FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS (PSP) FAQ & WALKTHROUGH
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M; @ T A C T I C S
T h e W a r o f t h e L i o n s
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS FAQ %
% Version 4.32 %
% by Fritz Fraundorf %
% qumarsh@gmail.com %
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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%%%%TABLE OF CONTENTS%%%%
To jump to any section of this FAQ, press Ctrl+F to Find and type in the code
(beginning with 00) next to the section title.
I. Revision History 00rev
II. Frequently Asked Questions 00faq
III. Basic Mechanics and Tactics 00basic
Important Statistics 00stats
KOed Characters & Crystals/Chests 00ko
Turn Order & Charging Abilities 00ct
More on Magicks 00magick
Using Items & Equipment 00using
Moving Around a Battlefield 00move
Undead Units 00undead
Recruiting & Using Chocobos and Monsters 00mon
Tricks Related to Specific Abilities or Items 00tricks
Menus 00menu
IV. Walkthrough and Battle Strategies - Main Quest 00walk0
Chapter I: The Meager 00walk1
Chapter II: The Manipulative & The Subservient 00walk2
Chapter III: The Valiant 00walk3
Chapter IV: In the Name of Love 00walk4
V. Walkthrough and Battle Strategies - Subquests 00sub
Agrias's Birthday 00agr
Gollund Colliery 00col
Recruiting Balthier 00balt
Nelveska Temple 00nel
Recruiting Cloud 00cloud
Disorder in the Order 00dis
Lionel's New Liege Lord 00lio
Midlight's Deep 00md
VI. Multiplayer Modes
Melee Mode - General Information 00melee0
Melee Mode - Treasures 00melee1
Rendezvous Mode - General Information 00ren0
Rendezvous Mode - Treasures and Ranking 00ren1
Rendezvous Mission Strategies 00ren2
VII. Jobs and Abilities
Job Requirements (Quick Reference) 00req
General Information about Jobs 00job0
Standard Jobs 00job1
Story Character Jobs 00job2
Job Statistics Comparison 00jobstat
Monster List 00job3
Enemy-Only Jobs 00job4
VIII. Ability Strategies
Ability Combos 00abil
Character Strategies 00char
Party Strategies 00par
IX. Statistics and Leveling
Bravery and Faith 00brave
Exp, JP, and Gil 00exp
Quickly Gaining Exp and JP 00quick
Automated Leveling 00auto
Level-Downs and Stat Grinding 00down
X. Equipment and Items 00equip
Weapons 00weap
Shields 00shield
Headgear 00head
Body Armor 00armor
Accessories 00acc
Items 00item
XI. Finding Items
Treasure Hunter & Traps 00treasure
Poached Items 00poach
Shop Chart 00shop
Rare Item Locations 00rare
Throws from Enemy Ninjas 00throw
Missable Items and Events 00miss
XII. Errands
General Information About Errands 00err0
Errand Types & Preferred Jobs 00err1
Errand List 00err2
Artefacts, Wonders, and Zodiac Stones 00arte
XIII. Random Battles
Overworld Random Battles 00over
Midlight's Deep Random Battles 00mdrb
Special Random Battles 00special
XIV. Other Game Information
Zodiac Compatibility 00zodiac
Party & Boss Zodiac Signs 00boss
Status Changes (Quick Reference) 00status1
Status Changes (Detail) 00status2
Elemental Affinities 00elem
Weather Effects & Ivalician Calendar 00weather
Learning Magick from Being Hit 00hit
Arithmeticks Chart 00arith
Bugs and Glitches 00bug
XV. Miscellaneous Reference
FMV Movie List 00fmv
Music and Soundtrack 00music
Did You Notice...? 00dyn
Generic Character Names 00generic
Final Fantasy Series References 00ffr
Character Birthdays & Ages 00bday
Game Credits 00gamecred
XVI. Version Differences
PSP Changes & Regional Differences 00changes
Name Conversion Chart 00names
Sound Novels 00sound
XVII. Postscript
Some Additional Resources 00addl
FAQ Credits & Disclaimer 00cred
********************************************************************************
I. REVISION HISTORY 00rev
********************************************************************************
---Version 4.32 (6/30/09)---
- I realized the explanation of the Japan-only text adventure games was kind of
scattered around the FAQ, so I've created a short extra section that explains
them. Since "sound novel" is the more widely used term for these games, I've
also switched over to using that. Thanks to fftwiki.com and Play Final
Fantasy Tactics ( playshinra.com/fft ) for plot information on Enavia
Chronicles, and Tuffy da Bubba ( geocities.com/tuffydabubba ) for plot info.
on the other three sound novels.
- The Dragon and Whale Whiskers are both winnable in Melee Mode.
- The enemy Luso in the "Brave Story" mission will sometimes cast Ultima, which
is another chance to learn it.
- Two music-related updates:
> The "Bear to the Ball" music track is used in the sound novels, which
solves the mystery of where this track gets used. I've updated the music
tracklisting. Thanks to akireyou's YouTube channel -
http://www.youtube.com/user/akireyou for helping me figure this out.
> Rhodan ten Kleij points out there's a music track that plays during the
"Requiem" story event that cannot be found in the sound test nor the CDs.
- In the various discussions of Faith, I've made two clarifications:
> Faith always makes allies' healing magicks more effective on you (which
would be one reason NOT to lower Faith).
> While having a low Faith makes using a Fell Sword stronger, Faith does not
affect the damage that Fell Swords do to YOU.
- Made a couple of additions to Basic Mechanics:
> I added a second mention of the trick of using weak attacks like Stone to
trigger Auto-Potion and other healing abilities. (It was already
described in Ability Combos.)
> I remade the "Miscellany" section into a "Menus" section, and put the
Quick Unequip trick there.
> Noted that the Square button can be used to rewind text and scroll through
lists faster.
> The Start button can be used to exit out of a scene you're replaying.
---Version 4.31 (6/26/09)---
- Clarified or corrected the effects of many monster abilities:
> Goblin Punch and Explode both do damage based on the difference between
the user's current and max HP, just like, say, Vengeance.
> Bloodfeast drains 75% of the target's max HP, making it the strongest
"drain" attack.
> Bomblet is a PHYSICAL attack when used by a Bomb, but a MAGICK attack when
used by Grenades and Exploders.
> Featherbomb is a magick attack.
> Vampire drains 25% of max HP and has a 100% hit rate for inflicting
Vampire status.
> Ectoplasm, unlike most monster attacks, cannot be blocked with
Shirahadori.
> Leaf Rain and Tri-Breath do NOT depend on the user's Bravery, unlike most
basic monster attacks.
> The Malboro abilities Goo and Lick both have 100% success rates.
> The Dragon's Tail Sweep does variable damage.
> Twister does damage based on the target's max HP, just like Gravity.
> Malboro Spores always turns targets into a rank I green Malboro (not an
Ochu or a Greater Malboro), and the target's equipment is lost.
> While Bio and Bioga both deal damage and inflict status, Biora changes
status ONLY.
- Thanks to Kwing for the heads-up on Malboro Spores, and to Joe Davidson's
http://code.google.com/p/lioneditor for most of the other corrections.
- Updated the Melee and Rendezvous Mode rules to note that Malboro Spores does
not permanently change a character into Malboro in this mode (although it does
work for the duration of the battle).
- On a final Malboro Spores-related notes, Malborized characters surprisingly
retain their original "help message" quotes. I've added this to the Did You
Notice...? section on character quotes.
- The Healing Staff can also be won in Rendezvous Mode.
- There are actually two maps with water of depth 4: the other (besides the Fort
Besselat Sluice) is Orbonne Monastery. Thanks to Piers* for this pointer.
---Version 4.30 (6/24/09)---
- I've updated the equipment list with a new column: the level at which generic
enemies will start carrying the item. Thanks to the always-superlative Battle
Mechanics Guide by AeroStar and colleagues for this info.
> Also updated the rare items list to note that, specifically, generic enemy
Archers must be at least level 37 to carry the Artemis Bow.
- Redid the requirements for unlocking Dark Knight throughout the FAQ to be more
clear about a couple things:
> It's easy to overlook getting Geomancer to job level 8 because you can
actually master the job at job level 7.
> You don't need to pick up the crystals/chests from the 20 enemies you kill;
you just have to kill them. Thanks to Thanapon Teawsangsuk for pointing
out that this was unclear.
- Updated the Frequently Asked Questions and the Midlight's Deep walkthrough
to be more clear about how items are lost permanently (you picked up the
Phoenix Down) or are NOT lost permanently (you finished the map without
touching the tile).
- Updated the Midlight's Deep walkthrough to make it more clear that the Rod of
Faith is one-of-a-kind (and definitely not something you want to miss!).
- Further updated the information on riding chocobos to clarify that, when on a
Chocobo, you use your own Speed rating (not the chocobo's). But, your own
Movement Abilities are not used, only the chocobo's, so you can't have a
Teleporting chocobo.
- Kwing points out that several enemies cheat by equipping Ribbons in their
accessory slots. This includes Aliste and Bremondt, plis Agrias, Delita and
Argath in the Rendezvous Mode missions. (The Ribbon is a piece of *headgear*,
and is normally female-only.) I've noted this quirk in the appropriate battle
strategies.
- Updated both the Melee Mode and Rendezvous Mode item lists to note (in both
cases) that there is a DIFFERENT set of multiplayer items in the other mode.
(Older updates not listed.)
********************************************************************************
II. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 00faq
********************************************************************************
---Basic Mechanics--------------------------------------------------------------
Q. I just started the game; how do I learn new abilities?
A. New abilities are "purchased" using JP, which you earn from any successful
action in battle. You earn JP separately for each job, so earning JP as an
Archer only lets you buy Archer abilities. (Gaining JP also eventually
unlocks new jobs for you to use.) To buy abilities, on the map screen, open
the menu (with Triangle) and enter the Party Roster screen. Then point to a
character, press Triangle to open the menu, and choose Abilities. The in-
game tutorial, available from the title screen, can walk you through this
step-by-step. If you check out the "Exp, JP, and Gil" section of this FAQ,
you'll also find tips on maximizing your JP haul, though you don't *need*
them at the start of the game.
Q. How do I use items like Potions or Phoenix Downs?
A. Items are used with the Items command, which belongs to the Chemist job. So,
switch one of your characters to a Chemist -- or assign Items as a secondary
Action Ability.
To learn how to use each type of item, the character must also learn the
ability that goes along with it. For instance, to use Phoenix Downs, you
must first learn the Chemist's "Phoenix Down" ability. These abilities can
be bought on your status screen using JP (Job Points) earned by using the
Chemist job.
Q. How can I revive a dead character?
A. If the character is simply KOed (lying down with a red counter over his/her
head), you can use a Phoenix Down, the White Mage's Raise/Arise spells, or
the Monk's Revive. Or, finish the battle before the counter expires and the
character will also be restored.
If the counter counts down past 0, the character will turn into a treasure
chest or crystal. Once this happens, the character is gone for good and
there is unfortunately NO way to revive him or her, ever. You may recruit
replacement generic characters from the Warriors' Guild in any town. Special
story characters are irreplaceable if killed.
Q. What do the Bravery and Faith statistics mean? Do I want high or low
Bravery and Faith?
A. A high Bravery is almost always good. It increases your chance of using
Reaction Abilities, and makes certain weapon types (fists, knight's swords,
katanas, and most monster attacks) stronger. The only advantage of low
Bravery is that it helps you find rare items with the Treasure Hunter
ability, but you can just keep a single low-Bravery character for that
purpose.
Faith makes a character's magicks stronger and makes allies' healing magicks
more effective when used on the character. But, it also makes enemy magicks
do more damage when used against you. So, generally, you'll want your
magick users to have high Faith (to make their magick stronger) and
characters not using magick to have low Faith (to defend them from enemy
magick).
See the Bravery and Faith section for more specific details, as well as tips
on raising/lowering Bravery and Faith.
---PSP Version Changes----------------------------------------------------------
Q. Is Cloud still in this version of the game, like he was in the PSone
release?
A. Yes. In fact, you can actually recruit him earlier than you could before.
Q. What's new in the PSP version of the game?
A. Check out the PSP Version Changes section - just hit Ctrl+F and type
in 00changes to jump to that section of the FAQ.
Q. Aren't there some new jobs added to the PSP version that weren't in the
PSone version?
A. The PSP version of FF Tactics has two new jobs. To make a character into an
Onion Knight, simply get their Squire and Chemist jobs up to level 6. The
other new job, Dark Knight, is trickier to unlock. To become a Dark Knight,
the same character must fulfill ALL of these three requirements:
1. Master Knight and Black Mage by learning all the abilities.
2. Earn enough JP to raise the Dragoon, Geomancer, Samurai, and Ninja jobs
to job level 8. While it's possible to master Geomancer without
getting it to job level 8, you MUST continue to earn enough JP
to get to job level 8 if you want to unlock Dark Knight.
3. Kill 20 enemies with the character. Just KOing them does NOT count;
they must turn to chests or crystals. (And poaching does not count!)
It doesn't matter whether or not you actually pick up the crystals.
Yikes! :-)
Q. What are the new subquests in the PSP version? How do I access them?
A. There are three new subquests in Chapter IV, one revolving around Beowulf
and the others revolving around Agrias. Beowulf's subquest is available
after returning Reis to human form at Nelveska Temple and after completing
Mullonde Cathedral in the main storyline. (Press Ctrl+F and enter 00lio to
jump to the section with all the details on the Lionel's New Liege Lord
quest.)
Agrias has a couple of different subquests. First, if you still have Alicia
and Lavian, the Tynar Rouge event can be accessed on 1 Cancer. Second,
after Mullonde, travel to Zeltennia to open up another battle accessed via
the Tavern at Gariland. For details on these events, press Ctrl+F and
enter 00agr to jump to Agrias's Birthday or 00dis for Disorder in the
Order, respectively.
Q. How do I get the new equipment in the PSP version?
A. The Tynar Rouge is obtained from the Agrias's Birthday quest, and the Mirage
Vest and Ras Algethi come with Balthier. All the other new items can only
be obtained as prizes in one of the multiplayer modes. Some items can only
be found in Melee Mode and some only in Rendezvous Mode; see the respective
sections or the Rare Items List for a complete list.
---Character Recruitment--------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I recruit Luso and Balthier?
A. Luso is recruited automatically in Chapter III as part of a story event. You
CANNOT miss him! He'll join in a story event midway through the chapter, as
you head through the Zeklaus Desert after revisiting Orbonne Monastery.
There is NO way to recruit him any earlier in the game.
Balthier isn't available until you've completed the battle at the Free City
of Bervenia in Chapter IV. Any time after that, read the "Rash of Thefts"
rumor at the Gariland tavern, then go to the Dorter tavern and read the
"Call for Guards" rumor. Win the battle that ensues when you try to leave
town and Balthier joins.
Q. How do I get Cloud to join my party? And where do I find his sword?
A. See the "Walkthrough - Subquests" section of the FAQ. You need to complete
the Gollund Colliery, Nelveska Temple, and Recruiting Cloud quests in
sequence.
Q. I didn't buy the flower when I had the chance. Can I still get Cloud?
A. Unfortunately, it seems that you have only one chance to buy the flower. If
you declined to buy it, you are not able to get Cloud, or complete the other
sidequests that depend on the flower. Sorry :(
Q. How do I recruit monsters?
A. Use the Orator's Entice or Tame abilities on the monsters. If you switch to
another non-Orator job, you'll need to also equip the Beast Tongue support
skill to use Entice on monsters. (For more information, see "Recruiting
Monsters" in the Monsters section.)
---Equipment & Items------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I get the Genji equipment? Can I steal it from the boss who has it?
A. Unfortunately, you can never steal from that boss in the PSP version, so he
gets to keep his Genji gear to himself. Alas! However, you CAN get the
Genji Armor and Masamune from the new "Lionel's New Liege Lord" subquest.
Press Ctrl+F and enter 00lio to jump to the guide for that quest.
Q. How do I get good items / more items in multiplayer?
A. You'll get better items the higher your character level and (in Rendezvous
Mode) the more difficult the mission you complete; most of the new items can
only be obtained at a pretty high level. Winning Melee Mode battles and
completing Rendezvous Mode missions with fewer characters deployed and more
enemies KOed increases the NUMBER of items you get, but doesn't change their
quality.
Q. How do I get the lipstick accessory (Tynar Rouge)?
A. First, you need to keep Agrias, Alicia, Lavian, and Mustadio on your roster
until Chapter IV. Once Chapter IV begins, travel back and forth between
Gollund and Lesalia until the calendar says 1 Cancer. If you have at least
500,000 gil and are standing on a town (NOT a castle) when the calendar
turns 1 Cancer, you should get the scene where you acquire the Tynar Rouge
accessory.
Q. Where do I get all the Zodiac Stones?
A. You'll find a list at the end of the Artefacts, Wonders, and Zodiac Stones
section -- press Ctrl+F and 00arte to jump there. Be warned that this list
contains some spoilers.
Q. I completed an errand in a bar, and received an Artefact or a Wonder of the
Ancient World. What does it do?
A. Nothing! These are just for decoration :)
---Poaching---------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I poach enemies?
A. Equip the Thief ability Poach and kill a monster with a regular attack.
Then go to a Poachers' Den in a trade city and you can purchase what
you've poached. Note that Poachers' Dens are NOT available in all cities;
only Dorter, Warjilis, and Sal Ghidos have them, and they don't appear until
the start of Chapter III.
Q. The guy at the Poachers' Den won't talk to me, or says the store is out of
inventory.
A. To get inside the Poachers' Den, you must first poach at least one monster.
(See the question above for instructions on poaching.) Also, if you've
already bought up all the items that you poached, the Den will say they're
out of inventory and there won't be anything for you to buy. So get
poaching!
---Midlight's Deep & Treasure Hunter--------------------------------------------
Q. Where is Midlight's Deep?
A. After you finish the battles at Mullonde Cathedral, go to the Port City of
Warjilis. You will see a scene at the bar, then the way to Midlight's Deep
will appear.
Q. How do I beat / find items in Midlight's Deep?
A. See the cleverly-titled Midlight's Deep section of the walkthrough ;) .
Just hit Ctrl+F and type in 00md to jump to that section of the FAQ.
Q. How do I use the Treasure Hunter coordinates you've included in each battle
strategy?
A. Use the analog stick (in the lower left of the PSP). Every time you tap it
left or right, the perspective changes. Rotate the perspective until the
specified corner is the bottom of the map. From this corner, use the LEFT
and UP buttons on the D-pad to move to the cursor to the correct tile. See
the Treasure Hunter section (hit Ctrl+F and enter 00treasure ) for a more
detailed explanation.
Q. I missed an item in Midlight's Deep. What can I do?
A. If you didn't touch the treasure tile at all, you can just go back to the
same floor and try again.
If you picked up the Phoenix Down from the treasure tile instead of the
"good" item, I'm afraid the good item is gone forever--even if you leave the
map and re-enter. You'd have to restore to a previous save to get the item.
Q. I landed on a treasure tile in Midlight's Deep, but I sprung a trap instead
of getting a treasure.
A. This might happen for one of two reasons. Either the character doesn't have
the Treasure Hunter ability equipped, or someone (either yourself or an
enemy) already took the treasure off the tile. Unfortunately, once EITHER
item is taken from a tile (i.e. the good item OR the Phoenix Down), BOTH of
the tile's items are gone forever.
Q. What's this about a treasure tile at Mount Bervenia that you can't get?
A. Yep, there's a treasure tile programmed into Mount Bervenia that you can
never actually get. To get it, your Treasure Hunter would have to stop on a
tile filled with lava. The only abilities that let you do this are
Lavawalking and Levitate, neither of which can be equipped simultaneously
with Treasure Hunter. Float magick and gear like the Winged Boots do NOT
work because they only allow you to move THROUGH lava on the way to another
tile, and never allow you to STOP on top of lava.
The tile only has a Flameburst Bomb and X-Potion anyway, so don't sweat it.
---Specific Battles-------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I beat Wiegraf?
A. If you have a Chameleon Robe, equipping that will stop his sword techniques.
(Otherwise, try using Auto-Potion or Mana Shield to protect yourself.) Run
from Wiegraf and keep using the Tailwind ability to boost your speed. Repeat
until you are getting seven or eight turns in a row, then start using Focus
to raise your attack power. When you have high attack power, just attack and
KO Wiegraf. Against Belias, run up and attack him repeatedly. (If you don't
have these items or abilities, check out the Chapter III walkthrough for a
slew of alternate strategies, as well as a place you can find a Chameleon
Robe *during* the battle.)
Q. How do I win at Golgollada Gallows?
A. The easiest strategy is to immediately start climbing up the wooden gate
behind you. Once you get up on top, you can use magicks, bows, and guns to
attack the enemies from above. Try to use status ailments like Disable to
reduce the number of enemies attacking you at once. For a more detailed
strategy, see the Chapter II walkthrough.
Q. How do I beat the Lionel Castle Gate?
A. There are two main methods: One is to give Ramza the Chakra ability and have
him use it every turn. The other is to use Teleport to warp outside the
gate. Either way, don't open the gate until the fight outside is finished.
To help beat the enemies outside the gate, equip Rubber Boots to block their
lightning-elemental weapons. For more tips, see the walkthrough for Chapter
II. Press Ctrl+F and type in 00walk2 to jump there.
Q. I just got ambushed at Dorter in Chapter IV. What's the deal?
A. If you have a Meliadoul, there's an optional battle at Dorter as you go from
Limberry to Eagrose. (This battle is new in the PSP version.) There's not
really anything special to earn in this battle, so you can either fight your
way through it, or walk around Dorter to reach Eagrose. After you clear
Eagrose, the ambush will disappear.
Q. I got into a random battle and was facing a weird set of enemies. Is this
some special event? What's going on?
A. Each wilderness location has a "special" random battle that you can randomly
encounter at low odds in Chapter IV. These special battles pit you against
unusual enemy parties -- mostly collections of human enemies. You don't get
anything special for winning these battles and they have no relation to the
story, but they can be an interesting extra challenge! For a list of all
these special battles, see the Random Battles section.
---Jobs & Abilities-------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I unlock the _______ job?
A. I've put together a Quick Reference chart with all the job requirements;
press Ctrl+F and enter 00req to get there.
Q. I'm having trouble unlocking Dark Knight. What am I missing?
A. It's pretty tricky! To make a character into Dark Knight, s/he must meet
ALL of these three requirements (in any order):
1. Master Knight and Black Mage by learning all the abilities. Make sure
you've actually used your JP to buy the abilities.
2. Earn enough JP to raise the Dragoon, Geomancer, Samurai, and Ninja jobs
to job level 8. While it's possible to master Geomancer without
getting it to job level 8, you MUST continue to earn enough Geomancer
JP to get to job level 8 if you want to unlock Dark Knight.
3. Kill 20 enemies with the character. Just KOing them does NOT count;
they must turn to chests or crystals. (And poaching does not count!)
It doesn't matter whether or not you actually pick up the crystals.
There is no way to actually see how many enemies a character has killed, but
just keep on killing until the job unlocks.
Q. How do I use the Samurai's ability Iaido?
A. First learn the ability you want to use. Then buy several of the
corresponding Samurai sword. During battle, you can use the ability if you
have the appropriate type of sword in your inventory (NOT equipped). Note
that this may break the sword, so I'd buy several copies.
Q. What job should I use for the best HP? The best attack power?
A. I've added a Job Statistics Comparison chart to the FAQ to quickly compare
each job's stats. Ctrl+F and 00jobstat will get you there.
Q. Why don't my Reaction Abilities always work?
A. For almost all Reaction Abilities, the chance of using the ability is equal
to your Bravery stat. Use Ramza's skills or an Orator to raise the
character's Bravery and your Reaction Abilities will activate more.
Q. I've learned all the abilities for one of my jobs, but it still doesn't show
up as Mastered. Why not?
A. Ramza's Squire job, and Luso's Game Hunter job also require that you learn
their hidden Ultima ability. The Summoner job also requires that you get
the Zodiark summon. See the FAQs below.
Q. How do I learn Ultima?
A. Only Ramza and Luso can learn Ultima. Ramza or Luso must be in their base
job; then, if someone casts the spell on him, he will learn it. (As long as
just one of the two characters learns it, you can have him cast it on the
other to learn it later.) The best time to learn the spell is from the
assassins outside Limberry Castle in Chapter IV, but you can also have Luso
learn it on the Riovanes Castle Roof in Chapter III, from Ultima Demons in
other battles, or from another player in Rendezvous Mode. (The guest
character during the final battle can also learn Ultima if it's cast on her.)
Q. How do I learn Zodiark?
A. You can only learn Zodiark from Elidibus, the boss of Midlight's Deep, by
having him cast it on one of your Summoners. Equip the Mana Shield ability
to survive it. (You only have a random chance to learn the spell when
you're hit with it, so you might not learn it the first time you're hit with
it, but the odds are definitely in your favor!) If you don't get the spell
in Midlight's Deep, the only other place to find Elidibus is in the Brave
Story multiplayer mission.
Q. What's the deal with Onion Knights? They seem horrible. Is there any way
to make them stronger?
A. Actually, yes. The Onion Knight's job level goes up as you master other
jobs, and if you can get the Onion Knight up to job level 8, they'll become
more powerful. Also, if you play the game's multiplayer modes, you can earn
some powerful "Onion" equipment that only Onion Knights can equip.
Q. What's the best team to use?
A. Well, you can win the game with all sorts of different combinations of
abilities and characters, so feel to experiment and find a team that suits
your play style :). If you're looking for a quick victory, Agrias,
Orlandeau, and Balthier (and Mustadio, before you get Balthier) are all very
powerful. Construct 8 is also quite good for simply playing through the
single-player game, though it ends up being less useful at higher levels.
For generic characters, the Dark Knight is the best overall physical fighter
and a Black Mage with Arithmeticks and all magicks learned is the best
overall mage. Before you unlock those jobs, I like Ninjas and Monks for
fighting and Chemists for healing. Monsters, in general, are not too useful.
For specific strategies for configuring individual characters, see the
Ability and Character Strategies section.
---Miscellany-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Are there items or events in this game that I can permanently miss? What do
I need to do to see them?
A. I've put together a Missable Items and Events list -- just press Ctrl+F and
enter 00miss to jump to that section.
Q. Help! I beat the last boss and the game said it was saving afterwards, but
when I load up my last save, I'm just at the last boss fight again. Can I
go anywhere else?
A. Unfortunately, no :(. The game clear save is just to unlock some of the
multiplayer missions. If you want to continue roving the world map, you
need to keep a separate save from before you began the final sequence of
battles.
Q. Is there a way I can quickly gain levels?
A. Sure, see the Quickly Gaining Exp & JP (00quick) for strategies for this.
With the right magicks, it's even possible to make this process completely
automatic! But keep in mind you never *need* to do this to finish the game.
Usually, a change of strategy should be enough to get you past the next
battle and you don't need to spend time leveling if you don't want to.
Q. How do I ride a Chocobo?
A. Move the character onto the same square as the Chocobo. Riding a Chocobo
will expand your movement range and protect you from status ailments.
Otherwise, you have the same abilities as when you are on foot.
Q. Is there any kind of New Game+ mode, so that I can start from the beginning
but keep all my levels and items?
A. Unfortunately, no. FF Tactics dates back to a time before this feature
started becoming common in RPGs. Whenever you start a new game, you always
have to start from scratch.
Q. One of my characters is threatening to desert the team. What do I do?
A. This is happening because your character has either a very low Bravery or
a very high Faith. To keep the character from leaving your roster, make sure
the character's Bravery or Faith doesn't get any more extreme. To stop the
threats, use Orator skills to increase the character's Bravery or lower
his/her Faith. (Note that neither HIGH Bravery nor LOW Faith will ever cause
a character to desert.)
Q. Why don't any of the characters have noses?
A. Your guess is as good as mine. Some genetic defect or something, I suppose.
********************************************************************************
III. BASIC MECHANICS AND TACTICS 00basic
********************************************************************************
Final Fantasy Tactics includes a pretty extensive in-game tutorial that explains
most of the basics of gameplay like fighting in battle, changing Jobs, equipping
items and abilities, and gaining levels.
You can access the tutorial from the title screen (just choose "Tutorial"), or
during the game by choosing "Tutorial" from the map screen menu.
To avoid wasting space in the FAQ, I'm not going to duplicate everything that's
already covered in the in-game tutorial. Instead, I'll use this section to
cover a few mechanics that the tutorial doesn't really mention, as well as a few
standard tactics for almost any battle!
%%%IMPORTANT STATISTICS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00stats
---EVASION RATES---
You've probably noticed that the status screen features *three* numbers for each
character's evade rate. The first number, C-Ev, comes from the character's
current class/job. The second number, S-Ev, comes from the character's shield.
The final number, A-Ev, comes from the character's accessory (i.e., cloaks).
You also have separate evade rates for evading physical attacks and evading
magick attacks.
For physical attacks, your evade rate depends on which direction the attack is
coming from. C-Ev is only effective against attacks from the FRONT. Shields
(S-Ev) are effective against attacks from the front and side, but NOT from the
back. A-Ev is effective against ALL attacks.
For magick attacks, S-Ev and A-Ev are effective against all attacks regardless
of direction. No job actually has a magick C-Ev greater than 0, so magick can
be evaded only with a shield or cloak.
You can plan your attacks with these evade rates in mind. If an enemy has a
shield, attack him or her from behind. (If an enemy doesn't have a shield,
attacking from the side or behind are equally effective.) If an enemy has a
high overall physical evade rate, use magick -- or guns, which ignore evade
rates completely. Equipping the Archer's Concentration ability will completely
prevent your physical attacks from being evaded. And, of course, positioning
your own characters so that their backs/sides can't be attacked helps you evade
enemy attacks.
Some status conditions affect evade rates. If you're Blind, the enemy's evade
rate is doubled versus your physical attacks. If you're Defending, YOUR evade
rate versus both physical and magickal attacks is doubled. Of course, since
these conditions only double an existing evade rate, they have NO effect on
attacks with a 100% hit rate. (So, attacking from behind is often still
effective even if you're Blind or the enemy is Defending!) Finally, while
you're charging up a magick spell or other ability, your evade rates versus both
physical and magickal attacks drop to ZERO!
The Shirahadori, First Strike, and Archer's Bane reaction abilities stop attacks
outright and are independent of evade rate.
---BRAVERY AND FAITH---
Bravery and Faith are two really important statistics that each character has.
They're so important, in fact, that I've created an entire section about them!
See "Bravery and Faith" under Statistics and Leveling for a full description
of how these statistics work.
In short, a high Bravery increases a chance of a character using his or her
Reaction Abilities and raises your attack power with certain kinds of weapons
(fists, knight's swords, katanas, and some monster attacks). A high Bravery is
almost always a good thing to have! The only benefit to a low Bravery is that
is improves your odds of finding good items with the Treasure Hunter ability,
but even the "good" items are rarely worth picking up.
Faith affects a character's affinity for magick. Having a high Faith stat
makes your offensive magicks do more damage, your healing magicks restore more
HP, and your status change magicks more likely to succeed. It also makes your
allies' healing magicks more effective when used on you. BUT, it also makes
enemy magicks more effective against you! You'll want your magick-users to have
high Faith (so their magick is most effective), but you may want your other
characters to have low Faith so they are less susceptible to enemy magicks.
---ZODIAC SIGNS & COMPATIBILITY---
Each character has a fixed Zodiac sign. Each sign has "good" or "bad"
compatibility with certain other signs (in some cases, the compatibility depends
on the characters' genders). In short, having "good" compatibility with another
character increases the damage you do, the HP restored by healing abilities, and
the success rate of status magicks. Having "bad" compatibility does the
reverse.
Aside from the bosses, enemy Zodiac signs are generally random, so it's pretty
hard to plan your deployments around Zodiac signs. However, you can sometimes
exploit your Zodiac signs within a battle to squeeze out a little extra damage
against.
See the Zodiac Compatibility section under Other Game Information for a more
detailed treatment of Zodiac signs.
---MEN ARE FROM IVALICE, WOMEN ARE FROM SPIRA---
Human characters in FF Tactics can be either male or female. Overall, the
differences between genders are fairly small. However, men and women do differ
in a few ways:
INITIAL EQUIPMENT: Male recruits start with a Broadsword, Leather Cap, and
Clothing and cost 1500 gil; female recruits start with a Dagger instead of a
Broadsword and cost 1400 gil. The 100 gil difference is due to the fact that
the Broadsword costs 100 gil more than the Dagger.
JOBS: Males get the Bard job, while females get the Dancer job. They also
differ slightly in how they learn Move +3 and Jump +3: Males get Move +3 from
Bard and Jump +3 from Dark Knight, while females get Move +3 from Dark Knight
and Jump +3 from Dancer.
STATS: Males tend to have somewhat more HP and Physical Attack power, while
females tend to have somewhat more MP and Magick Attack power. There are no
gender differences in Speed.
IN BATTLE: Some Zodiac compatibility calculations depend on the gender of the
characters involved. In addition, the Thief's Steal Heart and Balthier's
Plunder Heart only work on characters of the opposite gender from the user.
EQUIPMENT: Bags, hair adornments, lip rouge, perfume, and the Minerva Bustier
can only generally be equipped only by female characters. (Male Onion Knights
can also use all of these items, and Cloud can equip hair adornments.) There
are no male-exclusive items. These female-only items include some of the best
items in the game, such as the Ribbon, Tynar Rouge, and Chantage -- which means
that in the long run, female characters tend to end up more powerful than males.
%%%KOED CHARACTERS & CRYSTALS/CHESTS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ko
---KO COUNTDOWN, CRYSTALS, & CHESTS---
A character who's been KOed (lost all his or her HP) has a countdown over his
or her head that ticks down to his or her death.
The countdown starts at 3 and counts down to 2, 1, 0, and finally death. The
countdown ticks downward each time the character's "turn" comes up. (Of course,
you don't get an actual turn when you're KOed.) This means that characters with
higher Speed will have a faster countdown.
When a character's KO countdown counts down to death, the character permanently
dies and turns into either a chest or a crystal that someone else can pick up.
> Chest: This contains an item -- either a consumable Item, or a piece of
equipment that the character was wearing. (Monsters will only yield
consumable Items, which makes these chests pretty poor.)
> Crystals: Picking up a crystal gives you a choice of EITHER fully restoring
your HP and MP, OR learning some of the dead character's abilities.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the cursor only points to one of the
abilities on the list. If you select Acquire Abilities, you will learn ALL
the abilities listed. This makes collecting crystals a great way to learn
abilities quickly! (Since monsters don't have any abilities you can learn,
crystals from monsters only allow you to restore HP/MP.)
A character who is currently KOed with a countdown can be cured with many
different abilities (e.g. Phoenix Down, Raise, Revive, etc.) or by completing
the battle before the countdown expires.
However, there is NO way to bring back a character who has been turned into a
chest or crystal (aside from reloading from a previous save).
If you're trying to get a particular item equipped by an enemy, one way to
improve your odds of it dropping in a chest is to use the Knight's Arts of War
skills (or the Unyielding Blade skills used by some story characters) to break
the enemy's other equipment before you KO the enemy. Or, you can just use Thief
abilities to steal it, of course :).
---REVIVE THE LIVING---
Annoyed by long charge times for Raise spells? Well, who says you can't start
charging the spell before the target dies? If somebody's low on life and you
know they're going to die, start charging up Raise or (preferably) Arise.
And if they fail to die for Arise, kill them and the Arise will bring them
back to full health! (why waste the spell?)
---DISMISSAL VIA CRYSTAL---
If you have a character you're going to dismiss anyway, you can instead send
him or her into a battle, get him or her killed, and have one of your other
characters pick up the crystal. This will allow the other character to at
least learn some of the "dismissed" character's abilities, and you were going
to remove him/her from your roster anyway. (There's only a random chance of
getting a crystal, but you can keep trying this until you get a crystal.)
Of course, doing this will count as a Casualty on your Chronicle screen, so if
you want a spotless save file, you won't want to use this tactic.
%%%TURN ORDER & CHARGING ABILITIES%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00ct
---CT GAUGE & RAPID TURNS---
The CT gauge controls when each character gets a turn. When your CT gauge
fills, you get a turn. (Unlike many Final Fantasy games, there is no real-time
ATB element here. The CT gauge does not fill when you're looking at a menu.)
Your character's Speed determines how quickly the CT gauge fills; raising your
Speed will get you more turns!
Normally, you can both Move and Act during a turn. If you do both, your CT
gauge empties to 0. However, if you do only ONE and then select Wait, your CT
gauge only drops back to 20, and if you do neither (just Waiting out your
turn), the CT gauge drops back to 40. This means that you can get turns much
more quickly! So, you shouldn't have each character always Move AND Act if
they don't really need to do one or the other. Using Wait to get extra turns
like this is a CRUCIAL tactic on maps where you're outnumbered and need to get
as many turns as you can. Have your characters attack while remaining
stationary whenever possible.
(The Immobilize and Disable status conditions, which prevent you from Moving
or Acting, respectively, actually penalize your CT gauge as if you DID Move
or Act. Alas.)
The Haste status makes a character's CT gauge fill faster and the Quick magick
makes it fill to 100 instantly. On the other hand, the Slow status makes it
fill more slowly and the Stop status makes it fill not at all.
When you're KOed, you don't get any turns. Instead, when your CT reaches 100,
your death countdown decreased by 1 -- from 3 to 2 to 1 to 0 to permanent death.
This means that a speedy character will die sooner!
---PAUSE BATTLES---
If you push Triangle while the enemies are moving, the game will pause after
the current enemy stops moving. (When you press Triangle, you'll hear a chime
sound indicating the pause was activated.) Once paused, you can check out
everyone's status. When you're done, just click on any character and choose
Done to resume.
---TURN LIST---
The Turn List is a very helpful screen that displays which characters will be
getting their turns next, and when magicks currently charging will activate.
To look at the Turn List, press Triangle during battle to get out of the
current menu. (You can also do this using the Pause Battles command above.)
Then click on any blank tile and choose "Turn List."
You can also access the Turn List when selecting an ability. Simply press
the right arrow when you're on the list of ability. This will show you when
the selected ability when finish charging.
There are many reasons to check the Turn List. For example, you can make sure
a charged attack will activate before the enemy moves, you can get out of
the way before an enemy magick activates, you can focus your attacks to KO the
enemy who will move next, and you can make sure to pick up crystals before an
enemy will have a turn to collect them.
Note that the Turn List always assumes that characters will both Move and Act
on their turns. If they use Wait to keep some of their CT gauge filled, or if
Haste or Slow is cast on them, their position on the Turn List may of course
change.
---UNIT VS. PANEL TARGETING---
Most abilities that do not activate instantly give you a choice between Unit
and Panel targeting when you select a target.
> Unit targeting: The magick will target the unit you've selected, even if
he/she moves to another tile. Note that it does NOT matter if the unit is
no longer within the magick's original range.
> Panel targeting: The magick will target the tile on the map that you've
selected, even if the unit that's currently there moves out.
Use Unit targeting if you want to target a specific character -- say, to heal a
specific ally or attack a specific enemy. (This is probably what you'll use
most of the time.) Another nice thing about Unit targeting is that you can use
it to hit an enemy even if s/he tries to flee out of range. You can also
target an enemy with Unit targeting, then retreat from danger. The magick will
still hit its chosen target even though you're now well away from the enemies!
Use Panel targeting if you're more concerned with hitting a group of targets
than any specific individual. This way, even if one individual unit moves, you
can still cast the magick on all the other units. Another good time to use
Panel targeting is when you're aiming a magick at a particular "choke-point" on
the map (such as a bridge or hallway). Here, you're not trying to hit any
particular enemy so much as blasting whatever enemy approaches you.
The Archer's Aim attack, the Dragoon's Jump attack, and Cloud's Limit abilities
can ONLY use Panel targeting. If the enemy moves out of the way while these
attacks are charging, you're out of luck.
---BATTLE CLOCK & CHARGING ABILITIES---
Characters get to take a turn when their CT gauge fills up from 0 to 100. How
does the CT gauge fill? It's controlled by an invisible "battle clock" that
ticks forward between turns.
Between turns, the in-game clock "ticks" forward. During each "tick," all
characters' CT gauges increase by an amount equal to their Speed statistic.
If a character reaches 100 CT, he or she gets a turn. If no character gets a
turn, the clock ticks forward again and again until someone DOES get a turn.
If more than one character hits 100 CT on the same tick, all those characters
get to take a turn before the clock continues.
The clock calculations are done automatically, so you won't see any actual pause
between turns. It's just the mechanic that controls the order of turns.
Since the rate at which your CT gauge fills is based on your Speed, increasing
your Speed statistic fills your CT gauge more rapidly and allows you to get
more turns relative to the enemy!
Some abilities (magicks, mostly) must be "charged up." After being selected,
these abilities are delayed by a fixed number of clock ticks before they
activate. For example, when you choose to have a character cast Curaga, it
takes 7 clock ticks for Curaga to charge up, and then it activates. The number
of ticks varies by ability, with more powerful abilities requiring more ticks
to charge. Before you begin charging an ability, you can use the Turn List
(see above) to preview when it will activate. (In-game, the charge time for
abilities is displayed as a "speed" number; the number of required ticks is
equal to 100 divided by this number.)
Generally, the charge time of magicks is FIXED. Increasing a character's
personal Speed statistic has NO effect on the charge time of abilities. The
exception is the Dragoon's Jump ability -- this ability DOES charge faster if
you have a higher Speed. For all other abilities, Speed does not improve their
charge time, but you can reduce the charge time of magicks and Limit by
equipping the Time Mage's Swiftness ability. (Swiftness has no effect on Jump
or Aim).
The Haste status also has NO effect on the charge time of magicks or the charge
time of Jump. Similarly, Slow status does not impede charge time.
Since Speed goes up but the number of ticks required for delayed abilities
remains fixed, abilities that require charge time tend to get less useful as you
gain levels and increase Speed. You can get more "regular" (non-charge) turns
relative to the charge time of delayed abilities.
FF Tactics is completely turn-based. While you are looking at the menu and
thinking, the battle clock does NOT tick. (It is not an ATB system.) The
clock only ticks between turns.
---MORE ON CHARGING ABILITIES---
Once you've started charging an ability, you can continue moving around the
battlefield without losing your charge. You can even move out of the original
targeting range of the ability, or face a different direction from your target,
and it will still strike!
The exception is the Archer's Aim attacks: these attacks do not work if you move
away from your target, although you can still change the direction you're
facing.
While charging up an ability that takes a long time to charge, the character may
receive additional turns before the charging is complete. Again, you can use
these turns to move around the battlefield. However, do NOT take another action
or it will cancel the ability you were charging.
While charging an ability, you take more damage from physical attacks, and you
cannot evade any attacks. However, Reaction Abilities can still be used.
%%%MORE ON MAGICKS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00magick
---FRIENDLY (AND UNFRIENDLY) FIRE---
Most magicks affect not just the targeted character or tile, but also the
surrounding panels. (The radius of this effect varies from magick to magick.)
Geomancy, Iaido, and a number of sword techniques and monster abilities also
have this effect. This area effect can of course be used to hit multiple
enemies, but you can also exploit it in a number of other ways. If an enemy
is a little too far out of range to target directly with the magick, you may
still be able to target a somewhat closer tile and catch the enemy in the
wider effect radius. (This is a good tactic for hitting more distant enemies.)
The same is true for using White Magick or Time Magick to assist distant
allies.
Of course, you also need to watch out for a "friendly fire" effect when casting
magicks -- you don't want to hit your own characters in the effect radius! If
one of your allies is standing close to an enemy, you'll hurt him or her if you
target the enemy directly. So, one solution is to target a more remote panel
that will catch the enemy in the effect radius of your spell, but leave your
ally out of range. (Of course, this also works in reverse for when you want to
heal an ally, but not an enemy.) Just make sure the enemy won't be able to
move before the magick is cast.
Note that Summons and Iaido abilities ONLY target the "correct" units. They
won't hurt allies, or heal enemies.
---LAST-SECOND SILENCE CURE---
Silence status prevents you from casting magick or summons, but all that
matters is whether or not you're Silenced at the time the magick is actually
CAST, not when you start charging. It's possible to start charging magick while
you're Silenced and *then* have someone else remove the Silence effect, as long
as you do so before the magick finishes charging. This can come in handy if
your magick-user happens to get his/her turn before the character who can
remove Silence. It's also useful if you get Silenced while in the middle of
charging a magick -- if you quickly cure the Silence, you can still use your
magick.
You can also use the timing of Silence in dealing with enemy magicks. Casting
Silence on an enemy shortly before his or her magick activates will cancel
the spell.
Silence also prevents the use of Speechcraft, but since Speechcraft abilities
all activate instantaneously, these timing effects don't come into play.
---RAINSTORMS, THUNDERSTORM, AND SNOWSTORMS---
During a heavy rain or thunderstorm, lightning-elemental attacks do 125% normal
damage, making them stronger, and fire-elemental attacks do 75% normal damage,
making them weaker. (During a storm, movement through swamp tiles is also
slowed.) These effects occur only during a thunderstorm (when the screen
occasionally flashes) or heavy rainstorm (when there is lots of rain on-screen),
and not during a light rain (when there is only a little rain).
During a snowstorm, ice-elemental attacks do 125% normal damage. A "snowstorm"
is when the snow is blowing from side-to-side on the screen; a light snow (when
the snow is moving only vertically) has no effect on ice damage. Snowstorms are
pretty rare: they only occur during a handful of optional single-player story
battles and in multiplayer. They never occur during random battles in single-
player.
Rainstorms and thunderstorms also multiply evade rates versus bows (and
crossbows). Night time battles have the same effect. And if it's both night
and storming, evade rates against bows increase even more!
Rainstorms and thunderstorms become more common during certain months. See the
Weather Effects & Ivalician Calendar section for more on weather effects.
%%%USING ITEMS & EQUIPMENT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00using
---CONSUMABLE ITEMS---
Like most RPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics has consumable items (e.g. Potions,
Phoenix Down) that you can use to heal yourself. However, not all characters
can use items. Instead, using items is a special ability of the Chemist job.
To use items, you must either turn the character into a Chemist, or learn some
of the Chemist's abilities and then equip "Items" as your secondary Action
Ability.
Each type of item requires you to learn a corresponding Chemist ability before
it can be used. For instance, to use Hi-Potions, you must learn the "Hi-Potion"
ability.
A nice advantage of using Items is that, unlike White Magicks, they require no
charge time or MP. On the other hand, they can only heal one character at a
time.
Items normally have a range of 1, which means that you have to be standing in a
tile adjacent to the character you want to heal (or be using the item on
yourself). The Chemist's Throw Items ability extends this range to 4. Chemists
have this ability innately, but you'll have to learn and equip it if you're
using Items as another job. Items always have an infinite vertical range,
meaning it doesn't matter how big the height difference is between you and the
character you're trying to heal.
---EQUIPMENT---
Other gear like weapons, shields, headgear, armor, and accessories is equipped
on characters between battles. The type of equipment you can use depends on
your current job; you can also use abilities like "Equip Swords" to expand the
range of equipment you can use.
Different classes of weapons depend on different statistics in determining the
damage they do. For instance, swords just rely on the user's Physical Attack
stat, while Knives also take your Speed into account. A complete list of weapon
classes and the relevant stats can be found in the Weapons list.
As far as armor goes, shields are used to block attacks completely by raising
your evade rate. Headgear and armor both raise your HP; some types of armor
will raise your MP as well. Unlike in many games, armor in FF Tactics does not
reduce the damage you take; it just gives you more HP so you can stay alive
longer.
Accessories either raise your evade rate (cloaks) or provide stat boosts,
buffs, or immunity to status ailments or elements (other kinds of accessories).
With the Chemist's Reequip ability, you can change equipment DURING a battle,
but this is a pretty useless capability and not worth an ability slot.
---IAIDO COMMAND---
The Samurai's Iaido ability lets you use the hidden powers of katanas to cast
magick-like effects. To use these abilities, you must have at least 1 copy of
the corresponding katana in your inventory (NOT equipped). For example, to use
the Kiku-ichimonji ability, you must have a Kiku-ichimonji katana in your
inventory.
There is a chance that the corresponding katana will break whenever you use
Iaido.
%%%MOVING AROUND A BATTLEFIELD%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00move
---MOVING THROUGH UNITS---
When moving, it's possible to move "through" friendly units but not enemy
units. Enemy units must be navigated AROUND rather than through. KOed allied
and KOed enemies follow the same rules as their conscious counterparts. (The
Teleport and Fly movement abilities *will* let you move through enemy units.)
---OVER MY DEAD BODY---
It's not possible to stand on the same tile as a KOed character. This means
you can actually use KOed bodies as a pretty good "shield" to guard your back,
which can come in handy in maps with a lot of enemies.
---MOVING & FIGHTING IN WATER---
For the most part, there aren't too many terrain effects in FF Tactics, unlike
some other strategy RPGs. The main type of special terrain is water, which
appears on a number of maps.
Water affects battle in several major ways.
DEEP WATER: If you're standing in water of depth 2, you cannot take action or
use Reaction Abilities. You can still evade attacks, though.
SHORTENED MOVEMENT: Second, water also shortens your movement range. Normally,
the number of tiles you can move is equal to your Move statistic. However, when
you move through tiles containing clear water (including Canal, River, Lake,
Ocean, and Waterfall tiles), you move at half the usual rate. In other words,
it requires two "points" of Move to move through a clear water tile.
Swamp, Poisonous Fen, and Marsh tiles do not normally slow your movement, except
during a rainstorm or thunderstorm. During a rainstorm, it requires 2 points of
Move to move through these tiles; during a thunderstorm, it requires THREE
points of Move. (A light rain has no effect on movement.) These swampy tiles
only appear on a handful of maps: The Siedge Weald, Tchigolith Fenlands,
Riovanes Castle Gate, and Dorvauldar Marsh.
BLOCKED TILES: Many monster types and some monster-like special story characters
are completely unable to enter water tiles, even as part of a longer move.
Also, water of depth 4 can never be entered by human OR by monsters, unless you
have some of the special abilities listed below. Water this deep only appears
on two maps: Orbonne Monastery and the Fort Besselat Sluice.
HEIGHT CHANGE: Standing in water reduces your character's vertical position on
the map. The depth of the water is subtracted from the tile's height to
determine your actual height. For example, if Ramza is on a Height 5 tile but
standing in Depth 2 water, he's considered to actually be at a height of 3.
Height mostly matters for and for casting magicks using the Arithmeticks
ability.
If you have the Swim movement ability, all water is treated as having only a
depth of 1, so you won't sink as low in Depth 2 water.
---WATER-RELATED MOVEMENT ABILITIES---
Several movement abilities can remove some of the penalties from moving in
water. Below is a table of these abilities and which penalties they remove.
Act in Move/act in
Movement in water of Swampy tiles Depth 4
ABILITY clear water Depth 2? during storms water?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No special ability Slowed No Slowed No
Ignore Weather Slowed No Normal No
[Mystic]
Ignore Terrain Normal No Slowed No
[Geomancer]
Waterbreathing Normal No Normal No
[monsters]
Swim [Samurai] Normal Yes* Normal Yes*
* Swim also keeps you from sinking so low in deep water. Essentially, it
makes all water treated as Depth 1 water.
Waterwalking [Ninja] Normal Yes Normal Yes
Float status (These three abilities let you move over the top
Levitate [Time Mage] of water, so it becomes like regular ground.)
---OTHER TERRAIN EFFECTS---
Aside from water, there a few other special terrain tiles:
> LAVA: Characters cannot normally walk across Lava tiles, but Float status
(including Levitate) and the Geomancer's Lavawalking movement ability will
allow you to do so. Levitate and Lavawalking will also allow you to STOP
atop lava tiles, whereas Float magick and accessories do not.
Lava tiles appear ONLY on the optional Mount Bervenia battlefield.
> DARKNESS: Empty pits or chasms are referred to as Darkness tiles in the
game. These show up on a few story maps and in the bonus dungeon. You can
only "walk" through these with Float status or Levitate, and you can never
stop over them.
> POISONOUS FENS: If you end your turn standing on a Poisonous Fen tile (found
only at Tchigolith Fenlands), the Poison status will be inflicted on you.
Float and Levitate will protect against this; Waterwalking, Swim, and Ignore
Terrain do not.
%%%UNDEAD UNITS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00undead
The Undead status has two major effects -- it affects healing and draining
magicks, and it changes what happens when the character is KOed.
---WHO IS UNDEAD?---
Undead characters include monsters from the Skeleton and Ghost families, as
well as human enemies in a few story battles. There are also several abilities
and items that will make a unit Undead for the duration of the current battle:
> The Mystic's magick Corruption
> The Templar's magick Zombie (this job is exclusive to one of the special
story characters)
> Equipping the Cursed Ring found in the bonus dungeon.
---CURING & DRAINING---
As per Final Fantasy standards, undead enemies take damage when hit with Cure
spells, and the Arise spell works like an instant KO attack! (Raise will also
do damage equal to 1/2 of the enemy's max HP -- thus KOing if it's at half HP
or below.) On the other hand, undead characters are also *immune* to attacks
that drain HP to the user, like the Blood Sword weapon or the Mystic's
Invigoration magick. These attacks backfire if used against an undead monster!
The undead character gains HP, and the attacker loses HP!
Note that the Chakra ability actually restores HP to undead monsters and does
not damage them.
---UNDEAD REVIVAL---
Normally, KOed units disappear and turn into a crystal or chest when their
countdown ticks past 0. For undead character, it's a little different. There's
a 50% chance that an undead character will REVIVE (with a random amount of HP)
when their counter ends. But, there's also a 50% chance the character will turn
into a crystal or chest like usual. It's random!
Undead characters CANNOT be revived with Phoenix Down or the Raise/Arise
magicks. But, the Monk's "Revive" ability does work.
---STOP UNDEAD REVIVAL---
When fighting undead enemies, you probably don't want them to keep reviving
themselves. Fortunately, there's two easy ways to stop this: First, you can
turn the undead unit to stone, so it's never actually KOed. The Seal Evil
ability used by Mustadio and Balthier works great for this. Second, for undead
monsters, you can Poach or Tame them. Poached monsters disappear from the map
completely (and hence can't resurrect), and Tamed monsters will actually fight
on your side!
---UNDEAD & OTHER STATUS CONDITIONS---
The Undead status blocks the Reraise status, and vice versa. This means that an
Undead character can't receive Reraise status. And, you can prevent a character
from becoming Undead by putting Reraise status.
Some undead units are also immune to Poison and Regen status. This includes
Skeleton- and Ghost-family monsters, and the undead enemies you encounter in
random battles. It does NOT include units that have temporarily been made
Undead with a magick or the Cursed Ring.
%%%RECRUITING & USING CHOCOBOS AND MONSTERS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00mon
---ABOUT MONSTERS---
In addition to human characters, you can also recruit monsters (including
chocobos) to fight on your team. The major difference between monsters and
humans is that monsters can't change jobs or use equipment. But, they do have
some specialized abilities that humans can't use. Many monsters also have
strengths or weaknesses vs. certain elements of magick.
This section covers general information about how to recruit monsters and use
them. A list of each specific monster and its abilities is in the Jobs section
of the FAQ (press Ctrl+F and 00job3 to jump there.)
---MONSTER TYPES---
Monsters are divided by Family and Rank. Each monster Family has three Ranks:
for instance, the chocobo family contains Chocobo (Rank I), Black Chocobo
(Rank II), and Red Chocobo (Rank III).
Within a Family, the monsters look the same but simply have different color
schemes. Each monster's color scheme is listed in the table below. The color
scheme will help you quickly identify a monster. It can also be used to help
identify the monster inside an egg (see Monster Egg Preview below). The color
of an EGG is random and doesn't tell you anything about what kind of monster
inside the egg.
---RECRUITING & BREEDING MONSTERS---
Monsters can be recruited into your party in six ways:
1. Use the Orator's Entice skill to recruit an enemy monster onto your team.
After the battle, you'll be able to permanently sign the monster up for your
team. Note that in order to use Entice (or any other Speechcraft skill) on
monsters, you must have the Beast Tongue support ability (also from Orator).
Beast Tongue is an innate ability for Orators and doesn't need to be learned or
equipped as long as you're an Orator, but if you switch to another job, you'll
have to equip Beast Tongue to Entice monsters. Reis's Dragon's Charm ability
also has the same effect and does not require Beast Tongue, but only works on
the dragon and hydra families.
Raising your Magick Attack with equipment or by switching to a job with a
high Magick Attack stat (e.g. Black Mage or Summoner) will increase Entice's
rate of success, although it will always be somewhat low.
If your roster is already full when you recruit a new monster or other
character in battle (either with Entice or with Tame, below), you'll have the
chance to kick out an existing character in order to make room for the new ally.
2. With the Orator's Tame support ability equipped, attack a monster. If the
monster is in critical (low) HP after the attack, you can recruit the monster.
Reis's Dragonkin job has Tame as an innate ability.
3. Once you have recruited a monster onto your team, the monster will lay eggs
and produce other monsters in the same family. Eggs are laid and hatch as you
move around the world map. A monster has about a 2 in 15 chance of laying an
egg with each move you make -- or, on average, you get 1 egg every 7-8 days.
The Rank of the monster laying the egg determines which kind of Ranks you're
likely to find inside of the egg:
Egg laid by Produces... Rank I Rank II Rank III
----------------------------------------------------------------
Rank I 80% 20% 0%
Rank II 50% 25% 25%
Rank III 55% 35% 10%
(As stated above, the color of the egg is random and has nothing to do with
the monster inside.)
Rank I monsters can never produce Rank III monsters directly. However, you
can use a Rank I monster to breed a Rank II monster, which can then go on to
produce a Rank III monster.
Note that Rank II monsters are actually MORE likely than Rank III monsters to
give birth to Rank III monsters. So, if you want to breed multiple copies of a
Rank III monster (e.g. for poaching), keep a Rank II monster on your squad.
A newborn monster is assigned the Zodiac sign of the month it was born.
Newborn monsters are randomly assigned the exact experience level of one other
member of your roster (monster OR human). For instance, if your entire roster
consisted of three characters at level 24, 63, and 99, then a newborn monster
would be either level 24, 63, or 99 -- but never any other number.
So, if you recruit a monster type you like but the monster is at a low
experience level, one strategy is to let it breed and you may get a higher-level
version of the same monster if you have other high-level characters on your
roster.
Eggs are never laid if your roster is already full. If you want your
monsters to breed but have a full team roster (24 characters), you'll need to
delete one or more existing characters.
4. A Chocobo will be automatically offered to the party after winning a Chapter
II story battle.
5. There are two locations where a friendly monster may join your party after
a random battle:
> Mandalia Plain (north entrance) - Chocobo
> Dorvauldar Marsh (west entrance) - Swine
Rarely at each of these locations, you may get into a random battle where the
respective monster fights as a Guest on your team. Complete the battle and
you'll be able to sign up the monster as a permanent party member. (Other Guest
monsters in random battles are not recruitable in this way.)
6. The Dragon's Charm ability, used by one of the optional story characters,
recruits any dragon or hydra onto your team. It has no effect on other monster
types.
---RIDING A CHOCOBO---
It's not actually too useful, but you can ride chocobos. Move a human character
onto the same tile as a friendly chocobo (of any color). The character will
mount the chocobo and they'll move and act as a single unit.
Riding a chocobo essentially allows you to have a human character with the
movement range of a chocobo. The rider uses his/her abilities and has his or
her regular stats, such as attack power and speed.
But, you get the benefit of the chocobo's movement. All chocobos have a nice
movement range (6), plus Black Chocobos can fly and Red Chocobos have Ignore
Elevation. While you are on a chocobo, your own movement range and movement
abilities is ignored -- so if you equip Teleport and then get on a chocobo, you
don't have a teleporting chocobo.
Chocobos cannot use their own abilities while someone is riding them.
While you're riding a chocobo, all the damage gets inflicted on the rider, and
the chocobo cannot take damage. (Even if the rider is in the middle of Jumping,
attacks directed towards the chocobo will miss!) This has the small benefit
that it prevents your whole team from being KOed at once. If the rider gets
KOed, he or she is thrown off the chocobo and the chocobo can act by itself
again.
A chocobo/rider combination is immune to all negative status conditions except
Charm. Float status also does not work on a chocobo+rider unit. It's important
to note that a riderless chocobo is NOT immune to status ailments; this is a
special property of a chocobo/rider combo.
---STEPPING STONES---
You can use large monsters as stepping stones to reach high places. Other
characters can move onto the monster's head as if it were a normal panel,
and move from there to somewhere else. The monster will give you a boost of
3 height "units", allowing to reach panels 3 height units higher than you could
normally get to! You can't END your move on top of the monster, but you can use
it for a mid-move boost. You can do this even if the monster is an enemy that's
not on your team!
Monster types that can be used as stepping stones including malboros, behemoths,
dragons (including Holy Dragon Reis), hydras, and Automatons (i.e.,
Construct 8).
---MONSTER EGG PREVIEW---
Trying to breed a particular kind of monster? You can actually take a "sneak
peek" as to what an egg will hatch into. Open your party roster, position
the cursor over the egg in question, and move the cursor back and forth to
another party member to the left or right. When you move over the egg, the
future monster's portrait will display for a fraction of a second, and if you
can move back and forth quickly, you can get a decent glimpse of what the
monster is going to be. You can identify the monster family by its portrait,
and from the color scheme, you might even be able to tell which monster it is
within that family. (See the Monsters list for the color scheme of each
monster type.) If the monster in the egg is not what you want, you can go
ahead and dismiss the egg.
While the eggs themselves vary in color, the color of eggs is just random and
doesn't tell you anything about what kind of monster is inside.
%%%TRICKS RELATED TO SPECIFIC ABILITIES OR ITEMS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00tricks
---SHOOT ENEMIES NEXT TO YOU---
Normally, you can't shoot enemies close to you with a bow or gun, but all you
have to do is target a square in a straight line behind the enemy you want to
hit (there doesn't even have to be anybody in the square). You'll end up
hitting the enemy in front of you.
---CRITICAL HITS---
A few types of abilities can inflict "critical hits" when you attack with them.
A critical hit occurs completely at random and has a low chance of occurring.
When you DO land a critical hit, the damage from your attack is increased, and
the enemy you're striking may be knocked back. If this attack knocks an enemy
off a high ledge, they'll also take damage from the fall!
Attacks that can inflict critical hits are mostly regular physical attacks,
Monk abilities, the first ability on each monster's ability list, and the sword
techniques used by some of the special story characters.
Since critical hits occur at such low odds, though, you don't really want to
depend on them.
---IMPROVE STEALING ODDS---
You can boost the success rate of the Thief's ability to Steal items in a number
of ways:
> Put the enemy to Sleep - using a Sleep Blade weapon, Mimic Darlavon
(Orator), Repose (Mystic), etc.
> Target the enemy from behind or to the side, so the steal will be harder to
evade.
> Putting Disable status on the enemy (e.g. with Arm Shot) will also prevent
the enemy from evading, although the steal may still fail.
> Equipping Concentration (Archer) as a support ability will prevent the enemy
from evading your steal attempts. This means your success rate at stealing
will be higher, but not 100%. If you're using Concentration, then there's no
need to try to steal from behind as the enemy can't evade anyway. Note,
thought, that if the enemy has a pretty low evade rate to start with,
equipping Concentration won't make much of a difference.
> Equipping Brawler (Monk) as a support ability raises your success rate when
Stealing -- whether you're barehanded or not!
> Increase your Speed statistic with equipment or abilities and/or switch your
stealing character to a job that has a high Speed rating, like Thief or
Ninja.
> Use Balthier's Plunder abilities, which have a somewhat higher success rate
than the regular Steal command.
> Turn the enemy into a Chicken by lowering their Bravery below 10 (e.g. with
the Mystic's Trepidation or Beowulf's Chicken magicks). A Chicken enemy will
run away from you and into the corner, though, and you'll have to chase after
it -- so this often isn't all that useful.
> Surround the character from whom you're trying to steal with both your main
thief and a Mime; the Mime will duplicate all of your Steal attempts
> And, of course, stealing using a character who has good Zodiac compatibility
with the target will improve your success, though you often don't have a lot
of options here...
It's helpful to use one or more of these tactics if you're interested in
stealing enemy gear, as the Steal command has a pretty low success rate
otherwise.
---AUTO-X-POTION AND MORE---
The Auto-Potion reaction ability normally causes you to (sometimes) use a
Potion when attacked. However, if there aren't any Potions in your inventory,
you'll use a Hi-Potion instead, and if there aren't any Hi-Potions, you'll use
an X-Potion. Once you start getting Hi-Potions and X-Potions, then, it's
actually a great idea to throw out your weaker potions so Auto-Potion will
only use Hi-Potions or X-Potions -- you can heal yourself for a lot more HP
that way! (This trick is particularly important in the Wiegraf battle in
Chapter III.)
Another useful trick with Auto-Potion (and other healing or defensive Reaction
Abilities) is that you can have another ally trigger them by using a weak attack
on the target. For example, if Agrias needs healing, hit her with the Squire
ability Stone; it does a few points of damage but can trigger her Auto-Potion
and restore a lot more HP than that.
---DUAL WIELD (AND DOUBLEHAND) TRICKS---
The Ninja's Dual Wield support ability lets you equip two weapons at once.
This is a great ability with a number of applications. First, it can make your
regular attack up to twice as strong. You can also use it to equip weapons
with two different beneficial status effects (e.g. auto-Haste from an Excalibur
and auto-Regen from a Chaos Blade). Dual-Wielding a weapon that inflicts a
status ailment also gives you two chances to inflict that ailment! For magick-
users, Dual-Wielding rods or staves lets you equip two weapons to boost your
magick attack, although in most cases you're better off simply with Arcane
Strength.
If you're equipping a weapon that can drain enemy HP (i.e., the Blood Sword
or Orochi ninja blade), be sure to equip that in the top slot. Otherwise,
your first attack may KO the enemy and you won't get a chance to drain its
HP!
When pairing Dual Wield with abilities that depend on your weapon strength
(e.g. sword techniques like Holy Sword and Darkness), be sure to equip the
stronger weapon in the TOP slot. This is because only the FIRST weapon you're
holding determines the power of these abilities.
Note that this is true for sword techniques, even if the first weapon isn't a
sword! For example, you can equip a flail in the top slot and a sword in the
second, and your sword technique power will be determined by the flail power!
So, one trick is to equip a sword in your second slot (to activate the sword
technique command) and then a more powerful weapon in the top slot! In
practice, this trick isn't all *that* great because knight's swords are more
powerful than most other single-handed weapons. However, if you've switched to
another job and are using Equip Swords to enable your sword techniques, then
you're limited to "regular" swords, which are substantially weaker. In this
case, this trick can be quite useful as there may be a stronger weapon to equip
in the top slot!
Finally, Dual Wield paired with Arts of War gives you two chances to perform a
Rend attack.
The Samurai's Doublehand ability, which allows you to wield one weapon two-
handed to increase its attack power, is somewhat similar to Dual Wield. Both
sacrifice your shield slot for a potential doubling of your attack power. In
general, Dual Wield is the better ability. It allows you to perform the above
tricks, works with fist attacks (Doublehand does not), and also divides your
attack strength over two attacks, which means you can often land at least one
attack even if the enemy dodges or blocks the other. And there are many times
when one attack is enough to KO an enemy! (This is particularly useful against
enemies with Shirahadori, since they can only block the first of your two
attacks.)
Doublehand, however, is useful when you're equipped with a pole or polearm,
which can be used with Doublehand but not Dual Wield. It can also be good if
you only have 1 copy of your strongest weapon in a category and nothing good to
Dual Wield in the other hand.
---2ENEMIES1TURN.COM---
The Shoot Enemies Next To You trick above can be combined with Balthier's
Barrage ability to attack two or more different enemies in one turn. This only
works if Balthier has a weapon with a range of 2 or more, and if the enemies
are both in a line from Balthier (and within range of his weapon). Target the
enemy that's further back with Barrage. Balthier will use a series of four
attacks; of course, the initial strikes will actually hit the enemy closer to
Balthier. However, once that first enemy is KOed, Balthier will continue
attacking and hit his "original" target -- the enemy in back! This way, you
can divide your damage between two targets instead of wasting a lot of damage
finishing off an enemy that was already low on HP. This trick works with guns,
bows, polearms, and any other weapon with a range of 2 or more.
---HEALING STAFF---
The Healing Staff weapon works just like any other weapon, except that it *adds*
HP to whomever you strike, instead of *removing* HP. So, you can use it to heal
your allies! It can be a good tool for a magick-user who isn't likely to be
doing much physical fighting. Unfortunately, your allies will still try to
evade/block the Healing Staff.
The Healing Staff isn't sold in stores. You can find it by de-equipping it from
a guest in Chapter III, from poaching a Dryad, from Rendezvous Mode, or from
using Treasure Hunter in Story Battle 49 (see the walkthrough for the exact
location).
---ROD OF FAITH---
The Rod of Faith, found on the fourth floor (The Catacombs) of the Midlight's
Deep bonus dungeon, has an interesting effect. While equipped with the Rod,
a character has permanent Faith status, giving him or her 100 Faith. Of
course, this is good simply for making your own magick maximally powerful, but
it also allows you to make a more versatile character. Whenever the Rod is
removed, the character's Faith reverts back to its "normal" value. So, if you
want a flexible character who can also defend well against enemy magick, lower
his or her Faith very low (as close to 03 as you can). Without the Rod
equipped, the character is virtually invulnerable to enemy magick and makes a
good fighter. But *with* the Rod equipped, s/he is now a high-Faith magick
user! Using the Reequip ability, you could even make this change mid-battle,
although it costs you a turn.
Of course, this only works if you're planning on using a job that can equip
Rods. That includes Black Mages, Summoners, Mystics, but not White Mages, Time
Mages, or Arithmeticians. Fortunately, Black Mages and Summoners have the best
magick stats anyway.
The Rod of Faith can also be particularly useful for Marach. Normally, his
Nether Mantra abilities require LOW Faith while other magicks require HIGH
Faith, meaning he can't really effectively use both. However, the Faith effect
maximizes the damage from both regular magick and Nether Mantra, allowing him
to use both types of abilities effectively.
Since there's only one Rod of Faith available, though, you can only use this
tactic with a single character at a time.
---STONESHOOTER---
The Stoneshooter is a rare but fairly powerful gun.
The big downside to equipping the Stoneshooter is that you will start all
battles in the Stone status, unable to do anything. To use the character, you
must remove the Stone status (e.g. with a Gold Needle, Remedy, or Esuna magick).
Or, use the Re-equip command to equip the Stoneshooter *during* a battle, and
you won't be petrified.
Equipping gear that normally makes you immune to Stone status does NOT prevent
the Stoneshooter from turning you to Stone at the start of a battle.
The Stoneshooter can be poached from Dark Behemoths. It can also be stolen from
enemy Chemists in the rare random battle you sometimes occur when you enter
Mount Germinas from the north. (In order to steal the Stoneshooter from the
enemy that's carrying it, you must first de-Stone him/her.)
---ALL 9 FEVER--
Once you max out at level 99 and 99 experience, you can easily cast healing or
defensive magicks to your whole party using Arithmeticks and Level Multiple of
3 or Exp Multiple of 3. (Of course, you might hit a few enemies too.)
%%%MENUS%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00menu
---REWATCH STORY SCENES---
Didn't catch what happened during a story scene? You can rewatch most of the
game's story scenes. On the world map, open the menu and choose Chronicle and
then Events. You'll see a list of the major story events that you've seen so
far. Choose a scene to read a text description of it, and press Triangle if
you want to rewatch the scene.
Pressing the Start button will exit out of a scene you're watching and return
you to the Chronicle menu.
---REWIND TEXT---
At any place where a single text box spans several pages (e.g. one character is
talking a bunch), you can "rewind" to a previous page of text by holding the
Square and pressing up. This is pretty useful if you missed something that was
said earlier, or need to recap.
This doesn't work if a separate text box has been opened -- like if a different
character has started talking.
---QUICK SCROLL---
The Square button can also be used to scroll quickly up and down a menu.
---QUICK UNEQUIP---
When removing characters' equipment, if you select Remove and then tap left on
the D-pad, all of the character's item slots will be highlighted. You can then
equip all of the character's gear in a single click. This is handy when you're
stripping a character you won't be using for a while, or when you're
transferring one character's set of equipment to another equipment.
---SOUND TEST---
To access a "sound test" where you can listen to all the game's music, select
New Game on the title screen and then enter your name as PolkaPolka . You'll
immediately be brought to the sound test. When you're done, press the Circle
key to return to the main menu.
********************************************************************************
IV. WALKTHROUGH AND BATTLE STRATEGIES - MAIN QUEST 00walk0
********************************************************************************
You'll begin by entering the protagonist's name. Ramza is the default, so
that's what I'll be using throughout the guide.
---CHOOSING YOUR BITHDATE---
Next up is your birthdate, which determines your Zodiac sign. A character's
Zodiac sign affects his/her compatibility with other units, which can make your
attacks and/or healing somewhat more or less effective.
In a regular game, it's not too important to give Ramza a particular Zodiac
sign, so you can enter your own birthday or whatever else you want if you'd
like. But, if you're feeling especially strategic, you may want to give him a
particular sign depending on your game plans:
> If you want to maximize the damage Ramza can do to enemy bosses,
Capricorn is probably your best bet; you'll get this sign if you enter a
birthdate between December 23rd and January 19th.
> If you plan to use Ramza as a support/healing character, Pisces will give
him good compatibility with a number of key allies. You'll get this sign
with a birthdate between February 19th and March 20th. (Virgo -- August
23rd to September 22nd -- will give him compatibility with quite a few
party members as well.)
> If you want as wide a range of Zodiac signs as possible, you could make
Ramza a Taurus, Virgo, or Sagittarius, as no other story characters have
these signs.
---THE FIRST BATTLE---
The game starts at Orbonne Monastery. A band of enemy knights shows up, and
you have to fight.
---Battle 0: Orbonne Monastery--------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Gaffgarion [guest], Ladd [guest],
Alicia [guest], Lavian [guest]
ENEMY FORCES: Lezales (lv 9 Knight) Fuchs (lv 6 Chemist) Biggs (lv 7 Archer)
Diesch (lv 6 Archer) Wezlef (lv 7 Archer)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, light rain (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 50%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 16%
Ocean Torrent 14%
Obstructed -- 9%
Flagstone Contortion 9%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
This battle is pretty much automatic, as everyone except Ramza is controlled by
the computer. Gaffgarion and Agrias will take care of most of the enemies
without any trouble. You can have Ramza attack the enemies with low HP to help
finish them off, and let Gaffgarion and Agrias save their attacks for the
stronger enemies. Even if Ramza just stands still, though, the other characters
should be able to finish off the enemies on their own, though, so it doesn't
matter too much what Ramza does.
It's possible that one or more of your weaker teammates--Alicia, Lavian, and
Ladd--will get KOed. Don't worry; none of them can die permanently in this
intro battle. It also doesn't matter if any of their items get broken, as those
will come back as well.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Gaffgarion and Agrias finish wiping out the enemies, there will be some
story scenes, and Ramza will enter into an extended flashback.
%%%CHAPTER I: THE MEAGER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk1
All of Chapter I is a flashback to Ramza's days as a knight-in-training with
the Order of the Northern Sky a year prior. You (Ramza) and Delita will be at
the academy in Gariland, where you receive the assignment to defeat some thieves
entering the town. You are automatically joined by four other Squires and two
Chemists.
---INITIAL PREPARATION---
Before the first battle begins, you'll be given a chance to save. Save your
game so that you won't have to repeat the intro battle! After you save, you'll
deploy your characters for the battle.
If this is your first Final Fantasy Tactics experience, you might want to check
out the "Basic Mechanics and Tactics" section for some general gameplay
information. (Some of this information is also in the tutorial, but I've
included some additional material not covered there.) Press Ctrl+ F and enter
00basic to jump down there.
---Battle 1: Gariland-----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Squire (lv 1, male) Squire (lv 1, male) Squire (lv 1, male)
Squire (lv 1, female) Chemist (lv 1, male)
ALLY: Ramza - lv 1 Squire - Bravery 70, Faith 70
Equipment : Broadsword, Leather Cap, Clothing, Battle Boots
Abilities : Mettle
GUEST: Delita [Sagittarius] - lv 1 Squire - Bravery 71, Faith 55
Equipment : Broadsword, Leather Cap, Clothing
Abilities : Mettle, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
15 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 28%
Canal Torrent 25%
Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 17%
Grassland Tanglevine 17%
Wooden Floor, Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 8%
Bridge Wind Slash 3%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
The key in this battle is to advance slowly and not to let your characters get
spread out. Stay on the left side, away from the bulk of the houses.
The enemy Chemist has the ability to heal the other enemies, which can be a
pain. If you have the chance to take him out, do so; otherwise, he'll heal the
enemy soldiers you've been attacking. Actually, you can stop him from doing
this even if you attack him just once. He'll use up his turn healing himself
instead of healing any of the other enemies.
Attack from the enemy from behind or from the side whenever possible, as you're
more likely to land a hit that way. In general, rear attacks are best as they
also cancel out enemy shields -- but at this point, no enemies have shields, so
side and rear attacks will be equally effective. At the end of each character's
turn, you choose which direction they facing. Make sure you end your turns
facing the enemies, which will make it harder for them to hit you from behind!
(When possible, you can even put your back to the side of a building to protect
it completely!)
Make good use of your Chemists for healing--you start out with 5 Potions and
you can use them to heal a character who gets injured. If you don't have
teammates who need healing, the Chemists can also attack. (Chemists have an
inherent Throw Items ability, so they don't have to be next to a character to
use an item on him/her. This is NOT true for other characters using the Item
ability.)
Don't worry about Delita. The Guest AI is pretty reckless and it's likely he'll
get himself KOed. But since he's a Guest character, he can't die permanently
and will be revived at the end of the battle.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Mythril Knife, Phoenix Down, Potion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---THE MAP SCREEN---
After you win the battle against the thieves, you will go to the map screen.
You can click on Gariland to visit its shops. The Tavern is used to hear
information about the game's story and world. Later on, you can also use it
to enter the multiplayer mode and to run Errands for extra JP and money. The
Outfitter is used to buy equipment and items. Finally, the Warriors' Guild
allows you to recruit new human characters to your roster.
---RECRUITING CHARACTERS---
You may want to stop at the Warriors' Guild recruit some new characters. In
particular, look for characters with reasonably high Bravery, especially if
your current characters don't have very good Bravery. Bravery affects the
your chance of using Reaction Abilities and the strength of some attacks --
higher is better, of course! (Although there are abilities to raise Bravery
later, you probably won't get them right away.) You may also want a character
or two with high Faith to turn into a magick-user.
A second thing to look at is the character's Zodiac sign. Taurus and Capricorn
characters will be particularly effective against the bosses in this chapter and
the next, so getting some of those signs on your roster will give you a bit of a
leg up.
If you want to spend the time, you can mine the Guild until you get just the
character you want. If you don't like the character that appears; simply
select "Don't Hire." You won't be charged anything and you can select Male
Soldier or Female Soldier to roll another character. You can keep doing this
until you get some high Bravery characters ... but it's certainly not necessary
to spend the time here if you don't want to.
There are a few gender differences to be aware of. Male characters tend to have
more HP and Physical Attack, while females have more MP and Magick Attack. So,
if you have a gender-mixed team, it's best develop female characters towards
being mages and males towards being fighters. More importantly, however, many
of the game's most powerful items can only be used by female characters, so
female recruits tend to be more useful overall in the long run.
This is probably the only time in the game that you'll want to use the
Warriors' Guild. If you lose any of your main team members later in the game,
you're usually better off resetting. It's tough to replace high-level
characters who have already been built up with a lot of abilities!
---SHOPPING---
Each town has an Outfitter where you can buy items. As you progress through the
game, you'll see new items available in the Outfitter. Different towns will
offer different items, as well. Broadly speaking, castles have one set of
equipment, whereas towns and cities have a different set.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Broadsword Sword 200 Garil./Castl Atk: 4, 5% Parry
Dagger Knife 100 City/Castle Atk: 3, 5% Parry
Rod Rod 200 City/TrCity Atk: 3, 20% Parry
Oak Staff Staff 120 City/TrCity Atk: 3, 15% Parry
Leather Cap Hat 150 City/TrCity HP +8
Clothing Clothes 150 City/TrCity HP +5
Potion Item 50 Any Restores 30 HP
Antidote Item 50 Any Removes: Poison
Eye Drops Item 50 Any Removes: Blind
Phoenix Down Item 300 Any Removes: KO, restores minimal HP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You should definitely stop by the Outfitter in Gariland to buy some Potions. If
one or both of your Chemists has enough JP to learn the Phoenix Down ability,
learn that ability and then buy a few (1-2) Phoenix Downs at the store. Phoenix
Downs are great to have as they allow you to revive a KOed character. You'll
also want to equip one of your Chemists with the Mythril Knife that you picked
up as a Battle Trophy in the first battle; it's stronger than the Daggers they
currently have.
If you recruited some female characters and plan on using them as fighting
units, buy them Broadswords to replace the Daggers they start off with. Male
characters already start with a Broadsword.
---A NOTE ABOUT TREASURE HUNTER---
From this point forward, you can use the Chemist's Treasure Hunter movement
ability to find hidden items on each battle map.
In my opinion, the Treasure Hunter ability is rarely worth using. The items
that you can get with Treasure Hunter are usually just gear that you can
already buy in stores. Moreover, you need a LOW Bravery statistic to get the
equipment with Treasure Hunter, but a HIGH Bravery statistic is better for
everything else in the game. It's just not worth it. Much later in the game,
there will be some rare items that you can get with Treasure Hunter, but I'll
alert you to these when they appear and you don't really need to worry about
Treasure Hunter until then.
But, if you DO want to go for the Treasure Hunter items, I've listed their
coordinates in each battle strategy. The coordinates are given relative to a
particular corner. First, identify which corner is the reference corner using
the tile height and terrain type information I've provided. Then, tap the
analog stick on the PSP to change your perspective. Keep doing this until the
reference corner is at the bottom of the screen. Start at this corner. Then,
tap the LEFT and UP arrows on the D-pad to move the cursor the specified number
of spaces (e.g., Left: 2, Up: 3 means 2 tiles to the left and 3 tiles up).
(See the Treasure Hunter & Traps section for a more complete description of the
Treasure Hunter mechanics.)
---ONWARD---
Save the game by pressing Triangle and choosing Data, then head west to
Mandalia Plain. As soon as you try to leave the city, you'll have a flashback
(yes, a flashback within a flashback) to the death of Ramza's father Barbaneth.
After that sequence has ended, you'll be back in Gariland. Click on Mandalia
Plain once again and this time you'll actually get there.
---Battle 2: Mandalia Plain-----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Thief (lv 2, male) Squire (lv 1, male) Squire (lv 1, male)
Squire (lv 1, male) Squire (lv 1, male) Red Panther
GUEST: Argath [Virgo] - lv 2 Squire - Bravery 73, Faith 59
Equipment : Longsword, Leather Cap, Clothing, Battle Boots
Abilities : Fundaments, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Top option - Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
Bottom option - Argath is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 12 Grassland Tanglevine 70%
Obstructed -- 17%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 13%
--STRATEGY--
At Mandalia Plain, you'll meet Argath, under attack by the Corpse Brigade. You
can choose whether or not to help him (bottom option) or just go after the
Corpse Brigade (top option).
> If you choose not to help Argath (top choice), your goal is just to defeat
all the enemies. It doesn't matter if Argath is KOed during the battle
or not. Choosing this option also adds 10 points to the Bravery score of
every character in your current squad, including Delita and Argath. 2
points of this change will remain even after the battle.
> Choosing to help Argath (bottom choice) adds an additional requirement to
the battle: you'll have to keep Argath from getting KOed during the battle.
This option has no effect on your team's Bravery.
Neither option has any real long-term effect on the storyline. (They only
change the dialogue in one other story scene.) So, the first option is clearly
the best as it makes the battle easier AND gives you a boost in Bravery.
If you DO choose the second option for whatever reason, you will need to protect
Argath from being KOed. In this case, you'll need to start moving a Chemist
towards Argath right away. Fortunately, Argath will probably flee away from the
enemies and into one corner. Heal him just to be on the safe side, and then
you're free to concentrate on the enemies.
Attack the enemies from above if you can, and guard your back with the rocks
scattered about the battlefield or with other ally units. Remember that if you
act without moving, or move without acting, your next turn will come sooner than
if you both act AND move. So if there's no real need for a character to move or
to take action, don't do it just for the heck of it. Your next turn will come
sooner if you don't.
You'll encounter your first monster here in the form of a Red Panther. It's
the toughest unit in the enemy forces, but it's not too bad. Be warned that,
like all monsters, it will counterattack you whenever you attack it. Don't
attack the Red Panther using a character who's low on HP, or the counterattack
is liable to KO you! (You CAN avoid the counterattack by using the Squire
ability Stone to attack from a distance, but this ability is really too weak to
be worth using.) The Red Panther can also poison you, which causes you to
lose a little HP after each turn you take. You can cure this with an Antidote
if you want, but it's probably not necessary--the poison wears off after a short
amount of time, anyway.
This may be your first chance to pick up crystals or chests. When the counter
over a KOed enemy unit goes down past 0, the unit vanishes and is replaced with
a crystal or treasure chest. Pick these up by moving onto the tile with the
crystal or chest.
> Picking up a chest will give you an item. These are typically items you
can buy at the Outfitter anyway and generally are not too important to
collect. But early on, chests can still be useful to grab as money is
tighter.
> Picking up a crystal will either heal the unit, or in some cases give you
the option of learning many of the defeated enemy's abilities. (Note that
although you point the cursor at an individual ability, you actually learn
ALL of the abilities offered, regardless of what you pick!) Crystals from
monsters will only ever give you the option to heal. When given the chance
to learn abilities, that's generally the best choice (unless you're in
desperate need of healing), as this permanently adds abilities to the
character! Crystals from humans are great to pick up as they can teach
you new abilities, so grab them when you see them. Monster crystals are
only necessary to pick up if you need healing. You may also want to grab
crystals just to prevent the enemies from claiming them, as they can
heal themselves with crystals too!
If one of your OWN units gets KOed, you must act to revive the character before
the countdown runs down and the character is lost permanently. Right now,
you've got two ways to revive a character. If one of your Chemists learned the
Phoenix Down ability and you have Phoenix Downs in stock, you can use a
Phoenix Down to revive the character. Or, you can hurry and clear the battle
before the countdown runs out -- when you win a battle, any characters who have
been KOed but not completely erased will be brought back to life.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Potion x2
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Stone Outcropping
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 8 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Broadsword none
Left: 0, Up: 12 (height: 1, Grassland) Potion Dagger none
Left: 8, Up: 6 (height: 0, Grassland) Eye Drops Oak Staff none
Left: 4, Up: 0 (height: 0, Grassland) Antidote Rod none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---STORY EVENTS---
When the fight concludes, Argath will join as a guest regardless of which
option you choose before the battle. Back on the map, go on up to Eagrose
Castle. You'll have a brief chat with Dycedarg, then Zalbaag will send you to
rendezvous with his spy at Dorter.
---JOB CHANGES---
At this point, you might want to consider changing some of your characters to
new jobs. Chemists are really more useful than either White Mages or Black
Mages, so keep your Chemists as-is. But you might want to change some of your
Squires to Knights, since Knights have more HP and damage potential than
Squires. (I made Ramza into a Knight at this point.) Archers should also be
available at this time. They can be useful in the early game, but for the next
few battles you may want to focus on melee combat. At any rate, it may be a
good idea to keep at least one Squire, though. Why is that? As long as you
have at least one Squire active in battle, everyone will earn some JP towards
that job, and that will help you buy useful Squire abilities like Counter
Tackle, Move +1, and JP Boost. Move +1 and JP Boost are particularly useful.
JP Boost increases the amount of JP you earn, and will help you learn all the
other abilities faster. Learning this ability is a VERY good investment.
It'll also help you out in some of the future battles if you're able to teach
Argath a simple Black Magick spell. This is pretty tricky, though, since he
doesn't participate in any of the random battles and can only earn JP in the
story battles. So, the only way to do this is to have your Chemists take
enough actions during the story battles that Argath gains some JP in the
Chemist job and is able to unlock the Black Mage job. It's cool if you can do
this, but don't worry too much about it if you can't; it's not *necessary*.
---SHOPPING AT EAGROSE---
Before you leave Eagrose, stop by the Outfitter. There's new equipment for
sale here.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Plumed Hat Hat 350 TrCity/City HP +16, MP +5
Leather Clothing Clothes 300 TrCity/City HP +10
Mythril Knife Knife 500 Castle/City Atk: 4, 5% Parry
Longsword Sword 500 Castle Atk: 5, 10% Parry
Bowgun Crossbw 400 Castle Atk: 3, 5% Parry
Escutcheon Shield 400 Castle Phy.Evade: 10%, Mag.Evade: 3%
Leather Helm Helm 200 Castle HP +10
Bronze Helm Helm 500 Castle HP +20
Leather Armor Armor 200 Castle HP +10
Linen Cuirass Armor 600 Castle HP +20
Battle Boots Shoes 1000 Any Move +1
Echo Herbs Item 50 Any Removes: Silence
Maiden's Kiss Item 50 Any Removes: Toad
Gold Needle Item 100 Any Removes: Stone
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock up on Potions, then arm your characters with the new gear. Make sure all
your Squires and Knights have Longswords, the best weapon available to them
right now. And if you changed any of your characters' jobs, be sure they have
equipment that goes with the new jobs. You can safely skip the Mythril Knife,
though--it only increase a Chemist's attack power by 1 point, and they don't do
much fighting, anyway.
The shop also sells Battle Boots, which increase your movement range by 1 tile.
handy is this, they're pricey, so you won't be able to afford them for your
whole team.
---TRAVEL & RANDOM BATTLES---
Your next story destination is the Siedge Weald, to the east of Gariland. Head
down that direction.
Mandalia Plain is now a green dot on the map, which means there's a chance
you'll get into a random battle when crossing it. Random battles are similar to
story battles, but feature a random selection of monsters instead of humans.
(In Chapter I, you'll only fight monsters in random battles; in later chapters,
humans can sometimes show up.) Since Delita and Argath are Guest characters,
they will not participate in random battles, only story ones. In random
battles, you also have the choice of whether or not to deploy Ramza. (He's
REQUIRED for story battles.)
---MULTIPLAYER MODES---
When you get to Gariland, you'll see a scene at the Tavern about the game's
multiplayer modes. Both of these modes are now unlocked, and you can play them
by visiting a Tavern in any town. Melee Mode is a "versus" mode that pits your
party against another player's. Rendezvous Mode is a co-op mode in which you
team up with another player to challenge various missions that will become
unlocked as you play through the game. Right now, there's only one mission
available, "Chocobo Defense." Both modes allow you to earn and keep JP and
items; when you get to a high enough experience level, you can even obtain
items that you can't get anywhere else. Another nice thing about these modes
is that you can't permanently lose any items or characters, so they're risk-
free. (Melee Mode does cost gil to play, though.) You can check them out now
if you want, although at this point, the Rendezvous Mode mission may still be
pretty challenging. Check out the Multiplayer Modes section below for more
information on the modes' rules and for strategies for the Rendezvous Mode
missions. (Note that both modes are playable only over a local, "ad hoc"
connection.)
If you don't have a chance to play the multiplayer modes, don't worry, you
definitely don't need to play multiplayer in order to complete the single-
player game.
---SHOPPING AT GARILAND---
The shop in Gariland sells different items than the one in Eagrose, so stop by
the Outfitter before you leave town. The Gariland shop offers Plumed Hats and
Leather Clothing, which are better armor for your Squires and Chemists. (Unlike
in a lot of games, armor in FF Tactics doesn't actually reduce the damage you
take; it gives you more HP or MP. Still, it helps you stay alive longer!) Pick
up these upgrades as well; you want to make sure your Chemists stay alive so
they can heal people! The Plumed Hat in particular is a good buy; it costs less
than the Leather Clothing but gives you a bigger HP bonus!
Don't forget that you can change Delita's and Argath's equipment, too, despite
the fact that they're guest characters. You can (and should!) have them learn
new abilities, too!
Continue on to the Weald and you'll encounter a third story battle.
---Battle 3: The Siedge Weald---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Goblin* Goblin* Black Goblin* Black Goblin* Red Panther*
Bomb* Bomb*
* The levels of these enemies depends on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, light rain (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 11 Grassland Tanglevine 65%
Marsh Quicksand 21%
Bridge Wind Slash 5%
Soil Sinkhole 4%
Obstructed -- 4%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
This battle is nothing but monsters; watch out for their counterattacks! If
you do have some range attacks, those will keep you safe from the
counterattacks -- all monsters can only counterattack at a range of 1 panel.
But it doesn't really matter either way, since these monsters aren't too tough
for the most part anyway. Take out on the enemies on the higher ground first
before you start crossing the water. Otherwise, you'll expose yourself to
attack from above.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 4.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 10 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Echo Herbs Bowgun none
Left: 6, Up: 5 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Leather Cap none
Left: 1, Up: 3 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Phoenix Down Escutcheon none
Left: 5, Up: 0 (height: 1.5, Grassl.) Potion Leather Helm none
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may want to gain some levels and abilities before proceeding on to Dorter.
You can do this by strolling back and forth across the Mandalia Plain or the
Siedge Weald until you get into a random battle. Beat up the monsters to earn
extra Exp and JP.
Make sure your Chemists have learned both Potion and Phoenix Down. You can skip
the abilities for all the items that cure individual status condition; most of
these conditions aren't that bad and when you get Remedies, those will cure
*any* negative status. Learning Move +1 for as many characters as possible is
also very helpful.
When you enter Dorter, there will be a cutscene, and then you'll be tossed into
a battle at the Dorter Slums.
---Battle 4: Dorter Slums-------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 4, male) Archer (lv 3, male)
Archer (lv 3, male) Archer (lv 3, male)
Black Mage (lv 3, male) Black Mage (lv 2, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 10 Roof Wind Blast 39%
Soil Sinkhole 36%
Ocean Torrent 11%
Grassland Tanglevine 9%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
--STRATEGY--
The enemy has Archers and Black Mages, who both have ranged attacks and can
hit you from a distance. This means that you'll need to be more aggressive; if
you hang back at a distance, the enemy can keep hitting you from afar!
Since you start on the street and the enemy has the high ground, Archers are
not particularly useful here; they won't have a clear shot with their bows.
On the other hand, Move +1 is a great ability to have as it helps you quickly
close the distance between you and the enemy's ranged attackers.
When one of your characters gets hit with a Black Magick spell, the characters
in adjacent tiles also take damage. There are two ways to avoid this. While
the spell is still charging, you can move the other characters out of the way,
or you can kill the Black Mage charging the spell and stop the attack entirely!
Since the spells do quite a bit of damage, it's great to take out the Black
Mages as soon as you have the chance. They don't have much HP so you can finish
them off easily. (Note that spells can also have a "friendly fire" effect -- if
another enemy is in range of the spell when it goes off, they get hurt too! You
can sometimes use this to your advantage by positioning targeted characters next
to enemy units.) To check when the spell is going to be fired, press the Circle
button when it's your turn, then use the Triangle button to bring up the menu
and choose Turn List.
If you have Black Mages of your own, you can also use these area damage effects
to extend the effective range of your magicks. If the range of your magick is
one tile too short to hit an enemy, you can target the tile directly in front
of the enemy and the magick will still hit the enemy thanks to the area effect.
This is a good tactic for hitting more distant enemies, like you see in this
battle. Just make sure the enemy won't be able to move out of the way before
the magick activates!
Two of the enemy Archers are on the tall building beside where you start. At
the beginning of the battle, Delita and Argath will begin climbing up the
building to attack them. Let Delita and Argath handle those two Archers, and
send at most one other character up the building. The rest of your team
should advance down the street. Take out the Black Mages first since they can
do so much damage.
It's likely that one or more of your characters will get KOed during the
battle. Remember that if the counter over their head goes below 0, you lose
the character permanently. To avoid this, when a character's counter gets low
(0 or 1), use a Phoenix Down on him or her. Even if another attack KOs the
character again right away, the counter will be reset and you've bought yourself
a few more turns to finish the battle.
This is a pretty tough battle. If you don't win at first, try again, or build
up your levels first.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 500 gil, Iron Sword, Hempen Robe, Ether
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 1, Soil) Antidote Leather Armor none
Left: 6, Up: 1 (height: 9, Roof) Echo Herbs Mythril Knife none
Left: 4, Up: 12 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Eye Drops Clothing none
Left: 7, Up: 14 (height: 1.5, Soil) Phoenix Down Longsword none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon your victory, you'll be able to visit the town. There's no new equipment
to buy, but stock up on items. You'll want at least 10 Potions and 4 Phoenix
Downs. Potions are cheap (50 gil each), so there's no reason not to carry
plenty. Also, winning the battle at the Slums will have netted you an Iron
Sword, which is a better weapon than anything you can find in stores. Equip it
one of your characters.
Again, you may want to build levels before proceeding to the next battle.
When you're ready, go on up to the Zeklaus Desert, where you'll have a battle
at the Sand Rat's Sietch.
---Battle 5: The Sand Rat's Sietch----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Delita [guest], 1 other
2nd Squad - Argath [guest], 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 5, male) Knight (lv 4, male) Knight (lv 3, male)
Archer (lv 3, male) Monk (lv 4, male) Monk (lv 3, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Soil Sinkhole 38%
Grassland Tanglevine 26%
Flagstone, Stone Wall Contortion 26%
Obstructed -- 9%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 1%
--STRATEGY--
You'll deploy your characters in two squads for this battle. Be sure to deploy
somebody with the Items command (either a Chemist, or another character who's
learned the ability) in the second group.
There are two entrances to the fort. When the battle begins, send most of
your characters towards the entrance that's closer to Argath. This is where
the bulk of the fighting will take place. Argath will probably make a suicide
mission into the building, but keep healing him anyway. If you were able to
give him a Black Magick spell, he'll be very helpful. Don't crowd the doorway
or you'll get in trouble. Let the enemies come outside to you.
Meanwhile, Delita will head towards the other entrance. You might want to
send one other character with him. Hopefully, Delita's squad have the chance
to sneak up on the enemy Archer from the rear and take him out so he can't keep
shooting at the main squad.
Remember that if a character doesn't move on a particular turn, his or her next
turn will come quicker. If you don't need to move to land an attack, stay put
and you'll get more turns. This is especially helpful for your Chemist; by
having him/her remain stationary and throw items to the characters who need
healing, you'll get more turns and more chances to heal.
This is a difficult fight--the toughest in Chapter I--so it may take you a
couple tries.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 500 gil, Hi-Potion, Blind Knife
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 9, Up: 10 (height: 3, Grassland) Eye Drops Leather Clothes none
Left: 4, Up: 5 (height: 0, Grassland) Potion Bronze Helm none
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 2, Coffer) Hi-Potion Plumed Hat none
Left: 0, Up: 10 (height: 0, Soil) Antidote Linen Cuirass none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you win at the Sietch, you'll rescue the Marquis. You'll also pick up a
Blind Knife. It's not stronger than the other knives you already have, but it
does inflict Blind status on enemies (making their attacks easier for you to
dodge), so give it to a Chemist.
---ZEKLAUS WILDERNESS---
Zeklaus Desert now becomes another "wilderness" location where you can get into
random battles. The map you'll see in random battles at Zeklaus Desert is
actually completely different from the Sand Rat's Sietch map.
---Extra Battlefield: Zeklaus Desert--------------------------------------------
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
18 x 10 Sand Sandstorm 62%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 36%
Obstructed -- 2%
Note that there's a very valuable pair of Battle Boots stashed on this map that
you can acquire with the Treasure Hunter movement ability. As with most good
Treasure Hunter items, your chance of getting this item goes UP with LOWER
Bravery.
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Sand
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 8 (height: 0, Sand) Phoenix Down Blind Knife Sten Needle
Left: 0, Up: 11 (height: 2.5, Sand) Echo Herbs Battle Boots Degenerator
Left: 6, Up: 8 (height: 0, Sand) Hi-Potion Thunder Rod none
Left: 6, Up: 17 (height: 0, Sand) Potion Iron Sword Hypnogas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---NEW MISSION & SHOPPING---
Return to Eagrose Castle. You'll meet Duke Larg, and then Dycedarg will let
Ramza and friends in on the next mission against the Corpse Brigade.
The shops at all three towns will now be stocked with new items.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Ice Rod Rod 400 TrCity/City Atk: 3, 20% Parry, ice elemental,
Boosts: Ice, Spell Effect: Ice
Flame Rod Rod 400 TrCity/City Atk: 3, 20% Parry, fire elemental,
Boosts: Fire, Spell Effect: Fire
Thunder Rod Rod 400 TrCity/City Atk: 3, 20% Parry, lightning
elemental, Boosts: Lightning,
Spell Effect: Thunder
White Staff Staff 800 TrCity/City Atk: 3, 15% Parry,
Removes (from target): Doom
Red Hood Hat 800 TrCity/City HP +24, MP +8
Leather Plate Clothes 500 TrCity/City HP +18
Hempen Robe Robe 1200 TrCity/City HP +10, MP +10
Blind Knife Knife 800 Castle/City Atk: 4, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Blind
Iron Sword Sword 900 Castle Atk: 6, 5% Parry
Longbow Bow 800 Castle Atk: 4, 0% Parry
Buckler Shield 700 Castle Phy.Evade: 13%, Mag.Evade: 3%
Iron Helm Helm 1000 Castle HP +30
Bronze Armor Armor 800 Castle HP +30
Shoulder Cape Cloak 300 Any Phy.Evade: 10%, Mag.Evade: 10%
Hi-Potion Item 200 Any Restores 70 HP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Eagrose, you can buy Iron Swords for both your Squires and Knights, as well
as Escutcheons, Iron Helms, and Bronze Armor for any Knights you have. Gariland
has better light armor, used by jobs other than Knights. If you're using
mages, you can buy new rods and staves at Gariland and Dorter, as well as Hempen
Robes, which will give them more MP. All towns also carry a new accessory: the
Shoulder Cape, which will boost both your physical and magick evade rates by a
little bit (10%). It's not really as useful as the Battle Boots, though.
But the most important new item isn't actually an equipment--it's the Hi-Potion,
which is now for sale under Items! Hi-Potions restore 70 HP instead of the 30
you get from a regular Potion. Since you should have a lot more than 30 HP by
now, you'll need the healing boost. You can't use Hi-Potions unless you've
learned the Chemist's Hi-Potion ability, so be sure to have your item-users
learn this ability.
Since there's a lot to buy, you might not be able to afford to buy all of the
new gear. Aside from restocking your item supply, the priorities are probably
the Iron Swords and Bronze Armor at Eagrose, and the Leather Plate or Red Hood
at Gariland. Note that the Iron Helm and Bronze Armor both give you the same HP
bonus, but the Bronze Armor is cheaper! If you can't buy all the armor, the
Bronze Armor is definitely a better buy than the Iron Helm.
After you're done shopping, your new destination is the Brigands' Den, south of
the Mandalia Plain.
---Battle 6: Brigands' Den------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], Argath [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Milleuda (lv 7 Knight) Thief (lv 6, male)
Thief (lv 5, male) White Mage (lv 6, female)
White Mage (lv 5, female)
BOSS: Milleuda [Virgo] - lv 7 Knight - Bravery 68, Faith 58
Equipment : Iron Shield, Bronze Shield, Iron Helm, Chainmail, Power Gauntlet
Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Parry, random Squire support
ability, Move +1
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Milleuda
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, rainstorm (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33,
fire dmg -25%, lightning dmg +25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 37%
Ocean Torrent 30%
Flagstone Contortion 21%
Grassland Tanglevine 12%
--STRATEGY--
You may want to deploy more male characters than female ones here since there's
a chance that one of the male Thieves can Charm a female character, making her
temporarily fight against you. But this is pretty unlikely, so don't go out of
your way to adjust your roster.
Also, if you happen to have any male Pisces characters, or Taurus and Capricorns
of either gender, deploying them here can be useful. Milleuda, the boss here,
is always a female Virgo, and the three Zodiac signs listed above will do extra
damage to her. (You can only prepare your Zodiac signs in this way when
fighting bosses; non-boss enemies have randomized Zodiac signs.) It's
definitely not essential to have them, but it'll help you out if you do.
I recommend standing up on the cliffs on the left side of the fort when
possible; you have a height advantage there. Since you should have Hi-Potions
now, use them for all your healing needs--the 30 HP from a regular Potion just
doesn't cut it now.
There are two White Mages here. Check their status; at least one of them will
have Black Magicks as a secondary ability. A Black Magick-wielding mage is the
most dangerous, so if either or both have Black Magick, you'll generally want to
target them first. (You can use the same tricks you used in Dorter to avoid
their magick.) However, one of the White Mages might have the Items ability. If
an Item-using Mage comes out of the fort and starts using Hi-Potions, you'll
need to concentrate on KOing her instead to prevent her from healing all the
other enemies. If either mage starts casting Cure, note that you can stop it
more or less same way you can stop a Black Magick spell -- either take out the
enemy they're trying to heal, or KO the Mage herself.
After you've taken out the White Mages, concentrate on Milleuda. Her attacks
are quite strong, If you have the Rend Weapon or Rend Armor abilities (both
from the Knight job), you may want to try them on her. Breaking her weapon
will greatly reduce her attack power, and breaking her armor will reduce her
HP total. If you already have a Thief, you could try stealing her equipment
too, as she's got a nice set of gear, but you'll be able to buy all her stuff
eventually.
The Thieves here may swipe some of your armor, or at least your headgear.
Although this might be annoying, it's not really too bad; you can just re-buy
the items after the battle. What's more deadly is the Steal Heart attack they
may use on your female characters, which will temporarily turn them to the enemy
side. That's why it can be advantageous to deploy more male characters here.
Milleuda is the game's first boss character. KOing a boss will end the battle
instantly, even if there are other enemies left standing. If you're in danger,
you can take her out quickly to end the fight. But if you've got Milleuda
cornered or otherwise have the upper hand, you may want to finish off the other
enemies for more Exp & JP, then let them die completely so they turn into a
chest or crystal.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 700 gil, Iron Sword, Bronze Shield
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2, Wooden Floor
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 2, Wooden Fl.) Phoenix Down Longbow none
Left: 8, Up: 10 (height: 2, Grassland) Antidote Flame Rod none
Left: 4, Up: 9 (height: 3, Wooden Fl.) Echo Herbs White Staff none
*Left: 7,Up: 10 (height: 10, Wooden F.) Eye Drops Ice Rod none
* Requires Jump of 4 or greater.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---STORY SCENES---
The Brigands' Den is easier than the Sand Rat's Sieve, so if you won there, you
should be able to attain victory here. Following the battle, there will be a
cutscene at Eagrose as the Corpse Brigade strikes back.
Victory at the Brigands' Den will have earned you a Bronze Shield, which is a
more effective shield than anything else you've got at this point. Don't forget
to equip it.
Strip Argath of all his equipment, as he'll be leaving your party shortly. Go
back up to Eagrose. A series of scenes will follow in which Ramza and Delita
decide to rescue Tietra, and Argath leaves.
Return to Gariland. As you cross Mandalia Plain, an animated cutscene will
play.
---JOB CHANGES---
At this point, you'll probably want to start changing jobs, if you haven't
already. If you can change any of your characters to Monks, do so; they're very
strong fighters. If any of your characters have enough JP to buy the Knight
ability Equip Heavy Armor, a good strategy is to learn that ability and then
make the character into a Monk--the heavy armor will make up for the Monk's
otherwise poor HP count.
It would also help to have a Black Mage and Archer. But, you'll still want a
healer, so the best move is to change a Chemist to another job and then equip
Items as a secondary ability. Before switching out of the Chemist job, though,
you need to learn (and equip) the Throw Items ability. Without Throw Items,
your items will have a range of only 1 tile, and, as Sonic would say, that's NO
GOOD!
Keep in mind that male characters generally have somewhat higher HP and Physical
Attack, while females have somewhat more HP and Magick Attack. So, it makes the
most sense to assign fighting jobs like Knight and Archer to males, and magick-
oriented jobs like Black and White Mage to females.
Also remember that a higher Faith makes your magick stronger, so when you're
deciding what character(s) to turn into a mage, it's advantageous to pick
someone with a high Faith.
If you change jobs, be sure to buy matching equipment for your new jobs. If
you've got an Archer, you'll need to decide whether to use a bowgun or a regular
bow. A bowgun only require one hand, allowing you to equip a shield. On the
other hand, bows deal more damage, have a longer range (which increases even
more when you have a height advantage), and fire in an "arc" pattern that often
allows you to shoot over obstacles in your way. Since Archers are usually in
the back line and don't get attacked too much, a shield isn't too important.
Regular bows are almost always the best choice.
For Black Mages, you can choose between the Flame, Ice, and Thunder Rods (sold
at Gariland and Dorter). These rods boost the damage dealt by your Fire-family,
Blizzard-family, and Thunder-family magicks, respectively. A good trick is to
buy a particular Rod and then learn some of the spells that go along with it
(e.g., buy the Ice Rod and then try to learn Blizzard and Blizzara). This will
increase the damage you can do with your magick. These rods also sometimes cast
Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder when executing a physical attack, if your Black Mage
happens to get caught in a melee.
As far as choosing between the Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder families of magick,
they all do the same amounts of raw damage under normal circumstances. They
differ only in their elemental affinities, which means they can do more or less
damage in certain cases:
> Fire magick does extra damage to a number of early-game monster types
(Skeletons and Ghosts), but it gets weaker during thunderstorms and doesn't
work against the Bomb family. (It also does more damage to enemies afflicted
with Oil status, but this status condition almost never happens.)
> Blizzard magick is good against many late-game monsters, but the only early-
game monster family weak to ice is Goblins, which are pretty easy anyway.
Blizzard magick gets stronger during a snowstorm, but these are very rare.
> Thunder magick gets stronger during a thunderstorm, and no monsters are
immune to it. But, only one monster family (Mindflayers) is weak to it.
Overall, Thunder is probably your best pick early on. Nothing is immune to it,
so you can use it against any enemy, and it gets stronger during thunderstorms,
which are pretty common during the rainy months. Fire is OK too, but Skeletons
and Ghosts are usually fairly easy to defeat anyway. Blizzard is less useful at
first because fewer monsters are weak to it, but you'll definitely want to learn
it later in the game since it's the best against late-game monsters like
Malboros, Hydras, and Red Dragons.
---ITEM SUPPLY---
Aside from re-outfitting yourself after any job changes, you may want to hold
off on any equipment purchases. While you could now buy some of the equipment
upgrades you might not have been able to afford the Brigands' Den, there are
even better items coming after the next battle. So, you're probably better off
saving your money for those.
Of course, if any of your equipment was stolen by the Thieves or broken by
Milleuda in the last battle, be sure to replace it. You'll also want a good
stock of Hi-Potions (12 or so) and Phoenix Down (6 should be sufficient).
After restocking your item supply, go north from Gariland to the Lenalian
Plateau for another battle against Milleuda.
---Battle 7: Lenalian Plateau---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Milleuda (lv 8 Knight) Knight (lv 6, female)
Knight (lv 5, female) Black Mage (lv 6, male)
Black Mage (lv 5, male) Time Mage (lv 5, female)
BOSS: Milleuda [Virgo] - lv 8 Knight - Bravery 68, Faith 58
Equipment : Mythril Sword, Bronze Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Shoulder Cape
Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Counter,
random Squire support ability, Jump +1
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Milleuda
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 11 Grassland Tanglevine 50%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 24%
Lake Torrent 21%
Soil Sinkhole 3%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
Again, Taurus, Capricorn, and male Pisces characters will do extra damage
against Milleuda since she's a female Virgo.
Play the first few rounds defensively to prevent any early casualties, and use
the high ground to your advantage. Send one or two characters after the Black
Mages, and possibly the Time Mage as well. If you have an Archer, send
him/her up onto the tall ridge and shoot down on the enemies. Firing from a
high place increases the range of bows.
After knocking out the Black Mages, concentrate on Milleuda. This time, she
has the Counter ability, which means that whenever you hit her with a close-
range attack, she has a chance of striking back. So, be sure not to use any
close-range attacks against her unless your HP is high. A good strategy is to
attack her with long-distance attacks like bows and Black Magick, which won't
allow her to counterattack. As in the last battle, Milleuda might use her Rend
abilities to break your gear.
Again, as soon as Milleuda goes down, the battle ends, even if other enemies
are still standing.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Silken Robe, Battle Boots
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 7.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 6, Up: 6 (height: 2.5, Grassl.) Hi-Potion Iron Helm none
Left: 4, Up: 8 (height: 5, Grassland) Potion Buckler none
Left: 4, Up: 0 (height: 5.5, Grassl.) Eye Drops Bronze Armor none
Left: 0, Up: 5 (height: 4, Grassland) Antidote Red Hood none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---EQUIPMENT UPGRADES---
After you win the battle at the Plateau, the shops will again update their
shelves with new equipment.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Ringmail Clothes 900 TrCity/City HP +24
Silken Robe Robe 2400 TrCity/City HP +20, MP +16
Mage Masher Knife 1500 Castle/City Atk: 4, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Silence
Mythril Sword Sword 1600 Castle Atk: 7, 8% Parry
Battle Axe Axe 1500 Castle Atk: 9, 0% Parry
Knightslayer Crossbw 1500 Castle Atk: 3, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Blind
Silver Bow Bow 1500 Castle Atk: 5, 0% Parry
Bronze Shield Shield 1200 Castle Phy.Evade: 16%, Mag.Evade: 0%
Chainmail Armor 1300 Castle HP +40
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As before, you'll find heavy armor and most kinds of weapons in Eagrose, and
lighter armor in Gariland and Dorter. Buy what you can and replace any items
that Milleuda may have broken.
Skip the axe. Although it looks powerful, the amount of damage it deals is
randomly determined, and not exactly what you see previewed. That means it may
fail to deliver a killing blow when you need it most!
---DRAGONS---
If you're crossing the Lenalian Plateau after the initial battle, you may
sometimes encounter a Dragon monster in random battles (only when entering from
Dorter). If you already have an Orator on your team, you can use Entice or Tame
to recruit the Dragon onto your team. Although monsters aren't usually the most
useful units, this is a much stronger monster than you can usually find at this
point in the game. You can also breed it to get even stronger dragons: Blue
Dragons and Red Dragons!
---RENDEZVOUS MODE---
At this point, you should be in great shape to win the Chocobo Defense mission
in Rendezvous Mode, so if you'd like to check that out, you can earn some extra
items and JP. Strategies for these missions are available in the Rendezvous
Mode section.
Otherwise, forge on from the Lenalian Plateau to Fovoham Windflats, where
you'll square off against Wiegraf and his Chocobo Boco (a reference to Final
Fantasy V).
---Battle 8: Windflat Mill------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Wiegraf (lv 9 White Knight) Boco (lv 7 Chocobo)
Knight (lv 6, female) Monk (lv 7, female)
Monk (lv 6, female)
BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 9 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64
Equipment : Mythril Sword, Round Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Shoulder Cape
Abilities : Holy Sword, random action ability, Counter,
random Squire support ability, Jump +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, Slow, Stop,
Immobilize, and Disable
ENEMY: Boco [Aries] - lv 7 Chocobo - Bravery 68, Faith 48
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce Wiegraf to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 8 Grassland Tanglevine 48%
Soil Sinkhole 21%
Obstructed -- 18%
Brick Wind Slash 5%
Roof Wind Blast 4%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 3%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
--STRATEGY--
Like his sister, Wiegraf is a Virgo. He's male, though, so this time Taurus,
Capricorn, and FEMALE Pisces characters are the ones to deploy (if you happen
to have them -- if not, don't sweat it).
Wiegraf is the only real threat here; most of his companions are pretty weak.
Start moving along the bottom of the cliff and quickly take out the Chocobo
(Boco) and the Monk. Wiegraf and the other enemies will soon move down to
fight you. Finish off any enemies that are low on HP, then go after Wiegraf.
Wiegraf uses a couple different special sword techniques that allow him to
attack from a distance and (unlike magick) don't require any charge time.
Most of the time, he'll use Northswain's Strike, which strikes a single
character (usually for about 35 HP or so). If your characters are close
together, he may also use Judgment Blade to attack a "plus-shaped" group of
tiles. These attacks are pretty strong, but Wiegraf doesn't have a great
defense. If you hit him with a few strong attacks (Mythril Swords, black
magick), he'll go down quickly. Just stay healed!
Because you're fighting in such close quarters, watch out for the "friendly
fire" effects of your own magicks! In general, if one of your allies is
standing right next to an enemy, a useful trick is to target the tile right
BEHIND the enemy to avoid hitting your ally when the magick goes off. For
instance, if your characters are positioned like below, target the space marked
with a *:
*EA (A = ally, E = enemy)
This way, you'll still hit the enemy, but the magick is positioned so as not to
harm your ally. But make sure that the magick will activate before the enemy
can move.
This battle isn't too difficult if you have good jobs. You need only Wiegraf's
HP to critical status to win. (If your last hit manages to KO him outright, the
outcome is the same.)
BATTLE TROPHIES: Hi-Potion
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 6, Up: 9 (height: 4, Grassland) Hi-Potion Mage Masher none
Left: 3, Up: 5 (height: 6, Grassland) Phoenix Down Hempen Robe none
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 1, Grassland) Echo Herbs Leather Plate none
Left: 5, Up: 1 (height: 1, Grassland) Potion Shoulder Cape none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Zeklaus Desert, Fovoham Windflats now becomes an entirely different map if
you return to it for random battles.
---Extra Battlefield: Fovoham Windflats-----------------------------------------
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 62%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 24%
Ocean Torrent 12%
Obstructed -- 2%
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 10.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 2 (height: 10, Grassland) Phoenix Down Silver Bow Sten Needle
Left: 2, Up: 7 (height: 1, Stone Out.) Eye Drops Battle Axe Death Trap
Left: 5, Up: 8 (height: 1, Stone Out.) Antidote Mythril Sword Hypnogas
Left: 11, Up: 4 (height: 1, Grassland) Echo Herbs Knightslayer Degenerator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing is added to the shops after the battle at Fovoham, so if your item
supply is okay, you can continue directly on to Ziekden Fortress, the final
battle of the chapter. There, you'll find Tietra being held captive by a
Gragoroth, a Corpse Brigade knight. Argath arrive with some troops, and you'll
find yourself battling an unexpected enemy.
---Battle 9: Ziekden Fortress---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Delita [guest], 1 other
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Argath (lv 10 Knight) Knight (lv 8, male)
Knight (lv 8, male) Knight (lv 7, male)
Black Mage (lv 9, female) Black Mage (lv 8, female)
BOSS: Argath [Virgo] - lv 10 Knight - Bravery 32, Faith 67
Equipment : Knightslayer, Round Shield, Barbut, Chainmail, Power Gauntlet
Abilities : Arts of War, random action ability, Auto-Potion, Equip Crossbows,
Move +1
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Argath
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, light snow (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 9 Snow Snowstorm 96%
Bridge Wind Slash 3%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
--STRATEGY--
You'll deploy in two squads again for this battle. Deploy your best damage-
dealer along with Ramza in the first squad. The characters in the second squad
are going to be largely useless as they start far away from the action. If you
want to pick and choose Zodiac signs, Argath is again a Virgo and susceptible to
Taurus, Capricorn, and female Pisces attacks.
Luckily, you can almost beat the whole fight just using Ramza. Just go after
Argath and completely ignore the other enemies. Argath only has a crossbow, so
he can't do much damage to you and is useless at close ranges. Just chase him
down and hit him with your strongest attacks, like Knight and Monk attacks and
Black Magick. You'll want to block Argath from climbing up the stairs to the
roof of the fort, as he has a good sniping point if he gets up there and it's
slow climbing up after him. If you position your characters between him and the
stairs, he shouldn't be able to climb up there.
Argath does have the Auto-Potion ability, which gives him a random chance to
heal himself with a Potion when you hit him, so you may want to avoid using
very weak attacks against him--the gain from the Auto-Potion may heal him more
than you hurt him for! (The ability isn't always activated, though. And Auto-
Potion also can't protect him whenever you land the killing blow.) Again, as
you soon as you knock down Argath, the fight--and the chapter--ends.
The dialogue between Argath, Ramza, and Delita here will be a little bit
different depending on whether or not you chose to help Argath back on Mandalia
Plain.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Snow
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 1, Snow) Eye Drops Silken Robe none
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 2, Snow) Hi-Potion Chainmail none
Left: 5, Up: 4 (height: 0, Snow) Antidote Ringmail none
Left: 9, Up: 5 (height: 7, Wooden Fl.) Potion Bronze Shield none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you kill Argath, there are a couple FMV scenes, the fort blows up, and
the chapter ends. The game will give you a chance to save, and then you'll
move on to Chapter II.
%%%CHAPTER II: THE MANIPULATIVE & THE SUBSERVIENT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk2
You now return to the present, at Orbonne Monastery. It's one year after the
events of Chapter I and your current mission is to rescue Princess Ovelia.
---CHARACTER RECRUITMENT---
After a brief chat, you'll be given a chance to add Ramza's fellow mercenary
Ladd and both of Agrias's Knights (Alicia and Lavian) to the party. There's no
real reason not to take them along, so sign them up! They start with a bare
minimum of abilities, though, so they probably won't see much use compared to
the characters you're carrying over from Chapter I.
However, you MUST keep Alicia and Lavian (as well as Agrias, of course) on your
roster to complete the Agrias's Birthday sidequest in Chapter IV. Don't dismiss
them or let them get permanently killed if you want to complete all the
sidequests. (It's fine if they're KOed as long as they don't ever turn into a
crystal or chest.) Ladd, on the other hand, is not required for any of the
quests.
Agrias and Gaffgarion will also join as Guests. You still have all your
characters from Chapter I (except Delita) as well.
ALLY: Ladd [Capricorn] - lv 8 Squire - Bravery 63, Faith 60
Equipment : Iron Sword, Red Hood, Ringmail
Abilities : Fundaments, random other action ability
ALLY: Alicia [Pisces] - lv 8 Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 62
Equipment : Iron Sword, Buckler, Iron Helm, Linen Cuirass
Abilities : Arts of War, random other action ability
ALLY: Lavian [Aries] - lv 8 Knight - Bravery 62, Faith 61
Equipment : Longsword, Escutcheon, Bronze Helm, Bronze Armor
Abilities : Arts of War, random other action ability
GUEST: Agrias [Cancer] - lv 10 Holy Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 63
Equipment : Mythril Sword, Mythril Shield, Golden Helm, Golden Armor
Abilities : Holy Sword, random other action ability
GUEST: Gaffgarion [Virgo] - lv 10 Fell Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 67
Equipment : Mythril Sword, Golden Shield, Close Helmet, Plate Mail,
Power Gauntlet
Abilities : Fell Sword, random other action ability
---JOB & ABILITY UPGRADES---
You'll see that Ramza's appearance has changed at the start of the chapter.
His Squire job is now able to equip heavy armor and shields, plus he has a new
ability to learn, Steel. Steel gives a character a +5 Bravery boost during a
battle, and some of this increase will remain even after the battle. Raising
your Bravery makes your Reaction Abilities and some attacks stronger, so this
is a good ability to learn. If Ramza has some spare turns near the end of a
battle, you can spend them using Steel to boost up characters' Bravery.
At this point, you should have had all your characters upgraded from the
beginning Jobs (Squire or Chemist) to more advanced ones. In particular,
you'll want to have a Monk, Archer, Black Mage, and maybe a White Mage somewhere
in the party. I like making Ramza into a Monk. You'll want to have him learn
either the Monk's Chakra ability or the Time Mage's Teleport for use in a battle
near the end of the chapter. An Orator can also be useful to have on the team,
but might take some time to get, as you have to get the Mystic job up to job
level 3, and Mystic itself requires job level 3 of White Mage. If you want to
take the time to unlock Orator, you can also have another character acquire
the Thief Job, which is unlocked by getting Archer to job level 3.
When you've got your team organized, go north to the only location available to
you: Dorter, where a battle awaits you.
---Battle 10: Dorter------------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Gaffgarion [guest], Agrias [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Thief (lv 11, male) Thief (lv 9, male)
Black Mage (lv 10, male) Black Mage (lv 9, male)
Archer (lv 10, female) Archer (lv 9, female)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 9 Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 36%
Flagstone Contortion 36%
Grassland Tanglevine 26%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
There's no boss here, so you'll have to wipe out every enemy on the map to win.
If you've got good jobs, though, this battle should be no problem. Just move
up the path and take out the enemies as you go. The Black Mages and Archers
do the most damage, so when you've got a choice, go after them instead of the
Thieves.
Agrias is given a random action ability when she joins. If it's a magick
ability, beware; the goofy Guest AI has a nasty habit of casting spells
indiscriminately on your own people. You can either de-equip Agrias's magicks
from the menu beforehand, or pay attention to which she enemy she is targeting
and stay clear.
One other small caution: A character with Jump 4 can climb up onto the house
nearest your start point, but can't get back down. Of course, you'll get the
character back after the battle, but they'll be out of action for this battle.
So, either don't climb up there (there's not much reason to do so, except one
Treasure Hunter tile) or use a character that has Jump 5.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Flame Rod, Mage Masher, Phoenix Down
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 16, Chimney
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
*Left: 9, Up: 8 (height: 9, Chimney) Potion Ice Bow none
Left: 6, Up: 0 (height: 5, Grassland) Ether Round Shield none
Left: 4, Up: 6 (height: 9, Roof) Hi-Potion Shuriken none
#Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 16, Chimney) Echo Herbs Barbut none
* Requires Jump of 4 or more to reach.
# Requires Jump of 5 to reach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you've cleared this battle, you'll have access to all of the map again.
---MONSTER CHANGES---
All of the random battle locations (green dots) now have a second set of
possible enemies you can encounter. These usually show up less frequently, but
often include more powerful monsters as well as the occasional human. Check the
Random Battles section if you want the complete list.
---ERRANDS---
You also now have the ability to take Errands at taverns. These involve sending
your generic (non-story) characters away for a few days in exchange for gil and
a small amount of JP. The amount you earn isn't generally huge, but this can be
a good way to use characters you weren't going to deploy in active combat.
While the characters are away, you can continue on without them. Or, if you
just want to pass time, you can walk back and forth between two blue dots on
the map, which will never trigger any random battles. (You can use Eagrose &
Ziekden Fortress, or Dorter & the Monastery.) Once the Errand is done, you'll
have to return the appropriate Tavern to collect your characters and reward.
You can maximize your reward if you send characters for the maximize number of
days and pick jobs appropriate for the errand, but the differences are actually
pretty small and not usually worth bothering with. If you want to squeeze out
the maximum gil, though, I've covered this system in more depth in the Errands
section.
---RENDEZVOUS MISSIONS---
Two new Rendezvous Mode missions are now available in Taverns: Chicken Race and
Treasure Hunt, both of which offer better items than the Chocobo Defense mission
from chapter I. Chicken Race can be completed quite easily by a small party of
Chemists and is great for collecting items at this stage. Treasure Hunt is a
bit harder, but if you pick up the chest on the map, you'll get a good piece of
equipment.
---EQUIPMENT UPGRADES---
All the stores have new equipment, so pay them a visit to gear up your
characters.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Headgear Hat 1200 TrCity/City HP +32, Phys.Attack +1
Mythril Vest Clothes 1500 TrCity/City HP +30
Shuriken Star 50 TrCity/City Atk: 4
Ice Bow Bow 2000 Castle Atk: 5, 0% Parry, ice elemental
Javelin Polearm 1000 Castle Atk: 8, 10% Parry
Round Shield Shield 1600 Castle Phy.Evade: 19%, Mag.Evade: 0%
Barbut Helm 1500 Castle HP: 40
Mythril Armor Armor 2000 Castle HP: 50
Spiked Boots Shoes 1200 Any Jump +1
Leather Cloak Cloak 800 Any Phy.Evade: 15%, Mag.Evade: 15%
Holy Water Item 2000 Any Removes: Undead, Vampire
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember that you'll have to hike back to Eagrose to purchase heavy armor and
most weapons. Conversely, you'll only find lighter armor at the other two
cities.
Stock up on Hi-Potions and Phoenix Downs, but don't buy any equipment for
Gaffgarion. (It's OK to get stuff for Agrias, but her equipment is already
really good.) The Headgear is also quite a good buy. It's a good hat, cheaper
more effective and than the Mythril Vest, and it raises your attack power as
well.
This is a good chance to build up your characters if you want. But as long as
you have new equipment for your main squad of characters and the jobs
recommended above, you should be fine. When you feel confident that you're done
preparing, go to Araguay Woods, east of Dorter.
---Battle 11: Araguay Woods-----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Gaffgarion [guest], Agrias [guest], Boco [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Black Goblin (lv 13) Goblin (lv 10) Goblin (lv 9)
Goblin (lv 9) Goblin (lv 8) Goblin (lv 8)
GUEST: Boco [Aries] - lv 10 Chocobo - Bravery 68, Faith 48
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Top option - Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
Bottom option - Boco is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 82%
Tree Wind Slash 8%
Obstructed -- 6%
Soil Sinkhole 4%
--STRATEGY--
Here you have to save Boco the chocobo from goblins. As when you met Argath,
you're given two options, which will affect your victory conditions:
- If you choose not to help Boco (top choice), your goal is just to defeat
all the enemies, and you don't have to keep Boco from being KOed. However,
you'll also suffer a 10 point PENALTY to everyone's Bravery, 2 points of
which will remain even after the battle.
- Choosing to help Boco (bottom choice) means you must keep Boco from getting
KOed during the battle, but does not penalize your Bravery.
This time, the top choice still gives you an easier battle, but you'll take a
hit to your Bravery for selecting it. Since protecting Boco during the battle
isn't hard at all, choose the second option to keep from losing Bravery.
Boco will usually retreat into a corner, where will be chased by the lone Black
Goblin. Boco can take care of himself just fine, so don't bother going after
the Black Goblin unless you've mopped up all the other enemies.
The Goblins aren't very strong, especially with Agrias's and Gaffgarion's help,
so I recommend just rushing them. Stay out of the ditches.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Hi-Potion
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 17, Cross Section
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 5, Up: 3 (height: 0, Grassland) Gold Needle Headgear none
Left: 2, Up: 4 (height: 1, Grassland) Phoenix Down Mythril Armor none
Left: 5, Up: 8 (height: 0, Grassland) Potion Mythril Vest none
Left: 9, Up: 11 (height: 7, Grassland) Hi-Potion Spiked Boots none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the battle, Boco will join. Boco just has the same stats and abilities as
any other generic Chocobo, so he's of somewhat limited use. (He does have an
unique help message when you use the Select button and check his name, but this
has no effect on gameplay.)
But, if nothing else, you can keep Boco in your party and use him to breed a
Black Chocobo, which in turn can give you a Red Chocobo. These colored chocobos
are somewhat more useful, so you may want to get one of them.
Back on the map, go into your roster screen and change Gaffgarion into a Time
Mage or White Mage, or some other crummy job.
You have a couple of choices as to do what to do with Gaffgarion's equipment:
1) The next battle will be easiest if you strip Gaffgarion of all his gear,
and equip it on one of your other characters. Gaffgarion has good armor,
and the Power Gauntlet will give you an attack boost. (It's great for an
Archer, or another character who doesn't need the movement bonus of the
Battle Boots.)
2) Alternately, there's a bug in the game that you can exploit to duplicate an
item. Equip the item on Gaffgarion, then have a Thief steal it during the
battle, and you'll end up with two copies. The Power Gauntlet is
especially valuable, if you decide to do this.
Once you've finished adjusting Gaffgarion's equipment, continue on to Zeirchele
Falls.
---Battle 12: Zeirchele Falls---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Delita [guest], Ovelia [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Gaffgarion (Fell Knight) Knight (lv 11, male)
Knight (lv 10, male) Knight (lv 9, male)
Knight (lv 8, male) Knight (lv 8, male)
GUEST: Delita [Sagittarius] - lv 11 Holy Knight - Bravery 75, Faith 50
Equipment : Coral Sword, Mythril Shield, Plate Mail, other equipment random
Abilities : Holy Sword, other abilities random
Immune : Chicken, Toad, Charm, and Doom
GUEST: Ovelia [Taurus] - lv 5 Princess - Bravery 53, Faith 72
Equipment : White Staff, Wizard's Hat, Wizard's Robe
Abilities : Holy Magicks, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ovelia is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Stone Outcropping Tremor 33%
Grassland Tanglevine 30%
River, Waterfall Torrent 30%
Bridge Wind Slash 4%
Obstructed -- 4%
--STRATEGY--
The mission here is to protect Ovelia, which means you can't let her get KOed.
She isn't in too much danger since she can cast Aegis, which puts a whole lot of
good defensive buffs on her. She only has enough MP to cast this once, though,
and it wears off after a few turns. Just to be on the safe side, keep a healer
reasonably close to her.
Gaffgarion is now your enemy, but if you turned him into a weak job and stripped
his equipment, he can't do much to hurt you. So, worry about the other Knights
first. (Plus, if you don't KO Gaffgarion right away, there's a bit of extra
dialogue.)
Start off by taking out the Knights on your side of the falls. (Delita can
do a lot of damage to the Knights on the other side just by himself.) One of
the Knights from the far side will probably try to cross over by wading through
the base of the falls. Position an Archer on the corner of the cliff and shoot
down at the guy. Agrias tends to loiter in the water and may finish him off; if
not, send a character or two down after him.
A great trick here is to KO one of the enemy Knights while he's standing on the
bridge. Until he decomposes into a chest/crystal, his body will completely
block the other Knights from crossing the bridge. Since the Knights have NO
ranged attacks, you can use this as a chance to shoot at them from afar. If you
have a Dragoon, you can also use polearms, which have a range of two tiles.
If any of the Knights drops to critical HP, he may try to flee up the cliffs.
You'll have to chase after him, so it may be useful to bring a character with a
good Move range to this battle. (Battle Shoes and Move +1 or +2 will increase
your Move range.)
If you have a Thief and don't mind exploiting a bug in the game, you can also
use this battle to duplicate any piece of equipment you have. First, equip the
item on Gaffgarion before the battle. Then, steal it from him during the
battle. You'll get one copy then, and a second copy when Gaffgarion's items are
added to your inventory after the battle. The downside is that if you give
Gaffgarion powerful items, it will make him harder to defeat. But, just giving
him the Power Gauntlet works pretty well -- if you turn him into a mage
beforehand, he can't do very much damage to even *with* the Gauntlet.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 7, Stone Outcropping
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 3 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Ether Leather Cloak none
Left: 5, Up: 2 (height: 9.5, Grassl.) Echo Herbs Platinum Dagger none
Left: 7, Up: 4 (height: 8.5, Waterf.) Gold Needle Coral Sword none
Left: 8, Up: 4 (height: 8.5, Waterf.) Phoenix Down Poison Rod none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the battle, Delita will leave you with Ovelia. Ramza sets a new course
for Lionel Castle, so Fort Besselat disappears from your map, not to return
until much later in the game.
---SHUFFLING YOUR EQUIPMENT---
Back on the map, Gaffgarion's items are added to your inventory if you didn't
already take it from him. (There's also a bug here that allows you to copy
Gaffgarion's items; see the battle strategy above.) Be sure to equip it on your
characters since it's good stuff.
While Ovelia is listed on your roster as a Guest, she won't actually participate
in any more battles. So, you're safe de-equipping her Wizard's Hat and Wizard's
Robe and giving them to another character. The Wizard's Robe is an especially
nice pick-up since you can't buy them in stores yet. It raises your magick
attack, so give it to one of your mages.
There's also some new equipment for sale at Dorter and at Eagrose.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Poison Rod Rod 500 TrCity/City Atk: 3, 20% Parry, Inflicts: Poison
Serpent Staff Staff 2200 TrCity/City Atk: 5, 15% Parry
Cypress Pole Pole 1000 TrCity/City Atk: 6, 20% Parry
Wizard's Hat Hat 1800 TrCity/City HP +40, MP +12, Magick Attack +1
Adamant Vest Clothes 1600 TrCity/City HP +36
Platinum Dagger Knife 1800 Castle/City Atk: 5, 10% Parry
Coral Sword Sword 3300 Castle Atk: 8, 5% Parry
Mythril Shield Shield 2500 Castle Phy.Evade: 22%, Mag.Evade: 5%
Mythril Helm Helm 2100 Castle HP +50
Plate Mail Armor 3000 Castle HP +60
Power Gauntlet Gauntlt 5000 Any Physical Attack +1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's probably worth making the trip back to Dorter and Eagrose as you'll want
the new gear for the next battle.
In particular, the Wizard's Hat is a nice purchase for magick-users. It's the
best hat so far, and it gives you a nice MP and Magick Attack best too.
However, you may want to pass on the Poison Rod for your Black Mages. While it
does a little more damage physically than the other rods and sometimes poisons
its target, it doesn't boost the power of any of your Black Magicks like the
Flame, Ice, and Thunder Rods do. Since your Black Mages usually attack with
magick most of the time (I assume ;) ), you're probably better off sticking with
your existing rod.
The Power Gauntlet now appears in stores, but it's pretty pricey.
---BATTLE PREPARATION---
The next battle is a tough one, so be prepared. You'll want Archers and Black
Mages, and, if you don't include a White Mage in the party, one of the
characters should have White Magick as a secondary ability. A Black Chocobo
also be helpful, if you can get one. (Boco will randomly lay eggs and they may
hatch into Black Chocobos, but there's obviously an element of luck/randomness
to this.) I ended up using Ramza, two Archers, and a Black Mage. If you don't
have the abilities you want, you can move back and forth across any green dot on
the map to fight random battles and earn more JP. When you're ready, go south
past the falls to the Castled City of Zaland.
---Battle 13: Zaland------------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Mustadio [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 13, male) Knight (lv 11, male)
Black Mage (lv 12, male) Black Mage (lv 11, male)
Archer (lv 12, female) Archer (lv 11, female)
GUEST: Mustadio [Libra] - lv 10 Machinist - Bravery 60, Faith 62
Equipment : Romandan Pistol, Headgear, Mythril Vest, Battle Boots
Abilities : Aimed Shot, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Top option - Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
Bottom option - Mustadio is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 38%
Grassland Tanglevine 27%
Roof Wind Blast 17%
Soil Sinkhole 14%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 5%
--STRATEGY--
When deploying your characters, deploy them in the "front" row (i.e., the row
where Ramza is already standing). This starts them closer to the gate and
allows them to get into the city faster.
You'll meet Mustadio, who is being chased by some bad guys. Once again,
you're given two options for the upcoming battle:
- Choosing the first option means that you DO NOT have to keep Mustadio from
getting KOed during the battle. This option raises the Bravery of each
character on your current squad (including Agrias and Mustadio) by 5, 1 point
of which is permanent.
- Choosing the second option means that you DO have to keep from getting
Mustadio from getting KOed. However, this option raises all the characters'
Bravery by 10, 2 points of which are permanent.
In other words, you'll get a Bravery increase either way, but you'll get a
BIGGER increase for helping Mustadio. Of course, this also makes the battle
harder. So, there's no clear "best option" here. It's up to you which to
choose. Since this battle can be pretty challenging, you might want to just
pick the first option; it makes the fight quite a bit easier and you're only
missing out on 1 extra point of Bravery.
The enemy is holed up inside Zaland and launches arrows and powerful Black
Magick at you through (and over) the wall. Any melee characters you have will
need to rush for the gates. In the mean time, your Archers and mages can fire
back with their own ranged attacks. Equip the Archer's Bane reaction ability
on any character who has it, as it will help protect you against the enemy
arrows.
Mustadio will initially do one of two things. Most likely, he'll run up on the
top of the gate and attack with his gun from them. This is the "good" outcome
since it keeps him relatively out of harm's way. But sometimes he'll stay on
the ground inside the city. That's bad news, as all the enemies will pick on
him and it's hard to reach for him healing. In this case, your best option is
to cast Shell on him to reduce the magick damage he takes. Although you can't
throw items through the wall, you CAN cast White Magick through it, so you're
probably best off with a White Mage for healing here.
If you've been building Ramza mostly for close-range attacks, he may not be
much help here. On his first turn, you can have him use Tailwind on one of your
Archers or Black Mages to boost their Speed and get them more turns. Then start
him running towards the gate so he can get into the city and use melee attacks.
Make the Black Mages your first target, since their magick attacks are so
strong. Use Black Magick, bows, and the Black Chocobo (if you brought one) to
take them out as quickly as possible. Until the Mages go down, keep your
characters spread out so enemy magicks can't hit more than one of your
characters at a time. After the Mages go down, go after the Archers, then the
Knights.
If you have a Black Chocobo, you should also check out Mustadio's initial
abilities by clicking on his tile. His abilities randomly determined, but he
may have the Beastmaster skill. If so, land the Black Chocobo next to him.
Beastmaster will allow the Black Chocobo to cast Choco Meteor, a really strong
attack.
Mustadio also uses his Aimed Shot abilities to put status conditions on the
enemies. Immobilize (from Leg Shot) will keep an enemy from moving for a few
turns, and Disable (from Arm Shot) will keep an enemy from taking action. If
a bad guy gets hit with Disable, don't bother targeting them any further,
since they can't do anything to hurt you for a few turns. A Knight that's been
Immobilized is also a low-priority target since he can't move to attack you as
long as you stay out of the tiles directly next to him. But the Black Mages and
Archers can still shoot even if they're Immobilized!
As for the Knights, they'll probably try to climb over the wall on the side of
the map opposite the gate into the city. Agrias will attack them, but she
can't take them out her own, so help her out with your ranged attacks.
The Knights may also use Phoenix Downs to revive any Mages and Archers you KO.
Characters revived with Phoenix Down come back with only a little HP, though,
so you should be able to knock them back out again with just a single attack.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Mythril Sword, Hi-Potion
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 0 (height: 5, Grassland) Potion Serpent Staff none
Left: 6, Up: 7 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Echo Herbs Mythril Helm none
Left: 9, Up: 0 (height: 3, Grassland) Hi-Potion Cypress Pole none
Left: 12, Up: 4 (height: 10, Chimney) Ether Mythril Shield none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, no matter what option you picked at the start of the battle, Mustadio
joins you afterwards as a Guest.
When all the talking is finished, you're now able to visit the stores in
Zaland. There's not very much in the way of selection, but if you didn't
upgrade your equipment after Zeirchele Falls, the Adamant Vest, Wizard's Hat,
and Serpent Staff are all for sale here. (There's nothing *brand* new.) There
are also a pair of new Errands available at the Tavern, and a new Rendezvous
Mode mission.
Your next stop is Balias Tor. When you first try to leave Zaland, there will
be a cutscene. Afterwards, you'll be back on the map, but Balias Tor is still
red. Travel there for real this time, and you'll get into a fight.
---Battle 14: Balias Tor-------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], Mustadio [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 14, male) Knight (lv 13, male)
Archer (lv 13, female) Archer (lv 11, female)
Summoner (lv 12, female) Summoner (lv 11, female)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 62%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 36%
Obstructed -- 2%
--STRATEGY--
This battle can be harder than it looks. The enemy squad has Summoners for
the first time (one positioned on each side of the hill), and their summon
spells can do big damage to your team.
On the first turn, Mustadio will probably chase after one of the Summoners.
Send a fast and/or magic-using character around the opposite side of the hill
to take out the other Summoner. The Summoners don't have much HP, so you
should be able to finish them off in a couple turns. Meanwhile, have the rest
of your squad attack the center of the hill. If you can attack the enemies
quickly, the Summoners may squander their turns casting Moogle to heal their
allies instead of using damaging summons on you.
You're not *required* to keep Mustadio alive in this battle -- if he gets KOed,
you won't lose the battle -- but it's a good idea to keep him standing, as his
gun is quite helpful. As in Zaland, don't waste your turns attacking enemies
that Mustadio has Immobilized or Disabled.
A cool trick here is to use the Squire ability Rush to knock the Knights and
Archers off the hill. They'll take damage if they fall too far, and you'll put
them out of range of attacking you.
Since this battle isn't especially difficult, you may want to try to send
someone with Treasure Hunter to try to grab the Power Gauntlet at the far side
of the map. (The exact coordinates are below.) Power Gauntlets normally cost
you 5000 gil, so a free one is great!
BATTLE TROPHIES: 1000 gil, Holy Water
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3.5, Stone Outcropping
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 6, Up: 3 (height: 7, Grassland) Gold Needle Wizard's Hat none
Left: 0, Up: 8 (height: 1, Grassland) Phoenix Down Plate Mail none
Left: 6, Up: 11 (height: 7.5, Stone O.) Potion Adamant Vest none
Left: 2, Up: 13 (height: 3, Grassland) Hi-Potion Power Gauntlet none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following the fight, a cut scene will pop up back at Eagrose Castle with
Dycedarg and Gaffgarion scheming.
---ON TO LIONEL CASTLE---
You can now finally get to Lionel Castle--don't worry; there's no battle!
You'll chat with Delacroix and learn about the Zodiac Stones. Agrias and
Ovelia will then leave the party.
---PARTY SIZE CHANGE & SHOPPING---
Now that you've reached Lionel Castle, you'll be able to deploy 5 characters
in both story and random battles, instead of just 4. If you've been using a
core team of just four characters, be sure to get a fifth equipped.
Reaching Lionel Castle also opens up a TON of new items in the shops:
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Battle Bamboo Pole 1400 TrCity/City Atk: 7, 20% Parry
Green Beret Hat 3000 TrCity/City HP +48, Speed +1
Wizard Clothing Clothes 1900 TrCity/City HP +42, MP +15
Wizard's Robe Robe 4000 TrCity/City HP +30, MP +22, Magick Attack +2
Ashura Katana 1600 TrCity Atk: 7, 15% Parry
Kotetsu Katana 3000 TrCity Atk: 8, 15% Parry
Lamia's Harp Instrmt 5000 TrCity Atk: 10, 10% Parry,
Inflicts: Confuse
Battle Folio Book 3000 TrCity Atk: 7, 15% Parry
Giant's Axe Axe 3000 Castle Atk: 12, 0% Parry
Lightning Bow Bow 3000 Castle Atk: 6, 0% Parry, lightning
elemental, Spell Effect: Thundaga
Spear Polearm 2000 Castle Atk: 9, 10% Parry
Golden Shield Shield 3500 Castle Phy.Evade: 25%, Mag.Evade: 0%
Golden Helm Helm 2800 Castle HP +60
Golden Armor Armor 3600 Castle HP +70
Crossbow Crossbw 2000 Castle/Goug Atk: 4, 5% Parry
Flameburst Bomb Bomb 250 Most Atk: 8, fire elemental
Snowmelt Bomb Bomb 250 Most Atk: 8, water elemental
Spark Bomb Bomb 250 Most Atk: 8, lightning elemental
Rubber Boots Shoes 1500 Any Immune: Immobilize, Lightning
Protect Ring Ring 5000 Any Immune: Sleep, Doom
Guardian Bracelet Armlet 7000 Any Immune: Immobilize, Disable
Mage's Cloak Cloak 2000 Any Phy.Evade: 18%, Mag.Evade: 18%,
Magick Attack +1
Ether Item 200 Any Restores 20 MP
Remedy Item 350 Any Removes: Stone, Blind, Confuse,
Silence, Oil, Toad, Poison, Sleep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lionel Castle has a lot of really powerful equipment, so load up on it -- you
should have a lot of money by now. The Lightning Bow is a great weapon for any
Archers you have; it has a fairly high attack power and sometimes casts the
Thundaga spell. The Outfitter also has a lot of new accessories -- you might
want to pick up a Mage's Cloak or two for your magick users.
You can now buy the Remedy item in all Outfitters. It can cure any status
ailment, so now there's really no point for your Chemists to learn the abilities
corresponding to any of the other status-restoring items.
If you go back up to Zaland, you can also buy some new light armor: Green
Berets and Wizard Clothing. Keep your magick users equipped with Wizard's
Hats, though, as those raise their magick attack.
You probably won't have unlocked the Samurai or Bard jobs yet. But, if you
have, their specialized weapons are now available. You'll have to hike all the
way back up to Dorter to buy them, though. (A lot of the more "exotic" weapons
are only for sale at Trade Cities like Dorter.)
Buy any stuff you want in Lionel now, as you won't be able to do so later.
And since your access to the shops will be blocked off later, it might be a wise
idea to buy some spare pieces of heavy armor and helms. That way, if any of
your gear gets stolen or broken, you have a replacement.
---ERRANDS---
Also, you may want to send some of your characters out on a errand if you
haven't been doing so; you can earn a lot of money from some of them. Again,
walking between Dorter and Orbonne Monastery is an easy way to pass time and
complete the errands while avoiding random battles. You'll want to complete all
the errands before you reach Goug, though. Once you get to Goug, it will be a
while before you can go back to the other towns to retrieve your characters.
---BATTLE PREP---
If Mustadio has enough JP, pick up the Seal Evil ability for him if you haven't
already--it'll be handy in the next battle, as it turns undead to stone. Then
head to the fenlands.
---Battle 15: Tchigolith Fenlands-----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Mustadio [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Bonesnatch (lv 14) Skeleton (lv 14) Skeleton (lv 13)
Ghoul (lv 13) Ghoul (lv 12)
Floating Eye (lv 13) OR Malboro (lv 12) OR Pig*
* The Pig's level depends on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, rainstorm (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33,
fire dmg -25%, lightning dmg +25%, movement through
Poisonous Fen tiles at 1/2 normal rate)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 12 Poisonous Fen Quicksand 36%
Grassland Tanglevine 33%
Wasteland, Soil Sinkhole 17%
Obstructed -- 7%
Tree Wind Slash 6%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
The last member of the enemy forces is randomly determined: it could be a
Floating Eye, Malboro, or Pig.
Randomness aside, this is a fairly normal (and easy) battle with a few quirks.
First, if you end your turn in the swamp, you get poisoned. (Simply passing
through the swamp as part of a move won't poison you, as long as you end the
move on dry land.) This isn't that bad, but if you have a choice, stand on
land. And be sure not to end your turn in any water where the Depth is
displayed as 2. If you stop in water of Depth 2, you won't be able to take any
actions, as you're up to your head in water. (The Ninja ability Waterwalking
would prevent this, should you have it already.)
Second, all of the enemies except the randomly determined member are undead.
This means you can use heal spells and items to damage them, which is quite
effective. And if Mustadio has Seal Evil ability, he may also use that to turn
the undead monsters to turn them to stone. Other than those two exceptions,
there's nothing here you haven't seen before.
Finally, since there's a rainstorm going on, fire magicks will be less powerful
while lightning magicks will be more powerful. Use those Thunder magicks if you
have them! The storm also means that the enemies are a little more likely to
dodge bow attacks, but in most cases the difference isn't big, so go ahead and
keep using bows.
The Pig shows up pretty infrequently, but if you DO see it, it's definitely
worth trying to recruit it using the Orator's Entice or Tame abilities.
(Remember that if you're not currently an Orator, you must equip the Beast
Tongue support ability to use Entice on monsters.) Once recruited, you can use
the Pig to breed pig-family monsters, all of which yield great rare items when
poached using the Thief's Poach ability. Or, if you can't recruit the Pig but
DO have Poach, you could at least poach it, though you won't actually be able to
collect your poached item until Chapter III.
Note the Pig can only appear during the initial story battle, not later random
battles. In fact, the next opportunity to get a Pig won't be until Chapter IV.
So, if you're particularly intent on getting a leg up on the enemy, you could
keep entering the battle over and over and resetting until the Pig appears and
you can recruit it. But, that's definitely NOT necessary; you can skip the Pig
entirely and do just fine!
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2.5, Wasteland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 11 (height: 3, Grassland) Ether Ashura none
Left: 4, Up: 8 (height: 2, Grassland) Echo Herbs Kotetsu none
Left: 6, Up: 0 (height: 2, Grassland) Gold Needle Giant's Axe none
Left: 11,Up: 10 (height: 3, Grassland) Phoenix Down Romandan Pistol none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can now reach Goug on the map.
!!!!!CAUTION!!!!!
Before you enter Goug, make sure you've completed any errands you have running,
and visited the appropriate Taverns to get the characters back on your roster.
As soon as you enter Goug, you'll be locked out of many places on the map, and
won't be able to get your characters back until much later!
!!!!!CAUTION!!!!!
Upon arriving in Goug, there will be a brief scene and then you're back on the
map.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Romandan Pistol Gun 5000 Goug Atk: 6, 5% Parry
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Outfitter doesn't have much of anything. But if you've got a Orator or
Chemist, be sure to buy them a Romandan Pistol. The Romandan Pistol has a great
range overall, can't be evaded, and is especially useful if you have a chance to
pair it with the Knight's Arts of War abilities -- you can use it Rend enemies'
equipments or stats at a distance!
Before you go anywhere, make sure you're stocked up on Hi-Potions and Phoenix
Downs; you'll need them. You may also want to equip the Archer's Bane ability
on any characters who have it.
Try to leave Goug and you'll be thrust into a battle.
---Battle 16: Goug Lowtown------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Mustadio [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Thief (lv 15, male) Thief (lv 13, male)
Summoner (lv 13, male) Summoner (lv 12, male)
Archer (lv 14, female) Archer (lv 14, female)
GUEST: Mustadio [Libra] - lv 12 Machinist - Bravery 60, Faith 62
Equipment : None
Abilities : Aimed Shot, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Night, light rain (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 33%
Flagstone Contortion 33%
Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 27%
Wooden Floor, Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 7%
--STRATEGY--
Ludovich, the leader of the Baert Company, will appear with Mustadio and
Besrudio (Mustadio's father) captive. Mustadio reveals the location of the
Zodiac Stone. Ramza forks it over and you find out that Delacroix was in on the
plot. It's fight time.
The enemy Archers in this battle have a huge range and it's hard to stay
out of range completely. So, don't deploy any character who has really low HP
as you probably won't be able to protect him/her/it completely. Equipping the
Archer's Bane reaction ability will help you a lot, if you have it available.
Mustadio will be almost invariably KOed at the start of the battle as he has no
no equipment and starts right next to the enemies. Don't worry about him. He's
still a Guest so he can't die permanently yet.
Move your guys up onto the roof. Use ranged attacks (like your shiny new
pistols) to take out the Summoners. Note that both Summoners are one side of
the enemy roof and both Archers on the other. If you stick towards the side of
the map with the Summoners, it may keep the Archers from shooting at you for a
turn or two.
Kill any unit that moves onto your roof; Thieves first, Archers second. Early
in the battle, don't chase enemies over to the other roof, or you'll get
surrounded. Just fire ranged attacks at them. (Later, once there are only a
couple enemies left, it's safe to jump across.) Your highest priority is to
keep your guys healed, not to hit the enemy. Useful abilities here are Chakra,
Counter, Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga, and Archer's Bane. Bows and guns are useful
for their ranged attacks. You could also try using the gun + Arts of War combo
to use Rend Weapon on the Archers and prevent them from shooting at you.
When the Summoners start charging a spell, use the Turn List to check what it
is. If it's just Moogle, you're fine, as that only heals them a little. But
if they start casting anything else, it's an attack spell. Try to quickly
take out the Summoner before he can finish the spell, or spread your characters
out to minimize the hurt. Summon magick does a lot of damage!
If the battle drags on for a while, the Summoners may run out of MP. In this
case, you can pretty much ignore them completely as they can't really harm you
at all. Another way of dealing with the Summoners is to put Silence, Berserk,
or Atheist status on them using Mystic or Orator abilities, so they can't use
magicks. You could also use a gun + Rend MP to sap all their MP, though with a
gun it's easy enough to just shoot them to death directly.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 100 gil, Thunder Rod
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0.5, Wooden Floor
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 2 (height: 0, Grassland) Echo Herbs Battle Folio none
Left: 6, Up: 4 (height: 6, Grassland) Ether Lamia's Harp none
Left: 8, Up: 5 (height: 12, Chimney) Potion Crossbow none
Left: 8, Up: 8 (height: 0, Wooden Fl.) Hi-Potion Lightning Bow none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After this encounter, you check on Besrudio. Mustadio reveals that the Zodiac
Stone that Ludovich got was really a fake.
---MUSTADIO---
Mustadio will join as you a normal party member -- now you can control him! The
only downside to this is that he can now be permanently killed. Be sure to keep
him on your roster; you'll need him to complete most of the subquests in Chapter
IV. Musty's equipment is all gone, so be sure to re-equip him. Also, if he
learned any abilities while he was a Guest, they're also lost and you'll have to
relearn them.
Now that you have Mustadio, a good general trick for leveling up quickly is to
use Arm Shot or Leg Shot to debilitate the last enemy in a battle. Then,
you're free to let the other enemies turn into crystals/chests. Crystals from
human enemies are often a good source of new abilities. Also, while the last
enemy is Disabled or Immobilized, you can have your characters attack each
other to raise JP. As long as you use the right strategies for story battles,
you shouldn't really need to grind in this fashion, but it's an efficient way to
raise levels if you decide to do so.
---TRAVEL---
The route back through the fenlands disappears, and for the time being, you
can't get back to Lionel Castle. If you left any characters there doing
Errands, you unfortunately won't be able to get them back for a while.
Take the ship (well, just walk across the ocean ;) ) over to the Port City of
Warjilis. Upon getting off the ship, you'll see a FMV sequence with Delita.
---IN WARJILIS---
After that scene's ended, you can explore the town. There's no new equipment
available, but Warjilis IS a Trade City, which means that the shop offers a fair
variety of equipment. You may be able to pick up a few new items if you
couldn't afford them earlier.
To make some easy money, go to the bar and accept the errand (to find the
Highwind!), then go back to Goug and get the errand there as well. (There will
be a cutscene with Delacroix's scheming when you leave Warjilis the first time).
Just go back and forth between the two cities until both errands are complete.
If you weren't able to afford all the equipment you wanted in Goug or elsewhere,
you should be able to get it now.
There's also a new Rendezvous Mode mission, Lost Heirloom, that will have
appeared after you completed the story battle at Goug. This new mission is
pretty difficult if you don't have a good defense, and the enemy Thieves can
charm female characters. If you have a female-heavy party, you may want to
wait until you get to Chapter III and can buy equipment that protects you from
Charm.
Now go up to Balias Swale, where you'll find another fight.
---Battle 17: Balias Swale------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Agrias [guest], 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES:
1st Squad - Knight (lv 15, male) Knight (lv 14, male)
Black Mage (lv 14, male) Archer (lv 15, female)
2nd Squad - Black Mage (lv 15, male) Archer (lv 14, female)
GUEST: Agrias [Cancer] - lv 12 Holy Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 63
Equipment : Coral Sword, Mythril Shield, Golden Helm, Golden Armor,
Diamond Bracelet
Abilities : Holy Sword, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Agrias is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Day, thunderstorm (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33,
fire dmg +25%, lightning dmg -25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 12 Grassland Tanglevine 57%
River Torrent 29%
Flagstone Contortion 10%
Obstructed -- 3%
Soil Sinkhole 1%
--STRATEGY--
You'll deploy two squads here to save Agrias from Delacroix's Gryphon Knights.
This is a really easy fight, so you might want to deploy some weaker characters
to give them a boost.
Kill the Black Mages first (using range attacks if you have them), then the
Archers. Really, your only concern is making sure Agrias stays alive. Because
this fight is so easy, it's a good time to let the enemies' counters run out and
pick up the loot they leave behind. (Paralyze Agrias or use Mustadio's Arm or
Leg Shot on her to keep her from finishing off the last enemy.)
BATTLE TROPHIES: Echo Herbs
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 8, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 1 (height: 10, Grassland) Phoenix Down Battle Bamboo none
Left: 11,Up: 0 (height: 15.5, Grassl.) Gold Needle Javelin none
Left: 7, Up: 11 (height: 8, Grassland) Potion Flameburst Bomb none
Left: 11,Up: 11 (height: 9, Grassland) Hi-Potion Snowmelt Bomb none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agrias rejoins, this time as a controllable, non-guest character. Again, if you
want to complete all the sidequests in the game, don't dismiss her or let her
get turned into a crystal or chest.
After getting Agrias, if you head back down to Warjilis, you'll find the shops
have a few new items available.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Osafune Katana 5000 TrCity Atk: 9, 15% Parry
Mage's Staff Staff 4000 TrCity/City Atk: 4, 15% Parry, Mag.Attack +1
Brigandine Clothes 2500 TrCity/City HP +50
Iron Flail Flail 1200 TrCity/Castl Atk: 9, 0% Parry
Diamond Bracelet Armlet 5000 Any Phys.Attack +1, Mag.Attack +1,
Immune: Slow
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most notably, you can replace your Power Gauntlet(s) with the Diamond Bracelets,
which gives you the Power Gauntlet's +1 Physical Attack but also +1 Magick
Attack and immunity to Slow. Protection from Slow is pretty handy in the next
battle, so buy some of the bracelets for your main squad. Agrias comes already
equipped with one, as well.
You can also upgrade your Wizard Clothing to the Brigandine, which gives you a
few more HP. But you'll probably want to keep magick-oriented characters
equipped with the Wizard Clothing or with robes for the magick bonuses they
confer. Also available for purchase is the Mage's Staff. It's not as strong
physically as the Serpent Staff, it boosts your magick strength. Since magick
strength is more important for magick-users (obviously!), this is a good
upgrade. In the unlikely event you have a Samurai, the Osafune katana is also
available.
Your next stop is Golgollada Gallows. Make sure you're ready; this is a tough
battle. Bring your Diamond Bracelets!
---Battle 18: Golgollada Gallows------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Gaffgarion (lv 17 Fell Knight) Knight (lv 16, male)
Knight (lv 15, male) Knight (lv 14, male)
Archer (lv 16, female) Archer (lv 15, female)
Time Mage (lv 15, female) Time Mage (lv 14, female)
ENEMY: Gaffgarion [Virgo] - lv 17 Fell Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 67
Equipment : Blood Sword, Mythril Shield, Close Helmet, other equipment random
Abilities : Fell Sword, other abilities random
Immune : Berserk, Charm, and Stone status
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 11 Brick Wind Slash 38%
Grassland Tanglevine 36%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 18%
Soil Sinkhole 5%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
--STRATEGY--
The execution turns out to be a trap, and you have to fight Gaffgarion.
Deploy at least one strong fighter in the second squad (Agrias is good). For
the rest of your team, anyone with a ranged attack is really useful (bows,
guns, or Black Magick), and Monks and Geomancers can be good too.
Although Gaffgarion seems like a boss character, KOing him will NOT end this
battle. You need to take out all the enemies!
You're surrounded by enemies. What you need to do to gain the advantage is
start climbing up the side of the gate, near where the first squad starts.
Move immediately for the scaffolding.
Because there are so many enemies here and they all start close to you, you
need to limit the number of enemies who can attack you at once. As you move for
the scaffolding, you can continue to use your abilities to disable the enemy
forces. Abilities that are good for this are Mustadio's Arm Shot, Agrias's
Judgment Blade (which sometimes causes Stop), and the Geomancer's Tanglevine
(which also causes Stop and works more frequently). Leg Shot is also useful
against the Knights, but not against the other enemies, who can all attack from
a distance even if they're Immobilized.
Once you start getting up atop the scaffolding and gate, you can start
attacking. Go after those pesky Archers first. You can use bows, guns, Black
Magick, and Agrias's Holy Sword to attack from a distance. These attacks all
have an infinite vertical range, so you can use them all the way from atop of
the gate or on the scaffolding. Once you have the height advantage, it's a lot
harder for the enemy Knights and Archers to hit you, and you can fight them a
few at a time.
You'll be taking a lot of hits. To make your healing more efficient, don't
have your healer move once he or she is in position on the scaffolding; this
lets him/her get more turns. Throw Items also has an infinite vertical range,
so even if you're positioned up on top of the gate, you can throw items down to
characters still climbing up.
Using Ramza's Tailwind to increase the Speed of your most crucial characters.
If your archers or gunners have a spare turn, you can also have them try using
Focus to build up their attack power.
Gaffgarion is the most dangerous enemy here; not only does his Shadowblade do
good damage to you, it drains HP back to him. If you have a really powerful
magick spell (like Firaja or Holy or something), you can try using that to take
him out in one shot. Or, use Steal Weapon or Rend Weapon to take away his Blood
Sword. Breaking the sword will disable his sword techniques completely. If you
steal it, he can still use his techniques (due to a bug in the game), but they
will probably only do a few points of damage, making them essentially
worthless. Stealing is particularly advantageous, in fact, since the Blood
Sword is a rare weapon and has the nice side effect of draining HP back to you
from the enemy. If you want to steal the Blood Sword, you'll have better luck
if you equip Brawler as a support ability, target Gaffgarion from behind,
and/or put him to sleep. (A Taurus, Capricorn, or female Pisces will also be
at an advantage for stealing from him.)
If you don't steal/rend the Blood Sword, you'll have to knock Gaffgarion down
bit by bit. Take out the Archers first, then start hammering on him with
your whole team; you need to pile on the damage faster than he can heal himself.
He has Counter; attacking from a distance (if you can) is one way to get around
this. Or, you can just hit him with Arm Shot: if he's Disabled, he can't use
his Counter. You needn't take away *all* his HP; as soon as he gets to critical
status, he'll teleport out of the battle.
The Time Mages are your lowest priority here. Even though they don't have much
HP, attacking them is just a waste of turns as they can't do all that much to
harm you. About all they do is cast Slow, and if you brought Diamond
Bracelets from Warjilis, you're immune to that. So attack the Time Mages last.
If you just can't win, try fighting some battles in Balias Swale to get some
better abilities like Arise, Equip Heavy Armor, Auto-Potion, Chakra (which I
would strongly advise you to acquire by now), etc.
If you deploy Agrias in this battle, there will be some extra dialogue between
her and Ramza when she finds out he's a Beoulve.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Brick
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 7 (height: 1, Grassland) Gold Needle Golden Helm none
Left: 3, Up: 4 (height: 1, Grassland) Echo Herbs Golden Shield none
Left: 8, Up: 7 (height: 8, Wooden Fl.) Phoenix Down Green Beret none
Left: 8, Up: 0 (height: 6, Wooden Fl.) Ether Spark Bomb none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you attain victory at the Gallows (it may take a few tries!), you'll see
a scene back at Lionel Castle in which you find out more about Ovelia's past
and Delacroix's plans. Then you're back on the map. When you move back up to
Balias Swale, you'll see a cutscene with Wiegraf.
---MOVING AROUND THE MAP---
Now, you can now wander around the map again. Next up is the final battles of
the chapter, which occur at Lionel Castle. However, if you want to travel
elsewhere, you can do so.
If you click on any of the destinations PAST Lionel Castle, you can walk right
through the castle without getting into a fight. Just don't click on the castle
ITSELF until you're ready to fight. This way, you can travel up to Eagrose if
you need to buy heavy armor. Also, if you accidentally left any characters
working on errands in Zaland or elsewhere, you can go get them back now.
(Anyone running an errand at Lionel Castle is still unreachable until Chapter
III, though.)
---BATTLE PREPARATION---
To prepare for the upcoming fights, you'll want to make sure that Ramza has
either the Teleport movement ability (Time Mage) or Chakra (Monk). If you're
using Chakra, you can either make Ramza into a Monk or by assigning Martial
Arts as a secondary action ability. It's also very helpful to outfit the rest
of your team with Rubber Boots to negate the lightning attacks you'll face --
and if Ramza has Teleport, you'll want to give him the Boots as well. You can
buy Rubber Boots in any town, and they're fairly inexpensive at 1500 gil each.
Just make sure to buy enough so that you can equip the WHOLE team with them or
they won't be very useful. Finally, you may want to bring a few extra pieces
of equipment. You'll be facing a sequence of battles with no chance to return
to a store in between them, and if any of your equipment gets broken by enemy
Knights, you'll want a replacement item in your inventory.
When you've done all that preparation, it's time for the final battles of the
chapter. Click on Lionel Castle and you'll have no choice but to attack the
gate. As Ramza tries to open the gate, Gaffgarion shows up yet again and
surrounds the castle.
---Battle 19: Lionel Castle Gate------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza
2nd Squad - 4 others
ENEMY FORCES:
1st Squad - Gaffgarion (lv 18 Fell Knight)
2nd Squad - Knight (lv 16, female) Knight (lv 15, female)
Knight (lv 15, female) Archer (lv 17, male)
Archer (lv 15, male) Summoner (lv 15, male)
BOSS: Gaffgarion [Virgo] - lv 18 Fell Knight - Bravery 61, Faith 67
Equipment : Ancient Sword, Golden Shield, Close Helmet, other equipment
random
Abilities : Fell Sword, no second action ability, other abilities random
Immune : Berserk, Charm, and Stone status
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
15 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 40%
Flagstone Contortion 36%
Swamp Quicksand 7%
Obstructed -- 7%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 5%
Brick Wind Slash 4%
--STRATEGY--
If you thought the Gallows was bad, here's more fun. Actually, the gate isn't
as bad if you play your cards right.
When deploying your second squad, any characters that you want in the front row
(e.g. melee fighters) should be placed in the back of the three rows (i.e., the
top-right) on the deployment screen. You'll be attacked from behind, so these
characters will actually end up closest to the enemy. Meanwhile, ranged
attackers and magick users should go towards the bottom-left of the deployment
screen so they'll end up behind your melee fighters.
Ramza starts trapped inside the gate with Gaffgarion, while the rest of your
characters have another set of enemies to fight outside. There are a couple
different strategies you can use to deal with Gaffgarion:
1. TELEPORT: If Ramza has the Time Mage ability Teleport, you can use that to
move him outside of the gate and strand Gaffgarion inside. Take out all the
enemies outside, then have Ramza teleport back inside and open the gate.
You'll have to be careful not to stand *too* close to the gate when fighting
outside because Gaffgarion can attack you through the wall with his sword
techniques. This strategy has the advantage of allowing Ramza to help
fighting outside.
2. STALLING WITH CHAKRA: Or, move Ramza down to the ground (inside the gate) and
have him use the Monk's Chakra ability on every turn to heal the damage Gaff
is doing. (If Ramza doesn't have Chakra, Hi-Potions should work too, as long
as you have enough of them.) Stay close to Gaffgarion so he won't try to go
anywhere else Don't attack Gaffgarion or open the gate; just sit there and
use Chakra. Keep stalling Gaffgarion until your other characters defeat the
enemies outside. This strategy won't let Ramza fight outside, but it
guarantees Gaffgarion won't attack anyone outside.
3. BLACK MAGICKS: If one of your characters has strong Black Magicks (e.g. a -ja
or a -ga magick coupled with Arcane Strength), deploy him/her outside the
gate. Use Ramza to lure Gaffgarion near the gate, and then have the Black
Mage use magick on Gaffgarion (since Black Magicks can go through walls) to
KO him. It doesn't matter if the spell KOs Ramza as long as you KO Gaff
because KOing Gaffgarion will cause Ramza to recover with 1 HP. Once you've
KOed Gaffgarion, you can have Ramza open the gate and join the fight outside.
A nice benefit of this strategy is that Gaffgarion immediately turns into a
crystal that you can use for healing or ability learning. (Sadly, you can't
learn his special sword techniques from the crystal). But, this tactic only
works if you have strong Black Magicks.
4. MAKE RAMZA UNDEAD: You can cast the Mystic Arts magick Corruption on Ramza to
make him Undead, which prevents Gaffgarion from draining his HP. (You can
either have Ramza cast Corruption on himself or have another ally on the
ground cast it on him.) Gaffgarion will switch to regular weapon strikes,
though, so Ramza will still need to be capable of beating Gaffgarion in a
straight fight. You'll probably only want to use this tactic if Ramza has
some strong melee combat gear and abilities.
5. TELEPORT / FLY INSIDE: Alternately, if you have characters outside who have
Teleport, you can have them warp inside and help Ramza kill Gaffgarion. Or,
if you have two Black Chocobos, you can assign them to the group outside, and
use them to fly 2 human characters inside to help Ramza defeat Gaffgarion.
The disadvantage to this method is that Black Chocobos aren't very strong
themselves.
6. FIGHT HIM HEAD-ON: If Ramza is really strong (and fast), you might be able to
defeat Gaffgarion just with conventional attacks. This probably won't work
unless you have an advanced job like Ninja, though.
Meanwhile, your other four characters have to take on the gang outside the
gate. Although you're outnumbered, the enemy Knights and Archers out here often
come equipped with weapons that deal lightning damage: Coral Swords and
Lightning Bows, respectively. If you equip your allies with the Rubber Boots
accessory, they will be completely immune to lightning damage, and the Knights
and Archers won't be able to attack them! Just make sure to equip ALL FOUR
characters with Rubber Boots -- and Ramza, too, if you're having him Teleport
outside of the gate. Otherwise, the enemies will simply gang up on the one
character without the Boots. Also, even if you have Rubber Boots, the enemies
can still hit with you other abilities -- like the Knights' Arts of War
abilities, which can break your gear. If they break your Rubber Boots, you'll
be vulnerable again!
Focus your attacks on the enemies that can do the most damage to you. The
Summoner is definitely the most dangerous enemy whether you have Rubber Boots or
not, so try to take him out immediately or use Mustadio's Arm Shot to Disable
him. If he does start casting a spell, spread out your characters so he can't
blast your whole team.
After you do something about the Summoner, check the status screens of the other
enemies. Any enemies that have weapons other than the Coral Sword or Lightning
Bow can still hurt you with their weapons. So, attack these guys first.
Arm Shot is a great ability for this fight, as it reduces the number of enemies
that can attack you at once. (You can also use the Mystic's Hesitation spell
for the same effect.) Moreover, putting Disable on a character causes him/her
to flee into a corner, which means that it will take another turn or two to get
back into the battle even once Disable wears off. Note that Disabling a
character who's charging up an attack will cancel the attack. This is a good
way to stop a Summon or Archer's Aim attack if you've got no other options.
For dealing damage, guns are quite helpful as they can allow you to attack
without having to Move. Remember that if you don't move during a turn, your
next turn will come more quickly, which helps a lot when you're surrounded by
lots of enemies! Agrias's sword techniques are also great for damage-dealing,
and her Northswain's Strike ability (if you have it) has a chance of instantly
KOing an enemy outright. Also, when enemies are bunched together, use Black
Magick, Summon spells or Agrias's Judgment Blade to hit more than one enemy at a
time.
Once you've mopped up most of the enemies outside the gate, move Ramza up to
the switch on the left side of the gate and he will open the door.
Now, have your whole gang rush inside and attack Gaffgarion. Try to rend
Gaffgarion's sword, or even better, steal it. Again, using Arm Shot to Disable
him is quite useful, as it not only prevents from attacking you, but turns off
his counterattack and prevents him from blocking with his shield. He shouldn't
be too much trouble -- the hard part is the fight outside the gate. But, be
careful not to let him pick up any crystallized enemies; he can use the
crystals to restore all his HP just like you can! Either pick up the crystals
as soon as they appear, or position your characters to block his route to the
crystals. You do have to take away ALL his HP this time instead of just
reducing him to critical, but once you do, he's finally gone for good.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 700 gil, Mythril Helm
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 8, Grassland) Ether Wizard's Robe none
Left: 7, Up: 5 (height: 4, Grassland) Echo Herbs Rubber Boots none
Left: 7, Up: 7 (height: 4, Grassland) Potion Golden Armor none
Left: 13, Up: 6 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Wizard Clothing none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The save game screen will pop up at the conclusion of the battle. There are
another couple battles immediately after this one, so I recommend saving a
SEPARATE slot from your main file. This way, you can go back to your main file
if it turns you need to raise more JP outside the castle.
After saving, you cut back to Delita and Ovelia at Zeirchele Falls for a battle
against the Order of the Northern Sky.
---Battle 20: Zeirchele Falls---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Delita, Ovelia [guest]
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 8, male) Archer (lv 8, male)
Black Mage (lv 8, female)
ALLY: Delita [Sagittarius] - lv 25 Holy Knight - Bravery 85, Faith 40
Equipment : Ancient Sword, Golden Helm, Golden Armor, Germinas Boots
Abilities : Holy Sword, Arts of War, Counter, Safeguard, Move +1
GUEST: Ovelia [Taurus] - lv 20 Princess - Bravery 53, Faith 72
Equipment : Mage's Staff, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Holy Magicks, White Magicks, Counter Tackle, Reequip, Move +1
VICTORY CONDITION: KO all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ovelia is KOed or Delita is killed
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Stone Outcropping Tremor 33%
Grassland Tanglevine 30%
River, Waterfall Torrent 30%
Bridge Wind Slash 4%
Obstructed -- 4%
--STRATEGY--
Delita is your only controllable character here. Ovelia is a guest. As
before, she'll probably just cast Aegis and run. But now that she has more MP,
she can also cast Aegis on Delita on her second turn instead of only casting
it on herself.
Move Delita across the bridge and start attacking the enemy forces. He has all
of the Holy Sword techniques, so use them -- with Hallowed Bolt and Judgment
Blade, you can probably hit more than enemy at once. Since there are only
three enemies and none of them are that strong, you should be able to defeat
them without much trouble. Really, this battle is quite easy; its main purpose
is just to give you a chance to play as Delita :)
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
No Treasure Hunter items can be obtained during this battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You're given another chance to save; again, don't save in your main slot. Then
your roster screen shows up, allowing Ramza's crew to learn new abilities or
change equipment, which might be necessary if the Knights at the gate used Arts
of War to break anything. When you leave the Party Roster screen, you'll
immediately go to the next battle and start deploying your characters.
---Battle 21: Lionel Castle Oratory---------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Cuchulainn (lv 20 The Impure)
BOSS: Cuchulainn [Scorpio] - lv 20 The Impure - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 485, MP: about 360
Abilities : Dread, Befoul, Brawler, Swiftness
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Slow, and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Cuchulainn
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 8 Flagstone Contortion 60%
Carpet, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 20%
Obstructed -- 20%
--STRATEGY--
This time you're up against Delacroix, who uses his Zodiac Stone to turn (with
some pyrotechnics) into Cuchulainn.
This battle can be tricky because Cuchulainn casts a variety of status attacks
from a distance while running from you. Plus, unless you have a Ninja or other
very fast character, Cuchulainn gets the first turn! You'll find him easier to
beat if you can trap him so he can't move.
To get the jump on Cuchulainn, deploy your 4 teammates as follows:
__
\XX\
\ \
\ \ X = character other than Ramza
\XX\
---
Ramza can be placed on any other tile because he'll automatically move
forward during the pre-battle story events.
If you place your characters in this formation, Cuchulainn will have to come
down the stairs on his first turn to start casting his magick. Now you can
rush him and attack. If you can surround him, he won't be able to flee out of
range. If you can't get within striking distance on a particular character's
turn, at least position that character on the stairs to keep Cuchulainn from
climbing back up. You could also use Leg Shot to Immobilize him, but since you
can surround him pretty well with this tactic anyway, it's mostly a wasted turn.
(He's immune to Disable, so don't bother trying Arm Shot.)
As noted above, Cuchulainn's attacks consist primarily of status-attack magick.
(Occasionally, he'll use a physical attack instead.) His Nightmare spell will
inflict Sleep or Doom on a group of characters and has a 100% hit rate, and his
Bio magicks do damage and inflict various other status ailments. Use the Esuna
magick or the Monk's Purification ability to wake up the sleeping characters if
you have either available; otherwise, try using weak physical attacks (e.g.
Stone) to wake them up. The Doom status will cause your character to KO when
the countdown finishes. There's pretty no way to remove it, so just revive the
characters after they're KOed. (Striking a character with the White Staff
*may* remove the Doom status, but it doesn't always work and isn't worth
forfeiting a stronger weapon for.) Other status ailments can be cured with
Purification, Esuna, or the appropriate items if you happen to have them.
Try to keep your support characters spread out so they can't all be hit with
Cuchulainn's magick at once. Since both the Sleep and Doom effects of
Nightmare can be prevented with Protect Rings, you might be tempted to equip
those. However, if you equip Protect Rings, Cuchulainn will just cast Bio
magicks instead. Since Bio is usually more dangerous than Nightmare, you're
better off without Protect Rings!
Good attacks to use against Cuchulainn include physical attacks and Agrias's
sword techniques. Guns and bows are also good, particularly if you trap him
down on your level. If he escapes to the top of the map, guns will be less
useful because there are usually too many obstacles to get a clear line of
fire. The Monk's Aurablast may also be helpful in hitting him before you have
a chance to trap him. Magick may be somewhat less useful here. You're in such
close quarters that the magicks will probably hit your allies too -- plus you
may be halted with a status effect before you can get the spell off. However,
if you happen to have the Lich summon spell already or the Time Mage's Graviga,
these will do a lot of damage -- they both do damage equal to half the target's
max HP, regardless of how high that max may be! Since Cuchulainn has a high max
HP (almost 500 HP!), these magicks will do quite a bit of damage. Even Gravity,
which does damage equal to 1/4 of its target's max HP, can be useful.
In general, a good mix of close range fighters and gun/bow users is probably
best here, and be sure to bring one or two characters who can use Phoenix Downs!
And since Cuchulainn is a Scorpio, any Cancer or Pisces characters you might
have (including Agrias) will do particular damage to him.
Cuchulainn is the first major boss enemy you will have encountered in the
single-player game. That means his HP and MP are displayed simply as ???
and you won't be able to tell exactly how much he has left. However, when
he gets low on HP, his life bar will appear to empty (turning from gray to
black) and he will switch to a "critical" standing pose just like any other
character. At this point, you'll know you're close to defeating him. He
has about 485 HP total. Beat him and he'll blow up (with more nifty effects)
and drop another Zodiac Stone.
If you've played the PSone version of FF Tactics, you may Cuchulainn quite a bit
more challenging in this version. He's been restored to his original Japanese
level of difficulty, and has higher stats than you are used to!
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Flagstone - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 6, Up: 3 (height: 5, Carpet) Potion Guardian Bracelet none
Left: 6, Up: 4 (height: 5, Carpet) Ether Mage's Cloak none
Left: 8, Up: 3 (height: 7, Flagstone) Hi-Potion Protect Ring none
Left: 8, Up: 4 (height: 7, Flagstone) Remedy Osafune none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delita delivers Ovelia to Duke Goltanna, while Duke Larg maintains Orinus as
the heir to the throne. As the War of the Lions begins over these claims to
the throne, Chapter II draws to a close, and you're again given a chance to
save.
%%%CHAPTER III: THE VALIANT%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk3
Three months into the War of the Lions, things are looking bad for both Larg
and Goltanna. After a scene of Goltanna's council of war, we cut back to
Ramza, whose new mission is to convince Zalbaag that someone is manipulating
Ivalice into the war.
You'll start the chapter positioned at Dorter.
---NEW ITEMS FOR SALE---
The shops at Dorter and elsewhere have a lot of new stuff.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Ninja Blade Ninjabl 3000 TrCity Atk: 8, 5% Parry
Murasame Katana 7000 TrCity Atk: 10, 5% Parry
Musk Pole Pole 2400 TrCity/City Atk: 8, 20% Parry
Croakadile Bag Bag 53000 TrCity/City Atk: 10, 0% Parry, Mag. Attack +1
Headband Hat 5000 TrCity/City HP +56, Physical Attack +2
Ancient Sword Sword 5000 Castle Atk: 9, 5% Parry,
Inflicts: Immobilize
Mythril Bow Bow 5000 Castle Atk: 7, 0% Parry
Mythril Spear Polearm 4500 Castle Atk: 10, 10% Parry
Ice Shield Shield 6000 Castle Phy.Evade: 28%, Mag.Evade: 0%,
Absorbs: Ice, Halves: Fire,
Weakness: Lightning
Flame Shield Shield 6500 Castle Phy.Evade: 31%, Mag.Evade: 0%,
Absorbs: Fire, Halves: Ice,
Weakness: Water
Close Helmet Helm 4000 Castle HP +70
Poison Bow Crossbw 4000 Castle/Goug Atk: 4, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Poison
Winged Boots Cloak 2500 Any Always: Float
Magepower Glove Gauntlt 20000 Any Magick Attack +2
Reflect Ring Ring 10000 Any Always: Reflect
Nu Khai Armband Armlet 10000 Any Immune: Confuse,Charm; Halves: Dark
X-Potion Item 700 Any Restores 150 HP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Headbands are a great buy; not only do they increase your HP over the
previous hats, they also give you a physical attack boost. (You may want to
keep your magick users with the Wizard's Hats, though, as those boost their
*magick* power.) Although the Croakadile Bag may look powerful, it does
variable amounts of damage, which limits its usefulness during actual battles.
(Plus, it's ridiculously expensive!)
Now that you're in Chapter III, you can also buy X-Potions, so you'll want to
learn the corresponding ability for any item-users you have.
For additional shopping opportunities, visit one of the castles: Lionel or
Eagrose. There you can pick up the Ancient Sword, a strong sword that can also
Immobilize enemies, as well as the Mythril Bow and some other stuff.
The Fire Shield and Ice Shield absorb fire and ice, respectively, which lets you
do a handy trick: Cast a fire or ice spell that targets both enemies and an ally
with the shield -- you'll damage the enemies, AND heal your character! Not only
does this let you get around the "friendly fire" effects when fighting in close
quarters, it even replenishes your HP!
Of the two shields, the Fire Shield is definitely the better. Not only does it
have a higher evade rate, its elemental profile is more useful. The Ice Shield
makes you weak to lightning. The Fire Shield, on the other hand, is only weak
to water, and there are very few water attacks. So, the extra 500 gil for the
Fire Shield is definitely worth it.
---ERRANDS---
All this new equipment is expensive, so luckily there's a whole slew of new
errands, at least one in every town. If you're short on cash, I recommend
spending a while completing them, buying stuff, and building up your
characters. If you're offered any "contest" errand, take it right away; these
errands give you a lot of money and JP but the chance to take them disappears at
the end of the current month (at least until the next year).
If you had characters who were running errands at Lionel Castle and ended up
"trapped" when you were kicked out of the castle back in Chapter II, you can
finally go collect them from the Tavern now. Lionel Castle is back to being a
regular, blue-dot town. (Note also that the sea route between Goug and Warjilis
has vanished as of Chapter III.)
---POACHERS' DENS---
The Poachers' Dens are now open. Whenever a character with the Thief's "Poach"
ability kills a monster with a physical attack, an item is sent to the Poachers'
Den. You can then buy the item by visiting the Poachers' Den in Dorter or in
Warjilis. Other cities do not have Dens. (A third Poachers' Den will become
available in Chapter IV when you reach the city of Sal Ghidos.)
If you poached any monsters back in Chapters I or II, you can now buy their
items at the Den. If you haven't poached anything yet, you'll need to poach at
least one monster before you're allowed in the Den.
There are a couple reasons to poach items. First, poached items are cheap; you
can buy them for half their usual price! You can also get some rare items from
poaching that you can't get anywhere else! Each monster can yield one of two
items, a frequent item or an infrequent one -- see the Poaching List for a
complete list.
Many of the best monsters to poach don't appear under Chapter IV, but if you
recruited a Pig at Tchigolith Fenlands in Chapter II, you can now start poaching
your pigs for rare items. And Red Chocobos, which also appear fairly frequently
in Chapter III, sometimes yield the Barette when poached, which protects female
characters against a number of status ailments.
Finally, the Poachers' Dens have one other purpose. Any item that you SELL to
the Poachers' Den gets added to its inventory and can be bought back later for
the same price that you sold it. So, if you need to sell anything for cash,
sell it to the Poachers' Den, and it will be less expensive if you later want to
buy it again.
---RENDEZVOUS MODE---
A new Rendezvous mission, The Fete, is available. This one can be a little
difficult if you haven't yet learned Shirahadori (see below), but with a
Summoner you should be able to win. There's also the Lost Heirloom mission
from last chapter if you haven't done that yet; the Nu Khai Armbands that you
can now buy will make this battle easier by protecting you from Charm.
---ABILITIES TO LEARN---
There are some abilities you'll need at the end of Chapter III that it's a good
idea to start learning now. You don't need these abilities just yet, but
if you build your characters towards those abilities now, you won't have to
spend time grinding for them later. Specifically, you'll really want Ramza
to have Focus and Tailwind (both Squire), and Auto-Potion (Chemist). If you
have the chance to unlock the Ninja job for him, that'll also help out a little.
Combining the Ninja's inherent speed and double attack with a barehanded
attack powered by the Monk's Brawler ability makes for an incredibly strong and
quick fighter. But the Ninja job isn't strictly necessary -- and it can be a
bit of pain to unlock, as it requires Ramza to at least have Archer at level 4,
Thief at level 5, and Geomancer at level 2! For your other characters,
acquiring the Dragoon or Ninja job on as many as characters as possible is
helpful, but also not a must-have.
You may also want to start developing a stealing specialist, if you haven't
already. You'll be encountering more and more enemies with rare equipment
that you can't buy at the Outfitter, so you may want to swipe it :). It'll be a
big help if you can learn the Thief's Steal abilities, and either Concentration
(Archer) or Brawler (Monk), either of which will improve your stealing success
rate. If you don't get to this until Chapter IV, though, it's not a big deal.
Some other abilities that you want to work towards over the course of the
chapter are the Samurai's Shirahadori reaction ability, the Ninja's Dual Wield
support ability, and the Time Mage's Teleport movement ability. Shirahadori
blocks physical attacks outright whenever it activates; if combined with a high
Bravery stat (which you can boost with Ramza's Steel ability), it can render you
virtually impervious to physical attacks. It's one of the best abilities in the
game. If you haven't already unlocked the Samurai job, though, you'll need to
get a character with Knight level 4, Monk level 5, and Dragoon level 2 to become
a Samurai. The Ninja's Dual Wield ability is also great as it allows you equip
two weapons at once to effectively double (or come close to doubling) your
attack power. Finally, the Time Mage's Teleport is helpful for navigating
battlefields with tall walls (as it allows you to essentially warp right up
them), for teleporting through enemy forces blocking your path, and for
extending your move range in a pinch. If you try to teleport long distances,
it'll probably fail, but this ability is still extremely helpful for navigating
both heights and crowded maps. Also, if you have a Summoner, the Golem summon
will also help out in a battle near the end of the chapter.
Lastly, if you haven't been using Ramza's Steel to work on building up your
Bravery, try to do so when you get a chance -- having a high Bravery will make
your Reaction Abilities a lot more useful (such as the aforementioned
Shirahadori).
---ON WITH THE ADVENTURE!---
When you're ready to get on with the game, equip your team with gear that
boosts their Move or Jump ranges. Safeguard may also be helpful. Then go up
from Dorter, across the Zeklaus Desert, to the Mining Town of Gollund.
---Battle 22: Gollund-----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Orran [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (lv 21, male) Chemist (lv 21, male)
Thief (lv 21, female) Thief (lv 20, female)
Thief (lv 19, female) Orator (lv 18, male)
GUEST: Orran [Cancer] - lv 18 Astrologer - Bravery 73, Faith 71
Equipment : Bestiary, Wizard's Hat, Gaia Gear, Hermes Shoes
Abilities : Astrology, other abilities random
Immune : All negative status except Stone, Blind, Silence, Oil, Slow, Stop
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Orran is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 10 Snow Snowstorm 73%
Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 24%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
Flagstone Contortion 1%
--STRATEGY--
The buildings here are steep, which restricts your movement. So, you'll want
to deploy characters with a good Jump or Move range, or equip accessories to
boost it. Because you start on the bottom and the enemy is on rooftops above
you, guns and bows are not too effective here; it's hard to target the enemy
from below. Instead, try bringing the Dragoon's Jump attack or Black Magick.
Also, since the enemy has three Thieves that like to steal your equipment, you
may want to protect your investments by equipping the Safeguard ability, which
prevents steals.
Orran possess the Celestial Stasis spell, which will Disable, Stop, or
Immobilize at least half the enemy forces every time he casts it. However,
he's still vulnerable until he gets this spell off, and the enemy Chemists can
hit him from a distance with their guns. So, keep an eye on his HP.
From where you start the battle, move a healer character and another character
to your right and up the low steps. These characters will be in a good position
to heal Orran (with White Magick or Throw Items) if he needs it. If Orran's
relatively healthy and doesn't need immediately healing, you can also cast
Protect him on to boost his defense. The rest of your squad can go around the
other side of the building to start fighting the enemies there. The enemies
will probably be no match for your forces; the key is just to keep Orran from
getting killed, since if he's KOed, you lose the battle.
Orran's Counter Tackle will knock enemies off the roofs for extra damage, and
you can try this yourself with Rush. The Orator tends to stay on the highest
roof and may be tough to reach, but you should be able to jump up there using
the "steps" on the right side of the roof. At that point, you can attack him
while on the roof or Rush him off the roof so your entire crew can attack him.
Or, just use Black Magick to attack from below.
This battle is also a great opportunity to do some stealing! Both Chemists are
carrying Mythril Guns, which are 2 attack points stronger than the Romandan
Pistols you're toting. These are the best prizes to steal. Additionally, you
can grab an Orichalcum Dirk (a good dagger) and Germinas Boots (boots that
boost both your move *and* jump) from the Orator. The Thieves may also carry
Jujitsu Gis and Main Gauche to swipe, although these aren't quite as good to
grab -- the Main Gauches aren't as strong as the Orichalcum Dirk. Especially
later in the battle, when Orran may have paralyzed lots of enemies, try to steal
some of this gear if you can!
If you've played the PSone version of FF Tactics, you may find this battle more
challenging this time around. It's been restored to the original Japanese level
of difficulty. Orran's stats are now a lot lower, and it's quite a bit easier
for the enemies to KO him.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 1500 gil, Battle Folio
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Snow
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 2 (height: 2, Snow) Hi-Potion Close Helmet none
Left: 5, Up: 1 (height: 0, Snow) Holy Water Iron Flail none
Left: 5, Up: 6 (height: 16, Chimney) Potion Spear none
Left: 9, Up: 9 (height: 1, Snow) Phoenix Down Mage's Staff none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you save Orran, you'll chat briefly, and then he'll head off to the south,
sadly depriving you of Celestial Stasis :)
Gollund's shops don't offer any new equipment, so just head straight on to
Lesalia. There's no fight when you first get here, just a short chat with
Zalbaag. However, as soon as you leave, you'll have to fight Zalmour.
---Battle 23: Lesalia Castle Postern--------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Alma [guest], 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Zalmour (lv 24 Celebrant) Knight (lv 22, male)
Knight (lv 22, male) Knight (lv 20, male)
Monk (lv 21, female) Monk (lv 21, female)
GUEST: Alma [Leo] - lv 3 Cleric - Bravery 39, Faith 87
Equipment : Healing Staff, Barette, Wizard Clothing, Red Shoes
Abilities : Holy Magicks, Items, other abilities random
BOSS: Zalmour [Sagittarius] - lv 24 Celebrant - Bravery 54, Faith 78
Equipment : Musk Pole, Wizard's Hat, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Priest Magicks, random action ability, Archer's Bane, Halve MP,
Lifefont
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil, Berserk,
and Slow
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Zalmour
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 55%
Flagstone Contortion 22%
Soil Sinkhole 12%
Obstructed -- 12%
--STRATEGY--
If you didn't spot the rest of your team right away, they're behind the gate.
Since none of the enemies here have much in the way of range attacks (just maybe
some weak Geomancy abilities), you needn't rush down to attack them. Instead,
keep your characters up on top of the castle and let the enemies come up to you.
The majority of them will come up the stairs, so position the bulk of your team
near the stairs. Because the enemies are often in clusters, magick (and
Geomancy) works well on them. The railing blocks direct gun shots down onto the
ground, but if you stand up on top of the railing, you should be able to shoot
from there. Standing on the railing also gives you a height advantage and makes
it harder for the enemies to hit you.
Alma will probably cast Aegis on Ramza once, which will make him super-powered
for a few turns. (Shell and Protect will reduce the damage he takes, Regen
heals him, and Haste gets him more turns!) Take advantage of it! After casting
Aegis, Alma will just thwack your characters with her Healing Staff to restore
their HP.
The annoying part of this battle is Zalmour, who can cast Cura and Arise to
heal his troops. When you have the chance, start attacking him. (You may
also want to try stealing his White Robe if you get a chance.) He'll go down
quickly, and, as soon as you KO him, you win the battle ... so this is a pretty
easy fight.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Ether
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 9, Up: 10 (height: 5, Grassland) Ether Brigandine none
Left: 0, Up: 10 (height: 5, Grassland) Holy Water Ancient Sword none
Left: 0, Up: 8 (height: 2, Grassland) Phoenix Down Ninja Blade none
Left: 1, Up: 0 (height: 0, Soil) Remedy Diamond Braclt none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---ALMA---
Alma now joins up as a guest. She won't be doing any more fighting, though,
so go ahead and de-equip her Healing Staff, Barette, and Red Shoes. These are
all valuable items: the Healing Staff and Barette are items you can't ever buy
in shops, and the Red Shoes won't be available to purchase until much later.
The Healing Staff is an interesting "weapon" in that it actually restores HP to
the character hit by it. Equipping it on a magick-oriented character can be
quite useful since they probably won't be doing much fighting anyway and it
gives you a free source of healing.
---QUICK ERRAND COMPLETION---
If you want to complete some errands easily, you can take the ones at Gollund
and Lesalia and then just walk back and forth until they're done.
---EQUIPMENT UPGRADES---
Before leaving this region, you can also stop at the Outfitter in Lesalia to buy
new heavy armor.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Mythril Gun Gun 15000 Goug Atk: 8, 5% Parry
Kunai Ninjabl 5000 TrCity Atk: 9, 5% Parry
Ama-no-Murakumo Katana 8000 TrCity Atk: 11, 5% Parry
Bestiary Book 6000 TrCity Atk: 8, 15% Parry
Damask Cloth Cloth 7000 TrCity Atk: 8, 50% Parry
Iron Fan Pole 4000 TrCity/City Atk: 9, 20% Parry
Celebrant's Miter Hat 6000 TrCity/City HP +64, MP +20, Magick Attack +1
Jujitsu Gi Clothes 4000 TrCity/City HP +60, Phys. Attack +1, Immune: KO
Chameleon Robe Robe 5000 TrCity/City HP +40, MP +28, Immune: KO,
Absorbs: Holy
Fuma Shuriken Star 300 TrCity/City Atk: 7
Main Gauche Knife 3000 Castle/City Atk: 6, 40% Parry
Aegis Shield Shield 10000 Castle Phy.Evade: 10%, Mag.Evade: 50%,
Magick Attack +1
Diamond Helm Helm 6000 Castle HP +80
Diamond Armor Armor 6000 Castle HP +80
Sleep Blade Sword 5000 Castle Atk: 9, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Sleep
Slasher Axe 12000 Castle Atk: 16, 0% Parry, Inflicts: Slow
Flame Mace Flail 4000 Castl/TrCity Atk: 11, 0% Parry, fire elemental,
Spell Effect: Fira
Germinas Boots Shoes 5000 Any Move +1, Jump +1
Jade Armlet Armlet 10000 Any Immune: Stone, Stop
Elven Cloak Cloak 8000 Any Phy.Evade: 25%, Mag.Evade: 25%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Aegis Shield that's now available is much worse against physical attacks
than your existing shields, but it has a 50% evade rate against magicks!
Combined with the Ninja's Reflexes, in fact, you have a 100% evade rate against
evadable magicks! Although it's not too good for most situations, since you
don't face nearly as many magick attacks as physical attacks, you may want to
have one or two Aegis Shields on hand for battles against magick users. The
Aegis Shield is also a great choice for characters who have learned Shirahadori.
Shirahadori can block most physical attacks by itself, so you can use your
shield slot to beef up your magick defense.
Don't blow all your money in Lesalia, because there's some new equipment down in
Dorter as well. In particular, the Jujitsu Gi is a great set of clothes for
fighting-oriented characters as it also boots your physical attack power, and
the Celebrant's Miter is a hat that boosts your MP. (You'll probably want to
keep your fighters using the Headband for the attack boost.) Depending on what
jobs you're using, there may be weapon upgrades as well.
A more powerful gun, the Mythril Gun, is now available for sale. Since Goug is
the only city that sells guns, you'll have to walk all the way down to Goug if
you want to buy it. It's 2 points stronger and a stronger gun never appears in
stores, so it's worth the trip if you didn't get the chance to steal any Mythril
Guns during the Gollund battle.
Buying 5 Chameleon Robes at Dorter would give you an easy way to beat an
upcoming boss, but you probably don't need them as the boss isn't that tough
even without them.
---EVENTS AT ORBONNE---
Purchase anything you want, then head to Orbonne Monastery. Note that
once you enter, you'll be locked into a series of three battles, so make sure
that you're well stocked with supplies. You may also want to pick up a few of
the Jade Armlet accessory, since they'll be helpful in an upcoming battle, but
they're fairly expensive and not really necessary.
At Orbonne Monastery, enter the Monastery Vaults (it's the only option
available), where you'll find Simon wounded. He tells you about Funebris's
plot, and Ramza chases after the troops looking for the Virgo Stone. You'll
have a chance to save your game. All you'd have to repeat if you died is that
short scene with Simon, but if you want to save, save in a separate slot
since you're locked into a series of battle. The roster screen will come up,
then you will go down to the second floor and have a fight.
---Battle 24: Monastery Vaults - Second Level-----------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chemist (lv 24, male) Time Mage (lv 23, male)
Time Mage (lv 22, male) Dragoon (lv 25, male)
Dragoon (lv 24, male) Dragoon (lv 24, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Brick Wind Slash 73%
Obstructed -- 20%
Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 8%
--STRATEGY--
This is your first encounter with enemy Dragoons. Their standard attack has
a two-tile range attack and is quite strong, and they can also use the Jump
attack. If one of them jumps at a character, try to move that character away
before the Dragoon lands (assuming you have a chance, that is). If you cast
Haste on your characters, you'll get more turns and hence a better chance of
being able to duck out of the way. Although the Dragoons obviously can't be hit
*while* they're Jumping, you can still charge up attacks (including a Jump of
your own!) that will hit them when they land.
Since the Dragoons are so strong physically, you'll probably want to bring some
tough close-range fighters with which to fight back. The Dragoons have a high
evade rate, so equipping the Concentration ability (Archer) on any characters
that have it is a good idea, as it ensures that your attacks can't be evaded.
Also, if your fighters have Fire Shields or Ice Shields equipped, remember that
casting a fire or blizzard spell on the group will both damage the enemy
Dragoons and heal any characters with the appropriate shield -- it's good for
close-quarters fighting!
You'll want to take out the enemy Chemist so he can't heal the enemies, but
you can save the Time Mages for last. Pretty much all they'll do is cast Haste.
If you have the chance, though, position one of your characters next to the
enemy that Haste is going to be cast on; this allows you to pick up the Haste
status as well!
BATTLE TROPHIES: Battle Folio
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 9, Brick - closest to open door
at bottom
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 9, Up: 0 (height: 12, Brick) Potion Murasame none
Left: 4, Up: 9 (height: 12, Brick) Remedy Musk Pole none
Left: 3, Up: 4 (height: 6, Brick) Hi-Potion Poison Bow none
Left: 0, Up: 5 (height: 0, Brick) Ether Mythril Bow none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After beating the second floor, you have another save opportunity. Again,
save in a slot separate from your main file. For the next battle, you may want
to equip any accessories you have that boost your Jump statistic (i.e., the
Spiked Boots or Germinas Boots). After you leave the roster screen, you'll go
to the third floor for another battle against Isilud.
---Battle 25: Monastery Vaults - Third Level------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Isilud (lv 26 Nightblade) Knight (lv 24, male)
Knight (lv 23, male) Archer (lv 23, male)
Archer (lv 21, male) Summoner (lv 22, male)
BOSS: Isilud [Gemini] - lv 26 Nightblade - Bravery 73, Faith 62
Equipment : Platinum Sword, Golden Shield, Platinum Helm, Platinum Armor,
Power Gauntlet
Abilities*: Arts of War, Jump, Counter, Safeguard, Ignore Elevation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
* Isilud's Nightblade job also has Concentration as an innate ability.
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce Isilud to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 11 Book Wind Slash 67%
Flagstone Contortion 31%
Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
--STRATEGY--
Your first order of business in this maze-like level is to send one or two
characters down the hall to kill the Summoner -- used ranged attacks to take
him out quickly before he can hit you with any summons. After the Summoner,
go after the Archer that will have come up behind him.
At this time Isilud and his gang will be nearing you from behind. You'll want
to get up on top of the bookshelves to fight him on the same level. If you
have a Jump statistic of at least 5, you can jump directly on top of the
shelves; otherwise, you'll have to use the stairs in the corner. The stairs
can get a little crowded, so being able to jump up is helpful.
Watch out; Isilud has the Dragoon's Jump attack and an incredibly long jump
range. If you use Haste, though, you may have a chance to move out of the way
before he comes back down. His plain sword attack is strong, too, and he can
counterattack. He also has Safeguard, so you can't steal or break his sword or
other equipment. Just ignore the other guys and attack Isilud. The Mythril Gun
and Agrias's Holy Sword techniques are both quite effective here, and you can
also use your own Jump attacks if you've got a Dragoon. When Isilud drops to
critical HP, he'll teleport away and you win.
Before you finish off Isilud, you may want to send a character with Treasure
Hunter to the extreme corner of the map near where you start. You may get a
Croakadile Bag from this treasure tile. Although the bag is not very good as a
weapon, you can sell it for 26,500 gil, which will fund a lot of good equipment!
As with most good Treasure Hunter pickups, your chance of getting the bag is
greater the *lower* your Bravery.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Guardian Bracelet
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 9, Book
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 10,Up: 0 (height: 8, Book) Phoenix Down Croakadile Bag none
Left: 6, Up: 5 (height: 7, Book) Holy Water Ice Shield none
Left: 9, Up: 9 (height: 7, Book) Potion Flame Shield none
Left: 7, Up: 11 (height: 8, Book) Hi-Potion Headband none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon winning against Isilud, there's yet another save point, and then the last
of the three battles, this time with Wiegraf. Before the battle, equip any Jade
Armlets you have to protect yourself from his sword attacks. (Alternately, if
you equip your *entire* team with Chameleon Robes, you can stop his sword
techniques outright.)
---Battle 26: Monastery Vaults - First Level------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Wiegraf (lv 27 White Knight) Knight (lv 24, female)
Knight (lv 24, female) Archer (lv 23, female)
Archer (lv 21, female) Black Mage (lv 22, female)
BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 27 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64
Equipment : Diamond Sword, Crystal Helm, random armor, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Holy Sword, random 2nd action ability, Counter, Doublehand,
Move +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Wiegraf
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 9 Brick, Furnishings Wind Slash 63%
Wooden Floor, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 22%
Obstructed -- 14%
--STRATEGY--
A shortcut to beating this battle is to equip all your characters with Chameleon
Robes, which absorb holy damage. The enemy AI mistakenly believes that
Wiegraf's sword techniques do holy damage, so if your team is equipped with
Chameleon Robes, he won't even use them. But, you do need to equip ALL your
characters with the robes; if even one character has different armor, Wiegraf
won't be fooled.
If you're not using the Chameleon Robes, spread your characters out in your
initial deployment. Wiegraf is almost guaranteed to target your group with a
Judgment Blade before you have a chance to move.
The tall wall divides this level into two halves -- the half where you start
and the half where the bad guys start -- with a small doorway in the middle.
But Wiegraf will come running through to your side right away. Just go after
Wiegraf; most of his followers are irrelevant and probably won't even reach you
before Wiegraf goes down. The Archers can shoot through the doorway from the
other side, though, so Archer's Bane (or Shirahadori, if you have it) may be
helpful.
As in your previous battle, Wiegraf will use Judgment Blade a lot (unless you
have the Chameleon Robes on). Judgment Blade randomly casts Stop on you
sometimes, but you can protect yourself from that by equipping Jade Armlets.
The armlets won't stop you Judgment Blade from doing HP damage, though.
Focus your attacks on Wiegraf. If you can't kill him in two rounds of turns or
so, the other enemies will show up and you're in trouble. This time, Wiegraf
must be knocked down to 0 HP before you win.
It's pretty hard to get, but there IS a fairly valuable Treasure Hunter item on
this level. If you can make it over to the enemies' side of the map, there's a
Magepower Glove up on the wooden platform on the other side. (See below for
exact coordinates.) This useful accessory boosts your Magick Attack by 2,
making it useful for mages! Although you can buy it item in stores, it costs a
lot of money (20,000 gil!), so the Treasure Hunter pickup is nice if you can get
a character across the map to claim it.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 2500 gil
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Brick - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 0, Brick) Holy Water Nu Khai Armband none
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 0, Brick) Phoenix Down Reflect Ring none
Left: 6, Up: 0 (height: 8, Wooden Fl.) Remedy Magepower Glove none
Left: 7, Up: 11 (height: 1, Brick) Ether Winged Boots none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afterwards, Isilud escapes with both a friend and your Zodiac Stones captive.
Outside, Wiegraf transforms in a rather frightening scene and then Simon shows
up to give you the Scriptures of Germonique.
---SCRIPTURES OF GERMONIQUE---
Back on the map, go to the Chronicle option and check out your Artefacts.
Examine the Scriptures of Germonique and press Triangle if you want to read it
(this takes a while). If you're having a hard time reading the text, pressing
the L button on your PSP will make the background darker (and thus make the text
easier to read), while the R button makes the background brighter. Reading the
Scriptures has no direct impact on the game, but it fills in some story
information.
---STORY EVENTS---
After you're done reading, go to Dorter. A mage will demand the Scriptures
and ask if you've read them. It doesn't matter what you say. When the mage
leaves, the route to Riovanes Castle will open. Try to leave Dorter (just click
anywhere on the map) and you'll see an FMV scene with Delita and Ovelia.
---MORE NEW ITEMS---
Go into Dorter and check out the shops, which once again have some new
equipment.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Kodachi Ninjabl 7000 TrCity Atk: 10, 5% Parry
Bloodstring Harp Instrmt 10000 TrCity Atk: 13, 10% Parry, drains HP from
target to wielder
Papyrus Codex Book 10000 TrCity Atk: 9, 15% Parry
Wizard's Rod Rod 8000 TrCity/City Atk: 4, 20% Parry, Mag.Attack +2
Golden Staff Staff 7000 TrCity/City Atk: 6, 15% Parry
Gokuu Pole Pole 7500 TrCity/City Atk: 10, 20% Parry,
Inflicts: Atheist
Pantherskin Bag Bag 52000 TrCity/City Atk: 12, 0% Parry, Always: Regen
Black Cowl Hat 7000 TrCity/City HP +72
Power Garb Clothes 7000 TrCity/City HP +70, Physical Attack +2
White Robe Robe 9000 TrCity/City HP +50, MP +34, halves: Fire,
Lightning, Ice
Orichalcum Dirk Knife 4000 Castle/City Atk: 7, 5% Parry
Diamond Sword Sword 8000 Castle Atk: 10, 10% Parry
Windslash Bow Bow 8000 Castle Atk: 8, 0% Parry
Partisan Polearm 7000 Castle Atk: 11, 10% Parry
Diamond Shield Shield 12000 Castle Atk: 34, 15% Parry
Hunting Bow Crossbw 8000 Castle/Goug Atk: 6, 5% Parry
Magick Ring Ring 10000 Any Immune: Silence, Berserk
Japa Mala Armlet 15000 Any Immune: Undead, Vampire, Toad,
Poison; Boosts: All 8 elements
Hi-Ether Item 600 Any Restores 50 MP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Power Garbs are a great buy; they're good new clothes that also raise your
physical attack power. And don't miss the White Robe for your magick-users --
you'll have to scroll down through all the clothes to find it! It has the nice
effect of halving damage from fire, lightning, and ice attacks.
But even as you upgrade your robes, KEEP at least one Chameleon Robe in your
inventory; you'll want it for a particular battle near the end of the chapter.
You may want to keep your Headbands and Celebrant's Miters instead of buying
Black Cowls, since the Cowls don't have any special stat boost. Similarly, the
Diamond Shields are not an especially great shield since they don't have any
elemental properties, nor the magick block rate of the Aegis Shield.
If you were able to snag the Croakadile Bag from the Monastery, you can sell it
off for a cool 26,500 gil.
The Gokuu Pole has the interesting effect. When you hit a unit with it, it
may randomly inflicts the Atheist status. Atheist temporarily reduces a unit's
Faith to 0, which means that it can neither use magicks nor be hurt by them. In
theory, you could use this effect to stop enemy mages or to immunize your own
allies against enemy magick by striking them with the pole. But, the pole only
inflicts Atheist status *sometimes*, and the jobs that use poles (Mystic
and Arithmetician) are generally not jobs you want to spend a lot of time in.
So, its practical value is somewhat limited.
---ERRANDS & RENDEZVOUS MISSION---
There are also a few new errands available down at Lionel Castle and the
Castled City of Zaland, as well as at Eagrose Castle. Taverns also offer a
new Rendezvous Mode mission, Desert Minefield. This one is relatively easy,
although tough to clear with just a few characters.
It's now time to head north to Riovanes. As you head up through the Zeklaus
Desert, you'll run into a story battle.
---Battle 27: Zeklaus Desert----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Luso [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Behemoth (lv 18) Behemoth (lv 17)
Behemoth (lv 16) Behemoth King (lv 16)
Behemoth King (lv 15) Dark Behemoth (lv 23)
GUEST: Luso [Cancer] - lv 25 Game Hunter - Bravery 55, Faith 48
Equipment : Icebrand, Platinum Shield, Green Beret, Platinum Armor,
Germinas Boots
Abilities : Huntcraft, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Luso is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
18 x 10 Sand Sandstorm 62%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 36%
Obstructed -- 2%
--STRATEGY--
Deploy all your characters towards the upper-left corner of the available
purple tiles. This will start your characters as close to Luso as possible.
If you have anyone who can Poach or Entice/Tame monsters, they're good to bring
here.
After you deploy your characters, there will be a CG scene, as Ramza jumps in to
help Luso. Then the battle starts and then the battle starts. It's Behemoth
city!
Luso can hold his own pretty well -- he comes with an Icebrand sword, which is
better than anything sold at the Outfitter at this point. Still, if he gets
surrounded by Behemoths, he'll get killed and you'll lose the battle, so move a
healer into position ASAP. (Casting the Protect magick on him or your other
characters is also a good idea, as the Behemoths only use physical attacks.)
If you move some other fighters down into the canyon with the Behemoths, you'll
keep them from ganging up on any one particular character. All the Behemoths
can counterattack (since they're monsters), which means Luso can take damage
pretty quickly fighting against them. Fortunately, he's smart enough to flee if
his HP drops to critical, but even if it's not yet critical, a series of
behemoth attacks could take him out before he has a chance to move!
Try to take out a few of the purple "regular" Behemoths quickly, before the
Behemoth Kings and Dark Behemoth have a chance to make it over to you. Those
are lot stronger and will take several attacks to kill. Agrias's Holy Sword
techniques are good for dealing damage and can't be counterattacked.
If you have an Orator or someone else with Entice and Beast Tongue, it's
definitely worth trying to recruit some of the monsters here. If you can turn
one Traitor and keep it alive through the battle, it'll join your squad. None
of these monsters are ones you could otherwise find at this point in the game,
and the Behemoth King and Dark Behemoth are particularly rare. If you get any
of them, you can use them to breed more behemoths and poach them for rare
items! Luso also automatically poaches any enemy he kills, so he if kills any
of the behemoths here, you should also get something good.
The Treasure Hunter items here are especially poor, as they're the same items
available when this map first opened in Chapter I.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Sand
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 8 (height: 0, Sand) Phoenix Down Blind Knife Sten Needle
Left: 0, Up: 11 (height: 2.5, Sand) Echo Herbs Battle Boots Degenerator
Left: 6, Up: 8 (height: 0, Sand) Hi-Potion Thunder Rod none
Left: 6, Up: 17 (height: 0, Sand) Potion Iron Sword Hypnogas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---LUSO---
Defeat or recruit all the enemy Behemoths and Luso will join up. (Luso is the
lead character from the Nintendo DS game Final Fantasy Tactics A2 ... he's just
moonlighting here.) He's basically a clone of Ramza, but as long as he's in his
Game Hunter job, he has an intrinsic Poach ability -- no ability needs to be
equipped for it. This makes him very handy for treasure hunting, especially
during the monster-laden random battles. Story battles, of course, contain
mostly humans and Poach doesn't work on them.
You may want to de-equip Luso's Icebrand sword and give it to Agrias -- it will
make her Holy Sword techniques extremely powerful!
---POACHING---
If you poached any of the behemoths, you may want to go back to the Poachers'
Den in Dorter to see what you got, since a lot of these items can be quite
useful. If you recruited any of the behemoths, you're even better off; you can
keep one behemoth on your team, have it breed other behemoths, and poach
*those*. Both Behemoth Kings and Dark Behemoths can give you rare items you
can't find at the Outfitter.
---OUTFITTER & NEXT BATTLE---
Up in Lesalia, you can pick up the Windslash Bow, Orichalcum Dirk, and Diamond
Sword if you didn't get them immediately after the Monastery sequence. You may
want to skip the Diamond Sword, though, since there will be another new sword
after just a few more battles.
Grab anything you need, then continue to the Grogh Heights.
---Battle 28: Grogh Heights-----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Squire (lv 27, male) Squire (lv 25, male)
Chemist (lv 27, male) Chemist (lv 26, male)
Archer (lv 26, male) Thief (lv 27, female)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Night, thunderstorm (evade rate vs. bows x 1.80,
fire dmg +25%, lightning dmg -25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 11 Grassland, Underbrush Tanglevine 59%
Soil Sinkhole 16%
Brick Wind Slash 10%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 9%
Stairs, Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
Flagstone Contortion 2%
--STRATEGY--
This is a fairly straightforward battle. The main challenges are the Thief,
who of course can steal your gear, and the Chemists, who both have guns and a
humongous range from their vantage point atop the heights. You'll want to
target the Chemists first. Fire back with your own guns, or have Mustadio use
his Arm Shot from a distance to Disable them.
The small passes between the cliffs can be a bit of a choke point as you try to
climb up. If you boost your Jump height with accessories and agile jobs, that
will help you scale the heights quickly. If the *enemies* get bunched up in a
row in a pass, firing one of Agrias's Divine Ruination skills (if you have it)
will decimate them.
There's a thunderstorm going on here, so fire attacks will be weaker and thunder
attacks will be stronger. Given that there's both a storm *and* this battle is
at night, evade rates versus bows will nearly double! Between these effects and
the fact that it's harder to target enemies when firing uphill, Archers may not
be the best pick for this battle.
Because this is a fairly easy battle, it's a good chance to build up your
weaker characters if you want. You could also try letting the enemies decay
into crystals or chests, but these guys don't really have much worth taking.
(Hey, they're deserters, what do you expect?)
BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Gun
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 8.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 11,Up: 1 (height: 0, Underbrush) Ether Sleep Blade none
Left: 11,Up: 10 (height: 0, Underbrush) Potion Main Gauche none
Left: 4, Up: 1 (height: 6, Underbrush) Remedy Ama-no-Murakumo none
Left: 0, Up: 10 (height: 9, Underbrush) Hi-Potion Kunai none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After smashing your way through the Heights (I actually felt kind of bad killing
those guys off), you'll meet up with Orran again. You'll also receive a Mythril
Gun in spoils from the battle, so if you didn't bother to go to Goug to buy any
Mythril Guns, equip this one now.
Your next stop is the Walled City of Yardrow.
---Battle 29: Yardrow-----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Marach (lv 23 Netherseer) Summoner (lv 28, female)
Summoner (lv 27, female) Ninja (lv 26, male)
Ninja (lv 25, male) Ninja (lv 24, male)
GUEST: Rapha [Pisces] - lv 22 Skyseer - Bravery 31, Faith 69
Equipment : Musk Pole, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Sky Mantra, other abilities random
ENEMY: Marach [Gemini] - lv 23 Netherseer - Bravery 69, Faith 31
Equipment : Gokuu Pole, Headband, random armor, random accessory
Abilities : Nether Mantra, random 2nd action ability, random Squire abilities
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Rapha is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Stone Wall, Flagstone Contortion 33%
Grassland Tanglevine 31%
Soil Sinkhole 17%
Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 10%
Obstructed -- 6%
Wooden Floor, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 4%
--STRATEGY--
Here you'll encounter Marach (the guy you met in Dorter) and Rapha. You have to
save Rapha from Marach and the Riovanes soldiers. This is another protect-the-
guest battle, so deploy somebody with healing abilities or you're toast. In
fact, bringing two might not be a bad idea! Black Magick will be useful here,
but avoid using Archers because they won't be able to fire through the city
walls.
To protect Rapha, move a character into the city gateway to block it and prevent
the enemies from following her outside.
At the start of the battle, one of the Ninjas will probably give himself an
unfair height advantage by climbing up on the roof and throwing weapons at you.
Use guns or magick to take him out quickly. You could also equip the Thief
ability Sticky Fingers, which will let you catch whatever the Ninja throws at
you, but it's probably not worth giving up your regular Reaction Ability for.
The Ninjas here can hit really hard since they get two attacks. Even if you
have Shirahadori, it can only block one of the two attacks. So make the Ninjas
your first target, and stay out of hand-to-hand range when possible. Even at a
distance, the Ninjas can still Throw weapons at you, but this attack isn't
nearly as strong.
As at Grogh Heights, the gate into the city is a bit of a choke point, which
means it's a great opportunity to fire some Divine Ruinations and hit several
enemies at once.
If you've got anybody with an attack that can go through the wall (i.e., magick
or some monster skills), you can try to kill the Summoners that way. The
enemies start pretty bunched up inside, so this can be a good way of attacking
more than one enemy at a time. Otherwise you'll have to fight through the
Ninjas at the gate. As usual, watch what areas the Summoners are targeting so
you can try to keep your team split up and out of the way.
Although Marach teleports away when you defeat him, you must defeat ALL the
enemies to win here. Since Marach is really the least threatening guy here,
save him for last.
Finally, beware of Rapha's skills -- they target a 3x3 square of the map and hit
random tiles, making them as likely to hit you as the bad guys. Marach's skills
do the same, which fortunately means he's pretty unlikely to actually hit you
... and even if they do, he does very little damage.
It's also possible to steal the Japa Mala accessory from one of the Ninjas and
the Magick Ring from one of the Summoners. Although both of these items are
already in stores, they're pretty expensive, so you may want to try stealing
them. The Japa Mala is particularly useful.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 2000 gil, Yagyu Darkrood, Holy Water
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 1, Grassland) Potion Mythril Gun none
Left: 5, Up: 7 (height: 3, Flagstone) Phoenix Down Slasher none
*Left: 5, Up: 11(height: 9, Chimney) Holy Water Flame Mace none
*Left: 0, Up: 9 (height: 11, Wooden F.) Hi-Potion Hunting Bow none
* Requires Jump of 5.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the fight, Rapha discusses her past. (Why the Grand Duke wants Rapha and
Marach's powers so badly is one of FF Tactics's great unsolved mysteries ;) .)
Marach, meanwhile, delivers a amphibian ultimatum.
---RAPHA---
Rapha joins up as a guest for the next couple battles. She probably won't be
all that helpful, though, since her Sky Mantra abilities only strike random
tiles in their effect radius and can't be targeted too precisely.
---EQUIPMENT IN YARDROW---
After you reach Yardrow, another new set of equipment is added to the stores.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Ninja Longblade Ninjabl 10000 TrCity Atk: 12, 5% Parry
Kiyomori Katana 10000 TrCity Atk: 12, 15% Parry
Cashmere Cloth 15000 TrCity Atk: 10, 50% Parry
Gold Hairpin Hat 12000 TrCity/City HP +80, MP +50, Immune: Silence
Black Robe Robe 13000 TrCity/City HP +60, MP +30, Boosts: Fire,
Lightning, Ice
Assassin's Dagger Knife 5000 Castle/City Atk: 7, 5% Parry, Inflicts: Doom
Platinum Sword Sword 11000 Castle Atk: 12, 10% Parry
Platinum Helm Helm 8000 Castle HP +90
Circlet Helm 10000 Castle HP +100
Platinum Armor Armor 9000 Castle HP +90
Morning Star Flail 9000 Castl/TrCity Atk: 16, 0% Parry
Hermes Shoes Shoes 7000 Any Speed +1
Bracer Gauntlt 50000 Any Phys. Atk +3
Vampire Cape Cloak 15000 Any Ph.Evade: 28%, Mg.Evade: 28%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any magick users on your main team will benefit quite a bit from this new gear.
The Gold Hairpins raise both your HP and MP a lot, and the Black Robe
strengthens the power of any of your fire-, ice-, or lighting-elemental spells.
(You may want to keep healers using the White Robe, since it's got elemental
defenses and they don't need the offensive capability.) Even though you're
upgrading your equipment, remember to keep at least one Chameleon Robe in your
inventory--its ability to absorb Holy damage is important for a battle at the
end of the chapter.
There are also some new accessories; pick up a pair of the Speed-boosting Hermes
Shoes for later use. The Bracer is also available. It's really expensive
(50,000 gil), but it gives you a huge +3 physical attack boost, so buy one or
two for your front-line fighters if you can afford them.
You could also pick up some better equipment for Rapha, but it's hardly
necessary as you don't need to protect her from being KOed in the subsequent
battles. At any rate, do NOT equip Rapha with any "rare," non-buyable items
like the Barette or Healing Staff; if you do, you'll lose them when Rapha goes
from being a Guest to a regular character.
---LEAVING YARDROW---
When you leave town, you'll cut to another Delita battle.
---Battle 30: Zeltennia Castle Chapel Ruins-------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Delita, Ovelia [guest]
ENEMY FORCES: Ninja (lv 22, male) Ninja (lv 22, female)
ALLY: Delita [Sagittarius] - lv 30 Holy Knight - Bravery 85, Faith 52
Equipment : Save the Queen, Platinum Shield, Platinum Helm, Carabineer Mail,
Germinas Boots
Abilities : Holy Sword, Arts of War, Parry, Concentration, Move +1
Immune : Chicken, Toad, Charm, and Doom
GUEST: Ovelia [Taurus] - lv 5 Princess - Bravery 53, Faith 72
Equipment : Mage's Staff, Gold Hairpin, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : White Magicks, Counter Tackle, Reequip, Move +1
VICTORY CONDITION: KO all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ovelia is KOed or Delita is killed
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 54%
Flagstone Contortion 25%
Brick Wind Slash 18%
Obstructed -- 3%
--STRATEGY--
It's just Delita and Ovelia against two Ninjas. This should be a cinch;
although the Ninjas can hit hard, Delita and Ovelia have enough HP to survive
a few attacks, and one Holy Sword technique should be enough to take out each
Ninja.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
No Treasure Hunter items can be obtained during this battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---MORE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE---
Back with Ramza's squad, if you want to do further shopping, you can go back
down to Lesalia to buy new helmets, the Platinum Sword, and the Assassin's
Dagger. If you have Ninjas, Samurais, or Dancers in the party, you may even
want to trek all the way back to Dorter, as you will find new weapons for those
three jobs there.
---NEW RENDEZVOUS MISSION---
Clearing the battle at Yardrow also opens up another Rendezvous Mode mission,
Littering, which pits you against ten enemy Ninjas. If you bring characters
with the Sticky Fingers reaction ability, you can catch the weapons that the
Ninjas throw, which is a great way to build up your stock of weapons! You can
also start winning rare equipment from this mission, although your experience
level probably isn't high enough yet for these items to appear.
When you've completed your shopping and catching spree, head on up to the
Yuguewood.
---Battle 31: The Yuguewood-----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Black Mage (lv 28, male, undead) Ghoul*
Black Mage (lv 27, male, undead) Ghast*
Time Mage (lv 28, female, undead) Revenant*
Time Mage (lv 27, female, undead)
* The levels of these enemies depends on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 8 Grassland Tanglevine 63%
Flagstone Contortion 20%
Tree, Moss Wind Slash 13%
Obstructed -- 4%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
Every enemy here is undead, including the humans. After you KO them, when
their counter runs out, they may REVIVE instead of turning into a crystal!
This means that, after you KO the first enemy, you have to hustle to finish off
the rest before the first ones start reviving again.
Fortunately, there's an easier way. Just use Mustadio's Seal Evil skill, which
turns any undead enemy into stone and prevents them from resurrecting. Plus,
it almost always hits!
As for the rest of your team, Phoenix Down is also a really effective ability
here as it has a 100% hit rate for KOing undead monsters. So, you might want to
make a number of your characters into Chemists or give them the Items command
plus Throw Items. (Phoenix Down merely KOs the undead and doesn't petrify them,
though, so they do have the opportunity to revive.)
Other tactics for dealing with the ghost monsters include Poaching them; a
Poached monster disappears from the map and hence can't be revived. You could
even use the Orator's Tame or Entice to recruit the ghosts -- even if you don't
plan on keeping them, it removes them as enemies. The undead humans are immune
to Traitor status, however.
Since the enemies are undead, Cure spells and other healing abilities (e.g.
Raise and items) will do quite a bit of damage to them while simultaneously
healing any nearby allies. You can even strike them with the Healing Staff!
Summon spells also work well, as the enemies are usually packed together.
The two Black Mages are your toughest opponents, so take them out first. The
Time Mages are a bit of a pain too, since they can cast Slow or Immobilize on
you. You can prevent the former by equipping Diamond Bracelets and the later by
equipping Guardian Bracelets. Which to choose? For your close-range fighters,
defense against Immobilize is the most important, so give them Guardian
Bracelets. But for your gunners and magick users, being Immobilized may not be
such a problem, as they have enough range that they can still attack even if
they're rooted in one spot. So you might be better off giving Diamond Bracelets
to your range attackers.
Rapha is just an "ordinary" guest here, so it doesn't matter if she gets KOed.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Phoenix Down x2
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 5 (height: 3, Grassland) Holy Water Damask Cloth none
Left: 4, Up: 5 (height: 4, Grassland) Phoenix Down Iron Fan none
Left: 7, Up: 2 (height: 4, Grassland) Remedy Mythril Spear none
Left: 11, Up: 1 (height: 2, Grassland) Ether Bestiary none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---PREPARATION FOR RIOVANES---
Don't go on to Riovanes Castle just yet. It contains some very powerful
bosses and you need to make sure you're prepared. For Ramza, you'll want two
Squire abilities: Focus and *especially* Tailwind. Also buy a Chameleon Robe, a
Green Beret, and at least one pair of Hermes Shoes. (If you sold all your Green
Berets and Chameleon Robes, you can re-buy them at Yardrow.)
Also helpful are a good supply to X-Potions, Jujitsu Gis and Chameleon Robes
(both of which protect against instant KO), and Jade Armlets (protection against
Stop). These items are particularly helpful if you want to attempt to learn the
Ultima magick at Riovanes ... but since Ultima actually isn't very good and is
much easier to learn in Chapter IV, you may not want to bother.
Finally, if any characters are close to reaching the Dragoon or Ninja jobs, you
may want to bring them up to those jobs, as they are quite helpful. Zeklaus
Desert is a good place to level up if you need to earn more JP.
---AT RIOVANES---
When you think you're ready, save your game, then pay a visit to Riovanes
Castle. You'll see a scene with Barrington and the Templars, then have a
chance to save. Be SURE to save in a separate slot from your main game, so
that you can get out of the castle if you need to go back and level more/buy
stuff. If you save in your main slot, you may wind up STUCK and have to start
again from scratch!
You then go to the first of a series of three battles. Strip Rapha of all her
equipment beforehand.
---Battle 32: Riovanes Castle Gate----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Rapha [guest], 1 other
2nd Squad - 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Marach (lv 24 Netherseer) Knight (lv 29, male)
Knight (lv 28, male) Knight (lv 27, male)
Archer (lv 29, female) Archer (lv 28, female)
Arhcer (lv 27, female)
ENEMY: Marach [Gemini] - lv 24 Netherseer - Bravery 69, Faith 31
Equipment : Gokuu Pole, Headband, random armor, random accessory
Abilities : Nether Mantra, random 2nd action ability, random Squire abilities
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 12 Flagstone Contortion 53%
Grassland Tanglevine 24%
Canal Torrent 8%
Swamp Quicksand 8%
Soil Sinkhole 5%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
Deploy another fast character with Ramza, but make sure both are well-armored.
You'll want the two of them to break through to the enemy back line quickly and
take out the Archers. The second squad starts further from the battle, but
they can bring up the rear and keep fighting the Knights.
You'll face a constant rain of arrows from the enemy Archers atop the gates, so
equipping Archer's Bane or (preferably) Shirahadori on as many characters as
possible will be a big help. The Golem summon is also quite helpful if you have
it; cast it at the beginning of the battle and it will temporarily absorb some
of the physical damage you receive. The Mystic ability Defense Boost would also
be helpful here, as would the Protect magick or the Kiyomori Iaido (which casts
Protect). Equipping shields and capes will also boost your evade rate.
Rapha is here as a guest and Marach as an enemy. If EITHER of them is reduced
to critical HP, they will BOTH teleport away. You want to be rid of them;
Marach's pole attack is reasonably strong, and he tends to block your route up
to the Archers. If you de-equipped Rapha's armor before the battle, you can KO
her in one attack and quickly remove Marach from the battlefield.
Take out the enemy Knight on the bridge to keep him from blocking your path,
then start hurrying up the steps. You want to reach the enemy Archers as
quickly as possible. (If you have the Dragoon ability Ignore Elevation or the
Time Mage ability Teleport, this is easy-peasy, of course; you can just jump
right up from the drawbridge.) Any abilities that you can fire at the Archers
from a few tiles away will be helpful, as is Arithmeticks. Finally, you could
also try riding a Black Chocobo up to the top of the gate; this strategy would
be best combined with the Golem spell to prevent the Chocobo from being shot to
death by the Archers.
Keep your close-range fighters in the rear so they can fend off the enemy
Knights as they approach. Since the enemy Knights have a fairly high evade
rate, Concentration may also be useful to ensure your attacks connect.
Alternately, you can just attack with Agrias's Holy Sword techniques, which
can never be evaded. If you keep killing off one of the Knights, the other ones
may keep bringing him back with Phoenix Down, thus wasting their turns. The
Monk's Revive ability will be useful in bringing back your KOed allies, but only
if you stay on level ground; it has no vertical range. Once the Archers are
KOed, you can have all your characters mop up the remaining Knights.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Elven Cloak, Hi-Potion, X-Potion
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 11 (height: 5, Grassland) Remedy Celebrant's Miter none
Left: 4, Up: 4 (height: 2, Grassland) Ether Diamond Helm none
Left: 8, Up: 3 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Aegis Shield none
Left: 11,Up: 11 (height: 13, Flagstone) Potion Fuma Shuriken none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you defeat everyone outside the gate, a wounded Knight will crawl out,
warning of the Lucavi's rampage.
Now, make sure you're prepared. You're about face a two-part battle against a
Zodiac-charged Wiegraf, and he is rather powerful. However, if you're reading
this walkthrough and coming prepared ;), he isn't that hard to beat. Before
the battle starts, turn Ramza into his basic Squire job and equip him with a
Chameleon Robe. Make sure he also has some sort of healing ability, like
Chakra (Martial Arts), Lifefont, Items, or Auto-Potion. If you're using
Auto-Potion, you should also drop all your Potions and Hi-Potions. On the
roster screen, click on any character and go to Equipment. Choose View List,
find your Potions and Hi-Potions and select Discard. Throw away ALL of them, so
that you can only use X-Potions when Auto-Potion activates.
As for your other characters, make them into Dragoons or give them range
weapons. Keep Agrias as a Holy Knight if she has the Hallowed Bolt ability.
(If your Ramza is quite strong, you may not need such preparation--just give him
Dual Wield or Jump.) When you think you're set, close the party roster screen
and you'll be thrust into the battle against Wiegraf.
---Battle 33: Riovanes Castle Keep----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Ramza
PHASE TWO:
1st Squad - Ramza, 1 other
2nd Squad - 3 others
ENEMY FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Wiegraf (lv 28 White Knight)
PHASE TWO: Belias (lv 31 Gigas) Archaeodaemon (lv 29)
Archaeodaemon (lv 28) Archaeodaemon (lv 27)
BOSS: Wiegraf [Virgo] - lv 28 White Knight - Bravery 71, Faith 64
Equipment : Diamond Sword, Diamond Shield, Diamond Helm, Diamond Armor,
Diamond Bracelet
Abilities : Holy Sword, Martial Arts, Counter, Safeguard, Move +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
BOSS: Belias [Virgo] - lv 31 Gigas - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 1045, MP: about 255
Abilities : Dread, Summon Gigas, Brawler, Swiftness, can't enter water
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Slow, and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Phase One - Reduce Wiegraf to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
Phase Two - KO Belias
LOSS CONDITION: Phase One - Ramza is KOed
Phase Two - Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 8 Flagstone Contortion 68%
Canal Torrent 23%
Grassland Tanglevine 7%
Obstructed -- 2%
--STRATEGY--
Wiegraf has a fearsome reputation, in part because you're now stuck in Riovanes
Castle if you don't have another save to go back to. Your ease of beating him
will really depend on what abilities and equipment Ramza has. Wiegraf can be
easy with the right set-up, or very tough if you're stuck inside without an
ideal set of abilities.
For his first form, you have just Ramza.
Wiegraf has a number of strong Holy Sword techniques. However, you can stop
them completely by equipping a Chameleon Robe. Due to a bug in the game's AI,
the computer thinks that Wiegraf's sword techniques do Holy-elemental damage
(even though they actually don't), and won't use them when you're equipped with
the Chameleon Robe, which absorbs Holy damage. Instead, Wiegraf will just use
some fairly weak Martial Arts abilities.
Once you're protected with the Chameleon Robe, Wiegraf can't do much damage to
you. Keep running from him and keep using the Tailwind ability to boost Ramza's
Speed, and healing when you need to. If you can, sucker Wiegraf into going into
the water and you'll be safe for a turn. Eventually (after you keep using
Tailwind), Ramza will get fast enough that he will get two turns in a row
frequently. Use these extra turns to get further away from Wiegraf and keep
using Tailwind. You will reach a point where you will not have to use all your
moves to get out of Wiegraf's range. Now instead of moving each turn, you can
use Tailwind and then "Wait" to get your next turn faster, allowing you to use
Tailwind even more. Keep going until Ramza's Speed maxes out at 50. (You can
check it by going to Status in his menu.) Then start using Focus to build up
your attack power. (If you don't have Focus, give Ramza a gun instead, since
guns are not reliant on physical attack power.) After you've built up your
attack, just run up to Wiegraf and you can knock him out quickly in one or two
attacks.
If you don't have a Chameleon Robe, there's actually one that you can find on
this very map. Equip Treasure Hunter and quickly move in front of the torch to
Ramza's right to find the Chameleon Robe, then use Reequip to change into it.
You can do this on a single turn. Since the Chameleon Robe is the "good" item
on this Treasure Hunter title, your odds of obtaining it are LOWER the higher
Ramza's Bravery. You might just get a Ether instead. But if that happens, you
could always just reset again.
Aside from the Chameleon Robe, Auto-Potion works great if you throw away all
your Potions and Hi-Potions before the battle; Ramza will use a X-Potion to heal
himself for 150 HP whenever Wiegraf attacks him. (Auto-Potion doesn't always
activate, so if Ramza runs low on HP, you can also manually use an X-Potion on
yourself to heal.)
Another fairly good substitute for the Chameleon Robe is the combination of
Mana Shield (Time Mage) and Chakra (Monk). Mana Shield will protect you by
diverting damage to Ramza's MP. Run from Wiegraf while using Chakra each turn;
since Chakra restores your MP, you'll keep up your Mana Shield. Even when Mana
Shield doesn't trigger, you should have enough HP to survive at least one hit,
and Chakra will keep restoring your HP afterwards. Whenever you get far enough
from Wiegraf that he can't attack you, use Tailwind. This tactic takes a
little longer than Auto-Potion because it requires you to navigate out of
Wiegraf's range in order to use Tailwind, but it otherwise works the same.
If you don't have any Chameleon Robes, Auto-Potion, or Mana Shield/Chakra
available, you could try the Tailwind strategy but with some other ability to
restore your HP, like Critical: Recover HP, Regenerator, or Lifefont. These
abilities don't restore quite as much HP as Auto-Potion or don't work as
reliably, so it might be more difficult, but you could give it a shot. If you
have Auto-Potion but not Tailwind, you could also use Rend Speed and Rend Power
to weaken Wiegraf -- but a disadvantage of such a strategy is that debuffs won't
carry over to the next stage of the battle, whereas any buffs you place on Ramza
*do*.
If you can't use the heal & Tailwind strategy at all, you'll just have to
finish off Wiegraf quickly, before he can kill you. The Dragoon's Jump attack
may be useful, since Wiegraf can't counterattack if you use it at a distance.
If you need to resort to physical attacks, equip Concentration or attack Wiegraf
from behind so he can't dodge. You can also try using a Blood Sword (if you
have one) to recover a little HP with each attack, but this only really works if
you can Dual Wield it with a stronger weapon since a Blood Sword doesn't do
enough damage by itself to defeat Wiegraf. If you have a magick-oriented Ramza,
you could try use strong Black Magicks to finish Wiegraf in a single shot.
Equipping the Hermes Shoes as an accessory to boost Ramza's Speed may also help
you get the jump on him. Finally, the Mystic's Defense Boost ability will
reduce the damage Wiegraf can do to you, and Mana Shield will give you an
additional buffer of life before he kills you.
After Wiegraf drops to critical HP, he will disappear, only to return shortly
as Belias. Yup, it's not over yet. Your other characters will now show up,
but Wiegraf summons three Archaeodaemons. On his first turn, Belias will
start charging up a super-powerful Cyclops summon (200+ HP damage), and if
you survive that, he'll hit you with more summons. The trick here is that all
the Speed and attack power bonuses from the first phase of the battle persist,
so if you used Tailwind/Focus, Ramza can run up to Belias and repeatedly attack
him with high-powered hits. You should be able to kill Belias before he gets
to cast Cyclops.
If Ramza isn't able to kill Belias on his own, or you couldn't use the Tailwind
and Focus strategy, you'll have to take down Belias with the rest of your team.
Have your other allies start attacking Belias. You want to him as quickly as
possible, so range attacks (bows/guns) are good as they may not require you to
move. The Dragoon's Jump ability is also good since it takes you off the
screen, where Belias can't kill you. Agrias should use her strongest sword
technique. As in the fight against Cuchulainn, the Lich summon spell or the
Time Magick Graviga do a lot of damage if you can get them off, and a strong
Black Magick spell could be useful too. If you already have Arithmeticks, a
Level Prime calculation will allow to hit Belias without requiring any charge
times; depending on his Exp., height, or CT, other calculations may work too.
Ideally, you can take out Belias before he even casts Cyclops. If you can't
manage that, though, you may still be able to keep yourself alive long enough
to finish him off. Using the Jump attack may get some of your characters off
the screen when Cyclops fires and keep them alive. You can also try Silencing
Belias, either with the Mystic's Quiescence or Agrias's Hallowed Bolt. While
putting Silence on Belias will abort his initial Cyclops summon, he will still
be able to use his Petrify ability to turn you to stone, so this tactic works
better if you pair it with Jade Armlets to protect yourself from Stone.
Finally, you could try using the Mystic's Disbelief magick to put the Atheist
status on your strongest fighter, which will make him/her immune to magick and
able to survive the initial Cyclops casting. Belias and his demons can still
kill you with physical attacks and petrification, so using Silence or Atheist is
just a stop-gap measure to keep a few characters alive long enough to finish
killing him.
Belias has about 1045 HP. As soon as you defeat him, the Archaeodaemons also
disappear.
The strategies above are, of course, the most extreme strategies for fighting
Wiegraf/Belias. If Ramza is pretty strong, you can take out Belias with fewer
moves and certainly don't need to spend as much time boosting yourself during
the first round. A sufficiently strong Ramza (say, as a bare-fisted Ninja with
Brawler and a Bracer equipped) attacking Wiegraf and Belias from behind could
even do enough damage to punch out both of them without needing any boosts at
all. The Jump attack can also be effective if Ramza has a high Speed. But if
you're having trouble, the Tailwind strategy almost assures you of victory.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Flagstone - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 5 (height: 4, Flagstone) Ether Chameleon Robe none
Left: 6, Up: 2 (height: 4, Flagstone) Hi-Potion Jujitsu Gi none
Left: 9, Up: 0 (height: 7, Flagstone) Potion Diamond Armor none
Left: 9, Up: 7 (height: 7, Grassland) Remedy Germinas Boots none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you win both rounds of the battle, you'll go on to the last of this sequence
of battles, on the roof. Be sure to save again.
---Battle 34: Riovanes Castle Roof----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Rapha [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Elmdore (lv 33 Ark Knight) Celia (lv 29 Assassin)
Lettie (lv 28 Assassin)
GUEST: Rapha [Pisces] - lv 23 Skyseer - Bravery 31, Faith 69
Equipment : Musk Pole, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Sky Mantra, other abilities random
BOSS: Elmdore [Gemini] - lv 33 Ark Knight - Bravery 70, Faith 70
Equipment : Muramasa, Black Cowl, Black Robe, Nu Khai Armband
Abilities*: Sword Spirit, First Strike, Doublehand, Ignore Elevation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
* Elmdore's Ark Knight job also includes Safeguard as an innate ability.
BOSS: Celia [Virgo] - lv 29 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Equipment : Kiyomori x2, Black Cowl, Gaia Gear, Cachusha
Abilities : Subdual Arts, random action ability, random Squire abilities,
Move+1
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
BOSS: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 28 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Black Cowl, Power Garb, Barette
Abilities : Subdual Arts, random action ability, random Squire abilities,
Move+1
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce any one of the enemies to critical HP (< 20% of max)
LOSS CONDITION: Rapha is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 79%
Obstructed -- 12%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 8%
Stone Wall Contortion 1%
--STRATEGY--
You'll want to optimize your team for speed for this battle. Make Ramza into a
job with a high Speed stat (Ninja if available, otherwise Geomancer, Thief, or
Monk), and equip him with a Green Beret and Hermes Shoes to boost his Speed as
high as possible. Equipping the rest of the team with accessories boosting
Speed or Move is helpful as well. Give the Ignore Elevation or Teleport
movement abilities to as many character as possible.
Ramza always starts in a fixed location, regardless of where you place him
on the deployment screen. Deploy your other characters towards the top of the
deployment screen -- this will start them closer to the battle.
This battle is always really short: either you win quickly or you lose quickly!
All you have to do to win is reduce any one of the enemies to critical HP to
win. Problem is, Rapha loves to make suicide runs at the bad guys, and if she
gets KOed, you lose.
If Ramza is fast enough (e.g. Ninja + Green Beret + Hermes Shoes), he can
move first and immediately rush to attack either Celia or Lettie, and you
should be fine. (Don't attack Elmdore; he can use First Strike to turn your
attack into one of his own.) With Teleport or Ignore Elevation, you may be able
to get another quick character up on the roof to join the attack too. Where
possible, attack the assassins from behind so they can't evade.
Concentrate all your attacks on a single enemy, since as soon as any one of
them drops to critical HP, you win. If any of your own characters get KOed,
don't bother trying to revive them; you're better off continuing to attack and
ending the battle quickly. Luck plays a big role here, especially if you're
not fast enough to get the first move.
If your team is quick enough to end the battle in a few turns, the bad guys
won't really have a chance to kill Rapha. If you're not that fast, you'll need
to protect her, so heal her ASAP. Put Disable on Rapha (via Mustadio's Arm
Shot) as soon as you can; she'll flee the battle and mostly stay out of harm's
way. You can also try casting a Cure spell on an empty square within Rapha's
move range. Rapha will move to the square to receive the spell and thus you can
lure her away from the Assassins. Send as many characters up to the roof as you
can; if nothing else, they can serve as decoys to draw attacks away from Rapha.
Celia and Lettie use ridiculous Subdual Arts abilities on you that can inflict
Stop or KO on you with 100% success. You can guard against the former by
equipping Jade Armlets and the latter with Jujitsu Gis or Chameleon Robes.
A Barette, if equipped on a female character, will also protect against both
Stop *and* KO.
If you deploy Luso in his Game Hunter job, he can learn Ultima should Celia or
Lettie cast it on him. (Ramza can't learn it until Chapter IV, but if you have
Luso learn it here, he can teach it to Ramza as soon as you reach Chapter IV.)
If you're fully equipped with Jujitsu Gis and Jade Armlets, Celia and Lettie's
Stop or KO attacks won't work on you and instead they will almost always cast
Ultima. Move Luso in range of whomever they target to make sure he gets hit
with the magick. It's not easy to learn Ultima here since Rapha is so
vulnerable, so you're probably better off skipping it--you'll have more
opportunities to learn Ultima in Chapter IV that don't involve a suicidal
Rapha.
It's also possible to steal a Cachusha from Celia and a Barette from Lettie.
Neither of these items is ever sold at the Outfitter, but, again, you do also
have other, easier methods for acquiring them, so it's probably not worth
bothering with them here.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Stone Wall - on Ramza's left
at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 3, Up: 3 (height: 12, Chimney) Phoenix Down Elven Cloak none
Left: 3, Up: 5 (height: 14, Chimney) Potion Orichalcum Dirk none
Left: 3, Up: 7 (height: 12, Chimney) Hi-Potion Kodachi none
Left: 10, Up: 3 (height: 2, Roof) Maiden's Kiss Jade Armlet none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you (eventually) ward off Elmdore and his assassins, Rapha will use the
Zodiac Stone to restore her family to a happy ending. You'll get your Zodiac
Stones back, along with Wiegraf's Aries stone and Isilud's Pisces stone.
Finally, Rapha and Marach will offer to join.
ALLY: Rapha [Pisces] - Skyseer, lv. based on party's - Bravery 31, Faith 69
Equipment : Musk Pole, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Sky Mantra, other abilities random
ALLY: Marach [Gemini] - Netherseer, lv. based on party's - Bravery 69, Faith 31
Equipment : Gokuu Pole, Black Cowl, Wizard's Robe, Japa Mala
Abilities : Nether Mantra, other abilities random
You'll want to take Rapha. Her low Bravery makes her ideal for using Treasure
Hunter, which works best with low Bravery. Marach basically sucks, but if you
don't have a full roster already, there's no harm in signing him up. He's
pretty similar to Rapha in that his abilities strike random tiles. What's
interesting is that they do more damage to enemies with LOW Faith and get
stronger when Marach has LOW Faith, the reverse of most magick abilities.
(Rapha's abilities simply ignore Faith entirely.) If you have an Orator lower
Marach's Faith, you can use Marach to attack the enemies with magick while being
resistant to magick himself ... but the randomness of his abilities still makes
him not too useful.
This concludes Chapter III.
%%%CHAPTER IV: IN THE NAME OF LOVE%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00walk4
Chapter IV picks up right where Chapter III left off. After a brief scene
in Zeltennia Castle with Orlandeau and Orran, you'll be plopped back on the
world map -- haven't seen that for a while, huh? -- outside Riovanes.
---NEW ABILITIES---
Ramza's appearance has changed again, giving him the ability to equip knight's
swords, powerful weapons that you'll start acquiring soon. He has also has a
new ability available (Shout), so be sure to learn that. You'll note that
Squire does not appear as a Mastered job even if you learn all the abilities --
that's because Ramza is missing the Ultima magick. If you managed to have Luso
learn Ultima back on the roof, you can now have him cast it on Ramza in any
battle to teach it to Ramza. If not, you'll have a chance for both characters
to learn Ultima later on.
Also, continue working towards learning Shirahadori for as many characters as
possible and raising their Bravery. Its defensive value can't be understated.
Don't forget to change back to your normal jobs and abilities if you switch
them for the fights in Riovanes Castle.
---EQUIPMENT UPGRADES---
While you're still at Riovanes, you can do a bit of equipment upgrading. There
are new swords, shields, and armor available.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Spellbinder Ninjabl 16000 TrCity Atk: 13, 5% Parry,
Inflicts: Disable
Muramasa Katana 15000 TrCity Atk: 14, 15% Parry
Gaia Gear Clothes 10000 TrCity/City HP +85, MP +10, Absorbs: Earth,
Boosts: Earth
Yagyu Darkrood Star 1000 TrCity/City Atk: 10
Icebrand Sword 14000 Castle Atk: 13, 10% Parry, ice elemental,
Spell Effect: Blizzaga
Platinum Shield Shield 16000 Castle Ph.Evade: 37%, Mg.Evade: 10%
Carabineer Mail Armor 13000 Castle HP +100
Angel Ring Ring 20000 Any Immune: KO, Blind; Start: Reraise
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you visit Dorter, you can also buy new a ninja blade, katana, clothes (Gaia
Gear) and the Yagyu Darkrood shuriken. Pick up weapons you might need for your
current jobs. And if you're using the Throw command, stock up on Darkroods too.
You can also now buy the handy Angel Ring accessory. It starts you off in each
battle with Reraise status. Unlike with some other later accessories, this
Reraise only works once per battle, but it's still useful!
---ERRANDS---
There are also a number of errands you can take in the various towns, but many
of them aren't worth the time they take (and you sometimes LOSE money on them),
so it's probably not worth the bother.
---RANDOM BATTLES & SPECIAL BATTLES---
Now that you're in Chapter IV, a much wider variety of monsters will appear in
random battles, even at locations you've already visited. This makes random
battles tougher, but is good news for poaching! On rare occasions, you can also
get into "special" random battles against unique enemy parties. Although these
these special battles don't have any functional significance, they can be a fun
extra challenge and often let you recruit/Poach rare monsters. Check the Random
Battles section for a list of these special battles.
---SIDE QUESTS---
Also at this point, you can start accessing the game's side quests. First,
assuming you still have Mustadio, you can head down to Goug to start the Gollund
Colliery quest, which will net you two good new characters (Beowulf and
Construct 8) as well as one OK one (Reis the Holy Dragon). This quest is
covered in the Gollund Colliery section below -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00col
to jump there.
Second, you can also access the event to earn the extremely valuable Tynar Rouge
accessory ... that is, IF you still have Mustadio, Agrias, Alicia, and Lavian on
your team. This event occurs on 1 Cancer, which follows the month of Gemini,
which follows Taurus. So, if you're in Gemini or Taurus, keep your head up
about that. See the Agrias's Birthday section below for the full scoop on how
to complete that mission.
Finally, there's a new Rendezvous Mode mission available, Shades of the Past.
This one is pretty easy if you have a good physical defense. If your level is
sufficiently high, you may start winning rare items from Rendezvous Mode!
If you don't complete these sidequests now, don't worry--they all have no
expiration date and you can always complete them later.
---NEW MAP ROUTES---
You'll notice that a couple new routes have opened up from Riovanes: a shortcut
back towards Eagrose Castle, and another one down towards Dorter leading through
the new Mount Bervenia location. You'll need to visit Mount Bervenia later if
you're doing the Cloud Subquest, but there's not much to see there now.
---Extra Battlefield: Mount Bervenia--------------------------------------------
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Basalt Tremor 58%
Lava Magma Surge 37%
Obstructed -- 5%
A word (or several :P) about the "CANNOT BE OBTAINED" treasure: Due to what I'm
assuming is a goof, there is no way to actually get this treasure tile. In
order to pick it up, your Treasure Hunter would have to stop on top of a
lava-filled tile. But the only abilities that actually let you STOP on top of
lava are Lavawalking and Levitate -- and neither of those can be equipped at the
same time as Treasure Hunter! Float magick or equipment like the Winged Boots
DO NOT allow you to get this treasure. That's because they only let you move
through lava on the way to another tile, and never allow you to STOP on lava.
The good news? According to the game programming, the tile is just another
X-Potion or Flameburst Bomb, so you're not missing anything.
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Basalt
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 9 (height: 18, Basalt) -Materia Blade- Death Trap
Left: 4, Up: 1 (height: 3, Basalt) X-Potion Flameburst Bomb Sten Needle
Left: 6, Up: 10 (height: 3, Basalt) X-Potion Flameburst Bomb Death Trap
Left: 5, Up: 11 (height: 0, Lava) -CANNOT BE OBTAINED- Degenerator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instead, you'll want to head towards Zeltennia, where Ramza hopes to meet up
with Delita to discuss the Church's plot. Go up to the pass near Lesalia.
---Battle 35: Dugeura Pass------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 33, male) Archer (lv 30, male)
Black Mage (lv 31, male) Black Mage (lv 29, male)
Dragoon (lv 32, male) Dragoon (lv 31, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 8 Grassland Tanglevine 49%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 45%
Obstructed -- 6%
--STRATEGY--
This is a routine battle against the Order of the Southern Sky, with nothing you
haven't seen before. Send one or two characters up to the top of the pass
while your other guys fight the main group of enemies. The Black Mages are
probably the most dangerous enemies here since their spells can do a lot of
damage. Hit them with Disable, Silence, or just move quickly across the
battlefield to take them out.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 3000 gil, Diamond Armor
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 0 (height: 6, Grassland) Ether Diamond Sword none
Left: 1, Up: 5 (height: 0.5, Grassl.) Remedy Wizard's Rod none
Left: 7, Up: 6 (height: 12.5, Grassl.) Maiden's Kiss Golden Staff none
Left: 0, Up: 9 (height: 2, Grassland) Phoenix Down Windslash Bow none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before you continue on into Bervenia, equip the Chemist's Safeguard ability on
everybody who has it. Archer's Bane or Shirahadori, Jump, and Ignore Elevation
or Teleport are also helpful.
---Battle 36: Bervenia----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Meliadoul (lv 35 Divine Knight) Archer (lv 32, female)
Archer (lv 31, female) Summoner (lv 32, female)
Summoner (lv 32, female) Ninja (lv 31, female)
BOSS: Meliadoul [Capricorn] - lv 35 Divine Knight - Bravery 67, Faith 68
Equipment: Defender, Platinum Shield, Platinum Helm, Carabineer Mail, Chantage
Abilities: Unyielding Blade, random action ability, random Squire abilities
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce Meliadoul to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 45%
Flagstone Contortion 26%
Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 22%
Soil Sinkhole 5%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
--STRATEGY--
In Bervenia, you'll encounter -- and fight -- Isilud's sister Meliadoul,
accompanied by some Summoners and Archers.
Placing your slower characters in the first squad is a good idea as they start
closer to the bulk of the battle. The second squad will immediately be attacked
by an enemy Ninja. So, deploy a reasonably strong fighter in the front line of
the second squad to quickly KO her. (Again, you could also use Sticky Fingers
to guard against the Ninja's initial Throw attack, but it's not really worth a
Reaction Ability slot as there's only a single Ninja and she can be defeated
quickly.)
Ignore Elevation and Teleport will help you quickly climb the steep walls. The
Dragoon's Jump attack is also good (if sufficiently upgraded), since it will
let you attack enemies at a higher level. Since there are enemy Archers at the
very top raining arrows down on you, Archer's Bane/Shirahadori and shields/capes
may be helpful.
While it's tempting to rush the enemies here, you don't want to scale the city
TOO quickly, or you may get surrounded and cut off from your healing.
Additionally, if you don't go up too fast, you can probably lure Meliadoul
down into the town area. This is beneficial for two reasons: it leaves you
clear to jump up and KO the Summoners and Archers without Meliadoul attacking
you, and isolating Meliadoul makes it easier to attack (and steal from) her.
It's probably a good idea to attack the Summoners first, since their spells can
do a lot of damage. Be careful about taking out the Summoner on the left side
of the map, though. The crate there is needed for less agile characters to
climb up the city ramparts. If you KO the Summoner while she's standing on the
box, it can obstruct the route up and make it slow going for some characters.
Meliadoul uses Crush skills that will shatter your equipment and do quite a
bit of damage. Safeguard is invaluable here. Not only does it keep your gear
from being broken (especially important if you've got rare items you don't want
to lose), it renders you immune to the HP-damaging part of the skills as well!
So, equip this ability on as many character as possible.
Meliadoul also has the Defender knight's sword and Chantage, an accessory that
gives her a permanent Regen and Reraise. While you don't have to worry about
the Reraise, as KOing Meliadoul will end the battle, this is a GREAT accessory
to steal. The Defender is nice too. To steal from her, first try increasing
your success rate by raising your Speed (e.g. with Tailwind). Lowering
Meliadoul's Speed does not increase your success rate, though it *does* reduce
the number of turns she gets while you're trying to steal from her. The support
abilities Concentration or Brawler will also improve your chance of stealing;
Brawler helps you steal better even if you're not fighting with your fists.
Targeting her from the side or behind or using Arm Shot to Disable her also
works, although both of these are redundant with Concentration as they simply
eliminate her chance of evading. Putting Meliadoul to Sleep with Mimic Darlavon
(Orator), Repose (Mystic), or Sleep (Beowulf; only if you already recruited him
from the sidequests) will also improve your chances to steal, as will using
Trepidation or Beowulf's Chicken magick to turn her into a Chicken. Finally,
since Meliadoul is a Capricorn, you'll have better luck stealing with a Taurus,
Virgo, or male Cancer, and poorer chances stealing with an Aries, Libra, or
female Cancer.
It may take a lot of stealing attempts before you succeed, so if you're serious
about stealing, wipe out the other enemies first. If you're planning on
stealing both the Defender and Chantage, swipe the Defender first as this
reduces her attack power quite a bit. Like other enemy bosses, she can still
use use swordskills even if you steal the Defender. They won't do much damage,
but they can still break your equipment if you don't have Safeguard!
You will have other opportunities to get these items, so you don't *have* to
steal them here, but they're very useful. The Chantage is worth the effort!
If you don't care to steal, or once you've gotten the goods, you can just
rush Meliadoul. Spread your characters out to avoid taking too much damage
from the summon spells.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Jade Armlet, Remedy x2
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 7 (height: 7, Chimney) Ether Partisan none
Left: 8, Up: 0 (height: 9, Coffer) Potion Bloodstring Harp none
Left: 7, Up: 5 (height: 13, Chimney) Hi-Potion Papyrus Codex none
Left: 10, Up: 9 (height: 5, Flagstone) Remedy Gokuu Pole none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---BATTLE AFTERMATH---
When you win the battle against Meliadoul, she'll teleport away and you'll be
able to visit the shops in town. The Outfitter doesn't have anything new, but
if you were able to steal the Defender and/or Chantage, equip them. The
Defender is the first knight's sword you will have come across, which can
only be used a select few jobs: Knight, Dark Knight, and most of the special
jobs.
---BALTHIER QUEST---
Also, now that you've completed the battle at Bervenia, you can begin the
subquest to recruit Balthier. It requires trekking back down to Gollund and
later to Dorter, so you can either do it now or just wait until you pass
through that way a few battles later. For the full scoop on the Balthier
quest, see the Recruiting Balthier section -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00balt to
jump down there.
---CONTINUING THE STORY---
When you first leave Bervenia, there will be another intermission with Delita
and Ovelia. Move on to Finnath Creek for another battle.
---Battle 37: Finnath Creek-----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chocobo* OR Black Chocobo* Chocobo* OR Pig*
Chocobo* OR Red Chocobo* Chocobo* OR Red Chocobo*
Chocobo* OR Red Chocobo* Chocobo* OR Red Chocobo*
* The levels of these enemies depends on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Day, rainstorm (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33,
fire dmg -25%, lightning dmg +25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
17 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 49%
River Torrent 31%
Gravel Contortion 9%
Soil Sinkhole 8%
Obstructed -- 2%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
When deploying characters, don't put anybody on the solitary square in the
second squad; it's in the middle of the water.
On this level, you'll face a random assortment of chocobos and possibly a Pig.
You'll probably want to bring an Orator because if the Pig shows up, it's
definitely worth recruiting. Although it's no good in a battle, you can use it
to breed the various pig-class monsters, all of which can be poached for great
items.
Combat-wise, this battle can be annoying because the regular yellow Chocobos
will keep using Choco Cure to heal themselves. One strategy is to just use
attacks that will defeat the Chocobos outright by turning them to stone or
instantly KOing them -- then it doesn't matter how much HP they have! If you
have Beowulf, his Break attacks works great; you could use the Black Mage's
Death or the Mystic's Induration. Agrias's Northswain's Strike occasionally
does an instant KO too, but fairly infrequently.
Alternately (or in addition), use the Mystic's Corruption magick or Beowulf's
Zombie to turn the yellow Chocobos undead. An undead Chocobo won't use Choco
Cure on itself or any other units (since it would cause *damage* to itself!).
If you don't have any these abilities, the best strategy is to concentrate on
one Chocobo at a time. Since the Red Chocobos will bombard you with Choco
Meteor for fairly big damage, you'll probably want to kill them first. Red
Chocobos also make good targets for poaching; you may receive a Barette from
them.
As annoying as the Choco Cures can be, this level still shouldn't be too
difficult. If you're having difficulty navigating the watery terrain, the Ninja
ability Waterwalking, the Feather Boots, and the Time Mage ability Levitate will
let you move on the surface of the water, and the Samurai's Swim lets you act in
deep water.)
If the battle is going in your favor, you may want to stop to snag the
Pantherskin Bag from one of the treasure tiles. It's next to one of the trees
on the far side of the map; see below for the exact coordinates. Your odds of
getting the Pantherskin Bag from the tile increase the LOWER your Bravery.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 14, Up: 3 (height: 7.5, Grassl.) Potion Black Cowl none
Left: 5, Up: 1 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Maiden's Kiss Pantherskin Bag none
Left: 4, Up: 9 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Hi-Potion Power Garb none
Left: 1, Up: 2 (height: 3, Grassland) Phoenix Down Diamond Shield none
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you picked up the Pantherskin Bag, you can now do one of two things with it.
You can sell it for 26,000 gil, which is nice! Or, you can equip the bag on a
female character. It does random damage, which means it's not too good as a
weapon, but it does give you a permanent Regen status. This could be useful on
a character who doesn't do too much fighting, like a Chemist.
After crossing the creek, you can finally get to Zeltennia Castle. Ramza will
go to the church, where he'll meet Delita again. In an FMV scene, Delita
explains more of the church's plan. Zalmour then shows up, and it's fight time.
(Did you really think you could go somewhere without one?)
---Battle 38: Outlying Church---------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Delita [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Zalmour (lv 35 Celebrant) Knight (lv 33, male)
Knight (lv 33, male) Knight (lv 32, male)
Mystic (lv 33, male) Mystic (lv 32, male)
GUEST: Delita [Sagittarius] - Holy Knight, lv. based on party's - Bravery 75,
Faith 50
Equipment : Runeblade, Platinum Shield, Circlet, Carabineer Mail, Bracer
Abilities : Holy Sword, other abilities random
Immune : Chicken, Toad, Charm, and Doom
BOSS: Zalmour [Sagittarius] - lv 35 Celebrant - Bravery 54, Faith 78
Equipment : Wizard's Rod, Celebrant's Miter, White Robe, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Priest Magicks, random action ability, random Squire abilities
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil, Berserk,
and Slow
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Zalmour
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 37%
Roof Wind Blast 28%
Grassland Tanglevine 26%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 5%
Obstructed -- 4%
--STRATEGY--
Delita teams up with Ramza as a guest in this battle, and his Holy Sword
techniques are even stronger than Agrias's.
Even without Delita, though, this would be a pretty easy fight. Zalmour is up
on top of the bell tower, but the platform where he's standing is almost
directly overhead where you start. This means you can target him with offensive
magick and sword techniques without needing to move, and his Knights can do
nothing to stop you. If you have Ignore Elevation, Teleport, Fly, or a Black
Chocobo, you can also jump up to Zalmour's platform and attack him directly.
(If you position your characters towards the right side of the character
deployment screen, you'll start even closer to Zalmour.)
Zalmour does like to use Curaga to heal himself and his followers. You can stop
this by putting Silence on him from the ground where you start; use the Mystic's
Quiescence or Beowulf's Silence. Another trick -- for free healing -- is to
stand next to the enemies on whom Zalmour is going to cast Curaga.
If you don't have any abilities that will let you attack Zalmour from the
ground, you'll have to move around to the side of the church and climb up that
way. Even taking this route, though, this is an easy battle. Delita can take
out the enemy Knights quickly with his sword techniques. Just be sure not to
stand between Delita and the enemies or YOU'LL get hit too when he uses Divine
Ruination! A Jump attack with high vertical range can be useful for attacking
enemies on higher levels, but it's far from critical--Delita can pretty much
kill all the enemies on his own!
As soon as you KO Zalmour, the battle ends, so you can probably finish this one
off really quickly. Zalmour doesn't have anything worth stealing, either, so
just thrash him and move on.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Angel Ring
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 5, Up: 4 (height: 2, Flagstone) Remedy Magick Ring none
Left: 2, Up: 4 (height: 7, Flagstone) Phoenix Down Assassin's Dagger none
Left: 6, Up: 8 (height: 9, Wooden Fl.) Ether White Robe none
Left: 5, Up: 5 (height: 19, Wooden F.) Maiden's Kiss Japa Mala none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll pick up an Angel Ring in spoils from the battle. As noted above, the
Reraise from the Angel Ring only works ONCE per battle, unlike the Chantage.
It's not quite as abusive an accessory, but it's still useful ;)
After the battle, you'll meet with Valmafra, then Delita will leave (bummer).
Strangely, the shops *still* don't have anything new. But restock your items;
you'll need lots of X-Potions. You may also want to grab a couple Ice Shields
and Guardian Bracelets if you don't already have some in your inventory. Then
go to the Beddha Sandwaste, south of Bervenia, where you'll encounter another
Knight Templar, Barich, in a tough battle.
---Battle 39: Beddha Sandwaste--------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Barich (lv 35 Machinist) Knight (lv 33, male)
Knight (lv 32, male) Archer (lv 33, male)
Archer (lv 32, male) Black Mage (lv 32, male)
BOSS: Barich [Sagittarius] - lv 35 Machinist - Bravery 64, Faith 62
Equipment : Glacial Gun, Lambent Hat, Luminous Robe, Nu Khai Armband
Abilities*: Aimed Shot, random action ability, random Squire abilities
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil, Immobilize
* Barich's version of the Machinist job also includes Defense Boost, Arcane
Defense, and Beast Tongue as innate abilities.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Barich
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Sand Sandstorm 49%
Brick Wind Slash 37%
Wooden Floor, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 11%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
--STRATEGY--
You start this battle with all your characters poisoned, even if you equip
accessories guarding against poison! Bringing somebody with the Esuna magick
can be helpful to de-poison yourself quickly. You can also use the Lifefont
movement ability, Chantage accessory, or Dragonheart reaction ability to offset
the HP losses from the poison.
Barich has all of Mustadio's abilities, which means he can easily Immobilize
or Disable you. He also has a Glacial Gun, which shoots ice magicks at you. To
protect against the former, equip Guardian Bracelets beforehand. (If you've
recruited Balthier, you should also have a Thief's Cap, which gives you the same
immunities.) Esuna or the Monk ability Purification will also clear up these
status ailments during battle; Purification is especially effective since it
activates immediately and has a good hit rate. The Remedy item does NOT remove
Immobilize or Disable.
As for the ice gun, you can guard against it by equipping Ice Shields or by
using Shirahadori. But be warned, if you equip Ice Shields without also
blocking Immobilize/Disable, Barich will exclusively use Arm Shot and Leg Shot,
which is worse than the ice attacks. So if you don't have Guardian Bracelets,
you may want to equip White Robes instead, which will reduce the damage from the
Glacial Gun without blocking it entirely.
There's a Black Mage in the back casting powerful -ja magicks at you. If you're
protected against Barich's attacks, this will actually be the most dangerous
enemy here. Try to take him out first. Equipping Aegis Shields (if you're not
using Ice Shields) and White Robes will help protect against his magicks. Or,
use Magick Counter to give him back what you're getting.
Since the battle ends when Barich is KOed, the best tactic is probably just to
rush Barich after you've defeated the Black Mage. Barich often tends to retreat
into the back of the battlefield, though, so throw an Immobilize of your own on
him (e.g. with Leg Shot) as soon as you can to keep him in place. (Slow or Stop
will also work.) Then pound on him; you have to reduce him all the way to 0 HP
before the battle ends.
You may also want to try stealing from Barich. This is your first chance to
snag a Glacial Gun, which can't be bought in stores, though you'll find others
later. Barich's Lambent Hat and Luminous Robe are also nice, but you'll be
able to buy them shortly in stores. Stealing the Glacial Gun takes away his
range attack, but he can still Immobilize and Disable you at close range with
his punches. As with Meliadoul, pumping up your Speed or equipping Martial
Arts and Concentration will improve your stealing success rate. And if you've
already recruited Balthier, his Plunder abilities are more effective than a
regular Steal. Unfortunately, Barich is immune to the status conditions that
would improve your odds of stealing from him.
This is one the last difficult encounters of the game, as pretty soon you...
well, you'll see.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 5000 gil
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Sand
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 3, Up: 4 (height: 1, Sand) Hi-Potion Yagyu Darkrood none
Left: 3, Up: 8 (height: 1, Sand) Hi-Potion Yagyu Darkrood none
Left: 7, Up: 3 (height: 1, Sand) Hi-Potion Yagyu Darkrood none
Left: 8, Up: 8 (height: 3, Sand) Hi-Potion Yagyu Darkrood none
(Yes, these are the same items on all 4 tiles!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After beating Barich (it may well take you a few tries), go on to Fort Besselat.
You'll have a choice as to whether to attack the south or north wall. Each is
a different battle. I find that the south wall is easier, especially if you
don't have characters with a good Jump rating.
---Battle 40: Fort Besselat - South Wall----------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 35, male) Knight (lv 34, male) Knight (lv 33, male)
Archer (lv 34, male) Archer (lv 33, male) Thief (lv 33, male)
Ninja (lv 34, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 9 Brick Wind Slash 74%
Wasteland Sinkhole 14%
Grassland Tanglevine 9%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
--STRATEGY--
Leave behind your magick-users. Unless they have Equip Heavy Armor or some good
defensive abilities, they'll get killed easily.
Split up your characters and attack the side walls on both sides of the map.
Get up on top as soon as you can; it's very advantageous position. This works
especially well if you've got archers or gunners -- station them atop the
walls, don't move (so their CT gauge fills faster), and just shoot at the
enemies. Watch out for the Thief, who may use Steal Heart on female characters
-- bringing a male-heavy party here may be advantageous.
Don't worry about the Knights initially. You should be able to get up on top
of the walls before the Knights can reach you, and once you're up there, you've
got a definite height advantage in taking them out.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Circlet
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 10, Brick
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 7 (height: 10, Coffer) Hi-Ether Carabineer Mail none
Left: 4, Up: 2 (height: 7, Coffer) Hi-Potion Platinum Shield none
Left: 7, Up: 4 (height: 2, Wasteland) X-Potion Gold Hairpin none
Left: 11, Up: 1 (height: 10, Coffer) Phoenix Down Yagyu Darkrood none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---Battle 40: Fort Besselat - North Wall----------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Monk (lv 35, male) Archer (lv 36, male)
Archer (lv 34, male) Summoner (lv 35, male)
Dragoon (lv 35, male) Dragoon (lv 34, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 11 Brick Wind Slash 42%
Grassland Tanglevine 40%
Wasteland Sinkhole 17%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 1%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
There are high walls on this level, which can make it tricky to navigate if you
don't have characters with a high Jump statistic. Characters who can't jump
directly over the first wall will have to cross one-by-one using the "box" in
front of it. This can be time-consuming, especially when you're suffering the
summons and arrows of the enemy forces. (Archer's Bane and Shirahadori are, of
course, helpful in defending against the latter.)
In particular, there's a Summoner tucked away behind the first wall who will
bombard you with some nasty summons (like Leviathan). Get a character over
the initial wall ASAP to take him out. Even if you can just weaken the Summoner
to critical HP, he'll probably start casting Faerie to heal himself instead of
attacking you. You can also try Arithmeticks as a way of attacking enemies on
the far side of the wall.
A lone Monk starts out on the ground near you. If you can get your party over
the wall quickly, you can postpone having to deal with him. Otherwise, you'll
have to KO him so he's not attacking your back. Or, just throw an Immobilize
on him so he can't catch up with you.
Once the Summoner is defeated, you can split up your characters. Have the ones
who can easily scale heights climb up the tower to take out the Archers, while
the others finish up the Dragoons on the ground.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Carabineer Mail
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 0 (height: 1, Grassland) X-Potion Kiku-ichimonji none
Left: 9, Up: 3 (height: 6, Coffer) Phoenix Down Air Knife none
Left: 2, Up: 7 (height: 16, Brick) Hi-Potion Runeblade none
Left: 12,Up: 10 (height: 8, Brick) Remedy Angel Ring none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whichever way you go, you'll end up at the floodgate. Save your game in a
different slot, then continue. There's a second battle at the sluice.
---Battle 41: Fort Besselat Sluice----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 36, male) Knight (lv 36, male)
Knight (lv 35, male) Knight (lv 35, male)
Black Mage (lv 39, male) Black Mage (lv 35, male)
Archer (lv 37, male) Archer (lv 36, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 28%
Lake, River Torrent 28%
Flagstone Contortion 16%
Obstructed -- 13%
Sand Sandstorm 9%
Bridge, Iron Plate Wind Slash 3%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
--STRATEGY--
Split up your characters and go up the paths. Because the enemies have such a
height advantage, guns are not so good here; it's hard to get a clear shot.
Jump attacks, on the other hand, are quite useful. A fun trick to do is stand
on the steps or below the dam wall and use Jump attacks on the stationary
Knights. As long as none of your other characters gets close to them, the
Knights won't move and will just sit there while you Jump on them.
The Black Mages have some strong magicks, though, so you may want to target them
first instead. Or, equip gear beforehand that will protect you from magick,
like Aegis Shields.
Since two of the Knights are pretty stationary, this is a good chance to let
the other KOed enemies decay into crystals/chests for loot. This also earns
you additional kills, needed if you're trying to unlock the Dark Knight job.
You could even bring a weaker character or two and attack and heal each other to
build up Exp or JP, if you want (though it's hardly necessary).
Unlike the PSone version, you don't need to do anything with any switches to
clear this level. Just take out all the enemies and the battle ends.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Flagstone
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 4 (height: 1, Sand) Hi-Ether Crystal Shield none
Left: 5, Up: 7 (height: 2, Wooden Fl.) Remedy Crystal Helm none
Left: 8, Up: 5 (height: 11, Flagstone) Phoenix Down Lambent Hat none
Left: 11, Up: 0 (height: 8.5, Grassl.) Hi-Potion Crystal Mail none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---ORLANDEAU---
After Ramza blows up the sluice, he, Orran, and Valmafra will rescue Orlandeau.
Orran goes back to Zeltennia to guard Ovelia, but Orlandeau THEN JOINS YOU!
YAHOO!! If you just heard a giant sucking sound, it was all the challenge
going down to Mexico (er, unless you live in Mexico, then it all went to
Zimbabwe). Orlandeau is ridiculously powerful, and once you have him, hardly
anyone in the game has a chance against you. He has all of Agrias's,
Gaffgarion's, and Meliadoul's sword techniques, plus a full set of Crystal
equipment and the Excalibur, the latter of which gives him a permanent Haste.
He can also use every type of sword (katana, knight's sword, etc.). To put it
simply, he is hell on wheels.
ALLY: Orlandeau [Scorpio] - Sword Saint, lv. based on party's - Bravery 77,
Faith 65
Equipment : Excalibur, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Mail, Bracer
Abilities : Swordplay, other abilities random
---NEW ROUTES & MISSION---
A handy new path now opens up between Fort Besselat and Zeirchele
Falls. If you didn't already recruit Balthier, now is a great time to trek back
to either Gollund or Gariland to begin that quest. (Again, see the Recruiting
Balthier section below for the full scoop.) A new Rendezvous Mode mission also
becomes available, The Knights Templar.
---THE ROAD TO LIMBERRY---
While Ramza frees T.G. Cid, Delita advances his power. A cutscene pops up
instructing you to go to Limberry.
The road to Limberry starts at Zeltennia. From there, head south to a new
Head back to Zeltennia, then continue south to the new town, Sal Ghidos.
!!! CAUTION !!!
At your next stop, the Trade City of Sal Ghidos, you'll run into what is
probably a familiar face ... it's Aerith! Choose the SECOND option to buy a
flower from her. You'll need to buy the flower if you want to complete all
the subquests, and this is your ONLY chance to do it. Be careful not to speed
through the text and choose the first option by mistake! If you don't buy the
flower, you will NOT be able to complete the subquests or recruit all the
optional characters!
!!! CAUTION !!!
After meeting with Aerith at Sal Ghidos, head into town (yup, there's no
fight).
---FINAL SHOPPING SPREE---
Completing Fort Besselat will have added more new items to the shop.
Fortunately, Zeltennia is a Castle right next to a Trade City, which means that
you get the full selection of item availability!
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Kiku-ichimonji Katana 22000 TrCity Atk: 15, 15% Parry
Eight-fluted Pole Pole 20000 TrCity/City Atk: 12, 20% Parry, removes (from
target): Blind, Silence, Oil,
Toad, Poison, Slow, Stop,
Immobilize, Disable
Hydrascale Bag Bag 58000 TrCity/City Atk: 14, 0% Parry, Speed+1
Lambent Hat Hat 16000 TrCity/City HP +88, MP +15, Mag.Atk+1, Speed+1
Black Garb Clothes 12000 TrCity/City HP +100, Immune: Stop
Luminous Robe Robe 30000 TrCity/City HP +75, MP +50
Air Knife Knife 8000 Castle/City Atk: 10, 5% Parry, Wind elemental
Runeblade Sword 20000 Castle Atk: 14, 15% Parry, Magick Atk+2
Obelisk Polearm 10000 Castle Atk: 12, 10% Parry
Crystal Shield Shield 21000 Castle Ph.Evade: 40%, Mg.Evade: 15%
Crystal Helm Helm 14000 Castle HP +120
Crystal Mail Armor 19000 Castle HP +110
Mirror Mail Armor 18000 Castle HP +130, Always: Reflect
Gastrophetes Crossbw 20000 Castle/Goug Atk: 10, 5% Parry
Red Shoes Shoes 10000 Any Magick Atk +1, Move +1
Featherweave Cl. Cloak 20000 Any Ph.Evade: 40%, Mg.Evade: 30%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots of new weapons are available. At Zeltennia, you'll also find TWO new types
of armor: the Crystal Mail and the Mirror Mail. The Crystal Mail is just a
regular set of armor. The Mirror Mail gives the character a permanent Reflect
status -- it's the same as a Reflect Ring, but it doesn't take up your accessory
slot :) . The Reflect status will deflect enemy spells, but it also blocks your
own cure spells or buffs. But, if you only use Items to heal, this isn't so
much of a problem and the Reflect effect can be useful!
The Featherweave Cloak is also the best cloak available as far as evade rates
go. On the other hand, the Luminous Robe available at Sal Ghidos doesn't have
any special bonuses. For your offensive magick users, you may prefer to keep
the Black Robe for its offensive bonuses.
Aside from one hat that becomes available after Limberry, the gear you can buy
at Sal Ghidos and Zeltennia is the last round of equipment upgrades you'll find
at the Outfitter. There's better equipment out there, of course, but you have
to steal or find it; you can't buy it. But since you won't find anything better
to buy, you can go ahead and splurge.
Before you leave town, you'll want to have a good selection of equipment to
protect yourself against the status conditions you'll face at Limberry. Jujitsu
Gis and Jade Armlets are especially helpful, as they protect against the KO and
Stop conditions that Celia and Lettie throw at you, and Protect Rings will
defend against Sleep and Doom. You may also want to pick up a Nu Khai Armband
or two for male characters; these protect against Charm.
---NEW QUESTS---
Assuming you bought Aerith's flower, you can now complete the Nelveska Temple
quest (covered below in the subquests section), though this also requires you to
have finished the Gollund Colliery quest first. The Nelveska Temple nets you
one character upgrade, as well as the chance to acquire some rare items via the
Treasure Hunter ability. Completing the Nelveska Temple in turn opens the
Recruiting Cloud quest, which lets you recruit Cloud from Final Fantasy VII into
your party. If you accidentally do NOT buy the flower, however, you'll miss out
on your chance to complete these quests.
There are also a couple of new errands. Since Zeltennia and Sal Ghidos are
right next to each other, you can easily clear the errands in either town (as
well as in Bervenia) just by walking back and forth between them. This may
help you out if you need to earn a little cash to buy stuff, though, in many
cases, the errands are just as likely to lose you money as to earn you it. If
you need more still money, you could complete the next two story battles (en
route to Limberry), then come back to Sal Ghidos to shop with the bonus gil you
received.
---MOUNT GERMINAS---
Pop on down to Mount Germinas, where you'll have a run-in with some bandits.
---Battle 42: Mount Germinas----------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Archer (lv 37, male) Archer (lv 36, male) Archer (lv 35, male)
Thief (lv 37, male) Thief (lv 36, male) Ninja (lv 38, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 38%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 33%
Soil Sinkhole 15%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 13%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
This may be the first time you get to use your new buddy Orlandeau. For a good
taste of his power, deploy him in squad 1. Move him up the mountain as far
as he can and then use Shadowblade on the Ninja leader. Bang, he's dead. You
almost have to feel sorry for the poor bandits... almost. Heh, heh. With
Shadowblade you can KO a fully healthy bad guy each turn just with Orlandeau
and also refill Orlandeau's own HP by 270 or so.
There are a pair of Thieves in this battle, so either take them out quickly
or equip Safeguard to keep them from nabbing your stuff. You don't want to
lose any rare items to them!
The Archer that starts in the back corner is carrying an Artemis Bow, a strong
bow, which you might want to steal. But if you don't, there's plenty more (in
fact, an infinite supply) that you can win later. If you DO want to steal the
bow, a good strategy for it is to kill off all the other enemies and then
surround the Archers with your characters, blocking him from moving. Since bows
can't be used against adjacent tiles, he can't attack you, and you can just
stand there and attempt steals 'til you get the bow.
This map also contains the Invisibility Cloak, a cloak that (as you might
expect) automatically makes you Invisible. To get the cloak, equip the Treasure
Hunter ability and move to the very top of the peak. The top of the peak forms
sort of an "L" shape; the tile holding the Cloak is the one between the two
"legs" of the L:
___
/ \
/ X \
--/ \--
It's the same tile where the enemy Ninja started.
When you land on this tile, you'll receive either an Ether or the Cloak; your
chance of getting the Cloak goes up the lower your Bravery. You only get to
pick up the item once, so if you get the Ether, you can no longer get the
Cloak; you'll have to reset the game and try again. This is the only
Invisibility Cloak available in the single-player quest, though you can easily
win more in Rendezvous Mode.
You can also pick up the cloak in any random battles at this location, though,
so it's by no means necessary to acquire it during the story battle.
BATTLE TROPHIES: 7700 gil, Winged Boots, Germinas Boots
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 6 (height: 1, Grassland) Hi-Potion Platinum Sword none
Left: 5, Up: 5 (height: 15, Stone Out.)Ether Invisib. Cloak none
Left: 7, Up: 2 (height: 8, Grassland) Remedy Morning Star none
Left: 8, Up: 6 (height: 6, Wooden Fl.) Potion Ninja Longblade none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you didn't claim the Invisibility Cloak in the initial battle, you may want
to stop and pick it up from a random battle.
Also, when entering Mount Germinas from the north, you may sometimes get into
one of the "special" random battles. The special random battle here pits you
against Chemists and Orators, who will often have a variety of rare guns you can
steal. The battle occurs at fairly low odds, though, and you can get the guns
elsewhere, so it's probably not going out of your way for right now.
Continue on from Mount Germinas to Lake Poescas.
---Battle 43: Lake Poescas------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Archer (lv 37, male, undead) Archer (lv 37, male, undead)
Mystic (lv 38, male, undead) Summoner (lv 36, female, undead)
Revenant* Revenant*
* The Revenants' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 11 Stone Outcropping Tremor 46%
Salt Flat, Sand Sandstorm 33%
Brick, Bridge Wind Slash 15%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 5%)
--STRATEGY--
This is another undead scenario, but it's really easy. Use Mustadio and/or
Balthier's Seal Evil ability and you can gun down each of the Revenants in one
shot. (Poaching or recruiting the Revenants is another way to deal with them
that keeps them from reviving.)
The enemies atop the wooden platform are also undead, so Seal Evil works on them
as well. Magick and the Dragoon's Jump will be helpful for attacking the
enemies on the wooden platform from below. Or, you can just run up and start
hitting them with Phoenix Downs, which will KO them with 100% certainty.
Once you get on top of the platform, watch out for the enemy's Counter Tackles
if you plan on using any physical attacks. They can knock your characters off
the platform, which will put you back out of range AND do a fair amount of
damage. Stay away from the edge and you should be fine. Or, just stick to
using Phoenix Down. (You can check which enemy units do and don't have Counter
Tackle by viewing their status screens.)
The only thing tricky about this level is that the undead humans will keep
coming back to life if you don't finish off the rest of the enemy party in
time--but, again, Seal Evil will prevent this. Entice will *not* work since,
like other undead human opponents, these guys are immune to Traitor status.
Both the archers have Artemis Bows if you're in the mood for a little stealing.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Phoenix Down x2
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Salt Flat
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 5, Up: 6 (height: 1, Wooden Fl.) Potion Circlet none
Left: 13, Up: 3 (height: 4, Sand) Maiden's Kiss Cashmere none
Left: 12, Up: 5 (height: 8, Sand) Phoenix Down Platinum Helm none
Left: 13, Up: 8 (height: 8, Sand) Hi-Potion Platinum Armor none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You then see a scene with Dycedarg, after which you can go to Limberry Castle.
If you didn't have a chance to buy some Jade Armlets beforehand, you may want to
head back to Sal Ghidos now to pick up those.
There's a sequence of four battles at Limberry Castle; as usual, you'll want to
save in a different slot between them, so that you don't lock yourself in. The
first battle is at the gate (isn't it always?).
---Battle 44: Limberry Castle Gate----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Celia (lv 38 Assassin) Lettie (lv 37 Assassin)
Reaver* Reaver*
Reaver* Reaver*
* The Reavers' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
BOSS: Celia [Virgo] - lv 38 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Equipment : Kiku-ichimonji x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory
Abilities : Subdual Arts, random or no action ability, random Squire
abilities, Move +1
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
BOSS: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 37 Assassin - Bravery 65, 70
Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Gold Hairpin, Black Garb, random accessory
Abilities : Subdual Arts, random or no action ability, random Squire
abilities, Move +1
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce either Celia or Lettie to critical HP (< 20% of max)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 8 Flagstone Contortion 50%
Grassland Tanglevine 41%
Soil Sinkhole 5%
Stairs, Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
--STRATEGY--
This battle looks hard at first, but it's not. All you have to do is weaken
Celia or Lettie to critical HP and the battle will immediately end.
The Reavers will only use Bio spells, which don't do all that much damage, so
your main threat is Celia and Lettie. Their Subdual Arts skills can hit you
with a 100% KO or Stop, and they also have a high rate of inflicting Charm on
male and monster targets. The Charm attack is the worst of these since it
turns your characters actively against the rest of your team. Give your male
characters Nu Khai Armbands to immunize them against Charm, or just deploy all
female characters (aside from Ramza). Pairing a Jujitsu Gi with a Jade Armlet
will protect you against both KO and Stop; if you have Barettes or Ribbons, you
can use those too. If you have Construct 8 on your roster, it's already
immune to all these status changes and is quite useful here.
Because this battle is fairly easy, it's your best chance to learn Ultima. You
can learn this magick if Ramza is a Squire or if Luso is a Game Hunter and Celia
or Lettie casts the magick on him. If Ramza is protected against KO and Stop
(from equipping a Jujitsu Gi and a Jade Armlet), Celia is almost guaranteed to
cast the magick on him on her first round. Luso can also learn the magick, but
it's probably easiest to just have Ramza learn it here and then later teach it
to Luso by having Ramza cast it on him.
Once you get Ultima, just have your main group gang up on Lettie to quickly end
the battle. A few sword techniques and/or Construct 8's Dispose should do the
trick. You can completely ignore the Reavers. Since this battle is so easy to
end quickly, your best defense is a good offense. Even if one or two allies
gets KOed, don't bother reviving them. (Since Ramza starts stranded from your
main team, it's pretty likely that he will be KOed.) Just finish off Lettie
and you'll be done in no time at all.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Echo Herbs
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 7 (height: 10, Flagstone) Maiden's Kiss Hermes Shoes none
Left: 6, Up: 2 (height: 2, Grassland) Ether Gaia Gear none
Left: 10, Up: 7 (height: 7, Coffer) Phoenix Down Bracer none
Left: 13, Up: 3 (height: 11, Flagstone) Remedy Black Robe none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After winning the gate battle, you'll see a story scene with Elmdore and
Folmarv. Keep your status protection gear equipped for the next battle. If
Ramza already learned Ultima, you can switch him back to his regular job now;
otherwise, you'll have additional chances in the next two battles.
---Battle 45: Limberry Castle Keep----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Elmdore (lv 41 Ark Knight) Celia (lv 39 Assassin)
Lettie (lv 38 Assassin)
BOSS: Elmdore [Gemini] - lv 41 Ark Knight - Bravery 70, Faith 70
Equipment : Masamune, Genji Shield, Genji Helm, Genji Armor, Genji Glove
Abilities*: Sword Spirit, Vampire, Shirahadori, Brawler, Master Teleportation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
* Elmdore's Ark Knight job also includes Safeguard as an innate ability.
ENEMY: Celia [Virgo] - lv 39 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Abilities : Subdual Arts, Throw, random Squire abilities, Move +1
Equipment : Kiku-ichimonji x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
ENEMY: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 38 Assassin - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Abilities : Subdual Arts, Throw, random Squire abilities, Move +1
Equipment : Spellbinder x2, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, random accessory
Immune : Stone, Chicken, Toad
If Celia or Lettie is KOed, she will transform into an Ultima Demon:
ENEMY: Celia [Virgo] - lv 40 Ultima Demon - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Abilities : Demon Magicks, Counter, Brawler, Swiftness
Immune : Holy elemental attacks
ENEMY: Lettie [Sagittarius] - lv 39 Ultima Demon - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Abilities : Demon Magicks, Counter, Brawler, Swiftness
Immune : Holy elemental attacks
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce Elmdore to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone/Vampire
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 69%
Carpet, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 18%
Obstructed -- 12%
--STRATEGY--
It's your team versus Elmdore, Celia, and Lettie, so if you're looking for
revenge from the Riovanes Castle Roof, now's your chance.
Celia and Lettie have the same abilities as before. As long as you're equipped
with Jujitsu Gis and Jade Armlets (or other equipment that protects you against
KO/Stop), they'll mostly just do Ultima, which isn't too bad. If you "KO"
either of them, they will turn into Ultima Demons, which are stronger, so leave
them be.
Elmdore is even tougher than his underlings; he has an 100% working teleport to
any square and does big damage to a wide area with his Muramasa Iaido. Worse,
he has Shirahadori, which gives him a high block rate against a wide range of
physical attacks, even guns.
First, spread out your characters to try to minimize how much his Iaido can
hurt your team. (While Construct 8 is immune to Faith-based magick, Iaido
doesn't use Faith, so Muramasa *will* hurt your robot pal.) Then, attack
Elmdore with things he *can't* dodge. Sword techniques are great, as is
Balthier's Barrage and Construct 8's abilities. You can also use magick and
Arithmeticks, or, in a pinch, a Dual Wielded attack, since he can only block
one of the hits. Standard physical attacks are nearly useless.
Also, whenever Celia or Lettie starts casting Ultima, have the targeted
character stand next to Elmdore. (Check the Turn List in case you didn't catch
who the target is.) This will cause the Ultima to spill over and hit Elmdore
for a fair amount of damage (100-200 HP), a nice way of getting in some extra
damage against him.
If you didn't learn Ultima during the prior battle, you can also learn it here.
You need only reduce Elmdore to critical HP to end the battle.
Note: In the North American PSone release, you could steal all of Elmdore's
powerful Genji equipment. This is no longer possible (you can't steal from
him at all), so don't even try!
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 4, Flagstone - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 0, Flagstone) Ether Icebrand none
Left: 4, Up: 3 (height: 0, Flagstone) Hi-Potion Spellbinder none
Left: 0, Up: 9 (height: 4, Flagstone) Remedy Muramasa none
Left: 10, Up: 0 (height: 6, Flagstone) Potion Vampire Cape none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After defeating Elmdore in the keep, you can return your equipment to normal as
you won't have to fight Celia and Lettie any more. Next up is the courtyard,
you'll have to square off against an old "friend."
---Battle 46: Limberry Castle Inner Court---------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Argath (lv 40 Deathknight) Ultima Demon (lv 35)
Ultima Demon (lv 34) Ultima Demon (lv 33)
Ultima Demon (lv 32) Ultima Demon (lv 31)
BOSS: Argath [Virgo] - lv 40 Deathknight - Bravery 78, Faith 25
Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Mirror Mail,
Diamond Bracelet
Abilities*: Fell Sword, Arts of War, Critical: Recover HP, Safeguard,
Ignore Elevation
Immune : Berserk, Charm, and Stone
* Argath's Deathknight job also includes Defense Boost as an innate ability.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Argath
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 9 Brick Wind Slash 74%
Wasteland Sinkhole 14%
Grassland Tanglevine 9%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
--STRATEGY--
Argath himself can't do much damage, but his Ultima Demons can cast some really
powerful magic. Especially since Argath takes a while to wear down, you'll need
to take out the Demons first. Fortunately, they're pretty slow and don't have
much HP, so chances are good you can take out one or two before they can even
move. The large gap in the middle of the stage can make it hard to reach the
Ultima Demons in the rear, so either bring characters with Teleport/Ignore
Elevation or just use a variety of long-range attacks (guns, Arithmeticks,
summons, Jump, Dispose, etc.) Just beware that Ultima Demons are immune to
Holy-elemental attacks, so the Holy magick, Reis's Holy Breath, and the Holy
Lance polearm won't work on them.
If you're still missing the Ultima magick, you can also learn it by having the
Ultima Demons cast it on Ramza or Luso in their base jobs. But, the Ultima
Demons don't use it as frequently as Celia and Lettie, so it make take a while.
You'll also need to make sure the Ultima Demons have at least 10 MP, or they
won't be able to cast the magick. (Use Ethers or Chakra to restore their MP if
they run low.)
Once you've finished off all the demons, you can attack Argath. He comes
equipped with Mirror Mail, which reflects most magick. (The -ja Black Magick
spells, Ultima, Meteor, and summons all still work, though.) He also has
Safeguard, so Orlandeau's Crush skills won't work against him, but other sword
skills will. Fortunately, Argath's own attacks are quite weak. His constant
use of Shadowblade keeps healing him, but as long as your whole team is
attacking him, you'll be able to deal way more damage than he can recover.
The really aggravating part is Argath's Critical: Recover HP reaction ability,
which has a chance of completely restoring his HP when you reduce his HP to
critical. And since he has a fairly high Bravery stat, it's likely to
trigger!
Fortunately, there's an easy way to stop this. Just having Mustadio or
Balthier keep using Arm Shot on him until you put Disable on him. Beowulf's
Disable also works ... but the Mystic Art Hesitation does *not*, since the
Mirror Mail will reflect it. Being Disabled will prevent him from using his
reaction ability (as well as from restoring his HP with Shadowblade), and you
can easily pound him into oblivion before Disable wears off.
If you can't Disable him, you can also reduce his Bravery using the Mystic's
Intimidate or Beowulf's Chicken. (Again, you can't use Mystic Arts for this
because Argath will reflect the magick.) Although this won't completely cancel
Critical: Recover HP, it will reduce the odds of it activating.
If neither of the above strategies is an option (i.e., you don't have any
characters with those skills or didn't deploy them), your best bet is to reduce
Argath's HP fairly low (to about 100 or so) but not yet put him in Critical
status. Then, use one very strong attack against him to KO him without ever
putting him in critical status. Orlandeau's sword techniques would work for
this, or a -ja Black Magick or Arithmeticked magick (both of which will pierce
through Argath's Reflect).
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEM--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 10, Brick
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 10, Brick) Potion Hi-Potion none
Only one treasure on this map!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, you'll proceed down to the basement for the last battle in this
sequence and your last encounter with Elmdore -- now in Lucavi form.
---Battle 47: Limberry Castle Undercroft----------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Meliadoul [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Zalera (lv 44 Death Seraph) Knight* (male, undead)
Knight* (male, undead) Skeleton*
Bonesnatch* Skeletal Fiend*
* The levels of these enemies depends on the highest level on your own roster.
GUEST: Meliadoul [Capricorn] - Divine Knight, lv. based on party's - Bravery 67,
Faith 68
Equipment : Save the Queen, Aegis Shield, Circlet, Luminous Robe, Hermes Shoes
Abilities : Unyielding Blade, other abilities random
BOSS: Zalera [Gemini] - lv 44 Death Seraph - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 1145, MP: about 730
Abilities: Dread, Ja-Magicks, Fly, Swiftness, Beastmaster, Float, can't enter
water
Immune : All negative status except Blind and Slow
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Zalera
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 6 Flagstone, Gravestone Contortion 76%
Canal Torrent 16%
Obstructed -- 4%
Coffin Wind Slash 4%
--STRATEGY--
Deploy Mustadio and/or Balthier and use Seal Evil to quickly petrify the two
undead Knights. The various skeletons are not really worth bothering with;
Meliadoul is a guest here and will take them out for you. Just go after Zalera.
Zalera's main attack is Nightmare, which inflicts Sleep and Doom on a small
group of people. Equipping Protect Rings will guard against both of these.
Zalera also likes to use Bind (causes Stop on a small group) and Flareja, a
strong attack spell. One strategy here is to leave one character vulnerable to
Sleep to sucker Zalera into casting Nightmare. If you then wake the character
up (use Purification or a weak attack), Zalera will probably just keep casting
Nightmare over and over. Construct 8 is also quite useful here since it is
inherently immune to Stop, Sleep, and magick.
Attack Zalera with Lich, Divine Ruination, Graviga, Shadowblade, and Beowulf's
Drain. He has about 1145 HP.
Optionally, you can try to grab the Hydrascale Bag from the treasure tile near
Zalera. (See below for coordinates.) It can be sold for 29,000 gil.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 4, Flagstone - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 3, Up: 1 (height: 8, Gravestone) Hi-Ether Eight-fluted Pole none
Left: 3, Up: 4 (height: 8, Gravestone) X-Potion Obelisk none
Left: 1, Up: 4 (height: 8, Gravestone) Hi-Potion Gastrophetes none
Left: 10, Up: 5 (height: 3, Flagstone) Remedy Hydrascale Bag none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you defeat Elmdore for the last time, you'll collect two more Zodiac
Stones--Elmdore's Gemini stone and Meliadoul's Sagittarius stone--and Meliadoul
will offer to join you.
---MELIADOUL---
Although Meliadoul's not quite as powerful as Orlandeau (Orlandeau has all her
sword techniques, plus more!), her sword techniques are still pretty good ...
and, unlike in the PSone version, they work on monsters! She comes equipped with
the Save the Queen knight's sword; if you don't plan on using her, give this
sword to someone else as it's probably stronger than anything else you have save
the Excalibur.
---AT LIMBERRY---
Limberry Castle is now a normal town, so you can go to the Tavern and Outfitter,
although there's nothing new to buy at the Outfitter. When you try to leave,
you'll see a long set of story scenes with Ovelia and then with Zalbaag. Now
take a look at map. You'll note Eagrose Castle has turned red. It's time to
hike all the way back there.
---DORVAULDAR MARSH---
A new wilderness location has opened up west of Limberry: Dorvauldar Marsh.
---Extra Battlefield: Dorvauldar Marsh------------------------------------------
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 10 Grassland Tanglevine 51%
Swamp Quicksand 36%
Soil Sinkhole 9%
Obstructed -- 4%
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 7, Up: 12 (height: 1, Soil) Potion Elixir Degenerator
Left: 7, Up: 2 (height: 1, Soil) Potion Elixir Hypnogas
Left: 0, Up: 3 (height: 1, Soil) Potion Elixir Death Trap
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 1, Soil) Potion Elixir Sten Needle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although nothing story-related happens at Dorvauldar Marsh and you never *have*
to visit, it provides a handy shortcut between Limberry and Fort Besselat.
Additionally, there's a chance of encountering Pigs or Swines in random battles
here -- though only when you're entering from the Fort Besselat side. If you
haven't snagged any pigs yet for breeding and poaching purposes, you can look
for one here. They appear at fairly low odds, though. If you'd prefer not to
wait for one to show up here, one of the later sidequests also offers an
opportunity to find Pigs with much greater frequency.
Dorvauldar Marsh also offers you the chance to claim up to four Elixirs--rare
healing items--if you hunt around with the Treasure Hunter ability and low
Bravery. Since you can find plenty of other Elixirs in the game, though, you
don't actually need to stop to get these.
---NEW ERRANDS---
Now that you've defeated Elmdore, many towns around the map also have new
errands to complete.
---FINAL SHOP UPGRADE---
As you make your way back to Eagrose, stop in at a non-castle town. You can
now buy Thief's Caps, the last piece of new equipment that the Outfitter will
carry. If you don't have any Nu Khai Armbands in your inventory, you'll also
want to buy a set of those for an upcoming battle.
---New Items for Purchase-------------------------------------------------------
TYPE PRICE WHERE DETAILS
Thief's Cap Hat 35000 TrCity/City Speed+2; Immune: Immobilize,Disable
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---EXTRA BATTLE AT DORTER---
If you step into Dorter on the way back to Eagrose, you'll have an extra battle
against Cletienne, another of Folmarv's henchmen. Alternately, you can avoid
this battle entirely if you go to Bervenia and head west along the northern
coast ... but this is such a long and circuitous route that you're likely to
encounter more enemies in random battles than you avoid by skipping Cletienne.
The Cletienne battle will also not trigger if you never admitted Meliadoul into
your party or if she has already been killed or dismissed.
---Battle 48 (optional): Dorter-------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Meliadoul [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Cletienne (lv 40 Sorceror) Black Mage (lv 38, female)
Time Mage (lv 38, female) Time Mage (lv 35, female)
Summoner (lv 37, female) Summoner (lv 36, female)
BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 40 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81
Equipment : Dragon Rod, Gold Hairpin, Gaia Gear, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Magicks, Magick Counter, Arcane Defense, Ignore Elevation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, Slow, Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce Cletienne to critical HP (< 20% of max HP)
LOSS CONDITION: Meliadoul is KOed or Ramza is killed
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 9 Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 36%
Flagstone Contortion 36%
Grassland Tanglevine 26%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
Meliadoul automatically participates as a guest in this battle, so be sure to
equip her accordingly.
This is the same battlefield as you saw at the beginning of Chapter II. The
enemies here are all magick-users, so there's no value in reaction abilities or
armor that defend against physical attacks (e.g. Counter or Shirahadori).
Instead, equip Aegis Shields, which have a high magick block rate, and
abilities like Magick Counter. And, if you have Construct 8, it's basically
invulnerable in this battle since it's immune to magic.
You'll probably want to take out the Summoners first; they're close by and
you'll want to stop them from hitting you with Summons. The Time Mages, on the
other hand, can be ignored.
Cletienne has an array of strong offensive and defensive spells, plus he can
use Magick Counter to throw your spells back at him. If you want to avoid
this, guns and Jump may be your best bets for attacking him up on the roof.
Beware of using magickal guns, though; these count as magick attacks that he can
Magick Counter! You could also use Orlandeau's Duskblade or another MP-draining
ability to steal Cletienne's MP so he can't even use magicks. But since he has
little HP, it's probably just as easy to attack him head-on. As soon as he's
KOed, you win the battle.
Cletienne has a Dragon Rod, a rare-ish rod, that you can steal. You needn't
get it here, though, as you can also steal one a few battles later or poach it.
Plus, the Dragon Rod is pretty crummy anyway. The Treasure Hunter items in this
battle are also awful--they're the same treasures as the original battle in
Dorter! (In fact, if you picked them up then, you can't get them now.)
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 16, Chimney
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
*Left: 9, Up: 8 (height: 9, Chimney) Potion Ice Bow none
Left: 6, Up: 0 (height: 5, Grassland) Ether Round Shield none
Left: 4, Up: 6 (height: 9, Roof) Hi-Potion Shuriken none
#Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 16, Chimney) Echo Herbs Barbut none
* Requires Jump of 4 or more to reach.
# Requires Jump of 5 to reach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you finally do reach Eagrose, Ramza will open the gate (no gate battle,
yay!), and then you'll line up for a fight.
---Battle 49: Eagrose Castle Keep-----------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Ramza, Zalbaag [guest], 4 others
PHASE TWO: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Dycedarg (lv 43 Rune Knight) Knight (lv 39, male)
Knight (lv 38, male) Knight (lv 38, male)
Knight (lv 37, male) Knight (lv 37, male)
PHASE TWO: Adrammelech (lv 46 The Wroth)
GUEST: Zalbaag [Cancer] - lv 42 Ark Knight - Bravery 67, Faith 72
Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Mail,
Germinas Boots
Abilities : Blade of Ruin, other abilities random
BOSS: Dycedarg [Scorpio] - lv 43 Rune Knight - Bravery 66, Faith 77
Equipment : Defender, Aegis Shield, Circlet, Carabineer Mail, Power Gauntlet
Abilities*: Swordplay, Magicks, Sticky Fingers, Defend, Move +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, Chicken, Slow
* The Rune Knight job also includes Defense Boost and Arcane Defense as innate
abilities.
BOSS: Adrammelech [Scorpio] - lv 46 The Wroth - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 1515, MP: about 415
Abilities: Dread, Magicks, Swiftness
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Phase One - KO Dycedarg
Phase Two - KO Adrammelech
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 100%
--STRATEGY--
Equipping Nu Khai Armbands before this battle is a good idea; it will protect
you from Confuse status.
Use Agrias's, Orlandeau's, and Meliadoul's sword techniques to hit Dycedarg
from down below. (The enemy Knights can be safely ignored.) Construct 8's
Dispose is also useful, but you may not want to deploy it here since there's no
way to protect it against Confuse.
Hitting Dycedarg with Crush Weapon is great idea; it will break his Defender
sword and prevent him from using any of his sword techniques against you. You
could also try stealing the Defender if you want, but it's a little tricky --
using Ignore Elevation or Teleport to jump up to the top of the arch may be your
best bet. (Due to a bug in the game, stealing the Defender also fails to stop
Dycedarg from using his sword techniques, though they'll be greatly reduced in
battle.)
Zalbaag is likely to get KOed no matter what you do, but it doesn't matter as
you don't need to keep him alive. If you do keep Zalbaag conscious, there will
be some additional dialogue on Ramza's, Zalbaag's, and Dycedarg's first turns.
It's quite likely that you can finish off Dycedarg before he has a chance to
move much of anywhere, but it's possible he'll start descending the stairs. If
he does, run under the arch and keep attacking him. He likes to use Hallowed
Bolt and Divine Ruination if you haven't yet broken his sword. To avoid getting
hurt too badly by these, avoid putting characters next to each other or on the
same line of fire.
When Dycedarg is KOed, he'll return as Adrammelech. All the other enemies will
disappear from the board, as will Zalbaag, and the battle restarts. But if you
Charmed or Enticed any of the enemy Knights, they'll stick with you into the
next phase of the battle! If you find yourself having trouble beating
Adrammelech, this can be a good trick for beefing up your forces for the second
half of this battle.
If Adrammelech is still up on the arch, you can keep attacking him with sword
techniques once the second phase begins. However, after each character attacks,
you'll want to start moving him/her under the archway. This way, you can keep
hitting Adrammelech once he starts coming down the steps.
Adrammelech uses the Befuddle spell to confuse you, but if you equipped Nu Khai
Armbands, you'll be immune to this. Note that Confuse is the only status
condition that Construct 8 is NOT immune to. In fact, there's NO way to protect
it from confusion, so you probably won't want to use it here. Adrammelech is
pretty slow, so you can probably get in quite a few licks--and maybe even kill
him--before he even has a chance to cast any magicks. Like all Lucavi,
Adrammelech will take a lot of damage from Lich or Graviga since they take away
half his maximum HP. He has about 1515 HP.
There are two rare items you can pick up here using Treasure Hunter. A Blood
Sword is located in the rectangular area where you start, but in the corner
furthest from your starting point. This one's pretty easy to get to. There's
also a Healing Staff that's much harder to reach; it's one of the two "nubs"
next to the bridge on the upper level, with a height of 10. Of the two nubs,
it's the one further from where you start. This one is pretty tricky to reach
since you have to climb up all the stairs to get to it. (Precise coordinates
for both items are listed below.)
As with other rare Treasure Hunter items, having a low Bravery will improve your
odds of getting the Blood Sword and Healing Staff as opposed to generic
consumable items. You can pick the items up during either stage of the battle.
However, they're probably not worth bothering with -- you may already have both
items, and unlimited copies are available from poaching. The Blood Sword can be
worth grabbing if it's convenient, but the Healing Staff is just way out of the
way.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 8, Flagstone
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 6 (height: 2.5, Flagst.) X-Potion Thief's Cap none
Left: 3, Up: 4 (height: 2, Flagstone) Hi-Ether Blood Sword none
Left: 6, Up: 3 (height: 10, Flagstone) Remedy Healing Staff none
Left: 6, Up: 9 (height: 10, Flagstone) Hi-Potion Featherweave Cloak none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When killed, Adrammelech yields the Capricorn Zodiac Stone.
If you didn't already beat Cletienne at Dorter, his ambush now disappears, so
you can return to the town without triggering a fight.
After claiming the Capricorn stone, head to Gariland. Stock up on Holy Water
and take the new route south to Mullonde. At Mullonde, you'll be treated to a
series of three battles, beginning outside the church and progressing inside.
---Battle 50: Mullonde Cathedral------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: White Mage (lv 40, male) Summoner (lv 39, male)
Orator (lv 39, male) Orator (lv 38, male)
Geomancer (lv 40, male) Geomancer (lv 39, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 8 Grassland Tanglevine 47%
Roof Wind Blast 23%
Flagstone Contortion 22%
Obstructed -- 6%
Soil Sinkhole 2%
--STRATEGY--
If you have anyone with Ignore Elevation or Teleport, deploy him or her in the
first squad and you can immediately spring up and attack the Summoner and White
Mage, who are the most annoying opponents. The rest of the squad will have to
climb up the steps.
The characters in the second squad will be battling against two Orators, so
giving them Earplug could be useful. Again, Teleport or Ignore Elevation will
help them get atop the church quickly, although the steps are reasonably close
by.
The Summoner has another Dragon Rod you can steal, if you didn't get one from
Cletienne and/or want a second one. But, again, it's not good for very much.
There are also three Elixirs here that you can pick up with the Treasure Hunter
ability:
1. One is located on the grass next to the cathedral, adjacent to the front
corner of the cathedral. Facing the cathedral, it's directly to the RIGHT
of the front corner of the cathedral. (It's 3 squares away from where the
one of the enemy Geomancers starts.)
2. One is located on one of the two front towers of the cathedral (of height
16). Facing the front gate of the cathedral, it's on the tower on the
LEFT. There are four tiles on the tower; the Elixir is against the side
"wall" of the map, on the tile towards the back of the cathedral.
3. The last one is lower on the cathedral roof. It's one tile away from
Elixir #2, on a tile of height 5.
As with most Treasure Hunter items, your odds of receiving the Elixirs (as
opposed to generic items) from these tiles increase the lower your Bravery.
Although you can't buy Elixirs at the Outfitter, it's not really that necessary
to pick up the ones here as you can also find them on many other maps and from
poaching.
Honestly, this battle is pretty easy. It's noteworthy mostly because it's the
only story battle where the enemy has Geomancers :)
BATTLE TROPHIES: X-Potion
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 7, Tree
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 1 (height: 1, Grassland) Hi-Ether Hi-Potion none
Left: 11, Up: 1 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Elixir none
Left: 9, Up: 7 (height: 16, Flagstone) X-Potion Elixir none
Left: 10, Up: 7 (height: 16, Flagstone) Phoenix Down Elixir none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---Battle 51: Mullonde Cathedral Nave-------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Folmarv (lv 46 Divine Knight) Loffrey (lv 45 Divine Knight)
Cletienne (lv 44 Sorceror)
BOSS: Folmarv [Leo] - lv 46 Divine Knight - Bravery 65, Faith 70
Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield/Helm/Armor, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Counter, Defense Boost, Move +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
BOSS: Loffrey [Capricorn] - lv 45 Divine Knight - Bravery 60, Faith 68
Equipment : Icebrand, Platinum Shield/Helm/Armor, Diamond Bracelet
Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Nature's Wrath, Defense Boost, Jump +1
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 44 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81
Equipment : Dragon Rod, Gold Hairpin, Gaia Gear, Elven Cloak
Abilities : Magicks, Magick Counter, Arcane Defense, Ignore Elevation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, Slow, Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Reduce any one of the enemies to critical HP (< 20% of max)
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 9 Flagstone Contortion 38%
Carpet Will-o'-the-Wisp 31%
Obstructed -- 19%
Canal Torrent 12%
--STRATEGY--
Despite what the in-game victory conditions screen says, all you have to do here
is KO any of one of the three Knights Templar and then they all will retreat.
Cletienne is the weakest, so just attack him. Loffrey and Folmarv have an
annoying habit of breaking your equipment, so Safeguard is probably a good idea
-- it both saves your equipment AND prevents you from taking damage from
the Crush attacks. Since you only need to KO one guy here, you can probably
finish this up quite quickly.
If you deploy Meliadoul, there will be some extra dialogue between her and
Folmarv on her first turn.
Like the previous map, there are a bunch of Elixirs you can find here if you
have Treasure Hunter and low Bravery. All four of them are located on a line
directly down the middle of the room:
1. One is at the extreme rear of the room, behind where you start, at
height 1.
2. One is one tile in front of where Ramza starts, 4 tiles away from the back
of the room, at height 1.
3. One is at the very far end of the room (i.e., 2 tiles behind where Folmarv
starts), at height 4.
4. One is 4 tiles towards your party from the far end of the room -- exactly
on the tile where Loffrey starts, at height 2.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 11, Cross Section - on Ramza's left
at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 1, Carpet) Remedy Elixir none
Left: 4, Up: 4 (height: 1, Carpet) Hi-Potion Elixir none
Left: 8, Up: 4 (height: 2, Carpet) Phoenix Down Elixir none
Left: 12, Up: 4 (height: 4, Carpet) X-Potion Elixir none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If any of your equipment gets broken when fighting the Knights Templar, you'll
need to replace it. Strip the gear from somebody you're not going to be using
in the next battle and equip that.
You'll then go to the sanctuary, where Ramza will have to fight a possessed
former ally.
---Battle 52: Mullonde Cathedral Sanctuary--------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Zalbaag (lv 47 Ark Knight) Archaeodaemon*
Archaeodaemon* Ultima Demon*
* These enemies' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
BOSS: Zalbaag [Cancer] - lv 47 Ark Knight - Bravery 33, Faith 77
Equipment : Runeblade, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor,
Germinas Boots
Abilities : Blade of Ruin, Vampire, Adrenaline Rush, Defense Boost, Lifefont
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Zalbaag
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone/Vampire
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 11 Flagstone Contortion 54%
Obstructed -- 39%
Carpet Will-o'-the-Wisp 7%
--STRATEGY--
The demons here are actually quite a bit more powerful than Zalbaag and use a
variety of strong magick attacks. So, unlike most boss battles, you're
probably better off killing at least two of the demons first, and *then* going
after Zalbaag. Again, both the Ultima Demon and the Archaeodaemons are immune
to Holy attacks, but this isn't much of a problem since there are only a few
such attacks anyway -- the Holy magick, Reis's Holy Breath, and the Holy Lance
are the only ones in the single-player game.
The Ultima Demon here is your last chance to learn (and keep) Ultima in the
single-player game; if you haven't gotten it yet, deploy Ramza or Luso in their
base job (Squire or Game Hunter) and you can learn the magick should the Ultima
Demon cast it on them. The Ultima Demon needs at least 10 MP to cast Ultima;
use Ethers or Chakra to restore their MP if it runs low.
Zalbaag frequently flees into a corner, plus he uses Lifefont to recover his
HP with each move. Hitting him with an Immobilize (e.g. from Leg Shot) will
stop both of these. In fact, if you can Immobilize him right away, you may be
able to just focus your attacks on him and finish him off before the demons
hit you with too much magick. Physical attacks are not that effective against
Zalbaag since he has Defense Boost, but he'll go down eventually ... and if you
take out the demons first, he can do very little to hurt you.
Zalbaag can (and probably will) turn your characters to vampires, but you can
cure this with Holy Water. Construct 8 is useful in this battle as it is
immune to vampirization (though the raw damage from the Vampire attack can
still hurt it) and has a very long range with which to attack Zalbaag. Monsters
are also immune to Vampire status, so if you have any other good monsters, those
work too.
Ironically, if Zalbaag tries to vampirize a character who's already a vampire,
the Vampire attack will backfire and cause *Zalbaag* to turn into a vampire!
This will prevent him from recovering HP with Lifefont. But, the odds on this
are a bit too low to really bank on.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Elixir
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
There are no Treasure Hunter items on this map.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sanctuary battle is the last of the sequence of the battles at Mullonde.
Afterwards, Ramza will meet up with a dying Funebris, who tells him that Folmarv
is going to Orbonne Monastery.
---NEW QUESTS---
Back on the map, a handy route has opened up between Mullonde and the Clockwork
City of Goug. Another set of subquests becomes available: Midlight's Deep (in
Warjilis Trade City), Disorder in the Order (in Zeltennia and Dorter), and (if
you've already completed the Nelveska Temple quest) Lionel's New Liege Lord.
The All-Star Melee mission is also unlocked in Rendezvous Mode. And if you're
still working on the earlier subquests, the new route between Mullonde and Goug
makes them a lot easier.
If you're going to do these quests or anything else on the map, take care of it
now! Once you go to Orbonne Monastery, you're locked into the game's final
series of battles.
---PREPARATION FOR FINAL BATTLES---
Before you go to Orbonne, make sure you're ready. Your main team of characters
should be at least level 40. Equip yourself with all your best abilities, and
change to your best jobs. Earning JP doesn't matter now. You may also want to
buy a couple pairs of Winged Boots since they'll be helpful in one of the
upcoming battles. Definitely purchase some Thief's Caps if you haven't
already. In truth, though, the last sequence of battles isn't all that
difficult, just long.
!!! CAUTION !!!
Once you enter Orbonne, there is NO way to return to the world map. If you
want to be able to continue playing the game on the world map, you must keep a
save from before you entered the Monastery. Once you enter the Monastery,
save in a DIFFERENT slot. Do NOT save over your main save file or you will NOT
be able to return to the world map or enter the bonus dungeon. Use a NEW save
file.
!!! CAUTION !!!
When you enter Orbonne, you'll begin by fighting some generic humans.
---Battle 53: Monastery Vaults - Fourth Level-----------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Knight (lv 49, male) Knight (lv 49, male) Archer (lv 48, male)
Archer (lv 48, male) Monk (lv 51, male) Monk (lv 50, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 8 Brick, Furnishings, Wind Slash 54%
Book, Bridge
Flagstone Contortion 46%
--STRATEGY--
Your first priority is to kill off the guys down on the floor on the other side
of the room, especially the Monks. Most range attacks will work from atop the
central "ridge" of books, and reasonably agile melee fighters can climb over
the ridge to reach the enemies. Characters who can't easily climb over the
ridge should just stand atop it -- there will be enemies coming that way soon
as well.
The Knights' behavior will depend on how quickly you advance. If you quickly
moved most of your team across the ridge, they'll probably descend under the
archway to fight you there. But if you still have some characters on the
higher levels, they may try to cross the narrow walkway up top. In this case,
they'll vulnerable to a Divine Ruination or Shockwave that can hit several of
them in a line. Meliadoul's and Orlandeau's Crush techniques are also useful
against all the enemies here. Overall, this isn't a particularly hard battle.
You can steal a Yoichi's Bow, which is even stronger than the Artemis Bow, from
the Archer ... of course, since you're past the point of no return, there's no
need to bother with this unless someone in your main squad can use it.
There are also four Elixirs available on this map and, unlike most Treasure
Hunter items, you'll get them regardless of your Bravery:
1. One is located in the exact corner of the map just next to where you start,
on a tile with height 7.
2. Another is located in another corner, the one with a height of 1.
3. Two panels away from #2, on a sloping panel with height 8.
4. On the other side of the "ridge" of books from where you start. It's on a
slanted panel; the panel looks like a stone slab with writing on it and has
a height of 2.5.
Since you can pick these up fairly easily without worrying about your Bravery,
you may want to grab one or two if you use Items to heal.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 7, Book
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 7, Book) -Elixir- none
Left: 5, Up: 4 (height: 2.5, Flagst.) -Elixir- none
Left: 0, Up: 13 (height: 8, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
Left: 0, Up: 15 (height: 1, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next up is the first of a series of four battles against the Zodiac Braves.
Prepare for this one by arming Safeguard.
---Battle 54: Monastery Vaults - Fifth Level------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Loffrey (lv 54 Divine Knight) Black Mage (lv 52, male)
Black Mage (lv 50, male) Time Mage (lv 52, male)
Summoner (lv 52, male) Summoner (lv 50, male)
BOSS: Loffrey [Capricorn] - lv 54 Divine Knight - Bravery 60, Faith 68
Equipment : Save the Queen, Crystal Shield, Crystal Helm, Crystal Armor,
Germinas Boots
Abilities : Unyielding Blade, Magicks, Parry, Defense Boost, Ignore Elevation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, and Slow
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Loffrey
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
15 x 12 Book, Brick Wind Slash 63%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-wisp 19%
Darkness (chasm) -- 18%
--STRATEGY--
Now it gets interesting. The enemy forces are magick-heavy here, so adjust
your defenses accordingly. Aegis Shields are good, as are Magick Counter and
cloaks that give a good boost to your magick evade rate. Counter, Shirahadori,
and First Strike are totally pointless. Construct 8, being immune to magick,
is good to deploy if you have it. It won't be able to navigate the holes well,
but Dispose has such a long range that it doesn't need to travel very far!
The floor is laded with Darkness tiles (the black holes) that you can't walk
across. If you have Fly or Winged Boots, however, you can simply hover right
over them. You can also jump across the holes with a good jump rating. If you
can't jump across, there's a looping path around the outsides of the map that
lets you walk all the way, but it's slow and you'll keep getting hit by magicks
on the way. Avoid this route if you can. Deploying lots of characters with
range attacks is useful as you can just blast away regardless of the gaps in the
floor.
Loffrey's Save the Queen sword gives him a permanent Protect spell that makes
him slow to kill. So, try to KO the other guys (especially the Summoners)
first before you take on Loffrey.
Loffrey uses Unyielding Blade techniques to crush your gear, but equipping
Safeguard will both preventing him from breaking your equipment and spare you
from the HP damage. Speaking of Crushing, using Crush Weapon on Loffrey is a
great tactic; destroying his sword will remove his Protect as well as prevent
him from using his sword techniques. You can also use Rend Weapon or steal
the sword. But, like other bosses, a bug in the game means that he can still
use sword techniques if you steal (rather than break) his sword. They won't do
much damage, but they can still break your equipment.
As on the previous map (and for the rest of this sequence of battles), you can
find four Elixirs here with Treasure Hunter, regardless of your Bravery. Two of
the Elixirs on this map are located in the extreme back corners of the map, on
the stacks of book behind where you start. The other two Elixirs are near the
center of the map; see below for the coordinates.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Book
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 14 (height: 2, Book) -Elixir- none
Left: 11,Up: 14 (height: 7, Book) -Elixir- none
Left: 5, Up: 6 (height: 0, Wooden Fl.) -Elixir- none
Left: 6, Up: 6 (height: 0, Brick) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Loffrey is defeated, he'll suck you through a portal to the Necrohol of
Mullonde, located under the sea south of Limberry, then destroy the way back.
If you'd equipped Safeguard or Winged Boots, you can now return your abilities
and equipment to normal.
---Battle 55: The Necrohol of Mullonde------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Cletienne (lv 54 Sorceror) Time Mage (lv 52, male)
Time Mage (lv 51, male) Ninja (lv 53, male)
Ninja (lv 51, male) Samurai (lv 53, male)
Samurai (lv 52, male)
BOSS: Cletienne [Gemini] - lv 54 Sorceror - Bravery 51, Faith 81
Equipment : Zeus Mace, Lambent Hat, Black Garb, Featherweave Cloak
Abilities : Magicks, Magick Boost, Arcane Defense, Fly
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Silence, Oil, Slow, Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Cletienne
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 12 Wasteland Sinkhole 42%
Flagstone Contortion 32%
Obstructed -- 21%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-wisp 5%
--STRATEGY--
The second squad starts some distance away, so fill it with fast characters or
characters with long-range attacks.
Cletienne has really strong spells and a range of the whole battlefield. Since
he starts close to you, just forget the other enemies and rush him. If you can
pounce on him on quickly, you can probably to wrap this fight up very quickly.
Cletienne's Magick Boost reaction ability allows him to gain magick power
whenever you hit him. So, don't try to wear him down with weak attacks.
Instead, try only attack him with your strongest attacks so that you can take
him out in as few hits as possible. Or, you can simply use MP-draining
abilities--Orlandeau's Duskblade works especially well--on Cletienne to take
away all his MP, so that he can't even use his magicks.
Again, with Treasure Hunter you can claim up to four Elixirs on this map, though
most aren't very conveniently located. The Elixirs' locations:
1. In the extreme corner of the map. There's only one corner tile that you
can actually stand on (it has height 0); it's on this tile. It's the
corner closest to where the 2nd Squad starts.
2. The center of the map has a building in it. Look for the doorway to this
building. Now, from the doorway, move the cursor over top of the wall to
the building to the back wall. The Elixir is located here, right against
the back wall, directly opposite to the doorway. This one is actually the
easiest to grab.
3. On the ground (height 0) behind where the 1st Squad (Ramza's squad) starts.
It's the "back row" of tiles, as far from the enemy squad as you can get.
The specific tile is the tile on the ground that's closest to the corner.
4. One edge of the map near where you start has a partially collapsed wall.
On the other side of the hall is a height 4 platform leading down to the
height 0 ground. Climb down using the platform; it's on the first height 0
platform.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Wasteland - only corner tile where
the cursor is blue
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 2 (height: 3, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 0, Wasteland) -Elixir- none
Left: 0, Up: 8 (height: 0, Wasteland) -Elixir- none
Left: 3, Up: 11 (height: 0, Wasteland) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Cletienne, you'll face Barich, brought back to life by the Zodiac Stones.
---Battle 56: Lost Halidom------------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Barich (lv 55 Machinist) Chemist (lv 49, male)
Dark Behemoth (lv 51) Hydra (lv 48)
Greater Hydra (lv 47) Tiamat (lv 50)
BOSS: Barich [Sagittarius] - lv 55 Machinist - Bravery 64, Faith 62
Equipment : Blaster, Thief's Cap, Luminous Robe, Featherweave Cloak
Abilities*: Aimed Shot, Counter, Brawler, Lifefont
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil, Immobilize
* Barich's version of the Machinist job also includes Defense Boost, Arcane
Defense, and Beast Tongue as innate abilities.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Barich
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
14 x 10 Flagstone Contortion 49%
Roof Wind Blast 24%
Darkness (chasm) -- 16%
Coffer, Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-wisp 11%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
This can be a tough fight. Barich and his crew start on a separate piece of
land from you. Barich and his Chemist can shoot at you from afar, but if you
jump over to his portion of the battlefield to attack them, the monsters will
tear you to shreds.
Barich, as before, will use Aimed Shot abilities to try to Immobilize and
Disable you. This time, you can easily counter this by equipping Thief's Caps,
which makes you immune to both Immobilize and Disable. Shirahadori is also
great for defense, as it allows you to block the shots from the enemy guns (only
in video games...). Auto-Potion is also helpful for dealing with the enemy gun
attacks. Shields and cloaks, on the other hand, are of no use since guns can't
be evaded.
A good tactic may be to fill the first squad with characters with medium-range
attacks (e.g. sword techniques). They should be able to move forward and target
Barich across the gap without having to jump over the chasm. The second squad
starts pretty far away from Barich, so use this squad for characters with
long-range attacks such as guns, Arithmeticks, or a long-range Jump attack.
Have the second squad move up towards the first squad and start targeting Barich
with their range attacks. If you completed the Gollund Colliery quest, Beowulf
and Construct 8 will both be of great use here for their long-range attacks
(Vengeance and Dispose, respectively). Barich may try to hide behind his
monsters (and/or the Chemist), in which case you'll have to take them out first
in order to shoot him. Unfortunately, Barich's own Thief's Cap prevents you
from Immobilizing HIM.
Barich's Hydras will usually spend a turn or two advancing along Barich's
portion of the battlefield without attacking you. After that, they'll fly over
and land on your side! At this point, since the Hydras are no longer guarding
Barich, you may want to jump over Barich's side and start attacking him
directly. If you've done enough to damage to him already, you can probably take
him out with a few attacks. (He does use Lifefont to regenerate his HP,
though.)
If you completed the Nelveska Temple and restored Reis to human form, you could
also try putting Reis in the second squad. Have her run up to the little
"bridge" connecting the two halves of the battlefield and use Dragon's Charm
to charm the enemy Tiamat. Not only will this prevent the Tiamat from
attacking you, it will turn it against Barich! However, it usually takes a
turn or two for the Tiamat to come within range, so this may not be the most
efficient strategy -- and you have to watch out for the Dark Behemoth in the
mean time! If you DO use this strategy, you may wish to change Reis to a job
other than Dragonkin and equip Rubber Boots so that the Tiamat's Tri-Thunder
attack won't kill her before she can charm it.
Like the other maps in the Necrohol, the Lost Halidom contains four Elixirs that
you can pick up with Treasure Hunter. Since this is a tougher battle, it's not
really a good time for item collecting, but if you want 'em, you can check the
coordinates below or use these directions:
1. In the area where the 2nd Squad starts, against the back edge of the map.
It's on a height 7 tile that looks it has four black squares on it. (There
are two such tiles; it's the one that actually touches the edge of the
map.)
2. On the wooden platform in the middle. The platform is four tiles big. The
Elixir is on the tile that's closest to where the 1st Squad started.
3. On Barich's side of the map. It's actually the tile immediately behind
where Barich starts. It's a sloping tile with height 5.5 and four black
squares on it. There are two such tiles; the one you want is the one
that's further from the wooden bridge.
4. Also on Barich's side of the map, on the only height 6 tile that is
directly adjacent to the chasm in the middle.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Flagstone
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 4, Up: 0 (height: 7, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
Left: 0, Up: 6 (height: 0, Wooden Fl.) -Elixir- none
Left: 5, Up: 11 (height: 5.5, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
Left: 7, Up: 8 (height: 6, Flagstone) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, you'll head to the Airship Graveyard, which is really just a single
airship, and a rather odd location for a final battle. Folmarv will use the
Leo Stone to transform himself into a giant lion, Hashmal.
---Battle 57: Airship Graveyard-------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Hashmal (lv 59 Bringer of Order)
BOSS: Hashmal [Leo] - lv 59 Bringer of Order - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 1425, MP: about 790
Abilities : Dread, Planar Magicks, Swiftness
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Slow, and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Hashmal
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 9 Wooden Deck Will-o'-the-Wisp 40%
Vines Tanglevine 26%
Obstructed -- 19%
Machinery Magma Surge 15%
--STRATEGY--
Hashmal's two main attacks are Bind, which puts Stop on a group of characters,
and Quake, a fairly powerful area attack magick. (He also uses some other
elemental magicks less frequently.) Of course, equipping Jade Armlets will
protect you against the Stop effect of Bind. But since completely protecting
yourself against Stop will cause him to ONLY cast Quake, one strategy is to
leave one character unprotected against Stop as a decoy. Hashmal will probably
try to Stop him/her, buying your other characters time to attack. Using this
strategy, you can probably defeat him before casts more than one Quake, perhaps
before he casts ANY.
And, if you completed the Gollund Colliery quest, you have an ace up your
sleeve: Construct 8, who is immune to both magick and Stop!
Although Hashmal's spells are strong, with 5 of you versus 1 of him, you
shouldn't have too much trouble taking him down. Just rush him. As always,
Lich and Graviga are effective against him. He only has about 1425 HP.
Since Hashmal isn't too tough, it's pretty easy to grab the Elixirs on this map
using Treasure Hunter if you want them. One is located on the extreme bow
(point) of the ship (tile height 10), and another is located directly in front
of that (height 8.5). The other two are located on the opposite (stern) side,
one in each of the far corners of the ship. Both of these tiles have height
0.5.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Ragnarok
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Darkness - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 10, Wooden Deck) -Elixir- none
Left: 1, Up: 4 (height: 8.5, Wooden Dk.) -Elixir- none
Left: 15, Up: 1 (height: 0.5, Wooden Dk.) -Elixir- none
Left: 15, Up: 7 (height: 0.5, Vines) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defeat Hashmal and you'll get the Ragnarok sword. St. Ajora will then appear.
You now have one last chance to save your game and adjust your characters.
Equip the Ragnarok sword. It's strong, but not quite as useful as the
Excalibur since it doesn't give you an automatic Haste. But if you're planning
to deploy two characters who can use knight's swords (Knights, Dark Knights, and
many of the story characters), you can give the Excalibur to one and the
Ragnarok to the other.
After you leave the status screen, it's time for the final battle.
---Battle 58: Airship Graveyard-------------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Alma [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Ultima (lv 56 High Seraph) Ultima Demon (lv 39)
Ultima Demon (lv 36) Ultima Demon (lv 33)
Ultima Demon (lv 30)
PHASE TWO: Ultima (lv 66 Arch Seraph)
GUEST: Alma [Leo] - lv 56 Cleric - Bravery 39, Faith 87
Equipment : Healing Staff, Ribbon, Luminous Robe, Featherweave Cloak
Abilities : Holy Magicks, Faith Boost
BOSS: Ultima [Virgo] - lv 56 High Seraph - Bravery 70, Faith 70
HP: about 1400, MP: about 480
Abilities: Arcane Magicks, Chaos, Absorb MP, Brawler, Master Teleportation
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Slow, and Disable
BOSS: Ultima [Virgo] - lv 66 Arch Seraph - Bravery 70, Faith 60
HP: about 3235, MP: about 450
Abilities: Divine Magicks, Divine Providence, Faith Boost, Brawler, Swiftness,
Master Teleportation
Immune : All negative status except Slow and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Phase One - KO High Seraph Ultima
Phase Two - KO Arch Seraph Ultima
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 9 Wooden Deck Will-o'-the-Wisp 42%
Vines Tanglevine 27%
Obstructed -- 15%
Machinery Magma Surge 15%
--STRATEGY--
Be sure to deploy your best characters. Since both forms of the final boss have
a lot of HP, attacks that do damage proportional to the enemy's max HP are quite
effective. This includes Lich, Graviga, and Beowulf's Drain attack. Ultima
likes to cast a lot of status ailments on you, so equipping female characters
(and Cloud) with any hair adornments (Cachushas, Barettes, or preferably
Ribbons) is also a great idea.
Before the battle starts, Ultima destroys the mast pieces, making the
battlefield a bit more open. You begin this battle on the stern of the ship,
opposite to where you started the last battle.
Alma will fight as a guest in this battle. She starts off with only 1 HP, so
toss her an X-Potion or cure spell to keep her alive. She will first cast
Aegis on herself, then start casting it on the rest of the team. Aegis includes
a number of useful buffs, so this is actually pretty helpful. Note that if
Ramza or Luso casts the Ultima magick on Alma, she can learn that magick as
well. This is not advised, however; you want her casting Aegis, which is quite
a bit more useful! If Alma starts running out of MP, toss her an Ether or
Hi-Ether. (It's also possible to learn Ultima from the Ultima Demons if you
don't kill them quickly; of course, since this is the last battle, you won't be
able to save it permanently to your file.)
The Ultima Demons can do more damage than Ultima herself, so try to defeat them
first. They don't have all that much HP, so you might even be able to take them
out with group attacks. (As always, they're immune to Holy attacks.) If you're
using Orlandeau, Shadowblade is also handy since it restores his HP at the same
time it deals damage.
Ultima has several different attacks. There's a physical attack, which is
fairly strong but otherwise nothing special; the Grand Cross magick, which
inflicts random status conditions; and an souped-up Ultima magick that is
still rather weak and slow to charge. Note that this "Ultima II" magick has a
"friendly fire" effect and can damage Ultima's own units (and even Ultima
herself!) You can use this to your advantage; if you see her charging up the
magick, move the targeted unit close to some enemies and they'll take damage
too. You can easily recognize when she's casting Ultima II because it's the
only ability she charges up that shows estimated HP damage in the preview --
Grand Cross is a status attack only.
Ultima can also teleport around the battlefield, often putting her out of your
reach. (This is another reason not to try killing her before the demons.) She
does NOT have a counterattack, so you're free to use any physical or magick
attacks you want -- although you should probably have a better way of attacking
her than plain physical attacks!
Ultima has a permanent Float status. This means that she's immune to any earth-
element attacks, like Titan or Shockwave. Also, if you're using the
Arithmeticks magick command against her, since she's Floating, her height is
considered to be one greater than the tile she's standing on. In other words,
if she's on a height 5 tile, her height is 6 for any calculations.
Believe it or not, Ultima is vulnerable to Disable status. But, as usual,
inflicting Disable will make her flee into a corner -- and with her Master
Teleportation, she can easily get far away from you and be hard to attack. If
you have long-range attacks, though, this is no problem, and hitting her with
Arm Shot will prevent her from attacking you at all for a few turns! Even if
you don't have much in the way of long-range attacks, you could also use Disable
if you just need a pause to heal your characters and cure the status ailments
inflicted by Grand Cross.
If the battle drags on, the Ultima Demons you took out early on may start
turning into crystals. Grab these as soon as they appear. Ultima will try to
claim them, and, if she does, her HP will be completely restored!
If you didn't grab the Elixirs during the battle with Hashmal, you can pick them
up now. (If you already picked them up, you cannot get them a second time.)
One Elixir is located on each of the opposite corners on the stern of ship
(behind you, both height 0.5), and two are on the bow (point) of the ship,
height 8.5 and height 10. Of course, since this is the last battle and you
can't save them for later, there's no sense in picking them up unless your
current Elixir supply is running low.
Ultima's first form has about 1400 HP. Of course, like all good final bosses,
Ultima has a second form that appears after the first is defeated. This one has
over 3200 HP (!), but it's probably easier, since there won't be any Ultima
Demons around to harass you.
Attack the second form with the aforementioned Drain attack (Beowulf), Lich,
Graviga, and sword techniques. She still has no counterattack, so physical
attacks are also safe. Again, Ultima teleports around the battlefield on each
of her turns. If she moves out of range, just wait in the center of the ship
and on her next turn she should move in range again. This form of Ultima is now
vulnerable to Immobilize status, so you can also just use a judicious Leg Shot
or other Immobilizing ability to keep her in place. (The second form is immune
to Disable, though, so don't try that again.)
Fortunately, Ultima is pretty slow, and you have quite a bit of time to heal up
and attack between her moves, especially if Alma has been casting Haste on you
via Aegis. Also, if Alma has been casting Aegis on your party, Ultima may well
waste her turns using Dispelja to remove the effects of Aegis, and not even
inflict any damage on you.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Darkness - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 10, Wooden Deck) -Elixir- none
Left: 1, Up: 4 (height: 8.5, Wooden Dk.) -Elixir- none
Left: 15, Up: 1 (height: 0.5, Wooden Dk.) -Elixir- none
Left: 15, Up: 7 (height: 0.5, Vines) -Elixir- none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you defeat Ultima's second form, it will blow up (nice special effects).
The Battle Is Won! Leave the game on after the credits for an additional
scene.
Note that when the game says it's saving afterwards, it's just doing so to
unlock the last set of Rendezvous Mode missions. If you saved at any point
during the final sequence of battles (i.e., any time after you entered Orbonne
Monastery), loading this save will only put you back into the last set of
battles and doesn't allow you back to the world map. So, again, if you want to
do anything outside of the Necrohol, hang on to a separate save from before you
entered Orbonne Monastery!
If you haven't beaten Midlight's Deep and all the other subquests, you're not
really done with the game yet! If you kept a save from before you entered
Orbonne Monastery, you can go back and check out these quests for some extra
challenges. Keep on reading for more information on these missions.
********************************************************************************
V. WALKTHROUGH AND BATTLE STRATEGIES - SUBQUESTS 00sub
********************************************************************************
Final Fantasy Tactics boasts a number of optional subquests, all of which
become available at various points in Chapter IV. In addition, some of the
subquests require you to have completed other subquests first. Specific
requirements for each quest are listed with the walkthroughs below, but I've
also provided this cheesy ASCII chart to demonstrate how they flow together.
Agrias's Birthday --------> Recruiting Cloud
(beginning of Chapter IV) /
/
Gollund Colliery ----------> Nelveska Temple
(beginning of Chapter IV) (after Fort \
Besselat) \
------> Lionel's New Liege Lord
Recruiting Balthier (after Mullonde)
(after battle at Bervenia)
Optional Battle at Dorter *
(after clearing Limberry, before Eagrose)
Disorder in the Order
(after Mullonde)
Midlight's Deep
(after Mullonde)
* The battle at Dorter that occurs after Limberry is technically optional, since
you can walk around it. But since most players are likely to encounter it
during the regular course of play, I've covered it up in the MAIN walkthrough
(it's Battle 48), NOT here.
Once a quest becomes available, it never goes away. There's no "time limit" on
when you can complete these quests -- unless you dismiss one of the characters
needed for the quest, of course. (The one exception is that optional Dorter
battle mentioned above, but it's not a "real" subquest and you don't really get
anything from it.)
Walkthroughs for the quests are below. Battle strategies for the battles
encountered within these quests can be found in the Subquest Battle Strategies
section -- press Ctrl+F and enter 00bssub to jump there.
%%%AGRIAS'S BIRTHDAY%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00agr
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: At beginning of Chapter IV
REWARDS: Tynar Rouge
The Agrias's Birthday event allows you to obtain the Tynar Rouge, a great
accessory for female characters. It can occur on the date of 1 Cancer, which is
Agrias's birthday.
In order to start this event, you must meet these requirements:
- Agrias, Mustadio, Alicia, and Lavian must still be on your team roster.
- You must have at least 500,000 gil in your War Funds. Only 50,000 of this
will be spent as part of the quest, but you must have 500,000 available.
- You must be in Chapter IV. (This event can be completed at any point during
Chapter IV, though.)
Once you've met the above requirements, you must land on a town, city, or castle
(i.e., any place with a store) on the world map on 1 Cancer. There are three
towns that DO NOT work for this: Eagrose Castle, Merchant City of Dorter, and
Zeltennia Castle. (These locations have their own new sidequests.) Any OTHER
town or castle BESIDES those three is fine.
Assuming you meet the above requirements, if you move onto one of the proper
locations on 1 Cancer, you'll see a scene in which Mustadio buys Agrias the
Tynar Rouge lip rouge for her birthday.
(It's possible that on 1 Cancer, you might move onto a town that triggers
another cutscene, like the opening of Midlight's Deep. You should still be able
to trigger the Agrias's Birthday event by trying to move away from the town
after the first cutscene has ended.)
The 50,000 gil cost of the rouge will be subtracted from your War Funds. It's
worth the expense, though, as the Tynar Rouge is a great accessory. It can be
equipped by any female character (not just Agrias) and grants a permanent Shell,
Protect, and Haste, as well as a bonus to your attack and magick strength.
1 Cancer follows after 32 Gemini. The easiest way to ensure that you land on a
town on that date is to simply move back and forth between Gollund Coal City and
Lesalia. Both of these cities work for activating the event, so you're
guaranteed to be in the right place on 1 Cancer.
If you somehow miss the date and don't end up on a town on 1 Cancer, don't
worry; the event never "expires." You can just wait until all the months cycle
through and try again the next time 1 Cancer comes up, as long as you still meet
the requirements listed above. (Fortunately, the villains are more than happy
to postpone their plans of world domination while you spend a year shopping for
makeup.)
Although this event never expires, it can only be completed ONCE, even if you
cycle through the calendar to Agrias's birthday again. You can only get a
single Tynar Rouge.
%%%GOLLUND COLLIERY%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00col
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: At beginning of Chapter IV
REWARDS: Beowulf, Reis [Holy Dragon], and Construct 8 join the party
In the Gollund Colliery quest, you'll recruit three new characters: Beowulf,
Reis (in dragon form), and Construct 8. It's the first in a series of three
quests, as it leads into the Nelveska Temple and Cloud quests. To complete
ANY of these quests, you must still have Mustadio, so don't dismiss him or let
him get permanently killed! (It doesn't matter if he was KOed as long as he
didn't permanently die.)
---STARTING THE QUEST---
To start the quest, once Chapter IV begins, go to the Clockwork City of Goug.
Besrudio, Mustadio's father, will show you an iron sphere he's found. (If
you've already seen this scene, you don't need to repeat it.)
Now go to the Mining Town of Gollund, in the center of the map. At the Tavern
in Gollund, listen to the rumor "The Haunted Mine." You will be asked to fight
a monster in the coal mines. Leave the bar. Nothing will happen at first, but
go north to Lesalia. As soon as you arrive here, Ramza will automatically go
into the Tavern and learn more about the coal mine job. He agrees to take it.
On the way out, Beowulf will stop you and ask you to take him with you. Choose
the second option to sign him up and he joins you as a Guest. (If you choose
the first option and reject his assistance, the quest will end and you'll be
permanently locked out of completing it!)
GUEST: Beowulf [Libra] - Templar, lv. based on party's - Bravery 40, Faith 50
Equipment : Random
Abilities : Spellblade, other abilities random
You may want to equip Mystic Arts as Beowulf's second ability, since he starts
with a bunch of Mystic Arts magicks learned.
---PREPARING FOR BATTLE---
You'll see that the Mining Town of Gollund has turned red, indicating that there
will be battles when you return there. However, as with Lionel Castle in
Chapter II, you can pass *through* Gollund to other locations as long as you
don't click on Gollund itself.
Before you leave Lesalia, check the Outfitter. Depending on how far you are
through Chapter IV, you may be able to buy Beowulf some better equipment.
Equipment that protects you against ice will be especially helpful in the
upcoming battles, so you may also want to pick up some Ice Shields or White
Robes if you don't have any in your inventory. You'll have to go to a non-
castle town to buy the robes, but don't go to Gollund since it will trigger the
battles!
Ideally, try to load up with both some Icebrands and other swords. The ice
damage from the Icebrands will be effective in some battles here, but there are
also some monsters that absorb ice.
Save your game--there's an extended series of battles coming up--and return to
Gollund, where you'll be forced into entering the Gollund Colliery. You have to
fight through three areas in the snow.
---Gollund Colliery Battle 1: Gollund Colliery Floor----------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, 2 others
2nd Squad - Beowulf [guest], 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chemist* (male) Chemist* (male) Chemist* (male)
Chemist* (male) Chemist* (male)
* The Chemists' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
11 x 11 Snow Snowstorm 95%
Soil Sinkhole 3%
Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
--STRATEGY--
For some reason, you are being attacked by a large band of Chemists. (Look out;
there's one hidden under the staircase right next to where you start!) Since
the Chemists exclusively fight with guns, there's no need for any type of
magick defense. And since guns always have a 100% hit rate, boosting your
evade rate is pointless; leave behind the cloaks and shields and go for dual-
wielded or two-handed weapons. Close-range reaction abilities like Counter are
also pointless; choose reaction abilities like Auto-Potion or Adrenaline Rush
that are useful at any range.
The key to this battle is to close the distance between you and the Chemists as
quickly as possible. Fast characters or those with a high Move rate will be
good for this. You can also use Arithmeticks, Summons, Jump, or your
own guns to hit from a distance. If you use Arithmeticks, note that Blizzard
family magicks will be particularly effective because it's snowing.
Since the Chemists all have the Items ability, they can keep healing themselves
and reviving their KOed comrades, which gets a little annoying. If you have
Orlandeau and/or Meliadoul, using their Crush abilities to break the Chemists'
armor will reduce their maximum HP and limit the amount they can heal
themselves. (Rend and Steal abilities work for this, too, but they often miss
and don't deal any direct damage!) You can also use Summons to strike a whole
area and wipe all the critical-HP Chemists who have just been revived.
Reviving any of your *own* KOed can also be difficult--because the Chemists
have guns, they'll immediately shoot and KO any character with critical HP.
You'll need Arise to effectively revive characters. Of course, if a KOed
character's death counter is getting low, you may need to toss a Phoenix Down
or Raise on them anyway--even if they just KOed again, you've at least reset
their counter and saved them from permanent death.
You do NOT need to keep Beowulf from getting KOed in this or the subsequent
battles.
Since this is a mining area, all the Battle Trophies and Treasure Hunter items
around here are Mythril items. These are absolutely worthless at this point in
the game, so there's no reason to go Treasure Hunting here.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Bow, Mythril Shield
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Snow
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 2 (height: 4, Wooden Fl.) Gold Needle Mythril Knife none
Left: 5, Up: 3 (height: 0, Soil) Gold Needle Mythril Sword none
Left: 6, Up: 9 (height: 7, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Gun none
Left: 1, Up: 10 (height: 14, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Bow none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between battles, equip any Icebrands and Glacial Guns you own.
---Gollund Colliery Battle 2: Gollund Colliery Slope----------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chemist* (male) Thief* (male) Thief* (male)
Behemoth* Behemoth King*
* These enemies' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Snowstorm (ice damage + 25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 12 Snow Snowstorm 99%
Obstructed -- 1%
--STRATEGY--
This battle has a similar setting as the previous one, but there's only one
Chemist and, instead, two Thieves and two behemoths. (The Behemoth King is
hiding in the cubby-hole behind the Thief near your start position.) With a
more conventional assortment of enemies, this should actually be a more
straightforward battle.
The Chemist here has a Glacial Gun that you may want to steal -- though if he
happens to start with the Maintenance ability, you're out of luck. He can do
quite a bit of damage using the gun and you can't reach him to attack right
away, but equipping Ice Shields will protect you from the damage. The Thief on
the top level has a tendency to just sit in the corner until you come very
close, making him a sitting duck for magick or Jump attacks.
The snowstorm here boosts the power of ice attacks, including ice-elemental
weapons like Icebrands and Glacial Guns.
Since the Behemoth King is a somewhat rare monster, you may also want to Entice
or Tame it onto your team. Alternately, Poach it and you'll score either an
Artemis Bow or a Cherche perfume.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Knife, Mythril Spear
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 18.5, Snow
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 11, Up: 9 (height: 2, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Shield none
Left: 7, Up: 1 (height: 0, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Armor none
Left: 2, Up: 5 (height: 6, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Helm none
Left: 1, Up: 1 (height: 18.5, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Vest none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before the next battle, de-equip any ice-based weapons you're using, as you'll
face Blue Dragons that absorb ice damage!
---Gollund Colliery Battle 3: Gollund Colliery Ridge----------------------------
YOUR FORCES:
1st Squad - Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 2 others
2nd Squad - 2 others
ENEMY FORCES: Chemist* (male) Chemist* (male)
Blue Dragon* Blue Dragon* Pig*
* These enemies' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Snowstorm (ice damage + 25%)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
13 x 11 Snow Snowstorm 94%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
Obstructed -- 3%
--STRATEGY--
This time, you're fighting two Chemists, two Blue Dragons, and a dancing pig.
The Pig is safe to leave 'til last; it can't do any harm. The Blue Dragons,
however, can and WILL harm you. Equipping Ice Shields will defend against their
Ice Breath attack, but even their physical attacks are strong. The Blue Dragons
are weak against fire, so use fire attacks for extra damage. Do NOT use ice
attacks (including Geomancy, the Icebrand, and the Glacial Gun), as the Blue
Dragons will absorb the ice and gain HP! Special sword techniques are your
best offense (as usual).
If you Entice the Pig to your team, you can breed and Poach pigs for great
items, so this is a great opportunity to recruit one! If you already have a
Pig on the team, you can just axe this one.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Mythril Sword, Mythril Armor
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2, Snow
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 8, Up: 2 (height: 8, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Gun none
Left: 11, Up: 0 (height: 3, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Knife none
Left: 10, Up: 5 (height: 8, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Sword none
Left: 3, Up: 6 (height: 5, Snow) Gold Needle Mythril Bow none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the three battles, you'll reach the Coal Shaft. The monsters here are
WEAK against ice, so it's also a good idea to re-equip any Icebrands or other
ice weapons that you have.
---Gollund Colliery Battle 4: Gollund Coal Shaft--------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], Reis [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Syneugh* (Archaeodaemon) Plague Horror* Plague Horror*
Plague Horror* Ochu* Ochu*
* These enemies' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
GUEST: Reis [Pisces] - Holy Dragon, lv. based on party's - Bravery 31, Faith 32
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Reis is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
18 x 6 Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 44%
Obstructed -- 32%
Soil Sinkhole 22%
Flagstone Contortion 1%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 1%
--STRATEGY--
You need to keep Reis, the Holy Dragon, alive in this battle. Be sure to bring
someone who can heal her.
In order to get into Reis's area, you need to climb up onto the upper level and
pass through the narrow doorway. If you use jobs or accessories that get your
Jump score up to 4, you can jump directly up onto the ledge, which helps you
close the distance quickly. Otherwise, you'll have to take the long route up
by using the stairs behind where your party starts.
The Plague Horrors will turn you to stone or cast Doom on you if given the
chance, so kill them first -- both the Plague Horrors and Ochus are weak
against ice, so use ice attacks! If the enemies get lined up in the narrow
passage, use Shockwave (Monk) or Divine Ruination (Agrias/Orlandeau) to hit the
whole line of them. Reis will probably also rip into them with her Ice Breath.
You may also want to try poaching the Plague Horrors. They sometimes yield the
Zwill Straightblade, the best knife in the game.
After taking out the Plague Horrors, go after Syneugh. (Reis should be
able to handle the two Ochus by herself.) Make sure to keep Reis healed.
Syneugh uses Gigaflare a lot, which hits a wide area but isn't nearly as
powerful as it looks (although it does do a number on the frame rate ^_^). It
also hits his own teammates if they happen to be standing in your vicinity!
Syneugh doesn't have very much HP; if you have Orlandeau, he might able to kill
Syneugh in one shot. This battle isn't really as tough as it may look -- just
make sure Reis stays healed!
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 0, Soil) Remedy Mythril Vest none
Left: 4, Up: 3 (height: 4, Flagstone) Remedy Mythril Shield none
Left: 1, Up: 7 (height: 3, Stone Out.) Remedy Mythril Armor none
Left: 3, Up: 15 (height: 0, Soil) Remedy Mythril Helm none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After this battle, you'll get the Aquarius Zodiac Stone, and Reis and Beowulf
will offer to join you. Sign them up! Both are required for later quests, so
be sure to keep them alive. Reis is not that great (at least for now), but
Beowulf IS. In particular, shoot for learning his Vengeance and Chicken
abilities. Chicken does a HUGE drop on enemy Bravery and frequently turns them
into a helpless chicken, while Vengeance is a potent attack with a long range.
---CONSTRUCT 8---
Now that you've got the Aquarius Stone, return to Goug. You will put in the
Aquarius stone in the iron sphere, which transforms into Construct 8. A
comical scene will follow, and then another new character, Construct 8, joins
you. Construct 8 is more like a monster in that it can't change jobs, but it's
super-strong anyway. It has a long-range laser attack, an inherent Counter,
and is impervious to magick and all status conditions except Confuse.
ALLY: Construct 8 [Gemini] - Automaton, lv. based on party's - Bravery 70,
Faith 0
Abilities : Tasks, Counter, Defense Boost
Immune : All negative status except Confuse, all elements except Lightning
and Water
---NEXT QUEST BEGINS---
On the way out of Goug, if you've progressed sufficiently far in the game,
you'll get another scene in which Besrudio puts together another device that
requires the Cancer Zodiac Stone. If you've finished up Fort Besselat, you can
now begin the Nelveska Temple quest, further below.
%%%RECRUITING BALTHIER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00balt
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After completing battle at the Free City of Bervenia
REWARDS: Balthier joins the party, Ras Algethi gun, Mirage Vest
Balthier from Final Fantasy XII makes an appearance as an optional cameo
character you can sign up for your team.
Any time after completing the battle at the Free City of Bervenia in Chapter
IV, visit either the Magick City of Gariland, the Mining Town of Gollund, or
the Royal City of Lesalia. Read the "Rash of Thefts" rumor. (You only need to
read this rumor at ONE of these three cities, not all three!)
After you've read "Rash of Thefts," go to Dorter and visit the Tavern there.
Read the new rumor here ("A Call for Guards") that will have appeared if you've
read "Rash of Thefts."
It seems like nothing has happened, but return to the map and try to leave
Dorter. You'll get into kicked into a battle (though not without a lengthy
FMV intro to Balthier first).
---Balthier Subquest Battle: Dorter Slums---------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Balthier [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Archer (lv 31, male) Archer (lv 29, male)
Archer (lv 27, male) White Mage (lv 28, female)
Monk (lv 28, male) Thief (lv 30, male)
GUEST: Balthier [Leo] - lv 35 Sky Pirate - Bravery 78, Faith 60
Equipment : Ras Algethi, Thief's Cap, Mirage Vest, Germinas Boots
Abilities : Piracy
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Balthier is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 10 Roof Wind Blast 39%
Soil Sinkhole 36%
Ocean Torrent 11%
Grassland Tanglevine 9%
Coffer Will-o'-the-Wisp 3%
Flagstone Contortion 3%
--STRATEGY--
Balthier will help you out here as a guest.
The bulk of your team will start away from Ramza and Balthier, so it may be
helpful to bring characters with a high Move range or guns, so that they can
join the fray quickly. You'll need to make sure Ramza doesn't get separated
and surrounded. Balthier won't fight on the frontlines, but he has a super-
strong gun and will assist from the rooftops. Unless Ramza gets surrounded,
this should be an easy battle.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1.5, Soil
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 4 (height: 1, Soil) Antidote Leather Armor none
Left: 6, Up: 1 (height: 9, Roof) Echo Herbs Mythril Knife none
Left: 4, Up: 12 (height: 3.5, Grassl.) Eye Drops Clothing none
Left: 7, Up: 14 (height: 1.5, Soil) Phoenix Down Longsword none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afterwards, you can sign Balthier up for your team. He's basically a
combination of Mustadio (he has all of Mustadio's Aimed Shot abilities) and a
Thief, but he has better stats and a wide range of usable equipment (including
polearms, knight's swords, guns, heavy armor, and more). He also has one unique
ability of his own: Barrage. Barrage allows him to attack four times in a row
for 1/2 damage each time, essentially allowing you to do double damage. Barrage
can't be evaded or blocked with Shirahadori, making it a very potent offensive
ability. Balthier's "Plunder" abilities are also a little better than regular
Stealing; when it comes to stealing equipment, a Plunder is 10 percentage points
more likely to succeed than a Steal. (So, if a Steal would have, say, a 36%
success rate, Plunder will have a 46% success rate, for instance.) Overall,
Balthier is a great character and definitely worth a spot on your roster.
Balthier also comes equipped with a Ras Algethi gun and Mirage Vest, two items
you can't find anywhere else! Both are quite strong, so even if you don't plan
on using Balthier, you should at least give his gear to someone else.
%%%NELVESKA TEMPLE%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00nel
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After clearing Fort Besselat and
completing Gollund Colliery quest. (Must also buy flower in Sal
Ghidos, see below)
REWARDS: Reis returns to human form, various items found with Treasure Hunter
---QUEST REQUIREMENTS---
In order to begin the Nelveska Temple quest, you must first have finished the
battles at Fort Besselat in the main storyline, as well as having completed the
Gollund Colliery quest above. Beowulf and Reis the Holy Dragon must also
still be on your team.
When you first reach the Trade City of Sal Ghidos during the main storyline,
you'll be asked to buy a flower for 1 gil from Aerith. Make sure you choose
the SECOND option to buy the flower. You'll need to buy this flower in order
to continue with the quest. If you fail to buy the flower when asked, you do
NOT have a second chance to get it and unfortunately can't continue with this
quest :(
---BEGINNING THE QUEST---
Once you've got the flower, go down to Goug and you'll see a scene where
Besrudio presents another device unearthed from the tunnels; this one requires
the Cancer Zodiac Stone. (If you've already seen this scene, you don't need
to go back to Goug.)
Now go back up to Zeltennia Castle. Go to the tavern and listen to the "Cursed
Isle of Nelveska" rumor. This will open up a new path on your map from
Zeltennia to Nelveska Temple.
Although you can open up the route to Nelveska as soon as you reach Zeltennia,
in order to actually trigger the battle there, you must have seen the scene
at Goug where Besrudio presents his weathervane-like device.
---MODIFYING YOUR BRAVERY---
Before you head up to Nelveska Temple, you'll want to prepare. The battle at
Nelveska Temple contains a number of rare items that can be found using Treasure
Hunter. These items include a super-powered Javelin and Escutcheon as well as
the Sasuke's Blade ninja blade and the goofy Nagnarok sword. The Javelin II and
Escutcheon II are especially worth picking up (and the Escutcheon II isn't
available anywhere else!). You only have this ONE chance to get them, as there
are no random battles at Nelveska Temple. Of course, you certainly don't NEED
any of these items and they can be tricky to get, so it's up to you as to
whether you want to try for them.
If you do want to get the items, you'll need to have a LOW Bravery -- the
higher your Treasure Hunter's Bravery, the higher the odds of getting a crummy
item instead of the item you want. Rapha is great for this purpose since her
Bravery already starts pretty low. For the best odds, though, you'll want to
lower it even further. The best way to do this is probably with Beowulf's
Chicken magick (up to a 12-point decrease in permanent Bravery) for big changes
coupled with the Orator's Intimidate (4-point decrease in permanent Bravery) for
small changes. Just be to sure to keep her permanent Bravery above 10, so that
she doesn't start the battle as a Chicken.
---THE BIG BATTLE---
Whether you're planning on looking for the items or not, you'll probably want
also to buy some Gold Needle or Remedies before you leave town for the coming
battle, or equip Jade Armlets -- the Cockatrices at the temple can turn you to
stone.
Go to Nelveska. If you've seen the appropriate scene at Goug, a battle will
trigger.
---Nelveska Temple Battle: Nelveska Temple--------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, 4 others
ENEMY FORCES: Construct 7 (lv 66 Automaton) Cockatrice* Cockatrice*
Cockatrice* Hydra* Hydra*
* These enemies' levels depend on the highest level on your own roster.
BOSS: Construct 7 [random Zodiac] - lv 66 Automaton - Bravery 50, Faith 0
Abilities : Tasks, Counter, Defense Boost
Immune : All negative status except Confuse, all elements except Lightning
and Water
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Construct 7 twice
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 8 Grassland Tanglevine 51%
Flagstone Contortion 31%
Sand Sandstorm 11%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 4%
Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 2%
Soil Sinkhole 1%
--STRATEGY--
The enemies here will hit you hard and fast. When deploying characters, put
Orlandeau on either the far left or far right. If you have another character
with an automatic Haste (e.g. from the Tynar Rouge), place her behind
Orlandeau. Together, they can probably KO one of the Hydras on the pillars
before it has a chance to move.
The Hydras will attack you first. Watch out for their Tri-Attack, which hits
the unit in front of them as well as any units to either side. Try to kill off
one of Hydras before the Cockatrices reach you. The Cockatrices have relatively
little HP, so you may be able to take them out with group attacks (e.g.
Hallowed Bolt). Since all the enemies are fairly close by, you often don't
need to move attack to them. Remember that not moving gives you your next turn
faster, so don't move unless you need to. Since you're getting assaulted
from all sides here, Orlandeau's Shadowblade attack is quite useful here -- it
both deals damage AND restores a lot of his HP, keeping him healthy.
Construct 7 will probably come out of its nook in the temple to attack you.
It attacks are brutal and can do 300+ damage to you. Try to thin out the
other monsters a little bit first so you won't be swarmed while you're wearing
Construct 7 down. Once you've taken out at least half the other monsters, rush
Construct 7. It has NO Faith, so magick attacks are useless. It's also immune
to all elements except Lightning and Water, so even non-magickal attacks that do
elemental damage (like the Monk's Shockwave) don't work. Regular physical
attacks and sword techniques will work. In addition, Construct 7 IS weak to
non-magickal Lightning attacks, so Reis's Thunder Breath attack will do quite a
bit of damage; it should take off more than half the Construct's HP! When you
KO Construct 7 the first time, it will come back with 1 HP, so KO it again and
the battle will end.
However, if you want to get the hidden items here, you MUST get them before you
defeat Construct 7, as you can't come back after this battle.
There are four hidden items. On top of the two pillars where the Hydras start,
you'll find the best polearm (the pillar on your right) and shield (the pillar
on your left). They're called the Javelin and Escutcheon, but they're totally
different items from the generic Javelin and Escutcheon. (I'll call the good
ones the Javelin II and Escutcheon II.) The lower your Bravery, the better your
odds of discovering the good items; otherwise, you'll end up with a regular
Javelin and Escutcheon, the WORST polearm and shield. To get up on top of the
pillars, move Construct 8 or Reis next to the pillar as a stepping-stone.
You'll need at least a jump of 4 to get up using the stepping-stone method.
(Ignore Elevation and Teleport are not usable because you need the movement
ability slot for Treasure Hunter!)
Because the "good" Javelin and Escutcheon have the same names as the crummy
Javelin and the Escutcheon, it's hard to tell during the battle which one
you've picked up. The Javelin II is gray instead of silver and has a fatter
point, and the Escutcheon II has gold trim (instead of silver) and an extra
vertical bar on its face. These details can be tough to spot in the few
seconds the item is displayed, though. An easier method is to put Reequip on
your Treasure Hunter, which will allow you to examine the items list during
battle. As long as you have "Display Unequippable Items" set to "On" (under
Options), you can see your entire list of equipment. Press Select to check the
stats. If the Javelin or Escutcheon has great stats, it's the one you want; if
it has terrible stats, it's the "regular" version. (You can reset if you don't
get what you're looking for.) You needn't even use up a turn to use Reequip
in this way; just cancel out of the equipment menu without changing anything
and you can take another action.
The other two hidden items on this map are the Sasuke's Blade ninja blade, and
the Nagnarok, a sword that turns enemies into Toads. The Nagnarok has only 1
attack power but a high evade rate when used with Parry. Both these items also
require low Bravery, or you'll get Elixirs instead.
Sasuke's Blade is hidden in the grassy area behind the temple. When you're
facing the temple, on the right side, you'll see a staircase-like cliff that you
can use to climb up on top of the temple. Once you're on top of the temple,
continue moving away from your starting point into the green and brown grassy
area at the back end of the map. The specific tile is near the very far back.
Face the temple and move the cursor the upper-left corner of the map. Now, move
the cursor one tile to the right and one tile down. You should be on a tile
with a height of 4. This is the tile with Sasuke's Blade. (Another way of
locating this tile is to use the coordinates at the bottom of this battle
strategy.)
The Nagnarok sword is much closer to where you start. When the battle starts,
you'll see that Construct 7 is in the "doorway" of the temple just in front of
where you start. It's a black area with pillars on either side. You'll have
to first lure Construct 7 out of the way of the doorway. Once Construct 7 moves
out of the way, move into that "doorway," as if you were walking inside the
temple. This is a narrow passageway -- move the character as far back in the
passage as the game will let you in. The tile deepest inside the temple has the
Nagnarok.
The battle at Nelveska can be tough in its own right, and trying to claim all
these items will make it even harder. Bringing as any many women with Chantage
as possible will help keep you alive, of course. Even Angel Rings (which
only give you Reraise once per battle) are useful. If your Treasure Hunter is
relatively weak, try equipping him/her with the Invisibility Cloak found on
Mount Germinas. As long as the character doesn't take any actual action and
just moves around picking up items, s/he should be left alone completely.
KOing one or both Hydras at the very start of the battle will leave their
bodies atop the pillars, preventing you from climbing up there until they
crystallize ... but go ahead and KO them anyway. You're being attacked by so
many enemies at the start that it's easier to take them out and then just wait
for them to crystallize once things have settled down.
The biggest concern when item-hunting is Construct 7 and its strong attacks.
Unfortunately, it's immune to most of the status conditions you might want to
inflict to halt it. Instead, use Rend Speed over and over to whittle down its
speed and minimize the number of turns it gets. Once you've taken away all its
speed, you can then use Rend Power on it to make it even weaker. (If you
combine Arts of War with Dual Wield, you get two Rends per turn, which makes
this process much easier.) If you're doing the Rends at close range, you will
have to endure Construct 7's counterattacks, which is why Chantage will be
helpful. Beware of accidentally killing Construct 7 with any counterattacks you
might have; you don't want the battle to end prematurely! (And, keep in mind
that all of Construct 7's special attacks decrease its own HP a little bit.)
You'll probably need to stand by and keep healing Construct 7 with Chakra or
items while you continue item-hunting. (White Magicks are ineffective because
Construct 7 is immune to all magick, of course.) The other enemies can (and
should!) be safely killed, of course.
If you're not shooting for ALL the items, the Escutcheon II is the best to pick
up. It can be equipped by many jobs and cannot be found anywhere else in the
game. The Javelin II is probably second-best, since it's the strongest polearm,
whereas Sasuke's Blade is inferior to the Koga and Iga blades found in
Midlight's Deep. The Javelin II and Sasuke's Blade do not HAVE to be obtained
here as they can eventually be caught with Sticky Fingers, and a Sasuke's Blade
can be stolen in another subquest. The Nagnarok is the lowest priority, since
it is of rather dubious value to begin with and can always be poached from
Swines.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 4, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 9 (height: 7, Flagstone) Javelin Javelin II none
Left: 5, Up: 9 (height: 7, Flagstone) Escutcheon Escutcheon II none
Left: 3, Up: 3 (height: 0, Flagstone) Elixir Nagnarok none
Left: 1, Up: 1 (height: 4, Grassland) Elixir Sasuke's Blade none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Construct 7 explodes, you'll get its power source: the Cancer Zodiac Stone.
Back on the map screen, try to leave Nelveska Island. Beowulf will use the
Cancer stone to restore the dragon Reis to her normal human form. She will then
re-join your party, keeping all her dragon abilities and adding many new ones
she can learn. Even in human form, her Dragonkin job can use very little
equipment -- just hair adornments, bags, and some accessories. But, she has
killer stats and an inherent Dual Wield. The Dual Wield can only be used only
with weapon types that can be Dual Wielded, of course, but that includes her
fists.
If you now return the Cancer Stone to Besrudio, he'll summon Cloud. You can now
embark on the Recruiting Cloud quest (below) to add Cloud to your team as well.
If you've cleared Mullonde in the main storyline, you can also tackle the
Lionel's New Liege Lord quest as well.
%%%RECRUITING CLOUD%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00cloud
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: Immediately after completing Nelveska Temple quest
REWARDS: Cloud joins the party, Materia Blade
You can get Cloud any time after you complete Ford Besselat. In order to get
him, you must first complete the Gollund Colliery quest, followed by the
Nelveska Temple quest, both described above. You'll also still need Mustadio
around.
Having completed both of these quests, hike all the way back to Goug. (If
you've finished the battles at Mullonde, you'll have a handy shortcut.)
Besrudio will power up the weathervane with the Cancer Stone and it will ...
summon Cloud. Cloud, in typical Cloud fashion, will refuse to let you
introduce yourselves and run off in pursuit of Sephiroth.
Now you have to go all the way to the Trade City of Sal Ghidos. Remember when
you met Aerith here earlier? Well, she's back, and this time she's being
accosted by some thieves. Cloud comes to save her, but has another one of his
schizophrenic breakdowns. You have to save him from the thieves.
---Cloud Subquest Battle 1: Sal Ghidos------------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Cloud [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Squire (lv 48, male) Squire (lv 47, male) Monk (lv 45, male)
Thief (lv 47, male) Thief (lv 47, male) Thief (lv 33, male)
GUEST: Cloud [Aquarius] - lv 1 Soldier - Bravery 70, Faith 65
Equipment : Thief's Cap, Black Garb, Featherweave Cloak
Abilities : Limit, other abilities random
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Cloud is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
16 x 10 Roof, Chimney Wind Blast 35%
Flagstone, Earthen Wall Contortion 32%
Wasteland Sinkhole 22%
Coffer, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 11%
--STRATEGY--
At this point in the game, a bunch of generic enemies with underpowered jobs
shouldn't pose much threat; if you can't win this battle, you probably
shouldn't be playing the game ;). The main concern here is the three Thieves,
who may try to steal your stuff. If you've got any rare gear, you'll probably
want to equip Safeguard to make sure you don't lose it -- or just take the
Thieves out ASAP. You also need to make sure Cloud stays healthy, since you
lose the battle if he's KOed. He's usually not in any danger, though, since he
often flees into the far side of the map and avoids the melee completely.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 0, Flagstone
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 9, Up: 2 (height: 9, Roof) Gold Needle Reflect Ring none
Left: 9, Up: 9 (height: 3, Wasteland) Holy Water Protect Ring none
Left: 9, Up: 10 (height: 3, Wasteland) Remedy Magick Ring none
Left: 0, Up: 12 (height: 13, Roof) Phoenix Down Angel Ring none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afterwards, Clod... er, Cloud will join you.
You're still not totally finished with this quest. In order for Cloud to be
able to use his Limit attacks, you need to find his Materia Blade. The Blade
is found using the Treasure Hunter ability during random battles at Mount
Bervenia. The easiest way to get into a battle at Mount Bervenia is to go to
Riovanes Castle and just move back and forth between Riovanes and Mount Bervenia
until you get into a random battle.
---Cloud Subquest Battle 2: Mount Bervenia--------------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: 1-5 characters
ENEMY FORCES: Random (see Random Battles section)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, recruit, or Vampirize all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Random
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Basalt Tremor 58%
Lava Magma Surge 37%
Obstructed -- 5%
--STRATEGY--
Once you're in battle, move your Treasure Hunter to the very tippy-top of the
volcano to discover the Materia Blade. You'll need a Jump at least of 4 to
reach the volcano top -- equip Germinas Boots if you need a boost. Unlike the
other rare items found with Treasure Hunter, this one doesn't depend on your
Bravery. You'll always receive the Materia Blade on this tile, regardless of
your Bravery; there's no chance of getting the wrong thing. Once you've
secured the Materia Blade, finish off the rest of the enemies to end the
battle. If you end the battle by mistake before getting the Blade, just start
up another battle; the Blade never disappears until you find it.
If you're having a hard time getting your Treasure Hunter up to the top during
the battle, one strategy is to kill off all but one enemy, and then use
Beowulf's Chicken ability to turn the last enemy into a chicken. This leaves
you free to spend as much time as needed navigating the volcano.
By the way, one of the other treasures here can never actually be obtained.
In order to pick it up, your Treasure Hunter would have to stop on top of a
lava-filled tile. But the only abilities that actually let you STOP on top of
lava are Lavawalking and Levitate -- and neither of those can be equipped at the
same time as Treasure Hunter! Float magick or equipment like the Winged Boots
DO NOT allow you to get this treasure. That's because they only let you move
through lava on the way to another tile, and never allow you to STOP on lava.
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 3, Basalt
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 1, Up: 9 (height: 18, Basalt) -Materia Blade- Death Trap
Left: 4, Up: 1 (height: 3, Basalt) X-Potion Flameburst Bomb Sten Needle
Left: 6, Up: 10 (height: 3, Basalt) X-Potion Flameburst Bomb Death Trap
Left: 5, Up: 11 (height: 0, Lava) -CANNOT BE OBTAINED- Degenerator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equipping Cloud with the Materia Blade allows him to use his Limit command,
although you still have to learn all the Limit abilities individually.
Honestly, Cloud isn't really all that great a character, in my estimation. His
Limits take a long time to charge (you'll probably want to give him the
Time Mage's Swiftness ability), and he takes a long time to level up since he
starts back at level 1.
You can only get the Materia Blade at Mt. Bervenia once. But, if your Materia
Blade is broken or lost, there ARE a couple ways to replace it. First, enemy
ninjas of Lv. 96 or higher will sometimes throw Materia Blades, and you can use
the Thief's Sticky Fingers to catch and keep them. (Good places to find enemy
ninjas include The Interstice, the multiplayer "Littering" mission, and the
special battle at the west entrance to Araguay Woods.) You can also win the
Materia Blade as a prize in the multiplayer Rendezvous Mode.
%%%DISORDER IN THE ORDER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00dis
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles
REWARDS: Lots of stealable equipment
The second of two Agrias-related quests, this quest becomes available late in
Chapter IV, after you win the battles at Mullonde Cathedral. You do NOT have
to have completed the other Agrias quest (Agrias's Birthday) to access it.
First, after clearing the Cathedral, make tracks for Zeltennia Castle, in the
upper right corner of the map. As long as Agrias is still with you, when you
reach Zeltennia, you'll see a scene in which Agrias meets with Ovelia and sets
up an important later plot point. If Alicia and Lavian are still around,
they'll also participate in this scene, but they're not required.
Nothing else happens here, but now head to the Magick City of Gariland or
Eagrose Castle and hit up the Tavern. If you saw the scene at Zeltennia, there
will be a new rumor, "Disorder in the Order." Listen to it.
Now, if you head back to the Brigands' Den south of Mandalia Plain, you'll
get into a battle against some deserters from the Order of the Northern Sky.
---Disorder in the Order Battle: Brigands' Den----------------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Agrias [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Squire (lv 44, male) Squire (lv 41, male) Knight (lv 43, male)
Knight (lv 42, male) Monk (lv 40, female) Ninja (lv 49, male)
VICTORY CONDITION: KO, petrify, or recruit all enemies
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Clear day (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
12 x 10 Wooden Floor Will-o'-the-Wisp 37%
Ocean Torrent 30%
Flagstone Contortion 21%
Grassland Tanglevine 12%
--STRATEGY--
Agrias fights as a Guest in this battle, but it's not necessary to keep her
from getting KOed. You won't lose if she does. In fact, if you want to
steal from all the enemies here, it's probably a GOOD idea to KO Agrias
yourself to keep her from finishing off the enemies before you do. Since she's
a Guest here, you can leave her KOed as long as you want and she won't ever
disappear.
If you bring Orlandeau along as well, you can see a few extra lines of dialogue.
This battle is a stealing extravaganza! Every enemy here has at least one rare
item that you can't find in the Outfitter (although all these items are also
available in at least one other place in the game as well). The Squires have
Blaze and Glacial Guns respectively, the Ninja has a Sasuke's Blade, the Monk
has Ninja Gear and a Barette, and the Knights have a Venetian Shield and a
Kaiser Shield. If you get nothing else, the shields are probably your best bet.
Since there's a LOT to steal here, equipping Concentration or Martial Arts to
boost your success rate be helpful. Don't forget that raising your Speed also
helps you steal items, so use Ramza and Luso's Tailwind (or the Bard's Rousing
Melody) to crank up your Speed stat. Balthier's Plunder skills are also
advantageous here--they're more likely to successfully steal than a regular
Steal. Unfortunately, most of the enemies have equipment that makes them immune
to Sleep status, but Sleep DOES work on the Ninja and the Knights. Chicken can
also work, but then you'll have to chase after the chickenized enemies as they
run away from you, so this can be more hassle than it's worth.
All the enemies in this battle act as "special" characters who will never
crystallize or turn into chests. This can be kinda handy if you want to steal
from them. You can knock out all but one enemy, then revive just the enemy you
want to steal from, pilfer what you want, KO the enemy again, and repeat. You
never have to worry about anyone disappearing completely. Just don't finish off
the last enemy until you're done stealing!
Don't bother with the Treasure Hunter items here -- they're the same items from
when you fought at the Den way back in Chapter I, so they're totally worthless
now. In fact, if you already collected the items back then, they won't even be
here now.
The actual battle should be fairly easy since these are fairly basic enemies
with few special enemies. A couple of the enemies do start up on top of the
fort, which makes them hard to reach unless you have a good Jump, Teleport, or
Ignore Elevation. However, if you march up to the top of the ramp in front of
the fort, you can still hit them with a lot of special attacks (e.g. sword
techniques). Guns and Construct 8's Dispose are also good for attacking from a
distance.
BATTLE TROPHIES: None
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 2, Wooden Floor
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 0, Up: 0 (height: 2, Wooden Fl.) Phoenix Down Longbow none
Left: 8, Up: 10 (height: 2, Grassland) Antidote Flame Rod none
Left: 4, Up: 9 (height: 3, Wooden Fl.) Echo Herbs White Staff none
*Left: 7,Up: 10 (height: 10, Wooden F.) Eye Drops Ice Rod none
* Requires Jump of 4 or greater.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing special happens when you clear the battle--this quest is mostly just an
avenue for stealing a lot of great items :)
%%%LIONEL'S NEW LIEGE LORD%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00lio
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles AND completing Nelveska Temple
quest
REWARDS: Genji Armor, Zeus Mace, Sortile'ge, stealable Masamune and Chantage,
Hydrascale Bag, other equipment
The main purpose of Beowulf's new subquest is to acquire the Masamune and Genji
Armor, as well as a few other goodies.
To begin the subquest, you must first complete the Nelveska Temple quest. At
this point, you will have recruited Beowulf and Reis and returned Reis to human
form. Beowulf and Reis must also still be alive and on your roster. You also
have to completed the battle against Zalbaag at Mullonde in the main storyline.
However, you do NOT need to have recruited Cloud or obtained his Materia Blade.
In addition to meeting the above requirements, to activate the quest, you have
to have read the "Lionel's New Liege Lord" rumor that appears in Taverns after
you've completed the story battle at Bervenia Free City. This rumor can be read
before or after you recruit Beowulf and Reis.
This quest, of course, takes place at Lionel Castle. As soon as you visit
Lionel Castle after reading the rumor and acquiring the needed characters,
you're thrown into the quest, so you'll want to prepare first. Make sure you
have a character able to steal, as this subquest gives you a chance to steal a
Masamune and a Chantage.
When you reach Lionel Castle, you'll see a story scene and Reis will be
spirited away. You're given a chance to save and adjust your roster before
being booted into battle against Beowulf's old pal Aliste.
Since Reis is presently kidnapped, you won't be able to select her as part of
your team for the battles in this quest.
---Lionel's New Liege Lord Battle 1: Lionel Castle Gate-------------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES: Aliste (lv 48 Templar) Archer (lv 45, male)
Archer (lv 42, male) Time Mage (lv 45, female)
Ninja (lv 44, male) Ninja (lv 43, male)
BOSS: Aliste [Scorpio] - lv 48 Templar - Bravery 80, Faith 35
Equipment : Genji Shield, Save the Queen, Genji Helm, Genji Armor, Ribbon
Abilities : Spellblade, Iaido, Shirahadori, Safeguard, Master Teleportation
VICTORY CONDITION: KO Aliste twice
LOSS CONDITION: Beowulf is KOed or Ramza dies
WEATHER: Clear night (evade rate vs. bows x 1.33)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
15 x 9 Grassland Tanglevine 40%
Flagstone Contortion 36%
Swamp Quicksand 7%
Obstructed -- 7%
Stone Outcropping Tremor 5%
Brick Wind Slash 4%
--STRATEGY--
Beowulf fights on your team as a Guest in this battle, which means you only
get to choose 3 other characters to deploy. And while it's not spelled out in
the victory conditions, you have to keep Beowulf alive -- if he gets KOed, you
immediately get a Game Over. Be sure to equip Beowulf with some good armor or a
shield beforehand. It's probably a wise idea to deploy a decent healer as
well so that you can keep his health up. Since your principal enemy here has
Safeguard, Meliadoul's sword techniques are useless, so you probably won't
want to deploy her.
Aliste starts up on the roof, but since he has Elmdore's Master Teleportation
ability, he'll probably warp down to fight you before you can climb up after
him. He's a Templar just like Beowulf, so he has all of Beowulf's Spellblade
skills. (He has a nice set of Genji gear as well, but, also like Elmdore, he
has Safeguard, which means you unfortunately can't steal it from him.) Since
Aliste's Spellblade can inflict a lot of status changes on you, be sure to have
Remedy or Esuna ready. Alternately, try wiping out Aliste's MP using the
Knight's Rend MP, Orlandeau's Duskblade, or the Dark Knight's Infernal Strike.
Aliste has somehow equipped a Ribbon--normally female-only headgear--in his
accessory slot, so he's immune to status attacks.
You might want to send one or two of your less powerful characters to take out
the Ninjas coming through the castle gate. The other enemies can probably
be ignored. The Archers won't do too much damage, and they're hard to target
since the castle wall blocks your ability to shoot at them. If you want to
take them out, use Construct 8's Dispose, which can go through walls.
Focus your attacks on Aliste. He uses Shirahadori to guard your physical
attacks. You can try to weaken this by using Orator skills to lower his
Bravery (since a lower Bravery means reaction abilities trigger less often);
Beowulf may also help you in this regard. Otherwise, just sling magicks, sword
techniques, Dispose, and Balthier's Barrage at him until he goes down. The
first time you KO him, he'll revive with 1 HP, but just punch him out a second
time and you win the battle for real.
As with all of the "repeat" battlefields, the Treasure Hunter tiles here are the
same crummy ones from the first time through, so you can safely ignore them.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Genji Armor
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 5, Grassland
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 2, Up: 6 (height: 8, Grassland) Ether Wizard's Robe none
Left: 7, Up: 5 (height: 4, Grassland) Echo Herbs Rubber Boots none
Left: 7, Up: 7 (height: 4, Grassland) Potion Golden Armor none
Left: 13, Up: 6 (height: 2, Grassland) Hi-Potion Wizard Clothing none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll have another chance to save and adjust your team, so equip the Genji
Armor you just won. It's the second strongest suit of armor in the single-
player game.
---Lionel's New Liege Lord Battle 2: Lionel Castle Oratory----------------------
YOUR FORCES: Ramza, Beowulf [guest], 3 others
ENEMY FORCES:
PHASE ONE: Bremondt (lv 51 Celebrant) Mystic (lv 46, female)
Mystic (lv 45, female) Samurai (lv 48, female)
Samurai (lv 47, female) Ninja (lv 49, female)
Ninja (lv 48, female)
PHASE TWO: Bremondt (lv 42 Dark Dragon)
BOSS: Bremondt [Gemini] - lv 51 Celebrant - Bravery 10, Faith 80
Equipment : Zeus Mace, Celebrant's Miter, Lordly Robe, Ribbon
Abilities : Priest Magicks, Fundaments, Counter Tackle, Safeguard, Lifefont
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Confuse, Silence, Oil, Berserk,
and Slow
BOSS: Bremondt [Gemini] - lv 42 Dark Dragon - Bravery 80, Faith 10
HP: about 3150, MP: about 220
Abilities : Breath, Counter, Attack Boost, Arcane Strength, Arcane Defense
Immune : All negative status except Blind, Slow, and Immobilize
VICTORY CONDITION: Phase One - KO Bremondt
Phase Two - KO Dark Dragon Bremondt
LOSS CONDITION: Ramza dies or all allies are KOed/Stone
WEATHER: Indoors (no special effects)
MAP SIZE: TERRAIN TYPES GEOMANCY MAP AREA
10 x 8 Flagstone Contortion 60%
Carpet, Stairs Will-o'-the-Wisp 20%
Obstructed -- 20%
--STRATEGY--
Bremondt has a pretty powerful set of underlings here. Most importantly, the
Samurai to Bremondt's right (the left side of the screen when the battle
begins) has a stealable Masamune. This is by far the easiest place to get this
weapon, so be sure to steal it! (The only other way to get a Masamune in the
single-player game is to catch it with Sticky Fingers when enemy Ninjas throw
it.)
Some of Bremondt's other troops are pretty tough, too. The Mystic on his
left (again, the right side of the screen initially) is equipped with Chantage.
This means that there's no point in attacking her, as she'll just revive on
her next turn. The only way to really take her out is to break the Chantage or
steal it. Since Chantage is extremely useful, stealing it isn't a bad idea,
although you CAN get them elsewhere. Watch out, both Mystics also have a pretty
strong attack since they're equipped with bags.
Other rare items available here are a Cachusha and Barette--stolen from the
Mystics on Bremondt's right and left, respectively--and the Sortile'ge perfume,
also stolen from the Mystic on his right. You'll be receiving a Sortile'ge
and Hydrascale Bag for completing this quest anyway, though, so these are
pretty skippable.
Bremondt himself is equipped with a Lordly Robe, which gives him a fair amount
of HP, and a Ribbon, which blocks any status attacks. Unfortunately, he has
Safeguard, so you can't steal this stuff from him. He's not much of a threat in
combat, though. As long as at least one of his underlings is KOed, Bremondt
usually just wastes his turns casting Arise. (This can actually helpful be if
you accidentally KO the Samurai with the Masamune before you're able to steal
it.) Keep at least one of the generic enemies KOed while you go after Bremondt
and he'll just keep using Arise. Since the Ribbon doesn't protect Bremondt from
the Atheist status, you can also try using the Mystic's Disbelief (or Beowulf's
Doubt) to prevent him from casting magicks. Alternately, attack his MP with
Rend MP / Duskblade / Infernal Strike.
When Bremondt is KOed, he will transform into the Dark Dragon, and all the other
enemy troops will be wiped from the board. It's now time for the second phase
of this battle.
The Dark Dragon has some really strong physical attacks, and might occasionally
use breath attacks as well. It can Counter you when you attack, so you're
probably better off using sword techniques or other abilities that aren't
standard melee attacks. Beowulf's Drain is good too, though here you have no
control over whether he uses it! Magicks are pretty useless since the Dark
Dragon has very low Faith AND Arcane Defense. Graviga and Lich can still do big
damage if they connect, but will have a low hit rate. Attacks that don't depend
on Faith are better.
BATTLE TROPHIES: Zeus Mace
--TREASURE HUNTER ITEMS--
Put this corner at screen bottom: Height 1, Flagstone - on Ramza's left at start
POOR ITEM GOOD ITEM TRAP
Left: 6, Up: 3 (height: 5, Carpet) Potion Guardian Bracelet none
Left: 6, Up: 4 (height: 5, Carpet) Ether Mage's Cloak none
Left: 8, Up: 3 (height: 7, Flagstone) Hi-Potion Protect Ring none
Left: 8, Up: 4 (height: 7, Flagstone) Remedy Osafune none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Bremondt goes down, you'll receive a Zeus Mace, a very nice staff, for
your efforts. (There's a second Zeus Mace in Midlight's Deep, but it doesn't
hurt to have two!)
Beowulf and Reis are reunited. In gratitude for all your help, Beowulf
hands over all his treasure, including a Gold Hairpin, a Hydrascale Bag, a
pair of Hermes Shoes, a Diamond Bracelet, and the Sortile'ge perfume. You're
prompted to add Beowulf and Reis back into your roster, and this subquest is now
complete! At this point, Beowulf and Reis are no longer required for any other
quests, so you COULD delete them if you wanted, but you won't be able to get
them back!
%%%MIDLIGHT'S DEEP%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%00md
QUEST BECOMES AVAILABLE: After Mullonde battles
REWARDS: Numerous rare items, Zodiark summon, the Byblos joins the party
Midlight's Deep is a dungeon with ten floors (each a separate battle), each
packed with really powerful equipment. It's completely optional, and in
fact is more difficult than the actual end of the game.
You can only access Midlight's Deep after you complete the three battles at
Mullonde Cathedral. But, you don't need to have beaten the final boss.
After completing Mullonde Cathedral, go to the Port City of Warjilis. When you
arrive, you'll automatically see a scene in the tavern in which Ramza overhears
a rumor about the Deep. (Fans of the original PSone version of FF Tactics may
get a kick out of some of the dialogue here.) When you leave town, a route will
automatically pop up on the tiny island to the east, which contains Midlight's
Deep, a ten-floor bonus dungeon.
To enter Midlight's Deep, move to the island. Then, click on Midlight's Deep a
second time. Choose the floor you want to enter. At the beginning, only the
first floor will be accessible, but you'll open up more as you progress.
---General Instructions---------------------------------------------------------
---BATTLES IN THE DEEP---
Midlight's Deep battles are considered random battles, which means that the
exact line-up of enemies changes each time. It also means that you don't have
to deploy Ramza. The exception is the initial encounter on the last floor,
which has a fixed set of enemies AND requires Ramza to be deployed.
---NAVIGATING THE DARKNESS---
To make things challenging, every floor of Midlight's Deep is completely dark.
You can see your team and the enemies, but you can't see the terrain. Crystals
left by dead enemies will light up much of the area, but there's an even easier
way to see your way around. Select an attack with a really long range, like a
gun attack, Beowulf's Vengeance, Construct 8's Dispose, or best of all, Teleport
(which lights up the *whole* map). When you're choosing a target, most of the
panels on the battlefield will be highlighted, giving you a chance to study the
terrain. You don't even have to USE the selected attack, just select it, look
at the map, and then cancel back to the menu. Since you can do this every
round, you shouldn't have too much trouble seeing what you're doing.
Although Midlight's Deep *looks* dark, it does not have the penalties on bow
and crossbow accuracies that nighttime battles do in the overworld.
---FINDING THE EXITS---
Not only do you have to beat the enemies on each level, you ALSO have to find
the exit to open up the next level. If you kill all the enemies without
finding the exit, you'll just be kicked back to the map screen and have to
replay the level before you can advance. To find the exit, you simply have to
move a character onto the tile that contains the exit, at which point you'll
get a message telling you that you "found a passage leading deeper." Once you
finish off the remaining enemies and return to the map, you'll be able to
select the next floor. You do NOT need the Treasure Hunter ability to find
the exits.
To make things tricky, each time you enter the level, the exit is RANDOMLY
placed on one of five possible tiles -- so you don't know where it is! In the
floor-by-floor walkthrough below, I've listed the possible exit locations for
each floor, in order from nearest to furthest. Bear in mind that the exit can
only be found on ONE of these five tiles, not any of them.
Remember, the battle ends when yo