DISC 3 Balamb Garden Magazines: Weapons Monthly July (Training Center), Combat King 003 (Balamb Hotel) Squall is watching over Rinoa in the infirmary when Quistis summons him to the 3F bridge. Once there, form a party of 3 (sans Rinoa) and pilot Balamb Garden southwest towards Edea’s Orphanage. Before deboarding, pick up the July issue of Weapons Monthly from the Training Center. It appears as a little brown package on the ground so it’s not easy to spot. You’ll find it just beyond the left gate. If you’ve been a frequent visitor to the Library with Zell, visit Balamb City; a random event might transpire, where Zell has a guest waiting for him at the Hotel. Spend the night there to receive a copy of Combat King 003. Edea’s Orphanage Draw Points: Curaga Magazines: Timber Maniacs Rare Cards: Edea (Edea), Seifer (Cid) The forests outside the Orphanage are home to a variety of interesting creatures, such as Grand Mantis (steal Sharp Spikes), Blitz (drops Betrayal Blades or Dynamo Stones) and Geezards (Screws). Ruby Dragons can also be found, but they’re extremely rare. If you’re lucky enough to meet one, mug it for Inferno Fangs, which can be used to teach Quistis Fire Breath. Enter the building and pick up a copy of Timber Maniacs on the floor before following Cid to the beach. Once there, Edea apologizes and reveals that she was under the control of Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future. When she finishes talking, try to leave. Frustrated that there’s no current way to help Rinoa, Squall returns to Balamb Garden. [Note that Edea holds her own card and Cid holds Seifer’s.] Balamb Garden Take the elevator to 1F and visit Rinoa in the Infirmary. Once there, you’ll be taken to the ‘dream world.’ Select a character to play Kiros and off you go… Laguna Dream Sequence - Trabia Canyon Enemies: Ochu, Mesmerize, Bite Bug, Gayla, Ruby Dragon Laguna has taken up a job as a B-movie actor wherein he plays a knight protecting a maiden from a dragon. While Kiros and Ward are supposed to play the dragon, the beast that approaches is the real deal. There are two methods to get past this mini-game: Method 1: Tap the [Attack!] button once to have Laguna swing his blade then assume a defensive stance. After Laguna parries the blow, have him attack again. Keep repeating this attack/defend pattern until Laguna emerges victorious. Method 2: Mash away at the [Attack!] button to have Laguna continually slash the Ruby Dragon and cut off any attempt to retaliate. You may have to block occasionally, but it isn’t hard if you’ve got quick fingers. Once Laguna is reunited with his companion, choose the 2nd option to retreat to a Save Point on the left. Junction your party and save. Before confronting the Ruby Dragon, you might want to try finding an Ochu. Fighting them allows you to steal Ochu Tentacles, which are necessary for upgrading Quistis’ weapon to the Red Scorpion. The Ochu has a tendency to rob you of magic spells, so be careful. They are found on the same screen as the Ruby Dragon... it’s a pretty small space so make sure you don’t run into the Dragon by accident. Once you do, you can’t go back to find the Ochu. BOSS >> RUBY DRAGON HP: Varies Weakness: Ice, Holy Strength: Fire, Wind AP: 14 Draw: Aero, Firaga, Demi Strategy: Summon Diablos repeatedly for an easy kill. This creature isn’t too hard to take down. Plunder an Inferno Fang from it to teach Quistis Fire Breath or use it for Selphie’s 3rd weapon, the Crescent Wish. After the battle, you’ll get Ruby Dragon’s Card and see Laguna looking for Ellone at the Orphanage. Balamb Garden / Edea’s Orphanage Once Squall wakes up, return to the Orphanage and ask Edea for information. She recalls that Ellone was taken aboard the White SeeD and presents Squall with a letter to give to the ship’s captain. Centra Region - White SeeD Ship Draw Points: Holy Magazines: Timber Maniacs Rare Cards: Shiva (Zone), Angelo (Watts) Travel to a group of islands north of the Orphanage. Ignoring the 3 western cliffs that jut out into the open sea, you’ll find the remaining islands form a broken ring around a patch of water. The White SeeD is located within this ring near the southwestern cliffs. You may need to shift your camera angle to actually spot the ship. Once located, move Balamb over to it and board. The crew refuses to let Squall have an audience with their leader, but they won’t stop you from exploring the ship. Head forward to meet up with Watts, who is standing near a Save Point. After greeting him, Zone enters and scolds Squall for not taking better care of Rinoa. When he leaves, talk to Watts again to get more information then head upstairs. Grab the final issue of Timber Maniacs from the floor near Zone then speak to him multiple times, until he notices you have a copy of Girl Next Door. Give it to him for free to receive a Rename Card and Shiva’s Card. Afterwards, take the stairs back down to Watts and continue east to get to the leader’s cabin. Use the Holy DP there then talk to the Leader. He tells Squall that Ellone is no longer on the ship. Speak to him again to trigger a flashback scene showing Ellone being taken to Esthar. After the flashback, you’ll automatically be back on Balamb Garden. Balamb Garden Speak to Quistis on the 3F Bridge to learn that Esthar is only accessible via the bridge at Fishermans Horizon. Proceeding to Esthar means you won’t be able to visit the other places on the map for quite a while. Below are a few optional events you might want to tackle before moving the story any further. Centra Ruins {optional} GFs: Tonberry Head northeast from Edea’s Orphanage to the Centra Ruins (where you fought Odin). Take Squall and Quistis along, and have one or both at critical status in order to use limit breaks. Head for the 3rd screen (the one with the Tonberry statue in the center of a circular platform). Once there, start taking out as many Tonberries as you can. You’ll gain 0 EXP (and Chef’s Knives) for your efforts, but after the 20th Tonberry you kill, there’s a chance of meeting the Tonberry King. This guy seems to appear randomly, so you might have to rack up quite a few dead Tonberries before actually meeting him. You don’t really have to take down 20 of them in one shot; you can always head outside to save before continuing. OPTIONAL BOSS >> GF TONBERRY KING HP: 90,000+ Weakness: Strength: AP: 20 Draw: Death, Curaga, Full-life Strategy: Draw a few Full-life spells from him then cast Meltdown and unleash Squall’s Limit Break. He should be dead by then. Just watch out for his magic spells and heal/revive as necessary. Once defeated, you’ll get GF Tonberry. Chocobo Forests {optional} GFs: Boko the Chocobo (Gysahl Greens) Rare Cards: Chicobo Chocobo Forests are dome-shaped forests found on the Trabia and Centra continents. There are 6 regular ones. The 7th (called Chocobo Sancutary) is located in Grandidi Forest on the northeastern cliffs of the Overworld—you’ll have to ride a chocobo from the Trabia region across shallow waters to get to it. It’s pretty well camouflaged. The forest in which the Chocobo Sanctuary is hidden houses 2 powerful enemies: the Malboro and the Hexadragon. If you feel daring, mug some Red Fangs from the Hexadragon and Malboro Tentacles from the Malboro before escaping. You’ll need to get a ChocoSonar and ChocoZiner from the boy who appears within Chocobo Forests. First, equip the ChocoSonar. At specified spots, the ChocoSonar will respond (watch the red bar) when you tap the [X] button. Equip the ChocoZiner, and blow it for a small chocobo to fall down. Blow again to have it return. You’ll have to do this until there’s only a single, small chocobo left on the screen (there may be multiple chicobos in each forest). Talk to it to get a big Chocobo to appear. If you happen to activate the ChocoZiner where the sonar shows no response, your equipment will be snatched by a chicobo. Buy it back from the Chocoboy for 700 gil. Alternatively, you can ask the kid to summon a big Chocobo for you for 1,200 gil, but note that every time you get the big Chocobo to appear by yourself, you’ll receive a Pledge of Affection (allowing you to find stones hidden in the ground using the ChocoZiner). Collect all 6 of them (one from each forest) and present them to the chocobos in the Chocobo Sanctuary to get a Chicobo Card. Here are the locations of the Chocobo Forests: West of Trabia Garden Northeast of Trabia Garden (here’s where you should ride a chocobo to get to the Chocobo Sanctuary) Northwest of the Shumi Tribe Village Northeast of the Centra Ruins East of Edea’s Orphanage South of Kashkabald Desert These adorable creatures are pretty fast on their feet. Also, you won’t encounter enemies while riding on a chocobo. Incidentally, you can purchase Gysahl Greens from the chocoboy, which allow you to summon Boko in battle. They’re not very strong though - their Choco Fire damages a single opponent for a measly 500+. If you don’t feel like doing this event now, you can leave it until you’ve acquired the airship Ragnarok, which will be later on in the game. CC Group {optional} Rare Cards: MiniMog, Carbuncle, Leviathan, Gilgamesh After Squall wins 15-20 Card Battles in Balamb Garden, the Card Club Quest becomes available. Now you can do Card Battle with various members of the CC Group in Balamb Garden. Here are their locations and the order in which you should challenge them (some appear randomly. If they’re not where they should be, try leaving the area and re-entering): Jack He wanders around the Garden Directory Board on 1F. Club He wanders the northern regions of 1F. Diamond Two girls both stop to chat at the Directory Board. Spade A man near the lift on 2F. He doesn’t appear too often. Heart Xu on 3F Command Bridge. King Speak with Nida after defeating Xu, then talk to Dr. Kadowaki at the infirmary using [Square]. Head for Squall’s cabin and ask your companions to leave you alone. Choose to rest, and during the night, King will appear randomly. If you fail to win, you can have a rematch on the 3F Bridge. Joker In the Training Center or near the Blizzard DP after you defeat Jack. He also sells items. If you haven’t won it already, the kid in blue circling the 1st floor holds the MiniMog Card. Fishermans Horizon / Esthar Station Pilot Balamb Garden over to FH. Once there, have Squall go to the Infirmary to get Rinoa. While carrying her, walk east along the crane walkway until Squall moves forward automatically. When you regain control of Squall on the bridge, speak to the sleeping Rinoa. Afterwards, the party regroups near the train tracks. Talk to Edea, who tells Squall to meet Professor Odine in Esthar. She will be playable at this point, but don’t bother raising her stats as she will only be with the group temporarily. Head off into the background. Esthar Region / Great Salt Lake Enemies: Mesmerize, Malboro, Vysage, Lefty, Righty Draw Points: Meteor, Thundaga When you reach the Overworld, head east towards the dry lake. Once inside, select a party and move north. In the next area, run up the head of the fossil on the right and follow the path to a Meteor DP. Use it then cross over the bone bridge on the left. Use the Thundaga DP here then continue forward to the edge of the cliff. Choose to jump off. Head north to the next screen. Once there, move west until you reach a big crevasse. Passing by it wakes up the tenant below. BOSS >> ABADON HP: 17,010 Weakness: Holy, Heal Strength: ? AP: 40 Draw: Curaga, Esuna, Dispel, Flare Strategy: Abadon is undead so cast Life on it for an instant kill or take time to draw some spells while casting curative magic on it. If you have Leviathan’s Recover ability, use it to inflict 9,999 worth of damage in one shot. Once Abadon is defeated, head northeast. Examine the strange, electronic barrier in front of you to uncover an opening in mid-air. Climb up to it. Esthar City Continue forward until you reach a device on the left. Play around with it to see various shield tests then enter the door beyond. Go inside the elevator room. When it stops, move towards the back and watch a nice FMV introducing the capital city of Esthar. Once you reach the bottom, a high-pitched noise sends the group back to ‘dream world.’ Laguna Dream Sequence: Lunatic Pandora Laboratory Draw Points: Death, Double, Flare Enemies: Esthar Soldiers, Elastoid, Gesper Draw Points: Death, Double, Flare Magazines: Weapons Monthly First Issue (Lunatic Pandora Lab) As Laguna, talk to both Esthar soldiers to get things moving then speak with the Moomba and the worker until the soldier returns to fight you. After defeating him, Kiros and Ward arrive. Select the 1st option to junction them before facing the Gesper and 2 Esthar soldiers. Get rid of the Gesper first, before it removes any characters from battle with its Degenerator attack. Once they’re defeated, use the elevator on the right to reach the ground floor. Eavesdrop on Dr. Odine’s conversation with his assistants then head right to exit. Outside, you’ll find a Death DP next to the Save Point. After speaking with Dr. Odine’s Assistant, return to the Laboratory. Pick up the final (or First, really) issue of Weapons Monthly on the floor to the left of the entrance then take the elevator back down to the basement. Once there, Odine’s cronies try to kill you. Be sure to mug a Laser Cannon from the Elastoid, so Quistis can learn Homing Laser. After the fight, follow Dr. Odine to the elevator and ride it up to get back outside. Laguna’s crew confiscates a vehicle and rides it over to the doctor’s lab. Doctor Odine’s Laboratory Inside the lab, kill off a couple of enemy soldiers then use the Double DP near the back door. Save your game then examine the transport in the center of the room. Choose to sit down to be transported to the 2nd floor. Once there, use the Flare DP then enter the door. Fight a couple more soldiers then peer through the window in the back, which shows little Ellone trapped inside a room. Screw around with the blue panel on the right until you see a message saying the door is unlocked. Return to the 1st floor and enter the back door to rescue Ellone. Esthar City Draw Points: Double, Flare, Blizzard, Quake, Tornado, Curaga Magazines: Pet Pals Vol. 5 and 6 (Esthar Pet Store), Combat King 004 (Esthar Soldier) Occult Fans Vol. IV (Presidential Palace) ... plus almost any magazine, in fact Rare Cards: Ward (Dr. Odine) The party awakens to find a car waiting for them. Upon arriving at the Presidential Palace, Dr. Odine agrees to help if Rinoa is left behind for observation. [Odine holds Ward’s card, btw.] Speak to Odine’s Assistant, who suggests taking a look around the city before heading over to the Lunar Gate. Exit the room then move right down the hallway until you reach a transport pod. Ride it up to exit the Palace. Once on top, move forward until you reach the next screen. Esthar City is massive with many ways of reaching the same locations. The directions below are meant to give you an overview of different areas, but feel free to take optional routes. Your current goal is to learn how the city is laid out, as you will be moving through it later on a very tight time schedule. Starting at the entrance of the Presidential Palace, use the Blizzard DP then head west. Continue forward until you reach another transport pod. There a several pods like this one scattered throughout the city, offering shortcuts to different areas. Until you become familiar with the city, I suggest walking instead of using them – but I will note where each one takes you as a reference. The pod in front of you goes to Odine’s Lab via either the Air Station or Inner Skyway. Continuing west on foot brings you to a pod, which sits below a yellow tube. This one goes to Odine’s Lab or the Presidential Palace. There’s a short set of stairs on the right. Continue south until you reach another pod, which’ll take you to the Palace, City Entrance or Air Station. There are 3 paths to choose from here. Going south brings you to Odine’s Lab, which you can’t enter yet. Use the Quake DP in front of the guard then return to the previous pod area. Head west to a Save Point in the middle of the road. Note the green light that envelops it as you pass by. Continue past the Save Point to the next screen. The pod here goes to Odine’s Lab or the Presidential Palace and there are 2 more paths to choose from. Heading west takes you to the Air Station, which is temporarily closed, so take the northern path. In the next area, you should see a dog running around and have a choice of continuing north or heading east. Going north will take you back to the very first transport pod you saw (near the Palace) except you’ll be approaching it from a different path. Instead, head east from the dog area, onto an overpass that runs above the yellow tube you saw earlier. Continue heading east until you reach a group of locals taking in the view from the City’s Center. One of them mentions the Lunar Cry being inevitable. Another asks how you got to the city. If you tell her you walked, she’ll mention having friends in FH. Keep moving east until you reach a series of stairs. Use the Curaga DP on the right before heading down. At the bottom, you can either go north or south. Going north ultimately leads to a dead-end, though you can veer off before that to get back to the yellow tube area (you’ll pass another pod that travels to either the Palace or City Entrance, also). From the bottom of the staircase, head south to reach a T-intersection. Continuing forward takes you to the City Entrance where you can either rent a car or use the elevator to leave the city. For now, head right to get to the Shopping Mall. Use the Tornado DP in the lower left corner then move over to any shop to bring up a Store Directory menu. Some of the shops are open for business. Others are closed, but repeat visits will usually open them to purchase rare items, potions and tools. Here’s a list of the 6 Esthar stores and what they offer: 1. RinRin’s Pet Shop – Buy Pet Pals, Vol. 5 & 6 plus GF recovery items and scrolls 2. Cloud’s Item Shop – Stock up on potions and ammo 3. Johnny’s Item Shop – Currently closed, but come back later to buy rare potions 4. Don Juan’s Junk Shop – Upgrade your weapons here 5. Karen’s Book Store – Buy any magazines you don’t already have 6. Cheryl’s Store - Currently closed, but come back later to buy rare items & tools When you’re done shopping, board the nearby pod and ride to the City Entrance. Head south and either rent a car or step on the center platform to exit the city. Esthar Region Enemies: Bite Bug, Glacial Eye, Gayla (highways), Mesmerize, Malboro (fields) Move through the maze of paths (respresenting Esthar’s highway system) until you reach the outer field. If you check your map, you’ll find 4 new locations around Esthar City: the Lunatic Pandora Laboratory, Sorceress Memorial, Lunar Gate and Tears’ Point. The group is supposed to meet Dr. Odine at the Lunar Gate, which is east of Esthar City, but feel free to visit the other areas first. Save frequently while roaming the fields around Esthar, as you may come upon a few Malboros. Though rare, these creatures cast Bad Breath - a spell that causes every kind of status malady you can imagine to the entire party. Those who are not properly equipped against Confuse, Berserk, Poison, Silence, Slow, Darkness and/or Sleep will not last very long. If you encounter any and survive, make sure you steal Malboro Tentacles from them (ideally, 9) so Quistis can learn Bad Breath and upgrade her weapon, plus you’ll need 6 more to acquire a GF later on. Remember to cure your characters after the encounters. Tears’ Point {optional} Draw Points: Life, Reflect GFs: Doomtrain Tears’ Point is located southeast of Esthar City. Use the Life DP at the entrance then continue forward to the giant statue at the end. Once there, you’ll find a Reflect DP to the left and a small object on the ground to the right. Examine it to get the Solomon Ring. You’ll need 6 Malboro Tentacles, 6 Steel Pipes and 6 Remedy Pluses before you can use Solomon Ring from the Item menu. If you have them, you’ll receive GF Doomtrain. Lunar Gate Head northeast from Tears’ Point (or east from Esthar City) to get to the Lunar Gate. Enter the complex then follow the girl who says she’s been waiting for you. Angelo runs in and Squall assures the dog that Rinoa will be okay. Inside the chamber, follow the staff member to an orange capsule, where he’ll brief the party on their upcoming space journey. Zell volunteers to stay behind and look after Edea. Choose to trust him then form a party consisting of Squall, Rinoa and another companion (other than Zell and Edea). You won’t be doing much fighting up in space, so select whoever needs the least leveling up. Move Squall inside the capsule and watch the blast-off sequence. When you take control of Zell, exit the complex. Select a 3rd party member to join Edea and Zell - then head back to Esthar City (remember to junction everyone). Esthar City - Lunatic Pandora Invasion Enemies: G-Soldier, Elite Soldier, GIM52A Magazines: Combat King 004 (Esthar Soldier) Stock up on items before going to Dr. Odine’s Laboratory (which is 2 screens west of the City Entrance area) and make sure to save before entering. Once inside, ride the center elevator up to Dr. Odine, who explains that the Pandora will be passing over the city shortly. In order to board it, you must reach one of its 3 stopover locations within a certain period of time. Use the [Square] button to view the 3 locations: 15:00 - 12:00 It will take Pandora 5-8 minutes to reach the Center of Esthar 10:00 - 5:00 It will take Pandora 10-15 minutes to reach an intersection where 2 skyways meet 3:00 - 0:00 It will take Pandora 17-20 minutes to reach a road block, north of the Shopping Mall If you miss the first 2 stopovers and don’t reach the road block before time expires, you will not be able to board the Pandora. The timer starts as soon as you exit Odine’s Lab and you’ll be fighting several enemies as you go, so factor that in. The fastest route to the Center of Esthar is outlined below: Exit Odine’s Laboratory and move forward to the highway. Once there, head east 2 screens. At the City Entrance area, take the northern path (behind the transport pod). Climb the stairs on your left then head west towards a blue vehicle parked in the middle of the road. This is the Center of Esthar. Wait there until the Pandora arrives. When it does, defeat a couple of Galbadian soldiers then climb up to board it. Lunatic Pandora Enemies: G-Solider, Elite Soldier, GIM52A, SAM08G Draw Points: Curaga, Meteor, Holy, Confuse, Silence, Ultima GFs: Phoenix (Phoenix Pinion) Magazines: Combat King 005 What you did as Laguna way back in Disc 1 affects the areas accessible to you now. The following assumes you had Laguna trigger all the traps within the Centra excavation site: Use the Meteor DP then head up the stairs. Inside the lobby, use the Curaga DP then enter the blue elevator in the center. Once on top, continue forward until you reach a T-intersection. Take the left route. Head forward until you reach a red elevator. Before using it, head down the stairs on the bottom right. Move south until you reach a ladder. Descend to a Confuse DP. Enter the small alcove on the right and search for a hidden Love Love G potion. After receiving it, head west. Continue traveling west through the tunnel until you reach 3 metal doors. Look inside each of them to recieve gifts (they will be locked if you didn’t have Laguna tamper with the traps earlier). Starting from the right door: 1 Power Generator (lets Quistis learn Ray-Bomb), a Silence DP, and a Phoenix Pinion. Head further west to find a copy of Combat King 005 on the ground. Continue to the back of the cave and examine a hidden area to the left for an Ultima DP. Backtrack to the red elevator and use it to return to the Lobby. Once there, head left and board the green elevator. Use the Holy DP then enter the small alcove on the left a little further up. Search inside to get a Spd-J Scroll then continue heading north. Use the Save Point then head forward until you reach a fork in the road. Take the northern path. Once the party is kicked out, watch an FMV of the Pandora arriving at Tears’ Point. Lunar Base Draw Points: Meteor, Meltdown Rare Cards: Alexander (Piet), Laguna (Ellone) After Squall reaches the Lunar Dock, speak to Piet. While carrying Rinoa, follow Piet into the Med Lab on the left. Place Rinoa in the chamber behind him then save your game. Exit the Med Lab and keep moving forward, past the staircase, until you reach the Control Room. Once inside, examine the red panel in the upper-right corner before talking to Piet. Choose the 2nd option to learn that Ellone is on the 2nd floor. [Piet holds GF Alexander's card, but it'll take a while to win it due to the 'Random' rule here.] Leave the Control Room and go upstairs. Talk to the girl on the 2nd floor to learn more about Adel then continue south down the corridor. Enter the door at the end. Ellone will be inside the room, but before talking to her, you might want to initiate a Card Battle to try and win Laguna's Card from her. When refined, the card gives you 100 Hero potions. Afterwards, speak to Ellone. Once she agrees to take a look at Rinoa, leave the room and head back towards the Med Lab. When the alarm sounds, continue to the Med Lab to find Rinoa wandering the hall in a possessed state. Squall will be repelled if he tries to touch her, so simply follow her over to the Control Room. Once there, the possessed Rinoa uses the control panels to unlock Adel’s seal. After she leaves, check the red panel to see that the Lunar Cry has begun. Leave the Control Room and go upstairs. Watch an FMV then enter the Locker Room, which is across from the viewing window. Examine the locker in the upper right corner so that Squall changes into his astronaut suit. Enter the door on the lower left then move into the foreground. After the air lock shuts, float back to the Locker Room. Exit and return to the Control Room. Speak with everyone inside, ending with Ellone. Watch an FMV of Adel coming out of hibernation then head right to reach an elevator. Ride it down to the escape pod room. Use the save point then speak to Ellone. Enter the unoccupied pod when the room starts to shake. Escape Pod Watch a series of flashbacks showing Rinoa’s memories, ending with Squall deciding to save Rinoa. Climb up the ladder and go out into space. Watch a few cut-scenes showing Squall trying to reach Rinoa. When prompted, use the d-pad to have Squall reach Rinoa before his oxygen runs out. Continually adjust your point of view to keep Rinoa in the center of the screen. If Squall reaches her before the timer hits zero, the two will be reunited. Enjoy a sweet FMV showing the couple boarding the Ragnarok airship. Ragnarok Airship – Alien Hunt Enemies: Propagator Draw Points: Life, Cura, Full-life Check the panel on the left to close the airlock then head forward through the green door. After Rinoa asks Squall for a hug, continue north until you spot a giant purple alien roaming around below. There are 8 aliens on board the Ragnarok - a pair of yellow, red, green and purple ones. You must kill 2 of the same color consecutively or they will regenerate. The aliens attack the moment they spot you, so you have to be quick to dodge them. Junction Squall & Rinoa then head forward and go down the stairs on the right. Fight the 1st purple alien below. BOSS >> PROPAGATOR HP: 3,800 Weakness: Strength: Thundara, Silence AP: 5 Draw: Thundaga, Esuna, Life, Curaga Strategy: All of the aliens share the same statistics so fight each the same way. They are very quick and like to cast Thundara, Silence and Blind, so be well protected from those spells. If both Squall and Rinoa have high Strength parameters, the fights will be relatively effortless. If you run low on health, cast Sleep on the aliens to buy some time then draw & use Curaga to heal. After the fight, go through the big, circular doorway in the back of the room. Avoid the red alien inside and dash through the door on the left. Kill the purple alien there then return to the previous room and defeat the red alien. Head south, back to where you fought the 1st purple alien, and climb the stairs. Fight a red alien on the walkway above. Go back downstairs and enter the small door to the right of the big, circular one. Inside, you’ll find a green alien. Use the Save Point in the back of the room when you’re done with him (return here later to find a Full-life DP also). Head south then move 2 screens west to find a green alien sitting on a platform. Kill him then enter the door on the left. A yellow alien charges as soon as you step into the room. After defeating it, re-enter the room and examine the panel in the back. It tells Squall what you already know: defeat the eight aliens in pairs. Backtrack to where you first entered the Ragnarok to find your last yellow alien. After defeating it, return to the previous screen and head through the door next to the Life DP. Step on the platform in the middle to ascend. Inside the cockpit, Squall and Rinoa share an intimate moment. After Rinoa’s departure, return to the ship and enter the door on the left. Inside the Passenger Room, Squall is reunited with his colleagues. Once Quistis and Zell join you, leave the room and use the platform to ride up to the Bridge. Selphie is piloting the Ragnarok, which can land on practically any terrain with the exception of forests, water, and some cities. It doesn’t consume fuel either, so fly it all you want. For now, head to the Sorceress Memorial, which is northeast of your current location. Check your map if you get lost. Sorceress Memorial Enemies: Torama Draw Points: Stop Enter the complex and use the Stop DP on the left. Approach the Esthar guards, who let Squall in to see Rinoa one last time. Move through the Observation Room to the upper left corner. After rescuing Rinoa, leave the Memorial. Ragnarok Airship Back on the bridge, Rinoa suggests heading to Edea’s Orphanage but before going there, you may want to complete some optional events that have become available with the acquisition of the airship. Cactuar Desert {optional} Enemies: Cactuar GFs: Cactuar Locate a small island to the east of Kashkabald Desert on the Centra continent. You’ll see a Cactuar randomly appearing and disappearing on this island. Land the Ragnarok and run over to confront it. BOSS >> GF JUMBO CACTUAR HP: 60,000 Weakness: Water Strength: ? AP: 20 Draw: Meltdown, Demi, Tornado Strategy: This guy has a few nasty attacks. It will slam itself down on your party (causing moderate damage to everyone) or use 10,000 Needles (damaging a single character for 10,000 HP) so have Phoenix Downs and Life spells at the ready. If Alexander has learned Revive, use that also. Junction Water to Elemental Attack, summon Leviathan, and cast Meltdown if you have it. If Squall gets killed, revive him but don’t heal him—his Renzokuken works well on the boss. After enduring a certain amount of damage, the Jumbo Cactuar will hesitate. When this happens, cease all weak attacks and finish it off quickly. Otherwise, it’ll run away and you’ll have to start all over again. Once defeated, you’ll acquire GF Cactuar. He offers a variety of Level-Up bonuses such as HP Bonus and Vitality Bonus. Junction him to someone who’s about to gain a level to make full use of these bonuses. Deep Sea Research Center, Part One {optional} Enemies: Bomb, Buel, Anacondaur, Blood Soul, Ruby Dragon GFs: Bahamut Rare Cards: Bahamut The Research Center is located out in the open seas in the southwestern corner of the world. Land your ship on it and make your way into the interior of the building. Inside, you’ll see a spinning blue light that goes on and off at random. Walk only when the light is turned off and keep inching your way towards the blue core. You’ll be forced into combat should you move with the lights on. Upon reaching the center, examine it and select the 1st option. You’ll get involved in 3 consecutive battles, starting with 2 Ruby Dragons. The Ruby Dragons have a Breath attack that can take away large amounts of HP if you’re not protected from Fire. Cast Meltdown and have Squall unleash his Renzokuken. If they drop an Inferno Fang, use it on Quistis so she can learn Fire Breath. Using GF Tonberry’s Level Down ability also helps. After defeating the first one, re-examine the core and select the 2nd option for another fight with a Ruby Dragon. You’ll begin this one with your backs turned, so be careful. If you’re lucky, Odin will step in to help. Examine the panel again and pick the invisible 3rd option. BOSS >> BAHAMUT HP: 65,000 Weakness: Blind Strength: Poison, Thunder, Wind AP: 40 Draw: Flare, Curaga, Full-life, Dispel Strategy: Bahamut has a pretty high offensive rating and if you take too long to defeat him, his Mega Flare will take away roughly 4,000 HP from everyone. Minimize damage with Protect and Shell. Bahamut is weak against Blind. Cast Meltdown and use Aura on Squall to prompt his Renzokuken. Once defeated, you’ll acquire GF Bahamut, plus his card. Leave the Research Center and talk to everyone (especially Zell) once you’re back on the Ragnarok. If you like, head to the nearest town (Winhill) to stock up on items, spells, save and re-organize your party (bring Zell along for the next part). Deep Sea Research Center, Part Two {optional} Enemies: Bomb, Behemoth, Grendel, Tri-Face, Imp, Blue Dragon, Ruby Dragon, Iron Giant Draw Points: Triple, Dispel, Ultima, Esuna GFs: Eden (Ultima Weapon) Rare Cards: Eden (Ultima Weapon) After you’ve spoken with everyone in the cockpit of the Ragnarok, re-enter the building. Use the Save Point next to the large hole in the ground where the blue core used to be. Descend the vine inside the hole. You’ll face a plethora of powerful enemies here. Should you choose to fight them, Tonberry’s Level Down ability will be helpful, along with Quistis’ Degenerator. Most of the enemies are weak against Sleep, so use it often. At the bottom, use the Dispel DP then examine the heap of metal in the lower left corner. Choose to have the computer explain the procedure for opening doors. You’ll learn that you need to distribute power units efficiently to access the lower levels. Spend 4 units now and use the hatch in the floor to go down to the next level. Once there, examine the terminal in front of the stairs. Spend 2 units of power to open another floor hatch and descend. On this floor, examine the terminal on the right and use 1 unit of power to open another hatch. [If Zell is in your party, you can ignore the computer on the left, which opens a door on the left.] Go down to the next level and use 1 unit of power on the computer there. Do the same thing on the next level then step on the floor plate to descend to Level 6. When you reach the bottom floor, examne the machine in the center of the room. Choose to have Zell take a look at it (2nd option). Enter the gate on the left and move forward until you reach a Save Point. Use a Triple DP along the way and continue winding down until you get to the very bottom of the island. Use Siren’s Move-Find ability to locate a hidden Save Point then examine the red computer panel on the right. BOSS >> ULTIMA WEAPON HP: 100,000 Weakness: ? Strength: Earth AP: 100 Draw: Regen, Dispel, Ultima, GF Eden Strategy: Draw GF Eden from it right away. Apart from having a ridiculously high offensive rating, the Ultima Weapon’s Light Pillar attack can take away 9,999 HP from a single member, so keep those Phoenix Downs at the ready. When it’s not using Light Pillar, the Ultima Weapon uses Gravija, Quake, and Meteor. Cast Meltdown on it, followed by Aura on Squall so that he can unleash his Renzokuken. Have your remaining members act as healers and if you can spare a few turns, draw some Ultima spells from the boss. After the fight, you’ll get GF Eden, 100 Ultima Stones and Eden’s card. Eden will be your only GF that’s capable of doing 5-digit damage. It also has a quirky little ability called Devour. When consumed, certain enemies yield status bonuses such as Strength +1 (i.e. the T-Rexaur). Save and backtrack to the exit. Shumi Tribe Village Revisited {optional} Laguna’s statue should be completed by now. Talk to the Shumis and the fisherman from FH at the Workshop, followed by the Elder. Also, be sure to use the Ultima DP while you’re here. You won’t be able to re-enter the Shumi Tribe Village on Disc 4 (or any other town for that matter). UFO Sightings {optional} Enemies: UFO, PuPu Rare Cards: PuPu While traveling, you may have come across an invisible adversary, which is actually a UFO. Here are the 4 locations where you encounter this: - Along the eastern shores of the Timber continent (Mandy Beach) - Around the Winhill Bluffs region - The island east of Trabia Garden (Trabia Heath Peninsula) - In Kashkabald Desert (Centra region) The UFO appears even if you’ve got Encounter-None equipped. Use that party ability to speed up your search and to avoid unwanted battles. Once you’ve sighted it 4 times, go to the cliffs north of the Chocobo Sanctuary and Grandidi Forest. Land in the northeast and run around a bit to encounter the UFO. After defeating it, acquire at least 5 Elixirs (purchasable from Johnny’s Shop in Esthar or by using Alexander’s Medicine Level Up ability to further refine 10 Remedy Pluses). Once you have them, head to the Balamb region for another meeting with the UFO. Use the 5 Elixirs on PuPu to receive its card, which can be modified for a Hungry Cookpot then further refined via Siren’s Tool RF ability to obtain a Shaman Stone. Finally, use Eden’s GF Ability Med. RF to get a Rosetta Stone (lets a GF learn Ability x4). You can choose to kill it instead, but the reward isn’t as good (an Accelerator, which teaches a GF the Auto-Haste ability). Islands Closest to Heaven & Hell {optional} Enemies: Chimera, Grendel, Malboro, Hexadragon, Blue Dragon, Ruby Dragon, T-Rexaur Draw Points: Aura, Full-life, Tornado, Quake, Flare, Meteor, Holy, Ultima, Triple The Heaven Island is located northeast of esthar, near the Chocobo Sanctuary. The Hell Island is located to the southwest of Deling City. Both islands hold hidden DPs, which recover quite fast and should be your primary source of high-class spells in FF8. However, the enemies you’ll find here will always be at Level 100. Equip Diablos’ Encounter-None ability for an easier time picking up spells. Timber Region: Obel Lake {optional} If you examine the lake north of Timber, Squall will be presented with 2 options: Throw a rock or hum. Hum to have a shadow in the lake talk to you. It’ll ask of Squall to locate a monkey. Head over to the forest west of Dollet and run around a bit until a message says the animal was sighted. You may need to keep pressing [X] for that to happen. Report back to the shadow in Obel Lake, who hints at the existence of 4 special rocks in the world. To get clues for the 4 rock locations, throw a rock in the lake until it bounces six times (this occurs randomly). Afterwards, hum for the shadow. The 4 locations are: - Along the shores of Balamb, find a rock with an inscription on it. - The tiny island to the east of Timber, north of the Horizon Bridge. - The cliffs south of Galbadia Garden (or what used to be the Garden). Land the Ragnarok on the cliff above the waterfall. Examine the ground above the waterfall. - The forest west of Dollet. Examine these locations with [X] to find the rocks. Each has it own unique inscription. When rearranged, you’ll get a message about a hidden treasure in the plains north of Esthar. Pilot your Ragnarok over there and comb the Mordred Plains (you can’t trigger this event unless you locate all 4 rocks first). There’ll be tons of talking stones here; try to locate a red one and go in the opposite direction it tells you to. Keep searching until you find a red stone that tells you, “The treasure is not here.” Examine the same area again to obtain a Three Stars item, which grants a GF the Expendx3-1 ability (use 3 spells in a row for the cost of only 1). If you need a hint, it’s located southeast of the plains, not too far away from the center. Apart from this event, the shadow will drop several other hints... one will be regarding another hidden treasure. Head for Eldbeak Peninsula, which is on Trabia, north of Balamb. Examine the tip of the peninsula to get an inscription: “TRETIMEASUREATMINOFFDEISLE.” Fly the Ragnarok over to Minde Isle, which is a small island southwest of Esthar City. Search the southern regions of the island for a Luck-J Scroll. Edea’s Orphanage Rare Cards: Edea (Edea), Seifer (Cid) Have Rinoa in your party before entering. Once inside, follow Angelo to a field of flowers on the left. After the cut-scene, speak to Edea in front of the Orphanage. She tells the group to return to Esthar City. Esthar City – Meeting the President Enemies: Imp, Iron Giant, Turtapod, Imp, Elnoyle (rare) Rare Cards: Squall (Esthar President) Make your way into the city on foot or land the Ragnarok directly in Esthar. Look for a tall, circular building with a pad on top. After exiting the Air Station, head west. If you encounter an Elnoyle, steal Moonstones from it or defeat them when they’re at levels 40+ to acquire Energy Crystals. Both are essential items for weapon upgrading. Make your way over to to the Presidential Palace. After getting off the elevator pad, head left and enter the President’s private room. [If you’ve yet to visit Edea at her Orphanage, you won’t be allowed in.] When you finally meet the President of Esthar, you’ll have a choice of topics to ask him about. Select ‘What are you doing here?’ followed by the 1st choice to make him continue his story. You can choose the first option to move the plot quickly, but I suggest you take time to see what he has been up to for the past few years. [The President holds Squall’s card, quite possibly the best in the game. Be sure to win it from him.] When finished, the President volunteers to continue the briefing aboard the Ragnarok. The party is taken there automatically. Ragnarok On board, the Esthar President summarizes Dr. Odine’s plan. Re-enter the Passenger Deck after the briefing and talk to both Kiros and Ward, who drop clues about Squall’s parents. Afterwards, pilot the Ragnarok over to Lunatic Pandora, which is floating directly above Tears’ Point in the southeast. Entering the Pandora means proceeding to Disc 4, so you may want to do a bit of exploring beforehand to pick up any items you might have missed. Tears’ Point / Lunatic Pandora Enemies: Behemoth, Imp, Iron Giant, Torama, Turtapod Draw Points: Curaga, Meteor, Holy, Silence, Confuse, Ultima Bash into the Pandora using your airship to trigger an FMV. Afterwards, talk to Selphie (or whoever’s at the controls) to enter. Immediately upon entering, Raijin and Fujin challenge the party. BOSS >> RAIJIN HP: 22,200 Weakness: Poison Strength: Thunder AP: --- Draw: Thundara, Thundaga, Shell, Protect BOSS >> FUJIN HP: 17,900 Weakness: Poison Strength: Wind AP: 20 Draw: Aero, Curaga, Full-life, Tornado Strategy: Cast Blind on Raijin to halt his physical attacks, then dispose of him using Squall’s Renzokuken. Fujin likes to use support magic such as Haste on herself, so break it using Dispel. Watch out too for her Sai attack, which reduces a single member’s HP to 1. You can off her with Squall’s limit break rather easily. Eden, Doomtrain and Diablos work fine also. After the battle, head south. On the next screen, head northeast until you reach two old friends—Biggs and Wedge. Afte they leave, use the Save Point then enter the circular doorway to the left. Continue past the T-intersection until you reach the Lobby area. Take the green 01 elevator up to the next level. Follow the path until you reach another Save Point. Make preparations and save before heading north. BOSS x 2 >> LEFT PROBE / RIGHT PROBE HP: 9,000 x 2 Weakness: Thunder Strength: ? AP: --- Draw: Curaga, Demi / Curaga, Esuna BOSS >> MOBILE TYPE 8 BIS HP: 46,000 Weakness: Thunder Strength: ? AP: 40 Draw: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Flare Strategy: Cast Cerberus at the start to put the party in Triple status, so that a single person can heal everyone with Curaga. When the boss is in Mobile Weaponary Attack Mode, it’ll retaliate against all physical attacks aimed at the main body. Use Thundaga spells, Quezacotl and Eden during this period to damage it. When it changes to Support Weaponary Attack Mode it’ll launch Corona, which decreases everyone’s HP to 1. Use Triple (or a Megalixir) to heal everyone quickly or the upcoming Megido Flame will wipe out your weakened party. You can also draw Aura from the Left Probe and use it on Squall to unleash his Renzokuken to take the bugger down easily. Junction Thundaga to Elemental Attack for best results. You’re almost at a point in the game where there’s no turning back, so if you feel you’ve missed anything, head back outside and collect what you need. When ready, head forward to meet up with Seifer. BOSS >> SEIFER HP: 34,500 Weakness: Poison Strength: ? AP: 40 Draw: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Aura Strategy: If you have Odin, he’ll appear at the beginning of battle but fail to take Seifer out (Odin will be replaced by a much more versatile Gilgamesh at the end of the fight). Start off by drawing a few Aura spells from Seifer. If his physical prowess is giving you trouble, cast Protect on yourselves. Seifer will use his Bloodfest when his HP gets low, which causes significant amounts of damage, so watch out for it. You can dispatch him easily with a single Meltdown- Aura-Renzokuken combination though. Make sure to plunder either a Hero or Holy War from him before he goes down. Seifer will take Rinoa away after the battle so choose a replacement - but keep Rinoa’s HP, Vitality and Spirit parameters high. You’ll need her at optimum health later on. After junctioning Rinoa’s replacement, save and switch to Disc 4.