FINAL FANTASY.

Dl

Getting Started 2
Thr SIOfY ollvali(e l
Draffia!iS Pmonilc 6
IrldliOllshlll Flowlhilrt 16
The License Board 18
Gambits 29
EspeIs & Ouickenjngs. 44
Ewm 44
aui(k~mllgs 53
WalkthloUgh 60
Hunts, Side Quests & Secrets 224
Cldll Hun(~ & Pub Noll[C Boards lU
Espm 234
S~([t'(s l55
Weapons, Armor and Accessories . 262
Magicks & Technicks . 284
Items & Sundries 287
The Bazaar 288
Merchant Shops 295
Bestiary 304 Welcome to the fficial strategy guide for onc of the most breathtaking games not just of this year, but of any year. The universe introduced in FINAL FAN7YJSYXIl is huge, deep, beautiful, rich, and complex. TI1e quests are many, the foes fierce. As always. secrets and mysteries abound. Fortunately, you hold in your hands the ultimate insider's guide to that universe.

Using This Book JlV

OLIT guide has the level of help you need, whether what you seck is as simple as an overview map or as complex as an in-depth look at the intricacies of the games battle system.This guide provides a tcpby-step walkthrough of the maio story, a thorough guide to the game's myriad hunts, secrets, and side quests, and comprehensive data for all the enemies, items, equipment, magicks, and rechnicks,

Pe rhaps best of all. though, is that this guide provides an in-depth look at FINAL FANTASY XII's challenging new gameplay elements: licenses, gambits, and an all-new battle system. Before you dive into the main story Of tackle any side quests, make sure you check out the coverage of these important topics.

The Story of Ivalice 11t

A great era of peace and prosperity is fadillg. The stability bestowed upon Ivalice in the founding days of the Dynast- King b as been darkened by the IihW100d of war between empires. Rozarria and Archadi« seem destined to collide, crushing whatever stands between them.

Indeed, the Archadian push west toward Rozarria has already consumed Nabradia and its sibling sovereignty, the small, peaceful Kingdom of Dalrnasca. FINAL FAN7YJSY XIi opens with a quick glimpse of the last throes 0 pre-Imperial Dalmasca and its de perarc fight for freedom, followed by all equally desperate negotiation for peace. In tile opening tutorial mission. you participate in a final, fateful attempt to deliver land and king from the clutches of Archadian domination.

Fast forward twO years: ill the Dalmascan capital city of Rab an as tre , a new consul. Vayne Solider, son of the Archadian emperor, arrives wi tl1 a message of hope and renewal. for the citizens of that subjuga ted land. However. his silver-tongued speech doesn't fully convince Vaan, an orphaned street boy who sees the Empire as a thieving buUy that has robbed his country of wealth and dignity.

Vaan dreams of escape, seeing his future in the skies as a sky pirate. Fir t, though, he wants some measure of revenge. His bold attempt to infiltrate the Royal Palace during the consul's inaugural fete to take back s me of the treasure that belongs to Dalmasca leads Vaan traighr into the clasp of a de tiny none could foresee.It is a destiny that includes an exhilarating adventure in tile company of pirates. a princess, and a great fallen Knight of tile Order. As such, the tale begins.

Races of Iva lice '1/

Some call it the race or "dominance." Many [-JUIn':s have an abiding attraction ttl power, much more so than the other races of Ivalicc. The Humes insatiable will to p<Mer could be a cause of the rising fury that threatens to consume Ivalice.

However, the race's deep-seared curiosity and desire for knowledge ha driven the creation of innovative ways and technologies. Sophisticated and stable internal political systems, stunning and nuanced architecture, and the dogged pursuit of a better, more secure life are the culmination of the Hume race,

VIERA

To the Viera. seclusion is a WIly of life, a given. This nubile race has avoided all polidcal and cultural contact with Humes and other races for hundreds of years. The timeline of their unique history seems uneventful, in an almost monastic way. Over the ccnruries, the Viera have never migrated beyond the tangled interiors ef the forbidding central forests of Ivalice,

Why? Because the Viern see themselves as an inextricable part of "the \"ood," almost as a biological component of a greater being. They have long considered interaction with the: outside world to be agail1st the will of the Wood. 'Ihose rare Viera who do leave the forest becerne objects of contempt within their race. However, the imperial conflagrations of recent years, with much of the great forest bu.mt and village lost.have awakened many more Viera to doubts about their tradition of seclusion.

Long Ell,.. Prominent, highly sensitive listening organs. Worthy of their name "forest hunters," Viera can detect even the most subtle sounds.

Silver Heir. There Is no Indlvldual hair color In the Viera race, as all Viera have sliver hair. Those tew who migrate into the world of Humes, tllough. often dye their locks.

Feet. Viera have pointed feet. These unique appendaqes make stiletto heels the best footwear [or maintaining balance

Moogles have a great tradition of expertise in the area of engineering. as the race has long relied On the clever development of machines, An obvious adaptation to their small size, this mechanical skill puts them on equal terms with other races. In particular, Moogles excel at the creation and maintenance of airships, although the}' an: vcry adept at other types of technology

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Pom-Pom. A flUffy lur-MII headplecets the trademark of Ihe Moogle race. Each individual Moogle has iis own color 01 Pom-Pom

WIngs,

Small wings, nol unlike those of a bat Due to the near-vestigial quality of these wings, only a few Moogles can use them to fly

Hands.

Deft, dexterous, highly skilled hands are perfect lor delicate. tsehnlcal work or playing instruments, MOogle musicians often provide accompaniment for public ceremonies or parades.

Buagaa body color has many different hues. At one rime, rnany believed that these colors determined the. personality and phy:;ical abilities of e-ach B"rI.gaa. For example, the yellow skinned "'Rugua Bun!¥,~" was said to be friendly and intdligenr, while.a blue ~l4nocd "Fierce Baogaa'' displayed a strong sense ofjustice and great physi",1l prowess. The rei! "Bj~ta Bangaa" and the steel gmy "Sanga Bangaa" featured other ~o~i~tI traits of note, However, (0<1.1.)' there areso rnany Banwa ofmixed blood th~! this theory doesn't apply anymore.

FIICB. Hilllliy repl1liao facial features wilh tiny eyes. Because Bangai! don't rely much on their eyesight, some of them actually sport blindfolds as a fashion statement!

Hanging Ears. The cnaractertstln Bangaa ears are split ill two and droop downwards. Some individuals have short ears. Ihough -.

Physicsl Frame. Always big and brawny. Even ascetic Bangaa monks are blessed with considerable brawn!

SEEn

The Seeq are a more primitive race, 'Ihe)' don't wear much cluthing and display little in the w ":1)' of in rellecrual curioairy; Wh"t they do display is n passion for "shiny things", like jewels and gold, that they love to drape across their bodies. In [he eyes of most other races, Seeq exhibit somewhat poor fashion taste and often end lip looking unbalanced and, well, comical,

1he S ee'l also 11 avc a srron g in re rest in th e acquisi ti on o f gil. Becaus e of til ei r fairly low in tellcct, simple perscnali ties, and penchan r to imrnediarely spend wharevcr gil they get their hands on, very few Seeq ever achieve si!,'"I1ifiC:'lDt financial success,

Mouth.

With Its upturned nose and narrow oral cavity, the Seeq struggles mightily with verbal pronunciation. Saeq cannot speak quic~ly and rarely talk for long periods of time.

Sklf! Color.

Althoug'h there were orTglnally only three Seeq skin colors (mauve, light yellow and orange), Ihalnterbreoolng 01 Seeq with these skin types has created greater variation.

Physical Frame. Seeq have strong and' stable frames that are capable 01 b.rlnging power 10 bear Quickly. Females have a slightly different frame than males.

Guest Party Members '!I/

Vossler

York Azelas

A captain of the Dalmascan Order of Knights and sworn protector of Princess Ashe.

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5 211-228 28-36 29 '22. ~1 24

10 323-360 36-49 31 23 22 25

20 715'82D 52·95 30 27 25 2.6

30 1219-1416 89-143 42 31 2.8 2&

40 1696.-1979 112,102 47 35 rr 29

50 2451-2883 151-252 53 39 34 31

60 3129-3680 m'29a JiS 43 36 32

70 3510..4128 197-331 1>4 47 U 33

80 395lJ.,t646 217 -3s.l 00 51 42 3S

90 4551l-535!1 230·384 75 55 45 36

99 5221-0 j 00 238-300 00 .sB ~7 37

Reks

Vaan's older brother and a volunteer soldier in me Dalmascan army.

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a 3NS.24.. 22 23 35

4 34-39 25 22 24 35

5 35-4 25 23 24 35

6 168-18J 3N5 26 23 24 35

99 4101·5188. m-31S 74 61 5'5 ~6

Larsa

Ferrinas Solidor

-

Youngest son of d1C Archadian emperor.

2 63-61 3NO

10 2~9-260 5H2

20 517·665 13-100

30 999-116~ 95-140 40 1398-1635 123-1119 50 2036-2393 14 .. 23 I 60 25lt9-3IJ60 168-270 70 2918-3435 18,.297 80 3287-JaS9 201-325 90 37119·~464 212-341 99 4356·5137 m-346

1imI£ITieiilI'liI mil

21 22 2.J 24

25 ~ 2025

3D 31 30 2Ei

35 se 34 Z7

40 41 38 29

45 46 41 30

50 51 45 31

55 57 49 32

60 62 53 34

65 57 50 35

70 12 60 36

Reddas

A sky pirate and denizen of the Port of Balfonhcim.

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5 208-222 20 23 20 35
10 342-378 29 25 28 36
20 726-830 34 30 31 37
3D 1221-1414 39 35 34 39
40 1689-1961 4>1 119 38 40
50 243.6.2854 153-248 50 44 41 42
60 30906-3636 177-292 55 49 4>1 43
10 3469·~075 196-323 6U 53 41 45
80 390H 584 215-354 55 58 51 46
90 4400-5281 1'27-372 11 53 54 46
99 S15-H069 233·318 75 117 51 49 Ruler cf'Archadia.

Vayne

Carudas Solidor

SOI1 of the Arcnadian emperor and new con ul-govcrnor of Dalrnasca.

Emperor Gr ami s

Gana Solidor

A}-Cid

Margrace

A member of the ruling family of Rozarria,

Archadia's !,<Tear rival to me west.

Dr. Cidolfus

Demen Bunansa

Director of Draklor Laboratory the primary weapons research center of the Archadlan empire.

I

Kin g Raminas._....__

Father of Lady Ashe and benevolent ruler of Dalmascn,

Lord Hasler

HeiosNabradia

ewlywcd husband of Lady Ashe and heir to the throne of N abradia, the sister ki ngdon1 of Dalmnsca.

Marquis Halim Ondore IV

Head ministc[oftheSkycityofBhujcrba and longtime friend of Dalrnasca's King Ramina •.

Montblanc

A Moogle and founder/leader of Ian Centuria, a hunter's dub that is based

in RabllllRstrC.

Judge Magisters

Elite guard and the chief arbiters and enforcers of Imperial law 111 Archadis.

LINE COLORS D PII'Ij' M m~iI'l

Character Relationships ==::;~:~ed D CIESIMBIlM

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--3QE--KINGDOM OF DA~MASCA

Squad infiltrates treaty .<ignhig in Nalbil1t1

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ARCHADIAN EMPIRE

Licenses determine a character's growth, abilities, andultimately-usefulness throughout the g'lme. Iagick technicks, weapons, armor, and even accessories require a license before a character can wield or equip them. Each character enters the game with a few basic licenses. You can use these "suggested" skills as a basis for growth, or players can break from the mold and develop all six characters j n a l1y manner they choose,

How Does It Work? IJ!/

Licenses are purchased with LP (License POints) earned during battle. Most creatures are worth 1 LP, so it can take a long time to earn the LP needed to unlock some of the best licenses. Check a character's LP by entering the Licenses sub-menu within the Main Menu. Each character can have as much. as 99999 LP accumulated; although collecting that much LP would be a highly unlikely scenario, any LP past the amount you need to fill om the characters' license board is wasted.

A character's license board is divided into eight sections. "TIle top half focuses on magick, technicks, accessories, and augmentations. 'TIle bottom half is composed primarily of weapons and armor licenses. Expect to spend more rime on the top section early on, since weapons and armor are slow to appear and augmentations are extremely valuable from the outset.

At first, most of the board is hidden from view and won't be available until much later in the gllme. Fortunately, you have this guide to provide a sneak peek of the board and allow for better planning from the beginning. A few panels arc already unlocked when a character joins the patty. These panels represent the character's experience prior to joining the party. It also enables them to wield basic weapons and armor while using some low-level rnagicks and tech nicks too, so they can do a little more than just attack at the Start of the adventure.

ext to the unlocked panels are locked panels, These panels

are readable, but haven't been purchased with LP. Press the (1 button over a locked panel and the game will ask you to confirm

the purchase if the character has enough LP to complete the transaction. Agree to do so to unlock the locked panel. Any unreadable panels adjacent to the recently unlocked panel arc uncovered, becoming readable. These arc now available for purchase, Each time a new panel is unlocked, as many as three unreadable panels may become readable.

What Should I Buy? W/

LP isn't easy to gather, so spend wisely, Come up with a development plan for each character right from the start. Decide who will lead the party into battle and absorb the bulk of the damage. Determine who wiU playa backup role and act primarily as a caster. Then use these determinations to chart each character's progress throughout the game.

Someone must lead the part)' into battle. That character should focus on the lower-half of the augmentations section and 011 swords and heavy armor. Augmemations can rapidly increase a character's HP (Hit POints), ability to block with a shield, and physical attack power. Swords cause reliable damage and heavy armor helps to reduce the damage sustained when fighting.

panels lire also lIx1remely

,.

Backup characters, those who rarely fight at dose range, should focus more on magicks and the top half of the augmentations section.This area focuses on lowering ]\lIP (Mist POint) costs, increasing magick potency, and overall magick proficiency. Characters can wear light or mystic armor and they perform very well with ranged weapons (bows, guns, crossbows, hand-bombs) or mystic weapons (staves, rods, maces, measures). Light armor is best for those who plan to use close-range weapons despite their backup roles (daggers, poles, ninja swords, axes, hammers, spears, katana).

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Be stingy when purchasing licenses for armor, weapons, necessaries, and rnagicks, There's DO reason to buy the licenses until the items become available, even if that means diverting from the main story long enough to accumulate the LPwhen the items arrive in local shops. A little extra com hat never hurts!

Technlcks are somewhat unusual. They can be useful in some combat situations, however, some are used less often than others. Grab "Steal" and "Charge" early in the game, bur wah for others until you purchase more important augmentations.

What Are Gambit Slots? W/

'Ihroughour the augmentations section, there are 10 Gambit Slot panels that increase in cost from 15 LP to as much as 100 LP. Unlocking a Gambit Slot panel adds a gambit slot to that character, This allows for the creation of additional gambits so that you can automate more of a character's actions. Don't invest in these panels at the very start of the game; instead, wait until the gambits arc needed. A character can never have too many gambits, but extra HP and quickness are far more important at the beginning of the game.

What's the Deal with Uuickenings? IJI/

There are 18 Qyickening panels scattered around the board. Each character can unlock as many as three Quickening panels. Any of the panels will suffice, but note that once a Quickening panel is unlocked it is immediately and permanently removed from the other characters' license boards. Thus, it's important to plan ahead which characters will go after the different panels to ensure that everyone can unlo k three without having to purchase too many undesired abilities.

It pays to go after these panels early in the game, because Quickenings are very powerful attacks. They can often decimate

a group of enemies or a boss. Upon unlocking a second and third Quickening panel, the character also gains an additional Mist Charge. The Mist Charge is equal to the character's rnaximum Ml' (Mist Points), effectively doubling and then tripling the character's available MP!

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Where Are the Espers? J/I/

Espers don't appear on the license board until the party finds them and subsequently defeats them. These slots appear as empty spaces untilthat time arises. Characters can learn any number of Espers, but a character can only summon one Esper at a time. More importantly, only the person who unlocks the Esper may command it.

It requires from one [0 three Mist Charges to summon an Esper. Try to evenly spread out the Espers amongst the party members, but try to assign the ultimate Esper, Zodiark, to the character used most frequently. Generally, this character should be a melee specialist, since it takes three Mist Charges to summon the beast and a swordsman can quickly restore lost MP by simply attacking,

Breaking Down the License Board

The full license board is shown in this section. Each character has access to the sam e lice ns es. so lh e p arly can develop ina ny way you see m·. Fe el free to create six melee m asters or SIX menacing magi ck U S6 [S. Th i s system is designed in such a way as to give the player absolute freedom to dee id e the fates of all six ma i n eha racters

With that said, there is a recommended approach that involves balance. To really master the game, you must learn to use every advantage available. That requ i re s ca reiu I pta nni ng am! sfrate 9 ic thi nki n 9 wh en spe ndi ng the party's LP. Let's take a look at each section of the license board and discuss the best approach for each piece.

<;> MAGlC~S <0
-0 ~
~ 0 ARMOR
<) ¢> ESPERS J

The Top Half U

The top of the license board focuses on commandsgrantlng maglcks and techneksand useful passive bonuses provided by augments and accessories. This portion of the board is spill into four sections (refer to the board):

Mag ie ks are spl il into five uniq ue 9 ro ups:

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Focus es on he ali ng and re storanon,

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S pee d -eohanc ing m ag1 ok th at Impro ves Ih e pa rty' s efficienc y or slows the enemy and DOT (Damage Ove r Ti me) attacks, arno ng oth er thi ngs.

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Often un p re d ielable. but v.ery powerfu I m agick.

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Largely e I erne nlal att"! cks that allow the party to strike an enemy's weak spot.

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Status enacts, both po sitiv e an d ne 9 alive, ttl at are u sed to for lily atlies or weaken e ne mie s.

White magick is all about healing and reviving party members. These spells are critical to all party members. Even those characters

who focus on melee should invest in White q_,

Magick 1-6. These six provide Ihe basic HH.,--r-r-TO

Cure and Rafse magicks along with status L.......L_'''''_..L.....J......I

restoration magick. The most useful abilities

include:

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Heal an individual party member. Curaga is an enhanced version of Cure that restores more lost HP. These are absolutely essential; pick them up as early as possible.

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These are "group heals" that affect every ally within a small area. These powerful spells will eventually replace Cure and Curaga.

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rou can use these spells to revive a fallen ally. This is essential as the game progresses and enemies become more and more vicious. Players may also use Phoenix Downs to restore downed characters laster. but at an added expense. These spells are the perfect choice in most sltuanons.

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Negative status effects can cripple party members. These magicks make it easy to erase the negative status. Although they don't affect every status, they taKe care of the most common ones.

Black Magick

Black magick can be a powerful ally In some battles. Enemies with an elemental weakness may suffer critical damage from these magicks when other weapons and magicks se em to bou n ce ri 9 ht off. Make sure casters are equipped with the following:

This is a powerful, non-elemental attack that sometimes leaves a Sap effect on its victims. The HP Sap continues to drain HP Irom the target unUi the status effect is removed. This is especially effective against targets with a tough physical defense.

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This extremely powerful magick delivers a devastatjng, non-elemental blow. It's perfect to use when the enemy is immune to the basic elements and tends to absorb magick damage. II's also good 10 use during some boss fights.

Green Magick

Green magick is all anout status eff-ects.

These abiHUes can either protect the party or hamper the enemy. The most essential ones are:

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These two improve the party's defense against physical attacks. This is essential when facing a powerful foe In battle. In

tough battles, the damage reductiorJ can mean the difference between death and a narrow victory.

Casters are ineffective when they can't use magicks. Silence robs an enemy of its ability to use magicks until the effect is removed. This effect never runs out on its own. so cast rt early and It may last throughout the entire nght.

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Blind and Btindga can cripple a character who relies on melee fighting. This type 01 magick robs the victim of his eyesight, drastically reducing the enemy's chance to hit. This effect never wears off, so use it early in battle.

Time Magick

The status effects found in Time magick ,

increase the party's speed, slow down en-

em ies or sto D th em alto 9 eth cr, and caus e

da m age over lime _ The se are as pee i all yel-

fe cti va, si n ee speed is a huge advantage in

any battl e. Mag ic ks that dam age over Ii m e

are also an effective way 10 lake down crea-

ture s th al are othe rwis e too pow erfu I.

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The S I ow rna 9 ie ks are key to us e when lacin 9 tau 9 hop pone nts like bosses or marks, Slowing the target reduces the damage il can cause over the COutS e 01 th e battte an d lt gives the p arly more lime to re act a nd he al. This effect everItuaily wears off during long battlBs, so you may need to recast :~_

~~

Haste spee ds u D I he party 's actions, allowing. th em to re ac I and anac k mu o h fa sler. Co m bine Ha sle on the p ?rly with S low on an enemy and the party will gain a huge advantage! These spells also eventually wear off dun"ng a long fight, so you may need to recast it.

Arcane Magick

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These magicks temporarily remove the larget from battle. They're most el· fe clive w he n Ill. ci ng large g ro U ps of te sse [ ene m ie s. Note that mo s I bas ses are i m m u ne 10 0 is able and Stop.

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A fie rca sti n 9 Break, a 1 0- sec on d c au ntd own be g"i ~ S, If Ih e elf eel isn't rem ov ad in Ii me, the targ at will tu rn to Sio no. 'This is a great wea p 0 n to use ag ai nst n I 9 Ii -level e ns mies thai are otns rwis e tM stro n 9 10 r tn e pa rty. Most bosses are immune to Break, bul many random enemies aren't.

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This magick enables the party to 1I0ai over !Taps instead ot trying 10 run arou nd them .It never hu rts to set th is one up as a ga m~it, so that it's always in effect while you're exploring areas where traps are very Gammon. II's aJ so a good way to c au nter Earth mag ie k.

Arc ane mag ie K is very pcwsrfu I, b ut ofte n

unpredictable. The status effects found in % this group are some of the best and prove

v.ital near the en d of the gam a.

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The se m agicks are powe rf ul elern enta I attac ks "thai are efte cti ve ag ai nst many c rea· tures early in the game,

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Bub III e rn agick do ubi as a cha racter' s HP w~h one cast. Although the effect is tempora ry, it is c ru c ia I wh en lac i n 9 th e later bas ses.

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Th i s c uri 0 us m agick re vars as Ih e effects of altacks, m agicks, and tech-

n i q u as. Th is means that so m ethi ng Iii at wo u I d norm ally caus e damag e will neal me target instead. Or, things that give life cause death, It's very useful when lacing powerful enemies, trying to thwart an enemy's restoration efforts, or overc om in 9 an e I erne ntal re ststa nce.

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Enemies are drawn to attack the character under I'he effects olthis magick. Decoy is a great way to control the enemy and Keep casters safe. Try to use tli is m agick trom th e rno m enl it be co m essva i lab I.e until the end 01 the game.

~

It is S omelime s d iffie ult to maintain MPwhile inside a larg e dungeon, bu I

Syphon helps. This magick strips the targel of some MP and transfers ft to Ih B caster. The undead an d stro nge rene mle s co m manly rs sist Ih i s magick. so don'! rely on ft all ollh.e time ..

Technicks are much like magicks except that they typically cause physical damage (except Shades of Black) and they don't require MP to use. Many of these abilities have limited usefulness, since they rely on unusual conditions such as time played and steps taken. A few of the most useful tecnnks are:

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This handy spell reveals more information about monsters, but more importantly, it also reveals traps. Keep it on a gambit from the very beginning of the game.

Charge. The only risk is that a miss reduces the user's MP to zero. Only use this technick when a character's MP is low to avoid misses and wasted MF'

~

This technlck reduces the target's de-

fense. Expose also works well against most bosses.

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There are few more reliable attacks than 1000 Needles, as it causes 1000 poinls of damage each time! It's a great attack to use against enemies with high defense, or when a character just can't inflict 1000 points of damage otherwise.

Almost every monster carries loot Steal enables the party to snatch an exua item from enemies, which greatly increases the amount of 1001 you can collect. This in turn provides more gil and better weapons, armor, magick and technicks. Steal whenever possible!

~

When MP is running low, there's no eas-

ier way to earn a few points than 10 use

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This armlet is essential for finding the rarest treasures in the game.

This accessory greatly increases the wea rer' 5 vitality and speed. Th ink of it as a constant Haste effect. This is useful at any time during the game,

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The Sage's Ring cuts the MP cost of magicks in half, rounding down. Improve the efficiency of casters with this handy item.

The Ribbon always has been, and always will be, the ultimate FINAL FANTASY acee s sory! Th is BC cess a ry preve nts a I' negative status effects, which makes even the touqnest battles much easier.

The accessories found tI1roughout the game playa huge role, They offer constant ettects that are extremely valuable In any fight. Always ensure that characters have a good accessory equipped. These are some 01 the best available:

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This ltern doubles the number of LP earned by the wearer. This Is one of the mosl useful accessories In the game. II's always a good thing to equip it on characters held in reserve, since they earn LP fro m every battl e.

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Need to quickly level up? This Item doubles the EXP earned from each monster defeated. It only works on characters in Ihe battle party, though. This is great il you desire to reach Level 99 with your cnaracters, or help a low-level character catch up with the rest of the party.

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This item has the same elfect as Ihe Bubble magick-il doubles the wearer's HP. The difference between the two is that the effe ct is co nstant and can 'I bed i spe lied or removed by death.

Augmentations provide a character with passive bonuses that remain In effecllhroughoul the course at the game, Purchase these early and use them to truly tailor the party inlo an effective fighting machine,

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These augmerrtations provide extra HP Although tile boo nusas are initially small, they are worth lhe investmerIl for every c h arac Ie r.

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These augmentations increase the party's attack power and magic power, respectively. Purchase Battle Lore for melee characters and use Magick Lore tor spellcasters.

Ml'irFA

Speed is everything and these augmentations reduce aclion time by 10% apiece up to a maximum at 30%. Unlock these as early as possible to drastically Improve the party's effie ie ncy in co m bat.

Ciftt:rrImfJhlD

Channeling helps to conserve MP by reducing the cost 01

magicks by 10% up to a maximum of 30%. These are critical jar healers.

~~~~

Invest in these augmentations lor each character, since

they provide additiorJal MP under various circumstances. You can never have too much MPJ

The Bottom Half W/

The bottom half of the license board focuses entirely on weapons and armor. Characters can't use a particular piece 01 equipment untillhe proper license is obtained. Don't bother investing in these licenses unUI the equipment is available. There are four sections 10 mention:

Choosing the type of armor a character wears is mora important than it may initially seem. Armor affects most attributes except for attack power. Equipping the right type of armor for a character's role is vitally im D 0 rtaot Eq ui p Ih e prim ary melee characters with heavy armor lor strength and detsnse, and equip backup melee characters with light armor for speed and vitality. Equip mystic armor on casters for magick pow 8 r and fa slstanc 8. S hi elds are also esse nli al for the primary melee characters early in the game, since they drastically reduce the damage taken from physic al attacks.

This section includes Smallswords, Swords, Bows, Spears, Axes, Hammers, Katana and massive sreatsworcs. Swords, Smallswords, and Greatswords tend to be the most reliable weapons since they cause consistent damage with each swing. These are the best choice for the primary melee character in the party,

Hammers and Axes can cause tremendous damage, but they're quite unp red ictabl e. The nu rnne r of big h its and I ittl e hits ten d s to bala nc e oul in the end, tho ugh, Bows se rva as great ranged we apon 5 an d the y a f'e very effective against flying monsters. Katana aren't as powerful as Greatswords, but they are fast and combo often Spears are powerful, twohanded weapons that are great for a backup melee fighter.

This portion of Ihe license board includes Daggers, Guns, Poles. Hand-bombs. Crossbows and Ninja Swords. Daggers and Ninja Swords rely heavily on speed and !he ability to combo. Hand-bombs are effective ranged weapons, but cause unpredictable amounts of damage. Crossbows are also excellent ranged weapons with a variety of ammunition. Poles are extremely effective against enemies with low magick defense.

Mystic weapons contain Staves, Rods, Maces and Measures. Staves and Rods are excellent weapons for cast ers, since they greatly enhance the character's magick power and otten strengthen particular elemental attacks, Maces use magick power to determ1ne damage instead of strength,

Measures are unusual weapons thal often leave behind beneficial status effects, These are better suited for characters who rarely attack the enemy and focus on supporting the olh er party me mbe rs,

Gambits are brand new to the FINAL FANTASY series.They introduce a simple way to guide your party in combat without h~ving co micromanage every encounter, A gambit is ~ programmed command that instructs II character to react automatically in a predetermined manner when faced with a specific situation.Think f it as a user-controlled AI (Artificial Intelligence). Gambits allow you to take as much or as little control in each battle as desired. A carefully crafted set of gambits can handle most battles against COmmOI] enemies. Bosses and rare monsters often require a more hands-on approach.

Gambit Building 101 '11/

Each gamb it consists of two separate pans: a coudi tion and IT reaction. Thus, the character assesses the situation and reacts ill the programmed manner. The gambit conditions focus on an ally(s),

a feels), or the character (self). You can use them with nearly any learned command from magicks, technicks, and items. As you would expect, the party starts off with vcry few gambits available, but the commands grow throughout the game as new gambits are found or purcha ed until nearly anything can be automated.

For example, you can attach simple commands like "Anaa" to gambits such as "Foe: nearest visible" to automatically iniriare combat whenever a hostile creature wanders within nlnge. Later on the commands become more complex and specific as magicks like Dispel or technicks like Soulcater are added to the equation. For example, a player can dictate. that a character always casts Dispel whenever the "Foe: status", Protect," or lise Souleater whenever "Foe: character ill> 90%."

I

Ally: HP <: 40%/Curaja

Ally: status", HP Critlcal/X·PoUon Ally: status = Confuse/Attack

Foe: status = Hasle/Dispelga

Foe: lIying/Telekinesls Foe: lowesl HP/Attack

Ally: Any/f'hnenlx .DOWlI

Allr HP < 40%/Dur,ala

F ee: flyl ng/fe leki nesl s

Fee.: lowes I H P IAHa ck

Ally:slatus ~ HP CrilicallX·Potlon

Ally: status", Conluse/AUack

Ii,

I,.

"

I I ~

, ,

"

Sell/Llbra

"

: ,

anel Ihe allacli commanl! enSllres !tIel' only ocelli al!el cnmbat ls

Disabling Gambits

, "

"

"

, ,

mn

, . ,

Gambits aren't always a good tieing. In major battles against extremely tough enemies, it's sornetirnes best to use only 1I few simple healing and attack gambits and leave the rest up to manual input. This keeps the party from wasting valuable NIP, r accidentally Uhlng a technick that has no effect on the enemy.

Status attacks arc a common issue, as most bosses are immune to several status effects. Unless such Status gam bit are disabled for that battle, the caster will stand back and cast an endless stream of worthless rnagick while expending lots ofNrP.

Ally Gambits

I

m J

Gamoi! Cos!

G~m'U CO,!

fo~: p;~y lea~ir'! targel Foe: H P?: ~,OOO 50 Foe: mlus • ,I mTflob i lize SO Ale: fiying 100
Fo~·. naarest V1~b Ie Foe: HP ~ 3.COO 50 Foe". slll.tU!' Slow SO fea: c1\amcter H p. 1 QDo/, 100
foB: any 50 Foe: HP;:MOO 50 FO&: status = DlsMse 50 Foe: Item AMT i!:_ 1 0 100
Foe; lwuetlny IMUIr lOP Foe: HP ;: 1.000 50 Foe: Sial us ~ Prolerll : F08: C ha ra~l~r status = Blind 100
Foe: l"J~ef,"o self 100 Foe: HP <:c 500 .50 Foe; status ~ Shell 50 ' FOB: character status ~ S118nc~ 100
Foe: w~elln~ ally 100 Fo~: HP c 1 00.000 SO ,:1 Foe; SlBtU! = Hllslil 50 Foe, ChaJaole r status _ Hr.M!1"l/ 100
roe: lurthesl SO foa: H P <50,000 50 FOB. status = Bravery 50 Foil: characterstates = Faith 100
Foe: neaf!IBt 51) Fodl P c I 0:000 50 Foe: Slatus _ Faith 50 ' Fo.: cli,rael.r SIBI us = 100
Foe· highest H P 50 Foe~ HP c 5,000 50 F~e, status _ R ene~1 50 HP CritIcal
Iioe: lowest HP SO FOB: HPd.OOO 50 Fo,' status _ R8gon 50 , FQe; character M P ;:, 90% 100
Fo~: 111UMs! mID:. ~ p 5U FOB: H P c 2.000 50 Foe: status _ B."erk 50 Fa.: enaraeter MP ;: 70% 100
Foe' lowest 111~' HP 50 FoB: HP c 1.000 50 F"~ status _ H P ~r~ical 50 ' FQ.: a"a raotar MP'> 50% 100
foe; highest M P 50 ," Filac HPdoiJ 50 Fo.: flr.·w~k 500 fO": "I .. meier M I> ;: 30% 100
FoB:IQillasl M P 50 r: Foe; HP = 1 Ow. 50 Foe; Ilg .In inll·wea~ 500 Foe; ~llall1oti r M P 1: 10% 100
Foe. hlgh!IBllTla~ MP 50 FOB': HP l: 70% SO fOB. ItB-Wea~ 500 'foe; CIlar3Cler MP -e 9Do/, 100
Foe: lowe:st 1Tl3X MP 50 ·i Foe: HP?; 50% 50 Foe: ea~h·woak sao 'I Foa: cllarncte r MP <';10% 100
Foe: hlgh.5! 11011 SO Foe'; H P .?:. 30% 50 Foe. !Iial~r.",eak 5110 I, ree: cllaraOler MP < 50% , lCO
foB' IOW~lleV<l1 51) Foe: stalUS = Pallily 50 Foe; wind·w'i1k 500 ~ ~ :: Foa: character M P <30'10 1 oil
Foe: hl~host strength 50 II Foe: statu! ~ Stop SO FOB' nolY'Wfal! 500 'foa: ~1l,lrnClar MP e 10% 100
Foe: [OWWI sllenglh 50 Foe': Sial us ~ Sl~ep 50 Foe' dark·wc;rk sao .foe; ~llIcrwr HP i!: 9D% 100
Foe; hl~hoot maglck power 50 Foe: sL.itus ~ ~oniusl 50 ':, Foe; Irr ... vulnBmbls ·250 foe: character H P ~, 70% 100
foB: lowest l1laolc~ powa r ,50 Foa: st~lUS - Doom 50 1-' Foe: Ilghlnlnu.v,uln8rabl~ ~SO feB; charaC"tu HP ~51l% 100
F DB: hlghiSt' ,peel! ,50 ~-f Foe; slal~s~Bllnd SO foB; Tce.yulMrable 250 foa; ~1laracle r H P ~ 30 .... 100
Foe: lowlst speed 5U I Fo.; Sial us _ Polson SO Foe: 8.~h·\I1J In8rnbla 250 i Foe:, ChaJ3ctter HI> "10% 100
Iioe' hiQhfiSl dElle rise SO 'I, F!I~: sl.l~,,~ Sflence 50 Foe: wal~r-vulne"ble 250 ' fee: o.I)amtrter H P c 90% 100
Foe; hluh.,;t m"gI~ mslsl 50 Foe: status E SaP 50 Foe; lI"nd·vutnerable 250 Fga: c hil raeter H P < 700/. lCO
Foe: HP ~ 100,000 50 Foe; Sl3lus ~ 0 il 50 F 06: holy- w Inerable 250 Foe: cilaract&r H P c 50% 100
Foe; HP ~ 50.000 50 Foe: siatul = A~versa 5C Foe:~a rk·vulnlra bl~ 250 ' Foe: ~ha raster H P e 30% 100 J
Foe: HP <! 1'0.000 sa foB: status ~ Dlga'bl. 50 ,Foe: Und""~ 100 i Foe: character flp c 10% 100
~l ,~!"Iii'::'& ~ r,:, Gambit Cost
-- -_.-
50 Sell: MP c t 00'1. 50
P e 100% 50 Soli: MP<90% 50
PdO'!'. 50 Sell: MP<80% 50
P<8lI% 50 81n: MP <70% 50
P<70% 50 Sell: Mp <60% 50
~<8lI% 50 Sell; MP <50'!. 50
P<50% 50 Sell. MP <40% 50
Pc40% 50 Sell; MP c 30% 50
P<30% 50 Sell: MP < 20% 50
<20% 50 Sell: MP <1 0% 50
P<10% 50 Sell; stalUS ~ flatrlfy 50
~~ ',,- ---. !Self Sell. H : Sell: H :8el[· ~ 'S.II. H '~lt:H §e11:H Serl.H Sell: H ,Sell:HP ,SIII:H

Camblt CDS!

Gambit CO,I

Gambll Cnl

Gambll Cost

Selt; status • Doom 50 lleltsl.luh PI01l!C'
Sat(; status ~ BII nd 5(t Self: status ~ Silall 50
Sail, status ~ Polson 50 Salt. slalus';A" la 5ll
~II, status = Silonce 50 Self: states _ BravelY 51)
S~(f: status ~ S, P 50 Sa II: status _ f:3il n 5ll
Sah; ~tM~~ all 'so 5, It. status _ ;R,fI,CI 50
S,II, statu, ~ R everse ,50 SEtI!; S!~tUh I nvlslbl~ 50
Self: status ~ I mmob II!ze 50 Sail; 5!:i11u5 ~ Reg en SO
Sell: s!.ltus ~ Slow 50 SEtlf: SIRIUS, Fl esr 50
Sell: stal us : C iseas. 50 Sal!! Stlltus • Bubble 50
Sell; status = ture 50 SaUi statas« HI' ~nlri:lrl 5Q Helpful Gambits

The possibilities seem endless, but here arc <I few useful gambits to get things going in the right direction. Use these as building blocks for more complicated rambirs later on in the game. Remember to ahuays check your gambits before entering a major barrie. One simple mistake can ruin an encounter!

Revive Gambit

Make su.e each chalilCler has this yambilin Ih. number one spot R •• lvin~ dOlllned allies I. lmpcrtant ln baHle. The gambillriyg"", an immediate ,",pof'S' and Dnentimes ,"vrve, Il1e lallen .Hi bel.," he d. she can hllihe g.ound. The negative slalu, .llecl KO can also be a",ed b, usln~ the Re,lvalechnlfk.

Healing Gambit

This Is perhaps Ihe s8~ond mo.' importanl gambit. Ma~e sure It alwavs tollows Ille

Revive gambll. Healing Is ""lremel, Importanl in .,.ry baHle, r.~".dless 01 wh.,lhe party is fighting. Unless, 01 course, you're lusl fighting w.ake. er •• tures lor ,port or 1.011 Close I. 50% is a good t.lgger during a fight. Try sla~gering the percentage belween Ihree characiers to ensure Ihere's a ~rimary, secondary, and emergency heal er, IF.r lnstanee, use 6D%. 5D%. and 40%.) Doing SO 'e.ps Ih' damag, dealers [Dcused en Ilghling Instead 01 Slo~ping 10 heal all 01 Ihe lime.

Status Effect Removal Gambits

Aulom.llng status ramD.al can be a big h.,p. Typioally, II's besl 10 rater 10 Ihe besllary 10 see whallype 01 status attacks 1M enemies are USing. nr just pay aUenlion while flghllng. Find the proper gambll 10. the slalus In question and malch II up wilh Ihe Cu.e. ESllna and Esuna~. can allrnlnale most common status eUecls Ilke Dlln~ and Silence. while ethers reQuirlt a specilit cure D. lIem. Sea Ihe 101l01ll1"g tabl. lor a complel. breakdown:

C leanseN'l:1:1 n e/R"me~y (.a qui res level llicens.)

Remedy (requires level 3 license)

OispetfHasle/Rometli

DI,pelJ&h renes rea u'Reme<ll' (requi.es I,.el J IIcenso)

Ralse/A,'se/Phoenlx Downl Revlvele,hnlck

Handk.rchietJll.med'y (r"~"I'", level 211"nso)

Dispel Gambits

,.

Some enemies make "'.01 po,lIIve states eHeels like Protect. Shell. Haste, Bravery. Fallh and olhers. Such elf •• I, may make ballles a bil mo,. challenging. especially when II" crealur.I, a boss. Dispel and Dlspelga can Quickl, .llmlnale such Sial"! ellecls

and .ven wioe 001 ReAlcl. The only orawback Is lhalll,e, may also ~lImlna!e "egaUv. slalus es east bv Ihe parti such 3S Slow. Ti,. "foe: a.~" gambll also works wllh Dispel. nut keep 10 mind Ihat IOU will also dispel Slow or Slop.

-

MF! Restoration Gambits

There are Iwo very eUeclive ways 10 reSloro MP wllhoul using a Save Cr,rSlal Dr Ethe r, The n",ll, Ihe Chal1le lechnl'k. A plaY!J een take a chance 10 rs gain a small amounl 01 MP. The risk is llral illtle lechnic' 18 II s. Ih' oha",cle.·s MP drops 10 zern . This Is .eally ani, eflectlve when Ihe character Is o.d.emely low on MP, The risk' ollailing tncrsases as Ill. chara~e"s MP Incr.ases. so one 10 Iwo anempts is usually alllilali. advisable.

The second gambit involv es the uso 01 Syphon magick. Wi1h Syphon, a easter can Sleal a large chunk 01 MP Irom mest enemlas and lranstar II to him or her. MOSI characters can ea'H~ restcre a Ihlrd ollhel. MP this \!lay with a single east 0' Syphon. UnID~unal.lv.

many craaturas, espocially lne undead,. iI.e Immune 10 II. rum .lIlhis 'g'ombll during ,uch siluallons IG ansur. th.ll"e enaraet •• daesn'l oolnllo"ly c.sl SyphOn O,er ann o,.r again.

Weakness Gambits

MDSI enemies hB~e a wealcness 10 ,lleasl nne elemenl. Casl.rs tan take a~.anlage "'ib.,. wealen,ss., by using Ihe correel type.' muglck. Fo. insla"~e, cause e.11lI damage by caoling Fire m .• gick on an en.mywilh a low Ii •• , es tstanea. or Aero on a e.ealure wllh low wind ,",istance.lal.In the game. gambits will eflable you to aulDmalfcally take advanlaye of such wealenes s es and ,ulnerahllill.,. Make surs I.he easier has an MP .esl.oraliDo gambit belor.,na weakne ss ~.mbils so he Dr ,he ne,e. runs oul 01 MI.I Poinls.

- Attack Gambits

AU",k gambll s ca n ~h"ng"" g'~"1 ~""'lttrouyhoul'n" g"m~'. Ea"~ on, !o.e~ampl", II may b, ";'1<1"0 ,gel ,,",yon, 10 lntus on 1l1, ~~m, ,n"mv. To ~o SO, It's b~.llo set up '''0 gam blt~ on I,he main ng'h I., and on. 0" In e 11'0 supp o~ cna ",01.""

The rna i n Ii g ~I"' ,I1OUI ~ us. '"Foe: .ny" 0' "Foe: n ,",esl" 101,,,,1 ,eleol a I'''g, I, h ollh, Irick is puillng "Foe: pa~v '"ad.f~ largel," prior to the comballflltialor. Thus. Ihe lea~e, ,ho~,., a tari.tand stays On thai ta'gel until II is dl,patchM. All Olhe, ,p.~y members shoutd have tne "Foe: part~ lea~"n ,13!Q~I" equlppad. so Ihev always join ,h.,oader

In dlspatchTng a slngTe eo&my. ¥oucan use anv type 01 all.t~ (physical. maglok. Or lechpT!kl ",Ih Ih's8 ,eon~ltIons.

Post-Batile/Benefi cia I Status Gambits

Use "Foe: lowest H P/Altac~" whe n '10 e gs mil II :b etc m es a_a II. ble. All hou g h this has I he same ""I, '.!fed. 11 lakes ,up loss room. Gamblls usln~ "p~~y leade"s I,'get" can a_lso ,lop wo,~ Ing or ,""orne p rob' em.' i, II your party lea ~.r lall. In h"HI e an" yo u must ,wap anOlh.r ma mba, In as Ih B laa d.r .• Fa.: 1." es , HP/Alla,k" ~ D •• nol sh ara this ~ ra "Il "k.

Gambit Oddities '1/

A"~ 'g'mblt pla,e ~ aile "~" aUa~kgam bit is 1 nltl. led on~e all n ~"rby en em les are tl.le"I"~, Thls ts uselul lor poslllvB slalus ,11.tlS suoh as Hasl,. Dubbl" r.,!fh, 6'~.erv and,""" 0 ",oy a" d Sers,r'. By plae ing Itl'" 9' mblts al Ih end ,II '0' u res Ill" ch1l,",le" raeus 0" aHacklng during combat ano .pond tess lim.pml,clinl. This, also m~ a ns 1M pi a i" m ",I La •• ~", du rln g. 10 n~ef Mltl., to ensure Ill' I nee , ss ary p OS;;I ,e Slal~S a If ectsrema in Intact Ihrou ~hQul t~6 "nil re n g hi.

The following aren't the most practical gambits, but they are fun to use. Give them a shot and have some fun. They may even spark a few original ideas.

Lo" 0 n:MP? No worn es, Shades of Slat. e "ahles a, casler 10 li,e a nlntl 0 m BlaG" maglo~, wlthoul GonoumTng ani MP. The Dnli dra"bstk Is Inal you' n."" know "Ita I '1111 hap~enl lhe spell may be "'lremel\' pcwe~ul, il1allel:tive, Dr .von ab.(t,b,d by Ih. monster Thl, Is m.lnlv 011'111., against lesser ."~mle~ '0. unles. IOU la&1 H'e ta,lng a ris~. dan'l usoll agai ",, b asses.

Thl.s \,1 city Q 1mb II sa erifl.u cDnt'DI Dione ch1lra,I., Inlavo, of nra '11~"lIy In.'"asl ng hlS,lller alia c~ PO"8', spe ed. and tom DDS. The ch oracle, wan 'IC" nslnar gam bit, when ""ling and may also "'0 lrnm larg~llo largel ralh~, I~an focusing on on •. 111'"'1 :~.~ocL, but It co n b ••• .t,emely' II. ~lIv,.

S ighl Uns ee Ing Is an amusing I.a ehni ck thai on ty wo", when 1],. ,'hara~1e! sull,!i' !'om 11\8 BLind status. Yo u ea n put IhTs 10 wDr' by Inl eMi 0 "ally bllndl. I! the 'h.ra~ler and 9 I,l"~ him 0, he. a gambil such as lhl~ ,0 ne. Keep I" mT n ~ Ihal rna ny "neml., are I mm "", '10' Sf ~hl Uns"I"~ 11'" p3~1,.lar, In, ""d.a~l, so be rea~y 10 tarn 0111"' Q.mbil "hBn n .. ,,,ary.

ThT' is anoll1or I e.hn 10k Ihat ~3n ItB usel.'. bul, rnnra oft," Ih,n nol, anane mv will ,"slst ii, PlaCing Chann wllh Ihe "Foe: HP ~ 106%" gambTt ensures Ihat lh, ea.1,r "1111"11 c Innu ,m:, scmeone Olherlhanlh. lea~enl,rgel.lL can b., u sa ful "hen lIghling large groups.

Til. ""~"d, may h"B' a bunc1l aT r es lstancas, bllllh.y ea ,'I ,,'a.~ uP against Holy magicks. Thl, '"l;lud., mnsl '.51.oraIl'00 ,pells. TI)' ~Dmbanll.g a gmup nlllndea~ wllh C"'''la '"~ wat.h 111,m m,tt away.

SDule.t.r I s a pow,lIull.chn'ck that cansum es 'h~ ".~r's HP to damage Ill •• n.m~.

1111110 ugh it d 00'" 'I worlt 1',11 "gar ",I the und sa ~, il f. eftettlve .gal nstother en. mT 'So It~ ',pecla'lll elleellv. agai'" .n.ml.~ wllh 3 high d.fon,.,.

Reverse maul~k is unp,edlclable.1 be.1. 11 oHen misses and' d"esn·II'~III.ng, bUill t:3n 'be ben.liciai "h~n lDOlng "partlcul.',1~ dimciJll &Hemv, TI)' ,"sling Reve,," on I~" pMy lead", an d 1"" h as 111" en ~my's all; c~s. ; c\ua'llV hea Ilhal persan, ThT; Is best used In com bl n.lIon with Oecol. Also. ma~, .ure all H •. ,lIng gambits a" tum, ~ 011 while thIs ga mbilis aell ••• Dr sam eon. maya o\"""y end' up killing the pmly lead" wh II e IryloU 10 he' Ihlm_ll1",. A lie matlvelv. cha "ga the ,.storallv.g'am blls, ,0 I you, nan- Reversed p i ~y m embers to "Sell: H P -c 50%lCu ,aga" su Ihall hoV don'! Ltndermlne your ell"~,.

Th Islech n I'k tome, along ve "I late In III I game.b u.1 II's In.redl b Iy ",elul. WIth Ihl' gambit •

• ellar1l clar equipped "itn a melee "eapon can Slrl", :I Ilyl"1l'~ ~ lor random da magi balled DII' Iha equlpp. d ".ap on. Thl, I's a ~"~e II d.nnlage, ,,1.0. mele~ weapons us".lIj ea us. mera "amage Lh.n nI"ge~ w,.pon~.

FINAL FANTASY XlT introduces a new battle system that will seem very foreign to FINAL 'A 1)\ Y devotees. Don't panic! The new system is more like the battle system of old than it first appears. It may take a little getting used to, but in the end, you'll Love it.

ADB: Active Dimension Battle 'P

Perhaps the most notable difference is that there are no longer breaks between battle and exploration. Enemies are visible from a distance, so you chao c to avoid or attack [nero. The parry doesn't enter a battle screen that contains and limits the action. Thls also means that additional enemies may join the battle as it progresses and the party can sometimes lise the landscape to its advantage.

Battles take place in real time a before, but you ean still select the "Wait" option from the Preferences menu -, This grants the player more time [0 select actions and consider alternatives. Use this option if you're new to the series r until you get accustomed to me new system.

Pressing the m button brings

l,lp the Battle Menu, You can then choose actions by pressing up and down on the D-pad and pressing the f3 button again to confirm. A small timed meter appears next to the character's name in the lower-left corner of

the screen (see screenshotr.The rare at whim the meter rises is based upon the characters speed. When the timed meter fills completely, the character performs the action. You can choose actions individually for each character by bringing up the menu screen and pressing tight or left on [he Dpad to cycle between the characters,

While the new battle system might seem like a radical departure, it really isn't. With W,1.ir mode on, the game's battle system is virtually identical to thar of older titles.just thrown onto a 3-D plane. The main distinction here, then, is the Gambit system. Gambits enable you [Q automate many ac ions you would normally have to perform manually.

So Why Fight at All?

Unlike other FINAL FANTASY games, the battle aren't rand m and you can choose to fight or avoid most enemies, Continuously avoiding enemies has its drawback, though, bccau e battles provide EXP (Experience), LP (License Points), clan points, item drops, gil drops, and additions to the Bestiary for defeating the game's oes. Note, however, that some of the larger enemies-such as bosses, mini-bosses. and certain hunts-will not reward EXP or 1 em drops, but they do offer large amounts ofLP.

What's This About Aggro?

It's po sible to avoid most enemies while exploring, but as soon as the characters and enemies spot each other, the parry enters ;1 hattie stance, The battle is then initiated unless you or the enemy decides to flee. Vaan and the rest of the party usually walk around with their swords sheathed. They're in

ba rtlc stance if their weapons are drawn. Once a battle stance has been initiated, it's usually a good idea to stay in one place and finish the battle, lest you draw 1110re euernies into the fray and be forced to take on several at once.

Most enemies with a green life bar are oon-aggressive and will not attack unless provoked; the exception to this rule are Elemenrals,

It can be a good idea to fight these enemies to add them to

your Bestial)' or collect their dropped items. In S0111e cases, like facing elemenrals, it's a good idea to just walk past them. If you accidentally target one, it will stay non-aggressive until a hit lands, so there's time to cancel your arrack if you accidentally target a creature.There arc a few exceptions to this rule regarding foes with green life bars. lementals, a powerful and unpredictable enemy with a green bar, often appear to be nco-aggressive at first, but they will attack ifthe party casts magic.11le other time non-aggressive enernie will attack IS if they see your party attacking another one of their kind.

Oh No! Wballfrm Seen?

If you initiate a battle that you would rather not fight, hold down the R2 button to trigger a retreat .. Holdi ng th is button causes yml r characters to sheathe their weapons, in effect cancelling all actions and disabling all. gam bits. 0 n occasion, an mcmy wi U co ntinue to chase after the pHt)' when they att~mpt to flee. If other enemies SpOt the party running away, they may joi.n in the attack. Evenrually, some of the foes may give up on the chase, bur it's best to find nn exit from your current ,wen. Another W;lY out is to run toward a set of enemies! nonaggressive enemies that are na rural enemies 0 f the enemy in pll rsui r.This sometimes causes the enemies chasing after the party to flee, but may instigate a fight with the new enemies,

The plus side to running aw,l}' is that the party slowly ga.ins NIP (Mist Poinrsl.Tt can sometimes be a good idea to temporarily run ,1way from a winnable battle if the parry needs a few more !VIP.

Restoring HP and MP?

Here are a few ways to solve the problem of restoring HP and NIP:

When a character loses all of his H:P, it's not the end of the g;~me. Get the character back in action by casting Raise magidt or using a Phoenix Down, or swap them out for reserve characters.The ga.me doesn't necessarily end if all three active party members lose their ill. When this occurs, you can swap in ,U1Y reserve party members to continue the battle. TIle game only ends when Rl1 of your active and reserve party members have no more HP (hit pcints).

What Else Is There?

In certain parts of the game, the general rules will be slightly modified to create a more challenging .expcriencc, Occasionally, you'll have ro fight a battle as your HP or lViP slowly seep away, or you may be forced to fight without using items.This is a very rare occurrence, but it's a good idea to know what the icons ruean when this docs occur.

liP Sap: The a~tlve partv·s HP decreases as Ihe light goes on. TIle effecl lsn't lethal, Ihough; a character willi 1 HP won't die 110111 ~e gets Ilil.

NO Attae~: TIlls ellect disables the A!lac~ command and any gamb1!s that use Hie Attack command. When Ihis occurs, you must relv on magick and technicks to tight enemies.

M P Sap: Til e a clive party's MP de creases as lhe II g 1\1 conllnues

No Magick: This eHect prevents the lise 01 all maglck or any gambits Ihal cast magick. Vou must relv on phvslcal attacks and teclmlcks 10 cause damage ana items 10 heat.

-------------------------------------------------------------

No lIems: This elleet prevents the use 01 Items or gambits lhat use Ilems. Heating and recovery must be aceemptlsned Iinougil mag!ck.

Magnet Icon: Any characters equipped with metal armor or accessories will have their ADB slowed down significantly. Remove any equipped metal and/or replace II with clolh or leather equivalents to speed lip a character's actions.

® Certain areas have no exits: During mas! boss battles, there Is no chance to uilihe lone.

® lustanl game over: There's just one at these in tile game and It occurs when you are lighllng Ihe Demon Walls In the Tomb of Aaililwali.

® Battle timer: A eertatn batlle has a timer that limits the length 01 the fight. Tile enemy will have Its HP Instanlly reset wilen the IImer hit. zero.

Charge Time

Every acti n has a certain time cost associated with it.The charge meter, which measures time for actions, is located in the right-hand corner of the screen next to each character's name. After selecting an action or having a gambit automatically select one for you, the action is displayed above the meter and the meter begins

to fill. When the meter is fuU, the word Unction" will appear as soon as you're within range of the target character or enemy. 1\ fter lln action h(15 begun to charge, you Gill stop it by doing the following:

~"- . ,.

~ _: ,..,

I - -, lit'

'fI)~tj ,~ '. IP ...

1'.]~~. :' ~ble,GVun

~ltgil, Fran

_,;,,;,Ha_.tega, A.hr

® Setecllng another command ® Entering escape mode

® Changing equipment

® SwitChing maps (zones)

® Examining a treasure box or speaking to someone

® Having bigher prlorlly gamblls fulfilling their cundlttons. which restarts the charge bar In lavor of the hlgllest priority action

'Tlli, effect only occurs /I a chafllcC8f lIas an accessQry eQulppedl""r 8ulomailcilJIy provides one of rhas. stalUs elleets and I/le Op~os'le ITIll{JtCk " csst an him.

Party

Your party consists of several different types of characters who each playa dilfcren t sort of role.

® Battle Member: A party member who is currently on the ballielieitl.

You are IImlled to three bailie members at a time and any exira party members are forced to sit on the bench as reserve members.

® Reserve Member: Reserve members ale party members who are not actlvetv lighting, but are members 01 your party.

® Guest Member: A story-related character who [clns your parly temporarily. This person is not considered a party member, so gambits do not work lor them. Dlher party members can heal these characters and use items nn them.

® Dlber Memb~r:.A non-story character who joins the party temporarily and does not appear In your party list. Thls person Is also not considered a Party Member.

Watch the information SCCDO]J in the right-hand corner of the screen to notice that the character names change from red to blue depending On what actions arc being performed and what actions arc being performed against them. Ifa battle member's name appears in red, thi means [hat you cannot swap out the character for a reserve character. Instead, you must wait until [he action is finished to perform the swap.

The Party Leader

One battle member is always designs ted as the leader.The lead character can be identified by either having their name highlighted or having a red flag attached to their portrait.This is the chara .ter who you move around the field. To change the lead character, go to the Parry Member screen, change [he current battle members, and watch the leader .flagjutnp around between leaders, or sirnply press the D-pad up or down while exploring. If the lead character runs out offJIl, you will be forced to designate a di Ifen:nl battle member as the leader before continuing.

Striking a Balance

Reserve party members do not receive EXP when enemies are defeated, but they d rc .eive LP. Depending on your preference, you can choose ro focus on a si ngle set of three characters as battle members for most of the game, or continuously swap out battle members and reserve members to keep their levels somewhat even. WARNING! If yuu focus on a smaller number of character, you will be more susceptible to defeat when your main group of battle members is defeated.

Attributes

Character effectiveness i comprised of several statistic that are altered by things like a character's level and equipment, or negative and posi tive status effects. Leveling up increases 'L character's

base statistics, but you can

also affect these value. by equipping certain equipment. The following is a list of things th a t dras tic ally in ere as e certain a rrribu tes:

® Increase HP: Equip light Armor or unlnck +HP slats on the license hoard. ® Increase MP: Equip a Rod or unlock nmltlple Quickening panels on

the license board.

® Increase AHack Power; Equip weapons and ammunition. ® Increase Delense: Equip armor.

® Increase Magick Resist: Equip hats and helms. ® Increase Evade: Equip a Shield.

® Increase Magick Evade: Equip certain shields.

® Strength: Equip Heavy Armor or unlock 6all1e Lore on the license board. ® Magick Power: Equip Mvstlc Armor or unlock Maglck tore

on the license board.

® Vitality: Equip cerlaln accessories. ® Speed: Equip certain aeeesserles.

Targeting

When you select an action for a battle member to perform, a nuger line appears (unless the option is turned off) that show who the character is targeting. Depl!nding 011 whether the action 1S an arrack, a curing Magick or a srarus-cnhancmg Magick, the line will appear in a different color.

Target Info

The technick Libra enables you to see a lot of u cful information about enemies.

t. Libra: If Libra is cast an yaur party, tile Libra icon will appear here to show whether Ihe enemy is alleeled by it or not. IIlhe enemy is nol allected by Libra, an "XU will appear over the libra mark.

2. Flying: If the enemy is a lIylng type, a feather and the words flying Iype will appear here.

3. Enemy Level: If none 01 your battle members have

Libra active, you will see question marks in place of the enemy's level.

4. Name: 11 an enemy's name appears In red, lhat is an indication thallhe ene my is three or more levels higlter than your character. IIlhe name appears in yellow, Ihe loe is

one or two levels higher Ihan your characters. And IIlhe name appears in blue, Ihe enemy is either the same level

as yours or lower. This information only appears when Libra is inactive.

5. Currenl HP and HP Max: If none 01 your baUie members have Ubra active, you will see queslion rna rks in Ihis spol.

6. Stalus Effects: This seclion indicales any status effects currenlly in effect.

7. Wea,kness: The enemy's weak polnl. If none 01 your battte members have Libra active, you will see nothing in lis place.

Target Line

The target line helps to designate whether a character is targeting ,I friend or foe and with what typ<: of action, Here's a breakdown of the colors and what they mean:

Purple: Monsler acnnn (healing)

Blue: Character action (anything aside from healing) Green: Character action (healing)

Red: Monster adion (anything aside lrom healing)

Target Signal

The target line indicates where your lead character's target is, bur there is another arrow next to that character that signifies whether they are actually close enough to the target. This arrow changes color depending on whether or not you arc within ran 'c.

Red Arrow: Your character is outside of range to attack Ihe munster

Yellow Anow: Your characler is within range to attack the munster,

Switching Targets

Pressing the Rl or Ll button enables you [0 select a different group of targets. The cursor cycles through target groups in a specific order before coming back around to the original target. IT your cursor targets the battle members by default, pressing the Rl button switches to yow· reserve members, other members, and then enemies. Pressing the Ll button does this in reverse. If no other members are present or performing the action on reserve members is not allowed, these categories will be skipped. Again, that order is as follows:

Enemy R 1 .> bailIe members Rl -> reserve members Rl .) olher members Al ->back 10 Ihe enemy

Attacks

Attacks arc divided into two categories: regular attacks and magick attacks. The following table breaks down the bask thing that affect various aspects of every attack.

Regular Attack Magick Allack

DitIlMUillii:Q1p Iih1!:I!mIililiiEllW

Maglcfl Power

Magiek Resist

MaDlek Evade

Silell

~C>

'/oo/calas erremles only.

Magick Barrier

Critical Attacks and Combos W/

Weapons don't always hit for the same amount of damage. There are minor fluctuations with most weapons between each hit based on the success of the attack and the enemy's defense. Weapons sometimes make a critical rut, which drastically increases the damage caused.This usually increases the attack power, but it is also affected by elemental weaknesses and strengths that come into play.

Combo attacks are random, but certain weapons arc more likely

to combo than others. Katana, ninja swords, and daggers combo very often and can create a chain of Lip to 10 hits at a time. Ranged weapons like bows and !,'llns never combo. Weapons that combo often typically cause less damage per hit, but can bypass the 9999 damage Limitation of stronger weapons by hitting multiple times.

2H Sword: 9999 damage x 1 hit" 9999 damage

2H Katana: 4999 damage x 10 lilts = 49990 damage

Keep in mind thar combos don't occur with every swing and a lO-hit combo is a very rar occurrence.The damage differen e tends to even our over time, so thc ability to combo frequently doesn't necessarily make one we.lpon better than another. However, the Genji Glove accessory will facilitate combo hits, especially with a Katana.

Counters

The Bartle Harness accessory enable a character to automatically counterattack upon being attacked. This is a anrastic option early in the game, since it makes it much easier to deal with multiple oppone.nts.

Enemies sometimes counterattack, so beware.The w rd "Counter" alway appens on-screen when a counterattack occur . You can thwart enemies that cou uterarrack frequently by using immobilize or Sleep and magicks, since magicks ell n't be cou nrcred.

Elements

Battle members anci enemies can lise weapons and rnagicks that are enhanced with the power of the clements. Knowing this and using it to YOUT advantage can give you the upper band in many battles. Conversely, [Jot paying attention to how these elements can work against yOll may mean your characters will meet a quick end.

Half Damage

M.nuf.~ted Nethlcile Manulacted i'lethicita Windbreaker.

Immurlo

Drngon Shield

Viking Coal

Glacial Staff

B"mlng BolY. Flame SLlll

Stlengttmn Mllgick

Storm Sial!

Cloud Cherry Stall

Weak poinl" 2x damage

No element changes" 1x damage (normal damage) Half damage" D.5x damage

Not eflecUve ::: Ox damage (no damage) Absotb ,,-1x damage (healing)

Status EITects

There are two types of status effects: positive and negative. Like their names imply, positive status effects are beneficial to yOul" j)<U'ty.lf you have them, good; if not, you may want to think about it. By contrast, negative Status effects can

change me tide of battle against your party, making thi.ngs a bit more difficult. You can remove

status effects in several different ways.You call usc items, magick, or simply wait until the spell wears off.

eEl Vilalllv increases Ihe lenglh et nme Ihal posm~e status eUects slav acti~e, while reducing the Ii me Ihal negative stalus enects are In ellect

eEl Save Crystals remove negative status etrects, but posilive status effecls stay active.

eEl Unlocking SpellbDund on Ihe license board Increases the amount 01 lime Ihal poslllve status aUecls last, bUI II has no eflect 011 negalive status uUecls.

Length ofSlalus Effects

111e amount of time that status effects stay active OD your characters depends upon the effect itself (see thc List in this section). Some effects do not go away naturally wid, time, but most of them do.

® A higher vitality reduces the amount of lime that negative status effects last.

® A higher vllaf1ly lnereasss Ille amounl 01 time that positive status ellects fast.

® When Stop is cast on your characters, their other status ellacf tlrners will not decrease lInlltllle Stop wears off Dr is taken away.

® TIle status eHeet time is not eHected by modilylng the battle speed. Dr h~vjng Stow Dr Haste inflicted.

Conflicting Status Effects

• Yml csarrol Cil51 Dec/JY Whon a player ts Inflicred IvllIl Stop. bill a pliJY8r Inflli;leri with Decoy C/l1J stlrl be hIIwilil Stop

• (;astlnf] Slop Wilen « pliJY(jr Is lalltCI8ti with lJdCQY willl"6rnoWi Decoy, but IIDIIIIe ol"~r w.yarwtrrl

Preventing Status EITects with Equipment

You can remove several status effects by casting an equal but opposite spell on n character. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for everything. See the list to the left for all the details. 'This list shows pairs of status effects that will not be effective when one has already been cast on the character.

The following status effect pairs will overwrite their counterpart when inflicted on an ally or enemy.

Certain equipment can prevent your characters from succumbing to negative status efli:cts, and some ,VUl cause your characters to always be inflicted with positive status effects. Examine the equipment section (see page 262) to see the special statuses that equipment and accessories can eany.

NlistCharges ~

1i5t Charges arc divisions of Mist Points that you can spend to summon an Esper or lise a Quickening. Each character can obtain up to three Mist Charges, The first charge is obtained when me character unlocks his or her first ~u~erungorSUD1D1orung

pot on the license board.The second and third charges are obtained when the character unlocks his or her second and third ~i~cn.ing on the license board respectively.

Even if you aren't planning on summoning Espers or using Quickenings, it's still a good idea to unlock the Mist Charges as soon as possible. The first Mist Charge simply turns your max MP into a charge" but the second one adds another charge that can hold the same number ofMP as your current max, effectively doubling that character's ro al MP! 'The third Mist Charge earned adds anomer charge to your MP Max that is equal in size to the others.

Mist Charge usage is ellSY to understand, Each Mist Charge requires a percentage of your character's MP to be available before it can be used. If your character has enough .MP to fill a Mist Charge, it appears as a yellow bar in the character statu section in the righthand comer. If your character doesn't have enough MP, this bar will be a blue bar instead of a yeLLow one. JJyOl! then restore enough

iP co 1ill a Mist Charge, a subtle chime rings that signals you can usc the charge again.

The basic gist of battle chains is that each time you defeat 'In enemy that is the same type (classification) as the previously defeated enemy, your battle chain number will increase by one. As you continue to defeat the same type of enemy, the chain continues to grow until eventually the chain level incrcases.Th is raises the chance that the fallen enemy wit! drop valuable items in greater numbers. As the Chain Level increa e through each

of the four ranks, so too do the rewards,

Battle Chain W/

Easy Money? Sign Me Up!

Un torrunarely, fighting the same enemy over and vex again can be problemaric.Thcrc arc lots of different enemies in Dalmasca, and the variety of enemies ill each area tends to be pretty high.1here are three ways to break a Bartle Chain;

1. Deleala menster of a differenllype.

2. Enl.er a tawn.

3. Touch a Save Cryslal.

An enemy that has a different name doesn't necessarily mean that

it is a different type (classification). If you fizhr several Wolves

and then a few Hyenas, your chain won't break because both are classified as Wolves. If:~ however, YOLI defeat a Cactuar, the chain will return to zero.

lIem Drop Rarity Lisl
, , '" , - ~ I ~ , ... •• 11"- • t ,I
0 40'1. 25"/, 3'% 1%
I 45% 30% 6% 2%
~ 50% 35'1. 8% 3%
3 55% 4M, 12% 5% Intangible Rewards for Chailling

ltem rewards are grt:at, but they're nut the only rewards for making chain •. The items gathered may also re tore HP or MP or even cast magick 011 your characters. Refer to the following chan for all the derails:

Ch.lo It!,.1 Bonus 10% liP 10%MP Protee. Shell
Resto,," Restore
I 20% 10% 10% 0% 0%
2 50% 20% 20'10 5% tLea~.r) 5% ILea~.r)
3 60% 25% 25% 5% (All) 5% (All) o

0%

0%

0%

0%

Focus on Useful Accessories

Some accessories offer less useful enhancements. The fullowing accessories arc the real deal and offer your characters attractive bonu es that ,lIT well worth the cost and effort it takes to acquire them,

Battle Advice:

Mix Up Your Weapon Types

Allowing the game to automatically select yom weapons based on attack power isn't always the best idea. It's often a better idea to mix up your weapon use a bit. Some of the weaker weapons carry specific abilities that can make a character more useful i 11 certain situations. Here arc some of the "weaker" weapon groups and their advantages:

® Bow & Crossbow: These weapons are prlmarllv lor use against Ilying creatures, hut also allow the wielder 10 keep their distance lrnrn ground enemies. The ammunition used also allows ror a varlely 01 elemental or status attacks.

® Gun & Measure: Guns and Measures complelely ignore an enemy'S detense. making them a great choice aqalnst heavily armored enemies.

® Axe, Hammer & Hand-Bomb: These weapons can cause alai 01 damage at once, but sometimes hit lor very liItle damage.

® Rod & Stafl: These rnaglek-user weannns add magick power and MP 10 Iheir wielders.

Focus on Useful Magick

There are a few spells that are a lot more useful than you may initially mink. One of these spell combinations involves casting Reflecrga on all a your characters, then attacking them with attack magick.

Another very useful spell IS Reverse. When it is cast on your own characters, it converts any damage that the player receives into liP.

® White Magick: While Magick can heal your characters and remove nearlv any status ailmenls. Make Ihls a top priority lor all characters.

® Various Attack Maglck: Attack Maglck enables you 10 I1Irgel a monster'S specific weakness. Pure melee characters can Ignore these untll Ihev have exira LP to spend.

® Haste & Ha.stega: The Haste spells pullhe status ellect Hasle on vour characters.

® Renect & Reflectga: The Rellecl spells Ilullhe status elleel Relleel on your characters.

® Protect & Protectga: The Protect spells putlhe status etleet Prolec! on your eharaeters. Make sure at least one parlV member has access to Ihese spells once they become available.

® Shell & Shellga: The Shell spells put the status ellecl Shell on your characters. TIlese aren't as critical as Protecl. aut come In very handy when facing bosses that use powerful magick.

® Reverse: Any damane received is lurned lnto HP, while any Cllte spells tum Inlo attack damage. This is essenuai wlleo !aclng some of Ihe lougllesl bosses in HIe game.

® Decoy: Decov draws Ihe auentlnn ot Ihe enemy to a sueclnc character.

Put this on the primary fighter in Ihe parly 10 keep the support characters safe.

More Ma leks __.

® Bubble: Bubble doubles vour maximum HP lor lis dllfallan. Use it Irom tile moment it becomes available.

® Syphon: This leis you absorb MP lromlhe target. Some enemies are immune to Ihe ellect, especiallv basses, bul lt's tar more effective Ihao Ille Charge teclmicK.

Focus on Useful Technicks

Technicks are nice because they don't require MP to cast. Some are far more useful than others, though. The following rechnicks are very useful and many become life-saving tools during the course of the game.

® Steal: Steal enables you to lake items Irom enemies. This is a qraat way to Increase cash lIow and l! is essential 10 oblaining rare loollhal unlocks some 0' the game·s best weapons and armor.

® Libra: libra enables you to spot traps and view an enemy's stars. Keep II on a gambit at all limes.

® Charge: Charge enables YOIi to instantlv regain MP. II you miss an attempted cllarge, vour MP will reduce to 0, so be carellll!

® 1,000 Needles: Deals 1,000 damage 10 one loe. Tllis can prove useful lor a character who uses magick as a primary attack method or a weak weapon that boosts their magick power, but the enemy is temporarily Immune to magick damage.

CB Expose: Lowers an enemV"s defense. You can use IIlis over and over again during a battle to deplele Ihe enemy's defense.

Respawning TreasuIe Chests

There are three rcspawning treasure chests inside Barhcim Passage

pedal. Op Sector 5 that each contain approximately 3000 gil. To maximize profits, take these three treasure chests, make your way

to either [he Zeviah ubterrane or the orth-South .Jullction to reset the chests, then return to the Specht! Op Sector 5 to rake them again.

SteaJ from the Kiug Bomb

The King Bomb battle is one of the rare

boss battles during which you cat! enter and leave as mat!y times as you like. You can then save your "lime 'H the Save Crystal JUSt urside of the boss ro m. You can usc this to your advantage

in everal different ways. First, without touching the Save Crystal. between each trip into the room, it's possible to build up a mean battle chain from the endless supply of bombs that King Bomb drop. Second, and perhaps more importantly, you can steal from the I ing Bomb each time you face him. You can quickly collect up to 99 items that can be sold for a reasonably large chunk of cash.

Reflecting Attacks to Increase Damage

With the right setup, it's possible [Q hit an enemy multiple times with a single spell. T do this, create a situation where all of your battle members have the status enhancement Reflect cast on hem. After doing so, access the magic menu, target each member of your own party, and unleash the elemental attack. The spell will bounce off your party and every individual hit will reflect onto the single opponent, thus magnifYing the strength of the attack by three. If you have a guest member and another member in your party, ir's possible to increase the number ofhits to 5!

Since magic can only be reflected once, it's po ible to hit enemies that currentl y have Reflect cast on them wi tl1 this as well. Several spells work well with this technique, including Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Scathe, which bas the power to inBicr nearly as much damage as your strongest Qyi kening combo.

"Last Selection" Cursor Position Damage

In the options screen, there's an option to remember the lastselected action and aut matically return your cursor to it when you access the action menu, 'Ibis option is crucial if you're going to play in Active mode and can be very useful in Walt mode. Regardless of your selected mode, you'll often find yourself needing to perform the same battle action multiple times. "Last election" removes the tedium of having to wander through the menu over and over again.

Using Esper License Grid Slots to Gain Mist Charges

If you don't have all three Mist Charges on llJJY of your characters by the time you unlock. the Famtrir, Chaos, Ultima, or Zodiark Espcrs, you can Sip over one of these panels to instantly brain access to all three Mist harges. These Espers require duet: Mist Charges ro cast, so the game will unlock any missing charges when you gain access to the Espers,

"Fishing' for Enemies

When you find a group of difficult enemies that are grouped together and YOli don't want to fight them all at once, it's possible

to lure enemies Out ODe at a time and take them 011 individually. To do this, make sure your party leader is a ranged character. Approach the enemy from far away and manually select "Attack," targeting the nearest opponcnr.Ycu'll be too far away to hit the CI1Cll1Y, so slowly ere ep up to the group un til you're wi tbi n di s ta nee to a track an d )'0 u r character will automatically use their attack, drawing its attention

to your party. ow that the pponenr is aware, hold down the R2 button to run away. The enemy will follow, leaving the rest of his cronies behind to pace back and forth.

Espers are powerful creatures that characters can summon to aid

the party in bank. They take the place of rwo party members and remain in the battlefield for one minute and thirty seconds or until the summoner Of the Esper is defeated. Each Esper has a different set of skills that makes it m ore useful in so m e si tu ati 0 ns than others.

Unlocking the Espers

All of the Espcrs arc locked at the beg;ru:tit,g of the. game, and they won't become available until the p;uty tracks them down

and defeats them. Some of the Espers appc;:rr during rhe normal Bow of the game's storyline, but others are. more difficult to track down and require. a bit of extra adventuring.

Defeated Espers ap.pcar on the License board as a panel A character must then purchase the Esper with LP. These are one-time ouly panels, so only OIJe rburoc.ter can unlock each Esper. There's 0.0 limit ro the number of Esper. one character can command, but it's best to spread [hem out amongst the party members.

Summoning an Esper

It takes between one to three Mist Ckuges to summon an Esper. "The Esper's cost is a good measure of the creature's power. A singleMist-Charge beast like Bellas doesn't compare to a three-MistCharge behemoth like Ultima.

A character can summon an Espe.r at any time as long as [he necessary Mist Charges are available. Also note that Silence has no effect on your abili ty to sumruo n Espe rs,

To initiate a sUllllll9!l, select the Mist option from the battle menu and then choose Summon to rneke a list of-available Espers appear. You can summon those names thatnppear in white, while those names that appear in gray IUe temporarily unavailable due to cost ora status effect.

Restrictions & Notes

Espers respond pretry much like any other gw:St character, in that the player has DO control over the Esper's actions. Each Esper has its own gambits that it follows, which are listed in the following sections.

111e summoner's level determines an Esper's level and stars. The effect only determines the Esper's level, nor its I-IP and NIP, and these values vary from one Esper to another.

While an Esper is active, the player can't change leaders.The su_mmOIJCI treats the Esper like another pafty member, so he or she may automatically begin casting things like Haste, Bubble, and Protect if yOUl" gambits are set up to do so.

Espcrs arc so powerful that they're immune to many things. For example, most negative status effects won't harm an Esper.There are even some that come equipped with positive effects like Faith and Bravery that cannot be dispelled.

Beware of statuses on an Esper when it is summoned, Some Espers appear iJ1 battle with Reflect already cast 'Ipon it, which makes it difficult to heal. An Opal Ring really helps out in this situation, since it enables the summoner to cast through the Reflect spell.

GcncnllIy, the summoner should focus on healing while an Esper

is active . .Boost the Esper's powe.! with Haste and Bubble if needed, but keep a Cure ready at all times. Also, try to keep the Esper alive long enough to usc its finishing arrack.

Strengths & Weaknesses

S!:ion oJ darkness and guardian DI

the Holy Realm, made by the gods In oppDsilion to Ihe Transcendenlloghrll, Scion of ligh!. Called the Gigas lor his appearance: man and monster fused as one. Considered a mistake UPOIl his making. and receiving not his intended role, Ihe Gigas challenged Ihegods and lost. Scorned by his masters, he found anolher: jlle Dynasl-Klng, whose lomb he swore 10 ploteel tor eternlly.

Belias Is discowered wilhln the normal sloryline. The firsl Esper discovered in the game, he's weaker Ihan mDSt. He's 81m very use lui when lacing enemies with a weakness 10 Hie magic!! and comes in handy when challenging the lirst rll'w hunl marks.

Illheaoemy Is weall againsl FIre 11 an .namy IS spotted

~------------------------~----------~

Strellgths & Weaknesses

In the underworld, In opposllion to Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant and scion ollighl. In the eeurse ot his rule, be submlned 10 avarice, and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then In hiS cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods. Defeated belore Ihelr might, he lell screaming inlo Ihe deplhs 01 hell, Ihere to be imprisoned lor eternily.

Maleusis also encoun1ellld during"lhe main s1oryline. This evil being 3 ppears 10 have enlrapped an ice gOd d ess, so it uses a variety of ice ma![lcks. Maleus Is more userul when facing creatures thai are weak againsllce maglck. II also has a healing spell thaI can help keep Iisell and the summoner alive when lacing a group 01 enemies.

Scion !hal is both nerse and wuman, wlel~ing uner conlrol over Ihe souls thai wander Ihe underworld, In opposition In !he Marlyr Igeyorhm, scion 01 Ugili. Though she once served the gods as a guardian, when Ultima announced her rebellion, Shemhaz.al went 10 her, whispering 01 the gods' hidden weaknesses. She Ihen descended upon the land wlill 0 III leave of lh~ gods, and laughl men of desllUcllon and evil. For thl s was s he stricken dowlI and bound.

Shemhazai joins the party as part 01 the game's normal storvllne. She also wields an all-or-nothJng aHack, Which some lougher enemies and bosses can resist It's beslto S"3ve her lor lesser enemies and rely on other Espers durlna dlfflcull bal11es.

strengths & Weaknesses

power lea ~ mankind Ie ordez Crealed In 0 pposili on 10 Fa n d 3 n i eli I he Froteclo r" sci 0 n '01 light. Desiring 10 br.ingcrder 10311111ings" he joined. with Ultima In her bailie against the 9 odS. He .g ave hlsb 0 d V 10 III e theus a n d·Yesls Wal, and when h Is sire n gth was s p enl,

,d own In 10 Ihe burn I ng in lern 0 ih e rei I.

Hashmal is also encountered during the game's main Slorvline,. HI$ earth allacks are very val u able ,si n ce ea rth Is a co mm on w ea kness am 0 ng Ilyi n 9 lees .3 n d yel is u nav.a it· able 10 lhe. party through normal magicks. Triuerlng his linal attack Is occasionally dllticult,. since' it requires thesummoner"s HP 10 be near critical'. 111ls makes H'ashma.1 ago 0 d chol ce when the summoner Is al rea Ily in thec!i tical Ii P slate, so he

perlorms Gala'·s Wrath upon enlellng 1na baHle'.

The hideous, ~arkly clouded lorm of FamITH, scion in opposilion 10 Holy Queen Emmerololth. scion at I1ghl. was analhema·e~en to his creators. Thus, atter a great batlie, was he broken and sealed within armor faced with wards. The conlines 01 his armor are void 01 light, so I\e Is called Ihe Darkening Cloud. Men lear the rain that lalls trom the black clouds Ihal ooze from the glanl ewer as a herald of chaos and waste.

Famlrills encollntered during Ihe game's main storyline, all.hough it occurs later in Ihe game. II oilers powerful Water anaexs that supplement the rather weak Waler magick available 10 the party. lise Famlri1 agaInst enemIes with weaknesses 10 Waler.

59 58 ~8
90-140 65 64 l 30 I
30 1~1~212 71 70 I 33 33
40 4853-5030 181-302 n 76 -~ :>5
50 5329-5595 224-371l 83 82 ~
50 5749-609~ Z64-448 Lz, 13.8 -I
5987-6373 294-498 95 94
-
6262-6697 324-5<!8 99
344-578 Summon 11ln8 Remaining < 10 Seconds

II HP<30%

III Ihe enemy CIl n a bsorll W~ler If1he .n.my Is Vleak agalll51 Waler II an on. my IS spotled

BIl flY Cannonade

___ --1'-

-- - - -

Actions

AttaCk

PhYSical

I. r

Maglclt Magick

WateJ Water

145 140 200

NIl<

Diameter B

Emperor among Ihe scions, able!o reduce 10 "olhlng augh! he strikes with a single vengatul blow ot his 11&1, ereated in opPOSition to Deudalephon the Benevolent, scion 01 light. Though he was made by the godS to quellihe liends !hal raged in the O1l1erworld, his immense shength and fearsome visage drew fhe fiends to his side, and lurned him against his creators. Adrammelech rose .11 prominence in the otherworfd, whence he led a fiendish horde agains! the gods, but in !he end, he was delealed.

Adrammetech Is lound in lhe Athro13 Quicksands section of Zerlinan Caverns. He's commonly encountered on the "Paying for Ihe Pasl" hunt (see page 22,8 01 this guide), whIch requires Ihe parl~ 10 search lhe Zerlina" Cavems lorlha Catnblapas,

This Esper packs a power1ullighlnlng punch that works grea! against many enemla,s. ThIs Esper doesn't have much HP, Which makes II dl11lcuII lor ilto hang around long enough 10 use Us tinal allack. Keep It heal!hy and use Bubble 10 double its HP righ! away.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Scion created to rid the world 01 ils impurities bV swallowing Ihem wilhln himsell, In opposilion to Nabriales ihe Majestic, scion 01 light. The worhl,.however, was more filled wilh impurity and corrupllon tilan eVlln I.he gods dared imagine, 3.nd having swallowed it all, Ihe once beautiful ClichuJainn was Iransformed inlo a hideous thing, a deily ofliilb, and so did he lum against his creators. Wherever his leet should fall, t~ele all life withers to dusl.

To find this Esper, Ihe party must complete the "Lost in the Pudding" hunl (see page 225 in Ihis guide) 10 gellhe Sluice Gale Key. Next, complete the "Waterway Haunting" side quesl (see page 224 in Ihis guide) 10 adjust the water levels and open 3 path 10 the boss.

Cuchllla.inn Is an easy Esper to USB.

He has plentv 01 HP al his disposal and

often heals willi Curala, which enables his summoner 10 tocus more on combat and tess on keeping the Esper alive. When paired

with a powertul melee characler, they esn devastate any lesser enemies that crawl around nearly any location.

10. L t' NecrohDI 01 Nabudis (side Quest, "Walerway lIauntlng,"

r DCa IOn: "Lost In Ille P"ddlng" and "Broken Arlllacl")

Strengths & Weaknesses

Tutelary deily 01 Ihe sacred crystals lashioned by the gods allhe lime ot the Great Making. Created In opposition 10 Milron Ihe Chastiser, scion 01 light Upon entering Ihe world 01 Man, he was enveloped in the turmoil rampant there, Lost, he died and was reborn countless times, a walker DIllie's wheel, eventually 10 rage against Ihe gods Ihal had so lated him. By silling in medilalion upon Ihe Uneh Pedestal does he clear heart and mind unlil all Ihal has order and reason and lhoughlls made as nolhlng.

Chaos is located deep within the Necrohol 01 Naaudis. To reach him, Ihe parly must complete the "Waterwa~ Haunting" (see page 224 in this guide) and "Lost in the Pudding" (see page 226 in this guide) hunts. After doing so, you must comp!ete.he "Nabreus's Medal" side Quest (see page 241 in this guide) Ihal eventually leads lmo the NecrohDI or Nabudis. Oereal the optional bosses, Fury and Humbaba Mistanl, to unlock the palh 10 Chaos.

This Esper adjusls well 10 any silualian. II bases lts atlacks on Ihe enemy's weakness, so it always hils Ihe opponent hard where It hurls the most Chaos enters batue with ReUecl on, which makes II dllllcuillo

heal him when the need arises. Equip an Opal

Ring hetera summoning him to prevent thilllrom bein,g an issue.

Strengths & Weaknesses

mn ~~

Herelic scion who wrapped the world in dark energies, se.eking 10 lake Ihe souls Qf allillfing thlnllS unlo himself. Crealed tn opposilion 10 Emet-Seleh, Angel 01 Trulh, and scion orUght Originally tasked willi Ihe judg· ing of men upon thefr deaths, his soul was fainted b'l the curses 01 Ihosi! who raged against the heavens, and seIzin.D one of fhe golls' servanls, a shamaness, as a hostage, he rebelled agalnsl his creators. Even now, in. deleat, he clutches tM shamaness 10 h1m In his righl arm, and wilh the aid 01 her death-wall does he summon the soul of darkness 10 do his bidding.

Zatera appears allhe end of a tong series 01 evenls Illat lead to the Barheim Passage. 1\ begins wilh the "Dalmasca's Desert Bloom" hunt Isee page 224 In this guftte) thaI prefaces Ihe "Pursull 01 a Cure" (see page 231 in this guide) and "Cacl.ur Famllv" (see page .2391n this guide) side quests. Complele them all, Ihen dive deep Inlo Barheim Passage 10 lace Ihe Esper and its minions.

This Esper is a lillie dillerent Irom the others. lis attacks are typicallv all or nothing, since Kill Is an mstent death atlack. Zalera's attack changes In a devlIstating magick !!Irike thai is Jess "hlt-or-mlss'' when his HP is less than 80%. Zalera aulomatic.ally heals himse" between battles wilb Holy, so there's no Wa'lIO intenlionallv keep Zalera's

HP low 10 lorce II 10 use Shock instead ot Kill. Zalera's tinlll attack is triggered bV anv enemv will1 critical HP. This may result in a very qu ck .3 ppea rance if an anemV wlthc r1llsal HP ,Isalrea~.,. present wh e n Ihe Esper is summoned.

BnD condemner 01 criminals. CleareD in opposillon 10 Knighl. SI a r l'ashlarol. se lanaI lig hI. He turns his deep" ab ldi n g haIred lor lhos.e W~D break Ihe .Iaw Into living darkness, Ihereln to plunge Ihe guUIV In fell judgment. Over lime, he came 10 care las SID r upholdi n 9 lha law and mare toreon-

d'e m nation. and so 1 ainled by hate, he so u ghl 10 eo n d e m n Ihe god:s themselves to dealh,. Thus did he earn Ihe rnle 01 ·'The Condemner," and thus did !he rail from grace_

To find Zeromus. Ina ,parlv must collectlhe Stone at the Condemner .from the MllluI·Omlsue region alter Ihe area Is llitasked_ The stone Is subsequently used In the Slitsh!lne or MIriam 10 teach the boss.

0Il

s 'iliEl1 €E)

~

Ze rom u s uses G'ravily magi ck toatta ck

lis enemie s, which can be devastali n g or co m plele Iy lnellecUve. Ensu re thaI. all ta rgets are atteeted by Gravity b ere Ie bli n gin Q Ze ro m us inlo a ~a IIle.

strengths & Weaknesses

Masl anelent ,01 the scions, created. in apposlUoo to Halmanrl, the Arbiter, and scion 01 light. Tasked with keeping Watch. over the world, with ihe all'lhorll'j 10 ludge the value (!laTilhings, As he watc'hed, unseen, unknow n, his a H a chman! to th wo rid dwIndl e dan d lad ad unli I lt was as nothi n g. Fitting that h If waul d des Ire to make Ihe world, 100, as nathing. Yet he feU In the war against fhe geds, and was fhwarted, Imprisoned In punishmenllar his heresy.

You can find EJodus In the Mosphoran Highwasie ,once the walers begin Ie Ilow at Ihe Bahb II n g Vale. Salve the lIe3twe e d punla ttl leach Ih e peak wh e re :Exodus awa lts.

This Esper's linal "Hack Is difficul1 to use, II only OGGlrrs at Ihe end frr Exodus's summen time, but ~nlv If lbB Esp~r :has been Immobilized. TIlls means keeping a elnse eye on hls IHP and the ti m e lemai n iog.C a sl 1m mobil ize on hi m al thelasl se eond When ,enemies are near to trigger the meteor attack. tlcan be devastating,

but lequ Ires C'3 retu Ilimi n Q'.

Masterpiece among the scions created by the gods, and mastermind allhe plot to rise againstlhem. Prior 10 her betrayal, she was tasked wilh guiding souls 10 heaven and atding in Iheir reincarnation. Ca.lled the High Seraph for her angelic wings 01 gJlmmerlng gold, yet it was on wings 01 deepest black thallhe tainted angel Ullima rose agslns11he gods. Since her lall, her heart is withollilight, and impossible to know.

UlUma is hidden deep wilhin Ihe hearl of Giruvegan's Greal Crystal. Carefully navigate the Way Stones to reach her lair altar clearing Ihe city 01 GiruvegaJJ.

811e's very powerful, bul has perhaps the singie most dlmeutl final attack to trigger. II requires that bllth she and the summoner have critical HP levels. This is almost impossible 10 trigger on command, but

a blast Dr Grsvigs ean ollen help rorc.e things. Ultima also enters the bailie wilh Reflecl

Strongest of the scions created by Ihe gods, Ihey feared his growth, and so kept him if child. So indomllable is his slrenglh fhat alilhings are by him twisted and pressed Into oblivion. He alone lashions Ihe laws governIng alllhlngs, and administers punishmenl in place 01 the gods. So is he Keeper 01 Precepts, and his authorily Is absolute.

Talk 10 Seomancer Yugelu in Jahara aHer the party acquires at laasl l 0 Espers. Yugelu then unlneks the path within the Henne Mines lnat leads to Zodiark. This is a very difficult lOad. so be ready lor level 65 enemies and some ollhe nastiest battles yel!

Zodiark is an extremely powerful ally. lis powerful Scathe attacks can wipe oul entire enemy clusters In seconds. Zodiarlt's final aHack, Final Eclipse, requires Ihalthe summoner be under the stone eneet, This is achieved by casting Break on the summoner either betore or alter Zodiark is summenea, Casting il on the summoner prior 10 summoning the Esper ensures Ihal Zodiark Immedialely launches the Final Eclipse upon

entering bllllJe. This Is especially ellective when lacing tJo,sses. By the way, Final Ecllpse causes approximately 50,000 HP 01 damage

with each usel

10 3225-3248 5(1-70 66 51 28 28
20 3410-3536 90-140 72 S7 30 30
30 378S-3908 131-212 78 63 33 33
40 4083-4260 181-302 84 69 35 35
50 4559-4825 224-378 90 75 'JI 37
60 4979-5323 264-448 96 81 40 40
70 5217-5603 294-498 99 87 42 42
80 5492-5927 324-5.49 99 93 44 44
90 5867-6371 5<14-578 99 99 47 47
99 6290·6873 49 49 II Summoner under BlVak Eflee\ (Slone) Final Eclipse Magick
II more Ihan Qne enemy presenl Scalhe SC<llhe 10 Dlameler 6 Maglck None 190
If lim enemy can ansorb Dar!! Flam Banish Ray 12 NlA M'glr:k t)ar~ 240
lithe anem~ Is weak against Dark Banl!SH Ray Rnal E&llpsl 12 Oiamfler a Magick None
II .n onemy is spoiled Banlsh Ray (I.'J .

l,. I

~

~ -

Qyickenings are powerful combos that consume the Mist Charges of one to three party members. The power of the attack

is based upon the combination of attacks executed to release a devastating finishing attack or "Concurrence.Ylhis unique system is much like a slot machine and a little difficult to understand at first, so it's better to break it down and explain just how to get the most out of Qplckcnings.

Unlocking Ouickenings

Characters begin the b'1lmc witho~Jf Quicke_nIDgs. To obmin them, YOll must unlock the special C2!Uckening panels on the license board.These panels are one-time only panels, which means once a character unlocks a quickening panel, that particular panel is removed from the other members' license boards. Each character can only unlock three panels total, It doesn't matter which panels are unlocked, as Qyickenings an: based on the character and the number of Quickening panels unlocked rather than the chosen panel itself.

Unlocking one panel earns II character a level lO!._Uckening. Unlocking rwo panels produces the character's leve:l2 Quickening and a second Mist Charge (it also doubles the character's maximum MP). Unlocking three panels releases the character's level 3 Qjrickening and adds a third Mist Char!,"C (effectively rriplin T the character's maximum MP).

Mist Charges

Qykkerungs consume Mist Charges based upon the level of the Qpickcning used, Level 1 consumes one Mist Charge; level 2 uses two Mist Charges; and level 3 devours three Mist Charges. Thus, a character with two Mist Charges can use a level 1 or level 2 Qgickening.

How HAll Works

The Qp.ickcning system is much like a slot machine, so there's some luck involved. & the initial attack occurs, lip to three lines of text appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen, one li nc for each character participating in the attack Think of these lines as the wheels of. slot machine.

The "wheels'trandornly cycle through four possible outcomes. They will. display rhe name of a characters level 1, level .2, or level

3 OJ,lickening or the words "Mist Charge.t When they appear in white, the player can activate the command by pressing the button shown to the Left of the line of text. ore that lines appearing gray in color aren't available.

With a little Lu k, there will be a white line or two available from which to choose, but eventually three gray lines will appe,u. Press the R2 button when this OCCllIS to shuffle the commands again in hopes of getting a white line or two.

The player can initiate as many attacks as possible within the foursecond time Limit. By achieving certain attack combinations, the party unleashes a powerful Concurrence that delivers a devastating final hir to the target and any nearby enemies. So what makes the white and gray lines appear? This is where things gets tricky. Read on to make sense of it all.

Cost VS. Available Mist Charges '!I/

As noted previously, each Quickening COSts a certain number of Mist Charges. Characters can only perform an action if they have the Mist Charges to fue! the attack. For example, let's say Va.an enters battle with three Mist Charges and begins his assault with his level 3 attack, Pyrodasm.1hl. will immediately drain all of hi Misr Charges, meaning that he can no longer participate in the combo. His teammates, however, likely still have Mist Charges and Call perform additional attacks.

Don't count Vaan out just yet, though. Keep an eye on his command line and watch for the words uM.ist Charge" to appear. Press the corresponding button when these words appear on-screen to completely refill Vaan's Misr Charges as the commands reshuffle.

ow he can use any of his attacks again.

The phrase "Mist Charge" may appear for a character whenever that persoll has completely drained his or her Mist Charges. Always

use the Mist Charge command when it appears, as combos can continue to grow until the timer runs out.

Consider this next example. Vaan begins by using three Mist Charges. He uses Pyroclasm, his level 3 attack, to open a Qjiickening. "Mist Charge" immediately appears on-screen and is triggered, so his Misr Charge climbs back from nothing to three.

ext, his level 1 arrack, Red Spiral, appears and is triggered reducing his Mist Charges to two. As the Red Spiral plays the command for his level 2 arrack, White Whorl, 'lppea.rs and is tnggered. Now he has performed three attacks and his Mist Charges are back to zero.

With a Iirtle luck, the Mist Charge command will appear again and Vaan can continue to attack, or the timer will run out and a Concurrence will play if it is earned.

Managing the Clock )V/

The clock pauses whenever you trigger an attack command. Ir doesn't start to move again until the next animation starts to play. Enter the commands quickly to save time, but don't do so in haste. The combination ofartacks is very important, so choose the next action carefully and quickly.

The 1isr Charge command doesn't stop the clock, but it does

re huffle the commands. Be ready to press another button quickly [Q avoid wasting time.

Note that a small amount of time is added back to the dock each time a command is entered. As the dock winds down, the bar also speeds up with each successful attack, so eventually there's no time to shuffle or even read [he command lines.

Triggering Concurrences

Concurrences arrive at the end of 11 ~ickening when certain conditions have been met. The conditions are based upon the number of level I, 2, and 3 att-acks that arc used dnring the Quickening. For instance, the weakest Concurrence requires that the p:ury perform three level 1 attack during the Qpickening.The toughest, Black Hole, requires four of each level. Obviously, it's easier to perform some Concurrences than others and there's a little

luck involved, too. It's usually easy enough to get Ark Blast once everyone in the parry has three Mist Charges.

The be t combination is always used, too. Say the party uses seven level 1 attack ,five level Z attacks, and two level 3 attacks. That combination would qualify them for five different Concurrences, but would always result in Ark Blast.

Any damage caused by a Concurrence is non-elemental. The names may makethem seem like elemental attacks, but resistances don't come into play. The only creatures that can resist a Quickening' are tho e with an immunity to physical damage.

The great sag'\ opens with a happy occasion in Rabanasrre, capital ofthe Kingdom of Dalrnasca. Amid great pomp and ceremony,

a wedding procession winds through cheering crowds Iining the s treets of the TO yal ci ty. 111e parade celebrates the marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Ashe (daughter of Raminas, King of'Dalmasca) to Lord Rasler (heir to the throne of DaJ masca's eastern neighbor Nabradia),

This is more than a mltrriagc of convenience; Ashe and Raske are rruly in Love, a filer that seems to bestow a sacred, joyous air to the proce~dings. In the city's great cathedral. the high priest seals the union with the name of the God of Light, Paramo With that, the bordering kingdoms come together in a peaceful union.

But visions of a hopeful future quickly fude. Basch, captain

in the Order of the Knights of Dalrnasca, 'Soon bdngs disturbing news to the king's war room: Nabudis, capital of Nabradia, bas fallen benearh Archadia's westward surge. Surely Dalmasca is next.

King Rarninas sends Basch and Lord Rasler to rally Dalmascan defense forces in the border fortress of albina.There, the fight

is desperate, furious, and ultimately lost when the stronghold's "paling," a defensive magick barrier, falls. Archadian troops overwhelm the great citadel; in the process, Lord Rasler takes a lethal arrow to the chest, Basch barely manages to escape on a chocobo with the mortally wounded prince.

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Back in Dalmasca, Lord Rasler is hid to rest, along with rhc hope of rhc entire region.

Here begin the memoirs of the Marquis Halim Ondore TV. Listen carefully to learn how King Raminas agreed to terms with his Archadian conqll~rors and reluctantly traveled to 1l0Woccupied Nalbina Fortress to sign the treary.The Marquis Ondorc's entry ends with some

hilling words: "1l1C Treaty would be signed with Steel. .. and Writ in royal Blood."

CD "These chests only appear once on the map .

.. '" This color indicates Ihose cnests Ihal on IV appear once. @tJ "These chests will reappear on Ihe maps.

m = This color indicates lhosechests thai will reappear on the 1~.ft""T"'11!o>" I ;; Gambits

I BIiJj) T!!J &0.< I = flfi&jJJ§ 'iJI'D1W _ fllff fffN!JIil}TllJ)

Learn the BaSIC Game Controls

As the story begins, you Lay uncons ious in the Aerial Gardens of the albina Fortress. You are a Dalmascan soldier named Reks, 17, a mere boy orphaned by the war. Your captain, Basch, revives you and checks your condition. Yom· team includes several soldiers and Vossler Azelas, another esteemed member of the Order of the Knights of Dalrnasca.

Note that Reks speaks of his younger brother back in Rabanastre; we'll meet him soon enough. For now, watch Basch decimate

a squad of Imperial Swordsmen-he's quite an accomplished warrior-and then follow his dire tions ,\S you take control of Reks.

As a young soldier named Reks, you join Basch in his atlemptto halt the plot against King Raminas.

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Move the Right Analog Stick to move the camera view around, then use the Left Analog Stick to walk reward Basch. After that, you Jearn about the Talk Icon, Walk to the Dalmascan soldier posted at the nearby gate and talk to him. Approach the iron gate to learn about the Action Icon, then press m to open the gate.

Take control of Reks and follow Basch's simple commands.

Afte r Reks and Bas ch eli m b the s ta i rs to enter th e n ext area,

the Inner Ward, you learn about the Party Menu where you can examine your equipment and inventory. Then, prepare for the game's first fight! Basch points out the hostile red Target Line, which indicates that you're being targeted by an attacking enemyin this case, an Imperial Swordsman.

Press m to open the Battle Menu. The menu cursor already points to Attack, so just press D' to select that action.There is only one target choice, Imperial Swordsman Ai the menu cursor already points [Q that selection, so just press m ag-.lin. Move Rcks toward the enemy guard to initiate the attack and watch the action unfold.

Basch and his squad of Dalrnascan soldiers quickly join in and make instant mincemeat of the poor Imperial. Now

move forward across the bridge to trigger a quick event showing an approaching airship.

Beat the (Almost) Boss

The health of this airship "boss" is measured by the red bar across the top of the screen.

Cross the Inner Ward bridge to lrigger the approach of the deadly Air Cutter Remora.

111e Air utter Remora is a boss ... sort of. Note its red boss health bat across the top of me screen. When yOLI fight any boss-type enemy, a similar bar appears. When you score lilts, draining the boss's !P, the health bar drops. Open the Bartle Menu and attack the airship.

Of course, this is a tougher fight, so keep an "'ie on the HP counter next to Reks's name in the lower-right comer. In the unlikely event that it drops below 50 or so, you can replenish HP wi th a Potion or use a Cure magick spell.

mil II [£In il~ CBroYJ,1J llQ1I!Cr

J!.P TODR{NKAPOTION

Open the Battle M enu and select Items. Then select Potion {yOll start with 8 of tbem} and select Reks to restore some of his HP.lf your liP gets really low, YOll can use a Hi-Potion instead . Hi-Potions restore a greater number of HP than regillar Potions.

P TO CAST CURE

Open the Battle NIemi ami select Magicks & Tecbnicks. Select Wbite iVlagicks, then select Cure (the only cboice for now). Fi1Wlly, select Reks; be will cast a CIlTe spell on bimselfalld restore some fIP. 'Ibis costs 8 MP (Mist Points), so Rekss MP counter will drop from 34 to 26. Bnt YOll gellerate NIP wbenever YOII Tim, soyrm can push your NIP back to 3450011 enough.

Sling some Tnunder at the Imperial Cutter to practice some magick attacks.

'TIle Air utter Remora hovers low enough that regular sword attacks can strike it (this isn't always true of flying foes, but you'll learn more about that later). But you can also sling ,1 magick attack at the craft. Select Black Magicks from the Battle Menu, then select Thunder. ext, select your Larger, the Air litter Remora. ow watch Reks fire a nasty bolt oflighrning at the airship.

Once the Remora's health bar drops to about the halfway mark, Basch unleashes a blistering special attack that knocks it silly. (Note: 'TIllS is a Qpickcrung. You'U get [Q U 'C these powerful arm ks later in rhc game.) Watch as the Air Cutter Rernora disengages and runs. Then pn:pare for another assault.

Basch gives 'Tonberry" a blasl of Quickening, chasing It off to its lowly repair hangar.

Climb Through tbe Fortress

More Imperial Swordsmen descend the stairs directly ahead and attack the group. Your party makes quick work of them with or without your help, hut you might as well get in a few good licks for the lim of it. If you exit to the south and reenter the Inner Ward,

a few more enemy swordsmen will rush downstairs, You can wait here and practice your combat, If you want; otherwise, ascend me staircase to the next area.

As you reach the area boundary (the dotted blue line across the doorway), Basch gives another tutorial.This rime he points out the Minimap and men explains how to access the fuUc[ picture of the Location Map by pressing Select. Try it just for practice. U e the Left Analog 'tick to SCfOU the map, and pres. the L2 or R2 buttons to zoom in or O\It.

Press Select and check out the Location Map. The red 'X' marks your destination, and your objective is described 121 the bottom.

Note that your destination is marked by a red 'X' on the map. Also note that your current objective is described just below the map. In this asc, it reads: "I must reach the ICing before he signs the treaty!"

ow move into the next area, the Lower Apartment . This triggers a short evenr where Basch talks about Vossler lind their mission to get the King to safety. He believes that King Raminas is safe until he puts his royal seal to the treaty. Better hurry!

Head north from where you start this area until Basch advises, "Ofttimes retreat is the wiser course."To discng'lge from a battle and flee, PJ:CSS and bold the

R2 button and run away.

Aft sr y u press fl+ to end this conversation, more Imperial Swordsmen will attack from the north and south. Dispatch them and head into the small supply alcove to the east filled with helmets and spears and other

eq uipmen t. A treas u re ch es t sits in the back corner. End and

OpCfl it to obtain a useful item.

Don't miss these treasures scat/ered throughout many areas in the game. They hold valuable items and gil rewards, all for freel

Exit the alcove and go north, west, and north again, keeping an eye out for more imperial attackers. Don't miss a second treasure in the far north hall tucked behind some crates and barrel . 111cn return

outh and veer east to <I grand staircase. Turn left and rake the staircase leading up to the next level, the Upper Apartments.

Save Your Game!

Tum right and walk up toward the glowing blue ave rystalin

the corner. After Basch explains howit works, approach it and press (; to fully restore your HP and ME, then select "Yes" to save your current game. After doing so, turn and climb the stairs to trigger another event.

Save Crystals are always a welcome sight. Touching a crystal replenishes the HP and MP of your entire party, and gives you a chance to save your game.

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Fight to the Highllall

More guards spotthe party on the staircase. Reks bravely sends Basch and the others ahead to save the King and turns to fight against the imperial pursuers. Here's your first solo fight.

Be patient and stay focused on one enemy at a time.

Just use the tacti s you learned before. obod y will automatically heal Reks now, so keep a close eye on his I-JP and he ready to lise Potions or Cure spells, YO\I should be strong enough to rake on

the first three Imperial Swordsmen without having [0 resort to health restoratives.

After the 6gh t, follow the hall west and south to the big Passage Door. Press (; to open the door and continue south. Follow the corridor around the corner to another closed door. As you approach it, you trigger a. fina], disturbing scene as Reks

en ters the hall.

HP EXP

14 1 1

Rid the Waterway of Rats

1he story picks Lip tWO years later ill the underground waterways beneath occupied Rabanastre. A small boy, Kytes, calls to an older boy named Vaan, who wants to "clean house" in the vermin-infested waterway. Once YOll gain control of Va an, slice LIp the three aggressive Dire Rats in the area to trigger a long event that introduces you to Vaans life.

Meet Vaan and Kyles, then whack some rats.

Kytes suggesrs that Vaan visit Mlgelo, the shopkeeper, who migbt have some errands to run. Vaan, of course, feels like he has more important things to do. The scene then shifts ro the treets above. The city, despite the Arehaclian 0 cupation, bustles with commerce and other activities Vaan spots a pair of Imperial guards harassing a

trect merchant and he decides

to intervene by plying his own "trade" by stealing the guard's pouch!

As Vaan escapes with his stolen loot, he bumps into his friend Penelo, another street orphan. As they talk, Penelo articulates the creed tha Vaan supposedly live by: the J rnperial have robbed the people, so "it's only fair that we take it back." In fact, it's their d1lly as Dalrnascans,

As a huge air cruiser passes overhead, Vaan cxpre se his deepest desire: "One day, 1'1.1 fly an airship of my own. I'll be a sky pirate, free to go where] will." Pcnclo doesn't argue. But for now, she suggests (like Kytes) that be visit Migelo and lend a hand.

Find Migelo

Maybe yOll should do as the kids uggcst: go and sec Migelo. A brief map tutorial now adds the World Map to the Party Menu. Press e to open the Party Menu, then select World Map ro take a look, 'TIle three locations YOLI've visited so far are li ted 011 the map:

albina Fortress, Gararnsythe Waterway (Vaan's brief rat-killing adventure), and now Rabanastre.

The World Map ls a handy accessory /ha/logs maps of every place you visit as well as any unexplored areas for which you may buy or find maps.

I you select Rabanastre, you see its maps broken down further: one for the upper ci ty and one for un area called "Lowtown." We'll explore Lowtown soon enough, but for now, let's find Mlgelo,

When you open the Rabanastrc nlnp, you will fi nd Migelos location indicated

by the Bashing red 'X.' Hey, it's nearby. Head due cast to the intersection and veer right, bearing south un til you trigger another event.

Your starling spot (circled here) is not far from where the red 'X'says Migelo is wailing.

Head north along the East End street to the Sandsea and enter to trigger an event. Vaan finds Kytes, who points out the Notice BOaJd and says, "This is why Migclo's courier didn't get here entime!" Tomaj comes over and describes the "nastiness'l in the Esrersand that's harassing the couriers, He's posted a bill offering a reward for anyone who can hunt down the creature,

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Go to the Sandsea /0 find Kytes and learn about the Tomato monster harassing the couriers and disrupting trade in the Estersand.

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Migelo, a bangaa trader, is waiting for some goods to arrive for the palace banquet tonight. Unfortunately, they have not yet turned up,

so he has had to order some replacement goods from Tomaj over at the Sandsea, a local. tavern. Kytes was supposed to run this errand, but Migelo has seen 110 sign of him. Your new objective is to find Kytes at the Sandsea snd see that the young boy completes his errand.

Migelo sends you to the Sandsea 10 track down Kyles and get him back on task.

Find Kyles at the Sandsea

111is "work" is certainly moreto Vanna li.king. When "he scene ends, Toma] explains that people pOSt bills on the Notice Board when they need a monster eliminated. Note that when you accept a hunting job, the monster you're tracking is called yow' "mark."

Tomai explains the lowdown on Ihe Notice Board and hunting marks .

Press Select to access the Rabanastre map, then usc the directional arrows to highlight your current location, which is the East End. Press lIt to see a list of all the establishments in East End. Most of Rabanastre's important shops (for your purposes) are in this district, along with the Sandsea. Note that the red 'X' indicating Kytes's location is right on top ofthe Sandsea,

When Tomaj shows the hill again, select the dialogue choice that asks to learn more about hunts. Tomaj explains how you must

con tact the petitioner who posted the bill to accept the job and learn where to find me mark. Then, after you complete the hunt, you must repon back to that person to claim your bounty. Tornaj also hands over 3 Clan Primer to help keep track of hunts. You can now access the Clan Primer via the Party NiemI.

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Fin:illy, Tom:y relinquishes an Orrschea Armlet, n basic accessory that raises a character' Max HP by 25 when the item is both licensed and equipped. Unfortunately, YOli don't have a license for it yet.

This leads into a quick tutorial on the licensinz process in FINAL FANTASY XII. You learn that Vaan is currently licensed to lise the Steal technick on foes; he also has licenses to equip iI Mythril Sword, Leather Clothing (armor that increases Defense) and a Leather Cap (headgear thar increases Magick Resist).

You have JUSt 6 License Points (LP) to spend right now, but you can earn rn re by defeating foes. Luckily, the "Accessories I" liccns e (which includes me Orrachea Armlet) costs only 5 LP, so go ahead and acquire it, as Tomaj ,uggcsts. Note how acquiring the license reveals the Licenses on ail adjacent _quares, making them available for acquisition. Continue the tutorial by pressing ® repeatedly to scroll through Vaans Actioa List,

Toms] gives you a Writ of Transit so that you can exit the city gates; he suggests that you 'leave via the East Gate to find YOllr "mark" in the Esrersand, Also note that the Licenses category has now been added to the Party Menu, When Torna] has finished taLk.ing, a graphic Rashes lin icreen to signifY the beginning of the hum for the Rogue Tomato.

The screen says it al/. You gel a similar screen each lime you accept a hunt from a petitioner.

Before you exit the Sandsea, the game reminds YOLI to equip the Orruchca Armlet. Do it! Open me Part)' Menu and select Equip, chen select Vaan (me only choice right now). Select Equip aguin, scroll down co me Accessory category, and select that. Finally, select the Orrachea Armlet, the only accessory currently available. Done! Note that Vaan's Max HP jumps from 102 ro 127" Now you Gill

cxi r the undsca.

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Gel to the Dalmasca Estersand

Press Select to open the Rabanasrre map and plot your path down to the flashing red 'X' lit Eastgate. Before you leave East End, though, we recommend that you explore the shops to see what's available (not much yet), then stop at Migelo's Sundries to purchase a couple of extra Potions just to be safe.

Pick up an extra Potion or two at Migelo's before you head out to face the fearsome tomato.

From East End you must go into the Southern Plaza, then down the eastern stairs to Eastgare to trigger an event. The Imperial guard tries to halt Vam, but Vaan's Writ of Transit gets him through the gate. Once you're in Eastgate, save your game at the blue crystal an d head due east into the Estersand.

Dalmasca Estersand (The Stepping)

Rogue Tomalo

To Rabanaslre (East Gale)

THE STEPPING

Exit the city via the Eastgateto seek the Rogue Tomato. However, save your game et the Save Crystal before you venture out into the d8ngerous Estersand.

Hunt the Rogue Tomato

The Estersand is vast and has numerous sub-regions, but for this hunt, YOli need only explore me first area you enter, called The Stepping, 1he map shown here indicates where the Rogue Tomato Lurks, buresplore The Stepping a bit first, Fight a few Wolves and Cacnres to earn enough EXP to level up at lease once (from Levell to Level 2), then heal back up to your max HP by using a Potion or 6'Oing back to the Save Crystal at Easrgare.

The Rogue Tomato hangs out on the ledge at the center of the ump, near a :Ab'wering tree with stunning white blossoms. Usc Steal to pilfer an item if you want, then arrack the red menace. When the Rogue Tomato's HP drops to roughly half, he takes a running leap olf the cliff You can't jump down after him, so go arou nd the eli If and down the dunes to finish him off.

Look for rile Rogue Tomalo near tne white flowering tree.

Smash this guy into ketcnup to gel your mark for Tome]. .. plus a bonus handful of Galbana Lilies.

When you finally prevail, Vaan picks up it handful of rare Galbans Lilies and then decides to "call it a day," But, before you head back to the city, scour the area to find all cight treasures in The Stepping. Also consider using the Steal rechnick on a few Wolves and Cactites to gam extra items, too, before attacking them for EXP and LP.

Don't overdo this mop-up fighting, though. You don't wan r to be caught without Potions in the desert.I n particular, watch ou t for a trio of Wolves near the northern exit of the area. lJ you attack one, all three will co un rera track as a II nit. A pair of Cockatrices lurk in the west, too. Tough fight!

The red 'X' 011 the

Search for the treasures scattered around the dunes of Tile Srepping.

Location Map IlOW marks the passage

back to Rabanastre, Head back to Eastgate where, uh oh, they're not letting anyone back into the city untilafter the ceremony, V~~n's a resourceful fellow, though. Talk to Kytes, who waits ncar the

gate, and you will tl';ggcr an event in which Migdo bribes the gate

guards with wine, getting Vaan back in the City.

Next is a long event in whichthe new Consul appointed to rule Dalmasca, Lord Vayne, son of the Archadian Emperor, is paraded to the foot of the great cathedral, There, he gives a stirri.ng speech that seems to win over the crowd.

Walking the streets of North End with Penelo later, Vaan decides he wants to crash Vayne's banquet tonigbt. Pcnclo suggest'S he goes and sees Old Dalan in Lowtown about gaining entrance to the palace. 'When you regain control of Vaan, YOLI are now free to curer Lowrown from Rabanastre.

Return to Tomaj for Your Bounty

Before you seek out Old Dalan, however, you should finish up your first hunt properly. Revisit the Sandsea and score that bounty from Tomaj (who is still st:tnding at the bar) for taking out the Rogue Tomato. He also passes on some inside info about a mysterious building in the North End district where a bangaa stands watch.

Tomaj is pleased with your success and pays a generous rew"rd. He also provides a tip about a secret place.

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Visit the Clan Hall

Go up to North End and proceed to the westernmost street, (If you check the area map, y<)u can sec tJ1C mystery building on the North End Labeled with question marks, so it should be easy to find .. ) Approach the entry hall of the mystery building, marked by ~ green sign, and talk to the "Conspicuous bangaa"; be immediately agrees to let youi n. Select "Okay, let me in" [0 enrer the Clan Hall.

If Tomal gave you a Clan Primer earlier, then tire Conspicuous bangaa will lei you right into the Clan Hall.

Inside, talk to Clan Cenrurio members to get a sense of the place, then locate the rnocgle standing on the banister arthctopof the stairs. This is Montblanc, the clan's founder. Talk to him to join the dan and learn how it works. Yuu also learn about the dan shop in the Murhru Bazaar on the west end of town.

Montblanc is the founder of Clan Centurio and the source of all rare hunt information, available only to cI"n members.

Talk to Montblanc a secondtime to receive ,I commemorative gift for joining Clan Cenrurio. Unfortunately, he has no clan hunts "to offer at the moment, so it's time to go and pay Old Dalan a visit,

Visit Old Dalan in Lowtown

Explore Lowtown

Before you head sourh to Giza, spend some rime exploring Lowtown, End treasure tucked into alleys (see this guide's

South and North Sprawl maps) and talk to people to learn about

owtowns sad history. YOLI can also sell I ot to either of Lowrowns Traveling Merchants (one in the northeast part of the North prowl and one in the South Sprawl's circular plaza) unci stock up on extra Potions and Antidotes.

However, don't overspend Oil Potions if YOli have licensed and purchased the Cure spell. You'll need cash for weapon and armor upgrades, too. Make sure you also keep at least 80 gilm reserve so that you can make important purchases when you leave Lowtown.

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First, go to the Southgate district. After stepping through the ga rc, rum left (heading cast), then open the old freight door to enter owtown. Now check the area map to see that you're almost all top of the red 'X'; Old Dalans place i ju r to the Jeft!

The old freigl7t door (circled here) nexllo the south gate (at left) takes you into Lowtown very near Old Dalan's place.

Enter Old Dalan's place to trigger an event in which Valin asks the old man how to sneak into the palace. DaL-"LI1 docs know of a secret passageway into the palace vaults, including a door thar requires "a magicked stone that opens the way," Conveniently. it turns out that Dalan has this object, known as the Crescent Stone.

Old Dalan has the Crescent Stone, but you need to power up its magicks with a Suns/one.

Unfortunately; the Crescent Stone has lost its magicks.1t needs the power of a Sunsrone to recharge, and the only place to get a

unstone is from the nomads on the Giza Plains to the south of Rabaaastre.

Self any loaf you find to Lowtown's traveling merchants (or any merchant in Rabanaslre) so you can afford to stock up on Potions and Antidotes before you hit the Giza Plains.

Return to Southgate via the freight door where you entered Lowtown.jusr around the corner from Old Dalan's. Let's pick up one or two more useful items for the road.

Buy a Map of Giza Plains

Maps arc always good to have. Go north through the ~te into the Southern Plaza and locate the Cartographers' Guild moogle in the yellow suit. You will find him pa.cing back and forth in the northwest alcove of the plaza. Talk to him to see what maps he has for sale. Hls maps for Giza Plains (30 gil) and Dalmasca Estersand (50 gil) are quite reasonably priced, so buy both. (The Westersand map is most likely out of your price rangl:: for now.) Wid) the Giza Plains map now in the World Map collection, go south downstairs to Southgate and exit Rabanastrc,

Giza Plains

WARRIOR'S WASH

To Rabanaslre

THRONE ROAO

Masyua .

GlZAS NORTH BANK

lOAM HILLS

~

-

To Oalmasca ~ Eslersand

To Oalmasca Westersand

Jinn ~

GIZAS SOUTH BANK

STARFALL FIELD

~ . 1mm7l!I. IImD

To Ozmone Plain

Buy a Giza Plains map from the Cartographers . Guild moog/e in the Southern Plaza to make your upcoming trip a bit easier.

Find tbe Nomad Village

To find the village, you must travel south across the barren desert. The first area, Ihrone Road, is loaded with treasure urns, so fully explore the region. Look Out for roving Hyenas and the occasional Giza Rabbi t. ('TI1e bunnies arc not aggressive, so you can ignore them if yOll wanr.) Afrer plundering all of the teens ures I yin g in t he san d, head south to the next area, the Nomad Village.

Beware the hosNie Hyenas thai roam the southern sand.

Giza Rabbits are docile creatures. Sure they're cute, but if your heallh is good, whack bunnies for exira EXP, LP, and 1001..

There is a blue Save Crystal tucked behind the big center rent in the village. Nearby, a nomad merchant named Arjie has sundry items for sale. Among rhcse is the Bangle, an extremely useful i\cces$ory that equips the wearer with the rechnick Libra.This technick reveals critical information (Level, I-IP, weaknesses.etc.) about targeted enemies in the field. Remember that you must spend 15 LP to get the Bangle license, which is obtainable under "Accessories r on the license board.

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Speak to the old woman in fran r of the central tent. Elder Brunoa speaks about dark crystals and Sunsrones and directs Vaan to Masyua, who stands behind the tent. Speak to Masjua and llsten co her proposition. She mentions jinn,u missing child who carries a supply of the Shadestones needed to craft a Sunsronc. Her offer: find linn and earn a Sunstone in return, Jinn was last seen south of the camp.

Stock up on necessary goods from Arpe, then speak to Masyua to learn your next objective: find Jinn.

The conversation with Masyua also triggers ,U"\ event: Vaan finds Penelo wi til the children of the nomad camp. When rhe scene c nds, Pcnclo joins yom: pa.rty. Speak to the nearby nomad youth, Camina. She says she saw linn in the Crystal GLade to the south.

Hey, Penelo's herel Now it's a party.

Now it's time ro leave the village via the southwest exit into the Toam HUh. (Don't forget to replenish and save your game at the Save Crystal before you go!) On the: way out, Penelo will hand over 3 Potions and 2 Tufts of Phocnix.Dewn. E,>dting the area also triggers the addition of party commands [0 your control of characters. Now you. can i ssuc specific commands [0 each party member, and change leaders if you want.

Gambits have also been added to the Battle Menu. Gambits are

a powerful combat tool, so you will need to understand how they work and develop your own Gambit strategies for every situation. For now, all you can do is toggle them on or off for each character. OUf advice: Toggle them on and leave them on. We'll talk more about Gambits later.

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Find Jinn in the Crystal Glade

The party starts ln the Toarn Hills just west of the village, with the dagger-wielding Penelo following Vaan' lead. (You can make Penelo the leader if you want; just press up or down on the D-pad once to trigger Leader Select, then scroll to Penelo and press" to select her.) Work your way around the area, fighting for EXP, LP, and loot.

It's a welcome change to have a partner who has your back, isn't it? Beware the huge laven, the Wildsnake, and the three-dog Hyena pack led by a powerful Alpha Hyena ill the eastern extension of the Team Hills. You can defeat them, but they're tough foes. Heal often! Exit to Starfall Field to rbe south.

Now that Pene/o's in the party, you can give her attack commands /1)0. You can also switch Gambits on and off for each party member.

In Srarfall Field, continue to fight and hunt for treasure, but

ensure that you work your way ea rand don't provoke the powerful Werewolves in the area. Note the "dark crystal" ncar the center of the area; it has absorbed sunlight and now radiates brilliantly The eastern exit leads to the Crystal Glade, where you will Ii nd J LIm.

Vaan and Penelo are safe here, so YOll can walt to save your game at the blue Save Crystal until after you complete the conversation with [inn, the nomad youth who sits next to the dark crystal in the clearing. Talk to him to learn that he has injured hi leg. Explain the situation to jinn and he hands over a Shadcstone that you can turn into a un tone.

Jinn can't walk very well, so he gives you a Shadestone to tum Into a Sunstone.

He explains that you must hold the Shadesrone close to the big glowing crystals found in the Giza Plains. The Shades tone will absorb their energies and become a Sunstone. An Energy gauge appears ill the upperright corner to measure your progress. Finally, [inn marks the dark crystals' locations on the area map, so press Select to see where all tour are located.

Jinn marks the locations of the four sun-filled dark crystals on the area map, as seen here.

Make Your Shadestone into a Sunstone

You can visit the

dark crystals in any order, but let's take an dE ien t, circular route mat explores new rerrirory (always fun) and runs righ r past the "Wage

Save Crystal at the ha1JWay point. Exit the Crystal Glade east Into Gizas South Bank.

Walk up to each glowing crystal and hold the Shades/one up 10 fl.

The shimmering crystals are easy to find. JUSt walk up to each one, press t), and select the option to hold the Shadestonc up to the crystal, 111e Energy gauge indicates what percent-age of energy your Shades tone has gained from the transaction. After draining the Gizas South Bank crystal, head north and do the same to

the crystal in the Gizas North Bank. "O:1(:n go west to the Nomad Village and save your g~lIDe.

Here's a go d chance t upgrade your equipment. You should have built up some LP and gathered some loot [rom your battle, VISlt Arjie. SelJ your loot and see what she has available, including Bazaar items, then spend LP em any corresponding licenses needed

to equip what you purchase. You can probably equip Vaal) with a Broadsword by now. Get that Bangle licensed and equipped too, if you

haven't already.

Keep upgrading your equipment when you gel t/1e chance. Remember thai you can se/I off older equiprnent. or pass It down to other party members.

OW et out west into the Toam Hills again, but this time go north into Warrior's Wa h to lind and drain the third dark crystal into your Shadesrone. Check the Energy gauge and iflt hasn't

yet reached] 00 percem, you must head all the way south back

to Starfall Field, to drain the fourth and final ahnnmcnng crystal. Finally, you gain a Sunstoncl

Upon reaching 100 percent, the scene automatically shifts to the Crystal G lade, where Ji n n exam ines the Sunstone and pronounces it good. Then the scene shifts again to the omad Village where Masyua gives you generous gifts to go with your new Sunsrone. Save your game again at tills point and head north, back toward Rabanastre.

Jlnn likes the Suns/one. Time /0 go nome.

Bring the Sunstone to Old Dalan

Return to Rsbanastre's outbgate district, go through the old frcight door into Lowtown, and bead for Old Dalans place. A you approach, you trigger an event wherein Penclo leaves your party. Then enter and talk to Dalan, who uses the Sunsrone to revitalize his Crescent Stone, then provides directions to the secret palace entrance. Finally, he hands over the Crescent Stone, which is u cd to open a hidden door to the Treasury.

111cl1 he repeats the words: "The signet yearns for Sunstone' strength, to light the clouded way." A Signet tile in tile palace will Hght your path with help from the Crescent Stone.

Old Da/an hands over the Crescent Stone and directions for a secret route into tile palace.

Wolf in the Waste

This Is a good

place to try hunting another mark. Check the Notice Board in the Sandsea and acceptlhe next hunt listed-the one lor TheXiera. The pelitioner, Gatsly, happens fa be siUing on the lIoor righl next to !he board!

Theilera is in the Westersand, but the Gallea Downs area

lsrr't tnn lar into the desert. You should be strong enough 10 handle this by now. For more on Ihis hunt, check oullhe "SIde Quests" chapter in the guide.

I

Get into the Waterway

Use the Location Map to navigate to the Bashing red 'X' up ill the northwest corner of Lowtown and go through the doors of

tore house 5 to where Kytes is awaiting. He opens the left waterv .... ay door for Vaan, then offers some Potions and Eye Drops. (This provides a good clue as to what you'll run into below; you might want to End a merchant and buy more Eye Drops.) Go through the left storehouse door to enter the Garamsythe Waterway.

Kyles gets you through the previously locked storehouse door into the waterway.

Find the Palace Entrance

You start in tJ1C Central Spur Stairs. Go west and save YOlLr game at the blue crystal, then continue up the

tairs and around the corner into the next section, the Northern Sluiceway. Continue to move eastward along the corridors. The route is essentially linear, but it' worth checklng every alcove for treasure, (Check the map in this section tor possible treasure lccaticns.)

The next area, the North Spur Sluiceway, features a tough enemy,

a flying fish called the Ichrhon. It's easy enough to defeat in a oneon-one battle, but ~I fight against twO of them may be tough because of their multiple-hit attacks. Continue to the final stairway and select "CLmb the stairs," then "It's now or never" to enter tbe palace.

Vaan's climb up the secret stairs triggers a short but spectacular visual introduction to I:\'{O important characters.

As fireworks punctuate the palace fete, two mysterious strangers arrive via hover bike. Who are they?

It may seem like a maze, bul the route through the waterway is fairly straightforward. Look for treasures tucked into alcoves.

I

I = Guards (starting position)

Sneak Out of the Cellars

Open the nearby Map Urn to obtain a full map of the Palace, then save your game at the ave Cry tal. Exit the room via the east doors to enter the Cellars, where you End palace workers scurrying about preparing for the fete.

Nab the palace map from the urn and save at the crystal.

While you're here, try to find all the treasure chests on both sides of the room for the loot they contain. When you reach the far (north) end of the room, two Imperials give harsh orders to the work crew, threatening to punish anyone who leaves the cellar too soon.

The seeo empathizes with your "hunger" and offers to distract the guard so you can sneak upstairs.

Try to go upstairs. The guard stopS Vaan and a sec'G. palace servant notices the anempt. Go talk to him; he kindly offers to help out. When prompted, press ® to give a shout to the guard"Hey, bucket headlt'Wben the guard reaches the seeq and starts talking, rush toward the opposite wall and follow it arou nd to the staircase, then hurry upstairs to the next area, the Lower Balls.

Hurryl The guard is distracted by the seeq/ Get up those stairs.

Find the SiQnet Tile and Maneuver Past the HaIlway Guards

Refer to the numbers on the map for the fellcwing steps. To find the signet and use the Crescent Stone while eluding the Imperial guards, YOli need ro move ·very precisely. One wrong turn and you could get caught, and have to stan over.

From the starting poin t, walk directly east until you reach the Hawk Signet on the floor (marked as #1 on the map). ore that a pair of guards stands further down this corridor. Press

~ to examine the signet, then try to lise the Crescent Stone. Nothing happens.

The Hawk Signet is gorgeous but doesn't respond to the Crescent Slone.

Take a few more steps toward the two guards and press ® to call them "bucket heads."Then quickly turn and run mack west; turn left at the intersection, heading south.The guards leave their po. t and give chase as £1.[ as the intersection, but then halt and stay put. Tum left again at the next comer, heading east, and left again at the next comer to head north.

Stay 0[1 the left side. of the hall while running north to the second left turn. Take it and go halfway up the hall until you reach the Lion Signet on the Boor (see #2 on the map). Note the three guards at the Far end of this corridor. U e the Crescent Stone here and it Hashes light to a secret passage at the far end of this corridor. Aha!

The Lion Signet lights the way to the secret passage.

Tum around and go back to the intersection, then turn left and bead north" At the last corner, turn left again to see the single guard at the far end. Go a little past halfway down the corridor (to #3 on the map), press ® to call the guard, then turn around and sprint away. Remember: Don't get too close to the Imperials!

Turn right at the corner and take the next right to return to the Lion Signet on the Iloor, Walk west past it a few step (#4 on the map) and call the three guards. Turn and run away again by sprinting to the corner turning right, and heading south,

The key is to lure guards down to tim west end of the room to clear the path to the Lion Signet. then Jure them ai/ back the other way to clear the path to the secret passage.

Take the next right to move up the corridor past the Hawk Signet to #5 on the map and call to the guards at the far end of the hall and run away. 'Ihe coast is clear to your final destination! Turn nghr at the next three comers to reach the long hallway running north and south up the west side of the hall. Follow it to the last comer and turn left (to #6 on the map).

Examine the "Faint Li rht" in the grating, then select "Approach

the wall» to enter the secret pa ssage. Oop - the passagt: door slides shut behind Vaan, locking him in.

Examine the "Faint Light' coming from this grate to gain entrance to a secret passage.

Find the Treasury

Co to the end of the hall and examine the wall 011 the left (south) side. A switch! Use the switch to unlock the "Susplcious-looking wall" on rhc opposite side of the hall, Examine the wall to open II secret panel and enter. This triggers an event in whicb Vaan browses through the Treasury and discovers a gem-like stone.

The two characters introduced earlier, Balthier and Fran, burst in and demand the Stone. Vaan refuses to hand it over: "I found it! It's mine!" (Good logic.) It looks like a classic standoff between thieves, but Imperial intruders break up the party.

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Escape the Palace via the Waterway

After an event, Vaan ends up at the foot of the Garden Stairs. Climb the stairs to trigger a wild event. A pitched battle is being fought outside! Vaan ends lip "escaping" on a hover bike with Balthier and Fran, but they don't get far; the bike breaks down.

Baltrut:r comments again on the presence of the powerful Imperial airship, me Ifrit. He decides you need to escape "the old-fashioned way," on foot through the waterway. Thus Baltruer, a hume sky pirate, and Fran, a viera, now join your party.

learn how to use the Gambil.syslem, Work through the waterway canals,

Pick up a "party guest" and lleleal a powerful Imperia:llnrce.

Fight 011 a nasty Flail ambush,

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CENTRAL SPUR STAIRS

WEST SLUICE CONTROL

Learn Gambits!

This is a different pan of the waterway DOW: you start at the East

P\l! Stairs. ave your game at the ave Crystal nearby and head downstairs for ,I quick Gambit tutorial FoUow it carefully, and take note of Balthier's advice: "Vit:iliry before violence." In general, you should put healing/repair gambhs before fighting gambits in your task order. (Again, for a more in-depth look ttt Gambits, see the "Gambits" chapter in this guide.)

Here's a good opening arrangement of Gambit setups for your three party members. An alternate tactic is to flip-flop Vaan:S gambits so his attack gambit is first and the Cure gambit second. That way. he focuses on inflicting damage while Fran and Sa/thier perform the healing. Note, however, you will have /0 manually choose the leader's target.

After me tutorial, OpCD the Party l\i{CDU and check Out the party's Gambit setups. Vaan has only one gambir active; create a second one with the condition "Ally: HP<70%" and set the fiction to "Cure."'Then turn that gambit 011 and move it up into the first slot, ahead of Va an's attack gambit. Now Vaan will stop fighting and cast Cure on :Iny

ally (including himself) wbo e HP drops below 70 percent. Or, you could just leave the attack gambit first if you want Vaan to focus on fighting, le.·wing the in-battle healing to others in the party

Open Balthjer's Gambits and change the condition in his second one (an attack Gambit) to "Foe: party leader's target'," In general, it's better to have your entire party focus one targer ar a time because concentrated attacks bring down foes ~nore quickly

Finally, open Fran's Gambits. Move the first gambit, "Arrack the leader's target," down to the second slot.Then change the first slot so she casts Cute whenever an ally's HP drops below 70 percent.

These are just suggestions, mind you. Feel free to experiment with the order and type of gambits ill the early going until yuu ge a feel for how they actually work on the ground. And read the chapter in this guide on Gambits!

Move Down the Eastern Waterway

Now examine the fallen soldiers lying nearby. Balthier identifies them as anti-irnpcrial insurgcnrs who infiltrated the area, hoping the Imperial guard would be distracted by the palace fete. He speculates that Vayne used himself as bait to draw them In, then sent in his powerful air brigade led by the Tfrif to crush the resistance.

Look at the fallen soldiers to get Ba/thier's explanation of the nig!Jt's hostilities.

Head down the waterway into the next area, the East 'Waterway Control. Tum left to nab the

full waterway map from the Map Urn, then continue dong the route. As. in the west watcnvay the eastern route i essentially linear, although there arc a few treasures tucked into alcoves and dead ends. (Reter to the maps in this section for possible treasure Iocations.) Fighting rats and bats is much easier with Balthier's gun

and <ran's bow backing up Vaan,

Continue outh thr ugh rhe Elise Waterway Control into the

No. 11 Channel" This is where the part)' encounters the Gigsnroads, formidable Level 5 toes. If YOli have Libra active, however, you'll

see that Gigamoads are weak against the Fire element, so open the Parry Menu and set up a gambit to accommodate the situation.

Luckily, Fran can cast the Fire rnaglck, so adjust her attack gambit so that when she targets an enemy, her action is Fire instead of track Afrer you finish off the four toads in the area, switch Fran's "foe" gambit back so its action is a regular Attack.

Upon reaching the East Sluice Control area, your general

Switch Fran's Gambit sequence so she attacks with Fire magick instead of her normal bowand-arrow attack. This will help againsllhe Gigantoads, who are weak against the Ftre element

direction becomes west ~U1d. yes,

there is a ave Crystal, Save yotlJ" game and proceed down the stairs

to trigger an event. Up ahead, Vaan and the party SpOt an approaching squad of Imperial s ldiers chasing a woman in a red skirt-s-the arne woman you saw earlier in the brief event in the waterway where the resistance forces were rallying for the palace assault.

'TIle woman fights valiantly, but she's outnumbered four to one. The Imperials trap her Oil a ledge. Her doom looks imminent ... until Vaan sprints out into the open, calling for her to jump. She does and Vaan catches her. Saved!

Naturally, the Imperial guard isn't too pleased with this turn of events. Here comes the first serious action against the . mpire!

Defeat the Imperial Foursome

The area gates swing shut behind your party as the action begins; no retreat is possible. If your party's gambits are et as suggested earlier, though, YOLI should have no problem with this fighr.The woman joins your party in this fighr, but she fights independently; you have no control over her.

The rebel woman fights independently, attacking wlJichever enemy is nearest.

One of the Imperial wordsmen ha a Protect spell cast, so save him for last. When the last enemy £'lU5, the gates reopcI1 followed by another event that introduces the woman as Amalia .. Suddenly, the scone Vaan took from the palace treasury starts to glow. What is it?

Fran and Balthier want to move on immediately, so Vaan invites Amalia to join the party. When control returns to Vaan, the gates have reopened, so go back upstairs to the Save Crystal, heal up, and save your game. Then go back downstairs and approach Amalia to trigger one last event. She agrees ro travel with the group ... but only a' it guest, which means you still have no control over her actions.

Fight Off the Flan Ambush

Continue pushing to the west and move into the outhcrn Sluiceway, which is a big open area just perfect for an ambush. Sure enough, as the party enters, four slimy Flan monsters surround the group.These nasty beasts cast Blind against yOllf party, so prepau: to use Eye Drops on anyone afflicted with the Blind status effect. All escape routes are sealed, so you must £ght or die.

The Flan ambush includes one slimy fellow who drops from the ceillng. Keep your eyes clearl

This i a tough fight. The F Ian beasts cast Cure on each other, so just when you think you've got a gelatin-head OD the ropes it may suddenly get a health boost. Don't be dismayed if a party member gets KO'd, however. Just use a Phoenix Down to revive him/her along with a quick Potion tel boo t HP.

Flans are weak against Fire, so switch Fran's attack gambit action from Attack to Fire.

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Although not technically a boss battle, this fight is long and tough enough that the game displays a congratulations screen when the last Flan finally melts into oblivion. Good work! Now it's time to move on.

Get to the Waterway Exit

'The passages open back up once you defeat the Flsns, so backtrack to the East Sluice Control and use the Save rystal again. Then

go west two areas

to the West Sluice Control and start heading northward from there. Watch out for some new enemies, the Ghost (weak against Cure magick) and the Garchirnaccra (weak against the Water element),

New enemies like the Garchimacera keep things interesting as you pusl7 through the underground.

Proceed through the No. 10 Channel until you reach the Central Waterway Conrrol, a semicircular area with a set of four rusted, locked mechanisms used for operating sluice gates. There is also a handy Save Crystal near its north exit. Recharge and save, then go through the door that leads north into the verflow Cloaca.

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Yes, rhe victory over Fircrnane is bittersweet, as Imperial troops under the direct command ofLorcl Vayne suddenly bunt in ant! seize me entire parry, including Amalia. As they are led away in chains, Amalia pleads for their release, but to no avail.

Penelo arrives at the scene and tries to reach Vaan, but Balthier steps into her path and gives her something to keep "jusr until I bring Vaan back." We also see a bangaa bounty hunter, angry at losing BaltruCJ' to the Imperials.

Then the scene fades to a flashback Here's where the significance of the Galbana Lilies (the ones Vaan picked in the Ester and) is explained.

Defeat the Seeq Prisoners

Vaan awakens from his dream about Reks to find him elf in the infamous Nalbina Dungeons, with Balthicr nearby. or a pretty place-as Balrhier explains, "It's not even a proper dungeon. They just sealed off rhe bottom half o f the fortress." If you check your equipment and items, you'll find that you don't have any.The lrnperials took your srufP.

Maybe you should just go back to sleep, old chap_

The dungeons are grim, but there is treasure to find ... if you like Knots of Rust. Explore the Stockade area and search for hesrs, Each one contains a Knot of Rust. What good is ,1 Knot of Rust? Actually, it makes a decent weapon, so grab all you can. Talk to your fellow inrna tes while exploring the area, too. You'll hear a lot about some brutal fellow named Daguza.Important:

Save your gallic here tIL the Saoe Crystal hef01'Q yolt go through tbe ne« doorway into

contains a Knot of Rust.

Find the four treasure chests, each of which

the /lrena!

First, an event shows some vicious seeq prisoners bcating a helpless bangas prisoner. When Vaan protests, he ends up in the Arena for a blood porrevcnr pirting him, unarmed, against three massive, club-wielding seeq bosses. Luckily; Balthicr joins the fray in the Arena with the taunt: ~I said you're the one who stinks, harnshanks. Hear me now?"

Daguza Galeedo, and Gwirch are three dim bulbs to be ure, but like all seeq they love II good fight. Give them what they want! Try to keep your distance at first (although it's kind of difficult 1:0 get separation in the tight arena) and Bing a couple of precious Knots of Rust at either G-alcedo or Gwitch to rake down one of them quickly. Each knot deals a good 30 to 40 points of damage! Or, if you have

unlocked the Black Magid< 1 license for Vaan or Balthier, light them up with Fire rnagickfor mas ive damage. Remember that yow' gambits arc still working, so Va~m's attack (assuming he's your leader) wi II focus Balrhier's fists on that target too.

Sling rust at these bad boys to inflict good damage.

Remember that YOlU magick and techrucks are still available, so use Cure when either Vaan's or Balthier's H"P drops below rhc halfWay mark. If you're feeling lucky, try ro steal from one of the sccq, but be careful!

A victory over the seeq triggers a. long event in which il nasty green bangaa «headhunter" named Ba'Garnnan appears, looking For the sky pira teo It seems Balthier has a price on his head. Fran appears too; she's found a way out of the dungeons. But the magick scaling the exit door is too strong for her.

Vaan and Balrhier slip

underneath au exit gate just

before an imposing J1CW menace makes its appearance: an armored Archadian Judge. Judges are the elite guard and the enforcers of the laws of the Archadian Empire.

Head east into the next area: the Black Watth. A brief event shows the door shutting behind yOUl" party and a quick overview of the Imperial-iufested corridors IIp ahead.

'There are a number of treasure coffers here, plus 14 patrolling Imperials. You can try to sneak through the watch, but it's probably better to fight your WlJ.Y through, as you will gain valuable EXP,

LP, and loot. Plus you'll put together a Bartle Chain, since all

1m pc ri al soldie rs (e.g. Swordsman, Hoplite, Magus, Pilot, and Marksman) are considered the same "rype/'When a Battle Chain gets high enough, fallen foes may drop better items.

Plenty of Imperial·type soldiers patrol here, so you can string logether a good·sized Bame Chain for belfer items.

As the event ends, rhc bangaa headhunter Ba'Garnnan orders his minions to End the sky pirate. Balthier decides to follow the Judge, hoping the Imperials will unwirtingly lead the pan)' out of the dungeon.

Find the Dungeon Exit

111e pru-ty ends up in the Confiscatory near a blue Save Crystal. Walk forward to trigger a short event where the parry members recover all. their lost items andequipment, The party also receives a handy map of the Nalbina Dungeons. Then save your game at the crystal ..

Your sfuff is in the Confiscatory,. and you automatically gel it ,all back, p.lusa map.

Avoid going to the north-central part of the watch area until you've cleared out treasure and foes everywhere else. When you approach the hallway leading to the magicked door (sec the map), YOll trigger an event. Bairhier spot the Judge's party, including a mag!;;, moving through the watch; your party silently follows them.

When the Judge's parry reaches a scaled door, the mage casts a powerful spell that opens the passage. Thanks, buddy! When control of your party returns to yC)U, lead them through the opening.

11115 triggers another event in which the party discovers a prisoner held in a brutal isolation chamber.The Judge speaks to him: the prisoner is Basch, former captain in the Order of the Knights

of Dalrnasca and the man who apparently assassinated the king. Inc Judge announces that the woman Amalia, a leader of the insurgence.Is being brought from Rabanastre.

When the J udge leaves, Balthier leads your party our to the prisoner, Basch. When Balrhier calls him a "kingslaycr," Basch denies killing Raminas. Fran feels the Mist

strongly in [his room: "It must be going somewhere," she says. After Vaan vents his anger at Basch, Fran drops the cage and she and Balthier jump aboard.

After a fade to black, you see the cage shattered and Basch freed. Over Vaan's vehement objections, BaLthier invites Basch to join the party, saying, "We could use another sword-arm." Basch joins as a guest. Again, this means that you have no control over his actions. You are now in the Barheim Passage.

au Finda. way into Ihe lIarheim P.assage tunnels.

G"'l Eliminate allollhellaltery Mimics Irying 10 B drain the power ecnduits.

-- --

€l Open the locked gate halfWay down the passage.

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Fire Up lne Power Relay and Open {ne Gate

Things start out in the Lightwerks. Go down the first ftight of stairs and tum right into an alcove wi th three treasure coffers. Open all three to obtain a lot of gil. Continue down the next aight of stairs and turn left onto the short rump that leads to th e cen ter col urnn, 111 e re, press the switch located on the "Timeworn Device . ." Nothing happens and Balthier speculates that the fuse must be blownon

this central power relay.

Burrogh has a fuse plus

a comprehensive store of equipment and other essential items. Do some shopping be.fore going any further.

The power relay has blown a fuse. Check downstairs with Burrog/1 for a replacement.

Burrogh also happens to run a little side business, so sell him all your loot (except Teleport Stones), the n check out his wares and upgrade if possible .. Don't forget that you need a license to equip any weapons and armor you purchase. Perhaps the best thing to buy is the Blizzard spcll; it will be very effective in some upcoming fights. (You need the Black Magick 1 License for Blizzard M well.)

When you're finlshed with business, go back upstairs and install the Tube Fuse in the power relay. A gauge appears in the right-hand corner of the screen indicating how much of the charge remains. Right now it's at 100 pefC.Cnt. Now save your game ar the Save Crystal,

Continue downstairs, Go p'Jsr the Save Crystal for now and talk to Burrogh, the bangaa Sitting by the gate .. He states that the collapsed cage (the one your party caused) blocked the easy ,\'TIl' ou t 0 f this passage. The only way out now is via the old Barbeim tunnels, which are currently blocked ofF by a giant

gate. However, Burrogh does have Go down and try the Gate Switchboard on the wall next to Burrogh.

something for the power relay; he If you replaced the fuse in the pOlver relay, the gate opens and the

hands over a "Tube Fuse." charge drops to 70 percent. (If you didn't replace the fuse, the gate doesn't work.) Pay very dose attention to what Burrogh says next. He explains that as long as the lights are on, the Barhcim Passage

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isn't so bad. If the charge drops below 30 percent, though, "fierce beasts start oomin' Out

in the dark." Also, if the power drops below 50%, Zombies and S kcle tons will a p pertr. If i t dro ps below 30%, Specters and Skull Defenders will emerge. There's even a chance that the Battle Mimics will respawn if the gauge is between 31-50%.

Good news: the gate opens. Bad news: the charge drops fa 70 percent.

This is vcry, very true. The entities that arise in the darkness will overwhelm your party very qui.c.kly. 'TIle re fore, it is essential that you keep the lights on. Unforrunateiy, annoying spider-like creatures known as Battery Mimics warn the passages, feeding on energy conduits and draining power from the system. The party's next task is to eliminate these pests to keep the charge above 30 percent. To get started, head through the gate into Op Secror 29.

Slop the Mimics from Draining Power in Northern Barbeim

After eliminating all of the monsters and finding rhe treasures, move into the next section, the Great Eastern Passage. Check the area map to see the fOl.II power conduits Located in this long sector, Two more Battery Mimics bunker just ahead; as you approach them, one feeds on the nearby conduit (see callout ''AH) while the other hurries off down the tunnel

As before, eliminate Battery Mimic A, then press and bold tile R2 button and "flee" down the long passage looking for Battery Mimlc B, ignoring other creatures for now. When you arrive at the fork in the tunnel, veer up the right fork to find Batrery Mimic B gprging on yet another power conduit (callout "B"), After you knock out this mimic, note that a Map Urn rests just below the patty, cut off by the break in the tracks.

Retrace your path to the tunnel fork, find the treasure chest in the nearby alcove, rhen take the other (left) fork in the path, (Or go back north up the tracks and dispose of all the baddies you ignored earlicr.) At the next split, take the right fork; you run smack into Battery Mimic C. After hitting Mimic C, it runs past and down the left fork to another dead-end power conduit (see callout "C")_ Chase it down, once you knock it out, return to the split and rake a hard left to go

Two shimmering Battery Mimics lurk in the next area. Baldner provides a quick lesson on the creatures and warns you to stop them from feeding on the power conduits.There arc two conduits in Op Sector 29. Refer to the map in this section for their locations, or locate the Bashing icons on the area map.

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southwest.

Don'/ miss this Map Urn located up one of the side spur-s.

TIle Battery Mimic will suck power right out of the system if you give II a chance. Knock oullhis foe before it can drain power to below 30 percent-otherwise, ghastly fiends will srise.

Rush to attack Battery Mimic A, which is feeding on the co ndui t (see callout "N) just ahead. A second one, Battery Mimic TI, scurries away as you arrack.Ir is heading tor another conduit downstairs, but let it go for now. Instead, focus your attention on the first Battery Mimic. A Zombie staggers into the fray, but remain focused on the task at hand.

As soon as the first Mimic get:; knocked out, pn:'ss and hold [he R2 button and hurry through the doorway. Sprint downstairs, ignoring any other creature that approaches along the way. Battery Mimic B is greedily draining energy from another conduit (see callout "B"), so you need to stop

it fast. When YOIl reach the foe, hit it with Blizzard. Once Battery Mimic B goes down, the power charge will stabilize and you can take a

bit of time to mop lip Op Sector 29_

Just ignore the Zombies and Tiny Mimics un!il both Battery Mimics in Op Sec/or.29 are eliminated.

Continue u ntll you can curve around a comer to the right and head northeast. 'TIlls leads back to the Map Urn, plus another treasure

h idden in an alcove. At last, a full map of the area! The map reveals one more conduit (see callout "D") here in the Great Eastern Passage, so head down the tracks toward it. Find and defeat Battery Mimic D to wrap tiP this area.

A door next to the condui r leads west to Op Sector 36. 'Ibis area is optional, actually; you can skip it if you want, but why would YOll pass up a chance to knock around more lvlimics? There are two more Battery Mimics here feedjng at two more ccnduits=-one upstairs (see callout UN) and one downstairs (see callout ~B~). Nail them both, mop up the little spiders, and return to the Great Eastern Passage. Finally, continue south into Special Op Sector 3,

Two more Batrery Mimics feed in Op Sector 36. Teach them how power corrupts.

Open the Gate in Central Barbeim

You must still find and squash hungry Battery Mimics in the central part of Barheim Passage, 0 don't forget about that. But you also find a locked gate barring southern pass,tge through Special Op

ector 3. llrttery Mimic B will meander to the conduit to the south ( ee callout "B") so quickly cast Blizzard nit.

Two Flan creatures block passage into the west chamber of Special Op Sector 3 where a Battery Mimic is draining power. Hit them with Rre spells for quick disposal.

Hurry west toward the next room. Two creepy Flan foes drop into your path; flame-broil [hem with Fire spells. (JUSt two shots ofFire should be enough to melt each one.) 1hen continue downstairs, Another Flan drop in so dispose of it, then find Battery Mimic A munching away 11 the electric grid. Cast Blizzard on this fellow. When he drops, explore rhe area for treasure chests.

ow climb the stair (watch out for another Flanl) [Q another doorway that leads to a new area called Op ector 37. You're looking for a Gate Switch to open that big southern gatt, bur rwo more Battery 1imks an: feeding in here. One is just in ide the entryway to the left (see callout ''1\' 011 the Op Sector 37 map)

bu t the other one is downstairs, and another Flan drops from the cellingto block yOW' path. Fry him quickly and then move through the back hallway to find and eliminate Battery 1imic A.

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After this beast fall ,go around the comer heading we t and climb up to the Gate wirchboard, burning the pair of Flans that drop

in your path. Press the switch to open the gate back in Special

Op Sector 3. Nab rhc treasure just down the corridor men return to Special Op Sector 3 and move south (through the now-open gate) to the next area, the North-South Junction, to trigger a very interesting even t.

Find this gate swi!chboard in the extreme northwest comer of Op Sector 37 to open !he gate back in Special Op Sector 3.

lhi is where you learn wha really happened in the room where King Rarninas died. Basch's twin brother, the very same Archadian judge we saw earlier in the albin a Dungeons, engineered the assassination trap and framed Basch. And it was his twin, and not Basch, who put the blade ro Vaans brother, Rcks, as well, Complicated? Certainly, Bur as Balrhier says, "1111' pieces certainly fit."

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Vaan is not convinced, but there' no time to debate the past now. Current events are far roo perilous. Ami, as the glib Balrhier puts it: "What's done

is done." It's rime

to move on and leave these dank, dangerous runnels. However, there is some good news for the team: Basch bas picked lip a sword and now deals more damage than before.

Before you take a step further, usc the Save rysral in the North-South Junction, then continue south into the nexr area, the Grear Central Passage.

Slop lbe Mimics in Southern Barbeim

111e Zeviah Subrerrane is a large area with three power conduits, each with ~ powcr-clrainingBartcry Mimic. More of rhose annoying Tiny Mimics harass the paIty, as we.U as Surianders, huge toad-like creatures. Don't get distracted from your primary task, though. If you let even one Battery Mimic drain the power gauge below 50 percent, Skeletons and SkuJI Defenders will rise in pairs from the grouJld. Stay completely focused on finding the three feeding Mimics.

Don't te: Tiny Mimics distraci you from the task of protecting the conduits.

Battery Mimic A lunges at the party the moment they enter the Zcvi.ah Subrorrane, 50 this one should be easy to knock ou t quickly. The next one, Ba rtery Mi rnic E, feeds on a conduit just ahead to the left. But the third Battery Mimic is a bit further away, up the runnel to the northeast (see callout "C" on the Zev\ah Subterrane map).

Like Battery Mimics. the Suriander is weak against {he Ice element, 50 cast Blizzard for a quick defeat.

After eliminating all three Battery Mimics, retrace your route through the mea, dear our ~ny enemies and rake any treasure.Then return to the northeast passage and proceed into the Terminus No. 4 Adjunct to lind a Save Crystal. Prepare for a boss fight! If any of your characters can cast Protect, do So on all members of your party. When you're ready, save your game and rush into the next area, Tern1i ntis No.4.

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Yes, more hungry Battery Mirnics lurk in the southernmost four areas of the Bnrhei In Passage. Bu t only one feeds all power in

the Grear Central Passage; it's just up ahead on the left. Nail him immediately,

Beware of any treasure YOIl hnd in this area, though. Some Mimics disguise themselves as treasure coffers. It doesn't get any lower than that, so [mike them pay .. These Mimics arc weak agaill5t Wind damage, bur chances are good you haven't purchased Aero (a Willd spell) yet, so save your MP and take them down with convenricnal attacks.

Some sneaky Mimics disguise themselves as treasure in /he southern regions of Barheim. What treachery!

You can't gel through the locked gate to the west right now, 50 continue south down the passage to the next area, the Zeviah S II b rc rran c.

West Gate to Zalera

The locked gale on Ihe west wall of the Great

Cenlral Passage leads to the Esper Zalera later in the !lame. Irs the finafporlion of II very long sfde quest. You can't reach this area until the party obtains the Barheim Key and finds Ihe secretenlrance in Ihe Oaimascil Eslersand's Murmuring Delilearea. for more on Ihis. see the Zalera section in our "Side Quests" chapler.