll survive to the end. However, that's not the end.
The big bomb splits into three regular bombs and three gray bombs. Take them
out as quickly as possible, they can kill someone very quickly if they all
focus on one person. They deal a ton of damage, as much as the explosion, so
even a couple still alive can kill someone in a single round.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After the battle is over, the half-naked man will join your party! Yay! Err...
yeeeeah...anyway, take Yang and just follow the path out of Mt. Hobs. Walk
through the forest till you can go north or south, and take the latter route.
Start east as soon as you can, then keep going southeast till you reach Fabul.
It's not that far, but the monsters between you and it are sufficiently tough.
Once inside, go straight to the inn. Buy at least an extra 20-30 potions. Why?
Don't question me, just do it! Rest up, then hit the weapon shop next door.
Get Cecil's Demon gear, and a second claw for Yang. Now wander about the
castle. Go up from the main hall, then swing around and exit south on the
second floor. Enter the right tower and go up to the second floor. Check the
bottom pot on the right wall for Bacchus' Cider, then head up to the top floor
and get the tent. Step into the bed. Ain't Cecil funny?
The left tower has even more spoils. The first floor has a Rage of Zeus in the
left of two pots along the north wall, and a potion, bomb fragment and antarctic
wind in the chests. You'll find Namingway on the second floor, and Yang's wife
on the third, but no more treasure. Go back to the main hall and just go up to
meet with the king. After quite a bit of talking, say yes. Don't bother acting
like the tough loner type and say no, you'll just have to watch the whole
conversation again. Although do say no if you haven't saved since Mt. Hobs.
When you say yes, you'll be sent into an unstoppable event, so be ready.
Edward is a liability here, as he takes a lot of damage and doesn't have much
HP. Keep him healed, though, he's one of your few fighters.
The first battle will be against a general and two soldiers. Kill both
soldiers right off to save on potions. In the next battle, have Cecil attack
the Sahagin, Edward attack the imp, and Yang the one left. With that order
they'll most likely one-shot their respective critters, except for Yang. Take
out the last monster quickly. The next battle will be the general and soldiers
again. Deal with them as you did the first time. Next battle, just a gargoyle.
Easy kill. Then the same as the second battle, then the general and soldiers.
In other words, a whole lot of fighting. If you act quickly and kill them all
fast, things will go smoothly. Once you've fully retreated, you'll be sent
into a story battle. In other words, you can't win, don't bother trying.
Much scenes follow, then you'll regain control. Go back to the throne room.
Remember that button in the floor during the seige? Step on it, then take
the secret path to chests containing spider's silk, a Demon Shield for Cecil,
and an ether. Now hit the inn. More scenes, and you'll receive Deathbringer,
Cecil's strongest weapon so far. Not just that, it randomly delivers instant
death to an enemy. Stock up on supplies, then leave Fabul when you're ready.
The ship you want will be in sight when you appear on the world map. Head on
over. More scenes, and then...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-5. Trial by Light
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you pop back onto the overworld, take a few steps east to reach a town...
Mysidia! Talk to the folks here. One will turn you into a toad. Talk to him
again to be changed back. Forget the weapon and item shops for now and go up
to the big building. Talk to the bald guy and, after a time, Palom and Porom
will join your party. They're a black and white mage respectively, but their
Twin command is pretty powerful. However, it also takes for-effing-ever to go
off, so don't use it for petty battles.
Okay, you have your mission: Mt. Ordeals! However, before you go, get all new
gear for your two little munchkins at the armor and weapon shops. Likewise,
buy a Light Shield, Light Helm, Knight's Armor, and Gauntlet. It'll cost quite
a bit, but you'll need to level up Palom and Porom a bit anyway, so fight around
Mysidia if you need the cash. Just a warning, the Healing Staff for Porom will,
in fact, heal non-undead monsters if you attack them with it. The same goes
for your party, actually.
Get Palom and Porom up to level 12 or so before going on. They need the extra
HP, and Palom learns Fira at level 12, which will help immensely. Get some
hi-potions and echo screens as well, if you can afford it after buying all the
new equipment.
When you're all set, you'll find Mt. Ordeals to the east, in the middle of a
big forest. Use a tent and save outside, if you want, then go on in. Palom
will demonstrate a similar talent with ice, and you'll be off! But first, a
Shifty!
Mt. Ordeals is a pretty big undead area, but Cecil's new Deathbringer will
still deal damage against skeletons and spirits. Zombies are just too much
for him, though. Use Palom and Porom for those. Though don't use Fira yet,
it consumes way too much MP.
Go up the path and snag the two potions along the way. Go to the next screen
and head up to meet...Tellah! Change up your formation so you can fit all
three casters in your back row. Go to the next screen (Station 7?) and go left
for an Ether, then along the main path for another ether and the next screen.
Here, go right across the bridge and set up camp. Rest, save, and move on.
Climb the stairs and cross the bridge...or try to!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Scarmiglione
HP - 3500
EXP - 3200
Gil - 2000
Weaknesses - Fire
Cecil sucks in this battle. His attacks will deal all of 1 damage to the
Skullnants, but he'll do regular damage to Scarmiglione himself. Right away
have Palom cast Fira to take out most or all of the small fry, then focus your
attacks on the fiend. Have Palom and Porom use Twin if you want, but fire
works best in this fight. Scarmiglione will counter every type of attack with
a Thunder spell, but if you keep up with heals, he won't be much of a threat.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Before you do anything else (DON'T CROSS THE BRIDGE) go back and heal/save.
Now, walk back to the bridge. Don't cross. Open the menu and switch the rows
so Cecil is in the back and your squishies are in the front. Now cross.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Scarmiglione
HP - 3523
EXP - 3600
Gil - 2500
Weaknesses - Fire
Whoops! Looks like this guy hasn't had enough. Well, round 2! Again, fire is
best here, and Palom's Fira works better than Pyro with the Twin command.
This time he'll poison you and use Quake occasionally. Cast Slow on him and
Protect on your party with Porom to help things out, and you can supplant that
with Blink from Tellah. You probably won't need it if you can cast Fira fast
enough, but you can never be too careful.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Go back and save if you want. Examine the monument across the bridge when
you're ready. After the scene, you'll have another battle, but this one's
unique. Do NOT attack, at all. Not once. Just sit there and take the hits.
Hurts, doesn't it? Wait it out, and eventually the battle will end.
Well, woo! Switch your rows back to normal if you haven't, then equip Cecil
with all the nifty paladin gear you bought in Mysidia (or should have). Tellah
will now have a ton of new spells, but use them sparingly. They consume quite
a bit of MP, so save them for bosses.
You'll have to walk all the way down Mt. Ordeals, but considering you need to
re-level Cecil, it's worth the trip. He should be close to where he was earlier
by the time you're back at the bottom. Rather than walk back to Mysidia,
though, go south from Mt. Ordeals till you see a little forest in the middle of
the big one. Go inside to find...chocobos! Talk to the white one to restore
your MP, and talk to any of the yellow ones to ride it back to Mysidia, monster-
free. If you bought any Gysalt Greens, you can use them in that empty space
that you can't walk in at the top of the clearing to make the big chocobo
appear. This guy will store unneeded items for you till later.
If you haven't bought all of Cecil's new gear, do so when you get to Mysidia.
Talk to the elder after you do (get some new stuff for Tellah too). Some
talking ensues, then you can use the devil's road. Enter the unmarked building
on the east side of town, step in the white circle and you'll be off!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b. Part 2 - Dash for the Crystals
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-1. The True Face of Baron
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you're back, snag yourself a hooker and...no, wait, wrong game.
Anyway, you can try to go into the castle, but it's closed off. Instead, head
to the inn. Go upstairs to find an old friend...sort of.
The two guards you fight are tough. They'll cast Mini on you, then attack for
a lot of damage. Even without Mini, they hurt. However, they're very
susceptible to status effects. Use Stop, Toad, Pig, Silence, the works, then
let Cecil beat them down, or cast a couple Fira's to get them down quicker.
After that, you'll face their boss, who's a tough cookie. Takes a while to
wear him down, but he isn't a real danger if you heal properly. Use Tellah's
-aga spells to end it faster.
Tellah explains the situation succinctly. Personally, I think it's crap.
Anyway, scenes follow, and you'll get a free night's stay at the inn. Head
out and go up to the weapon and armor shop. Use the Baron Key to get in, then
buy some new duds for Yang and everyone. The Kenpogi is stong, but expensive.
Just buy it for Yang if you want to save money. Make sure Yang has two Thunder
Claws, he'll need them soon. Get a couple Thunder Rods as well.
Now then, see those chests behind the counters? Go to the right side of the
room against the wall and walk down. You'll go through the wall. When you get
stopped, go right, then up and around to get 2000 gil from the chest on the
right, and a Rage of Zeus from the left.
With those in hand, go to the nondescript door on the left side of town. Open
it with the Baron Key and head in. You'll find yourself in an old waterway.
Fancy that.
Thunder is the name of the game here. Lots of fish monsters. Yang's pair of
appropriately-elemental claws should make him a serious ass kicker down here.
Seriously, he did 1000 damage on a non-critical hit on one of the clam things.
Use your new thunder rods when you can to conserve mana.
Head down when the path splits for a hi-potion, ether and Rage of Zeus. Then
just follow the road to the next screen. Once there, take the secret passage
south to an hourglass, then south again for Spider's Silk. Go back to where
you entered and head right. Get the Hermes' Shoes from the little island,
then walk through the secret passage in the tiny alcove to the south. Work
your way through there to the east, then just troop through the water till
you reach the next screen. Here, there will be an ether in the chest, but
there are also Baron Guards, which are just as much of a pain. When you get
the ether, move on.
On the next screen, go in the door you see for a save point. Rest and save.
Go right and up to reach the exit. You'll pop out in the back of Baron Castle,
so walk around to the right till you find an entrance. Your target is the
throne room, but you'll only make it as far as the main hall before running
into another old friend. Just kidding. He was never a friend.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Baigan
HP - 4444
EXP - 4800
Gil - 3000
Weaknesses - None
While he has no elemental weaknesses, Tellah's Bio spell will wreak havoc on
him. However, be wary. Baigan's arms regenerate, so don't waste your attacks
on those. Focus on the body. The arms will either attack or cast reflect on
Baigan, then on your party (not directly, but still). Hold back your attack
spells if you're not sure if Baigan has a reflect on him. Use a low-level spell
to test it out. Make sure to cast Protect at the start of the battle, and a
few Blink spells wouldn't hurt either. Baigan hits hard, especially against
your casters. If you really want to end it quickly, have Tellah cast Reflect
on one of your party members, then just direct your offensive spells at that
person so they bounce back at Baigan...well, at something. What they hit is
random, but eventually Baigan will run out of arms.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Whew, glad that's out of the way! Rather than run all the way back to the save
point in the waterway, go on up to Cecil's room in the tower and use his bed.
You can't save, but you can restore your HP/MP. When you're ready, head for
the throne room and confront the king! But wait! Something's waiting for you!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Cagnazzo
HP - 5312
EXP - 5500
Gil - 4000
Weaknesses - Thunder
Keep Porom healing, the boss has a tsunami attack that really hurts. As for
the rest, Cecil and Yang attack, and Tellah and Palom just pound him with
their most powerful thunder spells. Don't worry about MP, if you can land a
couple Thundagas, he'll die really fast. Make sure to hit him with a thunder
spell when he brings water up around him, because that's the signal he's about
to use his tsunami. It can be any thunder attack, so don't worry about damage.
But really, two turns from Tellah will end this. One if you're lucky.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, that's two fiends down. These guys suck. Cutscenes abound when you've
finished him off, and then...well. Let's just say Square has a thing for Star
Trek and leave it at that.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-2. Lord of the Skies, Lord of the Earth
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, woo! You got yourself an airship! What to do with it, I wonder...carpet
bombing! Maybe later.
Before you go anywhere, return to Baron. Buy a couple fire claws for Yang, then
go back to the castle. Remember way back in the beginning of the game, there
was a guy protecting Baron's more valuable treasure? It's unguarded now, so go
back there and loot the hoard! Also make sure to visit the left tower for more
loot.
There are a few places you can visit before you go to Troia, one of them being
the small town of Mithril. It's almost directly south of Fabul, if you need
directions. As the name suggests, the stores sell mithril gear, better than
what you've got at the moment, but also very expensive. It's best to just buy
armor for Cid, as he starts with almost nothing.
Troia is northwest of Baron, amidst a pretty big forest. The shops have pretty
bad stuff, especially compared to Mithril. The house up and left of the item
shop has a hidden area, but you need to buy a 10,000 gil membership pass from a
woman near the entrance. At this stage in the game, it's not worth it. I won't
say what's back there, but you have to pay extra for the good stuff...or you
would if Square would program it into the game.
Aaaaaanyway, go to the southeast corner of town and take a walk through the
little river. Head to the north side and climb out, then walk left through a
secret passage. There's a dry ether in an invisible chest here, in the lower-
right corner. That's about it for items in this town. Leave and enter the
Troia Castle.
Go forward till you reach the main hall, then head right first. You'll end up
in a small room with three stairways leading down. The left goes to the
treasure room (you can't get in) the middle leads to a storeroom with an item
in the pots, and the right lands you in another treasure room, but there's no
one stopping you from taking the stuff. Just step on the switch four times to
open all the doors.
Now return to the main hall and go up to the crystal chamber. Something seems
off. Better ask the clerics what's up. Return to the main hall and go left.
This will lead you to an old friend. You've got a lot of those, it seems.
After you're done talking, leave the castle. Don't bother boarding your
airship, the cave you want is on an island surrounded by forests, so you need
to find another way. Before you go, I would recommend fighting in the forest
for a short while. Not to level up, but the Cait Sith leopards drop a Cat's
Claw weapon for Yang, one of his best. It's rare, but at this stage in the
game it'll make him very powerful, which will be excessively useful for the
upcoming dungeon.
When you're ready to go, trudge yourself north of Troia till you find a tiny
forest. Rather than the small chocobo clearing like the one near Mt. Ordeals,
this is an entire chocobo village! Find yourself a black one to reach the
Magnetic Cave. Before you go in, make sure Tellah and Yang have Ruby Rings
equipped and not Silver Armlets (if you have them).
As you go in, you'll find all your stuff is being weighed down. This is...
pretty bad. Only Yang and Tellah will be able to fight, so be very careful
and run if you feel they can't win by themselves.
Inside, cross the bridge to get a hi-potion, then just follow the way to the
next screen (and a unicorn horn). Go left and walk along the north side of the
pit for an ether, then go back northeast and through the white door you see for
an ether and 2000 gil. From there, go left to reach the next screen.
Here, go through the nearby door for a save point. Woo! Rest up, save, move
on. Follow the path and enter the next door for a few choice items. Head left
from there and walk in the narrow path between the rocks to move on. Get the
Fairy Claw from the chest (a nice companion to the Cat's Claw if you got it)
and keep going. You'll find yourself in B4, and here, go right when the path
splits for a second save point. Definitely use this one.
IMPORTANT: Make sure at this point that you've talked to Edward in Troia! If
you haven't, go back and do so now. Otherwise, you can't proceed with the game.
When you're rested, go around the final door for an Emergency Exit, then go in.
Ah, it's the Dark Elf. How nice of him to greet us. The first is a story
battle, so don't use any big spells with Tellah. Or any, in fact. Just wait
for your doom. When that battle's over, the real one begins. Re-equip your
metal items on Tellah and Yang (if you had any) and talk to the Dark Elf again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Dark Elf
HP - 23890
EXP - 6000
Gil - 5000
Weaknesses - None
While it looks like he has a lot of HP, he takes a lot of damage. Not to
mention, his fira/blizzara/thundara combo won't one-shot you anymore. Be ready
to heal at any moment, though, because his Tornado spell will reduce any
character directly to 1 HP.
About 1/3 or so through the fight, he'll transform to a Dark Dragon. Nifty
trick, but I'm not impressed. He'll hit very hard, though, so have Tellah on
heal duty. Let Cecil back him up if he uses Dark Breath, as it'll hit everyone
for 200-300 damage. Besides that, just keep everyone healthy enough to either
withstand a hit or Dark Breath, and you'll come out clean.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, go up and claim your prize. Walk out of the crystal room and use that
Emergency Exit, or cast Warp with Tellah if you don't want to use it. Board
your black chocobo to be returned to the chocobo village. From there, either
take a yellow or black chocobo back to Troia. Rest up first, then go to the
castle to deliver the crystal.
Some scenes ensue when you take the crystal to the clerics. Talk to them
afterwards, they'll let you sack their treasure room. Do so before leaving,
there's a ton of nice items in there. Stock up on items in town before you go
anywhere. When you think you're ready, do as the voice in your head commands
and board your airship. You'll be taken...elsewhere.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-3. The Tower of Zot
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time this guide I've mentioned the proper location in the section title.
New record!
Anyway, there's no way out except through the top, so start climbing. There's
three paths at the start, but take the upper left for a Flame Mail. Go right
from there to hit 2F. If you saved the elemental claws for Yang, equip him
with fire claws. On the second floor, just follow the path and don't open the
chest quite yet. Equip Yang with ice claws if you have them first. You'll
fight a flame beast, and get a Fire Sword for Cecil afterwards. On to 3F!
Up here, either path leads to the next floor. No chests to open, which sucks.
The lower path is a little quicker, though. On 4F, walk along till the path
splits, then go up. Here you have three doors. Take the leftmost first and
you'll get a Hell Claw and a Fire Shield. The next has a Gaia Hammer for Cid,
and the rightmost will net you a Sage's Surplice. After collecting the loot,
go back to the path split and go right for the true 5F.
Enter the first door you see for a save point. Rest up, save points mean boss
battles. Move on ahead to be proven right.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Sandy, Cindy, Mindy
HP - 2591, 4599, 2590
EXP - 1875
Gil - 9000
Weaknesses - None
The trick here is killing the right one. Cindy (the fat one) will heal the
others, so take her out first. After that, just kill Mindy, then Sandy.
Granted, they don't make it that easy. Sandy will cast Reflect on Cindy,
and Mindy will bounce spells off her and onto you. Worse, Sandy will do it
each time they use the Delta Attack, so you'll end up with Reflect on your
party members. Be very careful when healing, make sure you don't cast the
spell on the entire party. Besides that, as long as you pound on the sisters,
they'll go down pretty quick.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You're movin' on up! Go back and save if you want. Oh, but make sure you take
off Tellah's gear. Just do it. No reason. When you're ready, go up to the
final floor for your long-awaited showdown! Well, not yours. You'll get to
see Tellah go all-out, though.
When you regain control, talk to Kain. The game will go back to automatic,
some romantic scenes, and you'll have control again. Before you do anything,
equip your lady friend with some gear.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Barbariccia
HP - 8636
EXP - 9000
Gil - 5500
Weaknesses - None
Check out the knockers on that wench! Be very, very careful with your attacks
here. Barbariccia will transform into a whirlwind and, like the Mist Dragon,
will counterattack whatever you throw at her in this form with something nasty.
To undo it, have Kain use his Jump. She'll cast Tornado, which reduces a
party member to single-digit HP, and this will be her choice of retaliations if
you hit her in whirlwind form. She also hits like a truck, so keep up on
healing. Stay healthy and keep fighting, she'll fall like the rest.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Victory! But short-lived, after all. It always is in an RPG. Leave and
board your airship when morning comes. The secret entrance, as it were, is
actually almost directly south of Baron. The town of Agart, that is. As far
as gear goes, the shops are pure crap. However, go straight up from the
entrance and examine the well. Toss in that Magma Rock and watch the fireworks!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-4. Through the Darkest Depths
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To reach the underworld, fly over the hole and try to land. Be warned, once
you drop down, you won't be able to come back for a bit, so make sure you've
done everything you want to do. Not that there's a whole lot of sidequests in
this game in the first place.
The airship's got troubles, so why don't you go ask the nice folks in the castle
for help? Once inside, go right in the main hall to find an inn and item shop.
You can buy remedies here, which cure all status effects, but they're a whopping
5000 gil each. As it happens, there's 5000 gil in the pot nearby. All the
other areas of the castle are closed off right now, so just go to the throne
room. Some scenes follow, then...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Calco, Brina, Calcobrena
HP - 1369, 369, 5315
EXP - 4250 (max)
Gil - 7500
Weaknesses - None
That was quick. At first you'll fight six dolls, but as you kill them off,
they'll reform into one big doll (think Mombomb in reverse). The blue dolls
(Calco) are the stronger ones, so take them out first. Actually, if you kill
the blue dolls first, then quickly finish off the red, you won't fight the
combined Calcobrena. You'll get less XP, though.
If you do end up fighting Calcobrena, she's sort of a pain. She'll confuse
your characters, which can be pretty deadly if a heavy hitter like Yang is
confused. Not just that, but Calcobrena hits for quite a bit, and can even
one-shot Rosa if you're unlucky. Have Yang use Power, Kain Jump and Cecil
just attack, while Rosa keeps everyone healthy, and it'll be over soon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As if it were ever that easy! At least Golbez is your typical villain and
completely discloses his plans and why. However, he's slightly smarter than
your typical villain. He kills you afterward.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Golbez
HP - 3750 (approx.)
EXP - 3000
Gil - 11000
Weaknesses - Fire, Holy
Okay, not really. Or at least, not at first. When Golbez first appears,
consider this a story battle. In other words, don't use any spells or do
anything crazy, but do have Kain Jump if he's able. Golbez will summon a
Shadow Dragon, which will pretty much own you. However, just in the nick
of time, an old friend appears! This happens a lot, have you noticed?
Anyway, once your old friend appears, you'll really get it on with Golbez.
Quickly resurrect everyone who died (if Kain managed to jump before the dragon
appeared, it'll be easier) and go all-out on Golbez. Summon Titan, have Kain
Jump, Cecil attack, Rosa heal, the works. Make him pay!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Aww, ain't it nice to have old friends? Especially now that she's legal!
Err, ignore that. Anyway, all cutscenes aside, you'll have a new objective:
get the crystals back! But first, let's go exploring!
The castle's been opened to you, so go back to the main hall and take the right
stairs up. You'll find the weapon and armor shops, so stock up on what you
need. Get new armor, but don't buy any weapons. Instead, take the rightmost
stairs up and open the chest for a free Dwarf Axe (they leave this stuff lying
around?) Go upstairs from there. There's a Bacchus' Wine in one of the pots
behind a hidden passage, and there's four chests on the third floor with an
ether, elixir, Power Armlet, and Silver Hourglass. You can also visit the
super-secret Developer's Room. To get there, walk between the counters of the
weapon and armor shops to reach the pub. Once there, stand on the cracked
patch of ground and walk right till you go down some stairs. Congrats, you've
found the Developer's Room. Visit the secrets section for details on what's in
there.
Now revisit the inn and climb the stairs in the lower left corner. Go upstairs
again till you reach the third floor. You'll have to wander through some
hidden passages to reach all the chests, which contain a hi-potion, elixir,
ether, and Black Belt (clockwise from the left chest).
Once you're done, go down the stairs by the innkeeper. Go right and talk to the
dwarf standing by the wall, then go through the secret passage. Go down at the
first intersection, then right at the second to get three cottages. There's no
other treasure, so continue on. When you reach the stairs leading up, the pot
just north of them will restore your HP and MP so you don't have to run all the
way back to the inn for a refreshment.
As soon as you step up the stairs, you'll be out in the hostile wilderness.
Level up here if you want, you get good XP and the water of life is nearby, and
free. When you feel you're ready, make your way to the Tower of Babel. You
have very few options as to where else to go, come to think of it.
Use a tent or cottage and save, then go into the tower. As soon as you exit
the narrow hall, go left for some ice arrows, then down for more. Go back to
the intersection and take the right path for an ether, then go straight to the
next floor.
Take the nearby Green Beret and go along the path. Enter the first room and
open the chest for a monster battle. The Security Eye will summon monsters to
fight you, and the only way to end the battle is to kill it first, then the
summoned monster. However, you can use this opportunity to level yourself up.
Let the eye summon a monster, beat the crap out of it, then let the eye summon
another. You can gain quite a bit of XP from this one battle.
Anyway, you'll get an Ice Brand for Cecil once you win. There are two more
doors, but enter the right one first for another Security Eye and an Ice Lance
for Kain. As soon as you enter 3F, get the Cat Claw from the chest and move
on. Take the path up and around for a hi-potion, then take the door to the
south up to 4F. Get the Killer Bow and Antarctic Wind, then go back down.
You'll have to circle around the entire floor to reach the true entrance to 4F.
Grab the Phoenix Down if you haven't already.
Go into the door you see when you first enter for a save point. Rest up if you
need to and continue on. Once you cross the bridge, go down for two rooms, but
only the left one has a chest. The one directly across from the bridge has the
second, and an Ice Shield. Cross the next bridge to reach 5F.
Up here, go around the winding path for an Arctic Wind. Ignore the path going
up further on and get the hi-potion to the right, then go up to 6F, then 7F
(it's a short trip). Here, go right first for another save point. The other
path will lead to a dry ether and the eighth and final floor. Prepare to
confront...the mad scientist!
In the first part of this battle, you'll face off against Lugae and his pet
robot, Barnabas. Just kill the doctor and Barnabas will self-destruct, randomly
killing one of your party. Then the real battle begins.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Barnabas
HP - 4832
EXP - 2020
Gil - 4000
Weaknesses - Thunder
Well, obviously he's weak against thunder, it's a freaking robot! Anyway,
he'll constantly poison you, so save your turns and just keep Rosa healing
each turn. Have Yang attack, Kain Jump, Rydia summon Titan, and Cecil be
backup healer when needed, but otherwise just attack. Yang won't be able to
use Power with the poison on, so if you really feel like it, you can cure him
to deal out more damage.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The reward for this battle is...Dr. Lugae's Key? Well, okay. Run like hell
down to 5F and take that upper path at the intersection you skipped before.
Go up to the door and use the key to open it, then beat the goblin captains
inside. More scenes commence, and now you'll have to walk out of the tower
entirely. Exit and Warp won't work here.
Once you make the trek, there will be more scenes, and your old friends will
act stupid. Head to Baron afterwards and talk to Cid's apprentices. They'll
attach a hook, of all things, to your airship. O-kay...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c. Trouble in the Underground
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c-1. The Ruined Kingdom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With your new hook, go back to wherever you left the hovercraft and pick it up
(press A as if you were going to land on it) and carry it southwest of Baron.
Here you'll find the castle of Eblan. Drop off the hovercraft and land. Before
you traverse the Eblan cave, visit the castle.
There's quite a bit of loot still lying around, but quite a lot of monsters as
well. Go straight into the main hall first and walk through the secret passage
to get the one remaining chest. You can't get the chests in the next room yet,
so move on. Walk through the secret passages to the left and right of the
throne to reach the previously unattainable treasures. Now go back to the
outside area of the castle and hit the left tower.
Before going anywhere, stand one square north of the door and walk right to
reach the east chest. You'll fight some undead and a golem, so be careful.
Summon Ifrit to kill the undead in one shot, then beat down on the golem. A
Sleep Blade for Cecil is your reward. It's not as strong as the Ice Brand,
but it'll often put an enemy to sleep. Up on the second floor, check the jars
for items and walk through the gap between them on the south wall to reach the
two chests. Go to the left side of the room and walk into the little alcove to
reach the chest on the first floor. Return to the second floor and leave, then
go to the right tower.
The left chest can be found through a secret passage behind the upper left
pillar. You can't get the right yet, so go upstairs. Open the secret door
and get the items from the chests and jars. The chest behind the pit can be
acquired by a secret passage up and left of said pit. However, it contains
monsters, two Coeurls and a Lamia. The former can use Blaster, an instant
death attack, and the Lamia's no slouch either. Use Rydia's Titan for a quick
win. You'll get a Blood Lance for Kain, a very nice weapon. Unfortunately,
while it lets him drain a large amount of HP with each attack, it also makes
his accuracy turn to crap. Your choice whether to use it.
Now fall down the pit to get the chest from the previous floor. Walk down to
fall into a secret passage. Follow the path and get the treasures, but be
careful of the right treasure, it's a trap. You'll fight three Mad Ogres, who
will only take 1 damage against any type of magic, even summons. They hit like
a truck, too, so don't open it unless you're ready for a big battle. Once you
take one down, the others aren't as tough. You'll receive a Silver Apple, and
whether or not a permanent 50 HP increase is worth it is your decision. Just
follow the path to leave the tunnel and the castle.
You're done here, so rest, save, board your hovercraft and ride over to the
cave past the shallows. Here you'll find a tunnel. Be ready with ice spells,
most of the creatures here are weak against it (with the exception of the
undead, and you know what they hate).
From the entrance, go down till you see some stairs. Ignore them for now and
head right. Follow along till it splits again and head down for a Vampire Fang,
then up and into the water for a Shuriken and Remedy. Now go back and take
the stairs down.
Well, golly gee, it's a whole city! The first door you see is the inn and item
shop. The second will be the weapon and armor shops. Get a Black Robe and
Ice Armor for Kain and Rydia respectively if you have the cash, and pick up a
Killer Bow for Rosa, and some poison arrows if you want. The last room on the
left has the room for the wounded and dying, and Namingway if you desperately
want to change your name right now. When you're ready to move on, the stairs
will be waiting for you.
Pick up the ether and the tent along the way to the next screen. Here, go right
and up when the path opens up for a Bomb Core, then back down. There's a secret
passage along the right side of the narrow path leading down, which will take
you to a shuriken. Go to the next screen from here.
Take the easy items and stand above the rock just north of the two chests and
walk right into a secret passage. You'll win two elixirs for your trouble.
Move on, taking items as you go.
The door immediately to your right is a save point, obviously. Left will be a
Gold Needle, and straight is the way to go home...not really, but go straight
anyway. You'll be treated to a story battle (no hope of winning) and afterward
you can take the dry ether just beyond the secret passage in the wall. Go up
to reach an old friend...no, wait, an old building.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c-2. The Tower of Babel Revisited
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edge will ninja his way into the tower (wall hack!) and you'll be ready to
rumble. Snag the unicorn horn and walk the walk past the door you see for a
silver hourglass, then go down to B2. Here, there will be a chest past the
bridge, but it's guarded by four Mad Ogres, so be ready for a big fight. The
prize is an Ogre Killer axe for Kain, fairly strong and especially deadly
against...well, ogres. Actually, it kills them in one hit. Go down to B3.
Simple path here, but be sure to grab Lilith's Kiss on the way to B4. Go right
and you'll end up at a chest with an Ahura (weapon for Edge) and a door leading
back to B3. Go right from here to find a warp device (can't use it) and a save
point. Rest up and keep going down to B5.
Down here, ignore the first bridge in the middle of the room and go past it to
a set of three smaller ones. Take the middle one to find a chest with 82000
gil! Nice bit of pocket change! Now take the bridge in the center of the room
for a meeting with...an old friend(s)! Don't bother attacking in this battle.
It's story-related (but don't lose). Afterward, Rubicante will appear. Make
sure Kain is equipped with his Ice Lance before you talk to him, and ensure
that whoever can equip ice armor, has done so. When you're ready...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Rubicante
HP - 34000
EXP - 18000
Gil - 7000
Weaknesses - Ice
This guy is one tough bastard. The most important thing to note is when his
cloak is up, ice spells WILL HEAL HIM! So very crucial, don't use said spells
when the cloak is up. He'll also counter every physical attack with a Fira
spell against the entire party, which can chip away at your HP. Otherwise, his
Glare attack is pretty much an instant kill, so be ready to pop out a Phoenix
Down or Life spell. Have Rydia use the strongest ice spell she knows, or summon
Shiva. Edge should use Flood till he has no MP left, then just attack. Rosa
is, as always, on heal duty, and make sure to cast both Protect and Shell when
the battle starts. Rubicante takes a lot of damage, so don't mind his HP total,
but if he uses Glare a lot, you'll be in trouble.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Assuming you survive (and why not?) walk into the crystal room after the scene.
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Rest up with potions, you'll need to
conserve your MP for a bit. Go up for a hi-potion, then down for the way out.
It's a straightforward path till the sixth floor. Once the path splits there,
go right for a hi-potion and left for the corrent way. Here, you'll find...
well, lookie here, an airship. Unfortunately, this particular airship won't
let you go very far, as it's not insolated against lava.
Return to Dwarf Castle and hit the inn. Take the stairs leading down next to
the inn counter and go in the first door you see. Why, it's an old friend!
And he'll reinforce your airship for you! Isn't he nice?
Anyway, now you can go anywhere in the underworld, but not back to the surface
yet. So, time for some sidequests!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c-3. Secrets of the Underworld
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At this point your average level should be around 35 or so. If it's not, take
a moment and level up, as it'll help in the next couple dungeons.
Your first stop is the town of Tomra, which is south and a little west of
Dwarf Castle. Just go south from the castle and west till you spot it. There's
a house in the upper-left corner of town with four chests for the taking,
including a Bestiary in one of the pots. The weapon and armor shops have
diamond gear, the best you'll find for a while. You should have enough saved
up to properly equip everyone, and if not, fight outside till you have enough.
The only worthwhile weapon is an Ogrekiller for Cecil, though you'll do fine
with his Ice Brand down here.
When you think you're ready, fly to an island that's in the southwest corner
of the underworld. It's the only island in the middle of all that lava, and
it's the only one with a cave in it. Land and go in.
This place actually gives the most XP in the underworld, but you need the Float
spell to survive here. The red spots on the ground will damage your party, and
unless you cast Float on everyone, you'll get hurt a lot just wandering around.
So make sure you get Rosa up to level 34 so she learns Float, then you'll be
ready to go. Just remember to cast it again every time you change screens.
First thing's first, go right, then up. Take the Phoenix Down, then go left
through the obvious secret passage for an ether. Go back right and down two
"squares" for a hi-potion, then left two squares and up for the way to B2.
Walk along till the path splits into three and go down for a hi-potion, up and
left for a cottage, then the last choice for B3. Go left, down, then left into
a secret passage. You'll pop out at three chests, with a Poison Axe and a
weapon for Edge I don't care to spell out. Go back into the secret passage and
follow it around till you end up on the right side of the floor, then pop out
for a bestiary and Phoenix Down. Go back into the passage and go up, then out
and walk to the chest. This is a monster chest, and the Warriors are weak
against thunder, so Blitz and summon Ramuh. Cast Protect and keep up on heals,
there's a lot of them and they hit hard. Your reward is the Defender for Cecil
or Kain, a very powerful sword.
Now, see the gray square below you? Go back to the secret passage and make your
way there. Step on it and you'll be transported...elsewhere.
There's an ether near where you pop out. Up from there is a bestiary, and
around the path are two chests with 5000 and 6000 gil. Take the warp pad on
north side, and immediately go back to get the Rat Tail in the chest beyond it.
Now go to the southmost chest. There will be a small outline a few steps north
of it. Go there to be warped to a hidden area. The chests to the north have
a new bow for Rosa, and other items. Now, the warp pad will send you back up,
but the outlined square below it will send you back to the world map, so be
careful. Now go down to the Land of Summons.
Up from the warp pad will be the inn. Left of that is a house with a save point
(use it) and a bestiary and Phoenix Down. Down from there is the library, but
don't enter just yet. Instead, go down for the weapon shop and get a Blitz Whip
for Rydia, and a Kotetsu for Edge. You can get Angel Arrows for Rosa if you
want, but I like the mute ones. The armor shop further on has Aegis Shields,
which shouldn't be stronger than the ice shields you have now, but they prevent
petrification, so your call. The Light Robes, on the other hand, are definite
upgrades.
Now, before you go to the library, rest and save, then go back out and fight
till Rosa learns the Reflect spell. It should be about level 38 or so. You
can level up more if you feel like it, but it isn't necessary (though the
upcoming fights are easier with greater levels).
When you're absolutely ready, go to the library and head downstairs. Step on
the warp pad and talk to the lady. Accept her challenge...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Asura
HP - 31005
EXP - 20000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Right off the bat, have Rosa cast Reflect on her. Asura will heal herself with
great rapidity, so you want her heals to be bounced onto you. As long as you
make sure Reflect is active on her, just attack, attack, attack. Summon with
Rydia, Jump with Kain, have Rosa heal when needed. Asura hits like a truck and
counterattacks every time you hit her, so make sure Protect is active on your
party after Reflect is on her. Just make sure everyone's HP is high and you'll
walk away a winner.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, bet you had fun with that, huh? It's not over. See the old man beside
Asura? That's Leviathan, the big sea snake that caused you so much trouble way
back when. Go back and rest/save, level up a tad if you want, then return and
talk to him for an even bigger battle.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Leviathan
HP - 50001
EXP - 28000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - Thunder
Blitz, Ramuh, jumps, whatever you've got, throw it at him. He'll use an attack
called Tidal Wave which, as the name implies, will hurt. A lot. He'll also
use Blizzara when his back is turned, which should be healed immediately since
you never know when he's going to turn around and drown you. This is mainly
an endurance fight due to the huge amount of HP. As long as you heal
immediately after the Tidal Wave and Blizzara spells, you'll survive.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With Leviathan in hand, you're done here. Rest, save, and either cast Teleport
or use the hidden exit detailed above. From this island, go all the way to the
northwest corner of the underworld. There will be another cave. Go on in.
The Sylvan Cave is much like the last. You'll need to cast Float every time
you change screens, or be hurt by the green spaces. The monsters aren't too
difficult with the exception of the Malboros. If you've played other Final
Fantasy games, you'll know just how tough these guys are. Fight if you want,
but the only way you'll win is with a lot of remedies. Personally, I run like
hell.
Go right first for two quick chests, then go down to B2 (the only way for you
now). Walk down and use the stairs back to B1. Use the save point to rest
(and save) if you want. Walk up and right into that narrow passage, then
follow the hidden path to the Elven Bow you couldn't get before. Return to
where you came in and go left and up for a couple more chests, then take the
new stairs down. Walk along and take the first exit you see for some items,
then go back and keep going up the original path for some stairs down.
See the chest to your left? You can walk through the wall to get it rather
than go around. Then just follow the path to find...a house. Inside is...an
old friend! They're everywhere. You can't do anything about it now, but
remember the way back here, as you'll be returning. Take the chests if you
want, but it's just what the guy had on him before he left. Now, you can
either walk back the way you came, or go upstairs and take the outlined square
warp pad out.
I would recommend warping out. It's faster. Re-enter the cave and go back to
B2. Walk up and around to return to B1 and pick up a few chests. Go back to
the exit, but don't leave yet. Walk right into a secret passage that'll take
you to an alternate way up. Make sure to cast Float and follow along the
very dangerous path for a number of items, and a hole that drops you to B3.
Walk along and go left when you can for a warp pad to...elsewhere.
Here there will be six chests, some of which have monsters inside, but the
rewards are quite good. The top chests have six Evil Dreamers, which can be
defeated with one Leviathan casting. The bottom left has two Malboros in it,
so be careful. You'll get a Full Moon, a weapon for Edge. The one next to it
has four full Malboros. Scary thought, but if you can cast Leviathan, they'll
die. The reward? The Avenger sword, though it can only be used without a
shield. The final chest has two very easy enemies, and simple rewards. Go
right and step on the warp pad to be taken out of the cave.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c-4. The Final Crystal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At this point your party should be around level 40 or so if, like me, you only
really leveled in the last two dungeons. I'd recommend reaching 45 before
going on. It'll help. Level up in the Cave of Summons rather than the Sylph
Cave. Malboros really aren't worth the headache.
Now then, when you're ready to proceed, return to Dwarf Castle and speak with
the king. With the necklace in hand, return to Tomra. The Sealed Cave is just
northwest of it. Use Luca's Necklace at the door to be let in.
Go around and climb down the rope. Examine the door to be sent into a battle.
The Trap Doors are everywhere, and you might as well get used to fighting them.
They have 5000 HP, but if you deal 4000-4999 damage, they'll transform into a
Chimera, which gives less XP. As a Trap Door, they'll first use Search, then
whichever person they used it on, that person will die. The best way I've found
to kill them as Trap Doors is to let two melee folk attack, then have Rydia
cast Bio for the finishing blow.
Anyway, kill the Trap Door, go in and snag the goodies. Get the chest outside,
then climb up the rope to the left and kill the Trap Door there to move on.
There are two chests and two doors here. Both doors lead nowhere, so just open
them if you need the XP. Go down to B2.
Take the rope directly below the entrance to get a bestiary, then go right from
the entrance. The first door you see is a dud, nothing behind it. The second
has a Light Sword for Cecil. If you already have the Defender from the Cave of
Summons, have Kain use the Defender and Cecil use the new sword, since Kain
doesn't have a whole lot of weapon options right now.
The next door down has a few nice items, but the next one has nothing. The one
after that has a save point. Rest up, save, move on. The last door has another
Kotetsu and a Black Cowl for Edge. Move on along the path and fight the Trap
Door to continue. Ignore the extra door here and take the two chests. Leave
via the south exit. Go right and around the pit to get a Bell of Silence, then
climb down the rope to the lower level. Head right and kill the door for a
pair of nice items inside, then left for another save point. Make sure to use
this one.
B4 is a simple floor. Just follow the path around the pit to hit B5. And
here, traverse the bridge and kill the Trap Door to reach your goal. Snag the
crystal and leave. What, you thought it'd be that easy?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Demon Wall
HP - 28000
EXP - 23000
Gil - 8000
Weaknesses - None
Here it's a race against the clock. You gotta kill the wall before it smushes
you to gravy. Cast Slow with Rosa right off the bat, then Protect on your
party. As for the rest, summon Leviathan and attack, attack, attack. The
closer the wall gets, the more powerful it becomes, and if it gets too close,
it's an instant death for your entire party. So pound on him and make it hurt!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Congratulations, you've gotten away with grand crystal larceny! Cast Warp with
Rydia if you want a quick way out, otherwise you'll be walking. You will have
to walk a little ways back, and on your way...take off Kain's equipment. No
reason. Just do it. At least take the Defender if you equipped him with it.
Anyway, short scene when you try to leave. Exit the cave when you have control
and go back to Dwarf Castle. Talk to the king and an old friend will equip you
with the means to go back up to the surface. When the cutscenes are done with,
exit the castle and board your retrofitted airship. Return to the spot where
you first entered the underworld (it's northeast of Dwarf Castle, that little
crater in the ground) and try to land to pop back up in the world above.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4d. Part 4 - Lunar Radiance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4d-1. One of These Days...Pow! Straight to the Moon!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, before you go to Mysidia, there are a couple things you can do. First of
all, go back to Eblan and switch to the Enterprise. Pick up your hovercraft
and fly it to Mythril. Use the hovercraft to reach the cave just to the
southeast. Give the little blue midget inside the Rat Tail to receive a piece
of Adamantite. Now return to the underworld (you can leave the hovercraft and
use the Enterprise) and go south of where you drop in. There will be a little
house amongst the mountains. Go inside and head upstairs. Talk to the
sleeping...dwarf? and give him the Adamantite. He'll take your Sword of Legend
and get to work on it. Leave for now, it'll be done later.
Return to the overworld. At this point there's an optional boss you can fight,
but he may be too much for you unless your levels are sufficient (high 40's).
If you feel you're up to it, return to Baron castle and go to the east tower.
Wander into the basement and you'll encounter...well, I hesitate to say 'friend'
considering what he'll do to you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Odin
HP - 20001
EXP - 18000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - Thunder
Like the Demon Wall, this is a speed battle. Cast Blitz, summon Ramuh or cast
Thundaga, have Rosa cast Protect, then fire off lightning arrows if you have
them. If not, just heal. In a few rounds, Odin will use his special move,
which is insta-death for your party. You just have to beat him before then.
If you can't do it now, wait till you get a fifth for your party.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With him out of the way, return to Mysidia. After some scenes, you'll be the
proud owner of a third airship. Yeah, that's right, a third freakin' airship.
What I want to know is where you're going to park these things.
Anyway, the Lunar Whale can't go underground (too damn fat) but you can take it
to the moon. Board your new ship and explore a bit. You have free inn and fat
chocobo services. Posh. Talk to the crystal to fly to the moon, or examine
the gray device just above it to fly the Whale like a normal ship. Take a trip
to the moon, why don't you?
Fly around a bit and explore the landscape. There's a cave closed off from
everything in a small valley where you'll find a bunch of Namingways. One of
them will change your names. One will sell you the best items in the game.
Bring your pocketbook, they're not cheap.
Northwest of that will be a cave in the middle of a mountain ring. This is
the Cave of Bahamut, another optional summon. You can make it through with
four if your levels are sufficient, but you'll get a fifth soon if you want
an easier time of it. I'll be covering the cave a little later anyway.
Now, east of the Cave of Bahamut is another cave, the Lunar Path. You'll have
to make your way through in order to reach the person who called you to the
moon. Enter the first cave and begin your journey.
To the right of the entrance is a monster chest with a Golden Apple as a reward.
Right of the exit are two chests with a Lunar Curtain and Stardust. You'll
exit to the moon's surface, so walk right till you find another cave. Just go
along the path to the next exit, and walk left to the Crystal Palace.
Here there are three paths. The right restores your MP, the left your HP. The
center will introduce you to your new best friend, FuSoYa. Change your order
so FuSoYa is in the back row with Rosa and Rydia. Now return the way you came
and board your Whale. Go to the Cave of Bahamut.
Here you'll first encounter the massive Behemoths, one of the strongest monsters
in the game outside the Lunar Ruins. You'll also face off against monsters from
the final dungeon in random battles. From the entrance, go down to get Genji
Gloves, then go right and walk through a hidden passage along the north side
of the wall to get a Genji Shield. Go down to reach B2.
Walk along and take the Genji Armor, then go right and snag the Genji Helm, the
final piece. Now, see that narrow bridge? You'll be forced to fight a Behemoth
to cross. It will counterattack everything physical with a regular attack, and
strong magical attacks like Meteor (which FuSoYa knows) with a Maelstrom attack
that leaves your party extremely weakened. Even so, use your most powerful
attacks, spells and summons to beat them down (except for Meteor). Continue on
to B3.
Here, there will be two more Behemoths along the narrow pathway. Take them out
as before, then cast Teleport to leave the cave. The Behemoths stay dead, so
use this opportunity to rest up, save, then go back in and speak to Bahamut
himself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Bahamut
HP - 45001
EXP - 35000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
This is another of those "kill him before he kills you" battles, except with a
slight twist. Rosa and FuSoYa should do nothing but cast Reflect on your party.
Make sure it's on everyone. Bahamut will count down from 5 to 0, then unleash
Mega Flare. If everyone has Reflect, it will only hurt him. Meanwhile, Cecil
and Edge should attack and Rydia summon Leviathan to take his HP down to the
point where it should only require one Mega Flare for him to die. If someone
gets hit, cast Life and make sure Reflect is on them for the second volley.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With Bahamut in hand, Rydia will have a place as one of your more powerful
characters. Return to your Whale and make the journey back to the planet.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4d-2. Earth is in Danger! Where's Godzilla When You Need Him?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll be dropped right into Armageddon. Enjoy the mini-movie, since you'll
get to see some old friends again! Seriously, they're stalking you.
Once inside the Giant, just follow the path till you reach the chest. Collect
the items as you go, then head up at the split to get some arrows, then left
for a siren, then up for the stomach.
Go up first for a Silver Apple, right for a Soma Drop, then the center path to
continue. Collect the items along the way, but you'll have to fight a monster
in the first box in the Inner Path for an elixir. It's not very strong, though.
At the next intersection, go left for a save point. Rest up here, then head up
to the Stairwell. Go up to meet...some old friends.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - The Elemental Lords
HP - 28000 each
EXP - 62500
Gil - 10000
Weaknesses - Varies
Well, you should know how to do this by now. They're not any stronger, so just
use the -aga spells corresponding to their weaknesses to take them out quick.
You'll face Scarmiglione first, then Rubicante, then Cagnazzo, and finally
Barbariccia. While you fight them one after the other, they're no stronger
than they were when you first defeated them. Be careful on the transitions,
though. Casting Blizzaga on Rubicante only to have him turn into Cagnazzo is
not good.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Return to the save point and rest up. Move on forward to find the true core
of the Giant.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - CPU, Attack Node, Defense Node
HP - 30000
EXP - 50000
Gil - 10333
Weaknesses - None
As FuSoYa advises, destroy the Defense Node (bottom small orb) first, otherwise
you're just fighting a losing battle. The CPU will cast Reflect on itself, so
no summons and single-target spells only. The Defense Node will die with a
couple regular hits, but the CPU will take longer. Whatever you do, don't
destroy the Attack Node or the CPU will restore both of them to full health.
This battle is mostly just long, because you have to take out the CPU with only
physical attacks. Other than that, not a big challenge.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Afterwards, much revelations! Now, time for the final battle!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4d-3. The Legend Reborn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While you may end up on the moon, return to Earth and the underworld. Revisit
the smithy where you dropped off your Sword of Legend to receive...Excalibur!
This'll make Cecil your biggest powerhouse by a wide margin. Equip Kain with
the Defender, as it's actually better than his Gungnir.
Now then, as the Namingway mushroom guy said, you can go back to Mysidia and
swap out your party. If you want, you can even attempt the Cave of Trials at
Mt. Ordeals. Wait on that until you clear through the Lunar Core and get
everyone else's strongest weapons. Oh, and if you haven't gotten Odin or
Bahamut by now, do so.
When you're ready, follow the Lunar Path back to the Crystal Palace. Step in
the center tile to be taken to the Lunar Subterrane. Here we go...
First off, go right. See that little niche in the wall? Go in there for a
hidden tunnel. Follow the long path and open the chest for a battle with two
Giant Warriors. Try to keep their HP even, then summon Bahamut to kill both
at once, or they'll self-destruct and kill people. Your reward is the Black
Garb for Edge. Now return to the entrance and go left through another hidden
tunnel. Use the warp pad and go through the door. The chest above has
monsters, but a single Bahamut summon will wipe them out. You'll get a Sage's
Staff for your trouble. Now just follow along the path till you find a
floating sword. Cast Float on your party, then examine it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - White Dragon
HP - 32700
EXP - 55000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
This boss uses Quake quite often, but with Float on you, you can just smile and
laugh at him while you beat him up. Well, not really. He hits fairly hard,
and uses Tornado on the party to weaken you up for the kill. However, as long
as you have Float on, he can't wipe you out. Keep at him, and don't mind the
Slow spells he counters with, they shouldn't hurt you too much.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your reward? The Murasame, one of Edge's most powerful weapons. Now go all
the way back to the entrance and go down from there. Grab the Fire Whip in the
hidden tunnel, and when you pop out, get the Dragon Shield for Kain and go down
to B3.
Go down past the exit and right into the hidden tunnel for a Dragon Helm, then
right again for Dragon Mail and Dragon Gloves. Go back up through the exit to
B4. Walk right past the stairs down to get some arrows, then go down the ladder
and left for an Elixir in the small room. Go back all the way right and down,
then in the little door.
Here, go up at the intersection for a White Fang, then get the X-potion at the
left by the door. Exit, and fight the Behemoth in the nearby chest for a
Stardust Rod and Power Sash. Save those for Palom and Porom. Go right and
down the stairs. The chest to the right of the next exit will have a Red and
Blue Dragon in it. Take down one as soon as you can, they're both pretty
powerful. You'll get a Crystal Shield for your blood and sweat. Enter the
nearby door.
Walk through the hidden tunnels and snag the Protect Ring along the way. Equip
it to Rosa or Rydia. When you pop out into a rather large room, go down for
another Behemoth chest with Crystal Mail. Now return to the rather large room
and exit north.
Right will be another monster chest, but with two Red Dragons. Take the Crystal
Gloves and move on. Get a White Robe from the chest around the corner and exit
north. The chest to the left will have some slightly easier monsters, but also
a Crystal Helm. Go left and enter the small room, then check the secrets
section, because this is the room with the Pink Puffs. When you're ready to
move on, take the stairs down.
Snag the items on either side and take the left stairs for a cottage. Before
you go anywhere, see that little bit of land sticking out to the left? Go there
and walk left across an invisible bridge, then through the hidden tunnel into a
secret warp pad. Mysteeeeeerious!
Get the Golden Apple from the chest and just follow along. Kill the Behemoth
in the next one for another Protect Ring. When you reach the save point, for
the love of God, use it! When you're ready, go down and examine the sword...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Dark Bahamut
HP - 60000
EXP - 64000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Like Bahamut before, Rosa needs to be doing nothing but casting Reflect on your
party. Dark Bahamut will more often than not open the battle with a Mega Flare,
so bring back anyone who dies and keep them healthy. He'll also cast Reflect
on himself, then bounce a Flare spell off of it and onto your party. If he
casts Mega Flare again, keep Rosa on Reflects and just use items with the rest
of your party to restore yourselves. Summon Bahamut, but remember that each
time you do he'll counter with Mega Flare, so you might want to wait till you
have Reflect up on everyone. Odds are you'll lose more than a few people
during the course of this battle, but as long as you keep Reflects up, you'll
win in the end.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So, what's the reward for this? Oh, just Cecil's ridiculously strong weapon,
Ragnarok. Now, go aaaaall the way back to that invisible bridge and the two
stairs side by side. Take the right one this time and enter the little door.
Snag the Minerva's Plate from the chest on the left and exit right. You'll be
down at B7. The first door you see is a save point. Use it. The next will
bring you to a certain spear...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Plague
HP - 33333
EXP - 31108
Gil - 550
Weaknesses - None
Right off the bat he'll cast Doom to your whole party, so you have ten rounds
to kill him before it's Game Over. There are two ways to do this: one is to
just take the hit and beat him before the time limit. The other way is to get
everyone but Cecil good and dead, then restore everyone one by one. Plague will
re-cast Doom each time someone comes back to life, resetting the timer.
However, it's quite possible to just beat him quickly, just attack and spam
Bahamut summons.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You'll receive the Holy Lance, one of Kain's stronger weapons. The Red and
Blue Dragons drop a more powerful weapon, but it's a very rare drop. Leave and
check out the next door down. You'll have to fight for those two chests.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunasaurus
HP - 23000 each
EXP - 29500
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
They'll cast Reflect on themselves right off, so you'll need to just use
physical attacks and Bahamut. They'll use a Flame attack against your party,
but it's not that strong. Just kill one, then the other. Cecil should be
doing 9999 damage or around that with a physical attack thanks to Ragnarok.
Fun stuff.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Go back and heal/save. The next part is really tough. Follow the path, go
down the stairs and through the door. Welcome to the final area. Here, you'll
face Behemoths in random battles, as well as other, more scary monsters.
However, this is also the best place to level up prior to the bonus dungeon, so
feel free to stick around and gain a few levels before the final boss.
Anyway, go right and follow along till the path splits. Go down to find another
floating sword, and...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Ogopogo
HP - 50000
EXP - 61000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Unlike Leviathan, he's not that weak against thunder magic. He'll use two
Tidal Wave spells in a row right off the bat, which will likely weaken you
considerably. Have Rosa spamming Curaja while Rydia summons Bahamut and the
rest do what they do best. Kain needs to be Jumping out of the way of the
Tidal Waves in case it catches you in a bad way. Otherwise, just keep on
hitting him till he falls.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From this, you'll receive Masamune, Edge's other strongest weapon. From here,
it's a pretty simple walk to the final boss. There's just a few more items to
get (all of them along the way), and a lot of battles with some very frightening
creatures till you find the big bad himself.
You gotta wait your turn, though. Watch the story unfold, then when you're
able to fight, have Edge Steal a Dark Matter, then have Cecil use the Crystal
item on the big ugly. You'll uncover his true form...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - The Final Boss
HP - 100000
EXP - N/A
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Talk about a big ugly! He has a number of attacks, all of which cause you a
great deal of pain and heartache. Big Bang will damage everyone for 2000-2500
or so damage, very bad. Black Hole will remove your beneficial magic effects
such as Protect, Haste, Reflect, etc. He'll also use Flare and Whirl (a variant
of Tornado) judiciously, so watch your heals. He'll cast Bio on the entire
party at times, which will likely knock out whoever was weakened by Big Bang
or Whirl. He can cast Meteor, but for some reason it only affects one person,
and not for 9999 damage.
Rosa needs to be spamming Curaja and Full-Life as needed. Cecil attacks and
helps with healing (use Elixirs if you really need the boost). Rydia summons
Bahamut, as per usual. Kain jumps, Edge throws whatever you've got in stock
that you can afford to lose, Edward...hides. Sorry, but after one Big Bang
Edward automatically hid for the rest of the battle. He only stopped after I
made him appear for a turn and Zeromus nuked him with Flare. Thanks, Zeromus!
If you brought the alternates, Palom should be casting Flare, Porom heals or
casts Holy, while Yang, Cid and Edward should attack or assist with healing
using items as necessary. Make no mistake, Zeromus is one tough cookie, and
you'll have to beat him with every character in order to fully unlock the
Lunar Ruins.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Congratulations! You've beaten the greatest evil the world has ever known!
In this game, at least. With this victory, you've unlocked the Lunar Ruins
bonus dungeon, which I'll be covering shortly. Enjoy the ending, it's...quite
long.
===============================================================================
5. Bonus Dungeons
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5a. Cave of Trials
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This particular dungeon can first be unlocked after the Giant of Babel, when
you can visit Mysidia and use the new party switching option. When you switch
someone out, you'll be informed that the cave of trials has opened. All the
characters who you haven't been using will have leveled up to be in range of
those you favor, so you don't have to level up twice. Wish I'd known that...
For the most part, it's not a difficult run-through in terms of random
encounters. Mostly just the monsters from the Sylph Cave, Land of Summoned
Monsters and the Sealed Cave.
On the first floor, go up to get the X-potion, then through the hidden passage
between the two rocks for a Red Jacket. On B2, go left for a remedy, then up
the ladder. At the end, go up for another item, but before you go to B3,
there's a hidden tunnel to the south, just above the rock tucked away in the
southwest corner. Down to B3!
Right away you'll see a chest taunting you. Ignore it for now and walk through
the niche in the east wall to find a Cat Hood. Further along you'll find a
remedy, then go through the hidden tunnel above the rock to the right against
the wall. Get the Funny Mask and go left to B4.
Go left at the entrance, then down to get a cottage. Directly left from that
chest will be a hidden tunnel. Snag the item and go up to the next path split.
Here, go down first to get a siren, then go back and up to reach the entrance
to B5, but go right from there first. Through another hidden tunnel is a new
piece of armor. Go back and down to the next floor.
Head left immediately to get a siren, then go up to reach the exit. Instead,
go left, and there will be a secret passage both above and below the ladder,
which will have new armor for Palom and Porom. Move on to B6.
Here, just follow along till you see a gap in the shadows along the west wall.
Obviously, there's a hidden tunnel there. Follow it around for a new helm.
Now just follow the regular path till the exit, and go south for an item, then
down to B7. Almost there.
Here the path splits into three. Left and right are both Megalixirs, which
you should take. Straight ahead is the final floor.
Go straight ahead. The save point is on the left, while the one on the right
will warp you out of the dungeon. The various weapons you see belong to your
sorta-new party members. You can only acquire a weapon if you have its
respective owner in your party (which means no matter what, you have to clear
this cave twice). Since you can fight the battles in whatever order you want,
I'll just go alphabetically. Remember that Holy and Flare are wonderful spells
here, unless the situation specifically calls for something else. The MP cost
is no trouble due to the close save point.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Death Mech (Cid's weapon)
HP - 50000
EXP - 32000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
A very easy boss compared to the rest, but not a pushover. He hits for a lot
of damage, so cast Blink on your weaker members (either Rosa/Rydia or the Twins)
and beat on him. He'll use a laser beam that'll most likely one-shot someone
in your party, and a different attack that's a guarenteed death, but if you're
fast, you won't see either one.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Gigas Worm (Edward's weapon)
HP - 55000
EXP - 32000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
You can easily attribute this guy to a more powerful Behemoth. Anything you
throw at him, he'll counterattack for about 1000-1500 damage depending on the
character. He'll attack regularly too, so don't slouch off. Make your shots
count. Big spells here, Flare, Bahamut, Holy (if you can spare a heal) use
Power with Yang, Jump with Kain, whatever. Like with a Behemoth, this is an
endurance trial.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Master Flan (Palom's weapon)
HP - 35000
EXP - 32000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
This battle's a bit of a bitch. You have to kill off some (not all) of the
flans before you can attack their master directly. If you kill them all, he'll
instantly restore them. Otherwise, he fights like the Masks up in the Lunar
Subterrane: casts Reflect on himself and bounces spells off onto you. Use
a single-target Holy to take out the two flans in front (most physical attacks
will do 1 damage, but if not, so much the better). then just pound on the
master himself. Keep Rosa/Porom healing and let Palom sit on his hands.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Storm Dragon (Yang's weapon)
HP - 40000
EXP - 32000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Like the name implies, this boss is a fan of Tornado and Maelstrom, except the
latter he uses only rarely. He does have a double attack like the dragons up
on the moon, so watch yourself. Keep Rosa/Porom healing and Rydia/Palom casting
chain Flares. If he uses Maelstrom, get everyone healthy before you do
anything, since odds are he'll follow it up by killing off two of your party
with a double attack.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - T-Rex (Porom's weapon)
HP - 60000
EXP - 32000
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
Remember the White Dragon? Cast Float on your party before the battle and
this fight will be one big joke. While he does have a fairly powerful physical
attack, as long as you don't completely ignore your HP levels, no one will die
and you'll have an easy victory. Just chain-cast Holy and Flare while the rest
beat on him. Simple.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When you beat the last boss, congratulations, your team is now fully equipped
to storm the Lunar Ruins! All you have to do is beat Zeromus with everyone
first...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b. Lunar Ruins
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quick note: park the Lunar Whale on the left side of the ruins unless you want
to run all the way around the moon on the way out. I learned that the hard way.
Unfortunately, the floors in these ruins are randomly generated, so I can't
give directions for anything but the fixed floors and character trials. Here
you'll face monsters from the Lunar Subterrane, along with brand-new beasts.
There are at least two chests with items on each floor, and while some are just
X-potions, cottages and the like, others are new weapons and armor for your
characters, so be sure to explore each floor thoroughly.
Every few floors you'll appear before a locked door, a save point and a warp
point that'll take you out of the dungeon. Each door will correspond to a
specific character, and you can enter if they're in your party and if you've
beaten the game with them in your party. If you haven't done one or the other,
then it'll remain locked. The order the trials are listed is the order you'll
face them, so skip ahead for whichever one you need. As for the fixed floors,
there are quite a few challenges you'll be presented with. They're listed in
no particular order, and for that I apologize, but since the floors themselves
aren't numbered, we'll all have to make do.
* One of my favorites (ha-ha) is the library. Here you'll need to find a
book entitled "Mysidian History." Two of the librarians around the room will
provide clues so you don't have to search every single bookshelf, so talk to
them first. The location of the book is random each time, so make sure to get
those clues!
* One floor will provide a guessing game. You'll need to watch which creatures
enter the building, and how many. The question is random, but the answer is
not. Guess correctly to win a megalixir, and the way forward. Guess wrong and
you just lose the item, but you can go on to the next floor.
* One floor will be a memory game. An old man will tell you a series of
numbers. You'll then have to hunt down the appropriate tiles and press them in
order to unlock the door.
* One floor will be...a town! You can buy arrows and shurikens in the weapon
shop, and ethers, dry ethers and elixirs in the item shop, and even rest at the
inn if you need to. To get out, just leave as you would any other town.
* Another floor has a town, but this one has much better stuff at the weapon
and armor shops. They hold the best arrows in the game, in fact, along with
the Assassin Dagger. The armor shop contains very strong armor for some
characters, though not their ultimate set. The item shop sells Megalixirs!
However, they cost 650,000 gil each. Costly, but what else are you going to
spend your money on? Go nuts, there's nothing better.
* One floor consists of teleporters. Where they take you really seems to be
random, although I'll come up with a direct route to the exit for anyone on a
repeat visit. Make sure to wander about till you get the three chests if it's
your first time, though.
* One floor will have several monsters visible on the screen. You'll have to
defeat them to proceed. Most are pretty easy, so beat them all for good XP and
items.
* One floor has a series of bridges over a pit. There are items scattered
around, including the Loki's Harp on one of the crates. Make sure to pick it
up on your way out.
* One floor has a fairy in a pool that'll restore your HP/MP. It's a nice
break, but another version of this floor has the fairy pond at the bottom of a
series of hills. They'll also give you a Megalixir, so make the trip!
* One floor has been lovingly dubbed the "Flan Floor." You'll be in a Sealed
Cave map, and two soldiers will say they should've brought a mage. Here you
can fight all kinds of Flans, including Pink Puffs, which will drop the Pink
Tail!
* One floor is the bomb floor. You'll have to cross narrow bridges with bombs
flying around, and if they touch you, you'll have to kill them. Most are easy,
but the Melt Bombs will self-destruct and likely kill someone.
* One floor presents you with an old man who will ask you questions. Depending
on how you answer, you'll receive certain items. If you've ever taken an online
personality quiz, you'll be right at home. If anyone can get the dragoon
outcome, let me know, I keep getting either ninja, paladin, engineer, mage or
monk. Stupid doors. Although, for you stat-maxers, you can choose red-blue-red
to get the monk's fruit basket, which gives a golden and silver apple for a
total 150 HP boost.
* One floor will have a guy ask you to find the platinum toad. You'll have to
both find it and talk to it (it teleports) to fight it. However, it'll cast
Toad on your entire party, and if you cast magic on it, it'll use Reflect on
itself to prevent that from happening again. Get your party up to speed quickly
and beat up the toad to get out. On subsequent visits, I've had to defeat the
same toad two or three times to actually capture it. While it sucks to have to
track down the toad again if you aren't quick, he gives you a megalixir with
each defeat, which is sorta worth it. You'll also find a Ribbon in the north-
west corner of the floor, hidden in the grass.
* One floor is a series of small puzzles. You have to acquire certain items
and present them to the doors to be let through. They aren't very difficult,
with the possible exception that, in the beginning, you need to give water to
the tree door. Other than that, just explore and pick up whatever you see.
* One floor is like the bomb floor, except with dolls. They're very strong,
so try to avoid too many battles with them if your levels are low. However, if
you kill all the dolls, a blue doll will appear by the exit. Defeat it and a
treasure box will appear, which contains Nirvana, Porom's strongest weapon.
***WARNING***
There have been many reports that this box is bugged and may freeze your game
if you open it, so hopefully you saved previously...
* One floor has a white and black mage, but their magic isn't working. This is
the opposite of the Flan floor, you'll need physical attacks and summons to
take down the monsters here. One thing to bear in mind here is if you have
Cecil and Cid's weapons from their respective trials, the Holy and Flare
effects will reflect off the monsters and hit you instead.
* One floor has a man who will warn you of a dragon. The beast he speaks of is
Brachioraidos, and he'll wander the open spaces between tunnels on this floor
(he teleports between them), but he moves slow and if you're patient, you won't
have to fight him. You can run if you accidentally run into him, too. If your
levels are low, I'd recommend against fighting because he's a pretty nasty
creature. If you do want to fight him...well, he deserves a boss space. Skip
ahead to the final trial if you want to have a go at him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-1. Yang's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before you go anywhere, cast Float on your party. Right off the bat you'll be
facing an army. Several armies. Use big spells and big summons to take them
out, and don't be stingy with Yang's Kick. The monks you fight will become
increasingly stronger, so make sure to cast Protect at the start of each battle,
and heal as needed. If you don't have elixirs or extra ethers, you'll be in a
bit of trouble since you have no opportunity to use a cottage, and near the end
you'll be in one battle after another. Then you'll face the master of this
little training camp...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Titan
HP - 120000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
Obviously he has a powerful physical attack, and he also uses Earthquake. Use
Yang's Power, and summon/heal/attack as normal. With Float on your party, this
will be fairly simple. Much easier, in fact, than the monk battles. Just keep
your health near full, since he can deal a decent amount of damage in one hit.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your reward is Yang's Discipline Armband, which changes his Power attack into
Deadly. This particular attack triples his damage, a very handy tool.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-2. Edward's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quick story battle will sort of illustrate what you need to do. The spirits
are all around the castle, and you need to release them all properly. To do
that, kill the spirit once or twice, then use Edward's Sing command to send the
spirits to the afterlife in fashion. Go through the castle clearing spirits,
then return to the first floor and there will be a new spirit. Releasing that
one will take you to a new area, with a few more that'll need to be assisted.
Once you've cleared that floor, go down to the final level and you'll face...a
familiar boss.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Shiva
HP - 100000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - Fire
Cast Shell and Protect as soon as you can. Shiva will cast Ice Storm, Blizzaga,
all the really nasty stuff. Ice Storm does 2000-2500 to each of your party,
while Blizzaga does about 1500-2000 to a single person. Shiva will counter
regular spells like Firaga and Flare by casting Blizzaga on herself, but Bahamut
doesn't trigger it if you have Rydia. Blizzaga also only heals about 2500 each
time, so if you can deal more than that, don't be afraid to hit her a few times.
Try to keep Edward up if you can, but even at level 67, Ice Storm was an instant
KO for him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The item you'll receive is the Harmonious Ring, which will drastically improve
Edward's defensive powers and make him...shall we say, not quite as sucky?
It'll change Sing to Chant, which will put Protect and Shell status on the
entire party. Saves your white mages some turns, at least.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-3. Rydia's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rydia will undergo some reverse growing pains, then it's off through the creepy
cave of doom! For the purposes of this trial, Rydia will remember the few white
magic spells she learned in the beginning of the game, and lose a few of her
summons. However, she retains her powerful black magic and the almighty
Bahamut, so use them as needed. Go forward till you reach an open space, then
go left and down. Follow the path till you encounter an old face.
Ifrit is technically a boss, but he's very easy to beat, as are most of them.
Dealing with Ifrit is a simple matter. Cast Blizzaga and beat on him, and heal
if needed. His fire attacks don't deal a lot of damage, and his physical
attacks are quite manageable. Defeat him to regain him as a summon.
Return to the large open space and take the bottom right path. At the end
you'll find Shiva, who is no stronger than Ifrit, just a different element.
Don't bother casting Flare, it actually deals less damage than Firaga. Return
to the center room and take the upper left path. Cast Float on your party
before talking to the little yellow beastie, because it's Titan.
Titan can be a handful, since his physical power is pretty high. However, if
you cast Float on everyone, his Earthquake won't hurt you. After that, just
pound on him till he dies. Go back and take the upper right path to find
Ramuh.
Your last lost summon isn't any stronger, he just has no apparent weaknesses.
Defeat him the same as Titan, then take the center path through the fog. Use
MP-recovery items if you have them. You'll face a very old friend...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Dragon
HP - 105000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
Remember way back in the beginning of the game? This is that Dragon. He has a
fairly powerful physical attack, and he'll poison your entire party. It'll
disable certain special moves, so cure it on affected people and just heal the
others when needed. Like the Dragon way back when, this guy will turn to mist
and anything you throw at him will be a guarenteed miss. He'll then counter
with a rather deadly attack. Just watch your attacks and don't use timed
actions like Power, Jump, whatever. Short-cast spells are fine, though.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Mist Ring for Rydia will improve the power of her summoned creatures, which
becomes slightly outdated the more you level up. More importantly, when you
summon Dragon, it'll put your entire party in a one-hit Blink status. A little
cheap, but hey, who says you have to play fair?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-4. Cecil's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll be told you have to prove yourself as a paladin. Well, okey-dokey!
Your task is to face and complete five tests of honesty, righteousness, all the
virtues of a paladin. Unfortunately, the tests are random, so I can only give
advice for the ones I managed to see. Feel free to send in info on the other
tests.
* Bullied pig. Talk to all the kids to save him and move on.
* Lost Golden Apple. Find it and give it back to the man, but don't use it or
go to the next room without returning it. If you're redoing the trial for fun,
feel free to eat the apple.
* Burglar. Don't agree to keep quiet and kill him.
* Cursed goblin. Cross a long bridge and talk to the monster to fight a goblin.
He claims he's cursed. To pass the trial, don't attack and just wait for the
curse to be lifted.
* Drowning child. Just go into the water and save him.
* Guard duty. Just wait there, don't check the chest or go to the next room,
the man will come back eventually. You can move around if you want, just don't
do anything bad.
* Guard duty part 2. This time you'll be asked to guard the gate, and you
can't move or speak to anyone. Very simple, just stand still for a while.
Naturally you'll be tempted by a chocobo that drops a shiny object, a boy being
chased by bombs, that sort of thing. Just don't move and it'll be over soon.
* Storytime. A man will tell you about his golden pan and fall asleep. Just
go to the next room, don't try to take it.
* Broken vase. You'll enter a room and notice a vase on a table. Examine it
and it'll break. Admit to breaking it to pass the test.
* Castle under siege. The castle will be under attack by three Giant Warriors.
Kill them all to pass the test.
* Missing chocobos. A little girl will ask you to retrieve her chocobos.
There's five of them, none of which are terribly difficult to catch. Get them
all before moving on.
If you complete your five tests correctly, you'll receive Lightbringer, Cecil's
strongest sword in the game. If you did any wrong, you'll get a different
sword depending on how bad of a paladin you are. You'll even potentially get
Cecil's swords from his Dark Knight days. Then you'll fight Odin again, but
this time, he's a little different.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Odin
HP - 95000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - Thunder
Again, this is a timed battle. Odin gives you a few turns, then slams you for
4000 or so damage to your entire party. Odds are, this will kill a few people.
Cast Protect before this and keep everyone at full health at all costs. If you
have Yang or Cid in the party, they'll likely survive along with Cecil. Keep
Yang/Cid attacking while Cecil brings back your white mage, who can Full-Life
people. If you can't keep your party alive long enough, or Odin's Zantetsuken
is one-shotting your entire party, then you'll need to level up before facing
him. That's just the way it is.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lightbringer is a pretty cheap weapon, quite frankly. It'll randomly cast
Holy when Cecil attacks, enabling him to do more than 9999 damage in a single
turn. But hey, who's complaining?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-5. Rosa's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Horrible things happen. Just another day in the life of an adventurer. Now,
this event is timed, and you'll face the boss either way, but if you cure
everyone before time is up, you'll receive an item for your trouble. Some of
the townsfolk are monsters in disguise, and they really eat up your time, so
here's how to avoid them.
Cure the soldier to the left to start the timer. Go left and cure the pig.
Go up (ignore the pig on the right) and cure the soldier. Go up and cure the
mini-ed kid. Now go right and up to cure the pig, then up and left and de-
stone the old man. Head right and cure the frog, then cross the river and
follow it down and left. Cure the stoned man, go right and cure the soldier,
go right and up to cure the woman, down to cure the frog, down into the river
and cure that frog, then follow along the river to find the final frog
(I think). No matter what, you'll face the big ugly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Asura
HP - 130000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
This fight has a bit of a twist. You'll want to cast Reflect on YOUR party now!
Asura will slam you with -aga spells, so get those Reflects up quickly if you
want to live. She'll also cast Curaga on herself, but it only heals about 2000
or so damage, and she does more than that with her spells. Just keep Reflect
up and use items to heal Asura's physical attacks, and you'll win this battle
easily.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your reward here varies depending on how many people you saved. You'll get an
elixir if you only saved a few, a megalixir for a decent amount, and if you
saved everyone, you'll get Rosa's White Ring. This changes her Pray ability
into Miracle, which has a 100% chance of healing the party, and a small chance
of healing everyone for 1000 or so and casting Esuna on everyone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-6. Edge's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like whoever designed this trial was smoking something. Can't quite say
why Edge claims it a ninja's playground...I don't recall any ninjas running
around fractured castle mazes.
Anyway, getting through this with your sanity intact is no small feat. First
thing's first, you need a key. Walk around till you find a purple door. It's
locked, so go left and enter the left of the two double doors. The right
switch opens the first secret door and the left summons a palace guard, but it
drops a key you'll need, so make sure to fight at least one. The leftmost
switch opens the second door, which gives you access to the stairs. Go up two
flights and talk to the king. He won't take kindly to that.
Go back upstairs. There's a flaming wall in your path, so Edge will use his
leet wall hack to get through...except the end result is less than satisfactory.
Be careful here, the floors are cracked and they'll drop you down if you step
on them too many times. Step on the red switch to open the door (ignore the
paper that says Right 4, it leads nowhere). Cross the next couple patches of
cracked floor and go down. Read the note carefully and follow the instructions,
then check the next. This one's a little more complicated, but remember that
your goal isn't that green door.
If you make it across the pit, then go down past the three staircases and go
left across the cracked pit. Ignore the purple switch and go down till you
find a door. Walk through, then back in. Now step on the switch and you'll
be able to cross back safely. With this done, you've opened the purple doors
all over the castle, which means you can get back to this area a little easier
if you fall somewhere.
Now then, the teal switch has two cracked floors protecting it, so there's no
way to go back safely, but press it anyway. Find the way out of there and
make your way back to a purple or teal door. From there, return to the teal
switch and go through the same-colored door to the north, and up the stairs.
If you got the key from the palace guard, use it here to reach the pot if you
want. It will restore your health.
When ready, go right and down from the stairs, through the wall, then stand in
that little niche in the wall. From there, go down till you hit a wall, take
two steps left, down again, left into visibility, then just follow the tunnel
till you pop out into thin air, except you won't fall. From there, take one
step left, two down, then left till you find a door. Open it up (you should
have plenty of keys) and go through. Go up and right from there, walk through
the wall and open the door there. Go through and walk through the wall to the
left. Now go up, right through the wall and up into midair...or is it?
Enter the big double doors in front of you, and you'll be right back with the
lord of the castle. Let him know how you feel about all this bullplop.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Ifrit
HP - 110000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - Ice
Hoo-boy, time for some payback! Ifrit will, of course, use Flame, Glare (does
about 1500 damage or so) and he counters each of your physical attacks with his
own. Blizzaga is returned with Glare, which isn't very nice of him. Cast
Shell and Protect on your party, then toss out the usual bit of Blizzagas,
Bahamuts, what have you. Edge's Flood ninjutsu doesn't do that much, so just
throw any extra shurikens (they aren't countered). Healing is very important
in this fight since Ifrit will counter your physical attacks, and hard. Don't
be afraid to let Cecil or one of your other purely physical people (Cid, Edge,
Kain) heal with items or what have you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The reward for all this pain and suffering? Hanzo Gloves, which improve Edge's
evasion by 10% (and give a decent defense boost). It also changes his Steal
command to Plunder, which is the same thing, except you damage the enemy as you
pick their pockets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-7. Kain's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kain will have to go this one alone. Before you do anything, make sure he's in
the back row for later. Speak to every single person to continue the trial,
then visit the inn. In the morning, take the Blood-Soaked Lance and go outside.
Speak to Cecil, then the soldier by the dead man. Cecil will join you in the
inn, but only one will come out...
Visit the training room (the small building north of the item shop) then talk
to Rosa's mother to make it dusk. Sleep at the inn, but this time you'll get
to wander around in the middle of the night. Cecil's a little Rosa-happy, so
go find her in the north part of town above the waterfalls. After the scene,
speak to Cecil, then sleep at the inn.
The next day, return to Rosa's house for a scene. Afterwards, return to where
you found Rosa and check that big white obvious X. Go back and sleep at the
inn, where...hey, that looks familiar. When you regain control, talk to the
guard at the door. Sleepy-time...for about half the night, then leave the inn
and follow the clues!
Return to the inn, except...well, what's that doing there? Take it and leave
the inn. Follow Cecil, and you'll find out who's behind all of this. Now,
here you have two choices. Say yes to be dumped out of the trial with nothing
but a bad taste in your mouth, or no to fight the true mastermind!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Bahamut
HP - 50000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
This battle is actually pretty tough, and not just because you only have Kain
to fight with. To avoid the Mega Flare (instant death) you can either select
the Jump command when he says 2, or use a Lunar Curtain to put Reflect on Kain.
I recommend the latter, because Lunar Bahamut will counter your jumps with
physical attacks, and eventually you'll run out of HP. If you don't have a
Lunar Curtain, you just might be out of luck. If that happens to be the case,
stick Kain in the back row (either before or during the fight) and just Jump.
It may take a while, but he'll die.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You'll receive two rewards for this: Dragoon Gloves and Abel's Lance, Kain's
strongest weapon by far. It will change his Jump command to Double Jump, which
is almost guarenteed to be a 9999 hit. It makes his Jump a little more viable,
since before it took quite a while for a relatively weak damage increase.
Abel's Lance also has a magic effect like Cecil's Lightbringer. Randomly on
hit, it'll cast Tornado, weakening any monster considerably, even bosses!
However, it's pretty rare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-8. Cid's Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one's pretty fun. You have to do an airship version of Crazy Taxi. If
you've never played that before...well, you should, it's a great game.
Anyway, first stop is Mysidia. If you don't know where that is, go either
south or north till you hit familiar territory. it's pretty hard not to find
it in the time given. Once you're there, you'll have to go to Troia. From
Mysidia, go west till you hit the entrance to the underworld, then north to
Baron, then just northwest to Troia. Next stop is Fabul, and just go west from
Troia till you hit the desert. From there, Fabul is obvious.
Kaipo's next, for a wedding no less. Again, this should be obvious, Kaipo's
the desert town you just passed. Except there's a twist! You can't land next
to it! Instead, land on a small patch of grass to the north and walk the rest
of the way. The next (and last) stop is Agart, which is the town south of
Baron near the entrance to the underworld. Thirty seconds is cutting it a
little close when you have to walk back to your airship, but you should have
enough time if you know where to go. With that last drop-off, you'll face the
self-proclaimed lord of the skies.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Ramuh
HP - 90000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
He'll counter physical and magical attacks alike with Thundaga and Blitz
respectively, but not special skills like Throw and Summon. He'll also use a
Lightning spell that hits everyone for a fair amount. Because he counterattacks
so much, heals need to be a priority. If you don't have Rydia, spam Flare,
attack with whoever and keep Shell up along with lots of Curaja. As long as
you stay healthy, he'll bite it eventually.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You'll receive Cid's Fiery Hammer, his best weapon. A pretty nice reward for
a relatively simple trial. It'll randomly cast Flare when he attacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-9. The Twins' Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously a trial for twins will involve them going their separate ways to
solve a larger riddle. Either go left or right and talk to Palom (or Porom)
to start the trial.
You start with Palom. Press the blue switch on the wall to open Porom's door.
Press L or R to switch characters and open the door on Palom's side. Stay with
Porom and go through the door. Ignore the yellow switch for a second and go
right. Step on the blue feather, then walk across the cracked ground and
press the switch at the end. Change to Palom and go through his door. Walk
left and step on the toad switch, then follow the toad from earlier through the
crack in the wall.
Switch to Porom and step on the yellow Mini plate. Walk through the door and
you can sidle through the tiny hole. Go right and de-Mini, then go up and hit
the switch for Palom, then become a pig and go through the door. Go around to
the left and step on the blue switch, then change to Palom.
Go up one screen, become a pig, then go to the next screen and head left to
find a Mini plate. Step on it and walk through the hole, then de-Mini and hit
the switch. Go left (still a pig) and walk through the door. Step on the
Toad and Float plates and go right till you can de-Pig. Go through the hole,
then left and step on the switch. Switch to Porom.
Make sure you just have Pig status, then keep going till you find a Float plate.
Cross the cracked floor, then step on the second Float plate to remove your
wings. Go right, then down through the door. Hit the switch on the way to the
next door on the right. Enable Toad and go up through two frog holes. Left
will be a green switch, but nothing will happen...yet. Switch to Palom.
Go back down and left over the cracked floor, and through the newly-opened door.
Take up Mini and return to the tiny hole. Go through and step on the green
switch to open the way. When you regain control, just go forward to find the
true test.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lunar Leviathan
HP - 135000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - Thunder
He'll open the battle with a Tidal Wave, and keep on casting it periodically.
Cure everyone, then put up Shell and Protect. Thundaga is almost guarenteed to
be a 9999 attack, and Leviathan won't counter it. He will, however, judiciously
cast Blizzaga while his back is turned. Even worse, he'll use Maelstrom, which
absolutely needs to be cured right away. He'll also Entangle (paralyze) one
person, which should also be fixed ASAP. Honestly, this guy's one of the
tougher bosses, since an untimely Maelstrom can really screw you over. Just
keep up with heals and pound on him with Thundaga, and perservere.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The loot for this final trial will be two Twin Stars. Equip them to the twins
and their Twin attack can randomly unleash Double Meteor. Yes, Double Meteor.
Not going to ask why Porom knows Meteor and not any other black magic...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b-10. The Final Trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I lied. There are two optional bosses here, one of which is very
rewarding, while the other is...well, not. The first is Brachioraidos, the
dragon that patrols one of the floors of the Lunar Ruins. The floor is random,
and out of about five trips down I saw him once, so he's a little rare. He's
also very, very strong. Even at level 70 he nuked my ass several times before
I got him (although your level really doesn't matter, for reasons explained).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Brachioraidos
HP - 180000
EXP - 65000
Gil - 65000
Weaknesses - None
He'll use Glare right at the start, which will do 9999 damage to one character.
He hits fairly hard (1000-1500 or so). He'll either attack one person, or two
for the same amount (still around 1000). Even worse, he'll do a countdown, and
unleash Mega Flare at the end. If you stop the countdown by attacking him,
he'll cast Reflect on himself, then do a Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga combo on
anywhere from 1-3 characters. How many is random, but if they're hit, odds are
they'll die unless they have gear that's resistant to magic. And, if you've
played your cards right, he'll enter Globe 199 counter mode, where he hits a
random character with instant death as a counter to absolutely anything and
everything. This is no joke, this guy's the optional boss of the game, and you
know what that means: he's a right bastard.
A good deal of the information here was provided by Terence of the message
board, so great thanks to him. Now, there are two main strategies for this
fight, and one cheese method. If you like cheese, skip the next few paragraphs.
Otherwise, read on.
For both, cast Slow on Brach at the start to give yourself more time before his
countdown. If you have protect rings, make sure your white mage(s) are equipped
with one. If, on the off-chance, Brach enters Globe 199 counter mode, simply
resurrect people, but don't heal them. They won't survive his counter either
way, so it's much easier to have them brought back to life, attack, and die
again than to waste MP healing.
The first strategy is similar to Bahamut and Wyvern. Simply unload on Brach
with summons, attacks, special attacks, everything. However, your white mage
should be casting Reflect on the entire party. When Brach initiates his
countdown, let it finish and have the Mega Flare bounce off you and hit him.
Then, just continue beating him up. Repeat till dead.
The other strategy is a little more sloppy, but it still works. If you're
having trouble getting Reflect on everyone for whatever reason (not enough time
before the countdown, for example) then simply don't use summons on Brach, at
all. Regular, special attacks and magic are fine. When the countdown starts,
attack him to interrupt it. He'll cast Reflect on himself and use his
triple-aga combo to kill a few people, but as long as you didn't summon before
the countdown, he won't go into Globe 199 counter mode. Just resurrect your
fallen and continue beating on him, and he should go down eventually.
Now, the cheese method involves Kain's Abel's Lance. It triggers a Tornado
spell effect on any monster, including bosses (like Brach). It will also only
trigger on a normal attack, so you can't have Kain jumping. This will, in fact,
reduce the entire fight to a one-hit kill. However, the Tornado effect is rare.
Hell, in all the times I've fought Brach, I've never seen it go off. But, it
works, so there you go.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The reward for killing Brach is a Hero's Shield, which is...well, let's just
say it's worth the effort if you can beat this bastard. It increases all stats
by a lot and it changes your current magic resists (whatever you may have) into
absorb status. So if you're resistant to lightning, you'll now be healed by
lightning attacks. Plus, it can be used by everyone! Yes, even your mages,
who don't normally use shields, although at least half your team won't want to
use it since they either use two weapons, or a two-handed weapon. Anyway, once
you beat this guy, it should become easier each time, so don't be afraid to
face him next time you encounter his floor. The shield is just that good.
Now, at the very bottom of the ruins, the 50th and final floor, you'll find a
rest and save point. A little ways ahead of that will be the master of the
ruins, and your final test.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Zeromus EG
HP - 200000
EXP - N/A
Gil - N/A
Weaknesses - None
He'll start the battle with Big Bang, then cast Toad and Mini on your party, so
have Ribbons equipped to as many people as possible. A particularly nasty trick
is Whirl, which reduces your HP to the single-digit level, not a good thing when
Big Bang is slowly draining your HP. Usually this will mean a death unless you
can deliver a cure or item promptly. He also uses a Quake/Flame/Blitz combo,
so cast Float either before or during the battle to save yourself some healing.
Problems mount up, though. He'll cast Reflect on himself if you use regular
spells, so either bounce some off your own party or just summon with Rydia.
If you have a weapon that has a magic effect (like Cecil's Lightbringer) don't
let him attack after this, or someone's going to get hurt, and it won't be
Zeromus. Cast Reflect on one person in your own party if you only have Palom
and need to deliver Flares.
If you really want to be a bastard, use the Grimoires you've acquired through
the trials. They'll do all sorts of nasty things, including inflict Mini, Toad,
and basically just hand you the victory. If you're worried about using up
a one-time item, each Grimoire can be re-acquired by redoing each character's
trial.
Otherwise, it's mostly the same as Zeromus, with the exception of the various
new combo attacks and the status changes. Use your best attacks and, despite
his incredible HP count, he'll go down.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your reward? A nice, warm feeling inside. Seriously. That's all. Supposedly
there's more, but I haven't found it. There will be a warp pad that will take
you out of the dungeon, and considering this is the final floor, you may as
well take it. Congratulations, you've thrashed the big baddies!
===============================================================================
6. Secret Stuff
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6a. The Developer's Room
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can first uncover this little secret after you visit the underworld and
face Golbez for the first time. Walk between the counters of the weapon and
armor shops to enter the pub. In there, stand on the cracked patch of ground
and walk right through a secret passage and down some stairs.
The Dev Team's Office is a pretty fun place. Obviously you can converse with
the various team members that made Final Fantasy 4, and you'll also randomly
encounter Katsuhisa Higuchi in the form of a bomb. Attack him to make him
self-destruct and deal 1 damage to a random character. He'll give you 50 gil
and a Magazine item. You'll also fight Kiyoshi Yoshii, who will let you know
of his impending fatherhood, then retreat. There's also Akihiko Matsui, who
scans you, then himself (with hilarious results!)
The stairs lead down to the break room, and the door on the right side is the
music room. Both contain more developers to speak to, and a lot of harps in
the latter.
*** From RANDMTHOTZ: You sometimes encounter Hiromi Nakada in the form of a
Lilith type enemy. She has 60,000 hp and only takes 1 damage no matter what you
hit her with. Whenever you attack her she says, "You're so clumsy!" then uses
Slap on you. Eventually the mangers says "how about you Hiromi" then she dies,
you get 120 gil and a maiden's kiss. Also you can find Hiroyuki Ito as the
Puppet Master enemy. He complains that you woke him up so he uses sleep on
himself, then the battle ends, if u are able to kill him you get 5 gil and
2 exp. And you can find Kazuiko Atoi in the form of a Baron Soldier. He asks
if you want to hear his violin, then it automatically says "not really." He
says fine, then the battle ends, no exp or gil.
The dev room is an interesting diversion, but not a place to spend an afternoon,
obviously. Although if you have dreams of making video games, this is what you
can look forward to. Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6b. Special Summons
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are certain hidden summoned monsters in this game that Rydia can learn
to call on. The easiest to get is the Sylphs. After you discover a certain
someone in the Sylph Cave and return to the overworld, talk to his wife to
receive a means of waking him. Return to the Sylphs and wake your special
friend, and the Sylphs will let you summon them. If you never wake that certain
someone before a certain event, you can still get the Sylph summon. Just go
back to the little house in the cave and talk to the fairies.
Asura and Leviathan are easy to find, but not to acquire. You'll have to go
through the Cave of Summons, then find them in the Land of Summons below, then
defeat them. Bahamut is challenged on the moon, in a cave surrounded by a
circular mountain range. See the walkthrough for boss strategies on these
three.
The other summons aren't quite so simple. These include the Imp, Bomb,
Cockatrice, and Mage summons. These can be learned from items that drop from
monsters of the same name, and are a very rare drop. Prepare to fight a lot of
them before you ever see the items, though really they're just there for the
sake of completion. Bahamut remains the best summon in terms of pure damage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6c. The Pink Tail
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Near the end of the game, in B5 of the Lunar Subterrane, is a small room. It's
shaped like an upside-down L and only has a single chest in it...or so it seems.
This tiny room is the only place to find and fight Pink Puffs. These Pink Puffs
are a rare encounter, and will very rarely drop a Pink Tail. Now, why would you
spend hours and hours trying to find and defeat these creatures for this silly
little tail?
The Pink Tail can be taken to the tail freak (where you brought the Rat Tail)
and exchanged for the Adamant Armor. This armor is, without a doubt, the
absolute best you will find in the game, Lunar Ruins included. The benefits of
this armor are too numerous to list, but rest assured, if you're lucky enough
to be able to equip a character with Adamant Armor, odds are they'll become
immortal.
===============================================================================
7. Acknowledgements
===============================================================================
Thanks to you, the reader and gamer, for taking the time to read my faq.
Thanks to Terence for the info posted about Brach. No idea how he figured it
all out...
Thanks RANDMTHOTZ for some extra encounters in the developer room.
Thanks to Philip Corbett for fixing an error in the pink tail section.
Thanks to Square-Enix and the development team responsible for creating this
masterpiece.
Thanks to CJayC and Gamefaqs for hosting it.
===============================================================================
8. Copyright Info
===============================================================================
This file is Copyright (c)2002-2006 to its respective author, namely myself.
All rights reserved.
This file 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, except www.gamefaqs.com. 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.
To contact me for permission to use my FAQ on your website, e-mail me here:
[email protected].
