=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Final Fantasy III (SNES) FAQ/Walkthrough Time I Started This Guide: 10/7/06 Version: 1.2 Author: KoritheMan E-Mail: verykoolguy2002@yahoo.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ------------------------------------ | Table of Contents | ------------------------------------ | 1. Introduction | | 2. Version History | | 3. Characters | | 4. Storyline | | 5. Controls | | 6. Game Basics | | 7. Walkthrough | | 8. Bosses | | 9. Enemies | | 10. Items | | 11. Weapons | | 12. Shields | | 13. Headgear | | 14. Armors | | 15. Relics | | 16. Colosseum | | 17. Rages | | 18. Shops | | 19. Espers | | 20. Spells | | 21. FAQs | | 22. Codes n' Secrets | | 23. Copyright | | 24. Contact Info | | 25. Credits | |__________________________________| |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 1. Introduction | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Final Fantasy III is the SNES's masterpiece game, in my opinion. Even more fun than Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Lufia, all of those legendary games. Final Fantasy III really is a true masterpiece. I can't really see anything wrong with this game, but this is all just my opinion, remember? Anyway, this game has some GREAT music, seriously the best music I've seen in any video game. It has pretty good sounds too, especially considering the music usually outclasses the sound in games, but the sound is good in this game, too. This game has some great graphics for a SNES game, seriously one of the best graphics you'll see in a SNES game, and this game has some great replay value, especially if you aim to get every single item in the game after completing it one time. Basically, this game has loads of side quests, and lots and lots of hours of gameplay to it, as well as everything you'd want in a SNES RPG, so you should definitely check this game out, but it might be rare to find since it's very old. |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 2. Version History | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Version 1.2 / Fixed the Imperial Banquet part of my FAQ regarding what you have to tell Gestahl in order to get everything good after the banquet. If anyone was having trouble because of my directions on that part, I apologize. Version 1.1 / Made a small update. Version 1.0 / Completed the guide. |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 3. Characters | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Terra Branford Game Description: "A mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic......" Biography: Terra is a young girl who is a half human and a half Esper. Her father was the Esper Maduin. One day, Maduin found Madonna, a girl who is not an Esper, but a human, lying on the ground of the Esper World unconscious. Maduin nurses her back to health, then he falls in love with her and Maduin and Madonna eventually have a baby, whom they name Terra. One day, Emperor Gestahl, leader of the evil Empire, finds out about the Espers' magical powers, and so he and some soldiers that are working for the Empire, come into the Esper World and attempt to drain the Espers' powers for their own evil schemes. They do succeed, and Maduin, Madonna, and Terra, get dragged into the human world. After that, Gestahl takes Terra as his own, and forces her to work for the Empire. Terra eventually has the Slave Crown put on her head, which robs her of all conscious thought, meaning she'll do whatever the Empire wants her to do, regardless if it's evil or not. The Slave Crown is eventually removed from Terra, and she joins the Returners, an organization opposed to the Empire, later on in the game. When the world is destroyed by Kefka, Terra ends up in the town of Mobliz with some children who have lost their parents. Since they need Terra so much, she doesn't join your group until a little while after you first meet her after the world is destroyed. Terra rejoins your group to give the world hope for a good future. Combat Information: Terra is a very good character to have on your team. She has very high magic power, but she has low physical attack power, which can be expected since she is a magic user (how often do mages have high physical attack power?). Terra can use her special ability, Morph (more on that below), to transform into an Esper, thus doubling her physical and magical attack power. Basically, Terra is a magic user and not at all a physical attacker, unless you give her the proper equipment. You'll definitely want to have her on your team a lot, especially because of her powerful Morph ability. Terra's Special Abilities ------------------------- Morph Description: Morph allows Terra to turn into an Esper, thus doubling both her physical and magical attack power (as I stated above). Morph doesn't last forever, though, as you'll notice a meter that goes down gradually while Terra is in her Esper form. When that meter goes down all the way, Terra reverts back into her human self, thus her physical and magical attack power decreases back to what it was before you used Morph. Morph is only gained after you get her back into your group once you complete the Magitek Factory and come back to Zozo. The more often you use Morph with Terra, the less time she can stay morphed, so you should only use Morph in the really tough boss battles in the game, so that you make sure that you are able to use it before a particularly hard boss battle. After you defeat Phunbaba the second time in the World of Ruin (when you recruit Terra into your group again), Terra will be able to stay in Morph longer each time she gains Magic Points after every battle (more on Magic Points in the Game Basics section of this FAQ). Morph alone is what makes Terra as good as she is. Natural Magic Learning Description: This isn't really an ability per se, but I didn't know where else to put it. Basically, Terra is one of the only two characters in the game (next to Celes) that can learn magic without the use of an Esper. Below is a list of what level Terra learns certain magic spells at. Take note that Terra won't learn (nor will Celes) learn every magic spell in the game just by gaining levels; she has to gain a majority of spells through the use of Espers. What Level Terra Learns Magic Spells At --------------------------------------- Level 1 - Cure Level 3 - Fire Level 6 - Antdot Level 12 - Drain Level 18 - Life Level 22 - Fire 2 Level 26 - Warp Level 33 - Cure 2 Level 37 - Dispel Level 43 - Fire 3 Level 49 - Life 2 Level 57 - Pearl Level 68 - Break Level 75 - Quartr Level 86 - Merton Level 99 - Ultima Locke Cole Game Description: "Treasure hunter and trail-worn traveller, searching the world over for relics of the past..." Biography: Locke Cole is a treasure hunter according to his logic, although it's safe to call him a thief, since that's basically what he is. Locke had a girlfriend that was named Rachel. Locke used to take her on expeditions with him to find some treasure, but one day, he took her into a cave to find treasure. The floor collapsed beneath Locke and he almost fell to his death, but Rachel pushed him out of the way and fell in his stead. Rachel wasn't killed, however, but remained with her parents in Kohlingen. Rachel's parents, naturally, blamed Locke for her death. Rachel tells Locke to leave Kohlingen because her parents seem to be unhappy when he is around. Eventually, Locke comes back to Kohlingen to find out that Rachel has been killed in an imperial attack. Locke blames himself for her death after that. He also vows to protect anyone that he is able to from that point on. Locke eventually joins the Returners in an effort to take down the Empire, since the Empire ordered the attack that killed Rachel. Combat Information: While Locke isn't an inherently useful character in terms of overall power or any other stat for that matter, Locke excels in Speed. Locke has the highest Speed of any party member in the game, thus he will be able to take turns a lot faster, especially when he has Haste cast on him or has the RunningShoes relic,much faster than any other party member can. Locke's excelling in the speed category allows him to steal both common items and rare items from enemies in battle, and that's where Locke becomes useful. I'll explain more about Steal below. Locke is an overall average character in every stat, with an exception in Speed. Locke's Special Abilities ------------------------- Steal Description: By using Steal, Locke will be able to steal either common or rare items from a certain enemy. At first, Locke's success rate to steal something is very low, but as he gains level, the success rate of his Steal command will increase greatly. Locke has a 1/8 of stealing a rare item from an enemy. Also, if Locke is equipped with the Thief Glove relic, Steal will be turned into Capture. Capture is the same thing as Steal, except Locke attacks the enemy and uses Steal after the attack. Capture does not increase the success rate of you stealing an item. The Sneak Relic relic, however, doubles Locke's chance of stealing an item from an enemy. Also, not only Locke's level, but the level of the enemy you are trying to steal from, determines Locke's success rate. Also, one thing I haven't mentioned yet is that a lot of enemies in the game hold two slots in which they have items: a common slot, and a rare slot. The common slot is where you'll steal the more useless item of the two items that the enemy has. The rare slot, on the other hand, is where you'll be stealing the more useful, and, obviously, more rare item that the enemy has. There is approximately an 87.5% chance of you stealing the common item from the enemy, and a 12.5% chance of stealing the rare item from the enemy (the Sneak Ring does double the chances of you stealing both the common and rare items, though, and the above rule about how much of a chance you have to steal an item only apply if Locke successfully steals; meaning the game doesn't say "Couldn't steal!!"). Some enemies don't have both a common and a rare steal slot, but just one, so take note of that. Edgar Rene Figaro Game Description: "The young king of Figaro Castle, ally to the Empire, and a master designer of machinery..." Biography: Edgar is the young king of Figaro Castle, and he also happens to be the twin brother of Sabin Rene Figaro, who left Figaro Castle because he was disgusted with the war-filled realm (the castle). Edgar is not actually allied with the Empire, but is pretending to be. The truth is, Edgar is collaborating with the Returners. In short, the Returners are a rebellion against the Empire who hope to take it down. Eventually, Figaro is attacked by Kefka, since Edgar lied to him and told him Terra was not at the castle, when in truth she was (the Empire wanted her back, so they sent Kefka to retrieve her). Edgar then ventures to Mt. Kolts, where he meets Sabin, his twin brother. When the two meet, Sabin joins Edgar. Edgar and the group journey onward to the Returner's Hideout, where the group spoke with Banon and the Returners. One of the Returners is killed by an Imperial Soldier, which means the Empire is on the way to the Returner's Hideout. The Returners then journey through the Lete River, and continue their effort to stop the Empire from there. In the World of Ruin, Edgar rejoins your group in Figaro Castle, after Celes and Sabin help him destroy four tentacles in the castle. Combat Information: Edgar excels in Strength, basically. Edgar is a powerhouse, but he isn't quite as strong as his twin brother Sabin, who has the strongest power in the game. Edgar is best in Strength and Strength alone; that's what I'm trying to say, basically. When you make Edgar a dragoon, he is inherently useful, and will always be a valuable asset to your group. Edgar also has low magic power, so don't expect too much from him in that category. Edgar's Special Abilities ------------------------- Tools Description: Edgar has a total of 8 Tools that he can obtain in the game. When used, a Tool will always do something against the enemy/enemies you are fighting. Each Tool has a different effect on the enemy. Below is a list of which Tools Edgar will have access to in the game, as well as where to find them. Edgar's Tools ------------- Air Anchor Location: Found in a chest in Fanatics' Tower, bet the Cursed Ring or Genji Armor in the Colosseum to fight an enemy for this. Description: When used, may instantly kill the selected target. AutoCrossbow Location: Edgar has this Tool when you first recruit him, buy in Figaro Castle (WoB) for 250G (125G with a discount), buy in Figaro Castle (WoR) for $250 (125G with a discount), steal from Hitman or Trapper. Description: When used, Edgar will launch an uncountable amount of arrows at all of the enemies onscreen to cause damage. Bio Blaster Location: Buy at Figaro Castle (WoB) for 750G (375G with a discount, buy at South Figaro (WoB) for 500G (250G with a discount) buy at Figaro Castle (WoR) for 750G (375G with a discount), steal from Chaser, Innoc, or TunnelArmr, get it from a ProtoArmor. Description: Edgar fires a beam of poison that hits all enemies onscreen and poisons them, just as long as they aren't resistant to poison. It also causes slight damage to the enemies. Chain Saw Location: By resetting the clock in Zozo, you can get this, also steal from Dueller. Description: This Tool allows Edgar to use a chain saw (obviously) on the selected target. If Edgar attacks the enemy without a mask on, he will inflict a lot of damage on the target. If he attacks with a mask on, then he has a chance to instantly kill the selected target, just as long as the target isn't resistant to instant death. Debilitator Location: Buy at Figaro Castle (WoR) for 5000G (2500G with a discount). Description: This Tool gives the selected target a random elemental weakness, meaning it makes the target weak to something that it wasn't weak against before you used Debilitator. Drill Location: Buy at Figaro Castle (WoB) for 3000G (1500G with a discount), buy at Figaro Castle (WoR) for 3000G (1500G with a discount), steal from Fortis. Description: When used, Edgar will attack the selected target by drilling the target. Flash Location: Buy at Figaro Castle (WoB) for 1000G (500G with a discount), buy at Figaro Castle (WoR) for 1000G (500G with a discount), steal from Rhynox or Sky Base. Description: Damages all enemies, as well as causes the Blind status aliment on them. NoiseBlaster Location: Buy at Figaro Castle (WoB) for 500G (250G with a discount), buy at South Figaro (WoB) for 500G (250G with a discount), buy at Figaro Castle (WoR) for 500G (250G with a discount), steal from Crane or Junk. Description: When used, this Tool emits a very loud noise, which can cause the Confuse status aliment on all enemies, just as long as they are not resistant to it. Sabin Rene Figaro Game Description: "Edgar's twin brother, who traded the throne for his own freedom..." Biography: Sabin is Edgar's twin brother, as the game implies. Sabin, at a young age, lost his mother and father at the hands of the Empire. Sabin claimed that the people in Figaro Castle didn't care when either of his parents died; all that was on their minds was who was going to be the next person to take over the throne. Sabin left Figaro Castle after a coin toss he did with Edgar decided his fate. Edgar took over the throne, while Sabin trained under his master, Duncan, to gain some skills in martial arts to take down the Empire. Sabin is eventually reunited with his brother in Mt. Kolts, and he and Edgar try and stop the Empire. Combat Information: Sabin excels in the Stength category. He is also a fairly decent magic user, but only when paired with Earrings or some Earrings and a Hero Ring. Sabin's AuraBolt Blitz (more on Blitz below), as well as his Fire Dance Blitz, his Air Blade Blitz, and lastly, his Bum Rush Blitz, all rely on magic power for their damage. Giving Sabin dual Earrings to boost his magic, or a Hero Ring and an Earring to boost both physical and magical attack power is a good idea. Sabin's Special Abilities ------------------------- Blitz Description: Sabin has a total of 8 Blitzes. Each Blitz has a certain effect on an enemy. I'll list all of Sabin's Blitzes below. Also, each Blitz has a button input that needs to be implemented in order to preform a specific Blitz. Most people seem to have trouble with this for some unknown reason, but it isn't hard. At all. For example, to preform Pummel, Sabin's very first Blitz, you have to press A when you highlight the Blitz icon in battle, then after that, press (not hold) Left, Right, Left on the D-Pad, and then press A again to preform Pummel. It's simple. Air Blade Command: Up, up-right, Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Left Alternate Command: Up, Up, Right, Right, Down, Down, Left Learnt At Level: 30 Description: This allows Sabin to deal wind-elemental damage to all enemies. AuraBolt Command: Down, Down-left, Left Alternate Command: Down, Down, Left Learnt At Level: 6 Description: Sabin fires a beam of magical energy at the selected target for magic damage. Bum Rush Command: Left, Up-left, Up, Up-right, Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Left Alternate Command: Left, Left, Up, Up, Right, Right, Down, Down, Left Learnt At Level: 70 Learnt Otherwise: Duncan teaches Bum Rush to Sabin in the World of Ruin if you visit his house. Description: Sabin damages the selected target with a strong magic attack. Fire Dance Command; Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right Alternate Command: Left, Left, Down, Down, Right Learnt At Level: 15 Description: Sabin does a fire-elemental attack to all enemies. Mantra Command: R, L, R, L, X, Y Alternate Command: N/A Learnt At Level: 23 Description: Fully restores HP to all party members in the battle, except for Sabin. Pummel Command: Left, Right, Left Alternate Command: N/A Learnt At Level: 1 Description: Sabin attacks the selected target with rapid punches for physical damage. Spiraler Command: R, L, X, Y, Right, Left Alternate Command: N/A Learnt At Level: 42 Description: Fully restores HP to all party members, but Sabin is forced out of the battle. Suplex Command: X, Y, Down, Up Alternate Command: N/A Learnt At Level: 10 Description: Sabin picks up the selected target and throws it, just as long as the target isn't immune to being Suplex'd. Shadow Game Description: "He owes allegiance to no one, and will do anything for money. He comes and goes like the wind..." Biography: Shadow's real name is Clyde. Shadow had a best friend named Baram. One day, Clyde and Baram robbed a train of 1,000,000 G. The two were caught, and Baram was severely wounded.by the authorities. Baram wants Clyde to kill him with a knife, since he doesn't want to have to suffer again when he is found. Clyde refuses to do that, and so he leaves Baram. Clyde eventually becomes the ninja you see him as in the game, and eventually goes to the town of Thamasa, where he finds a girl whom he falls in love with. Shadow and the girl have a baby girl, whom they name Relm. After Relm's birth, Shadow leaves Thamasa, and his dog, Interceptor, follows him. Shadow is eventually hired by the Empire to search for the Espers, because the Empire supposedly wants to talk "peace" with the Espers. Shadow is eventually betrayed by the Empire once the Empire has no use for him anymore. Shadow then joins your group when they find him on the Floating Continent, and he is never seen again until the World of Ruin, where he joins your group for good. Combat Information: While Shadow alone may not be able to deal any serious damage (he can deal good damage, but nothing compared to what his dog, Interceptor, can do), he can deal good damage. However, his dog, Interceptor, can deal even more damage than Shadow can, even if Shadow is equipped with a Genji Glove, two weapons, and an Atlas Armlet. When Shadow is attacked, Interceptor will randomly counterattack and hit an enemy in the current battle for tons of damage. Interceptor can do 2x the damage Shadow can do. Interceptor will be hurting 1000 or more, while Shadow will be hurting 300-400 in the beginning of the game. Shadow's Special Abilities -------------------------- Throw Description: Shadow's special ability, Throw, is quite a useful one. Shadow can throw weapons that are in your inventory at an enemy to deal damage. Depending on what you throw, Shadow can deal up to 9999 damage, the maximum amount of damage you can deal in this game! Also, if Shadow throws a ThunderBlade at an enemy that is weak to lightning (Inferno is one of them), it'll probably hurt about 5000-9999 damage, depending on Shadow's level and magic power. Don't ever underestimate Throw, because it is a very good ability to have, especially in particularly tough boss battles where a weakness can be exploited (even if the current boss doesn't have a weakness, Edgar can use the Debilitator to give the boss an elemental weakness, which Shadow can exploit by throwing something). Basically, Throw is inherently useful. Cyan Garamonde Game Description: "Faithful reatiner to his family's liege, with the courage and strength of a hundred men..." Biography: Cyan Garamonde, as the game implies, is the faithful retainer to the king of Doma. Cyan has defended Doma Castle since the days of the king's father. Cyan is the strongest warrior in Doma, but he is a very old warrior. Cyan's wife, Elayne, and son, Owain, died in Doma Castle thanks to the Empire poisoning everyone in the castle. Cyan then seeks vengeance against the Empire for the death of his wife and child, and so he goes to the Imperial Camp. Sabin meets up with Cyan in the Imperial Camp, then the two join each other in the fight against the Empire. In the World of Ruin, Cyan writes letters to a girl named Lola. Lola thinks her boyfriend is still alive, but the truth is, he died in Mobliz. As Cyan writes to Lola, he realizes he is very much like her. He eventually tells Lola the truth about her boyfriend. Cyan also implores Lola not to let the past destroy her. Cyan joins your group once again when they find him in Mt. Zozo. Combat Information: Cyan has some decent Strength, but nothing super impressive. Cyan is good in the early parts of the game with Dispatch and Quadra Slice, but he becomes more and more useless as the game goes on (believe me, you'll be able to tell this as you go through the game). Cyan can be good if equipped properly, but so many other party members are already better than him anyway. Cyan's Special Abilities ------------------------ SwdTech Description: Cyan is able to preform techniques with his sword. He can do a total of 8 techinques with his sword in all. SwdTechs are gained by Cyan gaining levels, but he learns all SwdTechs after you beat WrexSoul in the World of Ruin, even if he is not at the level that is required to learn them. Below is a list of all of Cyan's SwdTech's. Dispatch Learned At Level: 1 Description: When used, Cyan attacks an enemy with a physical attack. Retort Learned At Level: 6 Description: After you use this, Cyan will attack the enemy with a very strong physical attack. Slash Learned At Level: 12 Description: This allows Cyan to halve the HP of the selected target. Quadra Slam Learned At Level: 15 Description: When used, Cyan attacks any enemies he wants to with his sword four times. Empowerer Learned At Level: 24 Description: The amount of HP and MP that the selected target takes after you use this ability, and Cyan's HP and MP are restored by that amount. Stunner Learned At Level: 1 Description: Damages all enemies onscreen, and has a chance to cast Stop. Quadra Slice Learned At Level: 44 Description: When used, Cyan attacks any enemies he wants to with his sword four times. This is a more powerful version of Quadra Slam. Cleave Learned At Level: 70 Description: This attack instantly kills all enemies onscreen when used. Gau Game Description: "Draped in monster hides, eyes shining with intelligence, a youth surviving against all odds..." Biography: Gau is a young boy who has learned the ways of the monsters on the Veldt (that's why he can use his Rage ability in battle). Gau's mother died after she gave birth to Gau, so then Gau's father left Gau on the Veldt all alone and crying, because he thought Gau was a monster. Gau was never reunited with his father until very late in the game, where he finally gets to meet him again. Gau's father denies that he ever had a son though when they finally get to meet each other again, but Gau is still happy to see his father is alive. Gau joins Sabin and Cyan when they stumble upon him in the Veldt and give him some meat to eat. Combat Information: Gau can't use a weapon, unless he is equipped with the Merit Award Relic, but weapons are not where he's useful, unless you do the wind-god Gau setup, that is. Gau's real advantage comes in his Rage ability, which I will explain below. Gau may seem very weak and very useless at first, but believe me when I say he can be one of the most useful party members in the game. For example, you can learn the Templar Rage when you first recruit Gau, meaning he can use Fire 2, which, when paired with Earrings, will do around 2000 or more damage, depending on which enemy you use Fire 2 on. So you see, Gau is a very useful party member, and will always be throughout the game. Gau's Special Abilities ----------------------- Rage Description: You will notice that in battle on the Veldt, Gau has the Leap command. When you use Leap in a battle on the Veldt, Gau will learn an attack of each enemy you are fighting in the current battle. After you have leaped Gau off, keep fighting until you re-recruit him into your party. When you get him back, he'll have learned some Rages, which is the result of using Leap. It has been said that Gau will, if you have four party members in your group (in other words, if you put another party member in after you leap Gau off and only have three party members left after you leap him off), learn the Rages of every single monster you encountered on the Veldt after you leaped him off when you decide to re-recruit him into your group. I have tried this, and have not found that it is true, but rather false. Either that, or there is a glitch in my game. Now, note that every single time you encounter a new enemy, that enemy goes to the Veldt, ready for you to encounter it when you get there. There are only a few enemies that you can't encounter on the Veldt after fighting them (e.g. Siegfried or Chupon). Due to you not being able to encounter every enemy on the Veldt (there are only very few enemies you can't encounter on the Veldt), you won't be able to get some Rages unless you use game genie. There are a total of 255 Rages in total, but there are three you cannot get unless you a game genie. These are: Allo Ver, Siegfried, and Chupon. If you want to know all of the Rages, see the Rages section. Celes Chere Game Description: "Product of genetic engineering, battle-hardened Magitek Knight with a spirit as pure as snow..." Biography: Celes Chere was a girl who was artifically infused with magic when she was a baby. Since then, she has had the ability to cast magic, and learn natural magic (the only character other than Terra who can do this). Celes is a general working for the Empire. Celes torches the town of Maranda, and then later she is rescued by Locke in South Figaro. The reason for Celes being imprisoned in South Figaro was because she betrayed the Empire, realizing how rotten they were. After she is rescued by Locke, Celes joins the Returners. When she ventures into the Magitek Factory, the Empire's secret base, she is accused of betraying the Returners by Locke. She stops Kefka from killing her friends to prove that she hasn't turned away from her friends. Celes then rejoins your group again after the incident in Thamasa. Celes and Cid, whom she calls grandfather, are the only ones left (as far as Cid knows; there are quite a number of people left, though) after Kefka destroyed the world. They are stranded on an island, well away from any civilization. After Celes gets off the island, she finds her missing friends and takes down the Empire. Battle Information: Like Terra, Celes is a magic user. Period. She is a pure magic user. Celes excels in magic power, but lacks in physical attack power, which is typical of any type of magic user on any video game, Final Fantasy or otherwise. Basically, Celes is a magic user, and all her other stats are average or below average. Celes' Special Abilities ------------------------ Runic Description: Runic allows Celes to absorb a magic attack sent your party's way (even if you use something, she'll absorb it). When she absorbs a magic attack, she gains the MP it cost to cast the spell. In order for Celes to be able to use Runic, she needs to have a sword that has the Runic ability. Note that the effect of Runic wears off after one turn (it had to have a flaw). Also, when you select a command with Celes when her next turn comes along, Runic will wear off then, even if you haven't fully completed your turn with Celes. Runic is a good ability, but it had to have some downsides to it; everything has a downside. What Level Celes Learns Magic Spells At --------------------------------------- Level 1 - Ice Level 4 - Cure Level 8 - Antdot Level 13 - Imp Level 18 - Scan Level 22 - Safe Level 26 - Ice 2 Level 32 - Haste and Muddle Level 40 - Bserk Level 42 - Ice 3 Level 48 - Vanish Level 52 - Haste2 Level 72 - Pearl Level 81 - Flare Level 98 - Meteor Setzer Gabbiani Game Description: "A blackjack-playing, world-traveling, casino-dwelling free spirit..." Biography: Setzer is a gambler. Daryl, Setzer's love, used to race each other with their airships, the Blackjack (the Blackjack being Setzer's), and the Falcon. Daryl and Setzer kept racing until eventually, when Daryl was supposed to meet Setzer at their usual spot, crashed with the Falcon. The Falcon was found one year later, but Daryl died in the crash. Setzer, filled with grief, stored the Falcon in Daryl's Tomb, so that he would not be reminded of her death. Setzer eventually meets up with Celes and the group, where he joins them. In the World of Ruin, he rejoins them, takes the Falcon out of storage, and helps the group stop Kefka. Battle Information: Setzer may not have strong physical attack power, but he can be one of the most powerful characters in the game, if equipped right. For example, if you equip Setzer with a Fixed Dice, an Offering relic, as well as a Black Belt relic, he will be able to deal out massive amounts of damage. I'm talking about 40000+ damage to one enemy. So while Setzer may not be good in the beginning of the game, he excels in the World of Ruin as one of the most valuable party members you can get. Setzer's Special Abilities -------------------------- Slot Description: Setzer's first special ability, Slot, is a rather useless one, unless you want to get some items thanks to you summoning the Ragnarok Esper, and that takes a ton of luck. Anyway, Setzer has quite a few things he can do with his Slot command. Like in real slot games, if you get, for example, let's say, three diamonds, Setzer will preform his 7-Flush ability. Below is a list of each of the abilities Setzer can do with his Slot command (look below GP Rain to see his Slots). GP Rain Description: When you equip Setzer with the Coin Toss relic, his Slot ability becomes GP Rain. When you use GP Rain, Setzer takes some of your money and throws it at the selected target to cause damage. This is a very useless attack, which deals pitiful damage. Setzer's Slot Abilities ----------------------- 7-Flush Combo: Diamond, Diamond, Diamond Description: Damages all enemies onscreen. Chocobop Combo: Chocobo, Chocobo, Chocobo Description: Damages all enemies onscreen. Esper Attack Combo: Bar, Bar, Bar Description: Summons a random Esper, even if you don't have it in your possession yet. Flash Combo: 7, 7, 7 Description: Instantly kills every single enemy onscreen. H-Bomb Combo: Airship, Airship, Airship Description: Damages all enemies onscreen. Joker Doom Combo: 7, 7, Bar Description: Makes you get a game over. Lagomorph Combo: Anything that doesn't match up (e.g. if you get two diamonds and a chocobo, rather than three diamonds, this will happen) Description: A rabbit comes out and heals all party members onscreen for a terribly low amount of HP. Sun Flare Combo: Bird, Bird, Bird Description: When used, this attack summons the Esper Bahamut. Bahamut will then use his fire breath to damage all enemies onscreen. Mog Game Description: "Human-loving, fast-talking, street-smart, SLAM-dancing Moogle..." Biography: Mog is a Moogle who lives in the Mines of Narshe. He and his Moogle friends aided Locke when he was in the Mines of Narshe (the Moogles aided him because there were guards after Terra, and the guards had outnumbered Locke). Mog is the only Moogle who can talk with something other than "Kupo!". Mog also knows a sasquatch named Umaro, who lives somewhere deep inside the Mines of Narshe. Mog convinces Umaro to join your group when your group finds him. Battle Information: Mog can be both a good physical and magical attacker. Mog excels in both attacking with weapons, as well as magic power (if given the right Esper bonuses and equipped right, that is). He can also make a great dragoon, even better than Edgar can. Overall, Mog is definitely a party member you'll want to have on your team. Trust me on this. Mog's Special Abilities ----------------------- Dance Description: Mog can learn what are called "Dances", by fighting and winning a battle in a certain terrain of the world. For example, if you win a battle with him in your group in Jidoor or Zozo, Mog will learn a Dance, which can be used in the terrain that Mog learnt it in. Dances can be used outside of the original terrain that Mog learnt the Dance from, but Mog has a chance to stumble and not preform the Dance if you use one outside the original terrain. If you use a Dance in the terrain that Mog learnt it in, then he will succeed no matter what. The downside to this is that, while Mog can do powerful attacks, you have no control over him until he dies and you revive him, or until you win a battle, so be careful. There are a total of eight types of terrain in which Mog can learn Dances from. They are: Town, Forest, Mountain, Water, Snow, Desert, Cave, and Grass. The moment you use a Dance in a battle, you can't use another Dance for the rest of the fight, so choose your Dance wisely, and be sure to use a Dance in the right terrains, though you can try one in the terrain that Mog didn't learn it from if you want to. Below is a list of all of Mog's Dances. Mog's Dances ------------ Desert Aria Terrain Learnt: Desert Attacks The Dance Does: Antlion: Gets rid of an enemy in battle. Kitty: Damages one enemy. Sand Storm: Damages all enemies with wind-based damage. Wind Slash: Damages all enemies with wind-based damage. Dusk Requium Terrain Learnt: Cave Attacks The Dance Does: Cave In: Takes away 75% an enemy's HP. Elf Fire: Damages an enemy with fire-based damage. Pois. Frog: Damages an enemy and has a chance to cast the Poison status aliment. Snare: Gets rid of an enemy in battle. Earth Blues Terrain Learnt: Mountain Attacks The Dance Does: Land Slide: Damages an enemy. Sonic Boom: Takes away 62.5% of an enemy's HP. Sun Bath: Recovers all allies' HP. Whump: Damages an enemy. Forest Suite Terrain Learnt: Forest Attacks The Dance Does: Elf Fire: Damages an enemy with fire-based damage. Harvester: Cures all negative status aliments on all your party members. Rage: Damages all enemies. Wombat: Damages an enemy. Love Sonata Terrain Learnt: Town Attacks The Dance Does: Elf Fire: Damages an enemy with fire-based damage. Snare: Gets rid of an enemy in battle. Specter: Casts Muddle on an enemy. Tapir: Cures all negative status aliments on all your party members. Snowman Jazz Terrain Learnt: Snow Attacks The Dance Does: Ice Rabbit: Restores all allies' HP. Snare: Gets rid of an enemy in battle. Snowball: Halves the current HP of an enemy. Surge: Damages all enemies. Water Rondo Terrain Learnt: Water (This Dance is only obtainable in the World of Balance) Attacks The Dance Does: El Nino: Damages all enemies with water-based damage. Plasma: Damages an enemy with lightning-based damage. Specter: Casts Muddle on an enemy. Wild Bear: Restores all allies' HP, as well as removes any negative status aliments from your group. Wind Song Terrain Learnt: Grass Attacks The Dance Does: Cockatrice: Damages an enemy and has a chance to petrify the target. Plasma: Damages an enemy with lightning-based damage. Sun Bath: Restores all allies' HP. Wind Slash: Damages all enemies with wind-based damage. Strago Magus Game Description: "An elderly gentleman, pure of heart, and learned in the ways of monsters..." Biography: Strago is an old man who is 70 years old, and lives in the town of Thamasa, a village that houses the last remaining Mage Warriors of Yore (the Mage Warriors can use magic). Although the power of the Mage Warriors has weakened over time, some of it still remains, as is evident when everyone in the village tries to put out a fire on a house a few minutes after you meet Strago. Strago's granddaughter is Relm, who is a 10 year old girl who is cocky, but pure of heart. One day, a fire engulfs a house in Thamasa. Relm is inside the house, and, after the futile efforts of the townspeople trying to put out the blaze, Strago accompanies Locke and Terra inside the house to get Relm back. Strago then joins your group to help take down the Empire and defeat Kefka. Strago also spent his youth hunting the monster Hidon, but gave up on it until his friend Gungho was supposedly "injured" at the hands of Hidon; this gave Strago the motivation needed to finally confront and defeat Hidon. Battle Information: Strago excels in magic, but lacks physical attack power. Strago's real advantage comes with his Lore ability (more on that below). Basically, Strago is a mage and nothing but a mage. Since his Lores rely on magic power for their damage (most of them, anyway), it's a wise decision to give Strago magic-boosting Espers to boost his magic. Strago's Special Abilities -------------------------- Lore Description: Since Strago was learned in the ways of monsters, he can learn one attack that a monster you encounter does (similar to Rage, but there are VERY few Lores Strago can obtain, compared to Gau's huge plethora of over 250 Rages). For example, when you fight Hidon, if you last long enough for him to do GrandTrain, after you win the battle, Strago will learn the Lore GrandTrain. Only a few enemies can give Strago Lores. I'll list all of the Lores you can obtain below. Obtainable Lores ---------------- Aero Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Harpiai, Harpy, Rhyos, Sprinter, Tyranosaur MP Cost: 41 Description: Aero is an attack that deals wind-based damage to all enemies. Aqua Rake Learned From Monsters: Strago already has this Lore when you first recruit him MP Cost: 22 Description: Deals water-based damage to all enemies onscreen. Big Guard Learned From Monsters: EarthGuard, Mover MP Cost: 80 Description: Casts Safe and Shell on all allies when used. Blow Fish Learned From Monsters: Brainpan, Cactrot, Dark Force, Phase MP Cost: 50 Description: Deals 1000 damage to a single enemy. CleanSweep Learned From Monsters: Blue Dragon, Dark Force, Enuo MP Cost: 30 Description: Deals water-based damage to all enemies onscreen. Condemned Learned From Monsters: Critic, Dark Force, Still Life, Veteran, Zombie MP Cost: 20 Description: Casts the Condemned status aliment on an enemy. Dischord Learned From Monsters: Chaser, Dark Force, Figaliz, IronHitman, Lizard MP Cost: 68 Description: Halves the level of an enemy. Exploder Learned From Monsters: Balloon, Bomb, Dark Force, Junk, Wart Puck MP Cost: 1 Description: Strago uses an exploding attack that kills himself and damages the selected target for the exact amount of HP Strago has. For example, if he has 9999 HP, Exploder will do 9999 damage. Not a good move at all. ForceField Learned From Monsters: Doom MP Cost: 24 Description: Makes you immune to a single element. GrandTrain Learned From Monsters: Hidon MP Cost: 64 Description: Damages all enemies onscreen for massive damage. L.3 Muddle Learned From Monsters: Apokryphos, Dante, Dark Force, Goblin MP Cost: 28 Description: Any enemy whos level is a multiple of 3 has Muddle inflicted on them. L.4 Flare Learned From Monsters: Apokryphos, Dark Force, Dueller, Goblin, Trapper MP Cost: 42 Description: Any enemy whos level is a multiple of 4 has Flare cast on them. L.5 Doom Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Didalos, Goblin, Trapper MP Cost: 22 Description: Any enemy whos level is a multiple of 5 is instantly killed when you use this. L.? Pearl Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Innoc MP Cost: 50 Description: Any enemy whos level is a multiple of the number in the last digit of your GP gets hit by Pearl. Pearl Wind Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Ogor, Peepers, Sprinter, Vectuar MP Cost: 45 Description: All allies' HP is restored by the amount of HP Strago has when he cast it. Pep Up Learned From Monsters: Intangir, Junk, Muus MP Cost: 1 Description: Fully restores one party member's HP/MP, but Strago is cast out of the battle in the process. Reflect??? Learned From Monsters: Dark Force MP Cost: 0 Description: Gives every enemy that has Reflected cast on them several negative status aliments. Revenge Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Dragon, Gigantos, Pan Dora, Red Wolf MP Cost: 31 Description: Damages an enemy equal to Strago's current HP. Rippler Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Reach Frog MP Cost: 66 Description: Exchanges status aliments with an enemy. Sour Mouth Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Evil Oscar, Mad Oscar MP Cost: 32 Description: Inflicts several negative status aliments on all enemies that are onscreen. Step Mine Learned From Monsters: Brachosaur, Crawler, Dark Force, Dark Force, GreaseMonk, Pug MP Cost: MP cost is determined by the maximum amount of minutes you played / 30. Description: Damages an enemy, but damage is based on the number of steps you have taken / 32. Stone Learned From Monsters: Strago already has this Lore when you first recruit him MP Cost: 22 Description: Damages all enemies onscreen, or damages only one, it just depends. Also, damage is increased if an enemy's HP is the same as Strago's. Also has a chance to cast Muddle. Quasar Learned From Monsters: Dark Force, Goddess MP Cost: 50 Description: Damages all enemies onscreen. Relm Arrowny Game Description: "In her pictures she captures everything: forests, water, light, the very essence of life..." Biography: Relm is Strago's granddaughter. Her father is actually Shadow, but Shadow left Relm and his wife behind in Thamasa. Strago has been taking care of Relm ever since, as her grandfather, and he has raised her to the best of his abilities, and she has become a fine girl. Relm is a 10 year old, who is also very cocky. Relm joins your group after you defeat Ultros in the Esper Cave. Battle Information: Relm has very weak physical attack, physical defense, but she excels in magic power. She has the best magic power in the game; even more better than Terra or Celes. Because of her excessively high magic power, you'll want to give her Espers that boost her magic, as well as equip things on her that will boost her magic power even more. Relm's Special Abilities ------------------------ Sketch Description: When you use Sketch, Relm will use an attack that the selected target has. For example, if you use Sketch on Ultros, Relm will use Tentacle. Not an inherently useful ability, even if she does a very powerful attack like Ultimam because the damage it will do is very minimal. However, the Sketch bug has one good use to it, and that's the Sketch bug. I'm saying a bug is useful, because this "bug" can you give you 200 of every item in the game. To see what the Sketch bug is all about, read the Codes n' Secrets section of the FAQ. Control Description: By equipping the FakeMustache Relic on Relm, her Sketch ability will be turned into Capture. Capture allows you to choose which skill of the selected target's you want to use on them, rather than automatically using one for you like Sketch does, so Control is a little bit better, at least. However, like Sketch before it, Control is utterly useless, because of severely minimal damage. Umaro Game Description: "Admirer of bone-carvings, as strong as a gigas, a sasquatch pal with muscle!" Biography: Umaro is a yeti who lives in the Mines of Narshe. Mog is his boss, and Mog commands Umaro to join your group after you give him a good beating. Battle Information: Umaro is a very strong physical attacker. The bad thing is, you have no control over Umaro at all. Umaro will attack at will, but when he does attack, he does a pretty hefty amount of damage to an enemy. When equipped with the Rage Ring and Blizzard Orb Relics, Umaro can be a very strong physical attacker. Nevertheless, I don't recommend him on your team ever. Umaro's Special Abilities ------------------------- Umaro has no special abilities. Gogo Game Description: "Shrouded in odd clothing, ...is this a man...? ...a woman...? ...or should we ask...?" Biography: Gogo is a person dressed in clothing of various colors. You can't see his face, so there are speculations as to who Gogo actually is. Some say Gogo is Adlai Stevenson, some say he is Daryl, it just depends on the person. However, Gogo is Gogo, no matter how you look at it. It would ruin the story if Gogo was Daryl, and it would not make sense for Gogo to be a long-dead politican, would it? No. Simply put, Gogo is Gogo, and will remain that way forever. Speculation cannot change, nor will it change, who Gogo is. If this makes you feel better, Gogo was a mime in Final Fantasy V, so that may be why he is in this game, since FF3 is FF6 in Japan, and FF5 came out before it. Quit worrying about who Gogo is and play the game for what it is: a game. Battle Information: Gogo dies very easily by everything thrown at him. In other words, his defense for physical and magical attacks is severely lacking. It sucks. However, Gogo can not only use Mimic to mimic the last attack that was used, he can use any other character's special abilities. Gogo cannot be equipped with an Esper, just like Umaro. Gogo's Special Abilities ------------------------ Mimic Description: When you use this, Gogo will do the attack that was used last turn. For example, if Terra uses Cure 3 and you use Mimic after that, Gogo will do Cure 3. An okay ability, but nothing of significant use. Gogo has more abilities than just Mimic, though. By going on the Status screen, you can give Gogo up to three more abilities. You can give him anything from SwdTech, to Blitz, to Magic, to Dance; anything you want to, almost. This is what makes Gogo useful. If Gogo were to use Bum Rush, while it may not be quite as potent as Sabin's is when uses it, it'll still hurt an enemy a hefty amount of damage. |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 4. Storyline | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Long ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and magic simply ceased to exist. 1000 years have passed... Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns... But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dread destructive force known as "magic". Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake? |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 5. Controls | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Out of Battle Controls ---------------------- A Button: Examines things, confirms selected actions, scrolls through sentences, opens chests, talks to people B Button: Cancels selected actions, exits shop Y Button: Does nothing X Button: Brings up the menu screen L Button: Switches to a different party member in the menu screen, depending on which screen you are on, in the menu screen, press L after you select a Cure spell to be able to heal all party members R Button: Switches to a different party member in the menu screen, depending on which screen you are on Start: Does nothing Select: Does nothing D-Pad: Moves cursor, moves character In Battle Controls ------------------ A Button: Confirms selected actions B Button: Cancels selected actions Y Button: Skips to another party member's turn, if you don't want to take the current party member's turn (only works if more than one party member is able to take his or her turn) X Button: Skips to another party member's turn, if you don't want to take the current party member's turn (only works if more than one party member is able to take his or her turn) L Button: If held with R simultaneously, you'll run away (some battles you cannot run away from such as boss battles, so remember that), press L in battle when you select a Cure spell or a Fire spell or anything like that to hit all enemies, rather than just one R Button: If held with L simultaneously, you'll run away (some battles you cannot run away from such as boss battles, so remember that) Start: Pauses the game Select: Does nothing D-Pad: Moves cursor |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 6. Game Basics | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| There are a lot of game basics in the game, which I will explain within this section. Menu Screen ----------- First off, I'll explain the very important menu screen in this game. The menu screen is pulled up by pressing X when outside of battle. The menu screen will serve as a significantly important thing throughout the game for you. I'll list all of the menu screen's many functions below. Item ---- The first option on the menu screen is "Item". When selected, you will be brought to a screen where all your items are displayed. If you haven't sorted out your items, your items will appear in the same order you collected them in. There are three options in this menu. They are: Use, Sort, and Rare. By selecting the Use option, you'll be able to use items such as Tonics, Potions, Elixirs, Ethers, and more. Those type of items heal your HP and MP. It's good to use those items when you really need to, to ensure that you are not half dead when entering a boss fight. The items that are in gray you cannot use by using the Use option, but the ones in white are the ones you can use. By selecting the Sort option, you will be able to sort out your entire item list to where the items are listed alphabetically. If you don't use the Sort option, your items will be listed in the order that you collected them in throughout the game. I like to use Sort, because it makes it easier for me to scroll through my item list. Finally, the final option on the Item screen is Rare. By selecting it, you'll be able to view the key items that you have collected throughout the game. such as the Lump of Metal. Skills ------ The second option in the menu screen is the "Skills" option. When you select this option, you'll be able to view each of your party members' special abilities (e.g. Strago's Lore ability), view the magic spells you have in your arsenal, as well as equip/unequip Espers on your party members. The first option of this menu, Espers, is where you can unequip and equip Espers on a party member of your choice. To equip an Esper on a party member, move the cursor to the Esper you want to select, then press A once the cursor is over the Esper. Then, simply press A again and the Esper is equipped on a party member. To determine which party member you want to equip an Esper on, you'll be forced to select a party member after selecting the Skills option (not the Esper option). The second option in the Skills menu is Magic. By selecting that option, you will be able to view all of the magic spells that a certain party member has. You can also use magic spells in this menu. The spells that are in white are the ones that you can use, and the spells that are in gray are the ones you can't use. You can use curative spells, such as Cure 3 in this menu. The next options in the menu screen are simply options where you can view your party members' special skills, such as Lore, Blitz, etc. You can also see the moves that Strago has learnt if you highlight Lore. You can also see what kind of Blitzes Sabin has learnt. Basically, anytime you select one of the special skill options, you can see a list of the attacks of that special skill. But you can't view every special skill that you have access to, however. You can only view a select few of them. Equip ----- The next option in the menu screen is the "Equip" option. By selecting this option, you can equip a party member of your choice with weapons, shields, headgear, and armors. The Equip menu has several functions, which I will tell you about here. By selecting Equip, the first option in this menu, you'll be able to equip a party member with weapons, shields, headgear, and armors. To start equipping a party member, press A when your cursor is over the Equip option. Once the cursor is over either Right-Hand, L-Hand, Head, or Body option, press A and then you'll be brought to a list of weapons, shields, headgear, and armors, depending on which equipment area you choose to select. Put the cursor over something you want to equip, then press A to equip it. Nifty, eh? Your left hand will always have a shield equipped, unless you have a Genji Glove or a Gauntlet Relic equipped. The next option is Optimum. When used, Optimum will equip the best possible equipment on a party member, so that you won't have to equip that party member manually. Not inherently useful, but hey, it's there, right? The next option is Rmove, which, when used, will allow you to unequip anything you want to on a party member. Finally, the last option in this menu is Empty, which will allow you to unequip everything off a party member in an instant. Relic ----- The next option on the menu screen is the "Relic" option. By selecting it, you will be able to use two options. The first one is Equip. By selecting Equip, you'll be brought to an area where you can select two slots that you can equip Relics in. When the cursor is over either the first or second slot, press A to be brought to a list of available Relics you have to equip. Move the cursor over the Relic you want to equip, then press A to equip it. You can equip another Relic in the next slot the same way you did in the first slot. The final option in the Relic menu is Empty, which unequips all Relics from a party member. Status ------ The next option in the menu screen is the "Status" option. Upon selecting it, you'll be able to a party member's current experience points, how much it is till that party member gains his or her next level. You can also view many other things, such as a party member's current Vigor, etc. You can basically view all kinds of things here. There is another thing you can do here, which is give Gogo one of your other party member's special ability. There's no reason for me to explain how to give Gogo a character's special ability, as it is very easy to figure out. Config ------ The next option in the menu screen is the "Config" option. When you select this option, you'll be able to change several things. The first thing you can change is the Battle Mode from Active to Wait. Active is where enemies attack you even if you aren't ready, and are trying to use an item or anything like that. Wait is where enemies don't attack you until after you have taken your turn. The next thing you can change on this menu is Battle Speed. You can change the Battle Speed from 1 to 6. The lower the number, the slower the battle speed will be in battle, and vise versa. The next thing you can change in this menu is Message Speed. You can change it from 1 to 6, just like you can the battle speed. The lower the number, the slower the message speed will be in the game, and vise versa. Another thing you can change in this menu is the Cmd. Set. You can change it from Window to Short. The next option you can change in this menu is the Gauge from On and Off. I'm guessing this means the gauge in battle that indicates which party member's turn you are currently taking. Another option you can change in this menu is Sound. You can change it from Stereo to Mono, as you can in every game. Yet another thing you can change here is Cursor. You can change it from Reset to Memory. Yet another thing that can be changed in this menu is Reequip. It can be changed from Optimum to Empty. The other option you can change on the menu is Controller. You can change it from Single to Multiple. Another option you can change by scrolling down after you highlight Controller is Mag. Order from 1 to 5. Another option available to you is altering is Window. You can change the numbers from 1 to 8. The next option that you can change is the Color. You can change it from Font to Window. You can alter something here, though I'm not sure what. I wouldn't fool with it if I were you. Save ---- The final option on the menu screen is the Save option. You can only select it when you are at Save Points, or when you are on the World Map. By selecting this option, you can save your game, which means if you die, you'll start from where you last saved. If you die, your levels that you've gained are saved automatically, but any GP you've gained, spells you learned, items you gained, or anything like that is gone, so be careful. You can use Tents at Save Points and on the World Map to fully restore all of your party members' HP/MP. You can also use Sleeping Bags, the counterparts to Tents, at Save Points and on the World Map. Save Points ----------- Throughout the game, you'll find what are called "Save Points". Save Points look like shining stars on the ground, basically. By stepping on one, you'll be able to save your game, as well as use Tents and Sleeping Bags to restore your HP/MP fully. Tents restore all HP and MP to all characters, whereas Sleeping Bags only restore HP/MP fully to one character. Save Points do not appear on the World Map, since you will be able to save your game there at all times, anyway. Experience Points ----------------- Experience points are the key to leveling up a party member. If a party member needs 60 experience points to level up, then when you gain 60 or more experience points by winning a battle (bosses don't give you experience in the game that much, though; only very few of them actually do), that party member will level up. The maximum level in this game is 99. With each level up, a party members' stats grow stronger and stronger, making that party member become stronger. Stats ----- Stats are what I call things like Vigor. Each party members have the same stats, but how good those starts are varies widely among the different party members in this game. The stats each character has, I will list below. Vigor ----- Vigor determines how much a party member will hurt with physical attacks. The higher Vigor you have, the more damage enemies will take from you when you use physical attacks. Even though they have the Hyper Wrist Reilc in this game, which boosts Vigor, it won't make much of a difference even if you do equip it or not, though, because you'll notice litte difference in your physical attack damage. Speed ----- Speed determines how fast the ATB Gauge goes up in battle for a specific party member. The higher a party member's Speed is, the faster the ATB Gauge will go up, and that party member will take his or her turn faster than any of the other party members in the battle will, unless of course another party member in the battle outweighs that party member in Speed. Stamina ------- Stamina determines how much HP a party member gains by the use of Regen. It also determines how much HP a party member will lose by Poison and Seizure. In other words, Stamina determines how much HP a party member will gain or lose. Stamina also determines how much HP a party member will gain when they are equipped with a Tintinabar Relic. I should note that Stamina gained by weapons does not effect how much HP a party member will gain with a Tintinabar Relic. Finally, Stamina also protects you from Instant Death attacks. The higher your Stamina is, the more that Instant Death attacks won't effect you. Magic Power ----------- Magic Power determines how much a character will hurt with magic attacks. It also determines how much you'll heal a party member or an enemy if you use a curative spell. Battle Power ------------ Battle Power is a stat that determines how much damage you will do when you use the Fight command in battle. The more Battle Power you have, the more damage you will do when you use the Fight command. Battle Power also controls how much Umaro's charge attack and throw attack will hurt. Finally, Battle Power does NOT determine how much Desperation Attacks will hurt, so keep that in mind. Defense ------- Defense determines a party member's ability to take hits. In other words, the higher the Defense stat of a party member is, the more damage they will be able to absorb from physical attacks. Defense is only raised by equipment and by Relics. Magic Defense ------------- Magic Defense determines a party member's ability to take hits from magical attacks. In other words, the higher the Magic Defense stat of a party member is, the more damagea they will be able to absorb from magical attacks. Magic Defense is only raised by equipment and by Relics. Evade ----- Evade was supposed to be able to enable you to avoid physical attacks. Due to a bug, however, that effect was never put into action in this game, so Evade does absolutely nothing. Magic Block basically took over Evade. Magic Block ----------- Magic Block was never supposed to determine you avoiding physical attacks (that was Evade's job), but due to the silly bug in the Evade status, it does. In other words, this wonderful stat acts as Evade, and acts with its original purpose, as well. Magic Block determines both physical evasion and evasion of magical attacks. A character with 128% M.Block will be able to avoid basically _any_ attack thrown at them, be it magical or physical. Magic Block is definitely a stat you'll want to raise as much as you can, due to its extreme superiority. HP -- HP stands for Hit Points, and it determines how much HP a party member has. If you get damaged, your HP goes down. If your HP reaches 0, you get a game over. The first set of numbers in your HP represent a party member's current HP, whereas the second set of numbers in your HP represent a party member's maximum HP. To recover your HP if it gets depleted, simply use any item that heals your HP, such as a Tonic, or use curative spells, such as Cure 3. If a party member dies, they can be brought back to life via the use of a Fenix Down item, a Life spell, or a Life 2 spell. If you use Life 3 and the party member you used it on dies, that party member will be instantly brought back to life with their maximum HP. That makes Life 3 a pretty nifty spell, wouldn't you agree? MP -- MP stands for Magic Points, and it determines how much MP a party member has. If your MP gets depleted via the use of spells, or be it by an enemy using Rasp on you, you can restore your lost MP via the use of an item that restores your MP, such as a Tincture. The first set of numbers in your MP represent a party member's current MP, whereas the second set of numbers in your MP represent a party member's maximum MP. Elixirs can fully restore both HP and MP, so those are always good to have. There are no spells you can use to restore your MP. Wouldn't make much sense for you to consume your MP via the use of spells, then use one to recover your MP, now would it? ;) Status Aliments --------------- There are several status aliments in the game, which can be inflicted on your party members. They are: Berserk ------- When a party member is berserked (you can't tell if an enemy is berserked), the party member will turn red and steam or something like that will be coming out of their heads. When a party member is berserked, you cannot control what they do. A party member will attack with physical attacks when berserked, and never do anything else. Muddle is different than Berserk, because your party member attacks both you and the enemy, and uses magic attacks and not just physical attacks. Berserk doesn't last outside of battle. To cure it, use Dispel. Clear ----- Clear is a status aliment, that when inflicted on either an enemy or one of your party members, will make the one whom had it casted on them invisible. During the time when Clear is inflicted on an enemy or a party member, that party member or enemy will be immune to physical attacks. A magic attack will reveal the party member and/or enemy, though (it had to have its drawbacks, didn't it?). Also, if an enemy has Clear on it, you can use Doom or X-Zone to instantly kill that enemy. It even works on bosses! However, that makes the game way too easy (I know some of you would argue with me that the game is already broken and easy, but this isn't Atom Edge's FAQ; I'm not here to preach about how easy it is like he does every boss battle >_>). X-Zone isn't always guaranteed to work, though, so be aware of that. Even if a spell misses on a target that has Clear on it, the target will still become visible. Any party member that has Clear on them will never use the Desperation Attack they have, nor will they use a True Knight Relic if you give it to a party member. Clear lasts outside of battle, so use a Remedy item or a Remedy spell to counter it. Dispel works, too. Condemned --------- When a target has Condemned on it, a timer will appear above the target's head. When the timer reaches 0, a Doom spell will be inflicted on the target (take note that this Doom spell is unblockable). After that, the target is killed. If the target that has Condemned on it is immune to Instant Death-type attacks, then the inevitable Doom that follows the countdown (that scare you?) will not kill the target. If the Doom spell that comes from the countdown hits a target that is undead, then it will heal the target. Condemned can be healed in combat by the use of the following abilities: Pep Up, Spiraler, Tapir, and Wild Bear. Do not worry about Condemned being on you outside of battle, because it won't be. If you equip the Cursed Shld, the Condemned status aliment will automatically be on the party member that has it equipped. The Condemned effect will wear off of that party member after he or she gains the Paladin Shld. Dark ---- When Dark is inflicted on your party members (it can't be inflicted on an enemy), the party member that it is inflicted on will have sunglasses over their eyes (at least that's what it looks like to me). Due to a bug in the game, however, Dark does nothing. It was originally supposed to blind a party member, giving you a chance to miss the target with your physical attacks. Enjoy the cool shades that Dark supplies you, because that's its only use. Dark stays on a party member after combat, by the way. To heal it, simply use a Remedy item, a Remedy spell, an Eyedrop item, or a Tent. This status aliment DOES prevent Strago from learning Lores, however, so cure it if you want to learn a Lore with him. Float ----- Float is a status aliment that causes the target that has it inflicted on it to float (who couldn't figure that one out?). When the target is floating, it is immune to the following attacks that enemies can do to you, or that you can do to them: Chocobop, Earth Aura, Magnitude8, Quake, Slide, Takedown, Whump, Wild Fang, and Wombat. The target that has Float inflicted on it is also more susceptible to the air attacks that the Hawk Eye and Sniper weapons do. To remove Float, since it stays on a party member after battle, then simply use Dispel. Freeze ------ Freeze is inflicted on a party member when a party member's color changes to blue, and they look like they are frozen solid. When a party member is frozen, he/she won't be able to take any turns until the effect wears off. To cure it, simply use the Fire spell on the party member that has it on, and the target will become unfrozen, and able to take turns once again. Strago can't learn Lores if he's frozen, Celes or Gogo can't use Runic, and the party member that is frozen won't be picked up when you use Sonic Dive. Also, any attack that the enemy does to a frozen party member is sure to hit. Freeze also prevents a party member from counterattacking the enemy if he/she has the Black Belt Relic on. Finally, a party member that is frozen cannot protect someone from death if the frozen party member has a True Knight Relic. Freeze doesn't last outside of battle, by the way. Freeze will also wear off manually eventually anyway, but it takes about 68 seconds, so it's better to just use the Fire spell to cure it. Haste ----- Haste is not really a negative status aliment, but a beneficial one. When Haste is inflicted on a party member, the target becomes red (this does not apply to enemies who have Haste on them, by the way) and glows that color. Haste allows a party member's speed to increase drastically, meaning that the party member who has Haste will likely, unless another party member has very high Speed, take a turn first. A party member who has Haste on he/she will have a better chance of succeeding when you try and run. Also, when Haste is on a party member, the countdown from Condemned goes faster, Freeze wears off faster, Sleep wears off faster, and Stop wears off faster. Also, the time it takes for Regen to heal you is slower, as well. Finally, the damage done by Poison and Seizure becomes slower, too. Haste that is inflicted on a target that has Slow on it will replace the Slow status aliment. If Haste is inflicted on a target that has a permanent Slow status aliment on it, then Haste will have no effect. Haste doesn't stay on a party member after battle, and you can remove it by using Dispel. Hide ---- This status aliment is inflicted on a party member when you use Sonic Dive, when you run away, when you have been taken out of battle by Engulf or Sneeze. When a party member has Hide on them, you won't be able to take a turn with that party member at all. In other words, a party member that has Hide on him or her cannot take turns no matter what, and is cast out of the battle (Sonic Dive doesn't cast you out of battle, though, but you won't be able to do anything for a short period of time). Also, a character with Hide on him/her won't be able to counterattack if you have the Black Belt Relic on, Strago can't learn Lores, and you won't be able to protect someone from death if you have True Knight on. If a party member has ran away from battle, then he/she won't gain any experience points or magic points after the battle. If everyone in the battle you are currently in is dead but some have the Hide status aliment on them, you won't gain any experience points or magic points with any character, since the battle will be treated as a battle where everyone has ran away from the battle. Hide doesn't linger outside battle, and cannot be cured. Image ----- When Image is inflicted on a party member, the party member will create after images of him/herself. Any physical attack that isn't unblockable, or that comes from behind, is blocked when you have the Image status aliment on you. Each attack you avoid when you have Image on, has a 25% chance to remove the Image status aliment from you (*gasp*). If Cyan or Gogo is waiting for them to be able to use Retort when he/she is hit by a phyiscal attack, Image won't do anything. If the party member has Freeze, Sleep, Sleep, or Stop on he/she, then Image will not replace any of the aforementioned status aliments. Any party member that has Image on them will not use his/her Desperation Attack. Image lingers after battle, and can be cured by the use of Dispel. Imp --- When a party member has Imp inflicted on them, then they will become small, green weird looking people. When a party member has Imp on them, Imp will block out everything except for the following commands: Fight, Item, Jump, Magic, and X-Magic. The only spells you can select for magic is the Imp spell. The Imp spell will stay on a party member after a battle. To cure it, use an Imp spell, a Green Cherry item, a Remedy item, or a Tent. Remedy spells won't work to cure Imp, for some reason. Life 3 ------ This is another positive status aliment, rather than a negative one. When you use the spell Life 3 on a party member, that party member will become revived once they die, because you casted Life 3. I'll consider this a status aliment. Also, when the said party member gets revived, they will have full HP. Muddle ------ The Muddle status aliment will be on you when birds appear over a party member's head and you see a green circle appear above the party member's head that starts spinning along with the party member. When a party member has Muddle on him/her, then that party member won't be able to be controlled, but will rather attack either another party member, attack him/herself, or attack the enemy. A Muddled character will sometimes use magic to attack with, too. To cure Muddle, use a Remedy item, Remedy spell, or simply attack the party member that is Muddled with a phyiscal attack. Dispel works, too. Muddle doesn't last outside of battle. Mute ---- When a party member has Mute inflicted on them, then the target won't be able to use magic at all; magic will be greyed out for you, and the enemy that has been Muted will not be able to use magic spells, unless the enemy is immune to Mute. To cure Mute, simply use a Remedy item or a Remedy spell. Dispel will also cure it. Mute doesn't last outside of battle. Near Fatal ---------- When a party member is in "Near Fatal" mode, the said party member will be crouching down with very little HP. When a party member reaches 1/8 of his/ her maximum HP, the party member will crouch down on the ground. The party member will have a 1/16 chance to use his/her Desperation Attack (more on that below the status aliments part of the Game Basics section, which you're reading now). To get a party member back up to good HP again and out of the Near Fatal mode, simply heal that party member with a Tonic, a Potion, or a curative spell, such as Cure 2 or Cure 3. When a party member gains enough HP, that party member will stand up again. Near Fatal lasts outside of battle, by the way. Using a Tent is also a good way to cure Near Fatal. Petrify ------- When a party member is Petrified, the party member will become a stone color and be turned to stone. When a party member is Petrified, he/she won't be able to do anything but stand there like a stone all day until you cure them. To cure Petrify, use a Remedy item, a Remedy spell, or a Soft item. When a party member that is Petrified gets attacked, he/she won't take any damage. Petrify lasts outside of battle, and can be cured the same way as in a battle, but you can use a Tent to cure it, too. Poison ------ You'll be able to tell when Poison is inflicted on a party member, because a few green bubbles will appear above the party member's head, indicating that he/she has been poisoned. When a party member is poisoned, their HP will gradually deplete after his/her turn. To cure Poison, use a Remedy item, a Remedy spell, the Antdot spell, or an Antidote item. Poison will last outside of battle, and you'll lose HP FAST each time you walk, so it's a good idea to cure it. Believe me, you can get down to 1 HP in a matter of 20 seconds. To cure it, do it the same way you would in a battle, or use a Tent. Reflect ------- Reflect is a status aliment that causes the target (be it friend or foe) to have any magic spell (almost any, anyway) that is cast at them thrown back at the enemy or the party member, depending on who has Reflect on. For example, if you use Reflect on a party member, then if the enemy uses Fire 3 on that party member that is Reflected, then the Fire 3 will bounce off of the party member and hit the enemy instead. Not inherently useful if you happen to reflect a cure spell back at the enemy, or heal them up with a Fire spell since the enemy is a fire-type enemy, but Reflect is still cool to save you from certain death in certain situations. Just be careful that you don't use Cure on all your party members if one of them is reflected, or you will heal the enemy. To cure Reflect, use Dispel, since that won't be bounced off. Reflect won't linger after battle, by the way. Regen ----- When a party member has this inflicted on them, their HP will gradually go up. This status aliment works the same way for enemies as it does for party members. To cure Regen, use the Dispel spell. Regen doesn't linger after battle. Safe ---- When Safe is inflicted on a party member or an enemy, the target will have an increase in physical attack defense. The damage taken from physical attacks will be reduced by 1/3. To remove Safe, use Dispel. Safe doesn't stay on after a battle. Seizure ------- Seizure is a stauts aliment that hurts the target the same way Poison does; by gradually depleting your HP. Unlike Poison, Seizure damage doesn't increase each time it hurts you. Other than that, it's the same thing basically. To cure Seizure, use a Remedy item, a Remedy spell, or an Antdot item. Seizure doesn't linger after battle, by the way. Shell ----- Shell is a status aliment that protects the target from magical attack damage. The damage done by magical attacks is decreased by 1/3. Any barrier-piercing magic attacks will ignore Shell, however, meaning they will do full damage. Shell doesn't linger outside of battle. To cure it, use Dispel. Sleep ----- You'll be able to tell when this is inflicted on you, because the party member whom it is inflicted on will fall to the ground. You'll also see some Z's above the party member's head, indicating he/she is sleeping. When a party member is asleep, he/she cannot do anything but sit there. Sleep will wear off over time, but it's better to cure it when it first happens. To do that, use a Remedy item, a Remedy spell, or by hitting the target with a physical attack. Anyone who has Sleep inflicted on them will automatically be waken up when hit with a physical attack. This prevents Strago from learning Lores, too, so be sure he's awake at the end of a fight. Sleep doesn't linger outside of battle. Slow ---- When Slow is inflicted on a party member or an enemy, the said target will not be able to take turns as fast as they would normally. To cure Slow, use Dispel. Slow doesn't stay outside of battle, either. Stop ---- When Stop is inflicted on a party member or an enemy, the said target will not be able to move at all until Stop is worn off. To cure Stop, use Dispel. Stop doesn't stay outside of battle, either. Wound ----- When a party member has Wound on them, they will die. In other words, their HP will reach 0, and you'll lose all control over them. All they'll do is lie on the ground unconscious for the rest of the battle and then even outside of the battle, until you revive them. To revive a wounded ally, use Life, Life 2, a Fenix Down item, or a Tent (outside of battle). Wound lasts outside of battle, as I mentioned above. It can be cured by using a Fenix Down, a Tent, a Life spell, and a Life 2 spell. Zombie ------ When a party member is inflicted with the Zombie status aliment, the target will become green, and unable to do anything you want them to do. A party member that is a Zombie will attack your other party members with physical attacks, but never magical attacks. A Zombie-inflicted party member will never attack the enemy, just other party members. A Zombie-inflicted party member will also attack him/herself. Zombie lasts outside of battle. To cure it, use a Tent or a Revivify item. Desperation Attacks ------------------- Most party members have a Desperation Attack. When a party members enters Near Fatal mode (lose one-eighth of their maximum HP, to be exact), he/she has a chance to perform what is called a Desperation Attack. Not all party members can preform a Desperation Attack, though most can. Below is a list of the party members' Desperation Attacks: Terra: Riot Blade Locke: Mirager Edgar: Royal Shock Sabin: Tiger Break Celes: Spin Edge Shadow: Shadow Fang Cyan: Back Blade Setzer: Red Card Mog: MoogleRush Strago: Sabre Soul Relm: Star Prism Gogo: X-Meteo Battle System ------------- The battle system in this game is a very important thing to know about. I will explain to the best of my abilities about the battle system in this game down below, so I suggest you who are new to the game (not likely anyone is new to it, but whatever) read on. Random Encounters ----------------- When you walk around in any place that has monsters (all towns except for Jidoor in the World of Ruin and Zozo in the World of Balance have no monsters in them) in it, be it the World Map or a cave, when you walk around, you'll eventually encounter either a lone enemy, or an enemy pack. These are called "Random Encounters". When you encounter an enemy or some enemies, you have to fight them and win the battle. When you win a battle, you gain experience points, and later on in the game, magic points. Experience points are vital to leveling up a character, whereas magic points are vital to learning new spells via the use of Espers (more on this in the Espers section of this FAQ). A boss doesn't usually give you any experience points, except for in the World of Balance. They do, however, give you some magic points. You can run away from a battle, but you can't run away from bosses. If you run away, however, you won't be able to get any experience points or magic points. Also, when you win a random encounter, you get GP, which is your money in this game. The more money you have, the more you can buy items and weapons, as well as other things to help you in your quest, so the more money you have, then the better off you are. Be sure not to run away from EVERY battle in this game, so that you can stay at a decent level and have some money throughout the game. Wouldn't want to get to the end of the game at Level 20, then go back and have to build up to Level 45 and get some money, would you? Didn't think so. When you enter a battle, you can do a few things. I'll list them below. By the way, boss fights are not considered random encounters. Magitek ------- This is available only thrice in the game ever. This command replaces Fight when you have it in your arsenal. You only have this command available when you are in Magitek Armor. There are several attacks that you have at your disposal when you select this command. I'll list them all below, from the order they appear in from left to right. Fire Beam: Damages an enemy with fire-based damage. Bolt Beam: Damages an enemy with lightning-based damage. Ice Beam: Damages an enemy with ice-based damage. Bio Blast: Damages all enemies onscreen with poison-based damage. Heal Force: Heals an ally. Confuser: Has a chance to confuse all enemies onscreen. X-Fer: Has a chance to remove an enemy from battle. TekMissile: Missiles hit an enemy for good damage. Everything except for Fire Beam, Bolt Beam, Ice Beam, and Heal Force are Terra exclusives, meaning any other character can't use those attacks when they are in Magitek Armor. Fight ----- The first command when you enter a battle is "Fight". By using it, you'll be able to use a physical attack on the enemy or on your party (though I do not know why you'd want to hit one of your party members, unless they are under Muddle or something). Fight will be turned into X-Fight if you equip the Offering Relic. X-Fight ------- X-Fight is a better version of Fight. X-Fight allows a character to attack four times in a row! If equipped with a Black Belt Relic, a party member will be able to attack four more times if counterattacked! A bit broken, eh? That's what I thought. X-Fight is only available to you if you equip a party member with the almighty Offering Relic, found in the Ancient Castle. X-Fight replaces Fight, by the way. Special Ability --------------- The next option when you get into a random encounter is the Special Ability command. Anything from Blitz to SwdTech to Rage will be listed here. In other words, you can use a party member's special ability by selecting this option. Magic ----- Magic is the next command when you get into a random encounter. By selecting it, you will be able to use magic spells that you have learned thus far. You will only be able to attack once with a magic spell, and magic spells consume MP. Magic is replaced with X-Magic if you equip the Gem Box Relic. X-Magic ------- X-Magic is the better version of the Magic command. By equipping a party member with the Gem Box Relic, found in Fanatics' Tower, Magic will be replaced with X-Magic. X-Magic allows a party member to use two magic spells in one turn. Nifty, eh? Yet another broken aspect of the game, but I'm not here to preach how easy it is am I? I'm here to help, right? By using a Quick spell on the party member that has the Gem Box equipped, you will be able to use FOUR magic spells in two turns (Quick allows a party member to take two turns)! Item ---- The final command you'll see in the battle is Item command. By selecting it, you'll be brought to your item list where you can use items or equip new weapons. To equip a new weapon, simply scroll all the way up on your list (to the very top item), then scroll up one more and you'll be brought to the menu where your weapon and shield is. Move the cursor over the weapon, then press A. Now, scroll down through the list again and select a weapon that you want to equip. A weapon in yellow is the one you can equip, but the ones in gray are the ones you can't equip. After moving the cursor over the weapon you want to equip, press A, scroll back up to the menu with your weapon and shield, then press A on the weapon when the cursor is over it. And there you go! You can also equip new shields the same way you can equip weapons. Preemptive Attack ----------------- This is the standard battle that you can run into. The enemies are on the left, while your party members are on the right. Damage that you do with physical attacks isn't reduced. You can run away and rows are also enabled. Side Attack ----------- Side Attack is where two of your party members are on the left, and two more on the right. The enemies are in the middle of the screen. When you attack an enemy that's in the back with a physical attack, you'll deal 1.5 as much damage as you would normally. Also, you can run away in a Side Attack battle, and rows are enabled. Pincer Attack ------------- In this battle formation, your party members are in the middle, with the enemies on both sides. Basically, the enemy has ambushed you and you can't run. Your party members that are attacked from behind take 1.5 as much damage as they would normally. You cannot run away from the battle until you kill the enemies on at least one side. Also, Row is enabled but you start in the Front Row, but you can switch to the Back Row, though you can't see your party members going to the Back Row. Physical attacks that are inflicted on your group from behind will become unblockable, even with M.Block and Image. The Clear status, Earth Wall, and Interceptor can block those attacks, though. Back Attack ----------- In this battle formation, your party is on the left, and the enemies are on the right. Rows are enabled in this battle formation. However, every party member that was in the Front Row before the battle started are now treated like they are in the Back Row, and vise versa. Party members take longer to take their first turns in this battle formation, and running is enabled. GP -- GP is your money in this game, basically. The more money you have, then the better off you will be in the longrun. Without GP, you can't buy any items, and therefore you can't buy weapons, shields, headgear, armors, or relics. You won't get very far in the game without any GP, so it is important to fight as many random encounters as you can, rather than running away from them. Setzer will take some of your GP and throw it at the enemy if you use his GP Rain ability. Steps ----- Each time you take a step in the game, it is calculated and added to how many steps you have taken in total in this game. By bringing up the menu, you can view how much steps you have taken throughout the game. Your steps determine how much Step Mine will hurt enemies when you use it. Step Mine damages the enemy / 32 what your steps are. Other than determining how much damage Step Mine will do, steps don't do anything but let you know how much you've walked. ATB Gauge --------- The ATB Gauge determines when a party member is able to take a turn. At the start of each battle, you'll see a gauge for each of your party members that are currently alive. When the gauge fills up all the way, you get to take a turn with the party member whos gauge just filled up. After taking a turn, the gauge resets itself and gradually fills up again until you get to take another turn. When a party member dies, their ATB Gauge is gone until you revive the dead party member. Row --- This command appears in battle when you press left on the D-Pad when your cursor is over one of the commands. Press A to use this command after your cursor is over it. Once you select it, the party member whom you selected it for will move to the Back Row or Front Row, depending on which row they were in before you used Row. If you use Row again, that party member can go back to either the Back Row or Front Row, depending on which row he/she is in. If a party member is in the Back Row, then he/she will take less damage from physical attacks, but will also hurt less with physical attacks. This row is good for magic users. If a party member is in the Front Row, then he/she will take more damage from physical attacks, but will also hurt more with physical attacks. Rows don't effect magic power. To put a party member in the Back Row or Front Row before a battle, press left on the D-Pad after you bring up the menu. Then, press A when the cursor is over the party member you want it to be on. Press A another time after that to move a character to a different row. Defense ------- This command is the command after Row. To get to it, press right on the D-Pad when your cursor is over a command, such as Fight. Then, press A when your cursor is over the "Def." command to use it. By using this command, you'll use up your turn, but you'll also be able to reduce the damage you take from physical attacks. This is a useless command. Chocobos -------- Chocobos are yellow creatures, whom you can ride in this game. Chocobos are found in Chocobo Stables, which are hidden inside forests (some are in towns, though). When you find a Chocobo Stable, talk to the owner of the stable and pay him a small fee to ride a Chocobo. Press B to dismount a Chocobo, and use the D-Pad and the A button to move the Chocobo. Chocobo's can't enter caves or any place with you for that matter. They move very fast, though, so they are good to get from one place to another if you don't feel like fighting random encounters along the way to your destination. When you dismount a Chocobo, it goes back to the Chocobo Stable that you got it from, and can be rented again whenever you like. Map --- There is a map each time you are on the World Map that appears at the bottom- right corner of the screen. The white dots on the map indicate that a town, a Chocobo Stable, or any other place you can go into is there. On the map, you can see not only white dots, but continents. Also, the red dot on the map marks your current position on the World Map. As you move, so does the red dot. |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | 7. Walkthrough | |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Here is a complete walkthrough for this game from beginning to end. World of Balance Walkthrough ---------------------------- When you start a new game, the game will tell you about the story of the game. After that is done, you'll see three Magitek Knights, which are Vicks, Wedge, and ????, who is Terra, standing on top of the mountain above the town of Narshe. Vicks and Wedge talk about the Esper that's supposed to be down in Narshe, and they talk about Terra having the Slave Crown on, too. After the talking, you'll see the introduction to the game. Press A to skip it if you want to, as it is just Vicks, Wedge, and Terra walking towards Narshe. Once the introduction is done, you'll arrive in Narshe and finally gain control of Terra in the town of Narshe. Narshe ------ Just keep heading north in both areas of the town that you come to. You'll encounter some enemies that you have to fight, but they are not a problem for three Magitek Knights. Your attacks will do tons of damage to them. Once you reach the end of the second area of town, go inside the mines. Mines of Narshe --------------- When you get inside of the Mines of Narshe, head northwest to a Save Point. After you learn about what Save Points are, save your game. Now, use Terra's Cure spell to heal up your party, then go north of the entrance to the mines. You'll come across a gate when you do, which will be opened by Vicks. After the gate is opened, go north and try and enter the next area beyond the gate, only to have a Narshe guard send Whelk, the first boss of the game, after you. Check the Bosses section of this guide to see how to defeat Whelk. Once you defeat Whelk, go north into the next room. In the next room, go north and try and go up the stairs where the Esper is. A cutscene will then occur, as the Esper, who is named Tritoch, kills Vicks and Wedge, but spares Terra, since she has some kind of connection to Espers. After the cutscene, the scene will switch to Arvis' House. Arvis' House ------------ You'll see Terra in a bed as the screen fades back in. When Arvis enters the room and stops walking, you'll have control of Terra again, so step out of bed and talk to Arvis. Arvis will explain to Terra that she had a Slave Crown on her head, and that allowed her to be controlled, so that's why she can't remember anything. The only thing Terra seems to remember is her name. When you get to name Terra, go ahead and do so, since you have to anyway. Eventually, some Empire soldiers will come knocking on the door of Arvis' home, requesting that Terra come back to the Empire (the Empire was the one controlling Terra with the Slave Crown, so that's why they want her back). Arvis refuses to open the door, and tells Terra to follow him to a door to which she can escape the house. Once you regain control of Terra, don't go through the door Arvis showed you just yet. Instead, examine the clock in the house to find an Elixir. After that, go through the door Arvis showed you, and you'll be back outside. Narshe ------ Back outside, head west across the bridge and into the Mines of Narshe. Mines of Narshe --------------- Once inside the Mines of Narshe, I sauggest you do some leveling up. I suggest training until you are at least Level 7 or Level 8. After you've trained as much as you want, follow the path from the entrance of the place (also, if you need to heal, use Cure outside of battle or inside battle if you get too low on HP) until you reach a Save Point. Save your game when you reach that Save Point. Now, keep going until you reach the northeastern corner of the room, but along the way, deequip Terra of her weapon and armor. Now, you'll probably notice two treasure chests, right? The one on the left contains a Sleeping Bag, and the one on the right contains a Fenix Down. If you leave these chests for the World of Ruin, they will house better items. Since the leftmost chest only houses an Elixir in the World of Ruin, feel free to open the leftmost chest and claim the Sleeping Bag as your own. At any rate, when you reach the northeastern corner of the room, two guards will surround Terra, and she'll fall down a hole and fall unconscious. After that, you'll see Terra dreaming about her past when she was with the Empire. The scene will then switch to Locke, who enters Arvis' House, sent Arvis sent for him. Name Locke, then watch the dialogue between him and Arvis. After the dialogue is over, Locke will arrive in the Moogle Cave, where Terra is. Locke is outnumbered, and so the Moogles of the cave offer to help Locke defeat the guards and save Terra. You'll now fight your first ever multi-party battle. Here's how it works: you can control three parties, the first party being the party Locke and three Moogles are in, the second party being the one with Mog in it (Mog will become a very good asset to your team later when you can actually recruit him), and the third party being one with four random Moogles in it. Choose which party you want to use to fight with by pressing Y to switch between parties. I suggest you take Mog's group to fight off all of the enemies in the area, except for the stationary guard at the bottom of the cave (be sure to put all of the party members in the Back Row, by the way). After clearing out the enemies with Mog's group, switch to Locke's group and equip Locke with Terra's MithrilKnife and Buckler. Now, switch back to Mog's group yet again, then go ahead and remove Mog of his Mithril Pike and Mithril Shld. After that, switch back to Locke's group, approach the stationary boss to the south, then put everyone in the Back Row except for Locke. Then press A to engage in combat with him. Read the Bosses section to see how to defeat Marshal. Upon defeating Marshal, Locke and Terra escape the Mines of Narshe. You have now both Locke and Terra in your group. Narshe ------ Place Locke in the Front Row, since he is a phyiscal attacker, and place Terra in the Back Row and keep her there, since she is a magic user, and the Back Row is very good for magic users. Anyway, once you regain control, talk to the man standing by the building there. He'll let you go inside, so do so. This building is known as the Classroom; it's basically a place for beginners to go and learn about the game. You won't need to learn anything there since you have this FAQ, but we'll go inside just for a few items. Classroom --------- When you arrive in the Classroom, enter the rightmost door, then open the chest in the room you come across to fight your first Monster-in-a-box battle. Inside the chest is a single Lobo, so just attack it to defeat it. After doing that, examine the yellow pot to the east to get a Tincture. Now, exit this room, then enter the middlemost room. Once inside, open the chest to get a Sleeping Bag, but ignore the pot, since there's nothing in it. Exit the room. Now, feel free to enter the leftmost door. In the room you come to, open the chest to get a Tonic. Now, go ahead and exit this room, as well as the whole Classroom. By the way, the bucket that the guy is standing beside just north of the entrance to this place fully restores your HP/MP when you press A in front of it, just to let you know. Narshe ------ Go ahead and exit Narshe to be on the World Map for the first time. World Map --------- When you arrive on the World Map for the first time, make sure Locke is in the Front Row, and Terra in the Back Row. Now, equip the Mithril Shld you got from Mog on Locke, then equip Terra with her MithrilKnife and Buckler that she had before you stripped her of them. Then, give Locke the spare Dirk you have. It doesn't have a lot of power, but what else can he use? His fists? At any rate, head south and you'll eventually come to a desert. Save your game when you reach the castle in the middle of the desert, then go inside the castle, which is Figaro Castle. Figaro Castle ------------- When you arrive in Figaro Castle, the guard will try to stop you from coming in, but quickly realizes who you are. When you regain control, head all the way north through each room until you reach the throne room, where a man is sitting on a throne. Talk to him, and you'll be introduced to Edgar, the king of Figaro. Some dialogue will commence, as Edgar tries to hit on Terra after Locke leaves, albeit unsuccessfully. Terra thinks she isn't normal for not finding him "dashing" after Edgar leaves the room, then you regain control. Now, go south and out of the throne room. In the room you come to, head to the southwest corner of the room, then go through the door there. In the room you come to, ignore the chest for a moment and talk to the old man standing in here. You can buy some items from him. I suggest buying a few Tonics, a few Softs, a Fenix Down, and a Tent. After buying all that, exit the shop and open the chest in here to get a Soft. Exit this room and head to the room to the east of you. Once inside here, talk to the old man standing around and buy a Bio Blaster, as well as a NoiseBlaster from him. Then, open the two chests in here to get a Tonic and an Antidote. Now, exit this shop and head through either of the two doors above the main door leading to the throne room. By doing this, you'll come to a room with a chest containing a Fenix Down, so open it, then exit this room and head to the outside part of the castle, where the entrances to both the left and the right wing are. Once there, enter the left wing. Then, keep going until you emerge outside in the desert. At that point, go west and then north and through the door into the next room. Once inside, go up the stairs and talk to the old lady to the west, who is Matron. She'll tell you about Sabin and Edgar's past. You'll be introduced to Sabin here, by the way (obviously). After Matron is done talking to you, go back to the throne room and talk to Edgar. Someone from the Empire wants to see Edgar after you talk to him. Edgar says that it is probably Kefka, and lo and behold, it is. Kefka arrives with two soldiers from the Empire to take back Terra. When you finally gain control of Edgar, equip him with the MithrilPike you got from Mog earlier. Now, go south and talk to the two troopers, and then talk to Kefka. Kefka will tell Edgar that he heard that Terra found refuge here, and so he wants to take her back. Edgar refuses to let Kefka take Terra back, lying to Kefka about knowing the whereabouts of Terra. Kefka threatens Edgar, then leaves with his two soldiers following him. When you regain control of Edgar again, go north and talk to Locke. Edgar will then leave your group and you'll regain control of Terra, so follow Locke into your room, which is located in the right wing of the castle. When you get inside your room, Terra and Locke will talk for a minute. When they are done, the scene switches to Edgar in the bed. He gets up because he smells fire, I guess. Edgar rushes outside to find Figaro Castle burning up with flames. Kefka meant what he said when he threatened Edgar. Kefka and his two soldiers come back with him, demanding Edgar give them back Terra. Talk to the guard blocking the door to the north, then three Chocobos will come, and Edgar will jump on one of them, with Locke and Terra being on the other two. Figaro Castle will enter submerge mode, and Kefka will send his two soldiers, who are now Magitek Knights, to attack you. I won't bother listing this fight in the Bosses section, since these foes are very easy to defeat. Have Terra use an MT Fire spell to see some dialogue, as Edgar and Locke get shocked at Terra's ability to use magic, and use the Fire spell as an MT spell to cause damage, not just see the dialogue. Have Edgar use his AutoCrossbow Tool, and have Locke attack. They will go down in no time. If you want to see the dialogue between Locke, Terra, and Edgar later, then you have until the very last tile in Figaro Cave to see it. Once you step on that tile, you can't see it anymore. After the battle, Terra, Locke, and Edgar will talk about their next course of action. Your next destination is the Returner's Hideout, but you still have a ways to go before you get there. World Map --------- When you gain control of Edgar on the World Map, you should notice that you are on a Chocobo. Go north (it looks like you are going north, but you are really going to a southern point on the map) until you reach a cave. At that point, get off the Chocobo, use a Tent and save your game, then enter the cave there, known as Figaro Cave. Figaro Cave ----------- Once here, talk to the guard with the Chocobo beside him. He'll let you through to the actual cave, as he heads back to Figaro Castle to let the other people there know you are safe. Enter the cave when the guard moves. When you get inside the cave, I suggest you train until you are about Level 10 or 11. It may be a bit high, but you'll need it for the hard area coming up. If you get low on HP, simply press A in front of the pool of water with the turtle in it to fully restore your HP/MP. After you train, enter the next room. Now, head all the way east, southwest, and then north. Go up the stairs you come to at that point. From there, simply make your way to the exit of the cave. It shouldn't be too hard to find. If you can't find it, you seriously need an eye examination. Also, DO NOT open the chests in here; they house much better items in the World of Ruin. World Map --------- Back on the World Map, head southeast, save your game, then enter the town there, known as South Figaro. South Figaro ------------ Once you get here, you'll see a man dressed in black walking away from you. We will worry about him in a minute. For now, there are some shops for you to go to better your equipment. Starting off, look around town until you find the weapon and armor shop. Once inside there, go to the weapon shop first and buy Terra a RegalCutlass. Give Edgar's MithrilBlade to Locke, then go ahead and head over to the armor shop, to the east. There, buy two Heavy Shlds, three Plumed Hats, a Cotton Robe, and a Kung Fu Suit. Pull up the menu after that, then equip each of your party members with your newly bought stuff by selecting the "Optimum" command. Now, exit this shop and head over to the item shop and restock on anything you may need. Once that is done, go over to the Relic Shop (it has a weird symbol on the building; like a stone-shaped symbol or something). Once there, buy three Star Pendants, a Jewel Ring, and some Sprint Shoes if you can. Equip the three Star Pendants on your party members. Now, it's time to get a couple of items around town. Starting off, examine the crate behind the Chocobo Stable to get a Green Cherry. It turns into a Tent in the World of Ruin, but you don't need to wait just to get a measly Tent, do you? No, you don't, so grab it. Now, head into the house behind the crate that you got the Green Cherry in. Once inside, head east and exit this house through the eastern exit. Outside, examine the bottom barrel to get a Fenix Down. After that, go east, then northwest, then take one step south and you'll be in another part of the house, but you'll be behind the house. Once in this room, examine the clock to get an Elixir. Here's a hint: from now on, most clocks will have Elixirs in them. For the sake of calling this part of the FAQ a "walkthrough" though, I'll tell you when a clock contains an Elixir. Anyway, after grabbing the Elixir, exit the room and go back inside the house the way you came in. Once inside the house again, go up the stairs in the northwestern part of the house. In the next room that you come to, head east and enter the first door you come across. In this room, go behind the bookshelf in here to get into another area. In this area, simply go down the set of stairs to the south to get into yet another new area. In this new area, go east, then southeast. You'll come to three doors which you can enter. The first one is empty, the second one has a Save Point in it, which I suggest you use, and finally, the last room has four chests in it. Open them all to get 500GP, 1000GP, 1500GP, and nothing! Yes, the last chest is empty. None of the clocks in here contains Elixirs either, so don't bother with them. Now, exit this room. Back in the previous room, head pretty far west. So far west that you are past the first door in the room. At that point, walk around the bottom part of the screen, where the black is. Eventually, you will find a staircase leading to another room. In this next room, open the two chests in here to get a Hyper Wrist Reilc, and the RunningShoes Relic. Give the Hyper Wrist to Edgar, and the RunningShoes to Locke. After you've equipped yourself with these new found Relics, exit this hidden room. Now, in the house of the old servant of the richest man in town, you'll find a Tonic in the lower floor of the house, to the east, located in a bucket to the east of a yellow jar. Now, the house is located, if you are wondering, just southwest of the item shop. There are plenty of other items in South Figaro to get, but they all turn into something better in the World of Ruin (most of them, anyway), so I won't tell you where to get them. Now, about that guy dressed in black that we saw when we first got into the town: I told you we'd deal with him, right? We will, right now. Head over to the pub, which is located to the east of the Relic Shop. Once you get inside the pub, go up the stairs and head all the way east, and you'll see the guy dressed in black at the counter with his dog, Interceptor. This guy is none other than Shadow, as you'll find out by talking to him. After talking to Shadow, go ahead and exit South Figaro. World Map --------- Ah, we're back on the World Map yet again, are we? This time, head northeast of South Figaro, then enter the small house there, which is Sabin's House. Sabin's House ------------- Go through the door into the house. Inside, Edgar recognizes the smell in the house. Examine the bucket in the northwes corner of the room to get a Tonic. Now, you can use Sabin's bed to fully restore your HP/MP, so feel free to do so if you need to. At any rate, when you're done here, exit this place completely. World Map --------- Back on the World Map, head south, east, and north, then save your game and enter the mountain there, known as Mt. Kolts. Mt. Kolts --------- When you arrive here (this is the hard dungeon I was talking about in Figaro Cave, by the way), simply go up the stairs and follow the path out of this first room into the next area. In this outside area, simply head east into the next area. In this next area, head south, then east, past the huge rock that looks like it's blocking your path (it's really not), then go southwest into another outside area. Out here, grab the chest you see for a Guardian weapon. Give that weapon to Locke since it's much better than the MithrilBlade. Now, go back inside the previous room. Back in the previous room, head to the northeastern corner of the room. When you are there, you'll see a wall that looks to be blocking your path. Like the rock, it really isn't. Go east as far as you can, then take one step north. Then, take two steps east, one step south, then go north up the stairway into a hidden room. In this room, open the chest to get an Atlas Armlet. This is a Relic, which boosts your physical fight damage by quite a bit. I suggest you equip this on Edgar, since it will boost the power of his AutoCrossbow Tool, which is a very good thing. Now, exit this hidden room, and continue onward through the mountain until you come across two cave entrances. Take the first one you come across (the rightmost one), then open the chest you come to for a Tent. Now, take the leftmost cave this time, then keep following the path up the mountain, following the shadowy figure until you come across a bridge. Cross the bridge when you come to it, then go through the cave entrance into the next room. In this small room, get on the Save Point, use a Tent, and save your game. Now, go ahead and go east and exit this area. In the outside area you come to, simply follow the _VERY_ long slopes until you reach the shadowy figure who has been near you throughout your journey up this mountain. It turns out that the shadowy figure is none other than Vargas, one of Duncan's students (Duncan also trained Sabin in the ways of martial arts, so Vargas and Sabin are connected somehow, wouldn't you agree?), who has trained in the ways of martial arts. Don't talk to Vargas just yet, but instead give Locke the Atlas Armlet, and give Edgar the Hyper Wrist, I guess. Keep the RunningShoes on Locke, though. After that, talk to Vargas, who will enter combat against you. Read the Bosses section of this FAQ to see how to defeat Vargas. After Vargas is defeated, Sabin and your group will talk for a minute, then Sabin will join your group after the dialogue. Once you regain control, go through the cave entrance that Vargas was blocking. In this next room, simply open the chest to get a Tent, then continue out of the mountain completely. World Map --------- Head all the way north and you'll eventually come to a cave. Enter it, then go north into the Returner's Hideout. Returner's Hideout ------------------ When you arrive here, talk to the nearby guard, then he'll tell you to follow him. He'll escort you to a door, where you'll regain control. Before you go inside the door, let's collect as many items as we can, shall we? Starting off, go to the jar by the nearby golden armor (it's just east of the stairs that you have to go up to get to the door the guard escorted you to) and check it out go get a Green Cherry. After that, head through the door northeast of where the guard at the start was. Inside the room you come to, open the chest to get a Fenix Down. Now, go ahead and enter the door that the guard escorted you to when you first got here. Inside the room you arrive in, you'll see Banon, who wants to speak with Terra. Before talking to him though, go ahead and open the chest in here to get a Potion. Now, save your game at the Save Point in here, then talk to Banon. Banon will tell you how you are the last ray of hope that this world has, and that you now confront terrible evils. He'll then go rest in bed, because he is very tired, or so he says. The nex