=============================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * EXCALIBUR II + PERFECT GAME GUIDE * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - =============================================================================== Welcome to the Final Fantasy IX "Excalibur II + Perfect Game Guide"! I hope you enjoy challenges! . * / \ * * * / \ * * * / \ * * / \ * * / \ * | ! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | | !! | * |\ ! /| * * |&\ /&| * * .^.&\ /&.^. * /###\& ^*^ &/###\ /###* `. _ .' *###\ /#------.(O).------#\ * |===| * * |-0-| * * |-0-| * |-0-| * * \_ _/ * * O * * Written By: Atomos199 * VERSION 6 * Latest Update: August 11, 2007 Copyright © 2005-2007 Piotr Matl * * * CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, complaints or corrections, feel free to drop me a line at atomos199@o2.pl - I'll be happy to help in any way I can! I would also love to hear from anyone who has completed this challenge with this guide; tell me what you thought about it! * * * VERSION 6 NOTICE: This guide is now supplemented by a set of videos covering every single part of this challenge! See the new section Video Assistance for detailed information. There is now also a method for slim-line PS2 and PS3 users to skip FMVs! Other than that, the only major changes from Version 5 are a bunch of new and improved stat set-ups for some characters, so check them out, too! Version 6, like Version 5, is the final edition of this guide. The perfect save itself remains mostly unchanged, with the exception of improved stat set-ups for some characters, which are published in this version. It would be worth it to check back every once in a while to see if someone hasn't by any chance come up with a better set-up, because statistically this has happened every few months. Check the date of the latest update because the version number will not change only because someone can get an extra stat point. This process will end eventually, but I don't know when. * * * NOTICE TO PAL GAMERS: It is impossible to complete this challenge on the PAL version of the game. Please consult Question 4 in the Frequently Asked Questions section for more detailed information. * * * This guide may only be hosted on www.gamefaqs.com * * * Use the Ctrl-F function to quickly jump to any circuit of the walkthrough by searching for its code! =============================================================================== * TABLE OF CONTENTS: * =============================================================================== . . . . . . . I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . . . . . . . M A I N G O A L S O F T H I S C H A L L E N G E . . . . . . . T H E P R O B L E M O F M A X S T A T S . . . . . . . . . C H O O S I N G A S T A T P A T H . . . . . . . . . . . . M A K I N G M O N E Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . B E F O R E B E G I N N I N G . . . . . . . . . . . . V I D E O A S S I S T A N C E . . . . . . . . . . . . . T I M E T A B L E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W A L K T H R O U G H . . . . . . . DISC 1: i) NEW GAME - Alexandria Steeple (D1-01) ii) Alexandria Steeple - Alexandria Castle Guardhouse (D1-02) iii) Alexandria Castle Guardhouse - Prima Vista Crash Site (D1-03) iv) Prima Vista Crash Site - Evil Forest Spring (D1-04) v) Evil Forest Spring - Gunitas Basin (D1-05) vi) Gunitas Basin - Ice Cavern (D1-06) vii) Ice Cavern - Dali Storage Area (D1-07) viii) Dali Storage Area - Lindblum Inn (D1-08) ix) Lindblum Inn - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D1-09) x) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Lachenta Wetlands (D1-10) xi) Lachenta Wetlands - Eunorus Plains (D1-11) xii) Eunorus Plains - Gizamaluke's Grotto (D1-12) xiii) Gizamaluke's Grotto - Daines-Horse Basin (D1-13) xiv) Daines-Horse Basin - START OF DISC 2 (D1-14) DISC 2: i) START OF DISC 2 - Bentini Heights (D2-01) ii) Bentini Heights - Gargan Roo (D2-02) iii) Gargan Roo - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-03) iv) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra's Trunk (D2-04) v) Cleyra's Trunk - Cleyra Inn (D2-05) vi) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Inn (D2-06) vii) Cleyra Inn - Cleyra Sandpit (D2-07) viii) Cleyra Sandpit - Red Rose (D2-08) ix) Red Rose - Alexandria Chapel (D2-09) x) Alexandria Chapel - Pinnacle Rocks (D2-10) xi) Pinnacle Rocks - Lachenta Wetlands (D2-11) xii) Lachenta Wetlands - Fossil Roo Cavern (D2-12) xiii) Fossil Roo Cavern - Fossil Roo Mining Site (D2-13) xiv) Fossil Roo Mining Site - Magdalene Forest (D2-14) xv) Magdalene Forest - Conde Petie (D2-15) xvi) Conde Petie - Mountain Path (D2-16) xvii) Mountain Path - Lucid Plains (D2-17) xviii) Lucid Plains - Iifa Tree Roots (D2-18) xix) Iifa Tree Roots - Lucid Plains (D2-19) xx) Lucid Plains - Pualei Plains (D2-20) xxi) Pualei Plains - START OF DISC 3 (D2-21) DISC 3: i) START OF DISC 3 - Nolrich Heights (D3-01) ii) Nolrich Heights - Treno Knight's House (D3-02) iii) Treno Knight's House - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-03) iv) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Kiera Desert (D3-04) v) Kiera Desert - Oeilvert Outside (D3-05) vi) Oeilvert Outside - Oeilvert Star Display (D3-06) vii) Oeilvert Star Display - Desert Palace Rack (D3-07) viii) Desert Palace Rack - Desert Palace Library (D3-08) ix) Desert Palace Library - Esto Gaza (D3-09) x) Esto Gaza - Lindblum Castle Guest Room (D3-10) xi) Lindblum Castle Guest Room - Ipsen's Castle (D3-11) xii) Ipsen's Castle - Blairsurpass Plains (D3-12) xiii) Blairsurpass Plains - Bran Bal Storage (D3-13) xiv) Bran Bal Storage - Pandemonium Maze (D3-14) xv) Pandemonium Maze - START OF DISC 4 (D3-15) DISC 4: i) START OF DISC 4 - Memoria Entrance (D4-01) ii) Memoria Entrance - Memoria The Past (D4-02) iii) Memoria The Past - Memoria Portal (D4-03) iv) Memoria Portal - Memoria Time Warp (D4-04) v) Memoria Time Warp - EXCALIBUR II (D4-05) . . . . . . . L E F T O V E R S . . . . . . . . . . . . . P E R F E C T S T A T S . . . . . . . . . . . T R E A S U R E L O C A T I O N S . . . . . . . . . F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S . . . . . . . . . . . C R E D I T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V E R S I O N H I S T O R Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . C O P Y R I G H T . . . . . . . =============================================================================== * INTRODUCTION * =============================================================================== Being the perfectionist and completionist that I am, I was always very frustrated by the seeming impossibility of creating a truly perfect save for my favorite game, Final Fantasy IX. For years I thought that it really was impossible, although it was never more than an assumption on my part. The reason for this was the not-so-secret Excalibur II, a sword found at the end of Memoria which disappears following 12 hours after the start of the game, without which this challenge would be unbearably boring. Having gotten used to spending ungodly amounts of time on perfect saves for even the simplest of games, getting a perfect save for a game as huge as FFIX in under 12 hours never even crossed my mind... until the winter of 2005, that is; just in time for my annual FFIX binge! And that's how this guide was born. Now let me get straight to the point: this guide is meant to get you from the very beginning of the game all the way to the Excalibur II, without missing any of the missable items, events, side quests, etc. In other words, you will get all the benefits of playing a normal game without sacrificing that lovely sword. The keyword here is "missable". You will skip absolutely everything which can be done on Disc 4, otherwise it is quite impossible to make it in time for the Excalibur II. It seems that the game is very balanced in this respect; there is just barely enough time to complete everything missable and still get that elusive sword. As for what is and is not missable, consult the next section, which explains in detail what you will be doing during this challenge. So, let me say it, once and for all: FACT: It is possible to have a perfect save which includes the Excalibur II. =============================================================================== * MAIN GOALS OF THIS CHALLENGE * =============================================================================== Not everyone has the same conception of a perfect save. Some are satisfied with getting all items, others with learning all abilities and still others with getting max stats, or any combination of these ideas and more. Therefore, this guide includes all possible goals which anyone could possibly want in their perfect save, and all are accounted for simultaneously. This means that you can complete all of the goals below using this walkthrough; compromise was not on my mind when I set about doing this, and it should not be on yours. That said, here is a rundown of the goals which you will be guided toward for a perfect save, with precise explanations: 1) Obtain "perfect" amounts of all missable items (eventually). 2) Obtain maximum amounts of all missable unique items. 3) Open all missable chests. 4) Search all missable field icons. 5) Obtain the Athlete Queen. 6) Complete a Level 1 Game. 7) Deliver all the Moogle Letters. 8) Buy all of Stiltzkin's deals. 9) Complete the Mr. Morrid's Coffee sidequest. 10) Defeat all missable Treno Weapon Shop monsters. 11) Obtain the Moogle Suit and Autograph. ---------------------------------------------------- 1) OBTAIN "PERFECT" AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE ITEMS: ---------------------------------------------------- There are 31 items in the game which can no longer be bought on Disc 4. Furthermore, 9 of these items are used in synthesis, which makes another 8 items potentially missable. 2 of these items are then used in further synthesis combinations, which makes another 2 items potentially missable, for a grand total of 41 missable non-unique items in FFIX. The challenge here rests on having the funds to buy all these items, and in buying them in the correct amounts. Although it may be fine to have only 1 copy left of each of these items at the end after synthesis, I have decided on a different, more "perfect" amount. This guide will have you buy these items in such amounts so that you have enough of each of them to equip everyone who can equip them, plus 1 remaining for your inventory. This also includes the items which are synthesized from these missable items, which is why some of them are bought in larger quantities than one would first think are necessary. In this way, these missable items will never be able to leave your inventory unless you sell them. I said "eventually" earlier because you will not be synthesizing any of the missable items on your way to the Excalibur II. However, you will have the necessary items in the necessary amounts to be able to do so eventually, when you have enough money and time. The following is a list of the 31 basic missable items, with quantities needed, quantities bought and their total cost (in order of availability, though not necessarily purchase): NOTE: Some of these items are found during the game, so the quantities bought and their cost does not include these copies, since you won't miss them with this guide. Also, you will be told exactly how many of these items to buy in the walkthrough itself, so this is just for reference and monetary planning if you decide not to follow the walkthrough exactly. NOTE: Quantities needed are calculated BEFORE synthesis. Once you finish the challenge, you will have to use an appropriate number of some items for synthesis. NOTE: All copies of missable items are mentioned in the guide, except for the Diamond Gloves. 3 are needed but only 2 are bought. That is because 1 copy is obtained from Chocograph Treasure #5 - Abandoned Beach. All other copies of missable items are accounted for. +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ | ITEM | NEEDED | BOUGHT | COST | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Javelin | 3 | 1 | 880 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Silver Gloves | 4 | 3 | 2,160 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Iron Helm | 3 | 2 | 900 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Leather Plate | 3 | 1 | 530 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Air Racket | 6 | 5 | 2,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Mythril Sword | 5 | 5 | 6,500 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Bandana | 12 | 9 | 4,500 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Chain Plate | 3 | 2 | 1,620 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Chain Mail | 15 | 14 | 16,800 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Mythril Vest | 10 | 8 | 9,440 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Diamond Sword | 2 | 1 | 4,700 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Trident | 2 | 2 | 7,160 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Mythril Claws | 2 | 2 | 13,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Fairy Flute | 2 | 2 | 9,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Silver Fork | 2 | 1 | 7,400 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Diamond Gloves | 3 | 2 | 4,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Green Beret | 7 | 7 | 15,260 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Judo Uniform | 7 | 7 | 35,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Gold Armor | 3 | 3 | 8,850 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Zorlin Shape | 9 | 8 | 48,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Flame Saber | 2 | 2 | 10,380 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Heavy Lance | 2 | 2 | 9,400 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Scissor Fangs | 2 | 2 | 16,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Asura's Rod | 2 | 2 | 6,360 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Hamelin | 2 | 2 | 11,400 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Octagon Rod | 2 | 2 | 9,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Black Hood | 6 | 5 | 12,750 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Rune Blade | 2 | 2 | 17,800 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Obelisk | 2 | 2 | 12,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Tiger Fangs | 2 | 2 | 27,000 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------+ |Diamond Armor | 3 | 3 | 26,400 | +------------------+-------------------+------------------+==================+ | 356,190 | +==================+ Although the grand total may seem daunting, it's possible to finance all these purchases with some careful planning. The list below shows how some of the above items are used in synthesis: NOTE: You won't actually be buying any of these synthesized items until after getting the Excalibur II. Javelin -> Save the Queen Silver Gloves -> Save the Queen Air Racket -> Priest's Racket Mythril Sword -> Grand Armor Bandana -> Silk Robe Chain Mail -> Power Belt -> Grand Helm Mythril Vest -> Brave Suit Zorlin Shape -> Sargatanas -> Thief Gloves OR -> Masamune --------------------------------------------------------- 2) OBTAIN MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF ALL MISSABLE UNIQUE ITEMS: --------------------------------------------------------- As you may already know, some items in FFIX are available in finite amounts no matter how long you play and no matter what you do. Therefore, we will be getting each of these items' missable copies on our way to the Excalibur II. The following is a list of all such items in FFIX, with maximum quantities and locations included: NOTE: Only MISSABLE unique items are of importance, so ultimate weapons and some other items such as the Hammer have been omitted (since you can't miss them permanently). NOTE: Some unique items can be synthesized using other unique items. The quantities provided are maximum quantities without synthesis. NOTE: Some of the gems are also temporarily gotten during the Friendly Monsters sidequest, but they cannot be kept without leaving the sidequest incomplete. Those copies are therefore not included here. NOTE: There is only 1 Dragon's Claws in the entire game, so do NOT use the Dragon's Claws in a synthesis combination with Tiger Fangs to get Duel Claws. 1 copy of Duel Claws can be stolen from Deathguise. So, you should have 1 Dragon's Claws and 1 Duel Claws in your perfect save. NOTE: Ozma holds 4 unique items; 2 Dark Matter, 1 Pumice and 1 Pumice Piece. You must steal a Dark Matter and a Pumice Piece, then end the battle and hope that Ozma drops BOTH a Dark Matter and a Pumice. If not, you must reset and try again. 1) Diamond [3] -On the boat in Conde Petie -Included in Stiltzkin's Bran Bal deal -Included in Chocograph Treasure #17 - Sea At Dusk 2) Emerald [2] -Given to you by the Priest of Cleyra while you control Freya -Included in Stiltzkin's Oeilvert deal 3) Ruby [2] -Received when breaking the seal on the Iifa Tree -Included in Stiltzkin's Alexandria deal (Disc 4) 4) Moonstone [3] -Given to Steiner by Queen Brahne after impressing all 100 nobles with the Tantalus performance -Complete the Conde Petie Mountain Path colored stones puzzle -Included in Stiltzkin's Alexandria deal (Disc 4) 5) Ribbon [4] -Given to you by Mog in Mount Gulug -Treno Auction House item -Given to you by Stiltzkin after buying his final deal (Alexandria, Disc 4) -Included in Chocograph Treasure #24 - Forgotten Island 6) Dark Matter [3] -Treno Auction House item -Stolen from Ozma -Dropped by Ozma 7) Running Shoes [4] -Dropped by Tantarian -Won by defeating Amdusias in the Treno Weapon Shop on Disc 3 -Stolen from Hades -Found in the clock in Quan's Dwelling 8) Pumice [1] -Dropped by Ozma 9) Pumice Piece [3] -Dropped by Ark -Stolen from Ozma -Included in Chocograph Treasure #22 - Outer Island 2 10) Rebirth Ring [2] -Awarded for winning the Tetra Master Tournament -Included in Chocograph Treasure #24 - Forgotten Island 11) Blood Sword [2] -Stellazzio reward -Stolen from Tiamat 12) Genji Helmet [2] -Stolen from Kraken -Included in the Chocograph Treasure found in the Mountain Crack on the northeastern part of the Forgotten Continent 13) Genji Gloves [2] -Stolen from Lich -Included in the Chocograph Treasure found in the Foaming Water at the southern tip of the Forgotten Continent 14) Genji Armor [2] -Stolen from Maliris -Included in Chocograph Treasure #21 - Outer Island ------------------------------ 3) OPEN ALL MISSABLE CHESTS: ------------------------------ Since we're going for perfection, we'll want to open all the treasure chests in the game. However, you'll mainly be opening missable chests during the course of the challenge. Furthermore, you'll be able to collect the Rank S Medal if you do this, which is (in my opinion) fundamental for a perfect save. Keep in mind that this isn't really a difficult goal to meet; 99% of the chests in FFIX are completely and comfortably along the way. Then again, 90% of all chests in the game are missable, but don't worry, there's enough time to open them all. Although you shouldn't have any problems with finding all the chests, I have created a treasure list in the event that you do. Check the Treasure Locations section for the locations of all the treasure chests and all the field icons in the game. ------------------------------------- 4) SEARCH ALL MISSABLE FIELD ICONS: ------------------------------------- This is the same thing as the chests, except for field icons. In case you're not familiar with this term, a field icon is the exclamation mark which appears over Zidane's head when he stands near a treasure. Although this icon appears near chests and other places as well, field icons, for the purpose of this guide, will be considered treasures which are not in a chest but lie on the ground, on a shelf, etc. As with chests, many of them are along the way. Unlike chests, however, many of them are not missable, especially the ones later in the game. You can find a complete listing of all the game's field icons, with locations, in the Treasure Locations section. ------------------------------ 5) OBTAIN THE ATHLETE QUEEN: ------------------------------ The Athlete Queen is one of 6 missable key items. The only opportunity to get this key item is at the very beginning of Disc 3, when you control Vivi. You can play a mini-game in which you race a fat boy named Hippaul to help him lose weight. The premise of the game is to alternately press the CIRCLE and SQUARE buttons as fast as possible. You receive a reward for every 10 LVs which Hippaul gains, and you get the Athlete Queen when he reaches LV 80. This is the single most time-consuming event in the entire challenge; if you don't lose a single time it'll take you about 21 minutes, with each loss adding around 20 seconds. For some people this mini-game is a piece of cake, but for others it borders on the impossible to reach LV 80. However, it's a waste if you decide to skip getting the Athlete Queen, since the extra 20 minutes will make this challenge, well, not as challenging, and you won't have a perfect save at the end, either. Thus, I suggest you get this key item, no matter how painful it can get. Eventually, you will get it; it's just a matter of practice and concentration, that's all. ----------------------------- 6) COMPLETE A LEVEL 1 GAME: ----------------------------- Stats pose the biggest problem in this perfect game challenge. This is because in order to obtain perfect stats, you must start working on them from LV 1. Furthermore, you can only work on them after getting the Excalibur II as you are not only limited by the LV at which you begin, but also by the available selection of equipment. Simply put, you do not have access to all of the necessary equipment until after you get the Excalibur II, and if it is available, then you either don't have the time to actually get it or to level up with it to a meaningful degree. What does this mean for you? It means that you will be playing the whole game at LV 1! If the game let you, that is. There are many forced battles in the game and most of them can be won without getting any EXP by using the Stop spell and the Needle Fork's Add Status property, which is Petrify. However, there are 3 battles in which EXP MUST be gained, namely the battles against Amdusias, Abadon and Shell Dragon in Pandemonium. Depending on what your priorities for your perfect save are, you may have to defeat Tantarian and gain his EXP as well. That said, there is an important difference between this challenge's Level 1 Game and the "regular" one: "The characters who gain EXP from Tantarian and the Pandemonium battles are not restricted from being in the active party. The focus here is the benefit of stat gains rather than self-imposed challenge." -1whoistornapart Don't be intimidated by a Level 1 Game; it has its difficult parts, but it's very fun overall. The issue of the Level 1 Game and max stats is covered in detail in the next 2 sections of the guide. I warn you, it is complicated and lengthy, but you must read and understand it if you want a perfect save which you'll be happy with. ------------------------------------ 7) DELIVER ALL THE MOOGLE LETTERS: ------------------------------------ This is a pretty self-explanatory goal. In my opinion, it would not be a perfect save if you missed any of the letters, as they're a part of the story in a way. Moreover, you have to deliver them in order to revive Mognet Central on Disc 4. One more thing: reading and receiving all other mail is also a part of this goal. That means you will receive all letters addressed to Zidane and read all the letters from Stiltzkin and other moogles to each other. The point is to have all the letters accessible at the end of the game under the moogles' Mognet menus. You did say you wanted a complete and perfect save, didn't you? The easiest way to achieve this goal is to simply check the Mognet option every time you meet a moogle, even if it is for the second time in a row. If there is anything to read, receive or deliver you will immediately be prompted to do so. Don't worry, though, as the walkthrough will always mention whether and which letters a moogle has at a particular time, as there are some rare instances when you can miss a letter if you don't purposely backtrack. Here is a list of all the letters which you must deliver during the course of the challenge, in chronological order: Kupo -> Monty Mois -> Gumo Kumop -> Mogki Mogki -> Atla Grimo -> Nazna Atla -> Monev Nazna -> Mochos Mopli -> Serino Serino -> Moodon Mosh -> Monty Moodon -> Moonte Kuppo -> Kupo Mogmatt -> Suzuna Mogryo -> Mocchi Mogki -> Moodon Mimoza -> Mooel Mojito -> Mogsam Mogrika -> Moolan Moolan -> Mogtaka Mogki -> Kumool Moorock -> Mozme ...and here are the letters which you will read, also in chronological order: Kupo -> Mosh Ruby -> Zidane Stiltzkin -> Monty Ruby -> Zidane Stiltzkin -> Moonte Moodon -> Mogmi Stiltzkin -> Mogrich Ruby -> Zidane Monev -> Mopli Kupo -> Mosh Stiltzkin -> Monty Ruby -> Zidane Kuppo -> Monty Stiltzkin -> Mogryo Stiltzkin -> Mocchi Mogrika -> Kupo Stiltzkin -> Kupo Kupo -> Mogrich Artemicion -> Mogrika ---------------------------------- 8) BUY ALL OF STILTZKIN'S DEALS: ---------------------------------- This is an easy goal to accomplish. It is also very profitable, as you actually make a profit from most of his deals, get several copies of unique items, and a Ribbon as a reward for buying all of his offers. They are all listed below in chronological order, with prices: Burmecia : Ether, Hi-Potion, Soft : [333] Cleyra Settlement : Hi-Potion, Ether, Phoenix Pinion : [444] Fossil Roo : Phoenix Pinion, Remedy, Ether : [555] Mountain Path : Magic Tag, Tent, Ether : [666] Alexandria : Phoenix Pinion, Hi-Potion, Elixir : [777] Oeilvert : Hi-Potion, Emerald, Elixir : [888] Bran Bal : Diamond, Ether, Elixir : [2222] Alexandria : Moonstone, Ruby, Elixir : [5555] ------------------------------------------------ 9) COMPLETE THE MR. MORRID'S COFFEE SIDEQUEST: ------------------------------------------------ This is also a pretty self-explanatory goal. The reason you have to do this is that Observatory Mountain, Mr. Morrid's home, is locked off on Disc 4. Don't worry, though, it turns out that all 3 coffees are actually along the way and delivering them is also along the way. The walkthrough will guide you in completing this sidequest. Some people insist on keeping all the coffees, as they are just as unique as the Mini Prima Vista, which appears in the Tantalus hideout. This is true, except that it leaves the side-quest incomplete. However, this is a decision which every player must make for him or herself. You can leave this decision up until the beginning of Disc 3, after getting the Burman Coffee. ----------------------------------------------------- 10) DEFEAT ALL MISSABLE TRENO WEAPON SHOP MONSTERS: ----------------------------------------------------- Well, that's all there is to it; defeat Griffin, Catoblepas and Amdusias. I'm not certain whether the rewards count toward your treasure ranking, but it doesn't really matter. You want to be as complete as possible in this challenge and you would have to defeat Amdusias anyway as the Running Shoes are given as a reward. Thus, you may as well defeat the other 2 monsters for the sake of completion. ------------------------------------------- 11) OBTAIN THE MOOGLE SUIT AND AUTOGRAPH: ------------------------------------------- This goal is really simple, but that doesn't make it less important than the others. How sad would it be if you forgot about these key items? =============================================================================== * THE PROBLEM OF MAX STATS * =============================================================================== Stats are a gray area in FFIX. The problem is that unlike with unique items or side-quests, stat perfection is rather subjective. Due to the way the stat system is designed, it is impossible to max all stats for any character. The max for Speed and Spirit is 50, while the max for Strength and Magic is 99. Everyone is capable of reaching 50 Spirit, but no one can reach the max in the other 3 stats, except Zidane, who can reach 50 Speed. They are all limited by the choice of stat-raising equipment available in the game, which isn't good enough to reach the max in any stat besides Spirit. At this point, you may be wondering whether the unattainability of max stats means that there is no such thing as a perfect save in FFIX. No, it does not. Does the meaningless limit on the amount of obtainable Moonstone or Pumice Piece mean that there is no such thing as a perfect save? It also does not. Stats, and even individual stat points, are unique in exactly the same way as unique items. The perfect result is therefore not the highest possible to be comprehended by the game, which would be 99, but rather the highest attainable in normal gameplay. After all, what is the point of considering 99 to be the maximum amount of Pumice Piece when you can't get any more than 3? Unfortunately, this is not at the heart of the stats dilemma, and not quite the problem with which we are faced. The real issue here is that it is impossible to achieve a character's highest stats SIMULTANEOUSLY. Simply put, you effectively forfeit points in 1 or more stats in order to raise another; you can NEVER raise any stat without not raising another as much as possible. For example, using the Robe of Lords will give each stat 1 bonus point, but that means you forfeit giving Magic 2 points with the White Robe, or Spirit 3 with the Dark Gear, and so on, depending on what equipment a character can use. That is why no character can have their highest rating in all, or even 2, stats at once. This in turn means that there is no universal set of highest stats for any character; each player can distribute stat points differently. However, this does NOT mean that all stat distributions are equally perfect or fitting. Everyone will agree that a stat distribution giving Zidane his highest Magic is inferior "perfection-wise" to a distribution giving him his highest Strength. The opposite can be said for Vivi, for example. It is because stats mean something that we CAN decide on a perfect distribution for each character. If Speed, Strength, Magic and Spirit all did the same thing, it wouldn't matter which was raised and which wasn't, but the fact is that these stats do mean something, and therefore some mean more to certain characters than to others. This is what allows us to come up with a universal set of PRIORITIES for each character. Therefore, perfect stat distributions exist; they are the best simultaneous fulfillments of those priorities for each character. The perfect save with perfect stats does therefore exist. It simply differs from what one would first expect. For a detailed overview of what these perfect distributions are, and why they are the way they are, consult the Perfect Stats section. =============================================================================== * CHOOSING A STAT PATH * =============================================================================== Now that you know what is meant by perfect stats, you must decide whether to acknowledge such a view for your perfect save; believe it or not, there IS an alternative. There are 2 ways of looking at perfect stats in a perfect save. You must choose one or the other, and you can't proceed past Tantarian on Disc 3 without having made this decision. You can, however, play up to that point without having chosen a path, as BOTH of them are identical until you reach Tantarian on Disc 3. The MAX Stats Approach: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the idea that there is a universal set of priorities for each character, and that the perfect stat distribution is the one which fulfills those priorities the best. This has been fully explained in the section above, and is given further attention in the Perfect Stats section. This path should be thought of as the one which yields the highest stats possible under the circumstances created by the game and the stat system. In that sense, this path provides stats which are perfect just like 3 Pumice Piece is a perfect amount of a unique item. No one can dispute 3 Pumice Piece as being the perfect amount, and for the same reason, there is no solid basis for disputing these stats as perfect. If this is the path you wish to follow, then simply follow this guide; it is written with this path in mind. The BASE Stats Approach: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the alternative to the path above. Although it is impossible for any character's stats to reach their highest possible values all at once, it IS possible for them to reach their LOWEST possible values simultaneously. Think of them as being maximized negatively, or being perfectly negative. This solution is unquestionably "perfect" in that all stats reach their negative max, and this requires no fancy theories or proof. This approach requires no assumptions in order to claim perfection, either, but it does require a different idea of perfection itself. Here, perfection is mathematical, not practical. If this is the path you wish to follow, then you can still use this guide. The only difference is that you must NEVER gain any LVs with equipment that boosts Speed, Strength, Magic and/or Spirit. This will guarantee that your stats will be the lowest possible. The Perfect Stats section does not apply to you. Note that you still have to play the Level 1 Game so that everyone joins the party at LV 1. If you get anyone at a higher LV, their stats will be lower than the so-called minimum because they will have missed stat gains from the Level Ups they were given for free; the game awards a set minimum amount of bonus points per Level Up, but you don't get them when a character joins at the party's average LV. This may seem to undermine the sense of this path, but it really doesn't; check out Question 8 in the Frequently Asked Questions for an explanation. (thanks to SteelShades for proposing the BASE Stat idea) (thanks to Cicatriz_ESP for realizing that even BASE Stat-ers must play the Level 1 Game in order to achieve the true minimal stats, and for bringing this to my attention) - - - NOTE: The rest of this section DOES NOT APPLY to you if you chose to follow the BASE Stats path. All you have to do is answer Question 1 below. If your answer is A, let only Zidane gain LVs after getting Amarant. If your answer is B, you can gain LVs in any way you want after getting him. That's all there is to it if you're a BASE Stat-er! The MAX Stats variant splits into 5 possible paths. This is due to the fact that the unavoidable EXP received during the game can be allocated in a number of ways, each yielding different sets of stats, but none being inherently better or worse than another. This whole affair is actually quite complicated and convoluted, but I've simplified it to 3 main factors in the interest of saving you a headache. Answer the 3 questions below and you should be led to the stats path which best suits your perfect game requirements. Please note that you MUST choose a path eventually; you cannot proceed past Tantarian on Disc 3 if you don't. 1. Which of the following parties do you want for your perfect save? A: Party with highest possible number of characters at LV 1 B: Party with everyone at LV 99 NOTE: The most characters you can have at LV 1 by the end of the game is 7. In such a case, Zidane is the one who will be at a higher LV; the minimum is either LV 31 or LV 32, depending on your answer to Question 2. You can let him reach LV 99 as well, but the point is that 7 of 8 characters will remain at LV 1, which is the most possible by the end of the game. 2. Assuming that the choice you don't pick will only be hurt by ~1%, which do you value more as a requirement for a perfect save? A: All unique items in maximum amounts and all optional bosses defeated B: Perfect stats for all characters 3. Assuming they both sacrifice the same amount, which of the following characters' stat potential would you be more willing to sacrifice in order to preserve everyone else's? A: Zidane B: Freya Use the following table to determine which stat path is best for you: +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | QUESTION #1 | QUESTION #2 | QUESTION #3 | YOUR STAT PATH | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | A | A | - | PATH A | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | A | B | - | PATH B | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | B | A | A | PATH C | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | B | A | B | PATH D | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ | B | B | - | PATH E | +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+------------------+ O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | PATH A: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This is the simplest and easiest path to follow. Zidane is given all the unavoidable EXP in the game and will end up at LV 32, while everyone else remains at LV 1. However, that is the only advantage this path has over the others. Zidane can obtain better LV 99 stats by letting Garnet and/or Freya gain LVs in Pandemonium, which they can do without sacrificing any stats. The only drawback to this is that they will no longer be at LV 1 at the end of the game. So, following this path you trade 1 or 2 of Zidane's stat points in order to keep everyone else at LV 1 for your perfect save. To conclude, this path is only good if you want your perfect save party to be at LV 1, with Zidane being at least at LV 32. That is the only thing which the other paths cannot do. Therefore, use Path C, Path D or Path E if you're planning on making your party reach LV 99. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | PATH B: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This is a minor variation of Path A. The only difference is that by ignoring Tantarian, you get better stats for Zidane and his minimum LV becomes LV 31 instead of LV 32. When comparing the lowest LV Zidane from this path to the one from Path A, this one will have 1 more Strength and Spirit. However, this is only temporary. If you let both of them reach LV 99, then this one will have 1 more Speed and Magic than the other one. Stat-wise, this path is inferior to Path E, which also skips Tantarian, but that one doesn't allow you to have a LV 1 party, which is the only reason you're taking this path into consideration. To conclude, this path is for those who want the LV 1 party with a Zidane at the highest stats possible when having that LV 1 party (remember, he can get better stats by not keeping your party at LV 1 for as long as possible). O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | PATH C: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This is the most optimal path when you want Zidane to be the one to sacrifice his stat potential for that of the rest of the party and for the rest of the requirements for a perfect save. In this path, Tantarian is defeated and you get the last pair of Running Shoes. Overall, you satisfy all the requirements for a perfect save, except for Zidane being 1 Strength point short of his max. Everyone else attains their highest stat set. This path is for those who want their perfect save party to be at LV 99 with the best stats possible, who want all optional bosses defeated, who want all unique items in maximum amounts, and who prefer to have Zidane be the one to make the stat sacrifice required for defeating Tantarian and getting the last pair of Running Shoes. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | PATH D: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This is the most optimal path when you want Freya to be the one to sacrifice her stat potential for that of the rest of the party and for the rest of the requirements for a perfect save. In this path, Tantarian is defeated and you get the last pair of Running Shoes. Overall, you satisfy all the requirements for a perfect save, except for Freya being 2 Magic points short of her max. Everyone else attains their highest stat set. This path is for those who want their perfect save party to be at LV 99 with the best stats possible, who want all optional bosses defeated, who want all unique items in maximum amounts, and who prefer to have Freya be the one to make the stat sacrifice required for defeating Tantarian and getting the last pair of Running Shoes. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | PATH E: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This is the only path which allows you to have ALL of your characters reach their full stat-maxing potential. However, this comes at the cost of not having defeated an optional boss and missing 1 copy of a unique item (the Running Shoes). If you feel that that is a fair trade, then this is the path for you. - - - At this point, you may be thinking whether it wouldn't just be best to ignore Tantarian as he really throws a wrench into the whole perfect stats idea. This is a common misconception. You see, the fact is that you neither gain nor lose anything by ignoring or defeating Tantarian. He is simply a mechanic which forces you to choose between 1 or 2 stat points, and the Running Shoes and his defeat. Him being missable is the only reason why you are forced to make a choice between one or the other, and why you can't have both. Neither choice is inherently or objectively better than the other, so it's only a personal matter decided by what one values more in a perfect save. The impact this choice has on your save is microscopic, but since we are dealing with perfect saves, every detail must be taken into account. Finally, since the game FORCES you to make such a choice, it can't be said that Tantarian makes a perfect save impossible. A perfect save in FFIX simply cannot have BOTH all the Running Shoes and everyone at perfect stats, just like you can't have both the Mini Prima Vista and the 3 coffees, or all copies of Moonstone along with all 4 colored stones from the Mountain Path. It's that simple, so don't let it discourage you in the least. - - - Gameplay-wise, which path you choose makes little difference. The game plays out identically for all paths up until Disc 3. After that, there are only minor differences, mostly equipment set-ups, and some boss strategies. Therefore, don't base your decision on any perceived difficulties. If you absolutely cannot decide which path to follow, then check out Question 11 in the Frequently Asked Questions section to find my take on this matter. =============================================================================== * MAKING MONEY * =============================================================================== As shown earlier, you'll need 356,190 gil to buy all the missable items in the game in a "perfect" amount. And this sum does not even take into account any strategic equipment or Stiltzkin's deals. So what can we do? Well, if you check the cost of the synthesized items in the game and their respective resale values, you'll notice that some of them sell for more than they cost. Some even sell for more than the cost of themselves and their component raw materials. This is how you'll make the majority of your money. There are only 3 synthesized items which will net you a profit after all the costs required to produce them: 1) Desert Boots : 30 gil 2) Yellow Scarf : 40 gil 3) Cotton Robe : 610 gil Obviously, the Cotton Robe is the most profitable to produce. As it turns out, it is also the easiest to produce throughout the game, with its raw materials, Wrist and Steepled Hat, being accessible for purchase exactly when necessary. The initial investment is also not large, making it easier and faster to go through with this "trick". We'll be doing the Cotton Robe trick 3 times during this challenge; 2 partial rounds (where some profit is used for further purchases of Cotton Robe) and 1 full round with 99 Cotton Robe at once. Although this trick seems like a godsend, even this won't yield enough gil to make all the purchases necessary. However, the rest is gotten from treasures, selling useless equipment and, most notably, the common Ether and Phoenix Pinion. It's surprising how much you can actually earn by selling all your useless junk. =============================================================================== * BEFORE BEGINNING * =============================================================================== Now that everything else is out of the way, you need to get acquainted with the practices of doing a speed run. Here are the golden rules: 1) Skip ALL dialogue by alternately mashing the X and SQUARE buttons. Using both buttons increases the speed of running through text as opposed to using only 1, sometimes even quite drastically (thanks to Ekke for being the first to bring the use of the SQUARE button to my attention). 2) Skip ALL ATEs unless instructed to do otherwise. 3) Skip ALL FMVs by opening the disc cover on your PS1 or ejecting the disc tray from the PS2 while the FMV is playing. Then, close the disc cover or the disc tray to resume the game. Skipping FMVs on the slim-line PS2 is a bit more involved, but fortunately still possible. This method should also work on the PS3. Here's what you do: (thanks to CrAckLeT for being the first to inform me of this method) a) Once the FMV starts to play, open the lid b) Replace the current disc with another one, possibly another FFIX disc c) Close the disc cover and wait a moment for the console to begin reading the disc d) Open the lid again and put in the proper FFIX disc e) Close the lid and wait for the game to resume This method is very reliable. However, if you would prefer to not swap discs so often, then here is some advice from AtmaChild: "If you got good hearing, you'll notice that there are 3 distinct sounds that your slim-line PS2 makes after closing the lid. The 1st sound is somewhat of a clicking sound, followed by 2 'screech' type sounds in quick succession. The FMV starts to resume at the 3rd sound. It is just after hearing the 2nd sound that you open and close the lid again (exactly 2 seconds after the 1st open/close lid), guaranteeing an FMV skip. Here's step by step: 1. Open, and close lid after disc stops 2. Open and close lid again after hearing the 2nd sound (or open/close lid exactly 2 seconds after Step 1 if you have trouble hearing)" If you are using an emulator, the procedure is a bit more complicated. I have no experience with emulators so I'll quote Stunning SteveAustin on this matter: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Skipping FMVs On An Emulator (ePSXe) First you will either need an alternative disc ISO from the one you are currently using, or in actuality you can just use any old useless file such as a blank text document. Once the FMV starts, press "Esc" then "File>Change Disc>ISO". Select the alternative disc or the blank text document you just made (you will need to select "All files" from the list for it to show up), then click "OK". The moment the game loads back up you need to immediately press "Esc" and change back to the correct disc. If you leave it for literally any more than half a second, the game will hang and you will need to reload. If you are emulating directly off the game CDROM then I haven't tried this method that way so I'm not 100% sure if it will work. NOTE: It might be wise to save state just before each FMV to make sure the game doesn't crash. You can download the latest version of ePSXe here: http://www.epsxe.com/download.php ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you have any other questions regarding emulators, I would suggest posting a message on the FFIX message board; I'm certain that you'll get an answer. Please don't e-mail me asking about this subject; I have no experience with emulators whatsoever. 4) Have at least 1 memory card devoted to this challenge; you need to have at least 5 back-up saves because you can always forget something or want to improve a certain part of the game. I used 2 blank memory cards. If you only have 1 memory card, I suggest you fill up the memory card with saves until there is no more room. Then, if you have a PS2, copy all the files onto the PS2 memory card and clear the PS1 card. Now you have another 15 save files! If you ever want to return to a previous save, you have to copy it onto the PS1 card before you can load it. Also, try not to save on a single file more than twice in a row, especially when having to do with longer and more difficult circuits. This will save you real-life time in the long run as you won't suddenly find yourself having to redo an hour or more of game-time if you make an error and save it. 5) If playing on a PS2, activate the Fast Disc Speed mode of the PlayStation Driver; this will quicken the load times and therefore significantly reduce your game time. In order to activate this mode, turn on the PS2 without a disc in the disc tray. Press TRIANGLE on the screen with the "Browser" and "System Configuration" options to display your PS2's Version Information screen. Here, highlight "PlayStation Driver" and press TRIANGLE once more. You will be shown the PlayStation Driver's Options screen. Set "Disc Speed" to "Fast". While you're there, you may as well set "Texture Mapping" to "Smooth" to improve the game's rendered graphics. Back out of these screens, insert the proper FFIX disc and play as usual. Soft resets will thankfully not reset the PlayStation Driver's settings, but a "hard" reset (i.e., pressing the RESET button or turning the system on and off) will. This means you need to repeat this procedure every time you begin a new session of play. But it is very much worth it, so please make use of this excellent feature. 6) Learn to take advantage of the WAIT ATB mode; it increases your chances of successfully getting past many of the forced battles in the game when playing at LV 1. The WAIT mode allows you to stop ATB time by entering a menu. This is very useful when checking whether a Tent has succeeded, whether your characters have managed to knock themselves out, or when your next actions depend on the effects of an enemy's attack. Simply enter a menu the moment an animation begins, and the enemy can't do a thing. This makes a huge difference, as normally you would waste the time during the animation doing nothing (since you don't know how things will turn out, and even if you did, only 1 target can act at any given time), while your enemy's ATB gauge fills and potentially gives the enemy a turn between your characters. This is especially evident on the fastest ATB setting. In a Level 1 Game, you simply can't afford this; it's usually a matter of life or death whether you or the enemy attacks at a certain time. Furthermore, this does not waste time overall since you can't do anything during animations anyway, so it makes no difference whether you input your commands at the start or end of one. The only difference is that your enemy gets to do the same if the mode is set to ACTIVE. Learn to abuse the WAIT feature, it will serve you well. 7) Play and read each circuit once or twice before attempting it seriously; you need to acquaint yourself with treasure locations, shop lists, menu operations and the overall route through each area. Tilt your analog stick before the screen even loads when entering new areas as this will surely save you time in the end. Also, read a circuit or two ahead so that you have an idea of what you will be preparing for and what is waiting for you. 8) Use the PAUSE button to your advantage; pausing the game also stops the timer so use this when you need a break or need to remember or think about what to do next. 9) Have the minimum amount of enemy encounters possible; try to follow the guidelines provided in the walkthrough. In no case should you ever settle for having more than 1 extra battle in a given circuit. A random battle wastes at least 45 seconds, more if you don't flee immediately. Also, flee from all battles unless instructed to do otherwise, and keep L1 and R1 pressed at all times during a battle in hopes of running away faster. 10) Don't freak out if you are running a few seconds late; every run is different. Minor discrepancies are natural. 11) Be patient and stay calm. During extended reset sessions, I suggest listening to some music. And please, try not to get too pissed off :) 12) Take a break and do something else if you're not having much luck. 13) L1, L2, R1, R2, START, SELECT: 'nuff said. And now to the layout of the walkthrough: This walkthrough is divided into what I like to call "circuits". A circuit is the action which takes place between 2 major save points. These save points are not always consecutive in the game, but that's because not all save points are necessary or profitable to use. Each circuit begins with an item checklist and ends with a target time, a gil check and a battle frequency check, if applicable. Try to keep to the standards provided and you shouldn't come across any problems. a) TARGET TIME: Every circuit in the walkthrough has a target time listed at its end. This is what your timer should read at that point in the game. Of course, this is only an approximation as it would be impossible to have exactly the same times I did. Minor discrepancies are natural and expected, so don't go killing yourself if you make it somewhere 10 or 20 seconds later than listed. Due to the ever-present influence of luck and chance in this challenge, your times should fluctuate around the target times, for up to a maximum difference of about 1 or 2 minutes. However, with some luck and a lot of determination, it's possible to get a lead as large as 32 minutes by the end of the game! Please keep in mind that the target times end with around 10 minutes of play time left to spare before 12 hours. That means you can theoretically accrue a lateness of up to 10 minutes and still complete the challenge. However, the target times are very tight and were gotten with an often exceptional amount of luck. It is in your interest therefore, to have as small a lateness as possible as you never know how future circuits will play out for you, so don't let this flexibility get to your head. Consult Question 14 in the Frequently Asked Questions section for some advice on how to allocate this additional time. But, NEVER spend all of it. After all, you don't want to find yourself having to replay the Lich battle tens of times because of the Excalibur II disappearing the moment you approach it or mere seconds earlier. It's happened, but don't let it happen to you! b) TARGET GIL: The target gil entries are extremely inaccurate. They have been manipulated and adjusted multiple times and across multiple versions. As such, they have become very unreliable. From what readers have been saying, you'll most likely have a deficit during most of the game, but I haven't heard of anyone having to restart due to a lack of gil or something similar. Gil generally doesn't pose a problem. Also, Phoenix Pinions can be sold at any time if you need extra cash as they serve no other purpose but to fill your wallet. c) ENCOUNTERS: The battle frequency check only takes into account RANDOM battles. Forced or otherwise necessary battles are NOT included in this number unless specified. And just to be perfectly clear, the number beside "encounters" is the allowed or suggested number of entered battles, NOT fought battles. That is, if the number is 0, you are not to be taken into a single battle during that circuit, regardless of what you would do in that battle. This means that being pulled into a battle and using Flee right away counts as a battle in the battle frequency check. I realize that almost every circuit has a battle frequency of 0, but that is what I have in my notes for that circuit. The entire walkthrough for that matter is just a collection of my notes from playing this challenge once and then refining it, so none of the instructions are based only on theory. If you try it enough, then it is theoretically possible to have no encounters in EVERY area, as they are random, after all. Of course, this isn't necessary, that's why some circuits have 2 or even 8 encounters allowed. d) OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: ---Stellazzio Coins--- All the Stellazzio Coins are available on Disc 4, so there is no reason to collect them during this challenge. The only thing they are good for is exchanging them for gil, as the item rewards are useless. Since you shouldn't have any major monetary problems if you follow the walkthrough, I don't see any reason why you should waste time collecting them and then waste even more time trading them in. However, if you decide that you want to buy some expensive items not mentioned in the walkthrough, then you will most definitely need additional funds, and you can get them this way. For this reason, I have included the Stellazzio Coins in the walkthrough; collect them if you wish, I didn't. You'll have to take care of all this on your own, though, as the walkthrough will never instruct you to visit Queen Stella. ---Boss Strategies--- All boss strategies are for the Level 1 Game. If you're playing with a higher LV party, you can still use them, though, since anything that works for a LV 1 party will inevitably work for any party. ---Equipment Set-ups--- I suggest you equip your characters as instructed, especially Zidane, who will need to master certain abilities by certain points in the game. There are also a few situations in which you absolutely MUST have your characters equipped as listed due to available abilities, elemental defense, stats and so on. I will not, however, point out when you can and cannot change your equipment as you're using a guide for a reason, so just follow it. If you don't, then don't blame me if you suddenly don't have access to a key ability or something. Well, I guess that's all you need to know. On to the walkthrough! =============================================================================== * VIDEO ASSISTANCE * =============================================================================== Believe it or not, this entire challenge has been recorded for your viewing pleasure! It's all thanks to the skilled, determined and meticulous work of 1whoistornapart, who tore this challenge to shreds! His master run can now serve as your guide throughout this endeavor, from beginning to end. If you need help, assistance, or just plain need to see to believe, look no further! You can find videos of every part of this challenge at the following address: O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7C21A6F5C05D3F2D O-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=O There you will find a playlist with tens of individual videos. Each of them covers a specified section of the game, titled accordingly. You don't have to watch everything from beginning to end, just pick what interests you and you'll be shown exactly how to complete that part of the challenge. However, these vidoes are quite entertaining, so I suggest you watch them all anyway; it will give you a very good idea of what this challenge is like, and what it takes to not only succeed, but to go above and beyond! SOME NOTES ABOUT THE RECORDED RUN: ---------------------------------- The run recorded on the videos is on an expert level; 1whoistornapart had an incredible 32 minutes to spare when he reached the Excalibur II, which speaks for itself. He was also blessed with some remarkable luck on more than 1 occasion. And finally, the videos only show the single most successful runs; some of them took many hours of attempts to get just right. Therefore, do not expect to just turn on the game and "simply do the same thing"; it takes a lot of practice, luck and determination. The purpose of these videos is to show the optimal route through every circuit, including battles, and to prove that it is possible to actually follow it. Remember that there is no need to complete the challenge exactly as depicted in the videos. A 32-minute lead is overkill unless you're bent on setting a record or something, because there is nothing you can use those extra minutes for. However, they prove that time can be made up at pretty much any point in the game, as the lead grows steadily after each circuit. So, if you are having trouble keeping up with the target times, take a look at the videos for some inspiration and try to copy future circuits to make up some time. These videos are extremely helpful and a very valuable resource, so make sure you take full advantage of them! I'm sure they will help you on your way to the Excalibur II in more ways than one! =============================================================================== * TIMETABLE * =============================================================================== ~~~~~~~~~ DISC 1: ~~~~~~~~~ Alexandria Steeple : 00:08:51 Castle Guardhouse : 00:18:21 Crash Site : 00:33:53 Evil Forest Spring : 00:45:24 Gunitas Basin : 00:52:01 Ice Cavern : 00:57:55 Dali Storage Area : 01:18:05 Lindblum Inn : 01:43:51 Lindblum C. Guest Room : 02:00:05 Lachenta Wetlands : 02:14:45 Eunorus Plains : 02:29:05 Gizamaluke's Grotto : 02:37:01 Vube Desert : 02:46:02 Eunorus Plains 2 : 02:50:56 Daines-Horse Basin : 02:54:36 ----------------------------------- START OF DISC 2 : 03:07:35 ----------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~ DISC 2: ~~~~~~~~~ Bentini Heights : 03:17:15 Gargan Roo : 03:29:29 Cleyra's Trunk : 03:37:49 Cleyra's Trunk 2 : 03:42:27 Cleyra Inn : 03:45:35 Cleyra Inn 2 : 03:55:06 Cleyra Sandpit : 04:02:02 Red Rose Cabin : 04:19:23 Alexandria Chapel : 04:28:00 Alexandria Chapel 2 : 04:50:57 Pinnacle Rocks : 04:59:36 Lachenta Wetlands : 05:10:26 Fossil Roo Cavern : 05:23:11 Fossil Roo Mining Site : 05:30:18 Magdalene Forest : 05:35:14 Conde Petie : 05:44:43 Mountain Path : 05:49:40 Lucid Plains : 05:52:37 Iifa Tree Roots : 06:03:51 Lucid Plains 2 : 06:23:29 Pualei Plains : 06:37:22 ----------------------------------- START OF DISC 3 : 06:53:14 ----------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~ DISC 3: ~~~~~~~~~ Alexandria Steeple : 07:26:34 Nolrich Heights : 07:38:22 Treno Knight's House : 07:50:18 Castle Guardhouse : 08:06:25 Lindblum C. Guest Room : 08:12:28 Kiera Desert : 08:35:52 Oeilvert Outside : 08:45:46 Oeilvert Star Display : 08:52:41 Desert Palace Rack : 08:59:52 Desert Palace Library : 09:04:24 Esto Gaza : 09:21:11 Mount Gulug : 09:29:48 Lindblum C. Guest Room : 09:41:37 Sacrobless Island : 09:58:44 Ipsen's Castle : 10:04:16 Blairsurpass Plains : 10:22:58 Bran Bal Storage : 10:35:01 Pandemonium Hall : 10:50:01 Pandemonium Maze : 10:57:43 ----------------------------------- START OF DISC 4 : 11:10:54 ----------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~ DISC 4: ~~~~~~~~~ Memoria Entrance : 11:20:15 Memoria The Past : 11:26:49 Memoria Portal : 11:37:06 Memoria Time Warp : 11:45:20 ----------------------------------- EXCALIBUR II : 11:50:15 ----------------------------------- =============================================================================== * WALKTHROUGH * =============================================================================== ,: ,' : .- - - - - - . ,' : : `. ,' : : : ,' : : _ _ _ : ,' : : : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. ,' : : : : : :_ _ _; : : : : ,' : : : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; ,' : : :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' :_ _ _ : : : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : : : ,' : : : : : : : : :_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : : : : :_ _ _ _ _ _; =============================================================================== I) NEW GAME - ALEXANDRIA STEEPLE: (D1-01) =============================================================================== -Potion -Remedy -Fang Card -Sahagin Card -Potion -Tent -Fang Card -9 gil -Potion -Ether -Skeleton Card -33 gil -Potion -Phoenix Pinion -Lizard Man Card -38 gil -Potion -Goblin Card -Zombie Card -47 gil -Potion -Goblin Card -Bomb Card -Immediately configure your settings under the Config menu: MOVEMENT -> RUN BATTLE SPEED -> MAX FIELD MESSAGE -> MAX CURSOR -> MEMORY ATB -> WAIT HERE ICON -> OFF (optional) TARGET WINDOW -> ALWAYS -Pick up the 2 treasures in the back of the room, then light the candle. ----------------- BOSS: Masked Man ----------------- -Have everyone Steal on the first round. -During the second round, have Cinna Steal again and someone attack him to knock him out; make the others Steal as well. -If you don't get the Mage Masher by this time, reset. -Once you get the Mage Masher, simply have everyone attack themselves to end the battle; you won't get a Game Over, so don't worry. (thanks to phileasbu for proposing this idea, and big_kake for refining it) -Reply that you are kidnapping Princess Garnet; it takes quite a bit of time to trigger the secret scene with Ruby. Although if you MUST trigger it, then go ahead; it won't prevent you from successfully completing this challenge. -As Vivi, search the house to the right, then head up the street. -Search the item shop, but skip the pub; you'll search it on Disc 3. -When you arrive at the square, head right and search the shops; do not approach the ticket booth just yet. Also, don't forget the Phoenix Pinion to the left of the main gate. -Leave the square by way of the bottom left exit and head toward the docks; enter the house ONLY if you see a girl run OUT of it, otherwise keep going. There are 2 treasures in this house, but you can pick them up on Disc 3. -Speak with the boy behind the steeple, reply "Yes" and head all the way back to where you first gained control of Vivi. -Head down, search the square and speak to the cat near the bottom of the screen. -Now go to the ticket booth and show the ticketmaster your ticket. -Then, enter the alley once again and choose the first answer to every question asked. -Speak to Tom behind the steeple to claim your reward for finding the cat, a Bomb Card. -Follow the Rat Boy into the steeple, search it and then attempt to climb the ladder. -Pick up Kupo's letter for delivery and save your game. TARGET TIME: 00:08:51 TARGET GIL : 630 NOTE: You can miss a moogle letter depending on your actions in Alexandria. The letter in question is the one Mosh receives from Kupo, about the Jump Rope mini-game. In order to receive it, you must jump at least 100 times, which only takes about a minute. This letter is NOT visible on Disc 4 because Mosh is then found in Mognet Central telling you how many letters you delivered; his dialogue does not allow you to view any letters he may have received in the past. It also does not count in the total quoted by Mosh because only letters delivered by YOU are taken into account. (thanks to AtmaChild for informing me of Mosh's whereabouts on Disc 4) So, should this letter be gotten? It depends. You will eventually have to complete the Jump Rope mini-game and get 1000 jumps in order to obtain the King of Jump Rope key item. You can do so on the first try to have a clean record with 1000 as the first and only entry. The entries are only visible after 3 attempts, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible to prove that you got 1000 jumps on the first attempt by just playing 2 more games with 1 jump each. In this case, getting the letter would mess up your ranking. But, you can also go for a ranking screen with 3 1000's, in which case getting the letter would be fine since it would be removed from the ranking anyway. It depends on what you want your ranking screen to look like, and whether you care about getting a letter not visible on Disc 4 (this and Monty's letter gotten in Pinnacle Rocks are the only letters not viewable on Disc 4). Getting 1000 jumps on Disc 1 would solve all the problems with this letter, but there are better ways to torture yourself and destroy your interest in this overall fun challenge. However, if you feel up to it, then by all means give it a shot. Getting 1000 jumps takes about 8 minutes. (thanks to Non Applicable for this info) =============================================================================== II) ALEXANDRIA STEEPLE - ALEXANDRIA CASTLE GUARDHOUSE: (D1-02) =============================================================================== -Moonstone -29 gil -63 gil -92 gil -Climb the ladder and follow Rat Boy over the rooftops; don't forget to search all the bird nests for gil. ------------------------------- BOSS: King Leo, Benero, Zenero ------------------------------- -Just attack King Leo with everyone and ignore his guards. -If you're lucky, they won't use too much of that fake magic, which takes longer than their physical attacks. -Now comes the first real challenge; impressing all 100 nobles. Here are a few tips: a) Turn off the volume on your TV. b) Accuracy is MUCH more important than speed, but you must be swift if you want to impress 100 nobles instead of 99. c) Stay calm and don't rush yourself. d) Don't anticipate any of the buttons showing up, just take it one at a time. e) If you're still having problems, cover your TV screen so that you only see the button prompts. f) Try your best on the first attempt, reset if you don't get it by the third time. Each attempt takes exactly 1 minute to complete, regardless of whether you make a mistake or not, so take that into consideration. g) DO NOT MASH THE X BUTTON WHEN A SEQUENCE FINISHES!!! The default option is to do the scene over, and you don't want that when you finally impress all 100 nobles. -Breathe a sigh of relief once you're done; this is one of the hardest parts of this challenge. -Please note that you MUST impress 100 nobles here. You will have serious monetary problems which you may not be able to solve without the 10,000 gil you receive here as a reward. Moreover, Black Waltz #2 will be extremely difficult; you must be very lucky to defeat him at LV 1 without access to Shell. And of course, the Moonstone given as a reward is unique. -When you encounter Garnet on the stairs, choose whatever you want. -As Steiner, run up the stairs, through the lower exit and speak to Queen Brahne to claim your well-deserved Moonstone. -Run down the stairs, to the right and save your game with Mosh the moogle. TARGET TIME: 00:18:21 TARGET GIL : 10,814 =============================================================================== III) ALEXANDRIA CASTLE GUARDHOUSE - PRIMA VISTA CRASH SITE: (D1-03) =============================================================================== -Phoenix Down -Phoenix Down -Phoenix Pinion -Elixir -Speak to either of the 2 guards, pick up the Phoenix Down near the door and exit the room. -Enter the door under the walkway and catch the Pluto Knight running on the balcony. -Enter the right chamber on the second floor and speak to the Pluto Knight there. -Go back and down the stairs to the first floor, and then enter the left room to find yet another Pluto Knight. -Exit the library and leave the castle. -Talk to the Pluto Knight by the water, then head left and talk to the Pluto Knight by the tower entrance. -Enter and climb the tower. -Speak with the final Pluto Knight on the stairway to receive an Elixir, then continue to the top of the tower. -As Zidane, follow the princess. -Once in the boiler room, turn the lever both ways to make 2 treasure chests fall from the ceiling; open them and go through the door. -------------- BOSS: Steiner -------------- -Have everyone physically attack while Cinna steals whatever he can. -When Vivi becomes available, use his Fire spell. -Ignore the soldiers during the second battle. -In the battle with the bomb, knock out everyone except Zidane and wait for the battle to end automatically. -At the crash site, watch the ATE and save your game. TARGET TIME: 00:33:53 TARGET GIL : 10,814 =============================================================================== IV) PRIMA VISTA CRASH SITE - EVIL FOREST SPRING: (D1-04) =============================================================================== -Potion -Ether -Rubber Helm -Bronze Gloves -Phoenix Down -Ether -Wrist -116 gil -Ether -Leather Hat -Go through the forest to find Steiner, Vivi and... ------------------ BOSS: Prison Cage ------------------ -During the fight to save Garnet, use Zidane's Free Energy (NOT Tidal Flame) ability and make Steiner attack physically. -During the fight to rescue Vivi, simply attack with both Zidane and Steiner until you win; there's no need to use a Potion on anyone. -Every screen in the Prima Vista has some treasure in it, so search all of them carefully. -Go down the stairs and into the room on the right. -Speak with Vivi, leave the room and choose to go look for Garnet. Choosing the other option initiates an extra scene, but it has absolutely no impact on the game whatsoever and takes an extra minute, so I suggest you skip it. -Now head left, down the stairs and through the bottom exit; pick up the Leather Hat and return to the previous room. -Go through the right door, then backtrack and speak to Baku to initiate combat. ----------- BOSS: Baku ----------- -If you have the Mage Masher, just attack 3 times and you'll win. -If you're still using the Dagger, you'll have to attack 5 times, so you'll need to use a Potion at some point during the battle. -Now go to Steiner's room (don't forget to search it afterwards) and then to Vivi's room. -Exit the Prima Vista and save your game; there's also a letter from Ruby. -Make your way through the forest until you reach the spring. -Deliver Kupo's letter to Monty, read the letter Monty received from Stiltzkin and save your game. TARGET TIME: 00:45:24 TARGET GIL : 11,366 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== V) EVIL FOREST SPRING - GUNITAS BASIN: (D1-05) =============================================================================== -N/A -Head deeper into the forest to find Garnet. ------------------ BOSS: Plant Brain ------------------ -Have Zidane knock himself out on the first turn to make Blank appear and immediately push the battle into the second and last phase. -Vivi and Steiner should have full or nearly full ATB gauges by the time Blank shows up, so use Fire, Fire Sword and Blank's physical attack all at once to finish the battle in a single round. -If you're very lucky, Plant Brain may not even get a single turn. -Don't waste your time stealing anything; it's not worth it at all. -Unequip Blank and revive Zidane before doing anything. -There will be a forced encounter against a party of Plant Spiders. If there are more than 2 Plant Spiders, RESET THE GAME and try again. -Use a spreaded Fire spell against the enemy party to win the battle; make sure everyone survives to keep your party at LV 1. -Do NOT have Blank absorb all the EXP, as that will make Amarant join the party at LV 3. You have been warned. -Skip the tutorial by choosing "Nothing". -On the World Map, head south while the nameplate is displayed to avoid random battles and save right outside Ice Cavern. TARGET TIME: 00:52:01 TARGET GIL : 12,016 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== VI) GUNITAS BASIN - ICE CAVERN: (D1-06) =============================================================================== -Potion -Phoenix Down -Elixir -Mage Masher -Potion -Tent -Ether -Leather Wrist -This is a pretty straightforward area, just search every screen. -NEVER make contact with the white wind as touching it instantly throws you into a random battle. Wait for it to die down or turn dark; that's when it's safe to pass through. -Head LEFT at the fork near the end. -Unequip everyone, then "optimize" Zidane. -Defrost the moogle, skip the tutorial, accept the letter for Gumo and save. TARGET TIME: 00:57:55 TARGET GIL : 11,993 ENCOUNTERS : 2-3 =============================================================================== VII) ICE CAVERN - DALI STORAGE AREA: (D1-07) =============================================================================== -Potion -Eye Drops -Aries S. -156 gil -Potion -Ether -Return to the fork and head right. ------------------------------- BOSS: Black Waltz #1 & Sealion ------------------------------- -Alternate between attacking Black Waltz #1 and using a Potion. -Once Black Waltz #1 is defeated, begin stealing from Sealion. -Use a Potion when needed and wait for the Trance gauge to fill. -Reset if you don't steal the Mythril Dagger; if you steal it and have extra turns left, try to steal his Ether as well. -Once Zidane reaches Trance, use a physical attack followed by Tidal Flame to end the battle. -If you stole the items very quickly and have extra turns, you should attack Sealion once from the back row and once from the front row before entering Trance, and then using Tidal Flame without the physical attack. This will save you some time. -Make your way up the slope by the waterfall and exit the cavern. -Save in the middle of the plains (saving on the World Map requires less time than engaging in a battle, it's convenient and reloading resets the probability of an encounter; use this method whenever traversing the world map). -Enter Dali and deliver Mois's letter to Gumo; save if you didn't do so on Nolrich Heights. -Ignore all chests and field icons above ground. -Leave the inn, head upwards and right to enter a farm plot, then go back and meet up with Vivi by the windmill. -Now enter/exit both the pub and the windmill, then go to the shop across from the inn; Garnet should be there now. -After the conversation, sell all your Phoenix Pinion and Leather Hat. Then, buy the following: > 1 Iron Sword > 99 Wrist > 2 Feather Hat -Now return to your room at the inn and talk to Garnet, then go to where you found Vivi earlier. -Enter the windmill and go down the hatch; the Aries Stellazzio is behind the container if you want to pick it up. -Pick up all the items underground, then find Kumop in the barrel; take his letter to Mogki and save your game. TARGET TIME: 01:18:05 TARGET GIL : 729 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== VIII) DALI STORAGE AREA - LINDBLUM INN: (D1-08) =============================================================================== -Potion -Phoenix Down -Iron Helm -95 gil -Hi-Potion -Phoenix Pinion -Leather Wrist -135 gil -Proceed onward until you find Vivi, looting all the chests along the way. -Equip your characters exactly as follows: > ZIDANE: Mage Masher, Feather Hat, Leather Wrist, Leather Shirt, - > VIVI : Mage Staff, Feather Hat, -, Silk Shirt, - > GARNET: Rod, -, -, -, Moonstone -Examine and choose to open the large door; run from the resulting battle. -Open all 3 chests in the Mist room, then continue to the end of the area, equipping Zidane with the Mythril Dagger at the very end. -Don't bother healing or reviving anyone as you will be fully healed prior to the upcoming boss fight. -As Steiner, equip the Iron Sword, Rubber Helm, Bronze Gloves and Bronze Armor. -Head down the mountain, pick up both treasures at the base, enter Morrid's house and stand still; this sometimes makes him come inside immediately. Talk to Morrid. -Leave Observatory Mountain, then do whatever you like to the barrel :) --------------------- BOSS: Black Waltz #2 --------------------- -Do not use Vivi's spells at all during this battle. -Make Zidane attack physically and use one of Steiner's Sword Magic attacks. -Black Waltz #2 should now target someone with a spell or attack. If he targets: > Zidane or Vivi -> cast Shell on Steiner > Steiner -> cast Shell on Zidane -It's possible that Black Waltz #2 gets a physical attack in before this. If this happens to you, cast Shell on whomever of the two has more HP left after Black Waltz #2's spell. -Now quickly attack physically with both Zidane and Steiner once more, with the one NOT protected by Shell acting first. -If either Steiner or Zidane is knocked out before this, make Vivi use Fire as the first attack of the second round. -Black Waltz #2 will use Fira on everyone besides Garnet after the first attack of the second round, which will knock out anyone not protected by Shell. -Use a Cure spell and attack once or twice more to win the battle. -I have had 1 battle in which he did not use the spreaded Fira spell; Zidane and Steiner made short work of him and the battle ended quicker. But don't count on this because in all the years I've played this game, this only happened to me once. -Choose to depart immediately after Garnet corrects her speech. -On the airship, climb the ladder in the back of the engine room and head into the cockpit. --------------------- BOSS: Black Waltz #3 --------------------- -During the first round, make Zidane attack physically, Steiner use Fire Sword and Vivi Fire x 2, in that order. -Repeat the same process as in round 1 to win the battle, but make Zidane steal instead of attacking. -You should not need to heal or revive anyone during this battle. -In Lindblum, remove everyone's equipment before boarding the lift with Minister Artania. -Once you regain control of Zidane at the inn, skip the last tutorial, enter the neighboring room and read the letter from Ruby; save your game. TARGET TIME: 01:43:51 TARGET GIL : 1,363 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the forced battle after opening the door) =============================================================================== IX) LINDBLUM INN - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D1-09) =============================================================================== -Hi-Potion -Leather Wrist -Ore -68 gil -Echo Screen -Glass Armlet -Mimic Card -97 gil -Tent -Silver Gloves -Mini-Burmecia -127 gil -Ether -Leather Plate -Moogle Suit -163 gil -Steepled Hat -Bronze Vest -Autograph -282 gil -Head downstairs, pick up the gil near the entrance and exit the building. -Head upwards to the market square, search the left street area and the house between the 2 streets (Card Freak Gon's house). -Go down the right alley and enter Dragoos' Weapon Shop. -Sell ALL your Ether, Phoenix Pinion, Hi-Potion, and Remedy. -If you can afford it, do not sell any of your Tent at the shop. If you have to, leave at least 1 and sell the Rubber Helm and medicinal items instead. In my case, I was forced to sell them because otherwise I would have had to make an extra trip to the shop, which wastes time. -Now buy Steepled Hat so that the number of them in your inventory will equal your gil in thousands after you purchase them. -Run outside and across the square to the synthesis shop; synthesize as many Cotton Robe as you can. -Return to the weapon shop, sell all the Cotton Robe you just bought and repeat the process with the Steepled Hat described earlier. -Keep buying Steepled Hat and synthesizing/selling Cotton Robe until you buy your last batch of Steepled Hat (which should be equal to your remaining Wrists). -At that point, buy the following equipment as well: > 1 Mage Masher (if you didn't get one at the beginning of the game) > 1 Javelin -Now go to the synthesis shop once more and buy the following: > 1 The Ogre > as many Cotton Robe as you can -In case you are a bit confused, here is how I had to do this part: > Bought 12 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 12 Cotton Robe. > Bought 19 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 19 Cotton Robe. > Bought 30 Steepled Hat, then synthesized/sold 30 Cotton Robe. > Bought 38 Steepled Hat along with the equipment listed above. > Synthesized 38 Cotton Robe and 1 The Ogre. -Return to the aircab terminal opposite the Lindblum inn and commute to the Industrial District. -Loot the place, then fly to the Theater District and head to the Tantalus hideout. -Pick up all the treasures in the hideout, then head down the stairs outside. -Speak with the crowd, then follow the "moogle" to Artist Michael's studio. -Take the Moogle Suit, the Autograph and the Ore, then take an aircab to Lindblum Castle. -Enter the guest room, speak with Steiner and then attempt to take the lift. -Speak to the sleeping guard outside the guest room, then take the lift and find Garnet at the overlook. -Find all 6 areas with the telescope. -Back in the guest room, open both chests, deliver Kumop's letter, take the letter for Atla and save your game. TARGET TIME: 02:00:05 TARGET GIL : 19,056 =============================================================================== X) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - LACHENTA WETLANDS (D1-10) =============================================================================== -Tent -Coral Ring -Wyerd Card NOTE: There are 2 issues to consider with the Festival of the Hunt; who wins, and with how many points. This may be important to you as it is visible on Disc 4 by checking the letter Mogmi in Gizamaluke's Grotto receives from Moodon. Who wins is really just a personal choice. The Coral Ring is certainly more useful than 5,000 gil or the Theater Ship Card, but you can get another one at the beginning of Disc 2 in Treno. It comes in useful for the rest of Disc 1, but it's not essential. As for the amount of points, this is also a personal choice, but one which you unfortunately have no control over. The points received are random, so it's very difficult to get a desired value. The guide assumes you let Freya win, simply because she gets the best reward. If you don't let her win, buy a Rod during your visit to Dali and use it together with the Lightning Rod gotten in Burmecia to synthesize a Coral Ring when you reach Treno. -Take the aircab to the Theater District, then immediately commute to the Business District. -Equip Zidane with The Ogre, Feather Hat, Leather Wrist and Bronze Vest; activate the Beast Killer and Add Status abilities and make sure he's in the front row. -It isn't worth it to equip the Mythril Dagger for the Bandit ability because you can almost always steal the Needle Fork within your first 3 attempts, it isn't rare at all. -Head for the Business District Shopping Area (the screen with Card Freak Gon's house). You'll have to fight a Trick Sparrow and, if you're not fast enough, a Mu before you get there, but there's more than enough time. -Since there's nothing better to do, auto-arrange your items and place the Tent and Cotton Robe at the top of the list. -Oh yes, and don't forget to agonize as you completely and willfully waste 7.5 minutes. -Wait until the clock reads less than 4:30, then go to the square to fight... --------- ZAGHNOL: --------- -Immediately throw a Tent on him and hope that it works; throw another one if it doesn't and if you actually have another one. If it still doesn't succeed, consider resetting. -I completed this battle without any Tent, so don't worry if you don't have any. -Have Freya Defend while Zidane tries to steal the Needle Fork. -Once you've stolen it, have Zidane attack Zaghnol 3 times to do around 1500 damage. -Then, you have to decide who wins the Festival of the Hunt. If you want Zidane to be the winner, have him deal the finishing blow. If you'd rather have Freya be the winner, have her use Jump to deal the final blow. Finally, if you want Vivi to win, knock out both Zidane and Freya. -The battle should end at around 2:30 if you steal the Needle Fork on your first attempt and everything else goes perfectly. -If you decide to have Zidane win the Festival of the Hunt, then you will need to find another battle after defeating Zaghnol in order to knock Zidane out, or just wait until time runs out. (thanks to AtmaChild for pointing this out) -Pay attention to the number of points the victor wins with. Reset if it is less than 100 because otherwise you will miss a moogle letter shortly. -Take the lift to the base level station, ride to and open the chest at the Serpent's Gate and then ride straight to the Dragon's Gate. -Read the letter from Stiltzkin. -Speak to the merchant and sell all the Cotton Robe you have for a huge monetary boost. Then, restock your inventory so that you have 60 Potion, 50 Phoenix Down, 10 Antidote and 10 Tent. -Pick up the Tent behind the platform, then head out into the Mist; save once you reach the marsh area, about halfway to Qu's Marsh. TARGET TIME: 02:14:45 TARGET GIL : 76,056 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XI) LACHENTA WETLANDS - EUNORUS PLAINS: (D1-11) =============================================================================== -Ether -Moccha Coffee -Enter Qu's Marsh, head to the pond and catch a frog for Quina (the huge one in the top right corner of the marsh is easy to catch). -Leave Qu's Marsh by way of the right path to avoid the frog-catching mini-game and head in the direction of Chocobo's Forest; save once the marshlands end. -Enter Chocobo's Forest, then exit and call Choco; save your game. -Now reset and return to play a game of Chocobo Hot&Cold. If you don't unearth the "Stone with Patterns" during your first game, reset and try again. -The "Stone with Patterns" will always be the "Streamside" Chocograph, so don't bother replaying in hopes of getting anything else. Once you've got it, leave and save again. -Now play another game of Hot&Cold. Reset if you don't unearth a Chocograph. -When you do, quickly check which one it is you received; leave the forest and save if it is either "Healing Shore" or "Small Beach". -Return and play 1 more game in hopes of getting the other one; reset until you do. -This process could take many hours, or it could take 10 minutes (in my case, it was both as I did this twice), but it is possible to get all 3 of these Chocographs in your first 3 games, so don't give up. -If you don't also discover at least 2 Gysahl Greens, buy them from Mene. You only need 2, though, so don't go overboard buying 10 or something. -Leave Chocobo's Forest and dismount between South Gate and the wild forest near the river. -Loot South Gate. -"Optimize" your party, but equip Zidane with the Dagger and place Freya in the front row. -It would be a good idea to save near the wild forest. -Enter the forest and try to encounter a group of Mandragora. -Choose 1 Mandragora and have Freya attack it physically, Vivi use Fire, Quina use Eat on it and Zidane use Flee. This will let Quina learn the overpowered Limit Glove spell. -After the battle, heal the party, equip Quina with the Needle Fork, Feather Hat, Leather Wrist, Bronze Vest and Coral Ring and activate his/her Add Status ability; place him/her in the back row as well. -I'm not sure whether a higher Spirit really does affect the chance of Add Status working, but it won't hurt and this set of equipment gives Quina the highest possible Spirit right now while keeping Strength as low as possible. -Ride Choco to Gizamaluke's Grotto and enter; pick up the soldier's Gizamaluke Bell, then leave. -Make sure you're facing the entrance to the grotto and save your game. NOTE: You should take care of the scenes inside the grotto and get the bell before saving in order to reduce the time it takes to reach the battle against the Type A's. You'll be replaying that battle who knows how many times, so you'll be grateful to have gotten that over with. TARGET TIME: 02:29:05 TARGET GIL : 75,807 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Mandragora) =============================================================================== XII) EUNORUS PLAINS - GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO: (D1-12) =============================================================================== -N/A -If you prepared your party in the previous circuit, then simply enter the main cavern to initiate your first and worst forced EXP encounter :) ------------ TYPE A x 2: ------------ -This is the most annoying and luck-based forced battle in the game, from my experience even the Type C's in Alexandria don't compare. -This is also thankfully the only battle in which you will be completely at the mercy of the Needle Fork, so be happy. In fact, you can ditch that utensil once you get past this. -Have Quina attack 1 of the mages and someone else throw a Tent at the same one right after that. -The third character throws a Tent at the other mage, and the fourth waits to see which mage was inflicted with status and throws an Antidote at that mage. -Repeat the process above until both mages have been inflicted with Darkness and Silence; you can then try to Petrify them safely. -Quina attacks constantly in hopes of Petrification. -Follow up each of Quina's attacks with a Potion when Tents are no longer necessary (Tents also heal so there's no need for Potions until the mage Quina attacks is already under status). -Once your other characters have nothing else to do, steal with Zidane; you might just get your Tents back. -You should aim to finish this battle with around 5 to 7 attacks with the Needle Fork. -After the battle, revive everyone and heal Zidane to full health. -You will now have to enter a random battle before you reach the save point in the cavern with the moogles in order to have Quina knocked out. -Return to the previous screen and check the soldier for another Gizamaluke Bell. -I suggest you exit the grotto once again now and save if you had a very good battle against the Type A's. -Go to the main chamber and run straight for the steps; you should be able to skip the Black Mage in that area by heading for the left railing and then quickly onto the steps. There isn't much strategy to this, just practice a bit if you're having trouble. The most important thing is to not stop before reaching the steps. This is not guaranteed to work every time, though. If it looks like you won't make it, return to the other side of the bridge and wait for the mage to go to the other end of the area, then try again. -At the top, go through the large door. You could go through the left one and get the other Gizamaluke Bell, but only if you saved after the battle with the Type A's. Otherwise, don't as you'll be risking having more than one battle. -Pick up the Gizamaluke Bell from the chest and enter the moogles' room. If you still have not had a battle, run around the door to the moogles' room until you get one, knock out Quina and escape, then enter. -Tell Moguta that you like Kupo Nuts, read the letter Mogmi received from Moodon and save your game. TARGET TIME: 02:37:01 TARGET GIL : 75,690 ENCOUNTERS : 1 =============================================================================== XIII) GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO - DAINES-HORSE BASIN: (D1-13) =============================================================================== -Potion -Hi-Potion -Tent -Multina Racket -Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with EXACTLY 1 HP; revive Vivi and Freya as well. -Exit the room and enter the opposite door to face... ----------------- BOSS: Gizamaluke ----------------- -If Zidane's turn comes up before Quina's, attempt to steal once. -Use Quina's Limit Glove. -As Steiner, speak to the guards by the gate. -Take the Multina Racket from the chest to the left of the gate, then speak to Part-time Worker Mary and choose whichever option you like. -Next speak with the guy "repairing" the left gate and choose what you want here, too. -Finally, talk to the guy on the far right and then make your way to the passageway. -Open the chest for a Potion, take Grimo's letter to Nazna and board the cable car. -Equip Zidane with the Dagger and give Quina the Coral Ring; activate Quina's Insomniac ability. Place Zidane and Freya in the front row. -Run a bit toward Cleyra and save your game. -Make your way to the coast, hugging the mountain range so that you walk on the grassy area; this is where you can encounter Nymph. -Encounter a party of 2 Nymph. Zidane's physical attack does around 40 damage, Freya's does around 180, and Vivi's Fire spell around 80. You'll likely need to improvise during this battle, so use that data to successfully Eat a Nymph. In order to do so, you'll need to inflict about 340 damage; Freya attacking twice is probably the fastest and simplest method. You should be able to do this and flee before they use Night. If they do, have Quina attack and hope for the best. This isn't too tough, and probably easier than doing it in Fossil Roo with Seeker Bat or Abomination. -It is strongly suggested that you DO learn Night here as it will make the forced battles against the upcoming Type A's and Type B's much easier and faster. -Save after the battle and reset. TARGET TIME: 02:46:02 -Call Choco, open the Chocograph menu and select the Healing Shore Chocograph. -Unearth the Healing Shore Chocograph to get the Reef transformation. -After getting the transformation, head back to Gizamaluke's Grotto and save outside. -Go through the grotto, still evading the Black Mage, then run a little in the direction of Chocobo's Forest and save. -Reset and make your way to the Chocobo tracks outside Chocobo's Forest; call Choco. -Unearth the "Streamside" (it's along the way and quite profitable) and the "Small Beach" Chocographs. -Return to the entrance of Gizamaluke's Grotto, equip Vivi with the Oak Staff and Coral Ring and activate his Insomniac ability; save your game. TARGET TIME: 02:50:56 -Enter and engage the enemy. -This battle won't remind you too much of the first one; Stop is far superior to Add Status + Needle Fork. -Use the Night spell to put everyone except Vivi to sleep and then begin comfortably casting Stop. Cast Night again if needed. -Don't waste your time with Tent and Antidote, it's completely unnecessary and time-consuming. -You should be able to finish this battle with as little as 5 castings; Vivi should have enough MP for at least 4. I managed to do it with only 3, and I imagine it should be possible to do it with only 2, but a casting only takes an extra 5 to 10 seconds, so don't kill yourself here :) -After the battle, go get the last Gizamaluke Bell from the soldier, if you didn't get it during your first run through this area. -Leave the grotto and loot North Gate; revive and heal anyone in bad shape and use an Ether on Vivi if he's got less than 16 MP; that is enough for only 2 castings of Stop, though, so you may want to replenish his MP even if he has more. -Save outside Burmecia. TARGET TIME: 02:54:36 TARGET GIL : 76,430 ENCOUNTERS : 1 (if you had to get the soldier's bell, otherwise 0) NOTE: Technically, you could just evade the Black Mage again and forget about this place. However, this will mean that: 1) you won't be able to collect all the treasure here, and 2) the doors will permanently remain unopened If you defeat the Black Mage and pick up the soldier's Gizamaluke Bell, you'll be left with 1 bell and 1 closed door, at which point it will be up to you to decide what to do here on Disc 4. Evading the Black Mage will leave the 2 doors permanently closed because both the Black Mage and the soldier will be gone after Disc 1. The Gizamaluke Bell is just as unique a key item as the Athlete Queen or the coffees, so I don't see a reason why you should be able to just skip it if you want a perfect save. Even if you decide to use it on Disc 4 to open the last door, it will still be visible that you got all of the bells. =============================================================================== XIV) DAINES-HORSE BASIN - START OF DISC 2: (D1-14) =============================================================================== -Ether -Mythril Spear -Germinas Boots -Cancer S. -Lightning Staff -Ignore all chests in Burmecia unless instructed to do otherwise. -The Cancer Stellazzio can be found behind the overturned cart, if you want it. -Handle the pair of Type A's just like those you just defeated in Gizamaluke's Grotto. -Make sure Quina is knocked out during the battle and unequip the Coral Ring from Vivi once it's over. -Head up the stairs to the right and head left until you reach a building with balconies inside. -WALK across the plank to the chest with the Germinas Boots, then RUN back to make the plank fall to the level below. -Return to where you fought the Type A's and go through the door on the left. -Go upstairs, through the door and jump across the balconies on the outside. -Speak to the dying soldier, then pick up the Protection Bell from behind the bed and the Ether from behind the cabinet. -Now make your way back to the terrace with the locked door which you passed going to the Germinas Boots. -Open and go through the door, then go up the stairs. -Enter the doorway below the walkway, then return and take that walkway to the left door after the scene. -Go through the next door to appear in a rainy courtyard; enter the left door. -Exit and enter the right door. -Open the chest in the back of the room, buy Stiltzkin's deal, deliver the letter to Atla, accept the letter to Monev and finally save your game. -Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with EXACTLY 1 HP; revive Vivi and Freya as well. -Go outside and up the steps. -Choose to leave Freya alone. -------------- BOSS: Beatrix -------------- -Steal once if Zidane gets a turn before Quina. -Use Quina's Limit Glove. TARGET TIME: 03:07:35 TARGET GIL : 76,097 ENCOUNTERS : 1 =============================================================================== * CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 1! * =============================================================================== _ _ _ _ _ ,' `. .' `. .- - - - - - . / \ : `. : : : : : ,-. : : _ _ _ : :_ _ _ _: ; : : : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. .' : : : : : :_ _ _; : : : : .' .' : : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; .' .' : :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' .' .' : : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ .' .' : ,' : : : : : : .' ,'_ _ _ _ :_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : : : : :_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _; =============================================================================== I) START OF DISC 2 - BENTINI HEIGHTS: (D2-01) =============================================================================== -Phoenix Down -Elixir -1,610 gil -Enter Summit Station, deliver the letter addressed to Nazna and accept the letter to Mochos. -Sell all your Rising Sun and Germinas Boots. Then, buy the following with the money you make: > 3 Silver Gloves > 99 Steepled Hat > 2 Iron Helm -Equip your party as follows: > STEINER: Iron Sword, Iron Helm, Silver Gloves, Linen Cuirass, Coral Ring > GARNET : Multina Racket, -, -, -, - -Activate Steiner's Man Eater ability. -Speak with the attendant between the exits and head outside, picking up the Phoenix Down from the chest. -Re-enter the station after overhearing the conversation and speak to either Marcus or Cinna, and then to Steiner. -Leave the station and board the cable car. ------------------------------- BOSS: Black Waltz #3 (rematch) ------------------------------- -Attack physically with everyone, including Garnet. -Don't heal anyone since he'll damage himself every other turn once Steiner and Marcus are knocked out. -It is literally impossible to lose this battle, unless you attack yourself (Black Waltz #3 will NEVER hurt Garnet). -At the fork, head LEFT, in the direction of Dali. -Save in the middle of Nolrich Heights, then enter Dali. -Buy 99 Wrist from the shop, then go to the farm plot and open the chest for an Elixir. -Buy a Rod as well if you didn't get the Coral Ring as the reward during the Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum. -Leave Dali and return to South Gate, taking the right path at the fork. -Open the chest for 1,610 gil, then make your way out of South Gate. -Save the moment it gets completely dark on Bentini Heights. TARGET TIME: 03:17:15 TARGET GIL : 35,271 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== II) BENTINI HEIGHTS - GARGAN ROO: (D2-02) =============================================================================== -Mythril Dagger -Reflect Ring -Tonberry Card -2,225 gil -Power Belt -Remove Marcus's equipment and enter Treno. This is your first opportunity to grab that missable Leather Plate he's wearing. -Watch the ATE "Treno Tradition" (press X when the ! appears to have him steal only 500 gil as opposed to 1,000)) and go down the left stairway. -Go down the next set of stairs and enter the building across from the cafe. -Speak to the Four-Armed Man to claim your Power Belt, then continue into the synthesis shop and synthesize as many Cotton Robe as you can. -Synthesize a Coral Ring as well if you didn't get one on Disc 1. -Return outside and head past the Card Stadium. -Enter the little tower to make Mogrich appear; run after him and read the letter he received from Stiltzkin, then save your game. -Now go into the weapon shop, sell all the Cotton Robe you just bough and buy the following equipment: > 5 Mythril Sword > 5 Air Racket > 2 Bone Wrist > 1 Mythril Gloves > 1 Magus Hat > 2 Bandana > 2 Barbut > 14 Chain Mail -Next, "optimize" Steiner, place him in the back row and activate HP+10%, MP Attack and Bird Killer. -Challenge Griffin; use a Tent on him and then just attack physically. If the Tent is unsuccessful, reset and try again. -After the battle, return outside and save your game again. -Enter the Auction House to reunite with Garnet, then go back inside. -Make the following bids on the listed items in order to push the auction to its final stages, but with a noble winning it: > Mini-Cid - 2,800 > Griffin's Heart - 5,500 > Doga's Artifact - 7,000 > Une's Mirror - 12,500 > Rat Tail - 18,000 > Fairy Earrings - 7,500 > Madain's Ring - 8,000 -Bid 16,000 gil on the Reflect Ring to win it. -You don't need any of the other items up for auction, so reset if you win anything besides the Reflect Ring. -Please be aware that the mechanics of the Auction House are rather random, so you may sometimes end up having offered too low of a price (which prolongs the auction a bit) or too high of a price (where you win the item). This process may require one or two resets, but nothing major. -Don't leave Treno without the Reflect Ring; it is essential for rescuing Garnet in Alexandria, and very useful in the Iifa Tree. It may also be crucial to getting past Pandemonium, depending on which stat path you choose. -Now head over to the Treno inn and speak with Marcus. -Go down toward the dock and speak to Baku; ignore Steiner completely or you won't make it to the bottom. -After the attempted robbery, go to Doctor Tot's tower and pick up the Mythril Dagger from the chest by the entrance. -Speak with Doctor Tot once Marcus grabs the Supersoft, then climb the ladders and go down the hatch. -Deliver Nazna's letter to Mochos and save your game. TARGET TIME: 03:29:29 TARGET GIL : 41,046 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== III) GARGAN ROO - CLEYRA'S TRUNK: (D2-03) =============================================================================== -Phoenix Down -Tent -Ice Staff -Chain Plate -Phoenix Down -Ether -Needle Fork -Magician Shoes -Go down the left passage, flip the switch and open both chests. Then, return to Mochos and head down the right passage. -Go up, pull the lever and then return to the entrance of the right platform and go near the switch on the wall. -Equip Steiner with the Mythril Sword, Barbut, Silver Gloves, Chain Mail and Power Belt; activate HP+10%, MP Attack and Counter. Finally, put him back in the front row. -Make sure Garnet is equipped with the Multina Racket; leave the other equipment categories empty. -Leave Marcus bare of equipment as well, since he can't survive any of Ralvurahva's attacks at LV 1 anyway. -Press the button once you're ready for the upcoming boss fight. ----------------- BOSS: Ralvurahva ----------------- -This battle is won by strength in numbers; Ralvurahva can only target 1 character per round and you have control of 3 party members. -Simply have either Garnet or Marcus throw Phoenix Downs on whichever of them is knocked out in the given round, or heal Steiner with a Potion if he happens to be the one targeted (Steiner will usually survive the boss's attacks when at full health). -In the meanwhile, have Steiner attack physically every round; the boss should be defeated after 4 or 5 attacks. -Alternatively, you may want to gamble with Garnet's Blind spell; a successful casting will almost always spell quick victory as you can then launch an all-out physical assault with the entire party. -Save midway to the sandstorm to avoid a random battle. -Enter the sandstorm, flip the switch and go through the door which opens. -Open the chest and continue onward. -Loot both chests in this chamber; there is a hidden one behind the branch in the middle. -Go all the way up the walkway outside, enter the top cave and choose to put Zidane's hand into the hole in the wall. -Pick up the Ether from the chest, return outside and enter the ornate entrance by climbing the vines. -Head into the tunnel-like passage and loot both chests in the next area. -Equip Zidane with the Dagger and "optimize" Freya; unequip Vivi and Quina. -Deliver Atla's letter to Monev and save your game. TARGET TIME: 03:37:49 TARGET GIL : 41,046 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== IV) CLEYRA'S TRUNK - CLEYRA'S TRUNK: (D2-04) =============================================================================== -Potion -Phoenix Pinion -Silk Robe -Ore -Remedy -Flame Staff -Magician Shoes -970 gil -Encounter a party of Carrion Worm on your way up the trunk; this is most likely in the screen with the Flame Staff. -Simply have Freya attack 1 of them, Quina Eat it and Zidane use Flee. If this doesn't work, try the Javelin with the Bug Killer ability activated, although this may sometimes deal too much damage. You need to inflict at least 220 damage to a Carrion Worm in order to successfully Eat it. -Don't leave the trunk until you learn Auto-Life from a Carrion Worm, this is REALLY important. -Don't pick up any of the out-of-the-way treasures just yet. -Once you reach Cleyra, refuse Oracle Kildea's tour and head to the inn area, picking up the Phoenix Pinion and Ore along the way. -Buy the following equipment from Burmecian Soldier Dan: > 1 Partisan > 1 Mythril Armlet > 1 Mage's Hat > 2 Mythril Helm -Watch the ATE "No Yummie-Yummies!" and go up behind the inn, taking the Remedy on the stairs. -In the next screen, watch the ATE "There a Mushroom!" and return to the entrance of the Cleyra settlement. -Go right to the Antlion's sandpit, take the 970 gil and speak to Quina. -Open the 2 chests on the branch, jump down and go to Monev to save your game. TARGET TIME: 03:42:27 TARGET GIL : 38,293 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes learning Auto-Life) =============================================================================== V) CLEYRA'S TRUNK - CLEYRA INN: (D2-05) =============================================================================== -Echo Screen -Phoenix Pinion -Mythril Gloves -Desert Boots -Echo Screen -Ether -Thunder Gloves -Yellow Scarf -Remedy -Gysahl Greens -Mythril Vest -1,250 gil -Return to Cleyra, picking up all the treasure you skipped earlier, except the 2 chests by the sinkholes, the Elixir and the chest behind the ladder to the settlement. -In the chamber after the bridge, I suggest going for the Remedy first, then continuing on through the little passage above the Remedy, which takes you to the exit at the top of the screen. Pick up the Mythril Gloves and return to the previous screen. Then, pick up the Mythril Vest and the Desert Boots and continue onward. -Note that there is no need to manipulate the switch found at the end of the path with the Mythril Gloves. You will still be able to get the Elixir when going down the trunk as the sand will have stopped by itself by then. -This time take the left path of Cleyra all the way up to the Cathedral, collecting any treasure along the way. -Speak with the left guard inside and pick up the Yellow Scarf next to the entrance, then head to the inn. -Equip Zidane with the Bandana, Chain Plate and Yellow Scarf. -Loot the inn, read the letter from Ruby and save your game. TARGET TIME: 03:45:35 TARGET GIL : 39,543 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== VI) CLEYRA INN - CLEYRA INN: (D2-06) =============================================================================== -Ether -Phoenix Pinion -Emerald -Ore -Head straight to the Antlion's sinkhole to fight none other than... -------------- BOSS: Antlion -------------- -Make Zidane steal as often as possible. -Have Quina cast Auto-Life on him/herself and get knocked out, then use Limit Glove. -Reset if your first attempt at using Limit Glove fails. -Make sure Zidane survives this battle so that he gets AP. -Skip all the dialogue that follows and choose whichever answers you want to the prompts. -As Freya, go to the Cathedral and collect all the items inside; don't forget to speak to the High Priest to get an Emerald. -Return to the inn, buy Stiltzkin's new deal, read the letter from Monev and save your game. TARGET TIME: 03:55:06 TARGET GIL : 40,715 =============================================================================== VII) CLEYRA INN - CLEYRA SANDPIT: (D2-07) =============================================================================== -Hi-Potion -Elixir -Gysahl Greens -900 gil -Make your way to the entrance of Cleyra and equip your characters as follows: > ZIDANE: The Ogre, Bandana, Mythril Armlet, Mythril Vest, Desert Boots > VIVI : Oak Staff, Mage's Hat, Bone Wrist, Bronze Vest, Coral Ring > QUINA : Needle Fork, Bandana, Bone Wrist, Silk Robe, Yellow Scarf > FREYA : Partisan, Mythril Helm, Mythril Gloves, Chain Mail, Reflect Ring -Activate everyone's Insomniac ability. In addition, activate Zidane's Man Eater and Auto-Potion and Freya's HP+10%, Distract and Man Eater. -You can "optimize" Quina after equipping everyone else. -Zidane and Freya should both be in the front row. -Zidane is invincible if you set him up as described above. Neither Slash nor Blizzara will knock him out in 1 hit, and Auto-Potion lets him heal himself to full HP after every attack. He also evades the Soldiers' Slash attacks quite often. If that wasn't good enough, he is also guaranteed to make a Soldier escape as he will always do between 476 and 518 damage with his physical attack. -Vivi will usually make a Soldier escape with a single target Fira spell, but there is a very small chance that he may defeat them, so it's not guaranteed to work as with Zidane. He is also more vulnerable to the Soldiers' attacks. -Quina should be used exclusively for casting Night or throwing Tent. -Freya is also very good for these battles, but not as good as Zidane. She can also survive both Slash and Blizzara, but she must be healed manually. Her physical attack will also make a Soldier escape, but use it only if you can use neither Fira nor Zidane's physical attack, as Freya has a 33% chance of not dealing enough damage, which forces you to heal the Soldier and try again. But, if you're equipped as shown above then you shouldn't have a need to resort to Freya's physical attack, though it's not a bad last resort anyway. -Changing some of the equipment above for equipment which provides better stat boosts will mess up the properties described, so equip your party EXACTLY as shown to get these effects. -Head down the trunk, picking up the treasures you skipped earlier (Gysahl Greens, 900 gil, Hi-Potion, Elixir). -Simply use Zidane's physical attack and either Vivi's Fira spell or Freya's physical attack to make all the Soldiers escape these battles. You shouldn't have any problems, unless you're particularly unlucky with Fira. If so, just have Zidane take care of all of the Soldiers; your success is guaranteed that way. -Use an Ether on Vivi after the third battle if he's almost exhausted his MP supply. -You'll face a single Type B when you return to the settlement. Start casting Stop right away; since this first set of battles is so easy, you should aim for Stopping the Type B with at most 3 castings. If his spells pose too much of a problem for you, simply cast Night, this will give you enough time to cast Stop 2 or 3 times. -After the battle, run into the sinkhole area, revive and heal your party, (including using an Ether on Vivi if he needs one), accept the letter addressed to Serino and save your game. TARGET TIME: 04:02:02 TARGET GIL : 41,615 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== VIII) CLEYRA SANDPIT - RED ROSE (D2-08) =============================================================================== -Ether -Phoenix Down -Phoenix Pinion -Nymph Card -Elixir -Remedy -Zuu Card -Leave the sinkhole area and attempt to go up the steps; you will be attacked first by a trio of Alexandrian Soldiers, followed by a pair of Type B's. -There's really no strategy to this first battle. Either have both Zidane and Freya attack and Vivi cast Fira, or have Zidane attack all 3. The former is faster but riskier, while the latter takes a bit longer but is guaranteed to work. I suggest you have everyone except Zidane Defend as soon as possible and let Zidane take care of the enemies. This lets you keep your party in good shape for the upcoming battle, which follows immediately after this one. -Handle the pair of Type B's the same way as the first one. Cast Night as quickly as possible and then go on a Stopping rampage. You may want to have Zidane try to steal an Ether from them since he's got nothing better to do. Throwing Tent isn't worth it as it takes longer than Night and is much less likely to work, and even though the effects of Tent are permanent, this battle won't last long enough to justify their use. You should be finish this battle with at most 6 castings of Stop, preferably 3 or 4. -Tell the Cleyran Oracles to head right when prompted to choose a course of action. -Before moving on, take a moment to revive and heal any hurt party members; Vivi needs at least 8 MP for the next battle, but preferably more. -Tell Dan's wife and children to head to the left. -The next battle will be against 2 Alexandrian Soldiers and a Type B. Simply have Vivi begin casting Stop on the mage immediately and Zidane take care of the Soldiers. Use Night once only the Type B is left and continue casting Stop until it works; this is the last time you'll be doing this during this circuit. -Take another moment to revive and heal your party. -Tell Dan's wife and children to head to the right when prompted for a choice. -The last battle will be against another trio of Alexandrian Soldiers. Handle it just like the first. If you made it this far with some good luck Stopping the Type B's, then don't risk your success here with either Vivi's Fira or Freya's physical attack, have Zidane take care of all the enemies. Quina must be knocked out in this battle, so don't end it without having done so! -After Beatrix runs off, claim your rewards from all 7 survivors, leave Quina bare with only the Fork if he/she has anything equipped, accept the letter to Serino if you have not yet done so and save your game. -Revive Quina and reset until he/she is revived with 1 HP, then run out of the Cathedral and smack Beatrix with Limit Glove. -Follow Freya and Vivi after overhearing Brahne on the airship, then immediately return to the previous screen to find Serino the moogle. -Deliver the letter from Mopli, take the one from Serino and save your game once more. TARGET TIME: 04:19:23 TARGET GIL : 41,615 =============================================================================== IX) RED ROSE - ALEXANDRIA CHAPEL: (D2-09) =============================================================================== -Tent -Ice Brand -Return to the teleport pods and enter them by speaking to Vivi. -Break out from the cage. -You'll want to get through this area without a battle. -Opening the disc cover or ejecting the disc tray while this screen is loading will create some choppiness and put the game into slow motion; it also reduces the reaction speed of the on-screen enemies. This will let you evade the guards on the balcony around the cage quite easily. It is also useful in the main hall of the castle, although noticeably less effective. The other screens pose no difficulty at all. -The correct moment for opening the disc cover or ejecting the disc tray here is when you hear Steiner's armor clanking, but before the screen has been fully rendered. -Another method you may want to try is using the PAUSE button. Press it whenever you get close to a guard, then make directional decisions by tilting the analog stick and resuming the game. Repeating this multiple times per guard could help you evade them. (thanks to AtmaChild for this tip) -Hug the railing to make the guards run next to it, then evade them when they get close to you. You can also use the columns on the wall to get the guards stuck in them and then run by. You'll need to practice and experiment with this a bit, but it is easy to evade both guards once you get the hang of it. -If, for your sanity, you decide to allow yourself a battle here, then you must escape or make the Soldiers flee. You cannot let Marcus absorb the EXP from these battles because that will cause Eiko to have un-natural stats. True, they will simply be higher, but I really dislike this glitch because there is no reason to use it when you can't take full advantage of it, which would require Marcus to reach LV 99. Just don't do it. -Unequip Marcus before going onward after climbing the ladder! Give him the Iron Sword or Broadsword to replace the Mythril Sword if you equipped him with it earlier! -After joining up with the rest of the party, run to where you first gained control of Steiner on Disc 1 and enter the door on the upper floor. Then, run straight and enter the center door to find the Queen's chamber. -Pull the purple lamp and enter the secret passage. -Open both chests before proceeding further and equip your party as follows: > STEINER: Ice Brand, Mythril Helm, Mythril Gloves, Chain Mail, Power Belt > ZIDANE : Mythril Dagger, Bandana, Mythril Armlet, Chain Plate, Reflect Ring > VIVI : Ice Staff, Magus Hat, Bone Wrist, Mythril Vest, Coral Ring > FREYA : Mythril Spear, Mythril Helm, Thunder Gloves, Linen Cuirass, Moonstone -Activate Steiner's HP+10%, MP Attack, Man Eater and Insomniac, Zidane's Man Eater and Bandit, Vivi's Insomniac and Freya's Beast Killer, Cover and Insomniac abilities. -Place Freya and Vivi in the back row. -Run all the way to the bottom of the pit and enter the chapel. ------------------- BOSS: Zorn & Thorn ------------------- -Have Steiner attack and Vivi cast Blizzara against Thorn, and Zidane attempt to steal the Stardust Rod from Zorn. -Freya should be kept on stand-by, ready to attack the twin which gets a power-up. -Keep attacking Thorn until the battle ends; he has less HP than Zorn. -Don't worry or reset if you can't get the Stardust Rod; it isn't particularly crucial, just nice to have for the upcoming battles. -You should reach Garnet by 25:30. -Equip Zidane with The Ogre and activate his Auto-Reflect ability. -Read the letter Mosh received from Kupo and save your game. TARGET TIME: 04:28:00 TARGET GIL : 41,615 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== X) ALEXANDRIA CHAPEL - PINNACLE ROCKS: (D2-10) =============================================================================== -N/A NOTE: This circuit depends completely on luck, so even if some battles don't go perfectly, keep going anyway. It is very difficult just to not get GAME OVER in this circuit, let alone finish it quickly, so just focus on getting to the save point. You can always try to improve your time if you're not happy with it, but first try to obtain a time in the first place. -Run all the way back to the Queen's chamber to confront Beatrix. -------------- BOSS: Beatrix -------------- -Have Zidane and Steiner attack physically and Vivi cast Blizzara. -Freya should remain on stand-by and revive the others with Phoenix Down. If she is knocked out, then have Vivi revive her instead of attacking during that round. -Against the first Bandersnatch, simply have Freya attack physically, then wait until she is knocked out somehow (either by herself or the enemy) before using Climhazzard to win the battle (Beatrix is fully healed before the next battle she'll be in, so you can afford to use Climhazzard here). If Beatrix is knocked out, just use a Phoenix Down; Bandersnatch can only target 1 character per turn, so it will eventually take care of Freya for you, letting you defeat it with Beatrix. You are protected from the Tongue attack thanks to the Insomniac ability, and being in the back row means that Rush won't be a one-hit KO at full HP. But don't be tempted to equip the Coral Ring; Vivi and Steiner are in much greater need of it. -After the battle, place everyone in the back row. -Equip Garnet with the Stardust Rod, Bandana, Bone Wrist, Bronze Vest and Desert Boots and activate the Insomniac ability. Replace Vivi's Ice Staff with the Oak Staff and the Magus Hat with a Bandana. -Get ready for one of the toughest battles in the entire challenge, especially when it comes to luck. -You will face a trio of Type C's. Your priority at the start of the battle is to throw Tents at them and hope that they work; if they do, then the affected mage is practically harmless, although they may still be able to hit you with their Strike attack if you're unlucky, but definitely not every round. Use an Antidote on those mages as they can quickly die from Poison and reflected spells from Zidane; heal them if such a risk exists. Cast Stop with Vivi and have Garnet cast Reflect on him, if possible. You need to keep track of which mages you target and with what, in order to not waste any turns. Do not revive any party members until you've disabled at least 1 mage, preferably 2. Don't underestimate them, and stay alert. Pause the game if you need to think something through. Once they're all inflicted with Darkness and Silence, simply have everyone Defend until Vivi needs an Ether. Of course, Vivi should cast Stop during the whole battle; don't have him throw Tents or do anything else. Good luck! -After the battle, pause the game and take a moment to relax. -Heal your party and continue down the stairs. -You will face a pair of Bandersnatch. All you have to do is use Zidane's Soul Blade to inflict them with Darkness, and you're safe. With the Coral Ring, Vivi can only be hurt by a lucky Rush, but it's not even a one-hit KO. Keep Zidane and Vivi healthy and you should have no problems. Make sure Zidane survives so that he gets AP. This is the easiest of all the battles in this circuit. -Once the battle is over, exchange Steiner's Power Belt for the Coral Ring; this is extremely important! -Revive and heal everyone, then continue down the stairs. -You will face a single Bandersnatch, but you'll have to use a Tent on it before you can feel safe as Vivi no longer has the Coral Ring. You can open the battle with either Soul Blade and Reflect on Vivi, or 2 Tent; it's your choice as both are risky. However, you should not lose this battle as you have control of 3 characters and Bandersnatch can only target 1 per round. Therefore, immediately revive anyone who is knocked out. Begin casting Stop from the very beginning. Heal your characters as Rush will sometimes succeed even after inflicting Darkness, but it is not a one-hit KO to Zidane or Vivi. Make sure Zidane survives this battle so that he gains AP. You can't lose this battle as long as you don't neglect knocked out characters. -After this point, there's nothing you can do but hope for good luck. Everything you accomplished so far will now depend on how full Beatrix's and Steiner's ATB gauges will be at the start of the upcoming battles. -In the first battle with Beatrix, simply use Climhazzard as quickly as possible. Unless you get very lucky, Beatrix will be knocked out if she doesn't go first or at least second. -In the second battle, have Steiner use an Elixir on Beatrix, wait for him to get knocked out somehow (either by himself or an enemy), then use Climhazzard to end this last battle. If Beatrix is knocked out, don't reset, just use a Phoenix Down. Steiner won't go down as quickly as it may seem if he's got the Coral Ring and is in the back row. If Steiner is knocking himself out, open Beatrix's Seiken menu the moment he acts and wait to see whether he is successful as you wouldn't want to redo all of this if he happens to survive or miss. This also stops the Bandersnatches' ATB gauges from filling up during the animation, which in my case was crucial. Use Climhazzard once you see that he is in fact knocked out. -If all this wasn't enough, you can still run into a random battle after regaining control of Zidane's group. Don't move before you equip him with the Dagger, then head for the chapel. -If you do get a battle, just use Flee as soon as possible; don't even think about resetting, as the 1 minute such a battle could take is nothing compared to how much time you could lose due to bad luck with Stop, not to mention real-life time. -Accept the letter for Monty, then finally save your game. TARGET TIME: 04:50:57 -Make sure Zidane has the Bandana, Chain Plate and Yellow Scarf equipped and that Vivi has the Mythril Vest. -Head for the Gargant platform. ----------------- BOSS: Ralvuimago ----------------- -Compared to what you have just been through, this boss is nothing. -Have Vivi cast Blizzara, Zidane steal and Garnet attack physically, in that order. -The boss will coil up, but will not attack while in this state. -While he is coiled up, use Vivi's Focus and have Zidane steal. -It will take 3 Blizzara spells to win. -It's alright if you don't steal anything; it's only a bonus if you do. -Vivi should master the Auto-Potion ability after this battle. -Once you gain control of Garnet, head straight back to the crash site to find the ending of the Hero's Tale. -Return and run leftwards on the top path to find another piece of the story. -Deliver Mosh's letter to Monty and save your game. TARGET TIME: 04:59:36 TARGET GIL : 44,758 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XI) PINNACLE ROCKS - LACHENTA WETLANDS: (D2-11) =============================================================================== -Ether -Bandana -Ore -340 gil -Phoenix Pinion -Mythril Armlet -Lindblum Card -993 gil -The Ogre -Mythril Vest -262 gil -3,000 gil -Pinnacle Rocks is theoretically skippable, but since you're collecting all the treasure, you may as well get the story pieces; they're right next to the chests, after all. The only thing you may want to skip is choosing to "Jump off later" and going back to Monty to read the letter he got from Stiltzkin; Monty is unreachable on Disc 4, so it won't be visible whether he got this letter or not. This takes an additional minute, so it's up to you; I decided to read the letter for the sake of completion. -Open the chest at the bottom of the slope, then find another segment of the story below the top path in a little cove. -Go left and approach the chest to find yet another part, and open the chest afterwards. -Go up the branch and around to jump down to the chest below; find the fifth piece of the story near this chest. -Return and go past the point where you jumped to meet Ramuh. Recite the story with the ending you wish and attempt to leave Pinnacle Rocks. -When given the choice to jump off from the ledge, choose NOT to and return to Monty to read the letter he received from Stiltzkin, then leave Pinnacle Rocks. -In Lindblum, enter the inn, deliver Serino's letter, accept Moodon's letter and read the letter from Ruby; save if you wish. -Exit the inn and head to the market square, taking care not to trigger the scene with the crowd around the black mage. Do this by walking as close as possible to the left side of the screen. -At the square, search Card Freak Gon's house and the rubble to the left of it, then head to the shopping center to initiate some scenes. -You'll find yourself in the shopping center afterwards, but we won't be doing any shopping here; take an aircab to the Theater District instead. -Once there, loot Artist Michael's studio and the Tantalus hideout. Then, speak to Lowell outside the hideout to recruit him into Ruby's theater in Alexandria. -Return to the Business District and tell the man that you are ready to leave. -Deliver Moodon's letter to Moonte at the Dragon's Gate, pick up the Bandana from behind the platform and head out into the Mist. -Save your game outside Qu's Marsh. TARGET TIME: 05:10:26 TARGET GIL : 49,349 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XII) LACHENTA WETLANDS - FOSSIL ROO CAVERN: (D2-12) =============================================================================== -Elixir -Fairy Earrings -Enter the marsh and find Quina by the pond. -Take the right path from Quale's hut to find the entrance to Fossil Roo. -Enter and run from Armodullahan; run along the upper side in the first area, the lower side in the second and once again along the upper side in the last area to ensure that he doesn't catch up to you. ----------- BOSS: Lani ----------- -Lani will always target Garnet if she is conscious, so revive her every round in order to distract Lani from Quina. -In the meanwhile, have Zidane steal as often as possible (why not?) and Quina cast Auto-Life on him/herself. -Get Quina knocked out, then use Limit Glove to win the battle. -Reset if you aren't successful with your first Limit Glove attempt. -Now comes the hard part: run all the way back to the entrance to get the Elixir from Armodullahan's cage and return to go on. -Before you go to fetch the Elixir, revive your party and equip Zidane with the Dagger. -If you have not yet learned Night, then this is your last chance to do so. -If you need to learn it, equip Vivi with the Ice Staff and Magus Hat and encounter a party of 2 Abomination. Cast Blizzara on 1 of them to be able to Eat it successfully. You should do this while getting the Elixir to make the most of the battles you'll have. You can also learn Night by Eating a Seeker Bat, but it's easier to learn it through Abomination. -You can still encounter these enemies in the rest of Fossil Roo if you don't have any luck here. -Go down the steps where you fought Lani once you get the Elixir. -Pick the flowers and call the Gargant to get to a larger cavern with moogles and a treasure hunter. -Take the bottom path past the moogles and ride the Gargant to a chest with Fairy Earrings, then ride back to the moogles. -Buy Stiltzkin's next deal, read the letter Mogki received and save your game. TARGET TIME: 05:23:11 TARGET GIL : 48,422 ENCOUNTERS : 6 NOTE: If you are running very late and don't anticipate yourself making up any time in future circuits, then you may want to consider skipping the Elixir here. This is most definitely a sacrifice on your part, but if you can live with having missed 1 treasure, then this is the best opportunity to save time in the entire game when you consider what you have to sacrifice; you'll save around 7 minutes at the cost of a common Elixir. However, your satisfaction at the end of this ordeal called a challenge will be much greater if you get everything you can. The target times assume that you pick it up. =============================================================================== XIII) FOSSIL ROO CAVERN - FOSSIL ROO MINING SITE: (D2-13) =============================================================================== -Ether -Lamia's Tiara -Survival Vest -This time, take the top path by the treasure hunter and ride the Gargant. -Flip Switch #1, ride the Gargant and take the top path to a chest with an Ether inside. -Return to the previous screen and follow the lower path to reach Switch #2; flip the switch and ride the Gargant back to Switch #1. -Flip Switch #1 and ride the Gargant once more to return to the cavern with the moogles; save your game. -Take the bottom path, ride the Gargant and climb the stairs to which he takes you. -Flip Switch #4, then go right and ride the Gargant to another chest. -Ride the Gargant back, flip Switch #4 again and ride the Gargant once more to arrive at a chamber with vines. -Climb the vines to the lower ledge on the right side of the chamber and enter the doorway. -Take the wooden walkway near the bottom of the screen to a storage area where you will find a Survival Vest. -Return to the excavation chamber, speak with the treasure hunter and give him a Potion to borrow his pick-axe. -Repeatedly hit the back wall on the upper level to free Kuppo. -Kuppo has a Mogshop, and it's high time that you purged your inventory for some cash! Unequip your party, auto-arrange your inventory and sell all your copies of the following items: > Ether > Remedy > Phoenix Pinion > The Ogre > Broadsword > Iron Sword > Mythril Spear > Mage Staff > Flame Staff > Ice Staff > Feather Hat > Leather Wrist > Rubber Helm > Bronze Helm > Silk Shirt > Bronze Armor > Desert Boots > Magician Shoes > Yellow Scarf > Fairy Earrings -This will get you more than enough gil, but there's no harm in having some extra! -Pick up Kuppo's letter to Kupo and save your game. TARGET TIME: 05:30:18 TARGET GIL : 91,102 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XIV) FOSSIL ROO MINING SITE - MAGDALENE FOREST: (D2-14) =============================================================================== -Phoenix Pinion -Diamond -1,800 gil -2,700 gil -Return the pick-axe, go back to the chamber with the vines and make your way to the ledge with Switch #3. -Flip the switch and go under any of the spouts to get thrown into the water. -Surface and go through the right doorway, pick the flowers and ride the Gargant at the end of the path to the exit of Fossil Roo. -Run to the Chocobo tracks near Qu's Marsh and call Choco (there are no random encounters while the nameplate is displayed). Don't hesitate to save halfway, a few seconds after the nameplate disappears. -Dismount outside Conde Petie and enter. -Pick up the gil near the entrance, then head right to the grocery store; pick up the Phoenix Pinion and the letter to Suzuna, then return to the entrance and enter the left doorway. -Pick up the gil behind one of the beds in the inn, then head up the stairs. -Climb onto the boat to find a Diamond, then speak to Vivi and follow him down the stairs. -Leave Conde Petie and ride Choco to the Black Mage Village; dismount and save. TARGET TIME: 05:35:14 TARGET GIL : 96,842 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XV) MAGDALENE FOREST - CONDE PETIE: (D2-15) =============================================================================== -Ether -Gysahl Greens -Virgo S. -2,000 gil -Elixir -Enter the forest and head right twice, then left and then right again to reach the Black Mage Village. -Once inside, head right to find Mogryo; take the letter addressed to Mocchi, then pick up the Gysahl Greens from inside the Chocobo stable. -Return to the entrance of the village and take a left to reach the synthesis shop; buy the following: > 1 Rune Tooth > As many Cotton Robe as you can -Now go left from the shop to find Vivi. -After the scene, run into the grocery store, pick up the Ether and then go to the inn. If you have less than 5 Tent, buy some here. -Talk to Vivi, then choose "Rest" to go to sleep. -In the morning, go to the weapon shop and sell all your Cotton Robe. Buy the following equipment: > 1 Magic Armlet > 99 Steepled Hat > 7 Bandana > 3 Ritual Hat > 1 Leather Plate > 2 Chain Plate > 8 Mythril Vest > 2 Adaman Vest > 1 Magician Cloak -Once you're done shopping, head over to Mogryo to read the letter he received from Stiltzkin. He got it overnight, but will no longer have his letter for Mocchi in the morning (I guess Artemicion beat you to it when delivering Stiltzkin's letter!). -Leave the Black Mage Village and head straight to Conde Petie. -Once at Conde Petie, go to the area with the boat and talk to the dwarf blocking the top right exit, then go to the corridor outside the inn and speak to Father Heavenguard. -After the ceremony, you may choose to let Quina and Vivi get married. It really doesn't make any difference, so just do what you like. The marriage scene does take a bit longer, but nothing major. -Either way, save near the grocery shop. TARGET TIME: 05:44:43 TARGET GIL : 114,904 ENCOUNTERS : 1 =============================================================================== XVI) CONDE PETIE - MOUNTAIN PATH: (D2-16) =============================================================================== -Remedy -Oglop Card -Blue Stone -Red Stone -Tent -Go past the weapon shop and onto the Conde Petie Mountain Path. -Eiko will join your party at LV 1. -Remove everyone's equipment, then "optimize" Zidane, but give him the Dagger and the Glass Armlet; activate the Antibody ability. Place everyone in the back row. -You need to enter a battle somewhere on the Mountain Path. When you do, have Zidane Defend and everyone else attack him one at a time until his HP ends in a 7; promptly use Flee once that happens. You can also use a Tent on him if his HP ends with a 5 and is below 50; Tent will heal him by 52 HP, and he won't be Poisoned thanks to Antibody. Alternately, you can let him get knocked out and try to run away by holding L1 and R1. I leave this choice up to you. -After getting Eiko, head further along the path until you spot a group of Oglops; catch one and return to Conde Petie. -Don't run at the Oglops right away; wait for one of them to move in your direction, then run at it and you should catch it. -Go to the young boy behind the grocery shop, tell him your favorite dish (he likes Seasoned Oglops) and give him the Oglop you caught for the Oglop Card. -It is more convenient to catch the Oglop and save without getting into a battle and preparing Zidane. That way, you won't have to complete both of these luck-based tasks in 1 run. -Save in the grocery store. -Return to the Mountain Path and get the rest of the treasure, then keep going until you find Stiltzkin and Suzuna. -Equip Zidane with the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Adaman Vest and Diamond, and Vivi with the Oak Staff; activate Zidane's Distract ability for good measure. -Buy Stiltzkin's deal, deliver the letter you have for Suzuna and save your game. TARGET TIME: 05:49:40 TARGET GIL : 114,169 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the one described) =============================================================================== XVII) MOUNTAIN PATH - LUCID PLAINS: (D2-17) =============================================================================== -Ether -Yellow Stone -Green Stone -If you knocked out Zidane in the battle described above, then revive him and reset until he gets revived with 7 HP, then save again. -Climb the vines to the left of the moogles and keep going until you get ambushed by... ---------------- BOSS: Hilgigars ---------------- -This battle would normally last a long time, but if you've prepared yourself as described earlier, you can win in 2 turns, not even a full round. -Use Vivi's Bio spell and Zidane's Lucky Seven ability. -If you're lucky, Lucky Seven will deal 7,777 damage, leaving Hilgigars with 439 HP; a single Bio will be enough to win the battle. -It's worth resetting until you're successful because you'll save a lot of time and the save point is near the battle so it isn't too frustrating, either. -Zidane should master the Bird Killer ability after this battle. -Take the Yellow Stone from the column and head down the right path. -Follow the descending vine to the Green Stone and a chest, then return and keep walking on the vines until you exit the Mountain Path. -Save midway to Madain Sari. TARGET TIME: 05:52:37 TARGET GIL : 116,305 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XVIII) LUCID PLAINS - IIFA TREE ROOTS: (D2-18) =============================================================================== -Tent -Ore -Libra S. -Kirman Coffee -Phoenix Pinion -Ruby -Enter Madain Sari. -As soon as you can move, exit to the bottom right, then immediately return. Zidane will say a few things, after which the ATE "Eiko's Feelings" will be triggered. When asked to distribute jobs, just keep pressing X and choose the default positions. -Now head over to Eiko's house and try to enter; Morrison will appear and invite you over to the Eidolon Wall. -Next, head back to the entrance of Madain Sari and take Garnet with you. (thanks to Essentia for this alternate way of going through Madain Sari; it's quicker than my original one) -A new ATE will be triggered when you go to the screen with the fountain. If you want to make the best dinner, then watch "Eiko's Kitchen" and follow the instructions below. This will take you approximately 2 extra minutes, which the target times do not take into account. -If you're trying to get the best dinner: > Pour enough water for 11 people. > Don't add the seasoned Oglop. > Help the moogle with the fishing rod. > Let Quina help you during the third ATE. -Either way, head over to the Eidolon Wall; you'll enter automatically. -Leave Garnet, then watch the ATE "Eiko's Kitchen 2" if you're trying to get the best dinner. -Go to Eiko's house to finally eat. -After the meal, bring the pot to Eiko on the back porch and speak with her. -Don't forget to pick up the Kirman Coffee, then try to leave the house; choose "Sleep" when the moogle stops you at the door. -Eiko will decide to go with you in the morning after all, so leave Madain Sari and save on your way to the Mountain Path. -Go onto the Mountain Path once again. NOTE: The 4 colored stones which you collected on your previous trip through the Mountain Path can now be exchanged for a Moonstone. This a purely personal choice, as both the stones and the Moonstone are unique items. Do as you like. -If you decided to keep the colored stones then just head to the fork and take the left path to the Iifa Tree; save at its base. -If you decided to get the Moonstone, then make your way to Suzuna and head down the right path. -Place all 4 colored stones in the altar to receive a Moonstone, then save your game. -Return to the fork where you fought Hilgigars and take a left. -Equip Zidane with the Dagger, Ritual Hat, Mythril Armlet, Adaman Vest and Reflect Ring; this should bring his Magic Defense up to 19 points and his evade up to 17. Activate his Distract ability. Leave the other characters bare of equipment, but make sure Garnet has the Multina Racket. -Run up to the base of the Iifa Tree and save. -Enter the Iifa Tree and go along the roots until you find Mocchi, for whom you have a letter to deliver. -Try the stop/run method on the roots, it seems quite effective here. -It's possible to make it through the root screens with only a single battle, though it's probably very unlikely (it's only happened to me once). -Unfortunately, Dracozombie does NOT appear on the screens outside the actual tree for now, so don't bother looking for it. TARGET TIME: 06:03:51 TARGET GIL : 116,214 ENCOUNTERS : 1 =============================================================================== XIX) IIFA TREE ROOTS - LUCID PLAINS: (D2-19) =============================================================================== -Hi-Potion -Phoenix Down -Ether -Lamia's Flute -Remedy -Elixir -Healing Rod -Brigandine -In order to get through the Iifa Tree, you must have at least 1 character in Zombie status. Zidane is the best candidate since he has the most HP. -With the equipment listed in the previous circuit, with Shell status and with full HP, Zidane will always survive a Dracozombie's Zombie Breath attack with either 9, 21 or 33 HP left. -In order to get Zidane Zombified, first encounter a Dracozombie. Have Garnet cast Shell on Zidane immediately, with the other party members throwing Tent at the enemy. Once it works, have Eiko and Vivi knock themselves out, Garnet cast Shell on Zidane one last time and Zidane attack Garnet. After that, simply hope that the Dracozombie uses Zombie Breath before Zidane's Shell wears off. If it does, reset as you've wasted too much time. In the meantime, have Zidane try to steal a Magic Tag from the Dracozombie as you might need one shortly if one of your other characters got or gets Zombified and knocked out. When you finally get the Zombie status, chuck an Elixir at the monster to end the battle. -Revive your party and make your way back to the save point and save. -It's inevitable that you'll have battles going through this area. You must revive all knocked out characters after every battle in order to reduce the probability of an enemy attacking Zidane, and because Zombified characters cannot flee from enemies. There's no need to heal them, though, they just need to be conscious. Flee will succeed as long there is at least 1 non-Zombie character alive when it is used. -Escape from all battles as quickly as possible. Keep the L1 and R1 buttons pressed at all times during battles to further increase the odds of getting away alive. -Hope that you don't meet Stroper; its Sweep attack means instant death for your party of LV 1 weaklings. You can't use a Soft on it because that will award EXP. Just pray that Zidane gets the first turn, or that it uses its Slap attack. -Follow the path down until you reach a little niche with a switch on the left side of the screen; press the switch. -Now return up 1 screen and pick up all the treasure which you skipped earlier (the Healing Rod appears only after pressing the switch mentioned above). -There is another switch in this screen as well, and it makes a chest with a Phoenix Down drop down from above. -Make your way down and revive all your characters before jumping onto the green leaf platform. -You will face a party of 2 or 3 Zombies on your way down. Use Elixir on them to defeat them instantly. Pay close attention to which ones have acted and which ones have not. For example, if one of them is the first to act during the battle, make it your last target and throw an Elixir at another one in hopes of defeating it before it gets a turn. Remember to have Zidane throw the last Elixir once everyone else is knocked out. This battle requires a lot of luck as you want everyone to have their ATB gauges start out as full as possible and you don't want Zidane to be hurt. -There will be some dialogue after this battle and then you will gain momentary control of Zidane; by all means, REVIVE YOUR CHARACTERS BEFORE SPEAKING TO VIVI!!! -Once you talk to him, you'll continue straight into a battle with a Dracozombie. The only goal in this battle is to hope that he attacks someone besides Zidane. Have everyone knock themselves out and Zidane throw yet another Elixir to win this battle. Do NOT, however, have your characters knock themselves out even if they start the battle with full ATB gauges (unless it's a pre-emptive strike and EVERYONE has full gauges). Wait for his attack, then proceed to knock out everyone besides Zidane. The reason for this is that you do not know how full the enemy's ATB gauge is, which could mean that you have Garnet, Vivi and Eiko knock themselves out only to have the Dracozombie get a turn right after that and have only Zidane left to target. After all, it takes time to input commands and select targets, and Zidane is always the last one to do this. You want the enemy to have as a large a selection of targets as possible in order to reduce the likelihood of Zidane being chosen. This does reduce your chances of completing this battle successfully to 75%, but not doing this is a gamble for which you don't know the probability, and 75% is preferable to an unknown. -You will now reach the bottom. Once again, REVIVE EVERYONE!!! -Pick up the Elixir and Brigandine, then go to the bottom of the screen and inspect the ledge. -Run over to Garnet once the area begins to shake and get ready for... --------------- BOSS: Soulcage --------------- ...the easiest boss in the game. -If you've been paying at least a little attention in this area then you'll know exactly what to do.* -Before you do, however, knock out Zidane if his HP doesn't end in a 7. -Save once you get out of the Iifa Tree. -Revive Zidane and reset until he is revived with 7 HP. -Equip him with the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Mythril Armlet, Chain Plate and Reflect Ring; activate his Distract and Man Eater abilities and make sure he is in the front row. -Save after this, and once more outside Madain Sari. TARGET TIME: 06:23:29 TARGET GIL : 118,307 ENCOUNTERS : 8 *Throw an Elixir. =============================================================================== XX) LUCID PLAINS - PUALEI PLAINS: (D2-20) =============================================================================== -Phoenix Down -Elixir -Exploda -Survival Vest -Enter and follow Eiko to the back porch of her house and into the room below. -Run to the Eidolon Wall after Lani kidnaps Eiko and go inside; just make sure that you don't have the moogle heal your party! -------------------- BOSS: Scarlet Hair: -------------------- -This should be a 3-round battle, 4 at most. -Use Lucky Seven until you do 7,777 damage, then finish him off with 1 or 2 physical attacks. -You can use Lucky Seven even when he's moving around. -You can't survive his attacks if you don't dodge them, so you'll need to end this battle as quickly as possible. -Zidane should master the Devil Killer, Man Eater and Insomniac abilities after this battle. -Eiko decides to leave Madain Sari in the room below the porch after the battle. -Afterwards, examine the field icon outside Eiko's house to find Garnet. -Back at the entrance, Amarant joins the party at LV 1. Replace Eiko with Amarant and head back to the Iifa Tree once again. -Equip your characters as follows: > ZIDANE : Dagger, Ritual Hat, Mythril Armlet, Adaman Vest, Diamond > GARNET : Multina Racket, -, -, -, - > VIVI : Oak Staff, Ritual Hat, Magic Armlet, Magician Cloak, Reflect Ring > AMARANT: Cat's Claws, Ritual Hat, Mythril Armlet, Adaman Vest, Germinas Boots -Activate Zidane's Distract and Insomniac, Vivi's Insomniac and Auto-Potion and Amarant's HP+10%. -Place everyone in the back row. -Getting to the top of the Iifa Tree and completing the forced battles there may require many resets. I suggest you enter and get the scenes out of the way before saving. If you do, take Vivi out of the party and replace him with Eiko; don't equip her with anything. -Heal Zidane to full health. -Save at the base of the tree. TARGET TIME: 06:37:22 TARGET GIL : 128,117 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XXI) PUALEI PLAINS - START OF DISC 3: (D2-21) =============================================================================== -Aquamarine -You need to get Zidane Zombified one more time here. The strategy remains the same as before and you can find Dracozombie on the roots. You can also try your luck by not getting him Zombified and defeating all 3 of the upcoming enemies with Stop. It's up to you. -At the top, make sure that Vivi is out of the active party (unless you're planning to use Stop during both of the upcoming battles), revive anyone knocked out, heal Amarant to full health, and choose "Finished". -You will first face a party composed of 2 Mistodon. With some luck, at least 1 of your characters will begin the battle with a full or nearly full ATB gauge; it's never been otherwise for me. Use an Elixir on one of the enemies, then wait for everyone else's ATB gauges to fill and for the enemy's attack. Hopefully, Zidane will go unscathed. Have all the survivors knock themselves out and Zidane chuck another Elixir to win the battle and nullify the EXP. -For no particular reason, your party is healed of their status effects, but their HP isn't replenished. They're not even revived, which would be extremely helpful, but alas... Time to remember how to use Stop, it's been a while. -You will start the battle with Zidane and Vivi, the others will still be knocked out and Zidane's HP will be just as it was at the end of the previous battle. Immediately throw a Tent and cast Stop at the Mistodon, and hope that one of them works on the first attempt. Continue doing this until a Tent succeeds; you can then revive Amarant and heal both him and Zidane to full health. They can survive Fira and Mist and manually heal themselves, meaning they can permanently distract the Mistodon from Vivi, although he also survives Fira and Mist and will heal himself automatically. Head Attack has a 75% chance of knocking out Zidane when at full health (if it connects, that is), and 50% of doing the same to Amarant when at full health. Vivi will always be knocked out by a Head Attack, but with Darkness inflicted and 2 other targets available, you should be able to safely cast Stop. That said, you've pretty much won the battle once Tent works, the only question is how quickly you succeed with Stop. -Do a victory dance once you get past this battle; you've completed the most annoying sections of the game at this point! -After the battle, revive your characters, read the letter from Stiltzkin and save with Mocchi, who is hiding behind the tree trunk. -Run down the root and hope for no encounters. However, you can safely have 1 as long as it's against a single Mistodon and you Stop it quickly. TARGET TIME: 06:53:14 TARGET GIL : 130,267 ENCOUNTERS : 2 (a Dracozombie and a Mistodon on the final roots) =============================================================================== * CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 2! * =============================================================================== _ _ _ _ ,' `. .' `. . . .- - - - - - . : : : `. : ,-. : : : :_ _ _ _; ; : : _ _ _ : ,.' : : : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. : ,' : : : : :_ _ _; : : : : : `. : : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; _ _ _ _ `'. : : :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' : : ; : : : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : `-' : : ,' : : : : : : : : :_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : ; `. .' `. _ _ _ _ _ .' =============================================================================== I) START OF DISC 3 - NOLRICH HEIGHTS: (D3-01) =============================================================================== -Potion -Chimera Armlet -Goblin Card -Ramuh Card -Ether -Opal -Fang Card -Athlete Queen -Phoenix Pinion -Topaz -Flan Card -Leo S. -Phoenix Pinion -Amethyst -Ironite Card -27 gil -Phoenix Pinion -Lapis Lazuli -Shiva Card -3,927 gil -You will eventually gain control of Vivi outside the Alexandria pub. Go right and down the street until you spot Hippaul and his mother near the bottom. Talk to his mother to initiate a mini-game. You must now raise Hippaul to LV 80 to earn the Athlete Queen. -There are 7 basic strategies for success at this mini-game. They are: 1) Use both hands. 2) Use different fingers, saving the ones you are most comfortable with for the last 10 to 20 races. 3) Always use the same fingers in both hands; it helps your coordination. 4) Turn off the volume; the music can be distracting as it has its own rhythm. 5) Always finish the race as fast as possible; Hippaul can gain as much as 5 LVs from 1 race, depending on how much you beat him by. 6) Stay calm and take a break if you're not having any luck. You can do this between races by simply pausing the game. 7) Do your best on your first try since your wrists and fingers can quickly become very tired. -If you find this to be difficult, try changing the button configuration of your controller. Setting the CIRCLE and SQUARE buttons to L2 and R2 (or anything you're more comfortable with) can be much more effective for some players. (thanks to Ekke for this suggestion) -I suggest you reset and take a break if you lose more than 5 races. -Once you have obtained the Athlete Queen, go to the Square. -Watch the ATE "Artemicion". -Go straight to the Alexandria Bell Tower; climb the ladder and ring the bell to find 5 cards. -Buy Stiltzkin's new offer and finally deliver Kuppo's letter to his little brother Kupo! Kupo should also have a letter from Mogrika if you watched the ATE "Artemicion". -Save your game! -Search the house to the right of the bell tower for Eye Drops and 3 gil if you did not do so on Disc 1. In order to reach the second floor, keep running into the girl and eventually you'll pass through her; this doesn't work on Disc 1, though. -Run back to the alley and go into Ruby's mini-theater. A long sequence of scenes will occur and eventually you will gain control of Zidane in the pub. -Search the pub for the items which you skipped at the start of the game (Potion, Flan Card, 27 gil), then head for the Bell Tower once again. -Read the letter Kupo received from Stiltzkin and save again. TARGET TIME: 07:26:34 O----------------------------[ PATH C | PATH E ]-----------------------------O -Synthesize a Barette at the synthesis shop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Synthesize a Barette at the synthesis shop, then enter the adjacent equipment shop and purchase a Plate Mail as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Now go to the dock, pick up the treasures there and take the boat to the castle. You can also unequip everyone now. -Search the castle dock, then head left and enter the tower to find a Phoenix Pinion and the Leo Stellazzio; the Phoenix Pinion here is missable. -Enter the castle and another long sequence begins; you'll regain control of the party in Treno. -Exit Doctor Tot's Tower and watch the ATE "Memories By The Water", then go to the Card Stadium and watch the ATE "City People"; you should get a Chimera Armlet from the Four-Armed Man. -Leave Treno and save midway to South Gate. -Go through South Gate and save midway to Dali. -If you no longer have a Sapphire in your inventory, then you'll have to enter a random battle somewhere between Treno and Dali and get Zidane's HP to end in a 7. Use the same tactics as on the Mountain Path to do this. You have a wider selection of gems, too, so more HP totals can be used for this purpose. TARGET TIME: 07:38:22 TARGET GIL : 129,344 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== II) NOLRICH HEIGHTS - TRENO KNIGHT'S HOUSE: (D3-02) =============================================================================== -Elixir -Dark Matter -15,000 gil -30,000 gil -Cachusha -Burman Coffee -Enter Dali and go to the shop; buy 99 Wrist. -Next, go into the mayor's house and choose to search the room. -Check the desk for the Mini-Brahne, then check it 2 more times so that the sleeping boy says "Zzz", and then check the heater for the Mayor's Key and leave. -Enter the windmill and use the Mayor's Key on the door to enter the Chocobo pen; open the chest for 30,000 gil and then check it again to discover the Burman Coffee. -Return to the windmill and take the ladder to the upper area; open both chests, then leave Dali. -Regardless of whether you wish to trade in the coffees, enter Observatory Mountain in order to mark it on the World Map. (thanks to AtmaChild for bringing this issue to my attention) -If you want to trade in the coffees, Morrid will be sitting on the steps outside, so give him his coffees and leave. -Save midway to South Gate, then go through it and save midway to Treno. -Enter Treno and take the left path to the synthesis shop to synthesize 99 Cotton Robe. -Having done so, go to the Card Stadium and register at the booth; win the first 2 rounds, then head over to the weapon shop. -Use Tantarian, Armstrong, Nova Dragon, Shiva and Ramuh and you shouldn't have too much trouble winning. Try to avoid card battles unless your attack is much higher than their defense. Keep your strongest card for last and have it defeat a card with many arrows for a surprise victory. -Buy a Coral Sword. -Unequip everything from Zidane and challenge Catoblepas; get knocked out as quickly as possible. Then, equip the Rune Tooth, Bandana, Chimera Armlet, Bronze Vest and Reflect Ring and activate the Distract and Jelly abilities. -Save your game and challenge Catoblepas again. -Simply use a Sapphire on Zidane and then defeat Catoblepas with Lucky Seven. You'll have to reset a few times but you'll succeed eventually. -Zidane's HP must end in a 7 if you want to have an easier time with Tantarian shortly. This is very important, so don't heal him after the battle. -This is the best way to defeat Catoblepas, so you should do this even if you are following Path B or Path E, which don't require Tantarian to be defeated. -Once you defeat Catoblepas, return to Mogrich, read the letter he received from Kupo and save your game. O------------------------[ PATH A | PATH B | PATH C ]------------------------O -You need to win the Dark Matter from the Auction House. -You'll need 17,000 gil to win it easily. Go in and do the same thing you did on Disc 2 when trying to get the Reflect Ring. Here are the approximate bids for the new items currently up for auction: > Anklet - 15,000 > Feather Boots - 16,000 -Return to Mogrich and save your game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET TIME: 07:50:18 TARGET GIL : 39,074 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== III) TRENO KNIGHT'S HOUSE - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D3-03) =============================================================================== -Elixir -Egoist's Armlet -Rebirth Ring -Running Shoes -Go to the Card Stadium and defeat the champion for the Rebirth Ring. -Order Blutzen & Kohel to gather information, then just mash the X button to choose the remaining defaults; Garnet should receive the Angel Earrings. -When controlling Steiner and Beatrix, leave Steiner bare of equipment and "optimize" Beatrix; place her in the back row. -You'll need 2 Ether and 3 Elixir to get past the upcoming battles with minimal effort. -It's possible to dodge the Mistodon in the first area; lure it to almost the back of the ticket booth, then run down under the stand and out of the square. This doesn't work if you don't lure it far enough, though. You don't really need to reset if you fail to skip it, but try your best if you need to make up some time. -Make sure Steiner is knocked out in your first battle, and use Full-Life or Elixir to defeat the monsters. Climhazzard will not kill 2 Mistodon at the LV which Beatrix is at, so don't waste your time or MP. -Handle the battles as listed below to minimize your Ether and Elixir consumption. Use an Ether after the battle outside the pub. By that time, Beatrix should have 88 MP, which is enough for 3 castings of Full-Life. -Here is the battle roster of the encounters you will have and how you should handle them (numbers indicate the number of Mistodon in the battle): 1. Square : 1 (you can dodge this battle; otherwise, use Full-Life) 2. Outside Shop : 1 (use an Elixir, or Full-Life if you didn't dodge #1) 3. Outside Pub : 2 (use Full-Life twice) 4. Long Street : 1 (use an Elixir) 5. Long Street : 1 (use an Elixir) 6. Long Street : 1 (use Full-Life) 7. Long Street : 2 (use Full-Life twice) -Take a moment to remove your equipment from Beatrix and heal her one last time right after the battle outside the pub; you will not get another chance. -Leave her with only the Plate Mail for defense; you'll lose whatever equipment she goes on with. -When you gain control of the rest of the party, head up the stairway and to the guardhouse. O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O -Equip Zidane with the Bandana, Bone Wrist, Survival Vest and Dark Matter; activate the Antibody ability. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Equip Freya with the Barbut, Mythril Gloves, Plate Mail and Barette, and Zidane with the Survival Vest. Activate Zidane's Antibody ability. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O----------------------------[ PATH B | PATH E ]-----------------------------O -Ignore Tantarian completely. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Save your game. TARGET TIME: 08:06:25 -Go to the west library on the first floor and challenge... ---------------- BOSS: Tantarian ---------------- O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O -This battle depends completely on Lucky Seven, so you'll need to be patient until you hit a lucky streak. -Use Lucky Seven as quickly as possible once the battle starts; 777 and 7,777 damage will open the boss, so you have a 50% chance of opening him. -Fire away with Lucky Seven once Tantarian shows his true form. You'll get 4 to 5 attempts before he closes, after which I would suggest to reset. You need to hit him for 7,777 damage 3 times to defeat him. -The damage you inflict to open him counts just like the damage you do after he opens, so you can end this battle in as little as 3 rounds. -Remember to knock out everyone except Zidane before finishing the battle. -Zidane will master the Antibody and Locomotion abilities following this battle, as well as Man Eater, Insomniac and Bug Killer if he didn't earlier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -This battle depends completely on Lucky Seven, so you'll need to be patient until you hit a lucky streak. Reset the game if Lucky Seven returns anything except 7,777 during the battle. All other results will make this strategy inapplicable, although you can afford to get 7 damage twice, so keep that in mind. -Use Lucky Seven as quickly as possible once the battle starts in order to open the boss. You MUST do this with 7,777 damage, NOT 777. -Now simply have Zidane use Lucky Seven 2 more times while the rest of the party throws exactly 3 Hi-Potions at the boss. -If you hit Tantarian with 3 strikes of 7,777 damage and 3 Hi-Potions, he will be left with 16 HP; 2 HP or 9 HP if Lucky Seven returned 7 damage once or twice. -Have Zidane, Vivi and Amarant knock themselves out and Freya attack Tantarian to end the battle and absorb the EXP. -Freya will reach LV 18 after the battle and master Bug Killer, Undead Killer, Man Eater, Gamble Defense, Chemist and Locomotion. (thanks to 1whoistornapart for this modified Tantarian strategy) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Run to the top of the castle, using the same path Garnet used earlier. -After waking up in Lindblum, open the chests, accept Mogki's letter for delivery and save your game (avoid the steps by the closet). TARGET TIME: 08:12:28 TARGET GIL : 49,522 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== IV) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - KIERA DESERT: (D3-04) =============================================================================== -Chimera Armlet -Lapis Lazuli -1,273 gil -Sagittarius S. -Black Belt -970 gil -4,826 gil -Attempt to leave the room and choose "Where's Dagger?" when prompted. -Go to the conference room, and then to the royal chamber (you have to talk to either of the 2 guards every time you want to enter the royal chamber, even if you are invited). -There will be a lot of dialogue once you enter; go to the guest room when it's over. -Head to the aircab dock after the meeting with Doctor Tot and fly to the Business District. -Deliver Mogki's letter to Moodon at the inn, then head to the market square. -Search the rubble on the left of the shopping area for the Sagittarius Stellazzio if you want it, then proceed down the alley and ask Alice about the potions to receive her Beautiful Potion. -Return to the aircab terminal and board an aircab for the Theater District. -Go to Artist Michael's studio, ask about the potions, then search the studio for the Strange Potion and open the chest for a Lapis Lazuli. -Now go the Tantalus hideout and get the Unusual Potion from Cinna; return to open the chests inside for some gil. -Return to Lindblum Castle and go to the royal chamber once again. -Following the upcoming meeting, take the lift to the base level and ride to the Serpent's Gate; open the chest and board the Blue Narciss. -Form any party you wish and sail to the Outer Continent by heading south from the Lindblum dock; disembark and call Choco on the tracks behind Qu's Marsh. Alternatively, save multiple times on your way to and back from the village, though this will probably take longer. -In the village, follow Vivi to the cemetery and get the Black Belt from the upper floor of the item shop. -Then, go to the Chocobo stable and leave the village after the scenes end. -Board the Blue Narciss and disembark near the 4 sinkholes in the desert in the north-east of the Outer Continent. -Call Moguo and save your game. TARGET TIME: 08:35:52 TARGET GIL : 56,591 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== V) KIERA DESERT - OEILVERT OUTSIDE: (D3-05) =============================================================================== -N/A -Enter the northernmost sinkhole, the one without the wisps of sand coming out. -Choose to take Steiner, Amarant and Freya with you to Oeilvert, then use the stop/run method (it seems effective here) to get to the airship at the dock. -When you reach the Forgotten Continent, run a bit north and save your game. -Keep going north past the marsh until you come to a forest at the tip of the continent; call Choco using the Chocobo tracks there. -Travel down the twisting path to Oeilvert and enter. -You will meet Mimoza outside Oeilvert; she has a Mogshop. -Sell all the Cotton Robe you bought in Treno, then purchase the following equipment: > 1 Diamond Sword > 2 Trident > 2 Mythril Claws > 1 Magic Racket > 2 Fairy Flute > 1 Silver Fork > 2 Diamond Gloves > 7 Green Beret > 1 Gold Helm > 1 Cross Helm > 7 Judo Uniform > 3 Gold Armor > 2 Soft -This is a good time to replenish your Phoenix Down supply if you're running out or already have; 30 should be enough. -Take Mimoza's letter to Mooel and save your game. TARGET TIME: 08:45:46 TARGET GIL : 148,165 ENCOUNTERS : 2 =============================================================================== VI) OEILVERT OUTSIDE - OEILVERT STAR DISPLAY: (D3-06) =============================================================================== -Remedy -Diamond Sword -Shield Armor -Rising Sun -Elixir -Power Vest -Feather Boots -You will definitely have at least 1 battle on your way through Oeilvert. -Equip Zidane with the Bronze Vest, Steiner and Freya with the Diamond Gloves, and Amarant with the Rebirth Ring; activate Zidane's, Steiner's and Freya's Jelly abilities and Amarant's Auto-Life ability. Do not equip any other gear. -Encounter an Epitaph. -Have Amarant knock himself out, then wait for the enemy to use Petrify on someone other than him. The spell will fail, so have Zidane, Steiner and Freya knock themselves out and Amarant throw a Soft at the enemy to end the battle; you will NOT gain any EXP, just 2 AP. (thanks to Ekke for suggesting to use Epitaph, and big_kake for the current method of preparing the party using this enemy) -Make it back to the save point without any more battles. -If you don't encounter an Epitaph while going through Oeilvert, don't worry. Just save and encounter an Epitaph on purpose; it doesn't take long and you should have time to spare. Of course, if you're running very late then it might be wiser (though more unlikely) to do all this in one run. It's up to you. -Enter Oeilvert and go up the steps and through the doorway, taking care not to forget the 2 chests in the room. -Touch the orb, open the chest and return to the foyer, then head RIGHT; buy the deal from Stiltzkin, deliver the letter from Mimoza and save your game. -Go back to the foyer once again and go through the doorway on the left. -Open the chest, check out the hologram and go down the steps. -Go to the top level and activate the holograms in a clockwise manner, then loot the chests on your way to the stairway at the top. -You can usually prevent a random battle in the room with the holograms by exiting the screen after turning them all on, then re-entering and making your way to the next screen. -Go across the walkway, activating the sphere, then enter the door with the locks. -Return to the chamber with the moogles and head over to the right side of the chamber to trigger the activation of the star display. -Save your game after the scene. -Revive the party and reset until Zidane is revived with 7 HP. O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O -Heal Zidane as close as possible to his max HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Heal Freya to her max HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O----------------------------[ PATH B | PATH E ]-----------------------------O -Don't heal anyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Equip your party as follows: > ZIDANE : Rune Tooth, Green Beret, whatever, Brigandine, Reflect Ring > STEINER: Coral Sword, Gold Helm, Thunder Gloves, Chain Mail, whatever > FREYA : Trident, Lamia's Tiara, whatever, Chain Mail, Power Belt > AMARANT: whatever, Green Beret, whatever -Activate everyone's Clear Headed abilities, Zidane's Bird Killer and Ability Up, Steiner's Bird Killer and Freya's HP+10%, MP Attack and Bird Killer. -Place everyone in the front row. -Save your game. TARGET TIME: 08:52:41 TARGET GIL : 147,157 ENCOUNTERS : 2 =============================================================================== VII) OEILVERT STAR DISPLAY - DESERT PALACE RACK: (D3-07) =============================================================================== -Gaia Gear -Pick up the Gaia Gear before descending. ---------- BOSS: Ark ---------- -Use Charge!, Lucky Seven and physical attacks for as long as possible. Have Amarant throw the Rising Sun as well. -If playing with LV 18 Zidane, just keep using Lucky Seven until you hit for 7,777 3 times. If he's equipped as was specified, then all of Ark's attacks will deal damage in multiples of 10, meaning that Zidane's HP will always end in a 7 if that's how he entered the battle. Only Photon and bad luck can keep you from victory. -LV 18 Freya can defeat Ark on her own, but it will take a long time without the aid of the other attacks as she can only deal around 1,400 damage per round and has to heal manually. -With the LV 1 party, your only hope is surviving 2 rounds and also getting Lucky Seven to hit for 7,777 damage at least once. The chance of this happening is about 10%. -Zidane will master the Distract ability after this battle if he survives, but don't worry if he doesn't. (thanks to big_kake for realizing how powerful Charge! is, and for telling me how to easily prepare the party for its use) -Remove all equipment from the current party before taking the Gulug Stone from the altar. -As Cid, run into the right room in the Desert Palace and retrieve the key from the Hedgehog Pie. The timer in this mini-game will reset, so don't let it stress you; not that you shouldn't reset if you waste 6 minutes here... -The only advice I can give you is to press CIRCLE a set number of times every time you get a chance, as opposed to as many times as possible. This will prevent you from having to start over due to a quick turn from the monster. I always pressed the button 5 times in quick succession and reached the Hourglass Key within about a minute and a half. -When given options near the scales, choose to put on the weights and pick the last option, "B, C and D"; then climb them to get the key. -Pick up the letter for Mogsam and save your game. TARGET TIME: 08:59:52 TARGET GIL : 153,121 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== VIII) DESERT PALACE RACK - DESERT PALACE LIBRARY: (D3-08) =============================================================================== -N-Kai Armlet -Fairy Earrings -Anklet -Promist Ring -Shield Armor NOTE: As crazy as it may seem, you'll need to get through this area without any battles. This will most definitely require many resets, but, as with all other things during this challenge, can and will be done with enough perseverance and determination. It's happened to me and other players, so there's no reason it shouldn't happen to you. Good luck! -Return to the area with the prison chambers and go down the opposite path. -Activate the Bloodstone in the next area and extract the Promist Ring, then continue onward. -Make the blue walkway appear by running to the ends of both sides of the screen (to make the statues look away from the center), then take it to find another candelabra; light it. -Return and PICK UP THE FAIRY EARRINGS BELOW THE BLUE WALKWAY, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AREA! It's really easy to miss this item, most walkthroughs don't even mention it. -In the next area, light the first 3 torches, then go through the door and go to the opposite side of the room. -Light the bottom-left torch, then return to the other side and light the torches on either side of the central stairway. -Next, light the remaining torches on the right side and then the middle one to activate the next Bloodstone; extract the Anklet and head through the far right doorway. -Light the candle in the following hallway and extract the Shield Armor from the activated Bloodstone. -Go onward and up the stairs to find a candelabra; light it in order to illuminate the stained glass on the wall. -Continue onward to enter a library. -Go across the room and light the candelabra on the far left; a staircase should appear above the doorway through which you entered. -Ascend the stairs and light the candelabra on the landing; the bookcase will rise to reveal a doorway. -Go through the door and extract the N-Kai Armlet from the Bloodstone. -Make your way back to the bottom floor of the library, go up the short stairs to the left and light the next candelabra to make the next bookcase rise. -Enter the doorway and head up the path, lightning both fixtures along the way, then return to the library once more. -Light the candelabra on the bottom right side of the library to make the last bookshelf reveal yet another doorway; enter and light 1 more candelabra. -Return to the library to find that the left wall has disappeared; go onward to find Mogsam the moogle. -Deliver the letter from Mojito and finally SAVE YOUR GAME. TARGET TIME: 09:04:24 TARGET GIL : 153,121 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== IX) DESERT PALACE LIBRARY - ESTO GAZA: (D3-09) =============================================================================== -Black Hood -Venetia Shield -Namingway Card -Wing Edge -Continue to the left of the moogle to find a gargoyle statue on a wall; light both of the candles beneath it to activate the Bloodstone on the railing. -Extract the Black Hood from the Bloodstone, then go through the doorway to reach the other side of the room. -Light all 3 candles on this side, extract the Venetia Shield from the activated Bloodstone, put out the candle in the middle and return to the opposite side of the room. -Extinguish the left candle to make a blue staircase appear between the 2 sides of the room; go up the stairs. -Equip your party however you like, but make sure that Eiko has the Magic Racket and Reflect Ring, Vivi an N-Kai Armlet, Quina the Rebirth Ring and Garnet the Ruby; activate Quina's Auto-Life. -Attempt to light the candelabra at the rear of the hall to provoke... ----------------- BOSS: Valia Pira ----------------- -A Limit Glove and 2 Water spells will end this battle, as will 2 castings of Limit Glove. -Get Quina knocked out and immediately cast Reflect on him/her after he/she is revived with 1 HP, then use Limit Glove. -If Valia Pira casts Reflect on itself, have Vivi bounce his Water spells off of a party member who has Reflect, or have Quina use Limit Glove once more. -Light the last candelabra after the battle. -Unequip your party, but make sure Eiko is equipped with the Magic Racket and Ruby, then use the teleporter. -Equip Zidane with the Dagger before making your way to the teleporter. -Use the stop/run method to try to avoid battles at the airship dock. -Enter Kuja's chamber. -When prompted to form a party, choose whomever you want. -DON'T FORGET THE NAMINGWAY CARD AFTER FORMING YOUR NEW PARTY; THIS IS THE LAST ONE IN THE GAME! -Take the teleporter and exit the Desert Palace through the airship dock. -You will get another opportunity to arrange your party before disembarking on the Lost Continent: O-------------------[ PATH A | PATH B | PATH C | PATH E ]--------------------O -Choose Vivi, Steiner and Quina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Choose Vivi, Freya and Quina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Call Moguo and save your game, then enter Esto Gaza. -Before going on to Mount Gulug, head to the right inside Esto Gaza to find the equipment shop (there's a Wing Edge around the counter). Make the following purchases: > 8 Zorlin Shape > 2 Flame Saber > 2 Heavy Lance > 2 Scissor Fangs > 2 Asura's Rod > 2 Hamelin > 2 Octagon Rod > 1 N-Kai Armlet > 5 Black Hood -You should definitely have enough money for these purchases without selling anything. -Return to the lobby and go through the doorway in the back. -Read the letter Mogrika received, accept her letter to Moolan and save your game. TARGET TIME: 09:21:11 TARGET GIL : 35,142 ENCOUNTERS : 2 =============================================================================== X) ESTO GAZA - LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM: (D3-10) =============================================================================== -Ether -Wing Edge -Golden Hairpin -Demon's Mail -Elixir -Red Hat -Gaia Gear -9,693 gil -Go down the stairs to the right and go through the door to enter Mount Gulug. -Enter the house on the left, pick up the items on both floors, then exit through the hole on the upper floor. -Climb down the ladder, pick up the Red Hat, then return to the entrance of the area. -Go into the house on the right and go through it to reach a hanging rope; go past it and jump onto the walkway to the right. -Continue along the path to find a chest with a Golden Hairpin, then return to the rope and slide down; pull the lever down 3 times once you disembark. -Take the right walkway to reach another building; pick up the Wing Edge in the corner. -Equip Vivi with the Octagon Rod, Bandana and N-Kai Armlet. O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Equip Freya with the Heavy Lance and Thunder Gloves and activate the Add Status ability. -You can use Freya's physical attacks against the Red Dragons along with Vivi's spells for an added chance of success against them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Deliver Mogrika's letter, accept the letter to Mogtaka and save your game. -Exit the house through the right hole and make your way to the Gaia Gear at the end of the path. -Now backtrack until you get ambushed by a pair of Red Dragons; have Vivi cast Stop on them. He can only be knocked out by a Red Dragon's Dive attack, but 33 Evade protects him surprisingly well. If you don't manage to Stop them both within 6 castings of Stop, reset and try again. My personal record is 2 castings, the minimum. -Return to Moolan, use an Ether on Vivi if he has less than 32 MP remaining and save your game. -Exit the house and slide further down the rope. -At the bottom, move toward the wall to get ambushed by another pair of Red Dragons; take care of them just like the first pair. -CLIMB BACK UP THE ROPE AFTER THIS BATTLE! -Go along the left walkway and enter the building on the left; pick up the Demon's Mail and enter the other door outside. -Meet Mogtaka, deliver the letter from Moolan, use an Ether on Vivi if he has less than 16 MP left and save your game. -Take the stairs, enter the building and head toward the chest to be ambushed by one last Red Dragon; there's only 1 this time, so 1 or 2 castings of Stop should be your goal. -Open the chest in the back of the room for an Elixir, then return to Mogtaka. O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O -Unequip Vivi and equip the rest of the party as follows: > ZIDANE : Zorlin Shape, Golden Hairpin, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Power Belt > STEINER: Flame Saber, Cross Helm, Bronze Gloves, Shield Armor, whatever > QUINA : Silver Fork, whatever, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Regen, Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer, Gamble Defense and Antibody abilities, Steiner's Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer and Antibody abilities and Quina's Auto-Life ability. -Make sure Zidane and Steiner are in the front row. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Unequip Vivi and equip the rest of the party as follows: > ZIDANE : Zorlin Shape, whatever, N-Kai Armlet, Judo Uniform, Power Belt > FREYA : Heavy Lance, Cross Helm, Bronze Gloves, Shield Armor, Angel Earrings > QUINA : Silver Fork, whatever, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Distract, MP Attack and Devil Killer abilities, Freya's Auto-Regen, Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer and Antibody abilities and Quina's Auto-Life ability. -Make sure Zidane and Freya are in the front row. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O----------------------------[ PATH B | PATH E ]-----------------------------O -Unequip Vivi and equip the rest of the party as follows: > ZIDANE : Zorlin Shape, whatever, N-Kai Armlet, Judo Uniform, Power Belt > STEINER: Flame Saber, Cross Helm, Bronze Gloves, Shield Armor, whatever > QUINA : Silver Fork, whatever, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Distract, MP Attack and Devil Killer abilities, Steiner's Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer and Antibody abilities and Quina's Auto-Life ability. -Make sure Zidane and Steiner are in the front row. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Save your game. TARGET TIME: 09:29:48 -Return to the rope, slide down and go through the hole in the wall. ------------------ BOSS: Meltigemini ------------------ -A successful casting of Mini will guarantee your victory; it will reduce Meltigemini's attack damage to double digits and make him take much more damage as well. -Open the round with Mini, physical attacks from both Zidane and Steiner/Freya and have Quina knock him/herself out. -Cast Reflect on Quina as soon as possible after he/she is revived. -Use Limit Glove and physical attacks for as long as possible. -If you have a LV 18 Zidane or Freya then you should be able to finish the battle with only them left if you got in at least 1 Limit Glove. -For those playing with a LV 1 party, there is no other way to win this battle short of 2 Limit Glove and 2 or 3 physical attacks, assuming Mini does not connect. -Ignore the Virus status and don't revive anyone once they are knocked out. -Overall, you'll need some luck to win this battle, but you should be used to that by now :) -A few scenes will take place after the battle and you will wake up to find yourself in the Lindblum Castle guest room once again. -Pick up the letter to Kumool and save your game. TARGET TIME: 09:41:37 TARGET GIL : 51,263 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Red Dragons) =============================================================================== XI) LINDBLUM CASTLE GUEST ROOM - IPSEN'S CASTLE: (D3-11) =============================================================================== -Potion -Elixir -Elixir -Capricorn S. -Eye Drops -Elixir -Garnet -Aquarius S. -Phoenix Down -Elixir -Elixir Card -3,206 gil -Tent -Head straight to the conference room to initiate a long sequence of scenes. -You will eventually gain control of the Hilda Garde 3; immediately press CIRCLE to dock in Lindblum. Also, place Steiner, Freya and Quina in your party when prompted to create a new one. Remove everyone's equipment when you get the chance. -Tell Erin that you want to board the airship and go to the bridge; then go down the ladder and check the area for an Elixir and a Tent. -Exit and board the airship once more, but this time selecting to go to the World Map. -Land near Pinnacle Rocks and open the 2 chests there. -Fly to South Gate and open the chest which you couldn't get at the start of Disc 2 for an Elixir Card. -Now go to the South Gate on the other side of the mountain range by the river and open the 3 chests there. -Next, fly to Treno and head to the Knight's Armory; unequip Quina of all of his/her equipment and save your game. -Challenge Amdusias and get knocked out as quickly as possible. Then, equip the Reflect Ring and the Auto-Reflect ability and challenge Amdusias again. -Simply use Limit Glove; Amdusias can't hurt you with Bio or LV4 Holy, and it needs to ascend before it can use Horn, which takes a long time. -Finally, visit North Gate from the Ice Cavern side and get the Potion and Eye Drops there. -Having gotten all those treasures, fly to Daguerreo in the south-west of the World Map; save outside. TARGET TIME: 09:58:44 -Enter and go left. -Examine the 3 levers in the bookshelf and pull the left one twice. -Examine the hole by the leftmost lift, then take the stick by the bookshelf and place it into the hole. -Pull the right lever twice and board the right lift to make it to the weapon shop. Get ready to make some serious money, then sell all your copies of the following items: > Phoenix Pinion > Tent > Rising Sun > Wing Edge > Exploda > Rune Tooth > Ice Brand > Healing Rod > Lamia's Flute > Oak Staff > Fork > Bone Wrist > Mythril Armlet > Chimera Armlet > Egoist's Armlet > Mythril Gloves > Magus Hat > Mage's Hat > Ritual Hat > Golden Hairpin > Gold Helm > Bronze Vest > Adaman Vest > Survival Vest > Brigandine > Magician Cloak > Demon's Mail > Germinas Boots > Anklet > Promist Ring > Yellow Scarf > Fairy Earrings > Angel Earrings > Cachusha -Having made some money, buy the following equipment: > 2 Rune Blade > 2 Obelisk > 2 Tiger Fangs > 1 Venetia Shield > 3 Diamond Armor -Now leave Daguerreo, taking the Capricorn Stellazzio on your way out if you wish, and fly to Ipsen's Castle. -Save your game before entering. -Enter and let Amarant leave if you want; you can't keep him from leaving anyway. -Keep the party which you created earlier and head into the castle. -Go through the door in the back; the Aquarius Stellazzio can be found to the right after entering. -Equip Zidane with the Green Beret, Judo Uniform and Feather Boots, and Steiner with the Flame Saber, Mythril Helm, Thunder Gloves, Diamond Armor and Coral Ring; activate both of their Ability Up abilities and Steiner's Add Status ability. -The rest of the party needs no equipment. -Deliver Mogki's letter and save. TARGET TIME: 10:04:16 TARGET GIL : 40,464 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== XII) IPSEN'S CASTLE - BLAIRSURPASS PLAINS: (D3-12) =============================================================================== -Extension -Slide down the pole to the right, then climb the ladder and enter the doorway at the other end of the room. -Enter the next door, climb down the ladder and climb all the way up the next one. -Enter the doorway, then take the lift. -Take all 4 mirrors, then go down the steps to fight... -------------- BOSS: Taharka -------------- -Simply have Steiner attack and inflict Heat on Taharka, which will promptly end the battle. -I strongly urge you to reset until Steiner inflicts Heat successfully as it is much faster than using Limit Glove and not that unlikely either. Try to have it inflicted on the first or second round. You've undoubtedly had much worse reset sessions than this one if you made it this far, so this shouldn't pose much of a problem. -After the battle, Zidane should master Auto-Float and Steiner should master Man Eater and Insomniac. If he didn't master it in Oeilvert, Zidane will also master Distract here. -Run back the way you came and exit Ipsen's Castle; I suggest saving on the way out. -Run back and get Amarant from the chamber below the courtyard. -You may want to keep all traps in Ipsen's Castle untriggered as part of a perfect game, it's your choice. -Leave Ipsen's Castle. -When given the option to form a party, choose Steiner, Vivi and Quina. -Fly to the Water Shrine, the Fire Shrine, the Wind Shrine and then finally to the Earth Shrine. -Land outside the Earth Shrine. -Equip Zidane with the Red Hat, Gaia Gear and Reflect Ring, and Quina with the Rebirth Ring. Activate Zidane's Auto-Reflect and Devil Killer abilities and Quina's Auto-Life ability. -Place Zidane in the front row. O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O -Activate Zidane's Distract and MP Attack, too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O------------------------[ PATH B | PATH D | PATH E ]------------------------O -Prepare Quina for Limit Glove in a battle outside the Earth Shrine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Save your game. -Enter the Earth Shrine and dodge the sliding walls. --------------------- BOSS: Earth Guardian --------------------- -2 Limit Glove and a physical attack is all you need to win. If Zidane is at LV 18 and luck is on your side, then you might get by with only 1 Limit Glove, too. -If Quina is not ready to use Limit Glove at the start of the battle, have him/her use Auto-Life on Zidane while waiting to be knocked out. -When prompted to form a party, take Garnet, Steiner, and Freya. -Fly to the plateau above Gizamaluke's Grotto (the one with the 2 forests) and land there. -Equip your party as follows: > GARNET : whatever, Green Beret, whatever, Feather Boots > STEINER: Coral Sword, Cross Helm, Diamond Gloves, Shield Armor, whatever O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH C ]-----------------------------O > ZIDANE : Zorlin Shape, Green Beret, whatever, Reflect Ring > FREYA : whatever, Cross Helm, Diamond Gloves, Chain Mail, Diamond ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O------------------------[ PATH B | PATH D | PATH E ]------------------------O > ZIDANE : Zorlin Shape, Green Beret, whatever, Rebirth Ring > FREYA : whatever, Cross Helm, Diamond Gloves, Chain Mail, Reflect Ring ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -The equipment mentioned only covers the essential abilities; you can add more equipment to make the most of the AP which you'll gain. -Activate everyone's Ability Up abilities, then save your game. -Find the Rainbow Garuda in the eastern forest and give it a Lapis Lazuli to get 40 AP. -Zidane should master Ability Up and Clear Headed; he'll also master Auto-Reflect if you equipped him with the Reflect Ring, and Flee if he didn't do so earlier. -Garnet should master Mini, Float, Auto-Float and Clear Headed. -Steiner should master Charge!, HP+10%, Distract, MP Attack, Devil Killer, Ability Up, and Jelly. -Freya should master HP+10%, Distract, MP Attack, Bird Killer and Devil Killer; she'll also master Body Temp if you equipped her with the Diamond, and Ability Up and Jelly if you equipped her with the Diamond Gloves. -After the battle, go into the other forest on this plateau and you should be able to enter Gizamaluke's Grotto from there. Speak to Moguta and give him a Kupo Nut; you will receive an Extension in return. This most likely doesn't affect your Treasure Hunting Rank, but you can only get it on Disc 3 and all other Kupo Nut rewards are consumable items like Phoenix Pinion, making this one rather special. Get it while you're here if you want, it only takes like 30 seconds. O------------------------[ PATH B | PATH D | PATH E ]------------------------O -Exchange Garnet's Feather Boots for an Opal. -Fly to the forest near the Iifa Tree and save your game. -Encounter the Green Nymph and give it 3 Ore in order to have Zidane finish learning Auto-Life, Garnet finish learning Shiva and Freya finish learning Auto-Reflect. The other character can be whoever you want. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Unequip your party, then fly to the Forgotten Continent and save on the grass by the Qu's Marsh. TARGET TIME: 10:22:58 TARGET GIL : 53,068 ENCOUNTERS : 0 (excludes the Rainbow Garuda and Green Nymph) =============================================================================== XIII) BLAIRSURPASS PLAINS - BRAN BAL STORAGE: (D3-13) =============================================================================== -Remedy -Mythril Racket -Dragon Wrist -Angel Earrings -Elixir -Coronet -Demon's Vest -Wing Edge -Elixir -Flash Hat -Minerva's Plate -Board the Hilda Garde 3 and fly to the Shimmering Island just north of the tip of the Forgotten Continent. -On Terra, form a party with Garnet, Steiner and Eiko. -Make sure Steiner is equipped with the Diamond Gloves and Coral Ring; activate his Distract ability. -Head down the path to the left to find a Coronet and a Dragon Wrist, then return to the main path and continue onward. -Open the chest to the left for an Elixir, then head across the blue bridge. -Go down the rightmost web to find another chest, then go down the other web and jump across the gap. -Open the chest behind the wall for a Mythril Racket, then continue downward. -Open the next chest, then go across another blue bridge. -Go left "into" the wall just before the first set of stairs to enter a hidden path; go downward to find a chest with a Minerva's Plate inside. O------------------------[ PATH C | PATH D | PATH E ]------------------------O -Equip Garnet with the Magic Racket, Lamia's Tiara, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate and Ribbon; activate the Auto-Float ability. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Go back up and climb the stairs to reach Bran Bal. -Form a party with Freya, Quina and whomever, then go down the right stairway. -Enter the storage area; open the chest for a Wing Edge, then free Moorock from the urn. -You'll probably need some extra money to make the upcoming purchases, so sell the following items: > Wing Edge > Mythril Racket > Dragon Wrist > Red Hat > Coronet > Gaia Gear > Demon's Vest > Shield Armor > Extension -Buy the following equipment from Moorock: > 1 Orichalcon > 1 Defender > 1 Holy Lance > 2 Adaman Hat > 30 Phoenix Down -If you can't afford all of this, buy only the Orichalcon, Holy Lance and Adaman Hat; you can buy the rest of the items later. O---------------------------------[ PATH A ]---------------------------------O -Equip your characters as follows: ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter FREYA : Holy Lance, Mythril Helm, Diamond Gloves, whatever, Reflect Ring QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Reflect, Distract, MP Attack and Gamble Defense, Freya's Auto-Reflect and Bird Killer and Quina's Auto-Life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH B ]---------------------------------O -Equip your characters as follows: ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter FREYA : Holy Lance, Mythril Helm, Diamond Gloves, whatever, Reflect Ring QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Life and Auto-Float, Freya's Auto-Reflect and Bird Killer and Quina's Auto-Life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH C ]---------------------------------O -Buy a Minerva's Plate from Moorock in addition to the items listed above. -Equip your characters as follows: ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter FREYA : Holy Lance, Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Barette QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Reflect, Distract, MP Attack and Gamble Defense, Freya's Distract, MP Attack and Bird Killer and Quina's Auto-Life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH D ]---------------------------------O -Buy a Minerva's Plate from Moorock in addition to the items listed above. -Equip your characters as follows: ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Black Belt FREYA : Holy Lance, Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Barette QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Life and Auto-Float, Freya's Auto-Reflect, Distract, MP Attack and Gamble Defense, and Quina's Auto-Life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O---------------------------------[ PATH E ]---------------------------------O -Buy a Minerva's Plate from Moorock in addition to the items listed above. -Equip your characters as follows: ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Black Belt FREYA : Holy Lance, Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Barette QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's Auto-Life and Auto-Float, Freya's Distract, MP Attack and Bird Killer and Quina's Auto-Life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Save your game and reset. -Buy Stiltzkin's new deal, then exit the storage area. -Walk leftwards along the water to reach the left area of Bran Bal. -Pick up the Angel Earrings by the water, then move to the bottom of the screen and head to the right of the stairs to enter a secret area; jump over the water to find a chest with a Flash Hat inside. -Return to the left area of Bran Bal and enter the house on the left. -After the scenes, enter the doorway at the top of the area. -Go down the stairs and pick up the Elixir at the bottom of the screen, then speak with the girl nearby; follow her back up the stairs. -As Eiko, pick up the Elixir in the back of the room. -Return to the storage area, accept Moorock's letter for Mozme and save your game. TARGET TIME: 10:35:01 ENCOUNTERS : 3 =============================================================================== XIV) BRAN BAL STORAGE - PANDEMONIUM MAZE: (D3-14) =============================================================================== -Elixir -Holy Miter -Battle Boots -20,007 gil -Elixir -Carabini Mail -Go to the entrance of Bran Bal and through the yellow-green force field. -After a brief scene, go onward and speak to the girl. -As Zidane, follow Garland through Pandemonium, jumping from platform to platform. -You will eventually face 3 consecutive battles in which your party will have to absorb 3 doses of unavoidable EXP. O----------------------------[ PATH A | PATH B ]-----------------------------O -Have Zidane absorb the EXP from all 3 battles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O------------------------[ PATH C | PATH D | PATH E ]------------------------O -Have Freya absorb the EXP from Amdusias, Zidane the EXP from Abadon and Garnet the EXP from Shell Dragon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- AMDUSIAS: ---------- -The battle always begins with Amdusias casting Bio, which will knock out Zidane, regardless of whether he is at LV 1 or LV 18. But thanks to Auto-Life or Auto-Reflect, he will survive this first attack. Just wait for his ATB gauge to refill and Freya will appear. -Once Freya has joined the battle, do not take any actions; wait for the enemy's attack before doing anything. -If no one is knocked out, have both Zidane and Freya attack. Otherwise, have the survivor revive the knocked out character with a Phoenix Down and wait until the next round. -Repeat this procedure until Amarant shows up; this will require around 6,000 damage to be inflicted on the monster. -Once Amarant appears, do not take any actions and wait for the monster's attack. -Repeat the strategy used to make Amarant appear until you've dealt around 5,000 damage to Amdusias. -At that point, 1 more hit will deal the final blow, regardless of who it is that deals it. Simply wait for the enemy's move, then knock out everyone besides the designated winner for your stat path and attack to end the battle. -------- ABADON: -------- -This battle is either really hard or really easy, depending on luck. -You begin with only Steiner and Quina in the party; Zidane will appear shortly after Abadon takes his second turn. -Have Quina cast Auto-Life on Steiner during the first round if you get the chance. If he is knocked out before this, revive him with a Phoenix Down. -Survive the next round, and get ready to cast Limit Glove the moment Zidane appears if Quina is able to use it. -Once you've successfully cast Limit Glove, all that's left to do is have Steiner and Quina knocked out and Zidane attack once to end the battle. -This battle is totally random, so you'll have to improvise. Just remember that all it takes is 1 Limit Glove for Zidane to be able to finish it. -------------- SHELL DRAGON: -------------- -Have Zidane Defend and use Hi-Potion to heal; do not attack as the enemy will be healed after Garnet joins the battle. -Shell Dragon will eventually use Smash to reduce your HP to 1, which will make Garnet appear and heal you to full health. -Once that happens, begin attacking Shell Dragon; it has 10,921 HP, so keep track of how much you've done. -Zidane's physical attack deals variable damage, but always within set boundaries and at regular intervals; check out the Battle Mechanics Guide and the Monster Guide (both written by rebirth flame 2002) to learn how to calculate these variables. You can also calculate how much damage you can take from Charge and Earth Shake, which will help you in deciding whether to heal with an Elixir or to save one and use a Hi-Potion instead. -Fighting from the front row means you do more damage per hit, but it also means you have to heal more often. The opposite is true for the back row. Due to the limited amount of Elixir, I suggest you move Zidane to the back row as soon as you get the chance. -Don't do anything before you see the effects of the monster's attack. If you are hit with Smash, use an Elixir. Otherwise, attack or heal, depending on just how much damage was dealt. -The attacks Shell Dragon uses are chosen completely at random, so you just need to cross your fingers that he doesn't use Smash or Charge too often. -Now, if your stat path requires Garnet to absorb the EXP from Shell Dragon, then you must decide whether you want to keep all your Eidolons un-flagged as part of your perfect save. What this means is that they have not yet been used and will therefore appear in their full animation the first time they are summoned, regardless of whether or not you activate Boost. Every Eidolon has such a hidden property. It's fairly irrelevant and trivial, but you don't NEED to use any of the Eidolons during this challenge, or even the game, so I guess it's nice to keep them un-flagged. It doesn't require much extra effort or risk, either. -If you don't care about keeping Shiva un-flagged, then simply reduce Shell Dragon's HP to 1,421 or less and make certain that Zidane has used up his Auto-Life if he had it activated. The safe way to de-activate Auto-Life is to revive Garnet until she survives one of the monster's attacks, then promptly have Zidane attack himself and Garnet chuck an Elixir at him after he is revived; this will prevent you getting a Game Over if Shell Dragon's next attack is Charge. With that out of the way, simply go about reviving Garnet until she manages to get a turn. Once that happens, have Zidane knock himself out and Garnet summon Shiva for the win. -The cooler way to end this battle is to manipulate Shell Dragon's HP with Potions, Hi-Potions and gems so that he is left with around 200 or 300 HP. Once you've done that, revive Garnet and have her attack Shell Dragon to deal 72, 76 or 80 damage. Repeat this until it has 72 or less HP left, at which point you should have Zidane knock himself out and Garnet attack for the win. This does take slightly longer, but unless you're extremely late, it won't make a difference anyway. -Your party is reunited once again after the third battle. -Head back along the corridor to find Moorock. His Mogshop is the same, so if you couldn't afford to buy everything needed earlier, do so now by selling the Flash Hat and the Angel Earrings. -Form a party with Zidane, Steiner, Freya and Quina; unequip Garnet before removing her from the party. -Save your game. TARGET TIME: 10:50:01 -You'll probably enter at least 1 battle before you reach the next save point. -Activate Zidane's Auto-Life ability (by equipping the Rebirth Ring if needed, otherwise give it to Quina so he/she gets Auto-Life, too), and remove all equipment from your characters. -In a battle, have everyone besides Zidane knock themselves out and Zidane throw a Phoenix Down at Steiner or Freya. Now get him knocked out to be revived with 1 HP and Flee the battle. You can divide this process between more than 1 battle to make it easier. -Do not revive Quina unless Auto-Life does it for you, and do NOT heal anyone at all during this process; the point of this is to get the entire party to critical HP! -Go back a screen and search the throne for a Holy Miter. -Now go onward until you reach a room with many columns. Press the switch at the top and make your way between the columns, taking care not to pass by a lighted one. The sequence of changing lights is always identical, so try to memorize a path through this room. -Cross the light-bridge and approach the machine; set it to height 3, then continue into the next room. -Run around the path to the higher dock and board the lift, then run up again and board from the dock to the right to be taken to a chest with 20,007 gil inside. -Return to the control panel and set it to 4, then take the lift from the dock closest to the entrance. -Climb all the way up and board from the leftmost dock to be taken to the next floor. -From the center, head to the right and take the pink teleporter. -In the maze, take the 2 blue teleporters on either side of the pink one to be taken to 2 paths, each leading to a chest; the teleporter to the right takes you to an Elixir, while the teleporter on the far left takes you to a Carabini Mail. -Return and take the pink teleporter back to the floor below. -Now take the leftmost pink teleporter; take the path which branches off to the right to reach a chest containing Battle Boots. -Go back and take the path to the next blue teleporter which will eventually bring you to Mozme's level. -Equip your party as follows before moving on: > ZIDANE : Orichalcon, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter > STEINER: Defender, Cross Helm, Diamond Gloves, Chain Mail, Power Belt > FREYA : Holy Lance, Mythril Helm, Diamond Gloves, Diamond Armor, Barette > QUINA : Silver Fork, Adaman Hat, N-Kai Armlet, whatever, Rebirth Ring -Activate Zidane's, Steiner's and Freya's Distract, MP Attack, Bird Killer and Man Eater abilities and Quina's Auto-Life ability. -Place everyone in the front row and make certain the entire party is at critical HP. -Deliver the letter from Moorock and save your game. -If Quina is knocked out, revive him/her and reset until he/she is revived with 1 HP, then save the game again. TARGET TIME: 10:57:43 ENCOUNTERS : 2 =============================================================================== XV) PANDEMONIUM MAZE - START OF DISC 4: (D3-15) =============================================================================== -N/A -Continue onward, telling Mozme that you are sure you want to continue. -------------------- BOSS: Silver Dragon -------------------- -This battle depends on 1 thing and 1 thing only; Silver Dragon MUST use its Claw attack as its opening move and either hit Quina or miss completely. -Simply have Steiner use Charge!, Zidane and Freya attack and Quina cast Limit Glove to totally annihilate this boss. -------------- BOSS: Garland -------------- -Just use Charge!, physical attacks from Zidane and Freya and Limit Glove to end this battle in 2 or 3 rounds. -Have Freya distribute Ether to anyone low on MP, especially Steiner. ----------- BOSS: Kuja ----------- -Kick his ass. -Run down the path and across the bridge to the teleporter between the eyes. -Enter Bran Bal and wait to save. TARGET TIME: 11:10:54 =============================================================================== * CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED DISC 3! * =============================================================================== _ _ _ _ ,' : ,' : . : .- - - - - - . ,' : : `. . : : : ,' , : : _ _ _ : . ,: : : : : : ,- - -. ,- - - - -. ,- - - - -. , ,_: :_ : : : : :_ _ _; : : : : : : : : : : _ _ _ : _ _ _; : _ _; : : : :_ _ _; : : : : : : .' : _ _ _ _ _ _: : : : : `_ _ _ : : `._ _ : : : ,' : : : : : : : : :_ _ _ _ _ _ .' :_ _ _; :_ _ _ _ _; `. _ _ _ _; : : : : :_ _ _ _; =============================================================================== I) START OF DISC 4 - MEMORIA ENTRANCE: (D4-01) =============================================================================== -N/A -Choose to take Steiner, Freya and Quina with you and fly toward the Iifa Tree. -Land at its base, activate Zidane's Auto-Life ability (and Quina's if Zidane doesn't need the Rebirth Ring) and save your game. Repeat the process used in Pandemonium to reduce your characters' HP levels to the critical point. -Equip Steiner with the Mythril Helm and Quina with the Holy Miter and Emerald; keep the rest of the party's equipment as it was in Pandemonium. -Activate Quina's MP+10% ability and everyone's Insomniac ability, sacrificing Distract if necessary. -Save your game once more, then fly into the purple orb above the Iifa Tree. ------------------ BOSS: Nova Dragon ------------------ -You've won this battle if you survive long enough to cast Night. -Once you have, simply wait for all your characters' ATB gauges to fill, then quickly select Charge!, followed by Zidane and Freya's physical attacks and finished with Night. -You must select Night as the last command of the round, and it must be selected before Nova Dragon wakes up; if it does, then you may as well reset. For this reason, you should begin inputting your commands with Charge!, as it has a short animation during which you can finish inputting everything else before Nova Dragon is attacked. -Have Freya use an Ether on Quina once he/she runs out of MP; Quina has enough MP for exactly 3 castings of Night. -You should quickly win this battle, the only problem is surviving the boss's opening attack. -Keep the same characters in your party when prompted to form a new one. -Replace Zidane's, Steiner's and Freya's Insomniac abilities for Distract and their Bird Killer and Man Eater abilities for Devil Killer. Also, activate Zidane's Bandit ability and give the Rebirth Ring to Quina once again to activate his/her Auto-Life ability. -Make sure that everyone is in the front row. -Use an Ether on everyone. -Run up the brick path and to the colorful orb to save your game. TARGET TIME: 11:20:15 =============================================================================== II) MEMORIA ENTRANCE - MEMORIA THE PAST: (MALIRIS) (D4-02) =============================================================================== -The Tower -Do NOT equip Freya with Kain's Lance if you pick it up here; the Holy Lance is stronger if she also has the Mythril Helm equipped, as she should. -Head onward and pick up The Tower; equip it on Zidane. -------------- BOSS: Maliris -------------- -DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI ARMOR!!! -Charge! and physical attacks from Zidane and Freya will make short work of Maliris. -Place Quina on healing duty by having him/her distribute Phoenix Down and Ether; the boss can only target 1 character per round, so you can't really lose. If Quina is the one knocked out, have Freya revive him/her. -Keep track of how much damage you are doing, and cast Auto-Life on someone or have Freya Jump just before dealing the finishing blow; Maliris will use Raining Swords as a final attack after being defeated, which will mean Game Over if you don't. -Equip Steiner with the Ultima Sword if you happened to steal it while going for the Genji Armor. -Revert your party's equipment and abilities to those used for the Nova Dragon boss fight. -Revive the party and use an Ether on whomever needs one, but DO NOT replenish anyone's HP! -Save your game by using the secret save point on the right side of the little balcony overlooking Alexandria Castle. TARGET TIME: 11:26:49 ENCOUNTERS : 2 =============================================================================== III) MEMORIA THE PAST - MEMORIA PORTAL: (TIAMAT) (D4-03) =============================================================================== -N/A -Continue onward until you reach a screen with the "eye" of the Invincible; go up the stairs to initiate the next boss battle. ------------- BOSS: Tiamat ------------- -DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE BLOOD SWORD!!! -The tactics for this battle are identical to those used for Nova Dragon. -Continue into the next screen, where you can find another secret save point about halfway up the stairs and to the right, just below a lamp; save your game. (thanks to AtmaChild for this tip) -Change your party back to the one used for Maliris, except that Zidane will need the Ribbon. Make sure that Steiner and Freya both have a pair of Diamond Gloves equipped, and that everyone besides Quina has Distract activated. -Revive the party and once again use Ether on anyone low on MP. -Save at the colorful orb before the waterfall. TARGET TIME: 11:37:06 ENCOUNTERS : 3 =============================================================================== IV) MEMORIA PORTAL - MEMORIA TIME WARP: (KRAKEN) (D4-04) =============================================================================== -N/A -Walk under the waterfall and up the steps until you get ambushed by... ------------- BOSS: Kraken ------------- -DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI HELMET!!! -Use Steiner's Charge! and Zidane and Freya's physical attacks; big surprise, huh? -Kraken will counter every attack against it, but you will absorb or nullify it if it's Water-based and likely dodge it if it's not. -Zidane's HP will quickly be healed by the Ribbon's Water absorption property, but that's better than being knocked out. However, keep track of the damage you've dealt and have Zidane knock himself out before the battle ends. -Have Quina distribute Phoenix Down and Ether as necessary. -This battle will last a long time due to all the counterattacks, but there really isn't any way to lose short of knocking everyone out yourself. -Continue up the stairs and across the wires to a secret save point in the right corner of the screen. -Equip Zidane with the Feather Boots and Steiner and Freya with a Venetia Shield each; activate all of their Auto-Float abilities, sacrificing Distract if necessary. -Make sure that Zidane, Steiner and Freya are all at critical HP; Quina no longer makes a difference. -Use Ether on anyone in need of MP replenishment, then save your game. TARGET TIME: 11:45:20 ENCOUNTERS : 0 =============================================================================== V) MEMORIA TIME WARP - EXCALIBUR II: (LICH) (D4-05) =============================================================================== -Excalibur II :) -Having equipped your party as described earlier, simply run to the door and climb the ladders to reach Lich's chamber. ----------- BOSS: Lich ----------- -DO NOT END THIS BATTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOLEN THE GENJI GLOVES!!! -The almighty Charge! rips Lich to shreds, especially with Freya dealing 9,999 damage with a simple physical attack thanks to Lich's weakness to Holy. -Have Zidane attack as well, and Quina distribute Phoenix Down, Ether or Remedy as needed. -This is an extremely disappointing final battle for this challenge :( -Once you defeat Lich, approach the broken column on the right side of the chamber and examine the field icon to find a note to Gilgamesh and the EXCALIBUR II! ___ .-. / `. .-. : : : __; .' `. : : : :__ ,--. ,-.,-. ,-.-.,-.,-. .--. `. .' .--. :_; : :: :: :: ,. :: :: :: ,._;' .; ; : : `._-.' _ `.___.'`.__.':_;:_;`._. ::_; `.__,_;:_; `.__.' :_; .-. : `._.' =============================================================================== * LEFTOVERS * =============================================================================== "There old saying in my tribe...'Leftovers good!'" - Quina Well, I guess this really depends on the person! Some might like the challenge itself, while others way prefer completing whatever there is left for a perfect save. Either way, you still have a lot of work ahead of you! Now that you have the BASIS for a perfect save, you have to build on it. Here is a rundown of the goals which you have to meet in order to have a real perfect save. Of course, these are MY suggestions and you can have a different opinion on this matter, but I think that in meeting these goals you will be as complete as possible. ---------------- A) SIDE QUESTS: ---------------- 1) Revive Mognet Central. 2) Find and submit all the Stellazzio coins. 3) Defeat Behemoth in the Treno Weapon Shop. 4) Buy Stiltzkin's final deal in Alexandria. 5) Encounter all the Friendly Monsters. 6) Defeat the Ragtime Mouse and answer all its questions correctly. --------------- B) MINI-GAMES: --------------- 1) Complete Chocobo Hot&Cold (including the Dead Pepper treasures and visiting all the beaches), perhaps with beak LV 99 and max or no points if you want. 2) Collect all 100 cards and get at least 1500 collector's points to show that each card is unique. When you finally have a save you are 100% happy with, you can try to get to 1700, one card at a time (or 1699, as the card menu glitches at 1700, unfortunately). 3) Complete the Jump Rope mini-game for the King of Jump Rope key item. You may want to try to get this on the first try to have a record of 1000 for 1st place and 0's for the 2nd and 3rd places. Alternatively, you may want to get 1000 3 times. Either way, this will probably drive anyone mad, so treat this like the Collector's Level; do it ONLY if you are absolutely certain that you have achieved a save you are happy with. --------------- C) CHARACTERS: --------------- 1) Complete your chosen stat path. 2) Master all abilities for all characters. 3) Power up Thievery, Dragon's Crest and Frog Drop to maximum damage. If you decided to keep your party at LV 1 for your perfect save, then just catch 101 frogs, this is the minimum necessary for maximum damage at LV 99. I wouldn't even try powering up Frog Drop to deal 9,999 damage at LV 1; that takes 9,999 frogs! 4) Keep all Eidolons un-flagged (where they appear in full animation the first time you summon them; i.e., don't summon any ever). 5) Get maximum or minimum EXP for all characters. The minimum EXP needed to reach LV 99 is 6,633,167, while the maximum EXP a character can have is 9,999,999. Use different enemies and combinations of the Level Up ability when aiming for the minimum EXP. ---------- D) ITEMS: ---------- 1) Get the rest of the missable and unique items, including the synthesized ones. 2) Get all ultimate weapons. 3) Buy all non-missable items in "perfect" amounts; just like the missable items. 4) Get all the Aloha gear. 5) Get 99 of all non-unique gems, including Aquamarine. Use Eiko's Jewel spell to quickly accumulate all the necessary Ore; it can be used repeatedly in a single battle until you have 99. You can get all the gems through Ore. 6) Get 9 Promist Rings and the Thief Gloves from the Auction House. In order to make Promist Ring appear up for auction, you must not have any in your inventory, so equip one on each of your characters until they all have one and then buy one more for your inventory. 7) Get 9 Protect Rings; play Chocobo Hot&Cold in Chocobo's Air Garden for all those points. 8) Get 99 of all recovery items, including Phoenix Pinion, Ether, and Elixir. Phoenix Pinion and Ether can be synthesized at the Legendary Synthesis Shop. The only way to get more Elixir is to steal them from Yan. 9) Don't use the Hammer to synthesize the Tin Armor! The Hammer extends the game's ending and having it still allows you to get the Tin Armor whenever you want, whereas getting the Tin Armor is an irreversible decision. -------------------- E) OPTIONAL BOSSES: -------------------- 1) Defeat Quale. 2) Defeat Hades. 3) Defeat Ozma. NOTE: It might be fun to try to defeat these bosses at LV 1. Try it out, as you don't usually have such an opportunity in a regular game. If you decide to do this, make sure your active party is inflicted with Virus so that you don't get any EXP. ------------------ F) MISCELLANEOUS: ------------------ 1) Buy all the key items from the Treno Auction house. 2) Discover the secret of the Eidolon Wall. 3) Max gil, no gil, whatever amount satisfies you. The most gil you can have is 9,999,999. 4) Claim the Rank S Medal. 5) Open all remaining chests and search all remaining field icons (covered in the Treasure Locations section). 6) Leave a message in the Lindblum inn. 7) Reunite with Oracle Kildea in Daguerreo (it's a one-time exchange). 8) Optionally, you may want to attempt finishing your perfect save within 100 hours, before the clock resets and turns red. I hope no one is disappointed, but I won't actually be covering any of this in this guide; I think it's unnecessary with all the good FAQs already up on these subjects. I recommend YSF's "Secrets and Side Quests Guide" for help with most of the above points, as well as rebirth flame 2002's "Equipment List and Locations" FAQ for help with the item section. Trifthen's "Tetra Master FAQ" covers the card game quite well, and provides some effective strategies and useful advice if you aren't too familiar with Tetra Master. Use it in conjunction with either rebirth flame 2002's or Barubary's "Card Locations" FAQs. Good luck finishing these leftovers; they require the most patience! And remember to have fun; the time-pressure is finally off! =============================================================================== * PERFECT STATS * =============================================================================== This section is meant to show you how to make the most of your characters' stat potential, and to explain why this is the best way to do it. The premise of all this is that every character has a universal set of stat priorities and that perfect stats are those which fulfill those priorities as best as possible simultaneously. Each character's stat priority is to get 50 Spirit, and as much Strength or Magic as possible, depending on the character. Speed is ignored completely unless it is gotten along with the superior Spirit, Strength or Magic boosts. The order of importance and focus is thus: 1. Spirit 2. Strength/Magic 3. Strength/Magic 4. Speed JUSTIFICATION: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All characters are required to reach 50 Spirit as part of the perfect stats criteria. The reason for this is twofold. For one, Spirit is the only stat which everyone can max out, and it is the cheapest one to max out as well. If we're going for perfect stats, we may as well max out the one which can actually reach its max for every character in the party. Second, Spirit is just as, if not more, important than Strength and Magic. It affects many aspects of battle and the effects of having a high Spirit are more noticeable than those of having a high Strength or Magic. As support, here is what the game's instruction booklet openly tells us: "Spirit affects the character's attack and defense. Higher values enhance your ability to Steal, Counter, and deal critical damage. Also, the character's Spirit determines how long status effects remain and how quickly the Trance Gauge fills." I'll also add that it directly affects the healing rate of Regen, which is downright ridiculous at 50 Spirit; you'll regain HP nearly equal to your max during even moderate-length spells and attacks, effectively making you invincible. Each character has a primary stat. Strength is the primary stat for those who tend to use physical attacks or whose moves are based on the Strength stat. Magic is the primary stat for those who use magic or whose moves are based on the Magic stat. One of these 2 stats always takes second priority, and the other one takes third place, as Strength and Magic are used for HP and MP, which everyone needs regardless of their role in battle. Speed is ignored completely unless it is gotten for free along with superior boosts in the other stats. The reason for this is that Speed is, believe it or not, irrelevant. Due to the way the ATB system works, it does nothing! One would think that characters with higher Speed ratings would act more often; this is not the case as the differences are not large enough to ever result in a character acting twice for every time another acts only once. Just play the game and you'll notice this right away; input actions the moment a character gets a turn and no one will ever act more often than another. This happens because only one target can act at any given time; everyone else must wait for that target to finish before doing anything, REGARDLESS of how long ago their ATB gauge filled and REGARDLESS of how long ago they chose a course of action. This results in battles actually playing out in ROUNDS, although it isn't obvious without some thought. So at this point, one could at least hope that Speed would affect the ORDER in which characters act, with the one with the highest Speed getting the first turn in battle. Alas, this is not the case, either. ATB gauges start out at a random point at the beginning of every battle. The MOST Speed could do is change the order of turns after a few rounds, but not the frequency. In any event, it would never be worth it to trade a point of Spirit, Strength or Magic for a point of Speed, not to mention that Speed is the hardest to raise, requiring many other stat points to be forfeited in its favor. Note that you don't have to agree with me. You can use whatever set-ups you like, but I'm convinced that you won't get better stats than those listed below without sacrificing more stat points than you would gain. You are more than welcome to try, though. HOW TO USE THE STRATEGIES PROVIDED: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A short description of the goal of each set-up will be given. The actual equipment to be used will be listed below that, in the format below: XX: [weapon, head gear, arm gear, armor, add-on] The numbers next to each set of equipment represent how many LEVEL UPS the set is to be equipped for. So if the number is 9, for example, then have that set of equipment on for 9 Level Ups. This can be from LV 10 to 19, 67 to 76 or any other LVs, as long as you keep it on for a total of 9 and ONLY 9 Level Ups. You don't need to and most often can't equip these equipment sets in order, but as long as each of them is equipped for the listed number of Level Ups, it makes no difference. Each set-up ends with the character's projected stats at LV 99 and a brief commentary on the character's potential. Please keep in mind that these will be your characters' NATURAL stats at LV 99, without any gear equipped. Once you are done with your perfect save, you will have to unequip all the gear from your characters in order to completely fill your item list, leaving only their basic weapon, which everyone should have 2 copies of at the end. Then you will see the stats listed, otherwise you will usually have higher values thanks to equipment. Due to the way your stats are calculated, Spirit will reach 50 at around LV 99 when using these strategies. You'll notice that for many of the set-ups listed you are told to remove Spirit-raising equipment before you even reach 50 Spirit. This is correct, so just follow the steps and everything should work out at LV 99, or slightly earlier. Finally, the set-ups illustrated in this section have been improved and refined many times now, but I can't GUARANTEE that they are the best. Of course, after many revisions there does come a time when they just can't be improved any further, so I am convinced that the current strategies are the best. However, don't hesitate to check whether you can come up with something better; if you do, submit it and I'll update this section with your set-up and credit you. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | ZIDANE: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Zidane is obviously a physical attacker, so all of his set-ups will focus mainly on Strength. Speed and Magic are equally useless, but I will focus on Magic because at least in theory, it is useful for paying for Thievery. Furthermore, you obtain more stat points in total by focusing on Magic than on Speed, and Zidane will still be by far the fastest character in the game. It's just too bad that he isn't good for anything besides using that cheap Thievery skill, and for stealing on rare occasions. PATH A: ------- 06: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Power Vest, Dark Matter] 14: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] @14: [Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter] *17: [Bandana, Bone Wrist, Survival Vest, Dark Matter] 19: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] 28: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] * This is the set-up you should use for Tantarian. @ This is the set-up you should use for the Pandemonium forced battles. SPEED : 35 STRENGTH: 76 MAGIC : 64 SPIRIT : 50 PATH B: ------- 02: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Ribbon] 26: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] @30: [Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter] 40: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] @ This is the set-up you should use for the Pandemonium forced battles. SPEED : 36 STRENGTH: 76 MAGIC : 65 SPIRIT : 50 PATH C: ------- 01: [Masamune, Mantra Band, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] @07: [Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Dark Matter] 14: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] *17: [Bandana, Bone Wrist, Survival Vest, Dark Matter] 59: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] * This is the set-up you should use for Tantarian. @ This is the set-up you should use for Abadon. SPEED : 35 STRENGTH: 76 MAGIC : 66 SPIRIT : 50 PATH D & PATH E: ---------------- 01: [Masamune, Bandana, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Black Belt] 01: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Power Vest, Black Belt] 05: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] 11: [Orichalcon, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Power Vest, Black Belt] @21: [Orichalcon, Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Power Vest, Black Belt] 59: [Masamune, Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] @ This is the set-up you should use for Abadon. SPEED : 36 STRENGTH: 77 MAGIC : 64 SPIRIT : 50 Zidane ends up pretty good, but he's not really good for anything except physical attacks anyway. If the game was harder, or your party even weaker, then his Skills would actually be very useful. Opening a round of attacks with What's That!? will boost the first physical attack on each enemy by 50% for that round. Annoy is even better as it adds half of the damage taken by the inflicted enemy to each other enemy on the field; very underused and underappreciated because it isn't necessary the way the game is, and is simply overkill. Sacrifice is in the same boat; it would be very useful if only there were enemies that could actually hurt your party that badly and do it regularly enough to warrant its use. But as it stands, all Zidane is is an item user and physical attacker, and only as long as Thievery isn't maxed. He can't even do anything with the MP he has; it isn't even good for MP Attack as that uses percentages. A shame considering you're forced to use him everywhere besides Memoria... Thanks to AtmaChild for the set-up used in Path C; it yields an extra Magic point over the old one! Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for the other set-ups! I juggled all the Speed boosts over to Magic, though. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | GARNET: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Garnet has tremendous potential. Her stat-maxing equipment is superb and her starting stats are also quite good, especially when it comes to Magic, her primary stat. It should be noted that she does become quite a potent physical attacker as well, especially when given a racket, which is a long-range weapon, and something which raises Wind Elem-Atk. It's all thanks to the wonderful selection of equipment. PATH A, PATH B: --------------- 26: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon] 72: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] SPEED : 30 STRENGTH: 56 MAGIC : 89 SPIRIT : 50 PATH C, PATH D, PATH E: ----------------------- 02: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon] 08: [Stardust Rod, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] @22: [Magic Racket, Lamia's Tiara, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon] 66: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] @ This is the set-up you should use for Shell Dragon (and for 1 more Level Up later). SPEED : 30 STRENGTH: 56 MAGIC : 89 SPIRIT : 50 As you can see, Garnet is actually one of the best characters! Her Strength is quite formidable for a magic user. Also take note that she manages to reach 89 Magic through this method, out of a possible maximum of 91! This ends up making her a rather offensive mage with her elemental summons and relatively high attack power. With 99 of all the summon-boosting gems, I don't see any reason why Garnet shouldn't be able to handle all enemies on her own. At the same time, she still remains the best healer in the game and can use the 3 basic support spells, too! By the way, Atomos is the ultimate attack spell in the game, hands-down. For the low, low cost of 32 MP and with 70 Amethyst in your inventory, the full animation of my favorite summon will instantly defeat ALL on-screen enemies with less than 10,000 max HP, which includes all but 7 of the game's non-boss enemies. Even then, it will deal 9,999 damage every round to all enemies until you win. And if you're too stingy to activate the Boost ability, then 99 Amethyst and the half animation will reduce the HP of all enemies by ~85%; instant victory to all but 5 enemies when followed up by Dragon Breath (most other multi-target spells will usually do the same, but Dragon Breath guarantees victory in this case). Overpowered? Oh yes. Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for the alternate set-up used in Path C, Path D, and Path E! O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | VIVI: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Vivi is a simple character to engineer stat-wise. Obviously, his set-up will focus on Magic. His selection of equipment is very good, so he'll end up with a high Magic stat and 50 Spirit with no problems. Just like Garnet, Vivi also ends up with 56 Strength, but his staves are neither long-range, nor can their power be boosted by element-raising equipment. They do have Add Status properties, though, but Strength doesn't come in handy for that. 24: [Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Magician's Robe, Ribbon] 35: [Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Robe of Lords, Ribbon] 39: [Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Dark Gear, Ribbon] SPEED : 26 STRENGTH: 54 MAGIC : 83 SPIRIT : 50 As you can see, Vivi can become quite powerful. His primary stat, Magic, is higher than most other characters' primary stats. He's still a bit slower than the rest, but that doesn't mean anything. Although his Magic stat is lower than Garnet's and Eiko's, remember that he has more options when it comes to attack and status magic than either of them. Doomsday is also potentially one of the game's ultimate moves as it has the potential to be BOTH one of the game's most damaging attacks and the game's most powerful healing spell at the same time. Doomsday is stronger than Curaga as it multi-targets naturally whereas Curaga becomes only half as powerful when multi-targeted. If battles were more difficult and generally lasted longer, then Vivi would easily be better than both Garnet and Eiko thanks to Focus, which lasts for the entire battle, even if Vivi is knocked out and revived. As it stands, though, Focus is nothing but a novelty which never manages to pay for itself. Thanks to AtmaChild for this set-up, which maximizes Vivi's Magic! O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | STEINER: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O This strategy focuses mainly on maxing Steiner's Strength. Although you might think that Steiner's Magic stat is also important due to his Sword Magic abilities, this is not the case. Sword Magic is not a magical attack, it is only a boosted, elemental physical attack. The only thing Steiner's Magic stat is good for is providing MP, which is sad. But Sword Magic isn't cheap, so I guess it does come in handy. Thanks to the Defender's boost to Spirit, you can focus on Strength for almost all of the available 98 Level Ups and make Steiner your most powerful physical attacker. 17: [Defender, Kaiser Helm, Venetia Shield, Genji Armor, Dark Matter] 31: [Defender, Kaiser Helm, Venetia Shield, Maximillian, Dark Matter] 50: [Defender, Kaiser Helm, Venetia Shield, Diamond Armor, Dark Matter] SPEED : 27 STRENGTH: 79 MAGIC : 65 SPIRIT : 50 This result is phenomenal; Steiner's Strength is just 1 point away from his max, which is 80! Magic is relatively high, so you should have plenty of MP for Sword Magic skills, as well as for Sword Arts. In spite of the bad equipment pool, Steiner becomes very formidable. 79 Strength makes him the most powerful physical attacker in the game. Now he can put that beautiful Excalibur II to good use! Check out Question 2 in the Frequently Asked Questions section to learn how! Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for this set-up; it gets Steiner 1 more Magic point than my original one! O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | FREYA: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Freya is similar to Steiner in most respects. She is a physical attacker; none of her Dragon skills make use of the Magic stat. Lancer is physical, Dragon Breath depends on the enemy's max and current HP, Cherry Blossom is magical but uses Strength to determine damage, and Dragon's Crest has fixed damage. However, those skills and her others do cost a lot of MP, therefore her set-up will focus on Strength, while still getting as many Magic points as possible along the way. PATH A, PATH B, PATH C, PATH E: ------------------------------- 02: [Genji Helmet, Genji Gloves, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] 09: [Genji Helmet, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] 15: [Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] @72: [Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Barette] @ This is the set-up you should use for Amdusias when following Path C or Path E. SPEED : 29 STRENGTH: 71 MAGIC : 68 SPIRIT : 50 PATH D: ------- 01: [Genji Helmet, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Dark Matter] 01: [Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon] 02: [Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] *17: [Barbut, Mythril Glove, Plate Mail, Barette] 19: [Kaiser Helm, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] @58: [Barbut, Venetia Shield, Minerva's Plate, Barette] * This is the set-up you should use for Tantarian. @ This is the set-up you should use for Amdusias. SPEED : 29 STRENGTH: 71 MAGIC : 66 SPIRIT : 50 These are very satisfying results overall. They give Freya the most MP of all the physical attackers, and in her case, it actually comes in very handy. Also, her maximum Strength is 76, so there's a limit to how much we can expect to get, and 71 is good. However, by activating the High Jump ability, her Jump command becomes just as powerful as the physical attacks of the other characters when BOTH MP Attack and a Killer ability are in effect. But Jump will keep this power against ALL enemies, and High Jump only costs 4 Magic Stones, already 1 less than only MP Attack. Her attack power is slightly lower, but that's more than made up for by the fact that she gets to stay in the back row... and by her Dragon skills, which are severely underappreciated. Reis's Wind makes the entire party invincible with everyone at high Spirit, White Draw is something of an all-party Ether, Cherry Blossom is a 50% boosted attack on all enemies and Dragon's Crest needs no mention. Finally, Dragon Breath is one of the game's ultimate attacks! Doing damage equal to enemy's MaxHP - Current HP to all enemies, it effectively doubles all damage you inflicted before using the skill. This also means it will defeat ALL on-screen enemies which have less than 50% of their max HP remaining and have less than 19,999 max HP. That's why it's the second most expensive spell in the game after Ark (Doomsday also requires 72 MP, but can be reduced with Half MP) and why Freya's Dragon skills are so expensive in general. I bet you didn't know Freya had such a kick-ass move! Thanks to themostlazyone for the first set-up, and SubwoofersIcecream for the second! O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | QUINA: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Quina is an odd character, to say the least. In keeping with this, Quina is surprising stat-wise as well; he/she uses neither Strength nor Magic! Quina's physical attack damage follows a random formula and only 4 of his/her Blue Magic spells use the Magic stat for damage, 1 of which does random damage anyway (Twister), and 2 of which are weak regardless (Goblin Punch and LV4 Holy). So, what should Quina focus on? In my opinion, Quina should work to improve his/her Strength stat. My reasoning behind this is that focusing on Strength will give him/her a greater amount of HP. This increases the potency of White Wind and Pumpkin Head. It will also increase the damage cap for his/her physical attack, which is very useful if you activate the Counter ability. While increasing Magic will yield more MP, Quina has many support abilities which make this redundant; i.e. Half MP, MP+10%, Absorb MP. Even with only Half MP activated, Quina can cast a large number of spells, and Ether aren't rare by any means. However, many people tend to disagree, arguing that Earth Shake alone makes focusing on Magic worthwhile, and that it is better to have 4 Strength- and 4 Magic-oriented characters for a perfect save. Stat-wise, they may be right as Quina can attain a much higher Magic than Strength. However, that Magic is rather useless in practice. You'll have to decide this one on your own. STRENGTH-ORIENTED SET-UP: ------------------------- 02: [Holy Miter, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 34: [Holy Miter, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 62: [Holy Miter, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] SPEED : 23 STRENGTH: 66 MAGIC : 65 SPIRIT : 50 MAGIC-ORIENTED SET-UP: ---------------------- 06: [Holy Miter, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 42: [Holy Miter, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Ribbon] 50: [Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Dark Gear, Ribbon] SPEED : 23 STRENGTH: 59 MAGIC : 73 SPIRIT : 50 BALANCED SET-UP: ---------------- 01: [Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 02: [Holy Miter, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 03: [Holy Miter, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Rebirth Ring] 92: [Holy Miter, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] SPEED : 23 STRENGTH: 65 MAGIC : 67 SPIRIT : 50 Keep in mind that Quina does not use these stats for the most part anyway. Quina's power lies in the variety of his/her moves, not his/her stats. He/she could easily replace Vivi, Garnet and Eiko all at once. You get un-reflectable healing through White Wind, excellent support in the form of Mighty Guard, Auto-Life and Vanish, unbeatable status protection from Angel's Snack, status infliction with Bad Breath and Night and severe un-defendable damage through Limit Glove and Frog Drop. Best of all, you get it all in one fun package! Thanks to AtmaChild for the Strength-Oriented set-up! Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for the Magic-Oriented set-up and the Balanced set-up! O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | EIKO: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Eiko is really the only support character in the game. Garnet leans decidedly towards attack magic, whereas Eiko specializes in all sorts of defensive and supportive spells and summons. The equipment pool is identical, so Eiko will be just as good as Garnet stat-wise, but with a different role to play in battle. 10: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Power Wrist, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon 26: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Ribbon] 62: [Magic Racket, Holy Miter, Magic Armlet, Minerva's Plate, Pearl Rouge] SPEED : 28 STRENGTH: 56 MAGIC : 87 SPIRIT : 50 As you can see, Eiko has pretty much the same stats as Garnet; Speed and Magic are slightly lower due to Eiko's lower base stats, and there's nothing that can be done about that. Eiko has summons for the 2 elements Garnet does not, as well as a variety of all-party support summons. Eiko's White Magic is decidedly better. She has Dispel, Esuna, Full-Life, Haste, Holy, Jewel, Might and Regen, and all Garnet has in return is Berserk (which is inferior to Might), Confuse and Scan. Choose Eiko if your party requires support as Carbuncle is the only way to cast 1 of Reflect, Haste and Vanish (along with Protect) on the entire party at once. Phoenix is the only way to revive more than 1 character at once, and with 99 Phoenix Pinion, it will save you from a Game Over 38% of the time. Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for this set-up, although I tweaked it slightly to squeeze an extra Strength point out of it! NOTE: These results assume that Marcus stayed at LV 1 while he was in the party. If he gained any LVs, especially with stat-raising equipment, then some of Eiko's stats will likely be higher. If you leveled Marcus then it is in your interest to make your own set-up, as this one may no longer be optimal. O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O | AMARANT: | O----------------------------------------------------------------------------O Amarant is very similar to Zidane, except that he has more Level Ups available at the end of the challenge. Just like Zidane, Amarant has absolutely no need for a Magic stat outside of MP; No Mercy is not a magical attack. His moves don't require much MP, either. Strength will be the focus here. Unfortunately, Amarant does not have any stat-raising weapons. And while his selection of stat-raising equipment is good, he loses much of his potential on maxing his Spirit. As a matter of fact, any set-up with him is a compromise so it's really difficult to make him good overall. Pretty disappointing considering he has so many more Level Ups than Zidane available... 02: [Mantra Band, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] 04: [Green Beret, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] 20: [Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Black Belt] 22: [Green Beret, N-Kai Armlet, Dark Gear, Dark Matter] 50: [Bandana, Power Wrist, Dark Gear, Black Belt] SPEED : 34 STRENGTH: 72 MAGIC : 53 SPIRIT : 50 As you can see, Amarant is still weaker than Zidane, though only slightly. Unlike Zidane, however, he happens to be good for something besides physical attacks, which is a major bonus. Throw has limited use; Ultima Swords are the only weapons worth Throwing at the end of the game. Amarant's Flair skills aren't particularly spectacular, but much better than Zidane's Skill commands at any rate. Aura is the only one which really stands out and can't be replaced by another move. With a high Spirit, Aura makes you more than invincible, if that's even possible. Regen already heals you effectively to max HP during even moderate-length spells and attacks, so Auto-Life in addition to that is just broken. Of course, everyone can have this during every battle from the start by simply activating Auto-Regen and Auto-Life, but that costs 25 Magic Stones, so Aura is probably a better choice. No Mercy is a good substitute for a physical attack when you don't have the corresponding Killer ability; it is weaker otherwise if MP Attack is activated as well. Although his other moves aren't very interesting, they're better than nothing and serve to make Amarant superior to Zidane, who has nothing to show for them. Surprising. Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for this set-up as well! =============================================================================== * TREASURE LOCATIONS * =============================================================================== The following is a list of the locations of all the treasures in FFIX, in case you can't find some of them. They are listed by the area in which they appear and then in categorical order; medicinal items are listed first, followed by equipment, gems, cards, key items and finally gil. The areas are listed in the order in which you visit them. An [F] indicates that this is a field icon treasure, a [C] means the item is found in a chest and an [R] means it is received as a reward or by other means. An * indicates that this treasure CAN be picked up on Disc 4 after obtaining the Excalibur II. Some location names are taken directly from the LOCATION bar on the bottom of the menu screen, so check it when looking for a treasure. If you find a treasure not listed here or an incorrect location, please send me a message and I will correct or update the list. ------------ ALEXANDRIA: ------------ DISC 1: TOWN -Potion [F] to the left of the spot where you first control Vivi -Potion [F] by the table with 2 chairs in the Residence -Potion [F] to the left of the Heroine Statue -Potion [F] on the upper left of the Main Street where you meet Puck -Potion [F] in the pub; to the far right -Potion [F] in the Steeple; to the far right -Ether [F] in the Synthesis Shop; to the far right -Eye Drops [F] in the far left of the Residence next to the Steeple -Remedy [F] in the weapon shop; to the far right of the counter -Phoenix Pinion [F] top left of the main Square, next to the inn -Tent [F] in the Steeple; to the left of the entrance -Goblin Card [F] on the bottom left of the screen with the pub -Goblin Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster -Fang Card [F] in the shelf on the upper floor of the Residence -Fang Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster -Skeleton Card [R] given to you by the Ticketmaster -Flan Card [F] in the pub; to the right of the leftmost table -Lizard Man Card [F] far behind the Heroine Statue -Zombie Card [F] on the bottom left of the screen with the Heroine Statue -Bomb Card [R] speak to Tom once more after finding his cat, Mittens -Sahagin [F] on the steps of a house to the left of the Heroine Statue -3 gil [F] top floor of the Residence next to the Steeple -9 gil [F] near the bed on the bottom floor of the Residence -27 gil [F] in the pub; to the far left -29 gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops -33 gil [F] to the bottom right of the screen with the pub -38 gil [F] in the Item Shop; near the bottom of the screen -63 gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops -92 gil [F] in a nest on the rooftops DISC 1: CASTLE -Elixir [R] given to you by Breireicht after finding all the knights -Phoenix Down [F] in the bottom left corner of the Guardhouse -Moonstone [R] given to you by Queen Brahne after impressing 100 nobles DISC 2: CASTLE -Tent [C] on a platform in the pit leading to the Chapel -Ice Brand [C] on a platform in the pit leading to the Chapel DISC 3: TOWN -Ether [F] on the left side of the castle dock -Phoenix Pinion [F] behind the left overlook of the dock near the Square -Phoenix Pinion [F] on the right side of the castle dock -Phoenix Pinion [F] inside the left tower; to the right in the first room -Amethyst [R] \ -Opal [R] > given to you by Doctor Tot -Topaz [R] / -Lapis Lazuli [F] behind the fountain on the castle dock -Goblin Card [F] \ -Fang Card [F] \ -Ironite Card [F] > pull the rope on top of the Steeple -Shiva Card [F] / -Ramuh Card [F] / -Wyerd Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 10 and receive this as a reward -Carrion Worm C. [R] help Hippaul reach LV 20 and receive this as a reward -Tantarian Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 30 and receive this as a reward -Armstrong Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 40 and receive this as a reward -Nova Dragon C. [R] help Hippaul reach LV 60 and receive this as a reward -Ribbon Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 50 and receive this as a reward -Genji Card [R] help Hippaul reach LV 70 and receive this as a reward -Athlete Queen [R] help Hippaul reach LV 80 and receive this as a reward *Leo S. [F] to the right of the Neptune Statue in the left tower *2,680 gil [F] in Ruby's theater; on the bottom right -3,927 gil [F] behind the right overlook of the dock near the Square NOTE: The Goblin, Fang and Ironite Cards can also be gotten on Disc 1, but the Shiva and Ramuh Cards can be gotten only on Disc 3. DISC 3: TOWN (After Destruction): *Ether [F] to the left of the entrance to the second screen *Remedy [F] in the bottom right corner of the Square *Tent [F] to the right of the entrance to the Steeple -Garnet [R] given to you by Beatrix *Amethyst [F] on the bottom left side of the Square *Peridot [F] to the right of the fountain on the castle dock *Sapphire [F] directly to the left of the main entrance *Sapphire [F] in the rubble blocking the entrance to the castle *Opal [F] on the left side of the castle dock *Topaz [F] behind the left overlook on the dock near the Square *Alexandria Card [R] given to you by the girl running around the Square *365 gil [F] in the entrance of the weapon shop *4,832 gil [F] behind the right overlook on the dock near the Square DISC 4: TOWN *Ribbon [R] given to you by Stiltzkin after buying his last offer *Cactuar Card [R] gotten for skipping 50 consecutive times *Tiger Racket C. [R] gotten for skipping 300 consecutive times *Genji Card [R] gotten for skipping 100 consecutive times *Alexandria Card [R] gotten for skipping 200 consecutive times *King of Jump R. [R] gotten for skipping 1,000 consecutive times *Superslick [R] given to you by Ruby after delivering every moogle letter *10 gil [R] gotten for skipping 20 consecutive times NOTE: The prizes received for jumping rope can also be gotten on Disc 1. ------------- PRIMA VISTA: ------------- START OF GAME: -Potion [F] on the upper right side of the Prima Vista Cargo Room -Phoenix Down [C] lower right chest in the Prima Vista Engine Room -Phoenix Pinion [C] upper right chest in the Prima Vista Engine Room -47 gil [F] on the upper left side of the Prima Vista Cargo Room CRASH SITE: -Potion [C] in the Meeting Room; on the bottom behind the shelves -Ether [C] in Vivi's room -Ether [C] near the bottom of the Hallway outside Steiner's room -Ether [C] in Steiner's room -Phoenix Down [F] near the bodies outside the wreckage -Leather Hat [C] in the Hallway with the exit of the Prima Vista -Rubber Helm [F] in the back of the Cargo Room -Wrist [C] in the Hallway; on the far left -Bronze Gloves [C] on the Prima Vista Bridge; on the far right -116 gil [F] in Vivi's room, on top of the bunkbed ------------ ICE CAVERN: ------------ -Potion [C] in the second screen; at the end of the bottom path -Potion [C] in the Icicle Field; on the ice column -Ether [C] in the second screen; behind the ice wall to the right -Elixir [C] in the Icicle Field; behind the ice wall in the back -Phoenix Down [C] in the fourth screen; on the right -Tent [C] in the first screen; on the ledge -Mage Masher [C] in the Icicle Field; on the bottom right of the screen -Leather Wrist [C] in the fourth screen; on a path behind an ice wall ------ DALI: ------ DISC 1/2/3/4: TOWN *Potion [C] in the Dali inn; in the far left of the room *Antidote [C] in the Dali inn; in the far right of the room *Aries S. [F] in the Windmill; in the rear of the bottom floor *120 gil [F] on the Village Road; next to the big wheel DISC 2: TOWN -Elixir [C] in the Field; between the rows of crops DISC 3: TOWN -Elixir [C] in the Windmill; on the upper level -Cachusha [C] in the Windmill; on the upper level *Mini-Brahne [F] search the desk in the Mayor's House -Mayor's Key [F] search the heater in the Mayor's House -Burman Coffee [C] search the chest in the Chocobo Pen a second time -30,000 gil [C] in the Chocobo Pen; on the far right UNDERGROUND: -Potion [C] in the second screen; in the hut -Potion [C] in the first Storage Area; hanging on the machine -Potion [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; in the middle -Ether [C] in the first Storage Area; on top of the boxes -Phoenix Down [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; on the left -Eye Drops [C] in the second screen; bottom of the screen -Phoenix Pinion [C] in the room with the Mist Machine; on the far right -Iron Helm [C] in the second Storage Area; on top of the boxes -Leather Wrist [C] in the second Storage Area; in the middle -95 gil [C] in the Production Area; to the right of the door -156 gil [C] in the Entrance; bottom of the screen ---------------------- OBSERVATORY MOUNTAIN: ---------------------- -Hi-Potion [C] at the base of the mountain; on the bottom -135 gil [F] at the base of the mountain; in the back ---------- LINDBLUM: ---------- DISC 1: -Hi-Potion [C] in Card Freak Gon's House -Ether [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the upper level -Echo Screen [C] in Card Freak Gon's House -Tent [F] in the bushes outside the Church -Tent [C] at the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform -Steepled Hat [C] in the Industrial District Residence -Leather Wrist [F] in the Industrial District Square; near the bottom -Glass Armlet [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the lower level *Silver Gloves [F] in the synthesis shop; on the table in the back -Bronze Vest [F] to the right of the pub in Industrial Way -Leather Plate [F] on the scaffolding in the Church -Ore [C] in Artist Michael's Studio -Mimic Card [C] in the Industrial District Residence -Wyerd Card [C] at the Serpent's Gate; in the back of the trolley station -Mini-Burmecia [F] in the Tantalus Playhouse; on the bed on the upper level -Autograph [R] given to you by Lowell in Artist Michael's Studio. -Moogle Suit [F] in Artist Michael's Studio; on the right -68 gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse -97 gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse -127 gil [F] in the bushes outside Artist Michael's Studio *163 gil [F] in the Lindblum inn; to the left of the entrance -282 gil [C] in the Tantalus Playhouse DISC 2: -Ether [C] in Card Freak Gon's House -Phoenix Pinion [C] in Card Freak Gon's House -Bandana [C] in the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform -Ore [C] in Artist Michael's Studio -Lindblum Card [F] in the rubble next to Card Freak Gon's House -262 gil [C] \ -340 gil [C] > in the Tantalus playhouse -993 gil [C] / -3,000 gil [R] given to you by Cid NOTE: The Ore found on Disc 2 in Artist Michael's Studio is NOT the same one which you find on Disc 1; it is another one. If you pick up the one on Disc 1, then the chest will refill and hold another Ore on Disc 2. DISC 3: *Elixir [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the upper level *Elixir [C] in Card Freak Gon's House *Remedy [C] in Card Freak Gon's House *Remedy [C] at the Dragon's Gate; behind the platform *Chimera Armlet [C] at the Serpent's Gate; in the back of the trolley station *Egoist's Armlet [C] in the Lindblum Castle Guest Room; on the lower level *Lapis Lazuli [C] in Artist Michael's Studio *Sagittarius S. [F] on the far left of the Shopping Area *970 gil [C] \ *1,273 gil [C] > in the Tantalus playhouse *4,826 gil [C] / ------------ QU'S MARSH: ------------ *Ether [R] given to you by Quale for catching 5 frogs *Elixir [R] given to you by Quale for catching 15 frogs *Silver Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 23 frogs *Bistro Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 33 frogs *Gastro Fork [R] given to you by Quale for catching 99 frogs *Silk Robe [R] given to you by Quale for catching 9 frogs *Battle Boots [R] given to you by Quale for catching 45 frogs *Ore [R] given to you by Quale for catching 2 frogs ------------ SOUTH GATE: ------------ BOHDEN ARCH: -Ether [F] on the ground to the right in the back -Moccha Coffee [F] in the bushes to the right of the spring BOHDEN GATE: -Potion [C] in front of the cable car in Bohden Station -Multina Racket [C] directly to the left of the entrance inside -Elixir Card [C] on top of the wagon inside TRENO ARCH: -Elixir [C] near the gate -Elixir [C] near the stump -3,206 gil [C] behind the rubble in the back DALI GATE-TRENO GATE: -1,610 gil [C] on the ledge near the Bridge --------------------- GIZAMALUKE'S GROTTO: --------------------- *Magus Hat [F] on the path around the bell chamber *Mythril Gloves [F] on the path around the bell chamber *Bronze Vest [F] on the path to the second Burmecian soldier -Extension [R] give Moguta a Kupo Nut on Disc 3 *Aloha T-Shirt [R] give Moguta a Kupo Nut on Disc 4 ------------ NORTH GATE: ------------ MELDA ARCH: -Potion [C] behind the fence to the right -Eye Drops [C] behind the fence to the right BURMECIA ARCH: -Hi-Potion [C] in the back near the gate -Tent [C] in the back near the gate ---------- BURMECIA: ---------- *Potion [C] to the left of the entrance inside the left Residence *Ether [C] behind the fireplace in the room with the bed *Phoenix Down [C] on the walkway inside the building in the Uptown Area *Soft [C] to the right of the entrance inside the left Residence *Soft [C] behind the stairs inside the right Residence *Tent [C] on the walkway inside the building in the uptown Area -Mythril Spear [F] in the back of the Armory; on the statue *Lightning Staff [C] in the back of the Vault; behind the moogle -Germinas Boots [C] on the top balcony inside the left Residence *Cancer S. [F] behind the overturned cart in the Suburb NOTE: There are some fake chests in Burmecia. Getting near one throws you into a battle with a Mimic enemy and the chest will disappear. It's up to you whether you want to keep these "chests" or not. Personally, I would choose to leave them. ---------------- SUMMIT STATION: ---------------- -Phoenix Down [C] to the left of the reception desk ----------------- QUAN'S DWELLING: ----------------- *Ether [C] on the ledge overlooking the hot springs *Ether [F] climb the ladder in the living room *Ether [C] on the shore of the hot springs *Running Shoes [F] in the clock on the terrace *Scorpio S. [F] on the shore of the hot springs; near the chest *Opiuchius S. [F] where Scorpio was, after submitting the other 12 coins ------- TRENO: ------- *Ether [F] to the left of Queen Stella's palace; near the trees *Elixir [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 6 coins *Phoenix Pinion [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 2 coins *Hammer [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting all the coins *Mythril Dagger [C] to the left of the entrance to Doctor Tot's tower *Blood Sword [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 4 coins *Circlet [R] reward for defeating Behemoth on Disc 4 -Chimera Armlet [R] given to you by the Four-Armed Man during "City People" *Robe of Lords [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 12 coins -Running Shoes [R] reward for defeating Amdusias on Disc 3 -Power Belt [R] given to you by the Four-Armed Man *Black Belt [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 8 coins *Rosetta Ring [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 10 coins -Rebirth Ring [R] win the Card Tournament *Yeti Card [C] to the left of the item shop in the Treno Slums -Tonberry Card [R] reward for defeating Griffin on Disc 2 *Mini-Cid [R] \ *Griffin's Heart [R] \ *Une's Mirror [R] > win at the Auction House *Doga's Artifact [R] / *Rat Tail [R] / *Magical F. [R] win at the Auction House (only on Disc 4) *Taurus S. [F] behind the item shop in the Treno Slums *Gemini S. [R] reward for throwing 10 gil into the fountain 13 times *1 gil [C] to the right of the item shop in the Treno Slums *1,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 1 coin *2,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 3 coins *5,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 5 coins *2,225 gil [F] to the left of the Auction House entrance *10,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 7 coins -15,000 gil [R] reward for defeating Catoblepas on Disc 3 *20,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 9 coins *30,000 gil [R] given to you by Queen Stella for submitting 11 coins ------------ GARGAN ROO: ------------ -Phoenix Down [C] to the left of the lever on the left platform -Chain Plate [C] to the right of the entrance of the left platform ---------------- CLEYRA'S TRUNK: ---------------- -Potion [C] at the fork near the top -Hi-Potion [C] in the chamber with the 2 sinkholes -Ether [C] next to the hole with the switch -Elixir [C] at the end of the right path from the fork -Phoenix Down [C] in the first screen inside the trunk -Remedy [C] to the right of the chamber after the bridge -Gysahl Greens [C] behind the ladder leading to the Cleyra settlement -Tent [C] to the far right of Monev -Flame Staff [C] in the area directly preceding the wooden bridge -Ice Staff [C] behind the tree in the flooding chamber -Needle Fork [C] in front of the "sandfall" below Monev -Mythril Gloves [C] on the path to the switch near the Elixir -Mythril Vest [C] in the left tunnel of the chamber after the bridge -Silk Robe [C] on the branch above the flooding chamber -Desert Boots [C] behind the center pillar in the chamber after the bridge -Magician Shoes [C] near the bottom of the flooding chamber -Magician Shoes [C] on the branch above the flooding chamber -900 gil [C] in the chamber with the 2 sinkholes ------------------- CLEYRA SETTLEMENT: ------------------- -Ether [F] in the inn; on a nightstand on the upper floor -Ether [F] on the balcony of the Cathedral -Ether [R] \ -Elixir [R] > receive these from the survivors of the attack -Phoenix Down [R] / -Echo Screen [F] outside of the Cathedral; to the left -Echo Screen [F] in the inn; to the left of the register -Remedy [F] on the steps to the right of the inn -Remedy [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack -Phoenix Pinion [F] on the fork between the 3 paths below the Cathedral -Phoenix Pinion [F] on the ledge overlooking the entrance -Phoenix Pinion [F] behind the harp in the Cathedral -Phoenix Pinion [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack -Gysahl Greens [F] outside of the Cathedral; to the right -Thunder Gloves [F] behind the clock next to the waterfall -Yellow Scarf [F] inside the Cathedral; to the left of the entrance -Emerald [R] given to Freya by the High Priest -Ore [F] on the bottom right of the screen with the inn -Ore [F] inside the Cathedral; on the podium in the center -Nymph Card [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack -Zuu Card [R] receive this from the survivors of the attack -970 gil [F] Antlion's sinkhole; near the bottom of the screen -1,250 gil [F] in the inn; to the right of the register by the desk ---------------- PINNACLE ROCKS: ---------------- -Elixir [C] at the end of the path entering from the World Map -Phoenix Down [C] at the end of the path entering from the World Map -The Ogre [C] in the chest to the left of the rising branch -Mythril Armlet [C] in the chest after jumping off the path -Mythril Vest [C] below the Monty the moogle -Peridot [R] given to you by Ramuh for assembling the Hero's Tale ------------ FOSSIL ROO: ------------ -Ether [C] above the path to Switch #2 -Elixir [F] in Armodullahan's cage -Lamia's Tiara [C] take the path controlled by Switch #4 -Survival Vest [F] in the far left of the Storage Area -Fairy Earrings [C] take the path controlled by Switch #2 ------------ CONDE PETIE: ------------ -Phoenix Pinion [F] on the stairs leading to the grocery shop -Diamond [F] on the Kirkboat -Oglop Card [R] give the boy behind the grocery shop an Oglop -1,800 gil [F] behind one of the beds at the inn -2,700 gil [F] to the left of the entrance to the settlement -------------------- BLACK MAGE VILLAGE: -------------------- -Ether [F] to the left of the counter of the item shop *Elixir [F] to the right of the entrance to the weapon shop *Gysahl Greens [F] in the Chocobo stable -Black Belt [C] on the upper floor of the item shop *Virgo S. [F] in the inn's room *843 gil [C] on the rooftops of the synthesis shop *2,000 gil [C] behind the synthesis shop counter --------------------------- CONDE PETIE MOUNTAIN PATH: --------------------------- -Ether [C] to the left of the statue with the Green Stone -Remedy [C] on the upper ledge in the first screen -Tent [C] on the rightmost ledge in the first screen -Moonstone [R] received after placing all colored stones in the altar -Red Stone [F] in the statue on the rightmost ledge in the first screen -Blue Stone [F] in the statue on the uppermost ledge -Yellow Stone [F] in the statue at the fork after the Hilgigars battle -Green Stone [F] in the statue on the lower path to Madain Sari ------------- MADAIN SARI: ------------- -Elixir [C] given to you by the moogles *Phoenix Down [C] in the room below Eiko's back porch *Phoenix Pinion [C] in Eiko's house, behind the table *Tent [C] behind the bench in front of the fountain *Ore [C] in Eiko's house, next to the table -Exploda [C] given to you be the moogles *Survival Vest [C] in the room below Eiko's back porch *Kirman Coffee [F] on Eiko's back porch, to the left behind the counter *Libra S. [F] behind the fountain ----------- IIFA TREE: ----------- -Hi-Potion [C] on the bottom of the second screen in the trunk -Ether [C] in a niche on the right of the third screen in the trunk -Elixir [C] near the bottom of the steps in the last screen -Phoenix Down [C] in the second screen after pressing the switch nearby -Remedy [C] on the far left of the third screen in the trunk -Healing Rod [C] in the second screen after triggering the switch -Lamia's Flute [C] near the bottom left of the third screen in the trunk -Brigandine [C] behind the platform in the last screen -Aquamarine [R] Garnet takes this from the eidolon statue -Ruby [R] received after breaking the seal on the Iifa Tree ---------- OEILVERT: ---------- -Elixir [C] on the upper level of the Planetarium -Remedy [C] below the overlook on the yellow window in the Hall -Rising Sun [C] on the right side of the overlook in the Hall -Diamond Sword [C] to the right of the hologram in the Planetarium -Gaia Gear [C] to the right of the Star Display -Power Vest [C] on the right side of the lower level of the Ship Display -Shield Armor [C] behind the hologram in the Planetarium -Feather Boots [C] on the right side of the upper level of the Ship Display --------------- DESERT PALACE: --------------- -Black Hood [F] extracted from the right bloodstone in the Shadow Chamber -N-Kai Armlet [F] extracted from the bloodstone in the Stairwell -Venetia Shield [F] extracted from the left bloodstone in the Shadow Chamber -Shield Armor [F] extracted from the bloodstone in the lower Hallway -Anklet [F] extracted from the bloodstone in the Fire Chamber -Promist Ring [F] extracted from the bloodstone in the Lobby -Fairy Earrings [C] below the blue path in the Light Chamber -Namingway Card [F] in Kuja's room; to the left of the entrance ----------- ESTO GAZA: ----------- -Wing Edge [F] around the counter in the Shop ------------- MOUNT GULUG: ------------- -Ether [F] in the house to the left of the entrance; upper level -Elixir [C] in the back of the room with the single Red Dragon -Wing Edge [F] to the right of Moolan the moogle -Red Hat [F] on the far left platform in the Interior -Golden Hairpin [C] at the end of the Path leading from the top of the Well -Gaia Gear [F] at the end of the Path leading from the right of the Well -Demon's Mail [C] in the lower left house in the Interior -Ribbon [R] given to you by Mog -9,693 gil [F] in the house to the left of the entrance, lower level --------------- HILDA GARDE 3: --------------- -Elixir [F] in the hatch at the top of the ladder -Tent [F] in a hatch on the wall ----------- DAGUERREO: ----------- *Elixir [F] on the right end of the middle floor *Elixir [F] on the left end of the middle floor *Excalibur [R] given to you by an old man for the Magical Fingertip *Flare Card [R] reward for agreeing with the Young Man *Meteor Card [R] reward for agreeing with the Sales Clerk *Capricorn S. [F] in the water to the right of the entrance *Rank S Medal [R] awarded by the Four-Armed Man for reaching Rank S NOTE: You can only get 1 of the 2 cards. ---------------- IPSEN'S CASTLE: ---------------- *Dagger [C] to the left of the entrance *Broadsword [C] on the middle walkway in the Stairwell *Javelin [C] take the right ladder in the Stairwell and jump left *Cat's Claws [C] below the walkway in the courtyard; in the back *Air Racket [C] on a walkway to the left of the elevator *Rod [C] take the left ladder in the Stairwell and jump off above *Golem's Flute [C] on the left side in Odin's Sword's chamber *Mage Staff [C] on the chandelier in the courtyard *Fork [C] on the chandelier in the courtyard *Barette [C] on the terrace above the entrance; solve the door puzzle *Maiden Prayer [C] on the chandelier below the courtyard; fall down a trap *Ancient Aroma [R] solve the vase puzzle and pick up the right vase *Aquarius S. [C] to the right of the entrance ------- TERRA: ------- -Elixir [C] on the left ledge in Path by the Pond -Remedy [C] on the rightmost ledge in the Treetop -Mythril Racket [C] behind the "trunk" in the Treetop -Coronet [C] on a floating island in the Stepping Stones screen -Dragon Wrist [C] at the end of the Stepping Stones path; Path by the Pond -Demon's Vest [C] at the Tree Base -Minerva's Plate [C] below the steps leading to Bran Bal; take the left path ---------- BRAN BAL: ---------- -Elixir [C] in the room where the party takes Garnet -Elixir [F] near the bottom of the Laboratory -Wing Edge [C] in the Storage -Flash Hat [C] on an island below the Gate area -Angel Earrings [F] near the water in the left area of Bran Bal ------------- PANDEMONIUM: ------------- -Elixir [C] in the Maze, in the center -Holy Miter [F] on the throne which Zidane sat on -Carabini Mail [C] in the Maze, in the left area -Battle Boots [C] in the Maze, in the top right area -20,007 gil [C] select height 3 and take the lift all the way to the top ------------ INVINCIBLE: ------------ *Pisces S. [C] near the entrance to the bridge ---------------- MOGNET CENTRAL: ---------------- *Protect Ring [R] given to you by Artemicion for restoring Mognet -------------------- CHOCOBO'S PARADISE: -------------------- *Fat Chocobo C. [R] given to you by Fat Chocobo for unearthing all treasures ---------------------- CHOCOBO'S AIR GARDEN: ---------------------- *Ozma Card [R] awarded for defeating Ozma *Strategy Guide [R] awarded for defeating Ozma --------- MEMORIA: --------- *The Tower [F] on the "balcony" in Memoria Recollection *Kain's Lance [F] in a niche in the right wall of Memoria Entrance *Rune Claws [F] to the left of the entrance to Memoria Time Interval *Angel Flute [F] on the left side of the terrace in Memoria The Past *Mace of Zeus [F] on the left side of the platform in Memoria Stairs Excalibur II [F] I hope you know where this is! =============================================================================== * FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS * =============================================================================== 1) Is this challenge even possible? No way can you do all this in 12 hours! Yes, it is possible, and that's why this guide was written. Do you really think I would write a 351 KB fairy tale, submit it to GameFAQs and have it get accepted? Watch 1whoistornapart's videos if you're in doubt. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2) All of this for a sword which is only marginally better than Zidane's Ultima Weapon?! Gimme a break! I hear this on the message boards quite often. However, the point of this challenge is not getting the Excalibur II, it is getting a PERFECT SAVE which INCLUDES the Excalibur II, which is something completely different. And anyway, you shouldn't be doing this only for the perfect save and the Excalibur II, since this challenge is the funnest part of making a perfect save. It is challenging and tests your skills and limits. The Excalibur II is just icing on the cake and a mark of your success. But while we're on the subject, the Excalibur II IS in fact the most powerful weapon in the game, and not marginally, either. Everyone knows that it has 8 more attack power than the Ultima Weapon, which is pretty meaningless, yet no one appreciates that that's 21 more than the Ragnarok, the only other choice for Steiner! Another thing players fail to take into account is that the Excalibur II is Holy-elemental, whereas the Ultima Weapon and the Ragnarok have no element and will never get boosts from equipment or enemy weaknesses. Simply equip the Mythril Helm or Rebirth Ring (both raise Holy Elem-Atk) and you're already doing 50% more damage than the Ultima Weapon or Ragnarok will ever do (both Zidane and Steiner have MP Attack, Long Range and the Killer abilities, so they don't give any weapon an advantage over the other). Hades, Necron and Ozma are all weak to Holy-elemental attacks, so that's another 50% boost when facing them. Most importantly, however, Steiner is the Excalibur II's user, meaning its elemental property can be changed into anything except Earth and Wind with the Sword Magic command, which grants a boost of up to 60 to attack power and often another 50% boost overall thanks to enemy elemental weaknesses. Climhazzard will double your weapon attack power and target all enemies while retaining the Holy Elem-Atk and boosts related to it, which makes up for the lack of Earth and Wind possibilities. Add to that Steiner's superior Strength and the Armor Break skill, and there's no reason why Steiner shouldn't be able to take down any enemy in the game by himself with the Excalibur II. Sadly, FFIX is too easy to fully take advantage of all this, but the Excalibur II still wins hands-down with any weapon; it's easily the coolest and most exclusive sword in the game. An ornate gold hilt, a transparent and glowing emerald blade and matching light rays upon impact; who'd pass that up? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3) Will this FAQ help me get/do [insert anything here]? This FAQ is meant to guide you through the game in such a way as to obtain all missable items and complete all missable events, including mini-games and side quests... and to do this quickly enough to still pick up the Excalibur II, which is another missable item. My definition of a missable item or event is one which cannot be obtained or completed after getting the Excalibur II on Disc 4. That said, you should be able to answer this question yourself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4) Can I complete this challenge on the PAL version of FFIX? No, it is impossible. The PAL version of the game runs at 50Hz while the NTSC game runs at 60Hz, but the clock runs at the exact same speed in both versions. This means that a PAL gamer will take approximately 10 minutes more for every hour an NTSC gamer plays. On a scale of 12 hours, that becomes 2 additional hours that the PAL gamer will need during this challenge, which is astronomical. So what it comes down to is that PAL gamers would have to complete this challenge within 10 hours instead of 12, which is impossible. Come to think of it, it is just barely possible for a PAL gamer to get the Excalibur II at all. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5) Is it possible to get the Excalibur II by waiting for the clock to overflow? Yes it is, as supposed by Terence and proven by SoftReset. The timer will change in color every 100 hours, but eventually it will "overflow" and the time will start from 00:00:00 once again, as if you just began a new game. Go to the Excalibur II spot and pick it up before another 12 hours expire once this happens. HOWEVER, it apparently takes 2 years, 98 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 28.2666 seconds of real time for the timer to restart. Your console might not survive that long, and you'll probably want to play other games during those 2 years. In the end, I think it would be ridiculous to actually wait for this to occur. And sad. Of course, it's probably possible to use a cheat device to speed up the timer, but if you want to do that then just do yourself a favor and shark in the Excalibur II instead, since it'll be cheating either way. Actually, waiting for the timer to overflow is cheating, too; the only difference is that you don't use a cheat device. The bottom line is that the Excalibur II must be gotten in under 12 hours from the start of the game, so getting it any other way should be considered cheating. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6) How long does this challenge take overall in real-life? For someone who has never played a speed run and isn't all that familiar with FFIX, I would estimate it at around 200 hours. But more experienced players, especially those who have already gotten the Excalibur II in the past, shouldn't take more than 100 hours. This can also be done faster by allowing yourself a steadily growing lateness and not resetting trying to get the perfect run through every circuit; you have around 10 minutes to spare following the target times, after all, which is very much. In this case I would gauge this whole undertaking at around 75 hours. Finally, luck really is the greatest factor in this challenge, as you can either complete a circuit on the first try, or after days of resetting. If luck is more or less on your side then you can complete this challenge very quickly and painlessly. As 1whoistornapart put it, "you're a plaything in the hands of the random number generator for a great deal of the challenge". - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7) Is there any way to reduce the number of random encounters? "As far as random battles go, I have no idea what the mechanics behind them are, except that they always seem to come at the worst possible time." -1whoistornapart I think that's the only mechanic we can be absolutely sure of! Other than that, changing screens seems to reset the random battle counter. There's also something known as the "stop/run method", which is basically making your way through screens normally, but stopping completely for about a second every once in a while, then continuing onward. It seems effective in some areas, so there's no harm in trying it out as a second here and there is nothing compared to a battle. Many people swear by this method, maybe you will, too. I also noticed that moving the control stick as rarely as possible (i.e., not changing directions often) seems to have some degree of success as well, but it's still most likely random. Please keep in mind, however, that these "strategies" are not proven to work in every case, nor are they backed by any sort of tests or data. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8) What's the point of the BASE Stats path when it doesn't give you the REAL lowest stats possible? The thing is, the BASE Stats path DOES give you the lowest stats possible, but only if you're playing the perfect game challenge. The REAL lowest stats would be those obtained by having everyone join the party at the highest LV possible, which is 99, and NOT the lowest LV possible, which is 1. For obvious reasons, this is impossible to do during this challenge as it would require you to have Zidane reach LV 99 and fight Zaghnol in order to get Freya at LV 99. If that wasn't enough, you would then need Vivi to reach LV 99 as well in order to get Quina at LV 99. Garnet would also have to reach LV 99 in order to have Eiko join at LV 99, and Eiko would then have to reach LV 99 in order for Amarant to join at LV 99. THAT would yield the lowest stats possible for everyone. It also gives half the party significantly lower stats, as only half of the characters can join at an average LV. The BASE Stats game gives you the lowest possible stats while still getting a perfect save. It is the only way to have everything required for a perfect save, the only compromise is a different conception of perfect stats. That is the point of the BASE Stats path. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9) Can't Vivi or Amarant absorb the EXP awarded for defeating Tantarian in place of Zidane or Freya? Of course they can, except that those would be worse choices than either of the current options. Both Vivi and Amarant lose more than either Zidane or Freya by taking that EXP, which is why they are ignored. It is also pointless to spread the EXP between multiple characters as that awards more Level Ups in total, and therefore results in greater overall stat losses for the party. Giving 1 character all the EXP results in 17 Level Ups, whereas spreading it between 2, 3 or 4 yields 28, 36 and 44 Level Ups, respectively. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10) Why does Zidane always have to absorb Abadon's EXP? Because he is the only one who can afford to. Steiner would be absolutely ruined and would probably become your weakest party member if he took 21 Level Ups without the Defender, so this is out of the question. Quina, on the other hand, has at most only half of his/her necessary equipment available at that time, so he/she also can't afford those 21 Level Ups. Who is left? Zidane. Also, in the paths where Abadon is the only monster whose EXP Zidane takes, it would be impossible to get past Shell Dragon without a nearly maxed Thievery, which is unattainable during this challenge. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11) I just can't decide which stat path to follow; as the author of this guide, which one would you suggest? My path of choice is Path C. Here's why: First of all, I rejected the lowest possible LV party in favor of the party with everyone at LV 99. This way, I have everyone at the same LV, which simply looks better than the alternative. If it was possible to have everyone at LV 1 then I would rather have that, but since it isn't, the next best thing is everyone at LV 99. This automatically eliminates Path A and Path B. Furthermore, I decidedly believe that Tantarian should be defeated as part of a perfect save. I think that a missable unique item and defeated optional boss are more special than 1 or 2 stat points. I thus trade those points for the Running Shoes and Tantarian's defeat, which I consider more than fair. This eliminates Path E, and Path B if there was still any doubt about that one. The only options left at this point are Path C and Path D. Path C entails sacrificing Zidane's stat potential and Path D Freya's. When it comes to Zidane, the only important difference between Path C and Path D is 1 Strength point, as the 1 Speed versus 2 Magic is a toss-up, and both are equally useless anyway. As for Freya, the only difference between Path C and Path D are 2 Magic points. Therefore, this decision boils down to what one values more: 1 Strength for Zidane, or 2 Magic for Freya. I've checked how these values actually affect their characters, which makes this decision easier: ZIDANE: * Zidane is a physical character, so Strength is his primary stat. * + 1 STR = + 90 HP at LV 99 (6966 instead of 6876) * + 1 STR = + 180 damage at LV 99 (on average) FREYA: * Freya is also a physical character, so Magic is her secondary stat. * + 2 MAG = + 13 MP at LV 99 (436 instead of 423) As you can see, both the 1 Strength and 2 Magic are fairly irrelevant in practice when you consider that your characters are at LV 99. However, Zidane quickly "grows out" of his Strength stat; with ONLY the Ultima Weapon and MP Attack activated, Zidane will do AT LEAST 10,260 damage to enemies with a Defense of 10 or less (which includes almost all of the game's enemies). Subtracting 180 yields 10,080, which is STILL above the damage cap and will therefore be reduced to 9,999; that 1 extra Strength has therefore not done anything in practice. And remember that this is without any stat-raising equipment or Killer abilities, and only the MINIMUM value. But even if that 1 Strength DID have a real effect on Zidane's damage potential, it would be, and actually is, made completely redundant by Thievery. Once it is powered up, Zidane can deal 9,999 fixed, non-elemental damage to every single enemy in the game for a "whopping" 8 MP. Theoretically, this actually makes Magic take priority for Zidane, but that's beside the point. On the other hand, Freya will never "grow out" of her Magic stat, as she DOES actually have skills worth using, and they DO actually cost something. No move of hers will ever make her MP, and therefore Magic, irrelevant; if anything, her moves make it even more important. Even the fact that 1 Strength gives Zidane 90 HP out of a possible 6966 is overshadowed by 2 Magic giving Freya 13 MP out of a possible 436; percentage-wise, Freya gains more. So paradoxically, Zidane's primary stat is actually less important for him than Freya's secondary stat is to her. Therefore, Freya is hurt more by losing 2 Magic than Zidane is by losing 1 Strength, which in turn means that Path C is the closest to a perfect save. And since it isn't possible to get any closer, it IS in fact a perfect save. Finally, I also prefer to have Zidane take the EXP because he is the main character. I find it somehow fitting that he should be the one to sacrifice his stat potential for that of the rest of the party, as opposed to poor Freya getting the short end of the stick. So there you have it. That's why I believe Path C to be the best. Of course, this is only my personal opinion, so you are more than welcome to follow any path you like. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12) What should be done with the Marcus/Eiko glitch? It should be ignored, period. Doing it makes this challenge impossible to complete; you can't get both Marcus to LV 99 and still get the Excalibur II and everything else. Eiko will not have "perfect" stats if you don't raise him to LV 99, she'll simply have un-natural stats (because the glitch would only be partially exploited). If you can't do it all the way, it is better not to do it at all and get Eiko as she is meant to be. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13) I'm running late when compared to your target times, and my lateness keeps on increasing; what am I doing wrong? There are many things which can slow you down and cause you to run late. However, there are 6 main causes; they are: 1) you're playing the PAL version 2) you're playing on the PS1 3) you're not playing on the Fast Disc Speed setting of the PS2 4) you're having additional random encounters 5) you're taking too long navigating through menus 6) you're not fighing battles quickly enough If you're playing the PAL version, stop immediately and get the NTSC version; it is impossible to complete this challenge on the PAL version. If you're playing on the PS1, then your lateness may be natural, because you are accumulating fractions of seconds everytime the game loads something. The PS1 is simply slower than the PS2 or PS3. However, it is still possible to complete this challenge on the PS1, because these added seconds aren't enormous, and because the target times are rather exaggerated to begin with; many people have multiple minutes to spare as early as on Disc 1. It'll be tough, but you will make it if you are determined and settle only for the best runs. If you're playing on the PS2 and not using the Fast Disc Speed setting, then it's like playing on the PS1, making your experience unnecessarily difficult. Load times are longer and therefore add fractions of seconds to your time everytime something is loaded. Just turn on the Fast Disc Speed before loading the game and you should be fine as long as you don't play sloppily. As for the rest of the causes, the only solution is to try harder and practice. It's really not that difficult, with many people being multiple minutes ahead of the target times even on Disc 1. 1whoistornapart completed this challenge with an incredible 32 minutes to spare, so I'm sure you can at least complete it on time. Please keep in mind that your lateness should never increase by more than 15 to 30 seconds after circuits without battles, such as the circuits in Alexandria. Such circuits don't include any random factors, meaning everyone should complete them within approximately the same amount of time. Finally, the target times do end with around 10 minutes to spare, so you can accrue quite a huge lateness before it actually begins to endanger your chances of success. Take this into account when evaluating your situation. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14) I don't want to go killing myself over the target times. What are the best places to use up those 10 minutes in order to make things a bit easier on myself and save my sanity? First of all, you should NEVER use up all 10 of those minutes, for reasons already mentioned. 8 minutes at most is the safer and wiser choice. That said, if you're set on spending them, I would suggest using them as follows: + 1 minute during the swordfight + 1 battle in the Underground Storage Area + 1 minute in Gizamaluke's Grotto + 1 minute in Alexandria, Disc 2 + 1 battle on the Iifa Tree Roots + 1 battle in the Iifa Tree itself = 6 minutes I think those are the tightest and most reset-heavy circuits in the game, so those minutes should go a long way there in helping you complete them. I've still left you with 2 minutes for random latenesses; allocate them as you wish. I focused on Discs 1 and 2 because Discs 3 and 4 are comparatively easy and not as luck-reliant. However, I still think you should keep those 10 minutes for yourself for as long as possible because you really don't know how you'll do in upcoming circuits. Those that may have always been easy for me may be very difficult for you. Furthermore, having such a large lateness is rather demoralizing and discomforting, while having those minutes as back-up is motivating and provides you with a strong sense of security. Finally, the longer you keep those extra minutes, the easier your game becomes since you have more of them to spend on a lesser number of circuits. The sooner you spend them, the less flexibility you leave for yourself as you go on, which makes your game progressively harder. I personally prefer the former over the latter. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15) You're not answering my e-mail! I hate you! Although I try to check my e-mail and visit the GameFAQs message boards regularly, it might happen that I will be busier in the future than I am now. If I'm not answering your question, create a topic on the FFIX message board on GameFAQs; there are many knowledgeable people there and there's always someone willing to help. If in doubt, check the FAQs; you can find almost everything there if you look hard enough. And when I say to check the FAQs, I also mean THIS one; double-check because everything you need to know is in this guide. =============================================================================== * CREDITS * =============================================================================== -Thanks to MorbidDesire and Stunning SteveAustin for their support and assistance during the first stages of this project, without which this guide and this challenge may never have become reality. Testing this challenge with you was not only productive, but very enjoyable. In particular, thanks go out to Stunning SteveAustin for the emulator FMV-skipping technique. This guide would not have turned out the way it has without you guys and it was a pleasure working with both of you! Hope to meet you again on the message boards! -Thanks to everyone who contributed to the making of this challenge and this guide during its many stages and versions, be it directly or indirectly. Whether it was through proofreading, commenting, testing or participating in one of the many message board discussions, you've all done something to make this guide what it is today. In particular, thanks go out to: 1whoistornapart fphjr01 phileasbu Terence AtmaChild Gwendal Ramina thrende big_kake Ins1ghtful rebirth flame 2002 themostlazyone Cicatriz_ESP InvncblGrlnd SoftReset TimeSpaceMage CrAckLeT LivingLegend17 Spinner 8 wpot Ekke Master Vivi SteelShades zarathustra47 Essentia No End Subwoffersicecream ZealotBoy ffixcrazyfan Non Applicable Tarissky -Thanks to 1whoistornapart for inspiring me to test the Level 1 Game during this challenge with his enormous 20 minute lead at the end of the game. If it wasn't for him, we'd still be playing the "bootleg" Level 1 Game! Thanks also for the modified Tantarian strategy, and for proof-playing the Level 1 Game and getting a large lead then, too. Thank you also for helping other players with this challenge and responding to their posts when I didn't have the time. Finally, THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEOS! They rock! -Thanks to AtmaChild for informing me of Mosh's whereabouts on Disc 4, for the alternate method for evading the Alexandrian Soldiers by the cage, for realizing that Observatory Mountain must be visited in order for it to appear on the World Map, for reminding me about the hidden save point after Tiamat, and for the set-ups for Zidane Path C, Vivi and Strength-Oriented Quina. -Thanks to big_kake for finding a way to avoid the EXP gained in Mount Gulug in Version 3, for suggesting to perform an additional round of the Cotton Robe trick on Disc 2 in order to lessen the gil strain, for the alternate Masked Man strategy, for the Ark preparation strategy, for showing Charge! to be a very powerful move and for proof-playing the Level 1 Game. -Thanks to Cicatriz_ESP for finding 3 enormous errors in the guide, namely the mistakes made in the bought quantities of Bandana and Zorlin Shape, and the idea that BASE Stat-ers can gain EXP whenever they want. Also, thanks for reminding me to mention the stat problems caused by Blank and Marcus, for the information concerning the Duel Claws from Deathguise and the Dark Matter and Pumice from Ozma, and for letting me know that I forgot to include the Ozma Card in the Treasure Locations section. -Thanks to CrAckLeT for coming up with a way for slim-line PS2 users to skip FMVs; they wouldn't have been able to complete this challenge without a cheat device otherwise. -Thanks to Ekke for being the first person to send me comprehensive feedback and corrections after finishing this challenge; I would have never picked up on all the little omissions he/she found. In particular, thanks for the dialogue skipping information, the idea to change the button configuration during the Hippaul Racing mini-game and for pointing out to use Epitaph for preparing the party for the battle against Ark. -Thanks to Essentia for discovering a faster way through Madain Sari. -Thanks to Ins1ghtful for proposing a more effective way to collect the items in the Cleyra's Trunk circuits, and for pointing out an error in the items to be collected. -Thanks to No End for his Max Stats Guide; the formulae and lists were useful for creating stat strategies. -Thanks to Non Applicable for testing how long it takes to get 1000 jumps in the Jump Rope mini-game. -Thanks to phileasbu for suggesting to end the Masked Man battle by knocking everyone in order to increase the number of Steal attempts and thus the chance of getting the Mage Masher. -Thanks to Ramina for not being afraid to ask questions about this challenge and thus helping to filter out many errors which had snuck into the guide. -Thanks to rebirth flame 2002 for his Battle Mechanics Guide and his Monster FAQ; I used both of them extensively when planning battle strategies. -Thanks to SoftReset for proving how long it takes for the timer to overflow. -Thanks to Spinner 8 for correcting the location of one of the Ores in Cleyra. -Thanks to SteelShades for proposing the BASE Stat idea; it's an interesting alternative solution to the stat dilemma. -Thanks to SubwoofersIcecream for continually revising the set-ups I and contributors came up with, without whom we would probably be implementing inferior set-ups. In particular, thank you for the current set-ups for Steiner, Eiko and Amarant, the alternate set-ups for Zidane, Garnet and Freya, and the Magic-Oriented and Balanced set-ups for Quina. -Thanks to Tarissky for correcting the mistake concerning the direction in which the Cleyran Oracles should be led during the invasion of Cleyra. -Thanks to Terence for investigating how long it takes for the timer to overflow and for discovering FFIX's stat system in the first place. -Thanks to themostlazyone for bringing up the issue of the Marcus/Eiko bug, which required clarification, and for an alternate set-up for Freya. Thank you also for testing the Jump Rope mini-game and finding out that 9,999 is not the highest number of attainable jumps. -Thanks to zarathustra47 for proof-reading Version 1 once it came out and informing me of all the little mistakes which eluded my attention. -Thanks to ZealotBoy for correcting the mistakes I made with the projected values in the Perfect Stats section, as well as the miscalculations I made in Steiner's set-up. -Thanks to CJayC for creating GameFAQs and hosting this guide. -Thanks to my mom for making sure that I didn't starve in front of my laptop writing this guide. -Thanks to my cat, Kichow, for keeping me company while I wrote this, and for always being curious as to what I was writing. -Thanks to Squaresoft for creating Final Fantasy IX. =============================================================================== * VERSION HISTORY * =============================================================================== ------------ VERSION 1: ------------ * Initial release of this guide ------------ VERSION 2: ------------ * Completed Section I: Max Stats * Corrected some spelling and formatting errors ------------ VERSION 3: ------------ * Added ASCII art * Added Notice to PAL Gamers * Added Section C: The Problem of Max Stats * Added Section M: Version History * Added Section N: Copyright * Added some questions to Section K: Frequently Asked Questions * Rewrote Section A: Introduction * Rewrote sub-section "Complete a "Bootleg" Level 1 Game" under Section B: Main Goals of this Challenge * Introduced the Quick Find feature for all the circuits of the walkthrough * Introduced a completely new set of target times * Proof-read and proof-played the entire walkthrough; found and corrected a few contradictions and errors which appeared as a result of it being based on 2 separate runs * Incorporated some reader contributions into the guide * Edited the equipment to be used for AP gains and made it clear when specific abilities should be mastered * Lowered Zidane's ending LV from 40 to 32 by introducing a way to avoid the EXP distributed in Mount Gulug * Corrected many of the projected values, as well as the set-ups for Steiner and Eiko, in Section I: Max Stats * Introduced better max stat set-ups for Freya and Quina in Section I: Max Stats * Improved some boss strategies * Improved the formatting of the guide ------------ VERSION 4: ------------ * Incorporated a Level 1 Game into the challenge * Introduced a completely new set of target times * Rewrote or deleted all passages dealing with the "bootleg" Level 1 Game * Corrected some mistakes concerning the bought quantities of some of the missable items * Incorporated some reader contributions into the guide * Redesigned the Table of Contents * Redesigned the Disc Number headers * Clarified how to use the Max Stats section and replaced most of the old set-ups with better ones submitted by contributors * Extended my commentaries in the Max Stats section * Rewrote the Frequently Asked Questions section * Introduced a way for slim-line PS2 and PS3 users to play this challenge even if they can't skip FMVs ------------ VERSION 5: ------------ * Rewrote The Problem of Max Stats section and included various stat paths for players to choose from * Added the Choosing a Stat Path section * Rewrote the Max Stats section and changed its name to Perfect Stats * Expanded the Treasure Locations section * Rewrote the Frequently Asked Questions section * Arranged the credits in alphabetical order ------------ VERSION 6: ------------ * Added the Video Assistance section, which links to 1whoistornapart's playlist of videos, the official supplement to this guide * Introduced a way for slim-line PS2 and PS3 users to skip FMVs * Introduced better stat set-ups for Zidane, Vivi and Quina * Incorporated some reader submissions into the guide =============================================================================== * COPYRIGHT * =============================================================================== This document is Copyright © 2005-2007 Piotr Matl and is the intellectual property of the aforementioned author. It may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. The Final Fantasy IX "Excalibur II + Perfect Game Guide" Copyright 2005-2007 © Piotr Matl =============================================================================== * END OF DOCUMENT * ===============================================================================