I. Introduction
II. FAQ/What you should know
III. Getting Started
What you need
Statistics
Characters
Choosing a Party
IV. Walkthrough
Coneria/Temple of Fiends
Arrrr Matey!!
Power Peninsula
Time for a Nap!
King of the "Marshians"
Northwest Castle
Crystal Clear vision/Wake up and smell the Herbal tea!
Cleaning Up
Kaboom!
A side trip to Crescent Lake
The First Orb
The Titan and the Ruby
The Earth Cave
A Choice
The Gurgu Volcano
A Tale of a Rat
The Ice Cave
Fly, on your wings, like an Eagle, Flies High as the Sun...
Stuff to do
King of the Dragons
Shopping
[Extra]-The "Loot Root"
Techno-Waterall
The Oasis
The Loot Root
The Submarine
LeFein
The Mirage Tower
Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart!
V. Epilogue: Comments, questions, and answers
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I. Introduction
Before familiarizing you with the Final Fantasy itself and its operating
system, you should get a good idea of the walkthrough itself before you go on at
all. This is the perfect walkthrough for the beginner, because there is
ABSOLTELY NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. This walkthough is good for the beginner
because of the level of detail it provides in the tough spots, as well as in-
depth advice to guide anyone through the most important of decisions. However,
this walkthrough is not just for the Beginner, because the level of detail, and
the plentiful pointers can make any player better, regardless of experience.
I also feel that you should be introduced to the starter or the epic Final
Fantasy series, as well is the actual Nintendo system, so that you may be
familiar with the game before starting. Final Fantasy is a classic RPG made by
Squaresoft in Japan. This game is what started the whole series, which now
numbers up to 9, on the good old 8-bit Nintendo. Well, in 13 years since the
game came out, both video games in general and Final Fantasy have made
incredible advances. There have been seven sequels to Final Fantasy, and Final
Fantasy 9 is due out soon. There is also one more Final Fantasy known as Final
Fantasy Tactics, which retraces its roots to classic RPGs, rather than become
involving with complex plots and long storylines like the later Final Fantasies.
I have played every single Final Fantasy ever made, but there is just nothing
that can compare to the original. This is the first walkthrough I have ever
written, and I do not plan to write any more. I am dedicating my time to the
best FF ever made, Final Fantasy 1.
You will notice 2 things absent from my walkthrough. On most FAQs that
I've read, I always see a monster list (bestiary) and a Magic list. I thought
about adding these, but I thought to myself: I have already covered these
sections in the midst of the walkthrough to a level of detail and usefulness
unsurpassed by any FAQ I've ever seen. Rather than just listing Magic and its
function, I gave advice on which spells to buy, and when to use them. Instead
of writing a monster list, I told you about every single monster in the entire
game that might give you trouble, told you how to beat them.
There was one thing that was eating away at me the every time I read an
FAQ. There was always one of 2 faults. One, the walkthrough was only for a
certain party, like 4 White Mages. It told you how to get through the game with
4 White Mages. But, how do you do it with 4 Black Belts? The other fault was
generic information. Some people gave information good for any party, but none
enough to really help a beginner. My walkthrough gives DETAILED IHFORMATION for
EVERY PARTY you can think of--from buying equipment and equipping it, to what
spells to buy for different parties.
Read and Enjoy!
II. FAQ
Well, this thing isn't posted on the internet (as of the time I'm writing
this), so I don't actually have any "asked" questions. However, I included some
miscellaneous questions that I know I'm going to be asked someday anyway, and
other things that I've seen come up on the Message Board on GameFAQs. Speaking
of GameFAQs, although it implies that its files are based on the FAQ, this one
will be much more focused on the walkthrough rather than the FAQ. [NOTE] READ
THIS ENTIRE SECTION BEFORE ASKING ME ANY QUESTIONS!!!
1. Why Final Fantasy 1?
I love this game. I've been playing it ever since I was a kid. This thing
started the whole spur of Final Fantasy, and I wanted to dedicate my time to
such and awesome game. I especially like the fact that you can choose your
party. This adds tons of replay value that you can't get from other Final
Fantasies. You can experiment to find the best party, or challenge yourself
with the worst. This was the best game ever made.
2. I heard about [this rumor]. Is it true?
No. People make up tons of weird things just so they can laugh when their
friends spend hours in vain trying to find something stupid. I even heard of
some stupid hidden vendor in the Temple of Fiends that sells you a Masmune for
100,000 GP. Nice Try. However, if you would like to tell me about something,
and have reasonable proof of it (screen shot, savestate, or something like
that), I will gladly post your secret and credit you accordingly.
3. Uh, you spelled Masamune and Excalibur wrong. What's up?
Final Fantasy has only so many letters for their Weapons and Armor. So,
that's there XCalber and Masmune come from.
4. I heard that specialized weapons like the Were, Rune, Coral, Dragon, Giant,
Fire, and Ice Swords have no bonus effect at all on any monster. Is this true?
Well, this is very tough to say. Is there a huge difference? No.
However, even though the Fire Sword has a smaller damage rating than the Ice
Sword, I have seen the Fire Sword work better than the Ice Sword on undead and
Ice creatures. But, as for most of the specialized swords, you will find that
you will already have a much stronger sword anyway. For example, you will have
the Silver Sword much sooner than you will get the Were Sword, and even against
Were monsters, you will find the Silver Sword to work much better because it is
so much stronger.
As for specialized armor, there is definitely a very noticeable difference.
Ice armors provide protection against Fire, and Fire armors likewise against
Ice. The Ribbon also gives protection against all the elements. Also, I read
on Ben Siron's FF1 Handbook that the Aegis Shield provides protection against
poison status, as long as it is not inflicted with the regular attack.
5. Anything you need to know that's not on here?
[Stuff you should Know]
There are a few things that you should know before you go straight to the
walkthrough. You will find new words that you've never seen before, or you will
find some words used in completely different ways than you've ever seen them.
To avoid confusion in the future, here is a list of some out-of-the-ordinary
words you will find throughout the walkthrough:
CAPITAL LETTERS- You will find many words in all capitals. Many times, this is
either for emphasis, or more commonly, a way of setting a spell or item aside
from the rest of the walkthrough. All spells and Items will be found in capital
letters. Also, if you see a capital letter like in the word Fighter, this means
the class, Fighter. If you see fighter without the capital, it's a general term
for a fighting character, such as a Fighter class, Thief, or Black Belt.
Spiked Square- Normally, you will encounter enemies randomly if you are in a
cave or tower. However, sometimes, there are special squares where you can step
where you will always find the same battle, every time you step there.
Sometimes, you will find the enemies to vary slightly in type or number.
However, one thing that you can rest assured- there WILL ALWAYS be a battle on a
spiked square.
Critical Hit- Sometimes, your characters will hit the enemy for more than usual
damage, and it will say Critical Hit. If one of your hits is a Critical Hit, it
will do twice your Damage rating, regardless of the enemy's defense.
Gold and Experience- When you win a battle, you will get gold and experience
for your efforts. Each enemy gives a certain amount of gold and experience upon
its demise. When you get gold, it will be added to your party's pool, which it
will share. When you get experience, the set number will be divided equally
amongst the number of non-stoned surviving members of the party, those who cheer
when the battle is over. Note a few things: If the experience is less than
one, you will get one. Otherwise, it will be rounded down.
III. Getting Started
For starters, you will need a copy of Final Fantasy and a Nintendo, or at
least an Emulator with the Final Fantasy ROM. Once you get this far, start it
up, and it's time to play! Watch the mini-intro and read the story line. It
will let you choose a Respond Rate. 1 is painfully slow if and is nice if you
can't read for crap, but I recommend at least 7 or 8. Now, start a new game and
you get to pick your characters. Each character has his own strengths and
weaknesses, and you will need a perfect balance of power to get the party you
want. Read the outline of the following characters and abilities, and then
choose a party that best suits your style of fighting.
Statistics
Stats affect many aspects of the game, and basically differentiate the
powers of each class. Every stat has several functions that affect your
characters' abilities. There are six main stats and four other stats that will
be important throughout the game. There is a great "Handbook" made by Ben Siron
on gamefaqs.com that explains in detail all the formulas for determining derived
stats such as Hit% and Evade%. I read through this, and I picked up some useful
information. Since I some of this information in here, and I cannot call it my
own work, any sentence containing any of Ben Siron's work is noted with an
asterisk (*).
Hit Points
Hit Points are (duh) non-existent in real life. In Final Fantasy, they
determine how much "Life Force" a character has. When a character is hit, he
loses Hit Points. When he loses all his Hit Points, he dies.
Strength
Strength is pure power. A strong character will be able to do lots of
damage with the Fight command, if equipped with a good weapon to compliment.
Strength does determine your base DAMAGE stat, but the formula is rather
complicated and varies from class to class. Either way, a higher Strength stat
will boost the DAMAGE stat.
Agility
Agility is the ability to move around. In Final Fantasy, Agility will have
the function of determining your Evade stat. Add 48 to this number to get your
base Evade, then subtract your armor*. I had one theory in an earlier version
that it might affect who acts first in battle. I can not really back this up,
nor am I sure myself that it's true, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Intelligence
Intelligence is a measure of the ability of the brain. As of this point, I
am quite unsure of the function of Intelligence in Final Fantasy. It is
certainly not apparent, but I am still trying to find something definite.
Either way, I will still present my theories until I find out some more
information. As far as I can tell, intelligence will mainly affect magic. I
have several theories that stem off of this. My first is susceptibility to
magic. I think that a character with high Intelligence will be more susceptible
to magic of all types. Magical attacks will hurt a smarter character much more
than a dimmer one, but Healing spells will restore more HP as well. If this is
true, this would explain why White and Black Mages always get pelted so bad by
magical attacks, even though ABSORB has nothing to do with magic. My second
theory is more common, but still not proven, nor is there enough information to
do so. I think Intelligence might affect the ability of a character to use
magic. For example, CURE always restores somewhere in between 16 and 32 HP. My
theory is that a character with higher intelligence will get closer to 32 HP
back.
Vitality
Vitality is the energy of life. This is more or less the idea of Vitality
in Final Fantasy. When you get a level up, you gain a certain amount of Hit
Points. While the formula that determines the gain is rather complex (and
variable for that matter), Vitality does play a role in determining Hit Point
gain. Basically, 1 more Hit Point will be added to the formula for every 4
points of Vitality you gain*. However, in addition to that, I do have another
theory of a secondary function of Vitality. I noticed that Black Belts, and
Fighters for the most part, seem to have more resistance to poison and related
status attacks than Black Mages and other characters with low Vitality. So, I
developed my theory that maybe Vitality might also have an affect on status
resistance as well. This was my best guess before I learned that Vitality plays
a definite part in Hit Point gaining.
Luck
Luck scientifically does not exist in real life, but is used as a term for
the happenings of random events in favor or detriment to a person. While the
actual function of Luck in Final Fantasy is unknown, well, to me at least, there
are several theories. In an earlier version, I stated that Luck determined
Evade, among other things. I was wrong in saying that, as Evade is strictly
proportional to Agility. I also thought that it had something to do with Hit%,
which was also wrong*. Hit% is determined by your level and class*. Yet
another theory I had was that it was like a "god" skill, that affected all
others, by basically favoring chance along with the effects of other stats. I'm
not sure if this is completely wrong, but I don't know for sure either way, and
I have little to back it up. I have just one more theory that is not quite
tried and true, but is accurate as far as I know. I think Luck might have
something to do with the ability to escape battles. I do have a background for
this theory, yet still not hard evidence. I was thinking about the Thief and
his ability to almost flawlessly escape battles. Then I considered the one
thing that he had that others didn't: a high Luck stat. Hence, my theory about
Luck was created.
Damage
Damage directly affects how much damage your character will do when he is
attacking. Damage is equal to your weapon's Damage value plus half your
strength.
Hit
Hit percent determines whether you will hit an enemy or not. Furthermore,
if you have a very high Hit Percent, you may actually hit the enemy several
times, not just once. You will notice your characters will start to make more
than one hit around Level 8 or 9. Your weapon has a determined Hit value, which
will raise your Hit Percent. Your Level will affect Hit% somewhat, but that
depends on your class*.
Absorb
Absorb is how much damage will be blocked from an enemy's attack. Someone
with a higher Absorb stat will take less damage from monsters. Absorb is
determined by the sum of the Absorb values of all your armors put together.
Your other stats have absolutely no effect on Absorb. Without any armor, your
Absorb value will be zero.
[BUG] In Final Fantasy, there is a bug in the Absorb stat. For Black Belts and
Masters, after you visit your armor screen, you will see that a Black
Belt/Master's Absorb will equal his level, as long as you have no armor
equipped. If you do have armor on, Absorb will be equal to the armor's value,
whether this is higher of lower. However, this is intended. But, for Masters,
if you equip a piece of armor, then level up, the Absorb value will revert to
your level until you visit your armor screen again. Even if you turn the system
off, or use a piece of armor in battle, your Absorb will still be your level
until you hit start, then go to armor and press A. So, you will be able to get
the benefits of the Ribbon and ProRing without forfeiting the Master's naturally
high Absorb value.
Evade
Evade determines whether an enemy will hit you or not. Also, it can
actually determine how many times an enemy hits you. If an enemy is capable of
hitting your 4 times at once, if you have a high Evade stat, he might only hit
you twice, once, or maybe not at all. Each character has an Evade value equal
to his Agility plus 48*. Your Evade value equals your characters basic Evade
value MINUS all the Evade values of your armors put together. So, heavy Armor
like Iron Armor and Steel Armor have a high Evade value which is bad.
Characters
Fighting Characters- These guys are generally tuned to fighting and brute
strength.
Fighter
The Fighter is true to his name, no more, no less. He is your typical
powerhouse that can equip all kinds of weapons and armors. He has very high
strength and vitality, and will eventually become very agile as you Level up,
plus he gets tons and tons of Hit Points, seemingly to no end. The Fighter is
good because he is a real survivor. He has high HP, and can equip lots of Armor
and defense, so each Hit Point will be worth a lot. With the combination of
high HP and high defense, the fighter can take huge beatings and still remain
standing. However, he has very little speed at the beginning of the game, is
rather dumb, and cannot use magic.
Thief
The Thief is, uh, not really a Thief. He can't really do much, and he
doesn't have much Strength or Hit Points, but he is considered more of a
fighting character only because he can't use magic. The Thief has a very high
luck stat, but that only affects the ability to run (and even that I'm not
completely sure of). So, while other characters are fighting and earning
experience, the Thief is running away and staying weak. Since he never has a
good attack, Hit Percent won't matter much. Evade won't do him much good, as
most enemies will hit you no matter what. Also, with his low Absorb rating and
low HP, any hit WILL be devastating. He does develop good speed later in the
game, but not even as much as a Fighter. I strongly recommend against using a
Thief, since he really has no strong points.
Black Belt
The Black Belt is a very unique character. He fights very well with his
bare hands, and gets good Hit Points, with OK strength, which will increase
rapidly as you level up. The two most unique things about him are ABSORB and
DAMAGE. For some reason, his DAMAGE always equals twice his level, provided he
has no weapon equipped. Much unlike any other character as well, his ABSORB
equals his level if he does not have any armor equipped. This is especially
weird because most characters have an ABSORB rating of Zero without armor.
While his Absorb can get up to 50, provided he is at Level 50, he does have
pretty good defense. However, that doesn't really help much, because he will
always suffer, as through the vast majority of the game he will NOT be at Level
50. What's worse? He can't equip much of any armor at all to compensate! All
in all, his defense will always be fairly low. He really stinks at low
levels, but the Black Belt can serve you well later in the game. The weirdest
thing about the Black Belt is how he opens up. In the beginning, he doesn't get
many Hit Points. But, since he gains Vitality every level, no questions asked,
he will very steadily gain more HP every level he gets. Not only that, by level
8 or 9 or so, he gains the ability to very efficiently fight with his hands.
While he will be weak against many powerful bosses or any other monster with
high defense for a while, the "opening up" theme WILL kick in. While it will
take time, by Level 30, he'll be able to do over 1000 damage to just about any
monster there is! So, to make a long story short, if your Black Belt isn't good
enough, level him up a bit, and he'll be a LOT better. He is also good because
you will not have to spend much money on him, which can save lots of time.
However, there is much Armor that he cannot equip, making him rather vulnerable
to attack. He can do good damage without a weapon, but when you come to fight a
boss with high defense, you will find him rather useless when he cannot do much
damage at all unless he as at a VERY high level, and will always be very open to
a boss's tough offense.
Magic Users- These guys are generally tuned to magic and intelligence
Red Mage
Now this is your star player. He has no super high stats, but likewise, no
low stats. Hence, you will almost never find him in a situation that he cannot
handle. The Red Mage gets exceptionally high Hit Points in the beginning of the
game, although the rate of increase will slowly curve off, but not until much
later in the game. Even still, he will always have enough HP to take some heavy
beatings, although not quite like a fighter. Also, a Red Mage gets good
Strength, especially for a Magic User. This Strength, combined with a good long
list of weapons and armor that he can use, make him useful for fighting as well
as using magic. Also, his agility, intelligence, vitality, and luck will always
be above average. Now, besides being a pretty good fighter, the combinations of
magic he can use are phenomenal. He gets both White and Black Magic, for the
ultimate combination of attack, curing, and support magics, which can also boost
the other characters' usefulness.
White Mage
The White Mage is your typical healer in a classic RPG. As you would
expect, he gets a lot of Intelligence and spell casting ability. He has very
little offense, defense, Strength, or equipment that he can use, but he can use
a plethora of support and healing spells that help both himself and other
characters. He is good to have around on long trips when potions just aren't
enough to keep your party going, or when you are facing a fierce enemy where you
need quick defensive spells. He gets fair Vitality, and HP, but without being
able to equip much good armor, he tends not to be very survivable, and you will
often find is lack of offense frustrating in long caves and fortresses.
Black Mage
The Black Mage is also a typical dark magician in a good classic RPG. He
has very high intelligence, and his powerful magic can cripple a big horde of
attacking enemies in a flash. However, he only gets so many magic points, so
you will have to conserve this on long adventures, and you will find that he has
very little offense other than magic. Also, his HP, Vitality, and Defense are
utterly pathetic, and you will often find yourself coughing up tons of cash for
healing potions one after another, or exhausting other mages' magic to keep
curing him. He really cannot equip much of anything at all, so you will find
him about as survivable as a slug in a salt mine.
Well, that about does it for all the major characters in FF1. However, a bit
past halfway through the game, your characters will evolve, and you will get a
"Class Change". This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for some
characters, so I thought it would be helpful to put this in before your choose
your party, just so you have something else to consider before making your final
decision about your party.
Fighter -> Knight
Well, the Knight is pretty much the same as the Fighter, save a few things.
The Knight now gets to equip all kinds of Weapons and Armor. Now more than
ever, he will be your star fighting character, and with these new weapons and
armor, he is ready to pound anything, or take a pounding just as bad. What's
more? He can use some White Magic!!! Well, it's not much, but having some extra
cure magic does help. He can get magic such as CURE and CUR2, but his lack of
intelligence makes his magic somewhat ineffective.
Thief > Ninja
Oh my God!! The Thief actually became USEFUL!! The Ninja can equip almost
every single weapon in the entire game, which significantly increases his
firepower. Also, he can also handle lots of armor, giving him some good
defense. The Ninja can also use some Black Magic, including FAST, probably the
best magic in the game. However, other than this, he is little different than
the Knight, except his strength is much lower. This, combined with how tough it
was to actually keep him alive this long, cuts into his usefulness a whole lot.
Black Belt > Master
Well, this guy uh, almost doesn't change at all! he still can't equip many
weapons or much armor, which really hurts. His low defense will always plague
you, but his offense can be a different story. Technically, at Level 50 (the
highest) it is "possible" to get 20 hits, with critical hit, causing over 8000
damage, so he can kill ANY guy in one shot. However, he can only do NEAR this
much damage to the most wimpy and crippled monsters (even then he still never
does 8000 damage), and he will still have a lot of trouble doing much damage at
all to a boss or tough monster. He is also the only character in the game after
the class change who can't use magic. I noticed when I was fighting Lich with
Level 15 Black Belts that they hit 4 times, but only got around 30 damage! Even
with a Critical Hit, they only got around 50. I'm not sure why this is, even
though he can do tons of damage to just about any wimpy monster in the game.
However, when I advanced him to a Master at around Level 30, he started doing
around 1000 damage to any monster, regardless of defense! He really is a unique
character, as always.
Red Mage > Red Wizard
The Red Wizard, still your star player. Well, his usefulness drops off
slightly toward the end of the game, when his HP gains start to slow, and he
kind of becomes stuck in the middle. He is neither a super-power fighter, like
the 3 fighters who now become very effective with the Fight command, and there
is a lot of high-level magic that he can't use. However, he STILL is good. He
will always be strong enough to knock and obnoxious enemy out cold, and the
powerful combination of White and Black magic will always dominate.
White Mage > White Wizard
Well, he doesn't really change much. He still can't equip very good
weapons or armor, and will always be somewhat weak. However, he can learn ANY
White Magic spell in the game. There is one spell of the highest level that will
actually give him some firepower. FADE will cause about 200-400 damage on all
enemies, which can be helpful at times when you just want to get rid of a bunch
of guys without worrying about defense, but rater how fast you can kill them all
(4 Frost Dragons can never be good).
Black Mage > Black Wizard
Much like the White Wizard, the Black Wizard does not change much through
the class change. The Strategy Guide says he gains strength, but I really don't
know where that came from. All stats remain the same through the class change,
and he actually gains strength slower than he did as a Black Mage. The best
thing is, he can learn ANY Black Magic spell in the game. Even still, his
Strength, Vitality, and HP will always hold you back, and he always seems to be
either dead or really close to it.
Choosing a Party
Alright, now that you have a good idea of what all the characters are like,
it's time to pick your 4 favorites. Keep in mind that any 4 of one character
will NEVER give you the best party. However, I have outlined a list of
suggestions for you to base your party on, keeping in mind your style of
fighting.
The Classic Party: Fighter, Black Belt, White Mage, Black Mage
Well, this is the party of balance. All things are moderated. It has some
firepower, and all types of magic. However, I do not like it at all. The Black
Mage is always weak, and the Black Belt always seems to lose all his power when
it's time for a boss fight. Also, on long trips, the mages will usually get hit
just once or twice for 100-200 damage each time, and you will quickly find them
sapping up your heal potions and cure spells. Then, when they're finally
healed, they'll get whacked again, and they'll either die or suck up some more
heals. Then, to top it off, on long trips away from home, you will have to
conserve your magic, so they will end up fighting most of the time, and will
always slow you down in battle.
The "Default" Party: Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, Red Mage
Well, this is pretty good if it's your first time. The Thief and Black
Belt will save you money from equipment and magic, but will be relatively
useless other than that. The Red Mage will always serve you well, with spells
like CUR2 and FAST. Not only will he be able to heal your guys, he gets tons of
support magic to make your fighters even better. Well, this party just needs to
switch a few guys around, and you can get great combinations of characters, as
what most of the following are based on.
My Party: 2 Fighters, 2 Red Mages
This is my personal favorite. These guys are POWERFUL. Not only do you
have lots of good magic, you also have tons of firepower. Every guy can pack a
mean punch against any monster. FAST will come to be beyond value, and
FIR2/LIT2/CUR2 will push you through the game to the bitter end. The only
disadvantage is money. You will always find yourself in a pinch for cash.
However, these guys are so powerful, you can get along just fine with only
second-rate weapons and magic. This is what you want to go for if you want the
perfect balance of fighting, magic, and defense.
Superpower Party: 2 Fighters, Black Belt, Red Mage
This is a variation on my favorite party. These guys have tons of fighting
ability. They make up for their lack of magic with a complete lack of need for
it. These guys are aimed a little more toward economy and fighting and less
toward magic. Some people love Black Belts. While I don't personally like
them, I won't deny their usefulness in this party. Like my personal favorite
party, these guys will last and last through tough caves over and over.
The Defense Party: Fighter, 2 Red Mages, White Mage
This party is good if you are facing a few tough bosses on short trips
where you don't need to worry too much about Magic Points. The firepower of the
Fighter and 2 Red Mages really can knock out a WarMech no problem when combined
with the support of INV2, ARUB, FOG2, FAST, and CUR3 from your Mages. This
party is way too complicated if this is your first time playing, but if you know
how to manipulate these guys, you can really pack a mean punch against any boss
you want. However, these guys will take put a nasty sting on your wallet, so be
careful where your dump all your cash.
The Magician's Party: 2 Red Mages, White Mage, Black Mage -OR- Red Mage, White
Mage, 2 Black Mages
Well, I don't really like this combination very much, but I suppose you
could make use of it if you love magic. These guys will always be weak, and you
weapons and armor WILL suffer throughout the entire game. However, I suppose
they would be useful in annihilating a huge pack of Frost Wolves, but their
magic points would thin out quickly. Also, tell your wallet to prepare to die,
cause you'll be spending tons and tons of cash on magic and expensive yet
ineffective bracelets for your whole party.
The Challenge Party: 4 White Mages
Well, these guys, uh, suck. However, that's the whole idea for the avid
Final Fantasy player. These guys will NEVER have good offense, at least until
you get the Masmune at the end of the game. Your defense will never prosper,
but you will always have plenty of defensive magic, and spells like RUSE will
always keep tough guys missing you. Uh, be prepared for a challenge. There are
detailed walk-throughs for this party, but I'm not going to bother with specific
party walkthroughs.
IV. Walkthrough-This is not complete at this time. Please have patience, as
such a piece of work cannot be done in a day. Thank you.
YAY!! We have our parties, it's time to start!!
[Coneria/Temple of Fiends]
You will start out in the plains, just south of a bunch of towns and a
castle. Immediately head up into one of the towns (they're all the same, it
doesn't matter which). It's time to buy equipment and Magic!
Fighter: Buy Rapier and Chain Armor
Thief: Buy Rapier and Wooden Armor
Black Belt: Buy Wood Chucks and Wooden Armor
Red Mage: Buy Rapier and Chain Armor
White Mage: Buy Iron Hammer and Cloth
Black Mage: Buy Small Knife and Cloth
Now that you have weapons and armor, it's time to fight and earn money.
Go out of the town. You can go to the castle and talk to everyone to learn some
stuff, but there's nothing really to do here. Walk around and fight guys for a
while, at least until Level 2. Now, you should have some extra cash. Stay at
the Inn, and then buy some magic:
Red Mage: CURE FOG FIRE or SLEP or LOCK
White Mage: CURE HARM RUSE or FOG
Black Mage: FIRE LIT SLEP or LOCK
[NOTE] CURE will always be useful, even later in the game. For now, it works
just like a HEAL potion, but you don't have to spend money to use it. Later in
the game, you will notice that even 99 HEAL potions will quickly wear thin, so
CURE will be a good supplement to potions. For the White Mage, you should have
HARM, which will ALWAYS be useful for pesky undead monsters, plus this gives the
White Mage a gateway to actually mount a good offense sometimes. I suggest
getting FOG instead of RUSE, as most of the time, enemies will hit you no matter
what, and you will need defense rather than evade. Plus, RUSE only works on the
caster, and a more useful spell, INVS, will appear in Level 2, which will have
the same effect, but on any character. On the other hand, a spell like FOG will
not appear until L7 Magic (FOG2), and that will not be for a long time.
However, if you combine RUSE and INVS against a Giant from Power Peninsula, with
about 8-10 layers of RUSE/INVS, you will be almost impossible to hit. It's a
tough decision, but it's your choice. For the Red Mage, CURE will be a definite
choice without second thought. I suggest FOG, as the Red Mage cannot learn RUSE
until the class change, when it will be obsolete anyway. Unlike the Black Mage,
FIRE and LIT will be bad choices because they only work on one guy, and for over
99% of battles, a Red Mage's regular attack will be far more powerful than a
casting of FIRE or LIT. However, there is ONE MONSTER in the ENTIRE game, that
you MIGHT want FIRE for. Muck will take one damage from an attack (except
critical hit), but will be knocked out by FIRE. However, I don't feel buying
FIRE is worth it for the one place this monster pops up. SLEP or LOCK would be
better choices than FIRE. The Black Mage has very low fighting damage, so FIRE
and LIT will be very useful for the beginning of the game, and even toward the
middle of the game when you don't want to waste a L3 Magic Point on just one
guy. SLEP or LOCK are both OK choices, but neither are really that great
anyway.
Now that you have some good Magic and higher Levels, buy a tent, and go
northwest to the Temple of Fiends. Save before entering. Now, go to the left
and into the treasure room for find a cap. Equip it on one of your characters,
whoever is getting beat up the worst. Then, go up to the other treasure chests
and pick up a CABIN and a HEAL potion. Now, exit the Temple and just fight
around it for a while. When you're feeling bold, go ahead and fight inside the
Temple. When you're ready, go back to the Inn in Coneria and buy whatever magic
you didn't have before. Then go back to the temple. Go straight up and talk to
the man there, who will be...
BOSS FIGHT-Garland
HP: 80-100 or something like that
This guy shouldn't be too hard. He can to some heavy damage to some of your
ill-equipped mages, but you can just cast RUSE, FOG, and CURE to help that.
Just keep pounding him and he should pass away with little difficulty.
Now that you beat Garland, fight some guys around the Temple until your HP and
Magic start to get really low. When they do, talk to the girl and...
Free trip back to Coneria Castle!! Go up and talk to the King and then his
daughter. YAY! Part one complete!
[Arrrr Matey!]
Ok, go to the Inn to rest up and buy a tent at the Item shop. Go across
the bridge north of Coneria. Watch the little "movie scene" (not quite like
those in FF8). Then go North to Matoya's Cave. A broom there will say HSUP B
TCELES. Read it backward to see the message "Push B Select" Do this in the
outer world to see a world map. Walk over the Skulls and pick up 2 Heals and a
Pure Potion. Then, go south to just north of the bridge, and fight for a little
while. When your HP get low, go back to Coneria's Inn one more time. Then,
it's time to go to Provoka. Go northeast then east, then finally southeast and
south. Use the tent on the way if you need to get 30 HP and a save. Go in the
town and walk straight up to the Inn and stay there. Then, go to the left and
talk to the pirate there...
BOSS FIGHT-Pirate x9
HP: 6
Any one of these guys is easy, but together, they can reek havoc on a wimpy
little mage. Before you come in, buy SLOW if you have a Red or Black Mage. One
shot of SLOW will send every pirate into vast stupidity, and you will notice
that most of them either miss or do only one damage. Still hurting you? Use it
again! After the Pirates are crippled, have a White Mage and a Black Mage team
up on one guy, and have a Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, or Red Mage each attack a
different guy. If your Black Mage can't seem to attack for crap, just use LIT
or FIRE to put one guy away quickly. Use defensive magic as needed and they
will all soon be dead.
With the Pirates dead, and some extra gold and experience, you are ready for
some shopping. First, talk to the pirate to get his ship. I do not recommend
buying any weapons or armor here, other than a Cap for everyone except the
Fighter. Instead, buy the INVS spell here, you won't need anything else for
now.
Here is what your magic screen should eventually look like:
Red Mage: INVS, SLOW, ALIT or MUTE or TMPR
White Mage: INVS, ALIT, MUTE
Black Mage: SLOW, TMPR, ICE
[NOTE] You only really need one party member to have ALIT. So, if you have 2
Red Mages and a White Mage, for example, neither Red Mage would need ALIT, so
you should give them MUTE or TMPR.
[SPECIAL TRICK-Power Peninsula] Hop on the ship and head southwest to Elfland.
Buy FIR2 for all your Red and Black Mages. You should also buy some Iron Armor,
a shield, and a helmet for your Fighter(s), and Caps for everyone else. If you
have the cash, you might want to buy Copper Bracelets for any White or Black
Mages you have. Don't worry about anything else for now. Head back to Provoka
and stay at the Inn. Buy at least 2 Tents, and some gloves for everyone. Now,
go southeast a little bit from Provoka, until your see a port to the North.
Make your way Northeast until you come to a Peninsula. The top 2x2 squares
contain REALLY powerful enemies, and they will probably knock you out for your
first couple tries. So, use a TENT before you fight. You will need really good
tactics or really high levels if you want to win. Here are some tactics I use
when fighting these guys: Have a White Mage constantly cast RUSE on himself.
When those spells are exhausted, use INVS on him. One time I had about 12
castings of RUSE/INVS on my White Mage. All other guys were dead against 4
Giants. I put a chair leg on the A button, and let it there for half an hour.
The White Mage killed all 4 Giants without losing a single Hit Point. Wow!
Also, have any fighting characters attack, as they can do little else. Now,
from here on out, the most important thing is what you're up against. If you
encounter Giants, which is likely, you're probably out of luck. You can reset
the game or choose to fight. If you want to fight: Try casting SLOW a lot to
reduce their power. Try to concentrate on the Giants who have not "Lost
Intelligence". Cast FIR2 as much as you can and protect your weaker characters.
This one is really tough. You can also encounter ZomBULLs and TROLLS. These
guys are tough, but they're weak against fire, so protect your weak characters,
have your fighters fight, and cast FIR2 to the bitter end. They should go down
fairly easily. Another possibility is a pack of Frost Wolves (varying numbers).
They have very little attack damage (relatively speaking). They will use FROST
on you, which will cause a lot of damage to everyone. If this kills you, reset.
Otherwise, just 1-2 FIR2 spells will knock them all out, regardless of their
numbers. You can also encounter a Tyro. Beware, he can easily do 90-100 damage
points even to a fully armored fighter. Use defensive tactics on him, as FIR2
won't be much help. Use TMPR, RUSE, INVS, and FOG for support. I'm not sure if
SLOW works, but it will make the battle a joke if you can get it to work on him.
One time, I also encountered 3 Wyverns, but these are very rare. They can be
tough, but I did kill all of them in one try with a L10 Red Mage, with all other
characters already dead. Well, they can poison you with their attack, and the
attack alone is fierce. To fight them, start off with SLEP. Then, use SLOW and
keep casting INVS, RUSE, and FOG. With any luck, they will die. When you win
your first battle (my first one took me 4 tries), save with a TENT and head back
to Provoka. If you can't win at first, keep trying, don't get discouraged. If
you simply just can't win at all, no matter what you do, get some more spells
and equipment from Elfland or just charge up around Provoka for a while.
Anyway, beef up here for a while.
[Time for a Nap!]
The plot thickens. At this point, I think your adventure really starts,
rather than just wondering aimlessly from town to town. Soon, you will actually
see a story develop, and the game gets much more interesting. Now that you're
all beefed up from fighting the extra powerful enemies, you should have some
extra cash. Believe me, you will need it all! Head to Elfland again. You can
talk to the people in the castle to learn that the Prince is sleeping and he
needs HERB to wake him up. However, you don't need anything in the castle for
now. Now onto the town. This will open up a huge new world of weapons, armor,
and magic. However, none of these are free. Here is a cost per character of
supplies you will eventually need:
Fighter: 4000(silver sword)+800(iron armor)+100(iron shield)+100(wood
helm)+60(gloves)= 5060 GP
Black Belt: By now, he should not even need a weapon -5(sell Wood
Chucks)+60(gloves)=60 GP
Thief: 450(rapier)+60(gloves)=510GP
Red Mage: 4000(silver sword)+60(gloves)+4500(L3 magic [1500/spellx3
spells])+12000(L4 Magic)=20,560 GP
White Mage: 1000(copper bracelet)+60(gloves)+4500(L3 Magic)+12000(L4M)=17,560 GP
Black Mage: 1000(copper bracelet)+60(gloves)+4500(L3 Magic)+12000(L4
Magic)+275(Large Knife)=17,560 GP
WOW! That's a lot of money! Although it's not much, you should sell all your
old equipment to get a small amount of cash back. Either way, you'll be really
poor for a really long time. However, some things are not essential, especially
not right up front. Well, your Mages probably don't have L4 Magic points yet,
so you can hold that off for a while. Also, L4 White Magic REALLY stinks, so
you won't need to bother with that until you have more than enough cash to go
around. Well, FIR2, LIT2 and CUR2 are really good choices to start off with,
and FAST is also a great choice after you have enough cash for a Silver Sword
for your Fighter(s). Nevertheless, you will eventually get a full set of Magic
for both Levels 3 and 4. Your Magic menu should look something like this:
L3: These are some of the most useful spells for a long time, and even toward
the end of the game, you will still find yourself using most of these. Choose
carefully.
Red Mage: CUR2 FIR2 LIT2 or AFIR
White Mage: CUR2 HRM2 AFIR or HEAL
Black Mage: FIR2 LIT2 LOK2
[NOTE] Well, as with ALIT, only one member of your party really needs this, so
only give this to one character, preferably the White Mage, as HEAL is not
really a very good spell. By this time, the healing power of CURE is not enough
to really help your characters, even if it does work on all allies. The Red
Mage will have a VERY tough time deciding on Magic for L3, especially if you
don't have a White Mage. CUR2 is ABSOLUTELY essential, as later in the game,
you will notice your HEAL potions will quickly start to wear thin. Also, at
this point, you will need a more potent form of healing than CURE or a HEAL
potion. There are many enemies weak against FIRE in this game, including the
undead, which usually attack in groups and often inflict paralysis on you. FIR2
will be desperately needed to quickly take out huge packs of these pests. Also,
FIR2 will become beyond value in the Ice Cave, probably the toughest endeavor of
the game. I suggest displacing LIT2, as it is much less useful than FIR2, and
AFIR is essential to have at least one of. The sea monsters are easy enough
without LIT2, and by the time you get to tougher monsters in the Submarine way
later in the game, casting LIT2 will be obsolete with the Zeus Gauntlet (casts
LIT2 when USED in battle), and by this time, you will also have LIT3. I suppose
if you had a Black Mage, you could choose HOLD instead of LOK2, but HOLD only
works on one guy unlike SLEP, and they are often quickly freed. On top of that,
it often only works on the wimpy enemies that you don't even need it for.
However, LOK2 will increase hits on any enemy, and magnify the effects of FAST,
TMPR, and SABR. Nonetheless, neither of these will be as useful as FIR2 or
LIT2.
L4: If you want to know the truth, most of these spells are much worse than L3
Magic, and you might want to hold off buying these until you have tons of cash
to throw away.
Red Mage: FAST ICE2 AICE or AMUT or CONF or SLP2
White Mage: AICE AMUT PURE or FEAR
Black Mage: FAST ICE2 CONF or SLP2
[NOTE] The White Mage has very little useful Magic in L4, but AICE will be
essential for at least one character. AMUT would me much more useful than it is
if there were more than 2 or 3 guys in the whole game that actually use MUTE,
but you might want it anyway. PURE is no better than a PURE potion, so that's
quite a waste. FEAR will make annoying wolves scatter, but will never actually
be useful. Choose what you want here, but none of these will be important at
all except AICE. As for the Black Mage, L4 Magic is okay, but nothing to get
exited about. FAST will give a fighting character an incredible boost in attack
power, and ICE2 will always come in handy, especially in the Gurgu Volcano.
Neither CONF nor SLP2 will ever work against tough enemies (the only time you
actually need them to), so they will never be important. Choose whichever is
more appealing to your style. For once, not even the Red Mage will have a tough
time choosing Magic. FAST and ICE2 are definites, and you will need AICE unless
someone else has it. Otherwise, CONF, SLP2, and AMUT are up for grabs, but I
never use any of them anyway.
[King of the "Marshians"]
The time has come. This will be your first big endeavor in this game.
When you think you have enough equipment and magic (definitely 1-2 Silver Swords
and 3 Magic Points for LIT2), buy some items. At the very LEAST, you will need
50 HEAL potions [3000 GP], 20 PURE potions [1500], a CABIN [250], and a TENT
[75] = 4825 GP. Stay at the Inn. Now, head to the Marsh Cave (south, west,
north, west, south, east) without using any Magic. Save with either the CABIN
or TENT, whichever will give you full HP. Now, head into the Marsh Cave. Try
to run away from all monsters you meet, as most of them will cause extensive
damage and poison, without giving you much EXP or GP If you encounter a Muck
and can't run, use FIRE or FIR2 on them, as any regular attack will only do 1
damage. You will also find some Shadows. Run if you would like, but otherwise,
just one or two HARM spells will knock them out, and they'll be easy EXP and
GP.
On the first floor, you will have several choices to make as to which way
to go. You can do up, but it's just a dead-end with a little cash and some
second-rate treasure. Instead, go down until you find a room. Go in and go
down the ladder. There is no treasure on this floor, although there are many
rooms and treasure chests. Go down as far as you can, then make your way to the
right. You will be in a somewhat large room with two doors. Exit through the
other door and go downstairs. This floor is like a grid of rooms. There are 4
columns and 4 rows. The 2 columns on the right have no good treasure, so don't
bother exploring them. Most of the other rooms have some good treasure. Get it
or don't, but your real destination is the 3rd row down, and the 2nd column from
the left. Here, there will be some odd structure that looks like a throne, with
a treasure chest in the middle. But when you step up to the treasure chest...
[semi] BOSS FIGHT-WIZARDS
Well, these guys aren't exactly bosses, but they'll give you as much hassle
as one. They come in packs of 2-5. They don't have many HP, but their attacks
are VERY powerful. A lightly armored White or Black Mage can take as much as
120 damage from one Wizard. Although they usually don't do that much, even a
Fighter can easily take as much as 50 damage. If you spend too much time
healing and protecting your weak ones, they'll quickly eat you alive. Use RUSE,
FOG, or INVS on weak members, then have your fighting characters attack. Have
Black and Red Mages use LIT2. About 2 shots of LIT2 will be enough to take out
all the Wizards.
[NOTE]- This square with Wizards on it is what I call a "spiked square." Every
time you step on a spiked square, you will encounter the same group of enemies.
There can be several different types of enemies here, and their numbers vary.
Nonetheless, every time you step here, you will get an encounter of generally
the same battle.
[Extra]- I used to use this trick more than I do when I play now, but it's still
worth mentioning. Sometimes when I have some extra HEAL potions, LIT2's, and
HP, I like to walk back and forth to the Wizards' square by the throne. Each
Wizard gives you 400 GP and a considerable amount of EXP, so just 3-4 battles
will be enough to buy a Silver Sword or a L4 Magic spell. So, if your party is
more geared toward fighting, try fighting these guys for a while if you didn't
get all the cash you wanted from the Power Peninsula by Provoka. Fight some
more Wizards (or don't), retrieve the CROWN from the treasure chest, and exit
the cave.
[Northwest Castle/Crystal Clear Vision]
If you came here before, the King here told you that Astos stole the CROWN,
and he told you to get it for him. Well, now that you have the CROWN, the King
tells you to give it to him (he'll also note that he has Matoya's CRYSTAL), but
this "king" turns out to be...
[BOSS FIGHT]-ASTOS- HP-168
Astos is tough. He is by far the most difficult boss you have fought so
far. He has very high defense, and you'll find any Black Belts rather useless
unless they have some Iron chucks. He also seems to have a pretty good
resistance to just about every spell you have, so your fighting characters will
be useful here. For starters, try using FAST and TMPR on your fighting
characters, then use INVS, FOG, and RUSE to protect against some of his rather
fierce attacks. Astos has several spells that can really hurt. First, he will
probably start off with RUB, which, if it works (very likely), will knock out
one of your guys, probably the one on top. Your level does have something to do
with the success rate of RUB and other auto-kill attacks, so if you can't stand
to have someone die, go charge up some levels if it keeps working. Next, he
will probably use SLO2. If this happens, just use FAST and TMPR to regain some
power, and cast LOCK to increase the number of hits you. This is really a
problem, because your 2 best attackers are always at the top. One will be dead,
the other too stupid to do more than 10 damage. On top of that, I have seen him
use FIR2 and LIT2, so AFIR and ALIT will help immensely. Also, he might use
FAST on himself, and if he does, be really careful. Any characters but Fighters
will be in significant danger here. Use lots of defensive spells and watch your
HP. He doesn't have too high HP, so if some of your fighting characters are
still in working condition, keep your HP up, but concentrate on offense rather
than defense to take him out before he can cause much more trouble.
Astos might take you a couple of tries to kill, especially if your levels
are low. Anyway, after you kill him, he'll cough up the CRYSTAL (it's in your
inventory). You will also have retained the CROWN, which you will need later in
the Castle of Ordeal
[Crystal Clear vision/Wake up and Smell the Herbal Tea!]
Take the CRYSTAL back to Matoya's Cave. She'll say that see again and give
you the HERB. If you talk to her again, she'll tell you to get out (don't be
too appreciative that you got your vision back and all). Head back to Elfland
Castle and talk to the Prince's Servant, who will administer the HERB to the
prince. Talk to the prince and he will give you the MYSTIC KEY.
[Cleaning Up]
Finally, you got the Mystic Key. You've been waiting for this for so long!
Now, you can get all the treasure chests you wanted to badly before. Head back
to the Northwest segment of Castle Coneria, and you will be able to get the TNT
from the left treasure room. Also there is a Silver Hammer which will power-up
you White Mage.
[NOTE] From here on out, there will be a rather long and tedious quest to hunt
for the treasure that you missed before. Everything here is nonessential for the
game, so if you don't really need weapons, armor, or money, you can skip this
part. Here is a list of some locations and semi-complete lists of the treasure
there.
Temple of Fiends: There are 2 treasure rooms on the right that contain the
Were Sword and the Rune Sword among other things. These are the best weapons
for the Thief up to this point. If you don't have a Thief, these sell for about
3000 a piece if you need some cash. There is a spiked square in the upper right
with varying numbers of Gargoyles (no problem).
Northwest Castle:
Marsh Cave: This is a long journey for some mediocre treasure. You can go to
the top floor and get some treasure if you didn't bother the first time; the
doors aren't locked here. Now, head to the bottom floor. On the three rooms on
the bottom, there are locked doors. There is a Silver Bracelet here that a
Thief, Black Belt, White Mage, or Black Mage could make good use of. I think
there is also a Silver Knife. Among the treasure chests are a few GPs and a few
spiked squares.
[Kaboom!]
Now that you have the TNT, hop on your ship and make your way to the
westernmost part of the Aldi Sea. Follow the coast to the North until you come
upon a port. Land there and make your way Southwest to the Dwarf Cave. Talk to
the locals, and they'll tell you some rather useless information, but there are
treasure chests with a small amount of GP in the unlocked rooms. Talk to the
Blacksmith, who will ask for ADAMANT. You do not have this right now, nor will
you for a very long time. Head down and left to a thin hallway with a treasure
room on the left. It is locked, but you have the MYSTIC KEY now. Go in to find
a Dragon Sword. I forget if the Thief can equip this or not, but if it is, it's
the best weapon for him so far, and will be until he becomes a Ninja. There
will also be some Silver Armor which will be great for a Red Mage. Silver Armor
has a lower evade decrease than Iron Armor, but it also has a lower Absorb, so
the Fighter should stick with Iron. There will also be some different Silver
armors (gauntlets, helmets, etc). Once you have all the treasure, go down to
the dwarf who will ask for the TNT. He will blast a straight that will lead to
the outer world.
[A Side Trip to Crescent Lake]
Well, the game takes another big step here. The battles will become
harder, and you will soon face the FIEND of Earth, a boss far more powerful than
anyone you have encountered so far. Now that the rest of the sea is opened up,
your options of what to do take a huge jump. Now, the next place to go
according to the plot would be Melmond, which is just Northeast of the outlet to
the ocean. Instead, we're going to head south a little bit then far to the
west. Hit B and Select at the same time to see the world map. All the way at
the bottom of the map on the right side, you will see a desert. A bit above the
desert, you will see a town, you destination. To get there, follow these
directions: From the outlet to the ocean, go west about 4 squares or so. Go
south until you hit land, then west until you hit land again. Follow the
coastline to the south until it ends. Then, go west for a while. You will
eventually find yourself slightly above a port. Hook around and land there.
You will have quite a hike to Crescent Lake from here. Make sure you save your
game here. Just head southwest; it's pretty linear. You will find some tough
battles here, much like those on Power Peninsula. You will also find some
others. Cobras can do a lot of damage in quantity to someone will low defense
and HP, but just use ICE2 once or twice and they shouldn't bother you. One more
thing, use ICE2 sparingly, you will find that you will need it a lot, and your
L4 Magic Points will quickly wear thin. You will find some ZomBulls, Trolls,
and Giants here as well, but you should be able to knock them out pretty easily.
Also here are Pedes, who will most likely cause some trouble. They are pretty
tough, much like Giants, only with slightly higher attack power. They also have
poison mixed into their attack, so you will find yourself struggling with that.
What's worse, they tend to attack in packs of 4, which does not help at all.
However, you can beat them if you're strong enough. Have all your fighting
characters pummel one of them, and Red and Black Mages use ICE2 or FIR2. White
Mages and Thieves should use Pure potions to keep your HP from decreasing, and
White Mages should keep your HP up. Use INVS and RUSE for support. Finally,
you will encounter some scorpions along the way. These guys also attack in
packs, and can also poison you when they hit you. They're more of a nuisance
than anything, they always poison at least one guy somehow, and they don't give
you much Exp or GP either. If you want to fight them, ICE2 works well, but it's
best to run.
Ok, you'll get to Crescent eventually. When you do, save immediately at
the inn. Now, it's time to buy Magic and Equipment. Red Mages will not be able
to learn any L6 Magic Until the class change. White Mages should buy FOG2 and
INV2, and save one slot for EXIT, which can only be learned after the class
change. My manual and magic/monster/weapon/armor lists have long since
disappeared and I'm not sure what spells the Black Mage can learn at this time.
However, I'm pretty sure he can learn LIT3, but all the other spells are just a
waste of money, and you won't ever use any of them anyway, so don't bother
buying them now, as you will be very pressed for money right now. Note that you
may have some of the items here, especially if you completed the [cleaning up]
section of the walkthrough. Here is what your budget will look like for each of
your characters:
Fighter: 2500GP(Silver Shield) + 2500GP(Silver Helmet)+ 2500GP(Silver Tie)
(Come on, like that actually looks like a Gauntlet)=7500GP
Thief: 2500(Buckler)
Black Belt: YAY!! No charge for this guy!
Red Mage: 7500(Silver Armor) + 2500(Buckler)=10,000 GP
White Mage: 2500(Silver Hammer) + 40,000 (INV2 and FOG2)=42,500GP
Black Mage: 2500(Silver Knife) + 20,000 (LIT3)=22,500GP
L6 Magic: L6 Magic is very powerful. It is perhaps not quite as useful as L5
with LIFE, FIR3, and HRM3, but it has one of the most arguably best spells in
the game, EXIT, which is the only way to get out of some dungeons. Although
your list of L6 Magic will be very incomplete at this time, here is what it
should look like after the class change:
Red Wizard: INV2 EXIT FOG2 or LIT3
White Wizard: INV2 FOG2 EXIT
Black Wizard: LIT3 RUB QAKE
L6 Magic will help you tremendously in the battles soon to come if you have
a White Mage. INV2 will be invaluable to protect you against attacks from
fierce monsters and bosses, like Kraken, who can get 8 hits at a time. INV2
will either make the bad guys miss, or at least decrease their number or hits on
you. Not only is INV2 stronger than its predecessor, it also works on all
allies. However, there are some enemies that will hit you no matter how much
invisibility you have. So, you can use FOG2 to help increase your armor rating
for tough fighters like Earth. I'm not sure if you can get ARUB as a White Mage
before the class change (god I need my Nintendo Power Strategy Guide), but if he
can, you might want this for fighting Mages and Eye in the Ice Cave to protect
against RUB. However, when you use ARUB, it says "Defend Magic". If this is
true, it might actually reduce the amount of damage you take from magical
attacks instead of immunity to RUB. I'll have to check up on that. Either way,
it would only be useful in the Ice Cave, because once you get the FLOATER, you
will be able to buy Prorings, which have the same protection against RUB and
related attacks. As for EXIT, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A SLOT OPEN FOR EXIT. This
will be the most important magic in the game, because it is the only way to get
out of the upper floors of the last dungeon. WARP could also do this, but on
the upper floors, your magic will have been worn down, and you will need to cast
WARP up to 5 times to get out, which may not be feasible. I think it would be
beneficial to give more than one person EXIT if you can. One time, I was
playing with the White Wizard as the only character with EXIT. He died, and my
Red Wizard's L5 Magic was exhausted, and I could not revive anyone, or get out
of the last dungeon. Ouch. As for Black Magic, L6 is probably the most
horrible, relatively speaking for how good the magic is compared to the level.
LIT3 would be beneficial to the Black Mage because it lets him mount an offense
against Kraken, the Water Fiend, and gives him more power for other water
enemies, even though they are not very common. As for the Red Wizard, LIT3 is
not very useful. What few water enemies there are in the game are really not
ideal for using LIT3 against. Big powerful monsters, such as SeaTrolls and
Kraken, do not attack in quantity, and attacking would be just as effective.
However, the water enemies that attack in swarms do not require the use of LIT3.
Usually, it would just be an overkill. It would be more beneficial to use the
Zeus Gauntlet or just cast LIT2. FOG2 would be a better choice. As for the
other spells for the Black Mage, it doesn't really matter what you pick. I
don't like HOLD because it never works on the tough enemies you actually need it
to. Also, its effect seems to be on the same lines as the L1 spell, SLEP. The
only 2 leftovers are QAKE and RUB. QAKE usually doesn't work on the guys you
need it to either, but at least it kills them, rather than disables them for
about 2 rounds. RUB is like QAKE, but only works on one guy. It does work more
often, but still isn't worth 20,000 GP. The Strategy Guide says it's worth the
money, but I never actually use it. As always, it's your choice, but choose
wisely!
[The First Orb]
Alright, you had your fun at Crescent Lake, but it's time to get back on
track of the plot. Now, it's time to head to Melmond. From the outlet to the
ocean, there will be a long, thin island that stretches to the Northwest.
Follow this island until you find a port to land on, with Melmond not far away.
There will not be quite as much to do in Melmond as in Crescent Lake, but there
are some things that you need. Melmond is especially annoying because of its
lack of an Item shop. So, you will have to travel all the way to Elfland to get
your HEAL potions. You will need to buy a Silver Bracelet for each of your
Black Belts, Thieves, White Mages, and Black Mages. If you would like, you may
buy Steel Armor for your Fighter, but don't bother unless you have incredible
amounts of money to blow away. Here is what your budget will look like:
Fighter: 45,000(Steel Armor)
Thief: 4000(Silver Bracelet)
Black Belt: 4000(Silver Bracelet)
Red Mage: 8000 or 16000 depending on what Magic Spells you will buy now.
White Mage: 4000(Silver Bracelet) + 24,000 (L5 Magic x 3 Spells) = 28,000 GP
Black Mage: 4000(Silver Bracelet) + 16,000 (L5 Magic x 2 Spells) = 20,000 GP
I suppose I have to make you a Magic guide also.
L5 Magic: Level 5 is some of the best magic in the game, and, without surprise,
will be the toughest to choose from by far.
Red Mage: CUR3 LIFE WARP or FIR3
White Mage: CUR3 LIFE HRM3 or HEL2
Black Mage: FIR3 WARP BANE or SLO2
Wow, tough decision. Whatever you decide, if you want WARP, you will have to
wait for the class change, but it's well worth it. WARP takes your party back
to the starting point of the floor they were just on. Fortunately, it doesn't
just keep alternating between 2 floors, either. So, technically, in any
dungeon, you could keep casting WARP until your party makes it out safely.
However, this technique assumes that you have enough Magic Points, which, in
many cases, is not likely. Either way, this spell is very useful. LIFE is also
a vital spell for any party, especially if you have a lot of magic users, whose
days are always numbered. LIFE revives a dead party member (duh!). However,
this party member will only have one HP left when they get revived, so be
careful, or you'll find yourself soon casting it again. Also, this does not
work in battle. There are only 3 ways to revive someone in this game: Go to a
clinic (located in every town), cast LIFE, or cast LIF2. Going to the clinic is
expensive and very inconvenient, especially one room away from the end of a
really long cave. Sorry Red Mages, but you'll have to wait until the class
change to get LIFE. However, since a Red Mage or Wizard can never learn LIF2,
LIFE will always be beyond value. [EXTRA]: Try to get 2 people to learn LIFE.
That way, if one dies, the other can revive him, and vice-versa. If only one
person has LIFE, and he gets knocked out, he stays out, and so does anyone else
who dies. As for CUR3, with all CURE spells, you will need this, no questions
asked. None. Sorry. As a White Mage, you might find yourself wondering
whether to get HRM3 or HEL2. It's a tough decision. I really don't think
there's that much power difference between HRM2 and 3. Furthermore, I never
really saw any monster(s) that you needed to cast HRM3 on when HRM2 just would
not do. Also, I have heard that there is a bug in HEL2 that causes the same
effect as HEL3. However, it just does not seem to work as well, but HEL2 does
seem a little too powerful considering that it works on everyone. Even still, I
would rather save my super valuable L5 Magic for LIFE or CUR3. As for HEL2, it
has a lot in common with its predecessor. It basically casts CUR2 on your whole
party. However, as with its subordinate, CUR2 is somewhat obsolete when you're
really in a pinch at this time. Chances are, if you're in danger of dying, and
you cast HEL2, you'll probably still be in danger. As with HRM3, I usually do
not cast any of these because I would rather save my L5 Magic for something more
important. As usual, the Red Mage will have one hell of a time deciding what
Magic to buy. And as usual, CUR3 is beyond question. There will never be a
substitute for LIFE, as the Red Mage cannot learn LIF2, and you always need to
revive people, particularly later in the game. As for FIR3 vs. WARP, this will
be really tough. I suppose it really depends who you have in your party. If
your party lacks powerful black magic, FIR3 would be a good choice. But if you
have a White Mage with HRM3, you will find little use for FIR3 as a good-
attacking Red Mage. I would say there are few enemies weak against FIRE, but
the undead make up a very large percentage of the enemies you encounter. Even
in the Ice Cave, you will find pretty few non-undead enemies weak against FIRE.
Still, FIR3 is very powerful, and believe me, if you don't get it, you will miss
it. On the other hand, WARP is not to be disregarded. It can be really good in
a pinch when you need to get out of a cave and you don't have an extra L6 Magic
Point for EXIT. Better yet, if you have 2 Red Mages, your best choice will be
to give one WARP and one FIR3. Finally, the Black Mage. He will certainly be
the easiest, thankfully. Your Black Mage will need FIR3 to keep his offense
sharp, and definitely save room for WARP after the class change. As for the
other spell, neither is too important. BANE is good at knocking off pesky
enemies like Scorpions and Grey Wolves, but it will rarely serve you well in a
pinch. As usual, all the enemies that you desperately need it to work on will
most likely be immuned to BANE. SLO2, on the other hand, works against almost
any non-undead monster in the game, including some bosses. I once got it to
work on LICH and KARY, to fiends that get really wasted when they can't attack.
SLO2 only works on one enemy, but if it works, this guy will be VERY
incapacitated. YAY!! We're done!! No more choosing magic for a LONG time!!!
[The Titan and the RUBY]
If you talk to some of the locals in Melmond, they will tell you some vital
information. First, make sure you remember where Dr. Unne is; he will be very
important to remember later in the game. I forget if they actually tell you or
not, but you will need to know that you must see Sarda the Sage to get the
STAFF, which will smash open the stone plate in the Earth Cave. So, the plot
directs you to Titan's Tunnel, but I'll save you the trouble of going there just
to find out that the Titan won't let you pass unless you give him a RUBY. So,
you need a RUBY. Where do you get one? The Earth Cave of course! (God knows
why it would be there, of all places, and of all the women in Melmond, not one
single one has a RUBY). Anyway, make your way to the Earth Cave. Make sure you
have 99 HEAL potions and at least 40 PURE potions before you enter. There will
be an enemy that can turn you to stone, so pick up about 5 Softs. You will find
that both tend to run out very quickly. If you go to your left, you will find
the HALL OF GIANTS. Every square here is spiked with a varying number of Giants
and Iguanas. This is a great place to charge up if you have a strong fighting
team. If you go up from the entrance, you will find a treasure room with some
GP in a chest. Watch out, one of the squares is spiked with an Earth, a
powerful enemy. He can only attack, but he's mighty good at it. He can easily
do 90 damage to a Fighter fully loaded with Steel Armor and all the goodies you
can think of. He can also knock out a White or Black Mage in one hit,
regardless of what they're equipped with. He gives some good Experience, but
it's not worth it. Anyway, go right from the entrance, and you'll find yourself
on the way down. Along the way down, watch for Cockatrice. They can use
squint, which will cause Stone status. This is a fatal attack, so if everyone
is stoned (haha, the Light Warriors all stoned) or dead, the game is over. If
you encounter a Cockatrice (the usually come in packs of at least 4), use ICE2,
and they should all die quickly. If you don't think you can kill them before
they SQUINT you too many times, just run. There's no real valuable treasure
along the way, except a Coral Sword. I think this might be the best weapon for
your Thief until the class change. Otherwise, it's worth quite a bundle if
you're short on cash. Once you get to the bottom floor, you will see a long,
narrow hallway stretching to the right. One time a bat got stuck there, and he
wouldn't come out for half and hour. Dumb pieces of $%&*, you should be able to
kill those stupid things anyway. Anyway, at the end of the hallway, there is a
room. Inside is...
[semi]BOSS FIGHT- Vampire
HP-About 150
He's kind of a boss. Now anyway. Later, you will find large groups of these
guys in random battles. But for now, you gotta put this guy away quickly. He
has a lot of attack power, and can really pound you if you dilly-dally too much.
So, don't bother with any defensive spells, just get him out. Have fighting
characters and Red Mages just attack. White Mages should use HRM2. You could
use HRM3, but that's kind of overkill. He doesn't have that many HP. Have a
Black Mage use FIR2 or 3. You should take him out in one round. If not, don't
worry about your HP, just keep attacking. He'll probably beat you up faster
than you can heal yourself. He shouldn't be too hard.
He should die in 2-3 rounds (so much for that immortal stake-through-the-
heart crap). When he does, take his RUBY from the chest and exit the same way
you came. When you're out, make your way northeast to the Titan's tunnel. In
there you can give the Titan his RUBY (hmph, I wanted to fight him too). There
is a treasure room on the other side. There's nothing real valuable there, but
you can pick up some stuff that'll sell for a small bundle. Make your way out
the other side and to Sarda's Cave. When you get there, you'll notice you're
welcomed, and the Sage gives you the STAFF you need to break the plate in the
Earth Cave. I just want to know why he lives in the middle of nowhere, rather
than in Melmond. Ok, time to go. Head back to Elfland and get 99 HEAL potions
and 50 PURE potions. Head back to Melmond and stay at the Inn.
[The Earth Cave]
Make sure you save before you enter, it's for real this time. Continue
through the cave until you reach the bottom level. I think there are some good
treasures along the way, with some spiked spots. I think one is a Manticore or
something like that. He can use STINGER, which will cause all your party
members to get poisoned. There is also one more spiked square near a treasure
chest. It consists of a Wizard Ogre, and a mix of Hyenas and other Ogres. The
WzOgre can really be a problem. My first time, he killed me in one of the most
agonizingly boring fights of my life. First, he used MUTE and he shut my mages
up. Then, he used SLOW and disabled my fighters. Then, so the mages couldn't
attack him, he kept using RUSE on himself. He slowly killed me after 20 long
minutes. So, to fight him, use MUTE if you have it. If he uses RUSE too much,
use FAST on your fighters or cast LOCK on him. You could also use AMUT to stop
him from being a problem in the first place. Either way, just keep pummeling
him and he should go down without too much trouble. His accomplices will not
cause any problem either. Ok, once you make your way to the bottom, you will
find a mysterious orb in a room that looks different from the rest. Heal your
party to Max HP. Then, Examine the orb closer and...
[BOSS FIGHT]-LICH
HP-400 I think
Ok, this guy is certainly by far the toughest boss you have encountered so far.
LICH is an all around tough little bitch. He (it, whatever) can certainly hit
you many times at once and maybe put a weak Mage out of commission in no time.
Compensate for this with defensive spells such as RUSE, INVS, FOG, FOG2, and
INV2, whatever you have. Also, LICH will use FIR2 and ICE2, so make sure you
use AFIR and AICE to help out a bit. LICH has very high defense, and you will
find out quickly that Thieves, Black Belts without weapons, and White and Black
Mages will have a very tough time making good hits on LICH. Nintendo Power says
that LICH is weak against Fire, but even FIR3 will never do more than 40-50
damage, so don't bother with that. Instead, use FAST and curing or defensive
spells on your party rather than attacking instead of attack if you have a low
Damage rating. One time, I even got SLO2 to work on LICH. Wow, that helped
immensely. Well, other than that, just use normal strategy and caution as you
would against any tough monster, and LICH should expire without too much of a
quarrel.
[A Choice]
YAY!! You defeated the first of the 4 Fiends. Now, step on the alter, and
the power of the first ORB will be revived! Congratulations, one down, 3 to go!
Take another step forward, and you will be warped out of the dungeon. Save when
you exit, and continue your journey back to Melmond. Stay at the Inn and head
back to Crescent Lake. Now it's time to talk go to the Circle of Sages. They
will tell you some semi-important information, but the real thing you're after
is the CANOE. Although it may not seem like it, the game actually makes a big
turning point here. You will quickly notice that pretty much all of your best
weapons and armors will not be sold in stores anymore, and you will have to find
most of them. Also, as you are about to see, from this point on, the game gets
much less linear. Rather, you will have many more options and choices about
what to do next. After you defeat LICH, one of the Sages will congratulate you
and tell you to take you take the CANOE to defeat KARY, the Fire Fiend.
However, there are actually three choices from here:
You can follow the plot, and take the CANOE into the lake itself and find your
way to the Gurgu Volcano. I recommend doing this second, as it is much easier
than the Ice cave. I recommend waiting for the Castle of Ordeal for this,
mainly because it is so long, and you could use the extra equipment and Magic
points that you will get from getting treasure chests and leveling up the Castle
of Ordeal. Although this is easier than the Castle of Ordeal pound for pound,
this is so much longer, and you will find yourself struggling for HEAL potions
and Magic Points. The funny thing about the Gurgu Volcano is that it has
absolutely nothing to do with the plot. So, you can put this off pretty much
until the end of the game, even much later than the class change. The only
thing is, you will need to have the ORB lit in order to finish the game. You
CAN put this off for a long time, but I don't recommend it. It's not THAT hard
that you actually NEED to put it off for so long. In fact, you really should do
this before the Ice Cave, mostly because you will need every piece of equipment
and every level you can get before the Ice Cave. But, hey, it's your decision.
-OR-
The Ice Cave comes in the plot after the Gurgu Volcano. If you want to do the
Ice Cave next, go to [The Ice Cave] section, then [Fly, on your Wings, Like and
Eagle, Flies High as the Sun] section. You can do the Ice cave now if you want
to, but this is the absolute hardest cave in the game, because many of the
enemies use RUB and other related auto-kill attacks and you do not have a
Proring at this time to prevent them. I recommend doing this last. This is a
long hard cave, and you will need all the equipment from the other caves to get
out of this alive.
The Castle of Ordeal is actually last in line of the plot, but I recommend
going here first. If you wish to do this, skip to the [Tale of a Rat] section
The Castle of Ordeal can be VERY tough, as it is quite a maze. Also, you will
find some enemies here that are more powerful than you have seen anywhere except
the Ice Cave. There will be Medusas that travel in packs and can easily turn
your whole party to stone in just a round or two. Sounds REALLY tough, right?
Wrong!! If you learn your way around, it's so short, it's more luck than skill
or power!! That's right, it all depends pretty much on you knowing your way
around, and on chance of whether you encounter Medusas or not, and what they'll
do if you see them. This is the best adventure to do first because it is short,
yet there is tons of treasure here that's better than most anything you will
find anywhere else up to this point. To get here, take your ship to the Elfland
area, and head South. Use your map to hook around the peninsula in your way,
and then when you're in the bay, find the spot where a small river lets out into
the sea. Just take your ship and try to head up to the river. You will see
that the ship stays at the mouth and you are in your CANOE. Head Southwest to
the castle. Save before you enter.
Well, I'm going to walk you through the dungeons in order of the plot. If you
choose to take my advice and skip around, then just go to the section where you
want. Good Luck!!
[The Gurgu Volcano]
This is the second "Theme" dungeon in the game. As you saw with the Earth
Cave, many of the surroundings and enemies were earth based. Here, (almost)
everything is fire-based. Accordingly, magic such as AFIR and ICE2 will become
very useful. If you put this off until the class change, ICE3 will also come in
handy here and there, but for most of the weak enemies in here, it will be quite
an overkill. Anyway, as with other dungeons, there are a bunch of particularly
perilous enemies that you'll have to keep a special eye out for. WzOgres will
be back, but by now, he's just more of a nuisance than a threat. You will find
some Red Gargoyles, these will cause you problems no matter what you do. They
cast FIR2 almost incessantly, and have pretty high attack power too. Just use
AFIR as soon as you encounter them. They have high HP and defense, so you can't
just knock them off right away. What's better? They're not weak against
anything! And, to top it off, they usually travel in packs in 3-6 and usually
get the first attack. FIR2 can do as little as 20 damage, or as much as 40-50.
Multiply that times 4, 5, or 6, and you're hurting. Just run if you see any.
If you have any Mages, have them cast AFIR instead of run in case you can't run
right away. The only good thing about these guys is that you don't encounter
them very frequently and if you do, they're only really on the top levels (you
start up top and work your way down). So, if you get pelted, go out, restore
HP, save, and enter again. I guess you should note Agama also. He can use a
move called HEAT, which is pretty much like FIR2, except it only does about 20-
30 damage to your party. There are a few spiked squares with Agama. I
recommend fighting, because he gives you some good Exp. Plus, he has fairly low
HP and Defense, so with a full-party attack, you should be able to knock him off
in one round. Also, there is a monster called Fire. He looks and acts much
like Earth. He can't do anything but attack, but, like Earth, he does that very
well. Fire can be a threat to your characters if they have low HP and/or
defense. You can't run, so just attack and use ICE2 if you want. Also in the
Gurgu Volcano, you will find Cockatrices, who will use SQUINT on you and turn
you to stone. There will also be Perilisks that hang out with them. These guys
will use something like squint, I forget what it's called, but it will kill you
instantly. Just use a blast of ICE2 and you will find any Cockatrices and
Perilisks paying you big bucks for killing them.
Now that you know who to fight and who not to, it's time to get some
treasure. I'm not going to bother telling you where every single thing is, as
such would be almost impossible without a diagram. However, there are some good
things to find here, as with any dungeon. On the first couple floors, you won't
find much, except maybe a Flame shield (or is that lower?). You will find some
armor that you've seen before and some cash; watch for spiked squares. You will
also find the Giant Sword, which is supposed to give you an edge against Giants,
but most any other sword you have by this time will do much better than the
Giant Sword. As you get lower, you will find a MUCH better weapon, the Ice
Sword. This is a Fighter or Red Mage's pride and joy. This will be the most
powerful weapon for them for a LONG time. It seems to have an extra boost
against fire enemies, but it doesn't seem at all ineffective against Ice enemies
for some reason. You will also find some Flame Equipment which will provide
good defense overall for a Fighter and will protect against Ice attacks. Just
keep exploring everywhere and you'll find some great treasure, which will either
help you a lot, or sell for some cold cash later.
Make your way down to the last level. You will know it when you see it.
You will be surrounded by lava, and you can choose to go in one of 8 directions.
However, most lead to either crappy treasure or dead ends. To start, head west
(left), but only if you dare. You will find yourself in a room with candles
enclosing a treasure chest. Just before you enter this little "cage", you will
find a square spiked with Agama. He shouldn't cause you too much trouble.
Then, right before the treasure chest...
[Semi] BOSS FIGHT- Red Dragon
He's not quite a boss, but sure fights like one. In fact, he's very dangerous.
He can use BLAZE, which is like FIR3. This does about 50-80 damage to every
single member of your party. Use AFIR immediately to reduce this to 20-40
damage per character (still, ouch). His attack isn't quite as dangerous, but
provides no relief. He can do about 30-90 damage, much depending on who he's
attacking. To kill him, make sure you keep your HP up. HEL2 is nice, but it
may not completely counteract a shot of BLAZE. Use defensive spells, but use
FAST and keep attacking to put him away before he really becomes a problem. You
will be well rewarded for your endeavor when he dies, but it's still not worth
it to charge up on, especially considering the danger he poses, and how long it
took you to get here, not to mention how much longer it will take to get back.
So, get your prize, the Flame Armor, and proceed East back to where you started
on this level.
Now, it's time to finish the Volcano. From the center of the room, go
southwest, and you will find a mysterious yet familiar room. Max out your HP,
get ready cause here comes...
BOSS FIGHT- KARY
HP-600?
Much like LICH, Kary is an all around pain in the butt. Kary has no weak
points. The manual says that she's weak against Ice, but it really doesn't work
much better than a Fire spell. Use regular boss tactics. Kary can get lots of
hits on you, sometimes up to 6 or 7, so make sure you use INV2 plenty of times
if you have it, or at least use RUSE or INVS on your weak ones. You will find
that only Fighters and Red Mages with powerful weapons will be able to do even
remote damage to Kary. Black Belts are ok I suppose, but they just don't seem
to have enough firepower. Make sure you use AFIR. Don't forget ALIT, as I've
seen Kary use powerful Lit spells before, I've even seen her use ICE2, so AICE
should be helpful. As always, FAST will be helpful. I was able to get SLO2 to
work on Kary once or twice, so that should help a lot if you can get it to work.
Just keep fighting, she shouldn't be too hard, just watch your HP.
Well, Kary should vanquish sooner or later, and when she does, put the ORB
on the alter and exit through the portal. Save your game and return to Crescent
Lake, cause it's time for your next adventure...
[The Ice Cave]
Alright, get ready, hold your breath, cause this is about the hardest part
of the whole game so far. Go onto your ship and hook around the peninsula and
follow the land to the North until you find a bay with a river. Sail directly
into the river and follow it until you get to the mouth of the Ice Cave. Save
your game and enter. This cave is loaded with treasure. I rushed through this
place, fighting the absolute least number of monsters I could, but I got all the
treasure chests, and I ended up gaining over 50,000 GP here. You will also find
the Flame Sword, which will give you a boost against undead and Ice Monsters.
You will also find a full set of Ice armors, much like the Flame set in the
Gurgu Volcano.
Well, you will get a lot of treasure in this cave, but it is certainly not
free. You will find you will have much trouble defeating the enemies in here.
As usual, here comes the list. There will be tons of undead enemies in here,
but you will find that many of the groups will be more hybrid. You will see
Mummies, Wraiths, Images, Cockatrices, and Perilisks mixed into one gruesome
battle. Mummies can put you to sleep with their attack, which will send you off
to la-la land for a long time, while you keep getting pelted. Perilisks and
Cockatrices will be here too, so you'll find that you may be stoned or dead very
quickly. While neither of these two are undead, you will see them mixed in the
groups, so mix a blast of ICE2 in with your FIR2's and HRM2's. Also in this
little group will be Wraiths and Images, who have a lot of attack power. Other
than that, they are little different from their subordinates, but can still
Paralyze you. Also in the Ice Cave are Sorcerers, who will cause you much pain.
They do little other than attack, and when they do, they only do about 1-2
damage. However, the kicker is that they have RUB in their attack. You could
have 400 hit points and one of them could hit you for 1 damage, and you could be
down for the count. I advise you to run, but I suppose you can't all the time.
To fight these guys, you'll need a lot of luck (not the skill). Well, INV2 and
INVS work wonders if you keep using them, because they can't kill you if they
can't hit you. They don't have very many Hit Points or defense, so if you
attack fiercely, you might be able to put them away before they cause too much
trouble. Now, onto your biggest problem. You might encounter some Mages.
These guys will yield no relief no matter what. You will probably have trouble
running from them, but if you think you can, it's worth a shot. Even though
they are really hard, they will usually come in packs of 4, and could easily
wipe out your entire party in a snap. Their worst attack is RUB, and you can't
do much about that except die. Use ALIT to counter their powerful LIT3 spell.
Even with ALIT, you will still find yourself hurting. Mages have no weaknesses,
but use your most powerful magic and attack with all your might if you can't
run. Their attack is somewhat mild, but it doesn't make them much easier.
Although they're not as perilous as Mages, you will also stumble upon Frost
Wolves. They will usually attack in large packs. Their attack is mild, but
they have a move called FROST, which causes Ice-based damage. It can easily do
up to 60 damage without AICE, and multiplied by 6 Frost wolves WILL cause
problems. One or two shots of FIR2 should knock them out though, but still use
AICE for defense.
Ok, this Cave is pretty confusing. Ok, make your way down to the bottom
floor, it's pretty linear up to this point. At the bottom, you will find
yourself on top of a set of stairs to go up, and you will see another upstairs
close to you, with nowhere else to go. When you go up, you will see yourself
above a room. Go around to the bottom and enter through the door. You will see
3 treasure chests, partially surrounded by a number of holes. Go to the one on
the left, without stepping on any of the holes. You will get a Flame Sword,
which will help you with undead and Ice monsters. Do NOT get the chest on the
right!!! It is guarded by several Mages who will probably wipe you out. The
chest only contains Cloth, such a waste. You can't get the chest in the center
right now, so jump down the hole. You will find yourself in a rather small
room. The spot above the door is spiked with a mix of undead monsters. After
you get out of the room, you can go to the left side and find a room with the
Ice Armor. If you make your way all the way to the bottom left, there will be a
room with 8 treasure chests filled with TONS of GP. There is a spiked square
with Frost Wolves at the end, so watch out. On the right, you will find a way
upstairs. Collect the treasure on the way. Find your way to a tall, narrow
room. Above that is a staircase, but DON'T go there yet. This is the way out.
Instead, go in the room with 3 treasure chests and a hole. Get the treasure
chests, and hop in the hole. I'm sure you can guess where it leads. You will
find yourself in the room with the treasure chest that is surrounded by holes.
This time, you can get the chest in the middle. But before you can get to the
chest...
[semi] BOSS FIGHT- EYE
Eye- HP about 150 or so
Ok, I suppose the Eye isn't really much of a threat to a full party, but he
is devastating to a solo character. He will start off using RUB or similar
spell, which will most likely knock one of your guys out right away. He has a
lot of tricks up his sleeve. He has a very weak attack, so if he does attack,
consider that a relief. He can also use Glance, which will turn you to stone.
He also uses many auto-kill spells like XXXX and Brak. However, he will not use
any spells that will kill your WHOLE party. Not all at once, anyway. What's
the best way to beat him? Kill him before he kills you! Do NOT worry about
your HP, not even a little bit. Do NOT use any defensive spells. I think MUTE
might work on him, but I'm not sure. You might want to use FAST, but don't
dilly-dally. Use your most powerful magic and attacks and put him away quickly.
You should be able to get him in one round, maybe two.
Yay!! You get the FLOATER! Now you get a free ticket out of the Ice Cave!
Right? WRONG! You still have to fight your way out. Jump in a hole and make
your way back up to the tall, narrow room. Above the room is a set of stairs,
the one you weren't supposed to go in before. Go in there now. You will be out
of the deadly Ice Cave. Make your way back to Crescent Lake and save at the
Inn.
[Fly, on your Wings, Like and Eagle, Flies High as the Sun...]
Little Iron Maiden there, Flight of Icarus. Well, you get the picture,
it's time to fly! Hit B Select. All the way on the bottom right corner of the
island, you will see a desert. Take you ship just below there. Dock it at the
mouth of the river, and walk into the desert. Use the FLOATER you got from the
Ice Cave. Watch in awe as the Airship appears before your very eyes! Now, you
can explore the North. You will find a group of islands. Explore them for some
GP. After you pillage them, find the one where Bahamut is. He will tell you to
go to the Castle of Ordeal and get something to prove your courage. Now, it's
time for...
[The Tale of a Rat]
Ok, time to go to the Castle of Ordeal. If you are following the plot, you
will know that Bahamut told you to come here. Or, you might have skipped here
from [A Choice] section. There is a way to get here by Airship, but there's a
much better way. Take your ship to the port to the South of Elfland. Go
straight down until you hit land. This is actually a peninsula. Go to the
right to hook around it. Head into the bay. You will come across a river
junction right below you. Dock your boat there and head southwest to the Castle
of Ordeal. Save before you enter, and make sure you have full HP and MP. As
you enter, you will see a man that tells you that you need a CROWN to take the
courage test (God knows why you COULDN'T have the CROWN at this point in the
game). Make your way to the room on the upper left and jump in the sofa. Here,
you are in a room, and outside you will notice some column-shaped teleporters.
Go out of the room and to the right to the first teleporter. Then, right and up
to the next one. Now, you will have a choice. If you pick the right one,
you'll move on, but if you pick the wrong one, you'll teleport back to somewhere
you were before. Go into the bottom one. Then, hook left and down into the
next teleporter. Next, you will have a choice again. Take the one on the
bottom. Follow the little hallway to the next teleporter and go in. Then, you
will have another choice. Take the one on the bottom right, closest to you.
Here comes the biggest choice of all. You will be at the beginning of 2 large
hallways. Take the one on top. You will come to a room. Enter it. There will
be a treasure chest there. The square next to it is spiked with a Mud Golem.
He can use FAST on himself, and that will make him a very formidable attacker,
but just keep hitting him, and he shouldn't be too much trouble. You will get a
Zeus Gauntlet for winning. This is a great item. No one can equip it yet, but
after the class change, you can give it to a Knight, Red Wizard, or Ninja. The
best thing about this is that you can use it in battle, whether it's equipped or
not. In battle, go to ITEM, and select the Zeus Gauntlet and hit A. It will
cast LIT2 in battle. What's better? It doesn't use up ANY magic points and you
can use it an INFINITE number of times! I usually give this to a weak attacker.
That way, they can at least mount some kind of offense. A White Mage or Thief
are good choices. Ok, make your way out of the room. This can get confusing.
Directly below you is a teleporter, but do NOT take it. Take two steps to the
right, and go down the hallway. There will be a teleporter right below you as
you walk straight down. This is the one you want. You will see the hallway
extend to the left, but that just leads to another teleporter you don't want.
If you're confused, take two steps to the left from right outside the room, and
go straight down. Whew! The big maze done! I'm sure you can find your way to
the stairs, and it gets pretty linear form here. You will find yourself at the
bottom of a long hallway. Make your way up until you find a door to a room. As
soon as you step into the room, there will be a spiked square with Nightmares
(cousins or MadPony). Nightmares are more of a nuisance than a threat, but I
suppose they could cause trouble. They are pretty hard to hit, and they use
SNORTING, which causes Darkness. However, they can't really hit very hard, but
use FAST so you can get some good hits in. If you can't hit them for some
reason, use the Zeus Gauntlet for some extra damage. Kill them, and get the
treasure chests above you. Among other things, you will find a Heal Staff.
Much like the Zeus Gauntlet, you can use the Heal Staff in battle to cast HEAL
and restore some HP to everyone. Head to the left, and you will find and Ice
Sword and a Gold Bracelet. The Ice Sword is the best weapon for your Fighter or
Red Mage at this point, and will be for a while. The Gold Bracelet is the best
Armor most Mages can have with the exception of the Opal Bracelet. Make your
way down to the last set of treasure chests. There is some money, a HOUSE, and
an empty treasure chest. Anyway, go to the right, and you will see a treasure
chest and a sofa. Get the treasure chest from the bottom. It's the TAIL!!!
Head to the sofa. Oh, come on, like you didn't SEE it coming, you KNOW there's
gonna be a spiked square there...
[semi] BOSS FIGHT- Zombie Dragon
Well, I suppose he isn't really a boss, nor does he nearly as dangerous as
one. Although he can be somewhat of a threat to a weakly armored warrior, he is
not much or a problem other than that. Well, every dungeon has to have a boss
at the end (Wizards in the Marsh cave, Eye in the Ice Cave), so The Castle or
Ordeal has to have something. The funny thing is, he's easier than most of the
monsters in here!
Alright, time to kick some dead butt (argh, there's another word I wanna
say, but ya gotta keep it clean with gamefaqs). Contrary to most bosses,
Zombie D can't do anything other than attack, and that he doesn't even do that
well. Rather than use tough boss strategy, just attack and use Harm spells. If
your HP gets low, Cure yourself. He shouldn't be a problem.
Now, with the Zombie D dead, you can hop on the couch and leave... But,
HOLE ON! This is a great place to charge up and boost your levels. The Zombie
D is quite weak, but he gives you tons of EXP and GP. I usually slay at least
10-20 of them before I leave.
[Stuff to Do]
Ok, it's time to leave. Hop back in the ship and head back to Elfland. If
you haven't already done the Ice Cave yet, do so.
Ok, after you do the [Ice Cave] and [Fly on your Wings] sections, you will
have the airship, and will have plenty to do. Well, the plot of course has its
own order that you're supposed to do things in, but with the airship, the game
is totally chaotic, and any traces of the linear beginning are completely gone.
So, basically, you can do almost anything in any order from here on out. Since
I don't even know the real order off hand, I'll just give it to you in what I
think is the best order.
[King of the Dragons]
We all know Bahamut, king of the dragons, one of the few characters to
appear in every single Final Fantasy ever made. While he plays a rather minor
role in this game, it's still very helpful. He is located on the Cardia
Islands, which is a rather simple maze. To get to him, find the island with 2
holes that's covered with forest. His hole is on the bottom right of this
island. Go see him and get the...
WAIT!!! There are advantages to delaying the class change. While there
are obvious reasons to get the class change early, such as more Magic and better
Weapons and Armor, there are downs to hurrying. Do they outweigh the
advantages? I don't know, that's for you to decide. If this is your first time
playing, you might as well go for it, as it'll make things easier for the time
being. But, if you know what you're doing, you might want to wait. Although I
have nothing concrete to prove it, I have noticed some down sides to forcing the
class change. I have noticed that particularly for wizards, but certainly not
excluding fighters, particularly Fighter/Knights and Thief/Ninjas, my Hit Point
gains started to drop off slightly. One time, I had a Knight who only had
around 950 Hit Points at Level 50. Then, I played another game through and
delayed the class change until Level 30, and I had 999 HP by L 47. Even worse,
I noticed stat gains sloped off. From my experience, I NEVER had a Fighter who
failed to gain Strength, Agility, and Vitality on every single level, even up to
30. However, in another game, when I advanced to a Knight at Level 13, right
away he stopped gaining Agility and Vitality every level. I do not have
anything to prove this to anyone, but I'm just passing on advice from my own
personal experience, which I value, as I've played through this game, front to
back, beginning to end, at LEAST 7 or 8 times.
Well, I suppose it's your option to change now or wait, but I recommend
waiting, as it will pay off in the long run. If you think you can hold it out,
I recommend to do so. Take my advice or don't, but it's your loss (or gain).
Wow, big turning point. Now, you get better magic and armor, more powerful
weapons, and an overall boost in power. Not only that, now you will notice that
some weak enemies will start to run away from you! That leaves one less
nuisance in the world. When you hit L16, you will notice that more enemies will
start to run away, such as Sahags. And, although it's far away now, even really
powerful enemies like trolls will start to run away at L50.
[Shopping]
Now that you have advanced classes and the ability to equip better weapons
and armor, you will need to go shopping. First, head to Gaia. That's the town
in the upper right corner of the map, surrounded by mountains, northeast of the
Mirage Desert. You should buy ProRings for everyone, as they prevent RUB and
like spells. Also, a CatClaw will be mildly helpful for boosting a Black
Wizard's attack power. Furthermore, you should buy a Gold Bracelet for everyone
who needs one, such as White Wizards, Black Wizards, Red Wizards, and Masters if
they are under L25 or so, which they probably are. Well, you might have gone to
Onrac, and if you didn't notice, they don't have any Weapon or Armor shops. So,
by now, for the most part, you either have most of the good weapons and armors,
or you'll have to find them, not buy them. However, Gaia does have some very
useful things that you might want. Gaia is an expensive place, so you might
want to earn some money first. Here are general price estimates per capita:
Knight: Proring(20,000)
Ninja: Proring(20,000)
Master: Proring(20,000) + Goldring(50,000)=70,000 GP
Red Wizard: Proring(20,000) + Goldring(50,000)=70,000 GP
White Wizard: Proring(20,000) + GoldRing(50,000)=70,000 GP
Black Wizard: Proring(20,000) + GoldRing(50,000) + CatClaw(65,000)=135,000 GP
Wow! That's a lot of money! This place is different because unlike most
places, Black Wizards and Masters will be very expensive. Usually Black
Wizards/Mages are cheap equipment-wise, as with Black Belts/Masters, who are
almost always free. For sure, you'll be scraping the bottom of your pockets to
pay the fees of the northern world. Speaking of magic...
In Gaia, there will be 3 out of 4 Level 8 Spells to choose from, plus 2
Level 7 Spells for each color. As if it's a big secret, there is a semi-secret
passage in Lefien that leads to the 2 "best" magic spells in the game. If you
go to Lefien, go to the upper right section of town. There will be a notch in
the town gates for you to walk through. Go to the right to find 2 small shops
right next to each other... The LOST L8 MAGICS! The White side has LIF2 and the
Black Side has NUKE. These 2 are definitely worth getting, but are unique to
the Wizard of according color. Speaking of choices, you will have some of the
hardest to make here, provided you're not a Red Wizard.
Level 7 Magic: Wow, it's been a long time since you bought magic. Not to fear,
magic is here!! If you haven't noticed, the odd numbered magics in this game are
all of the same nature... CURE, HARM, and HEAL. L7 is no real exception.
You'll mostly see familiar spells here, but the choice will be no easier. Ok,
maybe it'll be a different story for the Red Wizard, but these spells will be
very important.
Red Wizard: ICE3 ARUB ----
White Wizard: CUR4 HRM4 ARUB or HEL3
Black Wizard: ICE3 SABR BRAK
Well, like I said before, it'll be a tough choice unless you're a Red
Wizard. The Red Wizard can only get 2 L7 spells, ICE3 and ARUB. Well, ICE3 is
really nothing new, only it's very powerful. I think it can do up to 240 damage
to all enemies, and even more than that if they're weak against it. ARUB is
simple ARUB. Enough said, right? WRONG! Well, yeah, it does prevent auto-kill
attacks much like a ProRing except to the whole party. However, there is
something else I needed to mention. When you use it, it says "Defend Magic". I
think this is very misleading. I used to think that it might protect you from
all magic spells, but I tried out, and it doesn't work. I casted it 4 times
between 2 Red Wizards, and FIR2 from the ManCats still did the same amount of
damage. Well, 'nuff said for the Red Wiz.
Haha, another joke coming! It will be tough to choose not because these
spells are so good and you want them all, but because you DON'T want them all!
Isn't that funny, the second best level mostly stinks. Well, the White Wizard
will definitely want CUR4, which you've been waiting the whole game for. This
spell restores your HP to the Max, no questions asked as long as you're not
stoned or dead. The Black Wizard, of course, will want his best Ice spell, as
always. However, after that, it's more of a tossup. I really don't ever use
any other L7 spells. Well, HRM4 is just overkill, and you won't need that.
Soon, you'll have 2 Light Axes and a Mage staff which cast HRM2 and FIR2, so you
won't need magic points to kill the undead by the masses. As for HEL3, if you
read about the bug in the L5 Magic, HEL2 effectively has the same effect as
HEL3, so using a Level 7 Magic point I obsolete when you could get the same
spell in a L5 Magic Point. Plus, HEL3 just isn't worth it, as it can't even
restore 100 HP per warrior, and can get as low as 50. The problem with this is
that many enemies can do more than that to your whole party at once, like a Red
Dragon with BLAZE. As for ARUB, you always have ProRings. If you don't, it's
still more of a waste of a powerful spell for the chance that you'll get hit
with a RUB spell, and it still doesn't work on the sorcerer's slay, so it's
quite useless. The Black Wizard is not a much different story. You'll want
ICE3 of course, but nothing else is really necessary, unless you'd like to have
it just to have it, but believe me, it won't save your life. SABR works to make
his weapon better, but it only works on the caster, and the caster can not
attack anyway, making this spell completely useless. As far as I can tell, this
only has the same effect as TMPR, the Level 2 Spell that works on anyone, and
I'm not even sure that does anything. Likewise with BLND, I did not notice any
change in the enemy's attack pattern, a reduction in number of hit, OR a
reduction in damage from each hit. I realize that in Final Fantasy Legend,
Blind meant that you do less damage, but I did not find that to be the case in
FF1. As far as I can tell, Blind does nothing. I suppose BRAK is the only one
left, which isn't exactly gold itself, but still costs plenty of it. BRAK is
much like RUB, I see no difference myself, but rather a higher magic point is
used. In fact, even RUB doesn't seem to work any better than the L5 spell BANE,
which works on all enemies, not one. Now, even Bane will become obsolete when
you get the Bane sword in the Sky Castle, which casts BANE upon the using.
You'll hear the same story with BRAK, it never works on the guys you need it to
(WarMech).
Level 8 Magic: This is it. This is the best magic in the game. Well, for the
White Wizard at least. I noticed that just about every single high level magic
spell for the Black Wizard either involves auto-kill or some status change. I
was disappointed to find out the uselessness of Level 8 Black Magic. White
Magic, on the other hand, was phenomenal. All the best spells are here,
including many spells that turned out to be predecessors to many spells in later
Final Fantasies. On another note, because these spells are so wonderful, the
poor Red Wizard will be completely left out :( Poor Red Wizard.
Black Wizard: NUKE ZAP! XXXX
White Wizard: LIF2 FADE WALL
Well, L8 will be another tough decision, much like the way L7 was. With
the White Wizard, you will find Level 8 Magic to be very useful. LIF2 will
probably one of the best spells you can come across, when your L50 Knight gets
killed, and you don't want to cast LIFE and waste 998 HP worth of CUREs and HEAL
potions. LIF2 will revive a dead warrior to full health, no questions asked.
FADE is an excellent spell. It can do up to a little over 300 damage per
monster, and unlike HARM, works on any enemy, not just undead. You will
definitely want this spell. As for the last spell, it's not really important,
you probably won't use it much anyway. WALL is pretty good, because it defends
against all elements and auto-kill, but Ribbon and ProRing basically do that.
Plus, WALL only works on one ally at a time. As for XFER, that is better known
as Dispel in later Final Fantasies, which depletes good status, but ignores
ailments. However, there will rarely be a case where you will actually find an
enemy that can use things like FAST, and even if they do, it's not that
dangerous that you actually need to cast it. Moving on, Black Magic isn't much
better. Nuke packs a mean punch up to 400 damage, but I thought that's what
your Knights and Masters were for. Besides, a Master can easily do 1000 Damage
WITHOUT wasting magic. Furthermore, the rest of the L8 Black Magic is utterly
pathetic. STOP is much like HOLD, just stuns the enemies for a while, but helps
very little. XXXX is just like RUB, which is inferior to BANE, which itself is
even obsolete. ZAP! is just another name for BANE, much like QAKE. Same story
with all these, they just don't work on guys you need them to. So, NUKE might
give you a run for your money, but I don't think anything else will in this
spell level.
[EXTRA-FINAL FANTASY LORE]-The spell FADE will play a huge part in future Final
Fantasies. The oddest thing is that I have never see any other RPG where a die-
hard cure-type magic user ever got one and only one offensive spell. I really
like the idea of FADE, because it lets the White Wizard get some offense. FADE
was the only spell that lasted as the White Wizard's solely offensive spell. In
all other Final Fantasies but #1, you could use the CURE spell on you enemies,
including the Undead, which eliminated HARM. FADE was the only magic to be
carried over to other games. In US Final Fantasy 2, the tradition of FADE,
which was the White Wizard's sole offensive spell that could hurt anyone, got
its own element, Holy, and was renamed White. In Final Fantasy 5 Jap, it was
the forbidden magic, Holy, also with its own element. Even in Final Fantasy 3
US, it was still there, only as Pearl, yet still with its own element as well,
Holy. Even in Final Fantasy 7, it FADEd out (I'm so punny), but the Holy
element still existed, and a summon god still had it. Finally in Final Fantasy
8, they revived it, with Holy elemental, a GF to compliment it, and the Holy
spell was there again. Wow, who would think FADE would last for that long?
XFER never FADEd either, even through 8 Final Fantasies. XFER removed
special status bonuses without curing the ailments in FF1, and still does in
every other Final Fantasy ever made. However, the name was changed to a better
one in my opinion, and still exists in Final Fantasy 8 as Dispel.
Ok, we can't forget WALL either. In Final Fantasy 1, WALL protected an
ally form magical attacks. In later Final Fantasies, it went so far as to
reflect it. Then, it reverted back to protection, this time with protection
from physical damage too. Even in Final Fantasy 8, this Limit Break for Selphie
grants protection from physical and Magical attacks.
Wow, all done with Magic!! Now that you got your equipment and Magic, it's
time to Rock!!!
When you go from town to town, you will notice the horrifyingly steep
prices of magic. If you did not charge up levels enough, you might have to end
up saving up. So, I'll tell you about a few good places to earn some experience
and cash before I go into magic too much.
I'm sure I mentioned it before, but now would be a good time to go to the
Hall of Giants again in the Earth Cave. I'm sure I mentioned it before, but if
you got the class change and some new equipment, any of your characters might be
able to knock out a Giant or Iguana in one hit, making this much more efficient.
However, there's an even better place. To prepare, you must load up
everyone with ProRings, or you will find this trip rather unpleasant. Now,
venture back into the Ice Cave. You will be amazed how much easier this place
is with a little better equipment and magic, plus resistance to auto-kill
attacks. Now, go fight the Eye. He used to be perilous because of his plethora
of auto-kill attacks, but now they're just wasted turns for you to kick the crap
out of him. He will give you 3228 Experience and GP, the EXP of course divided
amongst the survivors. The best thing about fighting the Eye is that he's easy,
he has low HP so he doesn't take long to kill, has low defense so the Hit Points
don't last as long, low attack power to reduce danger, and only one significant
danger. He can use Glance and turn you to stone. However, he seldom uses it,
and it usually doesn't work anyway. If it's still a problem, equip a Ribbon to
block it completely. It's well worth the small risk for the amount of Exp you
get combined with how little he hurts you. Since he doesn't hurt you much, you
can keep killing more and more without stopping to heal yourself (and god knows
why anything that could reproduce this quickly hasn't taken over the entire
world already). Anyway, this way is quicker and safer than any other way I know
to get up to level 50 and get the maximum amount of money, 999,999 GP.
There is another good place to charge up, but more for Gold rather than
experience. I'll give you more details about this in [The "Loot Root"] section
of the walkthrough.
[Extra-the "Loot Root"] Ha ha. Little pun reliant on pronunciation.
This is an extra trip that you might want to take if you've played this
game before and you know what you're doing, but otherwise, just skip this
section and move on. Well, while probably hundreds of people claim they
invented this trick, which involves scavenging the treasure out of all the major
dungeons without really beating any that they don't have to. I have to say that
I invented it, but I think the case was just about everyone who ever played FF1
invented it themselves, but never told anyone until they invented it too. Now,
it's more common knowledge, but in case you know stuff other than the common, I
suppose it's worth mentioning.
Since this route is not official or linear, nor does it follow the plot for
that matter, there really is no set way to do this, and there are many
variations. The main purpose of this is to get all the good treasure as quickly
as possible so that you can use it to your advantage for all the stuff you
skipped before. I use this route a lot to save time, mostly because I'm too
impatient to actually play through the game right. Well, this is the way I
invented the loot route, and I'm sure you might have invented it differently,
but here goes the undetailed walkthrough of the LOOT ROOT:
After you get the canoe, head over to the Castle of Ordeal and get the tail.
Skip the Volcano, and get the FLOATER from the Ice Cave
Get the Airship, and buy stuff you need
Pick up stuff from the Waterfall and get the CUBE
Pick up stuff from the top 2 floors of the Sea Shrine, then floor B1 and B2,
after getting the OXYALE from the fairy
Learn Lefienish with the SLAB and get the CHIME
Get the stuff from the Mirage Tower/Sky Castle and kill Tiamat
Kill Kraken, then Kary.
Well, that's the Loot Root. While I'm not too much of a fan of it myself,
I have heard a lot about how great it is from many other people. The one thing
that really gets me, though, is the Sea Shrine. It's pretty long, but if you
just go to the top 2 levels, then the level right below that, you get all the
best Knight gowns (Opal Armor), and you get the Mage Staff, and both Light Axes.
This way, you can go back to the Waterfall if you would like to charge up on the
undead monsters. If you don't want to, head straight to the Mirage Tower to get
the treasures there like the ADAMANT for Xcalbur.
[Techno-Waterfall]
Speaking of the Waterfall, it's time to go here next. This is one thing
that sets a classic RPG aside from just about all the others. There's ALWAYS
something behind the waterfall. From the not-quite-RPG's like The Legend of
Zelda, to the more modern classics like DragonView for Super Nintendo, and even
Dragon Warrior 4 for the NES. There's just always something behind the
waterfall. Period. While the plot directs you toward the Sea Shrine, or the
Submarine, I feel that it's much easier to go to the waterfall first, since it's
so short, and the monsters are easier.
Wow, it's been a long time since you were in a big dungeon. Well, although
this is still not a big dungeon, it's still something to be looked upon
likewise.
Perilous enemies are scarce here, and certainly nothing new. You'll see
Nightmares, but they're more of a pain than a threat. MudGols will show up
again, but they're no more of a threat than the Nightmares, unless they cast
FAST on themselves and manage to get a few hits off, which is very unlikely at
this point. I suppose big packs of undead could be a hazard to a solo warrior,
but there's nothing different about them here than anywhere else. Your friends
Cockatrices and Perilisks will be back, but with ProRings, Perilisks just don't
seem to be much of a threat anymore. Oh yeah, VERY rarely, you might find a Gad
Dragon. I suppose he could be a problem, but a round of good attacks should put
him down quickly. Maybe it's just me, but he seems to be much less of a threat
than other Dragons.
While dangerous monsters are rare, good treasure is anything but hard to
find. This place is a maze with a treasure room at the end. Just walk around
for a while, you'll find your way around fairly easily. Now, as soon as you
enter the treasure room, there will be a spiked square filled with undead
monsters. You'll find combinations of mainly WzMummies and Mummies mixed with a
couple Cockatrices and maybe a couple Perilisks. I really don't like the name
Wizard mummy, since they can't use magic and all. I guess that's the best they
could think of, I just don't think Green Mummy or Were Mummy would cut it.
Anyway, this is a great place to charge up. Each battle yields about 4000 GP,
which will quickly add up to enough to buy at least one Level 8 Magic Spell or
another Gold Bracelet. However, you might not find this very convenient right
now, as FIR2, FIR3, and HARM spells will quickly deplete, and attacking just
isn't efficient for those big numbers of enemies. If you would like to charge
up here later, it will be really easy, as you will have a Mage Staff, 2 Light
Axes, and the Zeus Gauntlet. With the Zeus Gauntlet and the Mage Staff, you'll
kill all the Perelisks and Cockatrices, then the supplementary Light Axes will
kill any number of Mummies and Wizard Mummies.
Although dangerous enemies are scarce, good treasure is a completely
different story. First, talk to the robot to get the CUBE, which you need to
get into the Sky Castle, but you won't need that for a while. You will find
some good stuff in the treasure chests. First, there is the Defense sword,
which is the third best weapon for the Red Wizard, besides the Sun Sword, and
the Masmune, of course, neither of which you have at this point. The Defense
sword casts RUSE in battle. You will also find the Wizard Staff. This is
relatively useless, so you can sell it for 25,000 GP. If you don't need the
cash, you can keep it, as it casts CONF when used in battle. Now, the grand
finale! There's a Ribbon in here! The Ribbon equips as a helmet, accessible to
any class. It only gives 1 or 2 defense, but the defense isn't half the story.
First, it provides resistance to all the elements including poison-based
attacks, such as Gas D and Tiamat's POISON. Also, it provides resistance to
just about all types of status ailments, not including Stone and Death.
However, if the enemy inflicts this status with their attack, such as Asp with
poison, you will still be liable to the status attack. There is some other
stuff in here, but I'll have to get back to you on that.
Make your way out as easily as you went in, and it will be time for...
[The Oasis]
Ok, this section is hardly worth mentioning, but it's still important, so
I'll keep it short. As you should know, you cannot land your airship right next
to Onrac. You will have to land it just below the river leading to the
waterfall. Now, follow this up to the desert until you see a tiny patch of
desert next to a couple trees. You can land your airship on one of the desert
patches, just look for the full sand-covered square in the tiny patch. Now,
take one step in any direction, and go back to your airship. You will find
yourself in the Oasis store. The guy there will sell you a BOTTLE for 50,000
GP. Buy it. You can buy several if you want, but you only get one regardless
of how many you buy. Exit the store. Go to the item menu and use the BOTTLE.
It will tell you that a fairy popped out, then is gone. Now, go back to Gaia.
All the way in the northeast corner of the town, you will find the fairy waiting
for you there. Talk to her, and she will give you OXYALE. You will need this
to breathe in...
[The Submarine]
Now that you have completed the Earth Cave, and the Fire Volcano, it's time
for the next theme dungeon with a corresponding Fiend. As you could guess from
the name SEA Shrine and submarine, this place will be water based. In here, the
monsters will generally be weak against LIT, so the Zeus Gauntlet will be useful
here, as well as the Thor Hammer if you have it at this point from [The Loot
Root]. Otherwise, LIT2/3 will come in handy, and the Mage Staff will be a small
help, although most enemies are resistant to Fire. Most of the enemies in here
have pretty good attack power, but a lack of other strong attacks, so you will
find that White/Black Wizards and Low-Level Masters, as well as ill-equipped Red
Wizards will suffer here. Good HP and Armor are musts.
The enemies in this shrine are quite a bit harder than anything else you've
seen so far. Unlike the Temple of Fiends and the Ice Cave, you will not find
many, if any, horrible status attacks or related problems. On the other hand,
these guys are tough. They have a lot of HP and defense, as well as crippling
attack power. For the most part, there aren't too many particular enemies to
watch out for, but they will all wear you down substantially. However, there
are a couple treacherous guys to watch for. Waters are probably the worst.
They are quite hard to hit with their good evade, and what few hits you get will
not hurt them much. What little damage you do manage will still be a small
chunk out of their high HP. Yet, they have a nasty bite (or however the hell a
little swirl can really hurt you), and can easily do 90+ to a well-armored
Knight. Use Ice for these little pricks. Ghosts will not provide any relief
either. They usually don't stun as much as Geists hit-for-hit, but they can
really pack a punch. The can even do about 150 to a Master/Red Wizard, and
maybe knock out a Black Wizard in one shot. Don't bother with defense against
these guys. I usually use the Mage Staff, 2 Light Axes, and Zeus gauntlet,
which should knock them all out. If you'd like, you could even substitute the
Zeus Gauntlet with HRM2 or FIR2. You could use HARM3/4, but that would be a
real overkill with all the other stuff you're using. Lobsters are a nuisance as
well, as they will poison you quite frequently, but Sea Snakes won't (Somebody
had better fire whoever programmed this retarded game). Most other enemies will
be more of a bother than anything else.
Scavengers will be in paradise here. This place has some good Knight
gowns, including a full set of Opal accessories, although the body armor is
below deck. Equipped with all of it, a Knight will have 74 Absorb, enough to
keep him alive through just about anything when combined with his high HP. On
the top floor with all the Mermaids (where most of the Mermaids are), you will
find the Opal equipment, and the SLAB, which you must give to Dr. Unne in
Melmond to learn the Lefeinish language, which will be important later.
Once you get all the stuff from the top two floors, I suggest you go back
to the Inn and rest, and buy more HEAL potions if need be. Then, head right
back into the shrine and get the rest of the treasure.
Now, we head to the bottom. You will find the Opal Armor, as well as 2
Light Axes, the Mage Staff, and a Ribbon. The Light Axes will be very useful
against the undead as they cast HRM2. The Mage Staff will also be good against
the undead, as it casts FIR2. Although the Mage Staff will not be very useful
in here except for Ghosts, it will come in handy in many places where enemies
are weak against Fire.
Wiggle your way through the maze until you get to the bottom floor, where
you will find the usually mysterious room, and someone will be waiting for
you...
[Boss Fight]-KRAKEN
HP-600
Kraken is the third of the 4 fiends. He will pose to be quite a threat to
the weakly armored. Rather than use nasty spells and horrible status ailments
like RUB and BRAK, he mostly just attacks. The bad thing about this is that he
can ATTACK. He will be able to get 8 hits on you at once, and nail you for over
400 damage sometimes, enough to send a White/Black Wizard or a weak Master to
the floor in a hurry. Because of his high Hit%, no amount of RUSE or INVS will
be able to completely protect you from his attack. Even with 255 Evade, he will
be able to hit you about once every 4 attacks, which always seems to be a
Critical hit. So, that eliminates the practicality of FOG, because Critical
hits are not affected by defense. He does cast LIT2/3 sometimes (seems odd
seeing as he's weak against it), and that can hurt. He will also use INK, which
will Blind all characters, provided that they don't have a Ribbon on. For some
reason, Dark doesn't seem to have any effect on you. It does not lower your
Hit% at all. However, in Final Fantasy Legend for Game Boy, Dark lowers your
attack power by 25%. However, I have not seen any impact on my attack power,
despite being Blind.
Kraken can be dangerous, but you should be able to get him without too much
trouble. His offense is very powerful, and he has a lot of HP, so you should
concentrate on defense before offense. Since his attack is clearly the biggest
threat, start with 2-3 layers of INV2 to help reduce his attack power. After
about 3 shots of INV2, the biggest threat now will be LIT3. Cast ALIT to
nullify the danger of that. Follow that up by FASTing your warriors, then
continue with INV2 and healing.
If you have a high level Master, or more than one, you might want to change
your game plan. Try to FAST them first, and hope you can take the oversized
octopus out before he can become a problem.
Either way, you should be able to kill him without too much trouble. He's
really not that hard if you know how to fight him. Do the orb-exit routine and
get out of there. When you are outside of Onrac, go right back in and stay at
the Inn to save and rest.
[Lefein]
Lefein seems to be very important to thin plot of Final Fantasy. However,
It seemed odd that it was just thrown in out of nowhere pretty late in the game.
Anyway, if you go to this lost wooded town, you will find that they have a
seemingly unintelligible way of talking. To save you the effort of coming here
in vain, take the SLAB to Dr. Unne in Melmond. He will teach you the Lefeinish
language. Now, head to the ghostish town north of Provoka. You will have to
land you airship far to the northwest and hike down. You will find some enemies
familiar from power peninsula, plus some FrGiants.
Make your way into the town. If you didn't figure it out by now, or you
didn't know already, there is a secret Magic shop in the upper-right part of
town. This secret is so well-known, it makes me laugh just calling it a secret.
Find the notch in the gate and head to the right to get NUKE and LIF2.
In the town, talk to everyone, who all learned to speak English when you
were out learning Lefeinish. You can talk to everyone to learn some interesting
things about the plot. However, all you really need to do is go to the top,
head right, down, and talk to the guy standing still on the bottom left corner.
He will give you the CHIME to unlock the Mirage Tower. I never understood how
that worked, but you need it for some reason or another.
[The Mirage Tower/Sky Castle]
Wow. This place is really loaded. It's got everything: treasure, danger,
cool new bosses (one of whom is harder than the end boss himself), and lots of
new enemies.
Boy, is this place loaded with treachery and nasty enemies! Among others
you will see your friend the Vampire from the Earth Cave, only in numbers this
time, and in random encounters. [NOTE-You can run away from these Vampires,
unlike the Earth Cave]. A bite in the neck really hurts, causing at least 80
damage a shot, which isn't pretty seeing as there can be up to 8 of them
attacking at once. You will see them hanging around with their superior
friends, WzVamps. WzVamps can cast a couple spells, none of which you should be
worried about. They can cast AFIR, which triples resistance to Fire. However,
seeing as they have no resistance to Fire in the first place, it will not do
anything at all. To beat these guys, just use your Light Axes, Mage Staff, and
Zeus gauntlet to send these guys back into their coffins. They should have a
stake in this game, it would actually make a Hammer DO something! You will also
see Chimeras. They will use BLAZE on you (or something to that effect), which
will cause Fire damage. Rather than waste an AFIR spell, just take them out
before they can cause any trouble. They are weak against Ice if you are
inclined to use magic. Worst of all, you will find ManCats. These guys are
really nasty, and don't play games. They have a formidable attack for starters,
but they will start out casting FIR2, which can really wear you down when they
attack in sets of 8, even with AFIR. They are not weak against anything. Use
NUKE if you have it, run, or take them out ASAP. Although you will see many
more guys in the Sky Castle, these are all you need to worry about for now. Do
not underestimate anyone in here, as they can wear you down very quickly.
Head into the treasure room on the first floor where you'll find some
interesting yet simple mazes to get tons of cool treasure. I really don't know
what is where, but there are some cool things on this floor. Among Gold and
HOUSEs, you will find a Vorpal, which only a Knight, Ninja, or Red Wiz can
equip. I find it odd because it doesn't do anything, and it's even weaker than
the Ice Sword. Anyway, it's worth some cash, if nothing else. You will also
find the Sun Sword, the best weapon for the Red Wiz save the Masmune, and the
best for the Knight or Ninja up to this point. Also on this floor is a Heal
Helmet, which is just a tad weaker than the Opal helmet, but it casts HEAL in
battle. You will also find the best weapon (save the Masmune) for the White
Wizard, the Thor Hammer. You can actually hurt an enemy with this if you Attack
(unlike other hammers), or USE it to cast LIT3, a great choice for undead or sea
creatures. As you progress up to the first floor of the Sky Castle, you will
find the Bane Sword among other things. The Sword itself is rather weak, but it
casts BANE in battle, which will wipe out a whole group of enemies provided it
works. You should also find a Ribbon here, if not a floor above, same for the
Dragon Armor. On the next floor, you will find the ADAMANT on the southwest
branch, which you need to give to the Dwarf Blacksmith in the Dwarf Cave (as if
you couldn't figure out where it was) to get the Xcalbur, the best weapon that
the Knight alone can use. On the southwest corner, you will find the White
Shirt, which only the White Wizard can equip, which he should. This shirt will
be VERY important regardless of who you have in your party. Oddly enough, this
cotton garment protects better than most Armors that the Fighter can bear, but
that's hardly its strong point. This wonder-cotton blouse casts INV2 when you
USE it in battle, which is one of the most useful defensive spells in the game.
Right next to this treasure chest is another White Shirt, only this time dyed
black, and is complementary color Wizard. The magic black dye in here causes
ICE2 to be cast in battle when USEd instead of INV2. I think there's another
Heal Helmet here, but I'm not sure. Don't worry, almost done, one more floor of
treasure to go. One more level up, you will find some second-rate treasure
compared to what you got before. Beware, in the upper right treasure room, on
the left treasure column, there are two treasure chests containing Armor. The
one on top is the ProCape. Do not pick up the lower one, which is a Cloth.
Many times, I have thrown out a useful Armor to see what was in the chest, and
it turned out to be quite a miserable surprise. Other things on this floor
include more second-rate stuff and a Katana, the ideal weapon for the Ninja.
Wow, what a long dungeon! EIGHT floors of madness! I'll spare you too
many details and get on with it. As you enter, you will see a room. Go up into
that room and collect the treasure, then go out of the room and take the
upstairs near where you came in. For this room, you will have to make your way
up around the right side of the room (after getting the treasure) to get
upstairs. Once upstairs, you will find yourself above another room. Hook down
and enter but watch out for...
[Semi] Boss Fight-Blue Dragon
Well, he's kind of a boss, so I have to mention him. He can use POISON, a
rather nasty attack that really hurts. Not to fear! He's rather wimpy, just
pound him with your whole team and he should go down almost instantly
Head up to the teleporter. You can't get through here unless you have the
CUBE. You will now be in the sky castle. You will find 4 branches around you,
with you in the center. Collect the treasure and go up to the next floor.
Similarly, collect the treasure and head to the south branch to go up. Again,
this is pretty simple. Get the treasure and head left until you find the
up-arrow-teleporter-stair-thing. This next room seems rather weird, it's really
a maze, more of a grid than anything. The weird thing is, that it overlaps, so
if you go too far one way, you will end up on the other side, much like the
Airship on the world map. Go right 2 spaces and up 2 spaces, or zig-zag until
you find the up-arrow-teleporter-stair-thing. Now, you be at the bottom of a
long hallway. If you read Nintendo Power, you will know that you can encounter
a WarMech here. It says there is a 1 in 64 chance, but I think that's the
probability of every step you take. So...
[Maybe] SUPER BOSS FIGHT- WarMech
HP-1000
This guy is NO JOKE. Although this guy is much less elaborate than the
Ultimate Weapons in Final Fantasy 7 or Omega in Final Fantasy 5/8, or Shinryuu
in FF5, he is tougher than the end boss like many of the super bosses in the
later Final Fantasies. He has 50 Absorb, which can be quite hard to handle. A
Level 25 Master will score 1 damage per hit if he doesn't get a Critical. He is
VERY tough. Chaos, the end boss, has about every trick in the bag, which he
uses rather foolishly. He uses ICE3 for 50 damage when he should use NUCLEAR
for 300. WarMech is much different. He either attacks for 200-400 damage, or
he uses NUCLEAR, which does up to 400 damage to you whole party. I would say to
wipe him out quickly before he causes harm, but you really can't. FAST any
fighting characters. Have Red and White Wizards use INV2 to ease the pressure
from his attack. Use the White Shirt to help also. NUKE and FADE make good
attack for White and Black Wizards. The Jack of all trades, the Red Wizard will
be relatively useless except for using INV2, FAST, and CUR3. If you have a
White Wizard, use CUR4 if you HP gets low.
With any luck, WarMech will fall sooner or later. When I played a solo
White Mage walkthrough, this was the only enemy in the entire game that I could
not defeat. You will be well rewarded-32,000 GP and 32,000 EXP.
Head on up the hallway to find the familiar scene with the fiend. When you
go up to the orb (oh come on! You've got to be stupid if this is actually a
surprise by now)...
[BOSS FIGHT]-Tiamat
HP-1000
The last of the 4 Fiends, and perhaps the hardest, is upon you now. He
kinda looks retarded, like a snake-dragon thing tangled up in itself. He has
some nasty auto-kill attacks, so equip ProRings beforehand or cast ARUB. He
also has a THUNDER attack, a nasty move that's like LIT3, only more powerful.
He can also use POISON a nasty damaging attack. The Aegis shield or the Dragon
Armor can help protect against this. He has 50 defense like WarMech, so only
high level fighters will beuseful for hand/sword-to-whatever-he-has. Use NUKE,
FADE, CUR4, INV2, FOG2, ALIT, FAST, and related spells as usual. He shouldn't
be too much trouble. Revive the ORB and exit, then head to the Airship.
Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart!
The time of trial is upon you, great Light Warriors. Lick you wounds from
Tiamat, rest up, and restock Heal Potions to the max, and buy at least 25 PURE
and SOFT potions. If you went to the circle of sages again as directed, or you
read this, you will know to go to the Temple of Fiends. Make sure you have the
LUTE from the Princess from the beginning of the game.
Hm... Not much treasure in here considering where you are in the game. As
you may know, the legendary Masmune is here, on the second to top floor. Also,
you will find another Procape, and another Katana in case you have more than one
Ninja (as if you could make it this far with 2 Thieves...). Otherwise, this
place is rather empty.
Ah, danger, what can I say? You'll find everything here. Every single guy
you've ever seen will come back to haunt you here, except the easy guys. I'm
pretty sure that you will find just about every single dragon here, except maybe
the Blue D from the Sky Castle. You will find Frost D's in packs of 4, who can
freeze as many as 800HP out of you in a single round. Gas D's will be back in
full forced packs of 4 as well, whose Poison can cause 1200 damage Max on the
whole party per round. There really aren't that many new enemies who cause any
particular problem in here, it's just the powerful and tough enemies really wear
you down quickly if you don't know how to fight. You will find Worms, who,
unlike out segmented friends in the real world, could cause some problems. They
have pretty good HP, and can pack a mean punch, especially in packs of 4.
What's worse? You can't run! You're stuck fighting. You will be revisited by
Elements, Earth and Fire, who will attack in 4's, and Water and Air, who will
show up in up to nine at a time. You can't run from any of these guys, and they
have a merciless attack. For solo players, the only way I found to survive was
to use Defense/White Shirt repeatedly, no matter how hard they hit. Eventually,
they stopped hitting me, and I could kill them off, and restore some HP with my
Heal Staff.
Needless to say, this will be the hardest endeavor of the entire game, save
maybe for the Ice Cave. I say the Ice Cave is tough because you will be at the
mercy of auto-kill attacks, so the journey is based on luck, not skill, levels,
equipment, or strength. In the Ice Cave, if you do not make it, you can go
right back in and probably beat it. In the Temple of Fiends, if you don't make
it, you probably will have to charge up to stand much of a second chance. The
Temple of Fiends is hard because of the tons of enemies that will ruthlessly
pound you. Because of these enemies, you will find that luck plays a very small
part in this dungeon. Instead, Levels, attack power, defense, and magic will be
important here.
Perhaps this might be ruining the challenge of this dungeon, but I suppose
my job is to guide you through the whole game, especially the toughest parts,
which I will do without fail. Needless to say, this will be the longest dungeon
in the entire game, and the hardest to navigate as well. When you enter, you
will not notice anything different than before. Then, go into the room where
Garland used to be and talk to the bats. They'll have something more
interesting than "Kee... Kee..." to say. Go up to the Orb and Hit A to reveal a
passage. Note that when you step through here, the only way out is to reset,
die, cast EXIT, or cast WARP several times. You will find yourself in a room
with a similar structure to the one you were just in. Go up the stairs to the
bottom right of the floor. You will be in a small fenced off area, where you
will go right to the next stairs. You will be on another floor much like the
one you started at. Head to the bottom center of the floor and head up into the
room. Surprise...
[Semi] BOSS FIGHT- Phantom
Phantom can be a rather tough enemy. I heard a lot of nasty stuff about
him, but I never failed to kill him in one round with a full-party attack. If
you're too insecure to fight, he's undead, so FIR3 or HRM3,4 will do nicely. I
would give you some more strategy, but he's just too easy to be worth it. You
will be rewarded a generous 1 EXP and GP for your efforts.
Ok, you'll be in a room again. Off to the right is a treasure chest with a
small amount of GP, and a more significant amount to the left. Either way, I
have absolutely no need for money at this point, even if I was going to go out
again. You will find another stone plate at the top of the room, much like the
one in the Earth Cave, only you will have to use the LUTE to open it. Go in,
and (surprise) you'll be on another generic-looking floor. Head to the upper
left corner to the stairs. Then, follow the corridor to the left and up to yet
another set of stairs. This will lead you down to the Earth floor. Head up,
over, and down to get to the next set of stairs, which is neatly marked by
columns and...
[BOSS FIGHT]-Lich revisited
HP-500
This Lich is different than before. He/she/it is stronger, has more
defense and attack, and a nasty lineup of spells. This Lich has NUKE, which can
easily cause over 300 damage per character. Have Knights/Masters/Ninjas/Red
Wizards attack, and Black Wizards NUKE. White Wizards should cast HRM3 or 4.
You really want to put Lich away as quickly as possible to avoid getting NUKEd.
If you think it's going to be a long battle, you may want to FAST instead if
your levels are low.
You will be skimpily rewarded with 500 EXP and a GP. Keep in mind that
Lich and all the Fiends in here are spiked squares rather than physical enemies
on the map. I think this is stupid seeing as they regenerate instantly, yet in
the present, there's only one of each. Little logic error there.
Go down the stairs to the Fire floor. I always have trouble finding the
little doors here, so here's a mini-detailed walkthrough. Go down to the wall,
left to the wall, up 3 steps, left 2 steps, and up to the wall. Enter the door
a step to your right. Then, go up a few steps until you can do right. Head
down the hallway until you see 2 statues below you. Go down to the wall. Take
s step right, then five down. Head down-left into the mini-room. You can go
down to find a few treasures, or go up to the stairs...
[BOSS FIGHT]- Kary revisited
HP- 700
Again, Kary has a 100 HP boost and more power. She will only cast FIR3 and
HOLD (I think), so AFIR should be sufficient for defense. Just attack and use
normal boss tactics, but go easy on the Magic; you'll need it for later.
As you might guess, you'll now go to the Water floor. Head down a little,
then all the way to the right, and in the bottom-right door. Follow that down.
Go out and up to the next room. Follow that left to the first entrance. Head
down and into the corridor. Beware, only about 3 steps into the corridor is...
[BOSS FIGHT]- Kraken revisited
HP-900
Like the others, Kraken has stat boosts and 100+ HP. Kraken can be very
dangerous; he has a really nasty attack. To kill him, have your fighters
attack. Red Mages and White Mages should use the White Shirt or cast INV2 or
FOG2. Black Wizards won't really be much help here, but he can use the White
Shirt if he has it. Otherwise, you can cast NUKE if you have the Magic Points
to spare, or cast LIT3 instead. Kraken is tough, but he'll go down, giving you
your skimpy reward in return.
In case you haven't figured this out by now, you will find the Air floor
next. You should go all the way down and right to get the Masmune, the best
sword in the game by a huge margin. It has 56 Damage and 50 Hit%. You will
then have to backtrack to pretty much where you started from. From the
beginning, if you go right through one corridor, in the next you will find...
[BOSS FIGHT]- Tiamat revisited
HP-1100
This guy is pretty tough, and he might catch you by surprise with low HP if
you're not careful. Well, Level 40+ Masters can take him out in one hit, but
let's not assume you have one. Tiamat will be tough. He has a nasty arsenal of
spells and special attacks. He has high HP, so you most likely won't be able to
remove him in one round. You should start with INV2 to avoid his attack, and
FAST will be helpful here. You should most likely let off a NUKE here. If you
are at level 26 or higher, a Black Wizard will have 2 Magic Points for Level 8,
so you should use one now and one for Chaos. However, the White Wizard should
not use FADE, because you want to save all your level 8 Magic for Chaos.
Otherwise, just fight away and Heal as needed.
The pressure's on! Head up-right to the last set of stairs, no suprises
here, just the last floor. There are no enemies up here, just wonder around for
a while; this place was just so interesting for some reason. If I have to tell
you, HEAL UP TO MAX HP. (As if you'll be using the extra Heal potions after the
battle anyway). Head into the room. You'll see ???, who will tell you about
how ???. Finally, you'll fight the final battle, go for the gold...
[BOSS FIGHT] ---CHAOS---
HP-2000
Well, I'm sure you've heard about all the horror stories about how hard
this guy is, but I found Chaos rather disappointingly easy, even at Level 29
with a Knight, Ninja, White Wizard, and Black Wizard. You, on the other hand,
might not see him as quite a cinch. He has a nasty attack, and solo characters
will rely on luck here more than anything. Chaos has nearly every mean attack
in the game, but the combination if them makes them much less dangerous. He
will use ICE3, FIR3, and LIT3, which will waste his turns doing little damage to
you, and give you that much more of an opportunity to hit him back.
Strategy is very important here. Chaos's worst attack is CUR4. He will
use it about every 7-8 rounds, and he'll get all his HP back. Instant reaction:
kill him: quick. This is a bad plan. Take your time. See, all magic enemies
have a cycle of spells. When they use a spell, they move on, and don't use it
until the cycle comes back to that spell again. So, Take your time. Don't
attack. Instead, POWER UP. FAST all your Knights/Ninjas/Masters/Red Wizards.
Use the Power Gauntlet if you have it. Cast SABR, TMPR, INVS, FOG. If your
White Wizard has the Magic Points left, WALL himself, then the person in the
lead, and maybe the other 2 if you want to blow off your MP. Use the White
Shirt, INV2, and FOG2 until it comes out your ears. Cast ARUB, AICE, AFIR,
ALIT, and AMUT. Heal up as needed Then, as soon as he casts CUR4, start your
attack. Go all out. Be ruthless, merciless. Explode: This is it. Swing your
swords and fight with flying fists. Fry him with FADE and NUKE.
Keep attacking, don't let up. Use CUR3/4 when you need to. Chaos should
go down far before he gets the chance to use CUR4 again. If he doesn't, you'll
just have to try again. If you made it this far, I don't see any possibility
that you wouldn't be able to put Chaos away.
I won't ruin the ending when you beat Chaos, sorry, you'll just have to see
it yourself. I won't tell you if it's disappointing of the best ever, nor will
I tell you what happens, or say anything more. It's up to you!
[THE END]
V. Epilogue- Comments, questions, and answers
I still remember the cold fall morning when I beat Chaos for the first
time. I was 6 years old, and had been playing this game nonstop for the 2 weeks
after I got this game for my birthday. I got up real early on Saturday morning
to play. After a long journey to the temple, I finally marveled at how amazing
he looked, as that was about as real as NES graphics got. I started the fight,
and was so happy to finally defeat the end boss. However, I was the slightest
bit sad because this was it, no more. I couldn't believe the game was over- all
over! I wanted more. I started playing again instantly, experimenting with
different parties, and playing over and over again. I knew this game was really
something special.
It never occurred to me at the time how big this game was. Most of my
friends never even heard of it, and most of them told me how stupid it was when
they first played it. I have to admit, I didn't really like it that much when I
first picked up the controller, but I was very intrigued by the class system,
and quickly got very involved in the game. I had anticipated getting this game
for the longest time. I rented the game one time before I got it for my
birthday, and I played it all day. This was definitely something to be
remembered for a long time. I had no idea how big this game was, and not a
single clue as to how big it was going to be. 10 long years later, here I am,
writing a walkthrough for the original game I so loved. Now, Final Fantasy goes
up to 8, but hasn't stopped there. There is also Final Fantasy Tactics, a newer
game aimed more at the classic RPG style. On top of this, there are 3 Game Boy
Games from the same makers, under the name Final Fantasy Legend, FFL2, and FFL3.
Long live the continual episodes of the last Fantasy!
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Final Fantasy Walkthrough
Written by Brian Lennon, aka Edge
[email protected]
Feel free to ICQ me at 38278886 or Email me at [email protected]
Remember, this is to help everyone. If you have a question, ask me! This is
here for YOU!
Copyright by Brian Lennon, 7/28/2000. This work may not be reproduced without
permission form the author. This work may not be sold or profited from in any
way. Feel free to link my site to yours, just keep your site updated so that
everyone may have access to the latest versions.
[NOTE]-If you have anything to contribute to my site, feel free to email or ICQ
me, and I will accredit you accordingly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Versions
v 0.3
7/28/2000/12:30-2:30 AM- Started this project. Got the general outline done and
finished the Introduction, getting started, and stat explanations. Started the
characters section.
7/28/2000/1:30-4:45 PM- Finished the characters section. Did the FAQ and the
[Coneria] section of the walkthrough (Just that took 3 hours ugh).
5:30-7:00 PM- Finished the [Arrrr Matey!] part of the walkthrough and
added a special trick to power up levels
7:00-8:00 PM-Started [Time for a Nap!] section of the walkthrough and
made price estimates for all the characters.
8/05/2000/9:00-10:00 PM-Just got back from vacation. Finished [King of the
"Marshians"] section, and did [Northwest Castle].
8/06/2000/1:00-2:30 PM-Did some revisions and corrections. Finished Lists/
Analysis for all Magic up to L4. Added some more detail to other sections.
7:30-9:00 PM-Finished the [Time for a Nap!] subsections and did the
[Kaboom!] section.
8/07/2000/8:00-9:30 PM-Did [Side Trip to Crescent Lake] Section
8/08/2000/1:30-2:00 AM-Finished the Weapons, Armor, and Magic for Crescent Lake.
8/09/2000/1:00-1:30 AM-Did some refining on the [Statistics] Section and started
[The First Orb] section.
9:30-11:00 PM-Finished [The First Orb] section. Did [The Titan and
the Ruby] section.
v 1.0
8/10/2000/8:00-8:45 PM- Did [The Earth Cave] section
8/11/2000/7:00-8:30 PM- Did [A Choice] Section and started [Gurgu Volcano]
8/12/2000/10:30-11:00 PM- Finished [Gurgu Volcano] Section
8/13/2000/9:30-11:00 PM- Did [The Ice Cave] Section
8/17/2000/4:30-5:00 PM- Added a guide for the Marsh Cave
8/18/2000/3:30-4:30 PM- Did [Fly like and Eagle] Section and most of [Tale of a
Rat] section.
10:30-11:00 PM- Finished [Tale of a Rat] section
8/25/2000/9:45-10:30 AM- Did [Stuff to Do] and started the [Shopping] sections
of the walkthrough.
9:15-9:45 PM- Updated some information about statistics.
8/26/2000/10:00-11:00 PM- Updated some more information about stats, corrected a
few mistakes, and added lots more to the [Shopping] section of the walkthrough.
12:00-2:45 AM- Started [Techno-Waterfall], added more to [Shopping],
finished Magic sections (ugh), and did [The Loot Root].
8/28/2000/3:00-3:30 PM- Finished [Techno-Waterfall] and did [The Oasis] section.
8/30/2000/5:30-6:15 PM- Did [The Submarine] and [Lefein] sections, and started
[The Mirage Tower] Section.
8/31/2000/7:00-7:30 PM- Worked on [The Mirage Tower] section.
9/05/2000/8:00-9:00 PM- Finished [The Mirage Tower] section.
9/16/2000/9:30-11:30 PM-After 43 pages, an 11 day break, and 2 hours tonight, I
finally completed my walkthrough, so all may read and enjoy.