The RPG Place - Final Fantasy VI - World of Ruin Walkthrough

Welcome to Part II of what is arguably the best video game ever made. (FFIX and FFIV are also very strong contenders for the honor.) I think everything that needed to be said has already been said, so . . . . on to the walkthrough.

Short chapter, this one is. To catch a fish for Cid, head to the beach that is south of the house and "talk" to the fish (i.e., press X or A, depending on which version you're playing.) The types of fish, in order from fastest to slowest, are: Yummy Fish, Fish, Just a Fish, and Rotten Fish. Now, there are two ways to go about this part of the story. First, you can take a whole lot of time, effort, and frustration to catch 10 Yummy Fish. Feed these to Cid, and he'll recover. Second, which I recommend: catch a Rotten Fish. Cid will croak (and for the humanitarians screaming in protest of my callous remarks, let me say this: obviously you do not know my YaHell chat character. 'Nuff said!). You get a great cinema scene. My reasons for killing Cid off are simple: it's a cool cinema, and what's more, he has absolutely no use in the game after this point. In short, he has outlived his usefulness. End of story. Anyway . . . whether you're cruel like me, or you take the humanitarian route (cowardly twits!) Celes will set sail upon the purple sea (yes, the oceans are purple in this world) on a raft Cid made for her.

When you drift ashore, you are fortuitiously right next to the town of Albrook. Surprise, surprise, surprise. As you'll hear, there are now 8 big, mean, scaly, pissed-off dragons roaming the world, as well as two nasty critters called Phunbaba and Doom Gaze. As if all this weren't enough, Kefka's got himself a Light of Judgment and he uses it liberally. (Wonder if anyone bothered to judge him . . . ? Nah, he probably killed 'em before they could!) Anyhoo . . . buy some new equipment, and make sure that you have Relics to protect you against Zombie and Petrify. Depending on how you played the World of Balance, you may not have a Ribbon at this point in time, so I suggest doubling up an Amulet and a Jewel Ring as a substitute.

Items: Heal Rod, Pearl Rod, Tincture, Hyper Wrist, Magicite, Drainer
Shops: Inn, Items, Weapons, Armor, Relics

Now that you're equipped, head north. You'll pass something that looks like a big lump of mud (aka Kefka's Tower) and go through a desert. Save outside Tzen, then go in. Disaster strikes! The house is falling down. Make SURE you have equipped your Jewel Ring and either an Amulet or an Earring. The plan here is simple. You have 6 minutes to get in the house, find the kid, grab the treasures, and get the hell out. To do this, either run every time you are attacked, or use Level-2 spells. The child is above the fireplace. Also, quick word of caution: 2 of the 8 chests have monsters in them, so be prepared. Once you're out, Sabin will join you. Buy new equipment for him and take yourself northeast along the old Serpent Trench (now above water) to get to Mobliz.

This town has obviously suffered a sad fate. If you're in need of healing, go to the old Relic shop (at the back of the town) and into the back room, where there is a bed. Then head on into the house in the lower left corner. In the basement, you will find Terra, caring for the children of the town. Have a chat about the good ol' days, and as you're trying to persuade her to join you, Phunbaba attacks. Terra will fight him, and will get her little Esper butt kicked good. Now it's Celes and Sabin's turn.

Phunbaba
HP: 28,000
Weakness: Ice, Poison
This is not a tough fight. Have Celes cast her strongest Ice spell and Poison or Bio. Sabin should use the Suplex Blitz or the aforementioned spells. Phunbaba will run away like the yellow. . . er, green . . . coward that he is. Terra will not join your party right now, but as you leave, one of the children will give you the Fenrir Esper. Now we wander over to Nikeah, all the way at the other end of the Serpent Trench.

Nikeah is pretty much just as you saw it last. Here you'll want to stock up on defensive gear, although it's a bit pricey, because there are a few tough battles ahead of you. However, I don't suggest you buy a Diamond Vest for anyone except Sabin. You'll be in South Figaro soon, where you can purchase Diamond Armor, which has a higher defensive power (Sabin can't use it though.) There's a man in a blue cloak who rather resembles the King of Freak-aro near the armor shop. Talk to him, then follow him to the dock. You'll stow away on the Crimson Robbers' ship and head to South Figaro.

Talk to Duncan's wife, and she'll tell you that Duncan is alive and meditating, north of Narshe. You'll want to know this later. Anyway, head to shops and stock up on all the latest. Oh, and when you're buying, pick up at least a few of the following: 3 Diamond Armors, some Diamond Helms, an Enhancer (or two, if you feel the need to spend), and a Gold Lance. These will come in handy in the next few battles. Now go to the Pub and talk to Gerad. He and his buddies will head out. They're going to the Cave of Figaro, which has changed locations (like everything else in the world) and now resides west of South Figaro. Talk to Ziegfried, and head on through the cave. It's now full of a whole bunch of undead critters. Sabin's Flame Dance Blitz will be invaluable here. Oh, and don't count on the Recovery Spring to heal your wounds; like everything else, it seems to be losing its power and dying. When you reach the spring, "jump on the turtle," as the little girl in South Figaro said. You'll find yourself in a new part of the cave. At this point you may have noticed that the treasure chests are all empty. Ah, the joys of traveling with a pack of thieves! You'll come out of the cave and find yourself in the dungeon of Figaro Castle.

Items: Crystal Helm, Gravity Rod, Ether, X-Potion, Royal Crown, Soul Sabre
Shops: Item (x2)

Head over to the Engine Room and through the basement. In the Engine Room, you'll find a nice little boss just waiting for you to step into its waiting arms . . . and I do mean that literally!

Tentacles
HP: 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000
Weaknesses: 2 have none; a third is weak against Ice/Water; the fourth is weak against Fire.
Fighting the Tentacles can be irritating. Each one is weak to a different kind of magic. The one in the upper-right has 5000 HP, and no weakness; it absorbs Lightning and Water. The one in the lower right is weak to Water and Ice; it has 7000 HP. The one in the upper-left has 4000 HP and no weakness, but absorbs Water and Earth. The one in the lower-left is weak to Fire and has 6000 HP. The Vanish/Doom trick doesn't work real well here, so battle strategy is simple. 1) Have Celes (and anyone else who knows this spell) cast Regen until all party members have it, because the Tentacles use an attack that slowly drains your HP. 2) Use Pummel and the Drill or Chainsaw for physical damage. Have Celes cast whatever typed magic each Tentacle is weak against, and heal when necessary. Runic isn't a necessity in this battle, as the Tentacles don't use much magic. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: If a Tentacle Seizes a character, quickly attack it with whomever's left to make it "Discard" your character. Having killed the giant golden octopus (or whatever the hell it is), you discover that no, the King of Freak-aro is not an amnesiac, and yes, he is his same old lecherous, freaky self. Go through the door at the top of the screen after the Crimson Robbers hightail outta there, and check the statue in the middle for the Soul Sabre, a mediocre sword at best that absorbs damage as MP and randomly casts Doom. Use Edgar (and his discount) to buy the Debilitator in the Tool Shop for only 2500 GP. Now it's off to Kohlingen in search of an airship.

Since you're here, you will want to drop by and chat with the old man who's keeping Rachel (Locke's dead girlfriend) in suspended animation (wonder what Celes thinks about that . . . ) He will inform you that Locke is seeking a treasure (and what else is new?) You'll want to know this later. Anyway, with that little bit of info seen, head to the Pub, where our favorite gambler is drowning his sorrows. He'll finally agree to go with you to get a new Airship. Remember that conversation that you (hopefully) had with him in the World of Balance about his friend Daryl? Well, you're about to find out a whole lot more about her! You'll want to buy equipment for Setzer (equip him with either the Dice or the Trump. Enhancer is a good choice for Celes and/or Edgar, as it combines two things: a cool new sword AND the effect of an Earring Relic.) Oh, and bring a few Revivifys; you're going to want it amidst all the undead critters in Daryl's Tomb, who like to attack you with Zombie. (Although, many of them are kind and drop Revivifys after battle; I once left the tomb with 33 of the damn things and I had gone in with 5.)

Daryl's Tomb is northwest of Kohlingen. Go down the stairs at the beginning and you will end up in a central hall with 5 exits. Go through the upper-right door and inspect the tombstone, which then flips a switch. A door opens. Head to the "north" end of this new room and flip another switch, then head back to the main hall. Go into the lower-right door and find a Genji Helmet. Head back to the main hall. And, for the sheer pleasure of figuring out a meaningless FF puzzle, you can head down through the center door and read all 4 tombstones. Go into the upper left door and see if you can figure out what you should carve. I'll give you a hint: It's yet MORE Squaresoft propaganda. Still can't get it? *sigh* . . . . all right, all right. Put in "THEW ORLD ISSQ UARE." (Got news for them: only if you're looking at a map. Columbus and Magellan proved that the world is NOT square a few centuries ago.)

All Square advertising aside, you need to head through the lower-left door. Go down the stairs and collect the treasure chest, then keep walking right until you find the secret passage in the wall. Inside is the Exp. Egg, which is really nice if you need to level up one character really fast (e.g., if you're preparing a pre-selected group for the final battle way ahead of time, which I always do.) Head back left and through the north door. Walk across the water and flip the switch. A door opens. (Oooh, aaah, impressive . . . yeah, whatever.) Return to the main hallway AGAIN and go down through the center door. Flip the switch and jump on the turtle. (I'm beginning to think that the developers of this game had some sort of fetish and/or perversion about turtles . . . never mind.) Open the RIGHT-hand chest, then use a Tent and save at the save point.

Opening the left-hand chest reveals an astonishingly Whelk-like enemy. He behaves exactly like his Narshean counterpart. For a one-hit kill, smack him with Break (an otherwise useless spell, as far as I'm concerned; however you may not be of the same opinion!) You'll get a Dragon Claw for your trouble. Equip it on Sabin for help in the next fight. Save again before heading through the door. Check out the memorial and you will fight Dullahan.

Dullahan
HP: 23,450
Weaknesses: Fire, Cure, Pearl
The easy way to beat this boss? Just like any other one--cast Vanish followed up by Doom (for some reason, that will almost always kill a boss, whereas Doom by itself will not. A handy glitch.) If you refuse to do it the easy way, there's always the time-consuming way. Have Celes smack him around with Fire and Cure spells (since Dullahan is undead, Cure spells will hurt him.) Sabin can either attack with his new Dragon Claw (or a Fire Claw, or both if you have the Genji Glove equipped) or he can use FireDance. Edgar can use the Chainsaw/Drill or join Celes in her spellcasting, depending on what spells he knows. Setzer can do several things: he can just plain attack, use Slot, or throw spells around, depending on his magical knowledge and power. When you're all done, go through the north door, and enjoy the cinema scene (and the "Epitaph" music, which I just love.) Talk to Setzer whenever he stops to keep things moving. You'll learn about his light-o'-love and, more importantly, get a new Airship, the Falcon. (The only difference [other than the obvious cosmetic changes] between this one and the other one is [sniff, sniff] no Item Shop and Recovery Water.) Follow the bird to Maranda.

NOTE: From this point on, everything except Kefka's Tower is optional. I've listed the events in the order I prefer to do them. These help build experience and find valuable Espers and items. Feel free to skip any part of it, but be warned: you?re going to want at least 12 of the 14 characters for Kefka's Tower, particularly if your levels are low. One final note: you may now wish to consider whom you want as the party that will fight Kefka. Pick 4 favorite characters, plus a fifth as an alternate. (If you really want to know, which you probably don't, the last time I played this through, I used Celes, Shadow, Sabin, and Terra, with Locke as my alternate.) Use these 4 main characters for all the events in which you can choose any party (e.g, Ancient Castle, Phoenix Cave, Fanatics' Tower, Narshe, etc.); level them up as much as possible and teach them EVERY spell. If these "chosen" are at Level 50 by the time you start Kefka's Tower (and yes, there are ways to do that fairly quickly), the final battle will be . . . I won't say easy, but it won't be ridiculously difficult either.

Land the Airship and wander on into the town. Go talk to Lola (you know, the chick whose boyfriend was the wounded soldier in Mobliz.) Say what? She's been receiving letters from him? News Flash: Unless these letters and flowers come from the "other side," there's no way in hell, because we know he's dead. Investigate the letter to determine who the actual author is, then agree to send Lola's return letter. (Just for kicks, or if you're really bored, you can read this letter in the "Rare Items" screen BEFORE you attatch it to the carrier pigeon.) Watch the pigeon and mark where it goes. If you can't figure it out that way, the title of the next section should give you a glaring hint. Back to the Airship as we take to the skies once more. Before you head off to find Cyan, fly north until you find Narshe. North of Narshe you will find a small area with 5 trees set up in an "X." The center tree is Duncan's cottage. Yes, he's still alive, as his wife said. Visit him to learn Sabin's Bum Rush Blitz, which will come in very very handy in the next boss fight. Now it's back to Wussy Thieving Liars' Town (aka Zozo.)

Items: Rust-Rid (rare, 1000 GP), Ice Shield, Red Cap, Thunder Shield, Aegis Shield, Gold Hairpin, Books (rare)
Shops: None

Ah, Zozo, the town of liars and pickpockets. If by chance you remember the man who told the truth before ("This place is dangerous!"), go talk to him now. If not, you'll find him behind the Pub. If you don't cough up the 1000 GP he demands, you can't advance this section of the story (and you'll miss an awesome Esper later.) He'll sell you the Rust-Rid. Take this to the top of the Pub and use it on the rusted door. Behind it, you'll find . . . Mount Zozo. When you find the Thunder Shield, take a moment to consider an upcoming boss battle. The Thunder Shield takes no damage from Wind magic, and the Dragon you're about to fight attacks with . . . you guessed it . . . Wind. So decide who you want to be your last line of defense. Me personally, I like Celes (as if you couldn't guess from my screen name!); equip her with the shield and whatever other armor, plus Beads and an Earring, and you have one hell of a fighter, especially if she knows Cure2 and Bolt2. Otherwise, pick someone to be your best hope and load them up with the Shield. Oh, and one warning: Before fighting the Dragon, remove the Ice Shield from whoever has it equipped (unless you don't mind losing that person the instant the Dragon casts Rage and/or any of its other Wind attacks.) The Ice Shield is EXTREMELY weak against Wind, and the added physical defense simply isn't worth it in this battle, as the Dragon's physical attack really isn't so bad. When you find the Save Point, use a Tent and, of course, Save. Step on the switch to release the Storm Dragon, then walk to a point where it will touch your mapman during one of its mad gyrations about the cave. Here we go with the first of the Eight Dragons.

Storm Dragon
HP: 42,000
Weaknesses: Lightning
You can use a couple of strategies for this fight. One is to throw Bolt2 and the Bum Rush Blitz (Pummel if you didn't get Bum Rush yet), with Celes (or anyone else who knows Cure2) acting as healer. Earrings are quite useful in this fight to amplify your magic levels. Osmose will help if your magic levels get too low. It also has the side benefit of draining the Dragon's 1250 MP. Once he runs out of that, it's physical attacks only, without Rage or Cyclonic or W-Wind (or any other Wind spells he has that I've forgotten; haven't fought this guy in a while.) Or, if your levels are a bit low, equip your strongest spellcaster (probably Celes, unless you raised someone else's Magic stat big-time in the WoB and ignored her) with two Earrings. Have that person continually cast Bolt2, and the other three act as healers, once again using the Osmose trick to restore your MP. The third option, which is the most economical MP-wise, the easiest, and the quickest, is to just cast Vanish/Doom. Yes, it's cheating, but it gets the Dragon out of your way, does it not? This cheat is particularly nice if you're re-playing and you just don't feel like bothering with the Dragon. However you decide to beat him, Save again and move on to find Cyan.

Once you have him in your party, return to the cliff where he was standing and examine the sparkly thing. Use this to open the locked chest, which contains an utterly useless Rare Item called the "Books." Put Cyan in your party, and go back to Maranda to talk to Lola. He'll confess that he's been writing the letters, and it will all be resolved. End of chapter. Time to find the rest of the party. But before you do, go back to the Solitary Island (where you started the WoR.) Enter the house and go to the beach, where you will find the Magicite Palidor. This Esper kicks butt, because it teaches the Haste2 spell, invaluable in tough boss fights.

Back to Mobliz to check on our buddy Terra. She's nowhere to be seen. Find the house where Duane is and talk to him. It seems someone forgot the birth control pills: Katarin is pregnant at 16. Follow the dog into the secret passage behind the bookcase. There's an Elixir in one of the pots. Talk to Terra and Katarin. Phunbaba appears again, making this event an SSDD. Once again, use Bio, Ice, and Suplex to kick his butt. Midway through, Miss Branford will Morph and hop into the battle. Surprise, surprise, she joins your party when you're done.

This part of the story is extremely short. Go to the Veldt with only 3 people in your party. After a battle or two, Gau will show up and join you. He has learned a few new Rages. If you plan to use him a lot in the future, spend some time on the Veldt teaching him new Rages. Another optional event with Gau is to take him and Sabin to the crazy man's house (you know, the one who thought you were the clock/lawnmower/stove/etc. repairman in the WoB.) In a way, it's funny, but it's also kind of sad.

When you enter the cave, you will see, of all critters, Interceptor. Follow the dog and talk to the thieves by the fireplace. When you come across some rocks blocking your path, go down through the door. A switch is to your right, and at the bottom of the room is a treasure chest containing an essential item: the Striker dirk. Pull the switch to move the rocks. Save at the Save Point and move on. Now, the scenario splits depending on what you did on the Floating Continent.
If you waited for Shadow: Shadow will be lying wounded on the cave floor; you will find Relm in Jidoor.
If you did NOT wait for Shadow: Relm will be the wounded one, and Shadow is gone forever.
Incidentally, ignore it if the game says "she" even if you found Shadow; the programming is screwy in this scene. You will be attacked by a Sr. Behemoth, which is weak by boss standards but can still be a tough enemy.

Sr. Behemoth
HP: 19,000
Weaknesses: Fire, Poison
The easy way to kill him: Use Vanish/Doom. The hard way: Start off by casting Bio on him. This will cause continuous damage even if you have to take time off to heal your characters. Whatever you do, don't use Ice; he absorbs it. Smack him around with more Bio and toss some Fire2 into the mix. He's really not that tough. Once you finish him off, his ghost attacks you from behind; you are given no chance to heal your characters. This one is undead. If you want to do it the hard way (not recommended), keep smacking him with Fire but avoid Bio like the plague (which, come to think of it, it is.) Pearl spells (which, at this point, you should not have in your inventory, but you should have the Pearl Rod, which has the same effect) will also work. But why waste your time and MP? Just toss a Revivify; the ghost will be dead. Anyway, after this battle, whether you saved Shadow or Relm, you will go to Thamasa with your injured party member.

Short chapter, again. Talk to Shadow and view his dream. (This, incidentally, is one of the dreams you must see if you wish to save Shadow at the end. Square says there are 7; at this point I've found five, but I am going to experiment again the next time I play it, starting any day now.) If you saved Relm, talk to her. You'll leave your injured friend here to recuperate. Talk to the townspeople. (If you fought the Sr. Behemoth's ghost the hard way, and used up your Pearl Rod, you can purchase another here.)

SAVE OUTSIDE!!!!! It is imperative to do this before each battle at the Coliseum, especially if you are betting rare items like the Cat Hood or the Ragnarok. Right now, your focus should be on one battle only. Talk to the folks here, and you'll learn about the man in black looking for a Striker (whom you'll have also heard about in Thamasa.) Bet the Striker, and you will face off with Shadow (they call him Shadow Chupon though.) He's not hard; just pit your strongest character against him. Once you defeat him, he will join your party for good, no longer wandering away at the slightest whimsy. Now, time to rescue Miss Relm Arrowny.

Items: Moogle Suit, Relic Ring, 2000 GP, Potion, Ether, Remedy
Shops: Weapons, Items, Relic, Armor, Inn, Chocobos
Magicite: Starlet, Golem (20,000 GP), Zoneseek (10,000 GP)

In Jidoor, stay at the Inn if you need to replenish your HPs. If you did not get Zoneseek and Golem in the WoB, visit the Auction House now (but bring at least 30,000 GP. Zoneseek costs 10,000; Golem costs 20,000.) Go to Owzer's house and try to go up to the art gallery; a voice chases you away. Go read his diary on the desk, which provides some slightly amusing commentary on the artists he has interviewed. Then go investigate the lamp at the bottom of the steps. Once the lights are on, the voice disappears. You can investigate each painting for a smile; the flower painting will fight you, but they're not tough. Check Gestahl's portrait twice for a lamebrained clue to Locke and an incredible Magicite. Talk to the "painting of a beautiful lady" at the south end of the gallery to fight two Dahlings.

Once they croak, a door will appear, and you can enter the depths of Owzer's basement, a dark and gloomy area. Most of the paintings here are possessed; there's one of Maria in which her figure turns around and around (which confused the hell out of me the first time I played the game.) Another of an old woman will attack you almost as soon as you enter the basement. Walk behind the wall with 3 doors to find an interesting Relic, the Relic Ring (walk as far as you can to the left, then press X/A.) This thing reverses some spell effects; it makes Doom and Poison cure the character equipped with it, while Cure or Life will injure. (Kinda like making them undead, but not really.) Go through the door farthest to the left. You can stand beneath the floating chests to fight an enemy and receive an item. Investigate the picture of the armor. Then head through the door. Save your game and go through the RIGHT-hand door, as the left dumps you right back at the beginning. Fight Chadarnook.

Chadarnook
HP: 30,000
Weaknesses: Fire, Pearl (Holy)
Start this battle by casting Regen on everyone, because the Phantasm attack works like Poison, siphoning off HP at each turn. Depending on who you have in your party, you'll need different strategies. Celes should have an Earring or two and should focus on either throwing Fire2 at Chadarnook, or healing the party. (Runic will NOT be to your benefit in this battle.) If you brought Sabin, have him use Bum Rush (if you don't know it, FireDance will do.) Shadow should Throw Fire Skeans or Shurikens (Ninja Stars, which you can purchase in Thamasa, are even better, but a lot more expensive.) Edgar should either use his Drill (shut up with that evilness, Rachel, we both know what HIS definition is but there is no reason we must emulate his dirty mind) or cast Fire spells. Cyan's Dispatch or Quadra Slam are good choices too. Setzer can either use Slot or cast Fire spells. Attacking Chadarnook's goddess form can result in the Phantasm attack; you may wish to simply heal yourself when that form is out, and concentrate your attacks on the demon. Either way, once you win this battle, Relm will join you. Search the bookcase for the Esper Starlet.

Now is a good time to view Shadow's dreams. Sleep at the Inn in Jidoor. This will take several tries; there are 4 scenes you can see and a 25% chance of getting one, so it'll take about 16 tries (read: minimum 4000 GP.) The scenes are interesting and reveal quite a bit of Shadow's past, including an interesting bit about Relm (which explains why he is the only one in the game besides her who can use the Memento Ring, or Safty Ring as it's called in the PSX version.)

Take Relm to the Fanatics' Tower, where you see among the Kefka worshippers . . . Strago? What the hell? Yes, he is marching with the freaks. Relm will call out to him, and he will snap out of his trance. Take him to Thamasa and buy equipment. Talk to Gungho, who will inform you that Hidon has appeared at Ebot's Rock, which is now above water. Head north of Thamasa to find it. Save outside and talk to the chest. It wants coral. Use the transporters to move around and collect at least 22 pieces of coral (try to keep count; battles can be distracting, but try all the same.) Feed the coral to the hungry chest and it will move. You can now face Hidon.

Hidon
HP: 25,000
Weaknesses: Earth, Pearl, Cure, Fire
Kill off his little Hidonites first (they have 3500 HP each); Hidon will get pissed and cast Grand Train, which is an awesome Lore. (Do make sure Strago is alive to learn it!) Hidon is undead; Fire and Cure work best against him. If you've already been to Doma, Alexander is a good bet; if not, the Pearl Rod in Strago's hands can work wonders. (Particularly with a Gauntlet and Hero Ring equipped, although you'll then have to find good armor for him. The Moogle Suit will work fine.) I haven't tried the Vanish/Doom trick on Hidon, but I assume it will work. There's a cool cinema when you beat him. If he didn't cast Grand Train, don't reset. Just talk to Gungho until he tells you that Hidon has reappeared. (A regenerating boss; joy joy joy.) You can go fight him as many times as you wish.

Doom Gaze
HP: 55,555
Weaknesses: Fire, Pearl (Holy)
You may have encountered Doom Gaze in your wanderings around the World of Ruin. If not, you can just keep flying around; eventually the aerial menace will attack you. He can't regenerate his HP after battle, but what good does that do you if he kills you off? The game can't remember how much damage you did to him. This boss is about the only one in the game for which it really pays to use Vanish/Doom. DO NOT USE X-ZONE if you want the Bahamut Esper and the Flare spell!!! However, if you are very very stubborn and you wish to do this the old-fashioned way, make sure that either Relm or Shadow, or both, is in your party and equipped with the strongest defensive gear possible, plus the Safty Ring (Memento Ring.) If you try this after the Fanatics' Tower, you can equip the Safety Bit on anyone you please. Make sure that the character you have protected from instant death knows Life2 (read: it's very useful to have Phoenix. Equipping the Phoenix Magicite on your "survivor" is even better.) Doom Gaze likes to cast L.5 Doom at the beginning of every battle, so if you have Strago, he can learn this lore. Anyway, have your surviving character revive others and then smack Doom Gaze with Fire3 and Pearl. He'll escape after you do a sufficient amount of damage. No matter how you defeat him, as long as you didn't use Vanish/X-Zone, you'll get Bahamut and the nifty Flare spell.

Items: Moogle Charm, Gauntlet, X-Ether
Shops: You can?t get into the shops right now.
Magicite: Tritoch, Terrato

Head through the Narshe Mines to find the Moogle Village. Mog seems to be the only one left. Talk to him and he will join your party; search the wall where he was standing to find the Moogle Charm, which avoids all random enemy attacks. The catch? Mog is the only one who can equip it. Take him into the snowfields at the north end of Narshe. There you can fight the Ice Dragon.

Ice Dragon
HP: 24,400
Weakness: Fire
Well, gee, I wonder how I should fight this battle? Uhhhh . . . . Come on, if you can't figure this one out, not even this walkthrough will get you through the game . . . Strategy #1: The same one I give for every boss. Smack the bastard with Vanish/Doom. Strategy #2: Keep hitting him with Fire2; summon Ifrit or Bahamut; cast Flare if you have it. Equip someone with the Flame Sabre and have them fight. Have Shadow throw Fire Skeans; have anyone use a Fire Rod as an Item. Equip Strago with a Fire Rod, or use his Revenge Lore (only if his HP is running very low.) Don't have Relm Sketch, and Control doesn't work with a boss; just have her cast Fire, equip a Fire Rod and fight, or act as a healer. Sabin should use his FireDance (duh) or his Bum Rush Blitzes. Edgar can either attack with a fire-elemental weapon or cast Fire spells. Celes's Runic really won't be helpful if everyone else is throwing magic around; have her cast Fire spells or act as a healer. Mog can fight or cast Fire. None of the dragons are particularly tough, and this one is no exception. Once it's dead, if Mog is in your party, fight another enemy in the area to gain his Snowman Jazz dance. Now head up to where the Tritoch Esper is hanging out. You must fight this Esper to gain its Magicite.

Tritoch
HP: 30,000
Weakness: Fire
The strategies you used for the Ice Dragon work here; strong weapon attacks are also good. I don't remember whether Vanish/Doom works on this boss, but so far I've found only two that it doesn't work on, and that is the MagiMaster and the final Kefka. So, if you're lazy or just in a hurry, that will always work. After you defeat him, the cliff will open. Make SURE that Mog is in your party. Hop into the gap in the cliff. This cave has some, uh, questionable structural integrity. (For anyone who's not an architect, a building inspector, or a complete brainiac, that means that the floors tend to cave in, particularly when you're in front of a treasure chest! You may have to work out creative approaches to get all the treasures; fortunately, treasure chests in this game can be opened from any of their 4 sides.) If you encounter Pugs, who are a real pain in the you-know-what, you can always use Vanish/X-Zone (which is often the only reasonable way you can beat them, unless you chance to be at a ridiculously high level.) When you reach the room with the bone carving, investigate it to receive the Magicite Terrato. Unfortunately, the cave's occupant isn't real thrilled with your appropriation of the Magicite.

Umaro
HP: 17,200
Weakness: Fire
You can do this the easy way (and if you don?t know what that is by now, I may just have to smack you.) The hard way really isn't so hard. If Strago is in your party and by chance he is at Level 33, you can use his Stone Lore. Sabin should use Bum Rush or FireDance. Everyone else (including Strago if he A)doesn't know Stone, or B) is not at Level 33) should cast Fire spells. (If by some chance you have learned Fire3 by now, use it; if not, Fire2 will work fine.) When Umaro uses a Green Cherry, look out: it boosts his stats to an insane amount. Once you beat him, Mog will force him to join your party. One quick note: the Green Cherry trick actually works once Umaro joins you, which is pretty cool if you happen to like him (I do not, but that's just me.)

Before you go to the Opera House, make a brief stop in Jidoor and purchase 4 Cherub Down Relics from the Relic Shop. Equip each of your party members with it. Now head to the Opera House. Sorry, no thrilling operatic performances by General Celes Chere this time; actually, there's a dragon on the stage. (Incidentally, am I the only one who thinks that the Impresario looks like he's having a few sips from a brandy flask when he flips out?) Go to the switch room (on the right-hand side of the balcony and up) and pull the third switch from the left. You will land on the stage, in front of the Mud-Puddle Dragon. No, just kidding.

Dirt Dragon
HP: 28,500
Weaknesses: Water, Wind
With the Cherub Down equipped, you only have to worry about his physical attacks. You may wish to consider quickly casting Safe on everyone. Haste2 is also a good option. Summon the Bismark Esper to damage him; Maduin or Tritoch, being tri-elemental, are also good choices. Fenrir can help protect your party, as can Golem or Phantom. Call Sraphim or Starlet if you need healing. (Wish I could equip more than one Esper . . . ) Palidor is also a good choice for damage. This battle really isn't that hard. One note: You CAN use the W-Wind spell against this boss, but keep in mind that the spell will damage your characters as well. Unfortunately, there are no Wind-elemental Espers.

Items: Wing Edge, Warp Stone, Ribbon, Dragon?s Horn, Phoenix Down, X-Potion, X-Ether, Elixir, Flame Shield, Valiant Knife
Magicite: Phoenix

This cave is in the "star-shaped mountain range," as the Emperor said. (If you can't find it, try looking a bit north of Tzen.) Here you'll split into two parties, and often one party will need to stand on switches for the other. (Note: You CAN just walk over the spikes, but it severely drains your HP, and this cave can be tough. Not a good idea, but whatever suits you.) As you wander through this cave, you will notice that many of the treasure chests are empty. Now where have we seen this phenomenon before . . . ? Save at the save point and fight the Red Dragon. (If you can't seem to get to it, find the place where the rocks form a narrow corridor. To the right of this corridor and up on a rise is a switch. Have one party stand on it to move the rocks, and walk the other party down.)

Red Dragon
HP: 30,000
Weaknesses: Water, Ice
This battle is simple. You can do a few things here. If you have Strago in your party, use Aqua Rake like mad. If you have Sabin, have him use Bum Rush. Edgar can either use Tools, or cast Ice spells. If you have Celes in your party, you may wish to abandon magic altogether and have her use Runic to reduce the damage from the Dragon's magic. Any other characters should use Ice spells (or attack, if Celes is using Runic.) You can also summon Bismark or Shiva for maximum damage; Tritoch or Maduin will also work well. If you don't wish to use Runic, summon Zoneseek and either Golem or Fenrir. Haste2 will help, but your party should be strong enough that you won't really need it. And if you're really getting smacked around, you can always fall back on the cheat. Once you've killed the Dragon, heal up and head a bit to the left. You will see a ladder going up onto the rise. At the north end of this rise is a switch. Stand on it and two rocks will appear to your left. Now take the party that was standing on the other switch. Walk them down and through the rock corridor. Walk on the lava in the next room and make sure to collect the Ribbon! Leave the room through the door in the upper-left corner (NOT the same one you came in by.) Go slightly left and down, through the wall, then hop across the rocks. Take both parties down and stand on the two switches. The land in front of you will lower, allowing you access to the final room of the cave. Enjoy the cinema scene, which I will not spoil for you, but it includes one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the game.

Take Locke to Narshe, where he will have a field day with all the locked doors. (He is truly a treasure hunter, this one!) In the Weapon Shop, talk to the old man. He will offer you a choice: take the Ragnarok Esper as it is, or allow him to turn it into a sword. There are pros and cons to both. If you take the Esper, you get the Ultima spell at your fingertips, so to speak. If you take the sword, you can use it to get the Illumina, the Legendary Sword. The catch to Illumina is that it consumes MPs (the only exception seems to be if Locke is equipped with it and uses it in Capture.) The Illumina is okay; like all the most powerful weapons in the game, it is Pearl-elemental (aka Holy.) However, the Ultima spell is way, way better. (Particularly in the final battle.) If you really, really, really want the sword, there IS another way to learn Ultima, and I'll go into that in a second. However, my personal recommendation is to just take the Esper.

Moving on . . . There is a house on the west side of town, where a man is bedridden. He will give you the Cursed Shield. Immediately equip it on the character with the strongest magic and physical defense, and be warned: this thing kills your stats. Equip that character with a Ribbon to stop 99% of the shield's negative effects. (If you equip it on Relm or Shadow, you can equip them with a Safty Ring to protect them from the Doom spell cast if the condemned timer hits 0; on anyone else, the Safety Bit, which we will get to in a moment, will work just fine.) If you fight with this shield equipped in 255 battles, it becomes the Paladin Shield, which is unquestionably the best shield in the entire game. It is well worth the time to break the curse. Let me list its benefits here. The character equipped with it takes no damage from Poison, Earth, Water, and Wind attacks. S/he also absorbs HP from Fire, Bolt, Pearl (Holy), and Ice attacks. In addition, the character's Defense and Magic Defense ratings rise by 59; the Evade and Magic Block percentage goes up by 40. As if this were not enough, the shield teaches you Ultima. (To quickly level this shield up, go to the Solitary Island and fight there for a while. The battles are ridiculously easy and quickly over. Hence, it won't take long to rack up the requisite 255 battles.) Well worth the effort, wouldn't you agree?

First, I offer my warning: You do NOT want to try this place without everyone knowing Osmose; nor do you really want to try this without the Phoenix Esper, because you need its Life3 spell. (Well, you dontt NEED it, but it makes a certain boss battle much much quicker.) Before heading in, know this: Only magic is allowed inside. Head to Thamasa and purchase yourself 4 Wall Rings, then choose your strongest magic characters. (Celes and Terra come to mind immediately for me; however, that may not be the case for you.) You do not gain experience in this tower; however, it is a great place to learn spells, so I suggest that you take your 4 top choices for the final battle. (If any of them need to learn Osmose, Zoneseek will do it in less than 2 battles.) Equip everyone with a Wall Ring and an Earring. (If someone is equipped with the Cursed Shield, exchange a Ribbon for the Earring.) Below is a list of the various enemies and their weaknesses. For any enemies with Reflect, simply bounce the spells off your party members, who are protected by their Wall Rings. Oh, one last thing: you may wish to have someone equip Siren, particularly in the last level, because she has an almost 100% effective Mute attack and you'll really, really want that against the L.80 and L.90 Magics.

L.10 Magic: Weak against Fire.
L.20 Magic: HAS REFLECT; weak against Bolt.
L.30 Magic: CAN CAST REFLECT; weak against Ice and Poison
L.40 Magic: Weak against Bolt
L.50 Magic: Weak against Fire; absorbs Poison.
L.60 Magic: Weak against Fire; can cast Quake.
L.70 Magic: HAS REFLECT; weak against Ice; absorbs Fire
L.80 Magic: Weak against Fire. These ladies tend to cast Cure spells on you, which bounce off your Reflect and cure them. To get rid of them quickly, just cast Doom.
L.90 Magic: HAS REFLECT; weak against Bolt. Use Siren IMMEDIATELY on these; they can cast Merton, which passes right through Reflect.

If you fight a Magic Urn, just let it heal you until it runs off. If your MPs run low, use Osmose to replenish, but DON'T use it against the L.30 Magics, or they'll do the same right back, and you'll end up worse than you started. Needless to say, since you're Reflective, wait till after the battle to heal yourself. In the first treasure room, where you find the Safety Bit, step to the right of the treasure chest and investigate the wall. You'll hear a noise. Go outside and you?ll see a new door on the level below you. Behind this door is the Air Anchor, a mediocre Tool (it sounds awesome, but it doesn?t always work and can be a real pain.) A bit higher, you'll meet the White Dragon.

White Dragon
HP: 18,500
Weakness: None
Whatever you do, don't use Pearl. Any strong spells will do. This dragon's HP is not that high, so just keep smacking him. With the Dragon dead, you'll get a Pearl Lance. Time to move on up the tower. When you receive the Gem Box, equip it IMMEDIATELY on whoever knows Life3, and make sure you're healed and pretty healthy MP-wise. Leave the room where you found the Gem Box, and you will encounter the MagiMaster, undoubtedly one of the most annoying bosses in the game.

MagiMaster
HP: 50,000
Weaknesses: Variable
How you execute this fight depends on whether or not you know Life3. If you do, immediately have that character start casting it. Get it cast on at least 2 people, all 4 if possible. Then cast Bserk on the MagiMaster so he can't use WallChange. Scan him to find his weakness and attack with it if possible. Ultima is your best bet if you've learned it, but if you can't use it, Flare, Pearl, or any powerful spell will help (as long as he is not going to absorb the spell.) When you kill him, he will cast Ultima and kill all your party members (hence the need for Life3.) If you do NOT have Life3 . . . I feel so sorry for you. This battle is going to take a VERY long time. Start off by casting Rasp on him, over and over and over. When your MPs get low, cast Osmose. You need to drain his MP so that it is BELOW 80! Since he has 50,000 MP, this will take a while. You'll want to cast Scan every so often to monitor his MP. Do NOT cast Bserk, as his repeated spellcasting will help you drain his MP. If necessary, cast Cure on him to keep him alive while you drain him. Once his MP falls below 80, hit him with everything you've got. He won't have the necessary MPs to cast Ultima; thus, no devastating final attack; ergo, you can survive without Life3. However, it is a real pain in the you-know-what to do it this way. Do yourself a favor and go get Phoenix before attempting this battle.

Items: Remedy, X-Potion (x2), Elixir, Ether, Phoenix Down, Beads, Genji Glove, Lump of Metal, Flame Shield, Ice Shield
Magicite: Alexander

Take Cyan to Doma Castle, along with three of your strongest party members. Come on in and take a nap in the "bedroom." (If Shadow is in your party, after this event you may wish to sleep here a few more times, as this is one of the places where you can view his dreams. And, hell, it's free, so why not?) You will encounter a very cheesy trio called the Three Dream Stooges. Larry, Curly, and Moe want Cyan's soul. Are you gonna let them get away with that? Didn't think so. You should be able to get to the boss battle with them on your own; if not, email me.

Curly
HP: 15,000
Weaknesses: Water, Ice
Larry
HP: 10,000
Weakness: Fire
Moe
HP: 12,500
Weakness: None
The first thing you want to do is kill Curly. (He's the flying one.) He casts Life on the other two if you kill them, so get rid of him to make this much much easier. (Hint: Ice3.) Moe has no weaknesses, but he absorbs Bolt. Cast Bserk on him to eliminate his magic attacks, and he becomes much easier. (As you may be able to see, Bserk is much more useful against your enemies than on your own party members.) Once these guys are dead, you move on through Cyan's mind. At the first chest puzzle (where the boxes move to prevent you from getting to the chest), flip the switch twice. To stop the moving chest, deposit the "Lump of Metal," found at the left end of the car, in it. (The metal does not disappear from your "Rare Items" list; a stupid factoid you probably didn't want to know, but I thought I'd share.) Flip the switch where you find 6 chests and memorize the pattern. The next car involves interesting furniture arrangements. Throw the switches in this order (making sure to collect the 2 treasure chests as you go): Right, Left, Right, Middle, Right, Left. Arrange the 6 chests into the same pattern. (If you already forgot, close the one farthest to the right in the top row. Close the center one and the one farthest to the left in the bottom row.) Throw the wall switch. In the Engine, throw the right-hand switch and exit. You'll find yourself wearing MagiTek armor in a place that looks like Narshe's mines. (I thought we were reliving Cyan's memories, not Terra's?)

Go down and to the right. Enter the cave, then walk right back out the way you came. Cross the bridge; in the middle, you will, as they say, "faw down go boom." In Doma Castle, you can save your game. Walk around, avoiding the throne room, to find 3 of Cyan's memories of his family (which can be real tearjerkers.) When you're done, make sure someone knows Life2 or Life3, and that no one is equipped with the Safety Bit or Safty Ring (aka Memento Ring.) Equip a character who knows both Vanish and Doom with the Gem Box. (I hear you screaming about cheating, but really, Wrexsoul is a pain in the @$$ without it, and bloody difficult . . . one might even say nearly impossible . . . to beat.)

Wrexsoul
HP: 23,066
Weakness: Ice
The first thing you do is cast Haste on the person with the Gem Box (or Haste2 on the party, if you like.) Do not bother attacking the Soul Savers; they regenerate. Wrexsoul will possess a character; the trouble is that you cannot tell which one. Start by casting Doom on your characters, one by one (but NOT the one with the Gem Box!) As they die, cast Life2 immediately if Wrexsoul does NOT appear. If he does, have the Gem Box character instantly smack him with Vanish/Doom. If you have tried every other character except the one with the Gem Box, cast Life3 on him/her, then have another character cast Doom. The Gem Box character will automatically be revived, and should have time to use the Vanish/Doom trick on Wrexsoul before it possesses someone else. Defeat Wrexsoul, and you'll get the Pod Bracelet, which is very helpful if you're in the process of breaking the curse on the Cursed Shield. It's a useful Relic in other situations too. There is a simpler way to defeat Wrexsoul, but you won't get the Pod Bracelet. Cast X-Zone on the two Soul Savers that accompany it. If they both get sucked in, the battle will end. Either way you kill it, you'll see a very sweet cinema scene. Cyan will get himself sorted out (without the help of a shrink), will receive the awesome Aura sword, and will master the final few SwdTech skills, including Cleave, which is a very cool technique. When you wake up, go to the Throne Room to find the Alexander Esper, which teaches some very nifty spells.

Items: Ether, Wing Edge, Graedus, Trump, Magicite, X-Potion, Offering, Punisher, Gold Hairpin, Blizzard Orb, X-Ether
Magicite: Odin, Raiden

Go to Figaro Castle. Make sure you're rested and ready; you're about to face a tough area. (This place is great for gaining levels; you may want to bring along your four "chosen" ones for the final battle.) Have the engineer submerge the castle. When it stops, tell him to remain stopped and cross over to the prison. Exit through Lone Wolf's cell. (There is another pickpocket named Lone Wolf in FF5, too, in case anyone wanted to know, which I know you didn't.) Pick up the treasures in the first room, then head through the right-most door at the bottom of the screen. Open the chest to fight the powerful Master Pug, who can be difficult. For winning, you get the Graedus, which is a Pearl-elemental dirk, and a powerful weapon. (By the way, if Strago is not in your party, you may want to bring him here later, as he can pick up more than a few Lores.)

Head through the wall to your left, which is fake. There is a ladder below you. Head right to obtain the Trump, one of Setzer's weapons, then left and back up the ladder. Head to the far left wall and walk through it (it is fake.) There is a treasure chest at the bottom of this room, and one to the left of the ladder. Then head down the ladder. Save at the save point. There is a brief cinema to explain the past of this castle. Go through the main doorway and take yourself to the throne room. Speak to the statue of Odin for its Magicite. (You may wish to fight around for a while with this Magicite; it is the ONLY one that gives you a Speed bonus at Level Up.) You may also want to teach one or more characters the Meteor spell before you transform Odin; it will be a long time before you get your paws on another Esper that teaches Meteor. In the throne room, enter the first archway on the right. The chests hold a Gold Hairpin and Umaro's Blizzard Orb. Back in the throne room, head down and to the right, down a hidden staircase. Read the Queen's diary for some juicy gossip; if Terra is in your party, it will get an interesting reaction from her. Go back to the Throne Room and position your mapman directly in front of the Queen's throne (the one on the right.) Take 5 steps down and press X/A. You will hear a sound. Head back down the hidden staircase; you will see a new staircase. Head down and fight the Blue Dragon.

Blue Dragon
HP: 26,900
Weaknesses: Lightning, Fire
Just keep throwing Bolt3 or Fire3 at this guy; Flare works well too. You can summon Ramuh, Ifrit, or Bahamut for some extra punch. This boss casts Clean Sweep, which Strago can learn, but if you don't have him, don't worry; you can still get it elsewhere. Like any Dragon, he's not that tough. Once you're done teaching him who's the REAL boss around here, go to the stone statue of the queen if you're ready to transform Odin. Speak to her and her tears will transform Odin into Raiden. (The two Espers have essentially the same attack, but Raiden's hits more often. Plus, his spell Quick is awesome.) Now return to the castle courtyard. Walk left, through the double arches. Open the chest and fight a tough boss.

Katana Soul
HP: 37,620
Weakness: Poison
If you want, you can have Locke Steal a Strato or a Murasame from this boss; they are decent weapons for Cyan. Otherwise, just smack Katana Soul around until he croaks. If memory serves, you may wish to cast Life3 on one or two people, just in case, or equip appropriate Relics to protect against Death spells. For defeating this boss, you get the Offering Relic, which totally rocks. It takes down your attack power a bit, but in return you hit 4 times--more than worth it! You can pair this Relic with a Hero Ring to recover the lost attack power, or with a Genji Glove for an 8-hit attack. (Try combining this on Terra with the Atma Weapon and the Valiant Knife. One increases in power as your HP increases; the other increases in power as your HP decreases, so no matter your HP, you will do a consistent amount of damage with your 8 attacks! Also, pairing the Offering with a weapon that has special effects, like the Scimitar, increases the chances of something good happening.) Head back into the courtyard, only this time head right. There is a crack in the wall. Walk through it to get the Punisher. Now, at last, you can LEAVE! You cannot Warp out; you must walk back to Figaro Castle through the cave.

Items: Ether, Red Jacket, Magical Brush, Genji Amror, Fake Mustache, Zephyr Cape, Hero Ring, Tack Star, Thunder Shield

Land on Triangle Island and find a Zone Eater. Allow it to Engulf all of your party members. While on the bridges, do not allow the green guys to touch you; you will be knocked off. (There are a couple of good treasures down there, but you don't want to visit it more than once.) Make sure to retrieve all the treasures, which occasionally requires a creative solution to the problem of the little green men. SAVE AT THE SAVE POINT! Make your way through the room with the falling ceiling. Observe the ceiling a few times to see where the openings fall, then go stand in the openings. This will keep you from getting squished like a bug (if you do,it's game over.) Eventually, you will find Gogo the Mimic, who is the most versatile character in the game. (Hey Theron, isn't this your other name?!) Now it's time to get outta here.

Now is the time to finish leveling up your "chosen" characters for the final battle. North of the Veldt, you will find a forest shaped like a dinosaur's head. Park that Airship and prepare for some tough battles. This forest houses the Tyranosaurs, mean vicious creatures that can be very tough to beat, but that give you 8800 Exp. Points each (ergo, if all party members are alive after a battle, they all get 2200 Exp. Points for each Tyranosaur.) If you get caught in a Pincer Attack (which happens frequently, and the Back Guard doesn't help much), beware: the two Tyranosaurs will often cast back-to-back Meteor spells. You'll want to get your four "chosen" and your alternate to about Level 50; it makes Kefka's Tower (not to mention the final 5 battles) manageable. (In case you hadn't already guessed, this is a good place to make use of your Exp. Egg.) In this forest you will also find a nasty enemy called the Brachosaur. This thing casts Ultima and a spell called "Disaster," (which causes all kinds of nasty status ailments), not to metion possessing powerful physical attacks. If you find one and Celes is in your party (or Gogo with the Runic skill,) use Runic to absorb its attacks and have the other 3 characters hit it with their strongest physical attacks. This enemy is worth defeating; it will often drop an Economizer Relic, which is well worth the hassle. Try to collect 4 of these to make the final battle much easier. If your other characters are below Level 30, take them to the Ancient Castle. They can build good experience there without the constant K.O.'ing that often greets weak characters who fight Tyranosaurs.

If, when you are finished leveling up, you find that your characters still need to learn spells, try the desert south of Maranda. Here you fight the Hoover and the Cactrot. Either one is worth 10,000 GP. The Hoover has a nasty attack called Sand Storm which requires you to devote at least 1 character to healing everyone else; it also has 12,000 HP. (Try the Atma Weapon/Valiant Knife trick outlined in the section dealing with the Ancient Castle.)

The Cactrot has a ridiculous evasion rate, but defeating it earns you 10 Magic Points. The quick way to get the little bastard is to have Sabin, Edgar, or Gogo (with Blitz or Tool commands) in your party. Have Sabin or Gogo use Pummel, and Edgar or Gogo use the Drill. The Cactrot will die. (You can also equip a Sniper Sight and a Genji Glove on someone, which will do all of 2 HP damage, but he only has 3 to start with, so attack twice and you got the little bugger.) You may also want to go to the Coliseum and pick up a few items (see the "Coliseum" page for info on what you can get.) If you took the Ragnarok Sword, now is the time to go get Illumina, if you haven't already. You may wish to trade in a Behemoth Suit for the Snow Muffler. Equip it on Mog or Gau, and you will find that it is a powerful piece of armor. Trade an Elixir for a Rename Card, then trade that for the Marvel Shoes. If you're going for the Imp trick (outlined on the Secrets page), trade an extra Imp's Armor for the Tortoise Shield, and use that to get the Titanium helmet. (If you wish, you can trade an extra Titanium for the Cat Hood, and then exchange that for the Merit Award, which is great for people like Shadow, Locke, and Sabin who cannot equip heavy armor. It will help them out a lot if you plan to use them in the final battle.) You can trade the Czarina Gown for an extra Minerva Armor, which is great on magic defense and not so good at physical; also, only Celes, Terra, and Gogo can equip it. If your chosen people can equip swords (Celes, Edgar, or Terra), buy Enhancers for them (for use in the final battle.) This sword has the same effect as an Earring Relic. You probably won't be using your weapon anyway, so it might as well be helping you.

Take Strago and Relm all around the world and get as many of his Lores as possible (see the page on Strago for information on where all these critters hang out), using Relm's Control command to obtain the skills. Make sure you've broken the curse on the Cursed Shield. Your four chosen and your alternate should be at Level 50; at least 4 others should be near Level 40. Once you think you're ready, take a look at your 14 characters. You must now choose 12, and leave 2 behind. I generally leave Gau and Umaro behind; Gau simply is not powerful enough, and Umaro is uncontrollable. However, you may feel differently.

Items: Minerva, Tack Star (x2), Force Shield, Force Armor, Ribbon, Coronet, Fixed Dice, Red Cap, Nutkin Suit, Gauntlet, Hero Ring, Aegis Shield, Megalixir, Rainbow Brush
Magicite: Crusader

Use the Airship to "land" on Kefka's Tower. You will be asked to split into three groups. Take your four chosen and your alternate and divide them up. For example, let's say (since this is what I did the last time I played it) that Celes, Terra, Sabin, and Shadow are your chosen. Locke is your alternate. They all know all the spells (except Merton, which you get from Crusader.) MAKE SURE THAT ALL 4 OF YOUR CHOSEN KNOW ULTIMA!!!!! Say you've chosen to leave Gau and Umaro behind. You would put Celes and Shadow in one party; put Cyan with them. Sabin and Locke are in the second. Terra is in the third; put Edgar with her. (That way, you have at least 1 character in each party capable of very strong physical attacks against several enemies.) Split up the rest of your characters as you see fit. Equip one person in each party (preferably the one with the strongest magic) with an Earring/Economizer combo; that person will serve as your magical attacker and your all-purpose healer. At least one person in each party should be wearing a Ribbon to guard against the Malboro?s Sour Mouth attack. When equipping people, give priority to your chosen; they need to stay healthy because they are your last line of defense. Once you land, start with your second party, the one in the middle. (They'll be slightly to the left of a stopped escalator.) You?ll find Atma quickly; use Vanish/Doom on it to kill it off quickly so you can save. If you insist on doing it the hard way, though, the strategy is below.

Atma
HP: 55,000
Weakness: None
You can Steal a Crystal Orb (an awesome Relic!) from Atma if Locke/Gogo is in this party. (You'll get another one for defeating the Gold Dragon.) Smack him with Flare and Ultima until he croaks off. If your magic users are strong, it shouldn't take that long. Sabin can use Bum Rush; Shadow can Throw old weapons. (Reserve the strongest ones, and stuff like Tack Stars, for the final battle, though.) Once you kill Atma, a Save Point will appear. Make use of it, and leave your second party there for a while. You'll want the advantage of Tents anytime in this tower. (If you don't understand that reference, check out our "Secrets" page.) One major warning: if you run into an enemy called Sky Base, cast Doom on it IMMEDIATELY. It has a spell called Blaster that does a one-hit kill on your character, and it can cast it many times in a row, so even Life3 won't really save you. I won't give you any more guidance than that, except for boss HP levels and weaknesses, and a guide to the final battle. If you need more specific help than that, the email is at the bottom of the page, and I will be more than willing to help you.

Inferno, Striker, and Rough
HP: 30,800
Weakness: Ice
Just attack the main body. Bum Rush works great. Otherwise, hit him with the strongest Ice spells you have. It's not too hard.

Gold Dragon
HP: 32,400
Weakness: Water
You can do this the easy way, or you can do it the "real" way. Just attack it with physical attacks, have Shadow Throw a Water Edge, toss Bum Rush or the Drill at it, use Aqua Rake, or just keep casting Ultima . . . it all depends on who's in your party.

Skull Dragon
HP: 32,800
Weakness: Fire, Pearl
The Skull Dragon casts all kinds of nasty status effects, so make sure someone has a Ribbon and knows Remedy, or that you have plenty of Remedy Items. Hit this boss with Flare, Fire3, Ultima, or Pearl; summon Bahamut, Alexander, or Ifrit; use Fire and Pearl Rods; use FireDance or Bum Rush; have Edgar use Drill or Chainsaw.

Guardian
HP: 60,000
Weakness: Water, Lightning
The Guardian is a machine, and sensitive to electricity in its delicate circuits. Smack it with repeated Ultima and Bolt3; Throw Bolt Edges or use Thunder Rods; use Bum Rush, Drill, Chainsaw . . . you should have the picture by now. You can steal Ribbons or Force Armors from it (not that you need them much at this point.)

Statues: For any of the three battles with the Statues, you'll want to start by casting Haste2 on everyone. Summoning Golem will help with your defense. Safe and Shell are a must; Ultima and Meteor will be your staple spells.

Goddess
HP: 44,000
Weakness: None
Whatever you do to Goddess, do NOT cast Pearl or attack with any of the following weapons: Pearl Rod, Illumina, Excalibur, Graedus, Dragon Claw, Pearl Lance. All these weapons are Pearl-elemental and will heal her. Ultima works just fine; Flare and Meteor are good too. The Vanish/Doom trick does not work on the Statues. Goddess has nothing worth stealing. The Excalibur sword you win from her is Pearl-elemental. If Shadow is one of your chosen for the final battle, do NOT equip this sword; save it for him to throw at Kefka.

Poltergeist
HP: 58,000
Weakness: Poison
Don?t hit Poltergeist with Fire or Wind spells; he will absorb them. As usual, Ultima or Meteor is your best choice. Bio will not poison him, but it will pack quite a punch. He doesn't have much worth stealing either.

Doom
HP: 63,000
Weakness: Pearl
Summon Alexander to pack some good damage; Bahamut will work too. Ultima, Pearl, Meteor, and Flare will be your main spells here. You can steal a Safety Bit from him if you want; I don't think it's worth the trouble.

After defeating the Statues, take a moment to prepare. Put an Economizer on each of your four "chosen" people. Equip your strongest magic user with the Gem Box and, if that person happens to be Edgar, Celes, or Terra, equip them with the Enhancer sword as well. Make sure that one person has a Ribbon and knows the Remedy spell. Give the other two an Earring. Once you're ready, step onto the three switches, and you'll see a cinema scene with Kefka. You'll be given a chance to arrange your characters. Put your four "chosen" at the top of the list, with your alternate right behind. Then, be ready for one hell of a battle. There are too many "bosses" for me to go into real detail about any but Kefka; suffice to say that they all have plenty of HP and, I don't think any of them have any weaknesses. The Final Boss comes in three "levels." The first thing you want to do is cast Life3 on everyone. Should a character be wounded, immediately recast Life3; this avoids getting stuck with weaker and weaker characters as the battle wears on. Cast Haste2, then settle down to the serious business of killing the final boss. Just keep casting Ultima. Forget everything else except the occasional dose of Cure3 to keep your HPs high. Keep smacking them with Ultima until they give up. The "top level" can cast Pearl Wind, which is not helpful to your aims, but if you keep hitting it with Ultima, Pearl Wind won't be enough to save it. Also, when you destroy the top "tier," it casts Doom, so make sure you have Life3. Renew it as soon as you get to Kefka, also.

Kefka HP: 62,000
Weakness: None
For a final boss, Kefka is pretty much a softie. All you have to do is smack him with Ultima over and over. With your Economizers, MPs shouldn't be a problem. Kefka has one nasty spell that sticks everyone with Dark, Mute, and Slow; your Ribbon character should then cast Remedy on the Gem Box character, who can heal the other two. Kefka's Fallen One makes everyone's HPs go down to 1; cast Cure3 a couple of times (or use a Megalixir; you can steal one from him or use the others you've gotten) and get back to throwing Ultima at him. He'll die quickly, and you get to enjoy the incredible ending.

Congratulations! You've just finished the most awesome RPG ever made. Enjoy the ending; you earned it. (And if you want, you can check out a fanfic I am writing with a friend, which is our version of what happens after this battle.) If you've got Anthology, you can now view the complete Bonus Mode. If you've got questions or comments about anything in this walkthrough, please email me (rina@rpgplace.net).

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