=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- FINAL FANTASY X 'Yet Another' FULL FAQ/WALKTHROUGH Written by Rebecca Skinner AKA Karpah Version AU, 26th January 2005 =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- .---. _ .-. .---. .-. .-..-. : .--':_; : : : .--' .' `. : `' : : `; .-.,-.,-. .--. : : : `;.--. ,-.,-.`. .'.--. .--. .-..-. ` ' : : : :: ,. :' .; ; : :_ : :' .; ; : ,. : : :' .; ; `._-.': :; : .' `. :_; :_;:_;:_;`.__,_;`.__; :_;`.__,_;:_;:_; :_;`.__,_;`.__.'`._. ; :_;:_; .-. : `._.' 'It is better to die in hope than live in despair' =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- YE OLDE TABLE OF CONTENTS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- - 1.0 - INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Game 1.2 Why another FFX guide!? 1.3 A little bit about me 1.4 Revision history - 2.0 - GAME BASICS 2.1 The story 2.2 Battles 2.3 Menus 2.4 The Sphere Grid Explained - 3.0 - CHARACTERS 3.1 Tidus 3.2 Yuna 3.3 Wakka 3.4 Auron 3.5 Kimahri 3.6 Lulu 3.7 Rikku - 4.0 - THE WALKTHROUGH - 5.0 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - 6.0 - MONSTER ARENA *COMING SOON!* - 7.0 - CELESTIAL WEAPONS 7.1 Caladbolg 7.2 Nirvana 7.3 World Champion 7.4 Masamune 7.5 Spirit Lance 7.6 Onion Knight 7.7 Godhand - 8.0 - SIDE QUESTS 8.1 Omega Ruins *COMING SOON* 8.2 Cavern of the Stolen Fayth 8.3 Baaj Temple 8.4 Chocobo Racing 8.5 Luca Sphere Theatre 8.6 Lightning Dodging 8.7 Butterfly Catching 8.8 Cactuar Village 8.9 Airship Co-ordinates and Passwords 8.10 Remiem Temple 8.11 Locations of... 8.12 Returning to Temples - 9.0 - OVERDRIVE INFO 9.1 Swordplay 9.2 Grand Summon 9.3 Slots 9.4 Bushido 9.5 Ronso Rage 9.6 Fury 9.7 Mix 9.8 Overdrive Modes - 10.0 - A BEGINNER's GUIDE TO STAT MAXING - 11.0 - AEONS - 12.0 - STANDARD RPG LISTS 12.1 White Magic 12.2 Black Magic 12.3 Blue Magic 12.4 Skills 12.5 Special 12.6 Items *COMING SOON* - 13.0 - CUSTOMIZATION 13.1 Armour 13.2 Weapons - 14.0 - CLOSING =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 1.0 INTRODUCTION =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Every guide has an introduction. This, is my introduction. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 1.1 The Game ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- If you've ever played a video game in your life, chances are that you've heard of the Final Fantasy series. Created by Square, it is perhaps the most famous video game series ever created. The dynasty started in roughly about 1987, with the game Final Fantasy, for NES. It was named Final Fantasy for a reason - it was Square's last big shot at creating a game, if it had failed, Square would have been doomed. Just the opposite, it didn't fail. It was phenomenally successful, and went on to spawn a whole series of similarly-themed, but very individual, games. Final Fantasy X is the latest new game in the FF series, and the first to have a direct sequel. Released in September 2001, for the PlayStation2, it gained a reputation for being one of the best video games EVER created. I'm not joking when I say that. It's my personal opinion, but also one agreed upon by industry heavyweights. Why is it so good? You'll have to play it yourself and see. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 1.2 Why Another FFX Guide!? ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Enough serious history talk. My turn! Welcome one, welcome all, to my latest and greatest guide, for the absolutely breathtaking game, Final Fantasy X. If all goes well, this will be THE most comprehensive, detailed, in-depth guide I will ever write, it'll be able to measure up with those fabulous FFX guides already written by the likes of Psycho Penguin, SinirothX, and Split Infinity. If things don't go well, this will end up in the junk pile and no-one will ever know that I tried to embarrass myself by writing a guide for such an amazing game. So, I guess I better answer the question. Why on earth am I wasting a good period of my life writing another FFX guide? Well, there's a number of reasons for that, really. One - I am totally in love with this game. It's not my favourite game, and never will be (FF6 will always hold that place in my heart), but it is, without a doubt, the best game I have ever played. I want to, I don't know, show the world just how much I love this game by writing this full-length guide for it. Two - I think I can write a moderately good guide for this game. Anyone who's ever read anything I've written before knows that, while my guides end up inevitably being huge, they're packed full of detail in the walkthroughs. That's one comment I get from readers, time and time again. SUPERB detail in walkthroughs, excellent guides, keep it up. Sooo, let's put my so-called good walkthrough skills to an incredible game like this, and see what comes out. Three - Unlike other people, I don't have a goal to write for all the games in the series. Not knocking their goals or anything, but that's just not for me. I write for the games I love, for the games I know best. If I'm gonna dedicate a large chunk of my everyday life to writing a guide as epic as I know this one's gonna be, the game better bloody be worth it. Okay, that last one's not a reason, it's just me rambling. I write my guides not just to help readers in their quest through the game, not just to inform, but to entertain. Another comment I've heard, especially with my FF6 walkthrough. I love the idea of doing that, with a game like this, so I'm gonna try my hardest to produce a good quality guide. We'll see what happens. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 1.3 A Little Bit About Me ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- *prepares myself for writing guide, boxing-style* Okay. Before I get into the serious stuff, a little bit about me. Hi, my name is Rebecca Skinner... *waves hello* ...but you already knew that from the FAQ header. Before I start, I'd just like to say a few words. I'm not a game expert, in any sense of the word. I'm not one of those people that can sit down and argue pros and cons about different game genres, games in the same genre, etc. That's not me at all. I can count the number of games I've seriously played on two hands. While I may not be a general game genius, I do know what I like. And what I like, I tend to get to know very well. Like FFX. While I can't sit and debate about RPGs in general, FF games in general, or anything of the sort, I'm qualified to write a guide on this, one game in the series, one game in the genre. And that's what I'm gonna do. I got off track again, didn't I? Ack. *slaps self* About me. Right, I can do that. The name's Bec, the age's 18 (as of 30/09/03), the current obsession is FFX. I like to spend my hours in front of my PSX or PS2, being the antisocial person I am, listening to rather loud music. You know how it is. Or maybe I'm just weird. Contact information and stuff should go in this section too, I suppose. If anyone wants to e-mail me, you can e-mail me at traybaby@gmail.com. Alternatively, if e-mail's not your bag baby, you can IM me on AIM as spiritfall freak. I did have all the other IM programs once upon a time, but they all got too clogged up, so AIM it is. This guide is (c) to meeeee, Rebecca Skinner AKA Karpah, 2003. You can read it, download it, print it off, e-mail it around unaltered, whatever. But you wanna post it on your own site? That's a no-no, sorry. This guide can ONLY be found on the following sites: --- http://www.gamefaqs.com --- http://www.neoseeker.com --- http://www.ign.com Any other sites you find it on, lemme know so I can send some nasty e-mails to webhosts. I like doing that. I'll shut up now. On with the guide! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 1.4 Revision History ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Version 1.0 - 29th November 2003 - 'Ello. My new guide! - Let's see... introduction, game basics, characters, walkthrough, some FAQs, celestial weapons, (almost all) side quests, overdrives, aeons, (almost all) lists, and customisations complete. - Next update: Monster arena, blitzball, Omega Ruins, dark aeons, bestiary, and items. I think that's it. Version 1.1 - no idea what date - Yo yo yo, I updated this thing. - Added in stat maxing section, prizes for returning to temples, and some more details on Jecht Spheres. Version 1.2 - 27th August 2004 - It's been almost a year o.O I planned to have this finished by Christmas! - A minor reformat for the whole guide - More boss statistics added Version AU - 26th January 2005 - A year, and I STILL haven't finished this thing. Sigh. - May as well update it with what I've added in the last year... someone get me off my ass to work on it again!! =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 2.0 GAME BASICS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Always important, y'know. Especially important here. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 2.1 The Story ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Welcome to Final Fantasy X. You are Tidus, the star player for the Zanarkand Abes, the local blitzball team. One night, in the middle of the championship game, Zanarkand is attacked - and completely destroyed - by an unknown creature, named Sin. Tidus washes up, after the event, in the Baaj Temple - not knowing where, or when, he is. After being saved by the Al Bhed, and attacked by Sin once more, he meets up with Wakka, a fellow blitzball player, and captain/coach of the Besaid Aurochs. From there, Tidus is on a quest, to destroy the being that ruined his life, and to get back home, to Zanarkand. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 2.2 Battles ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Battles in FFX certainly are unique, and different to any other FF game. Similarly to all other RPGs (well all that I've seen), battles are turn-based. When you get into a battle, you will notice your current characters' details on the bottom right of screen - their HP, MP, and overdrive bar. At the top right of screen, you'll have the CTB - the Conditional Turn Bar. The CTB is an entirely new introduction into FFX. No longer do we have to wait ages for ATB bars to fill up, we can see whose turn is next, and we can see the order of everyone's turns in advance, including your enemies'. Depending on the action one character takes in battle, the CTB can change markedly. For example, if a character casts Haste on themselves, their next turn will move up the list, or if they successfully cast Slow on an opponent, that opponent's next turns will move down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Battle Menus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When a character's turn comes up, they have three menus, and a number of options at their disposal. Some of these options may not be available to some characters, it depends on the development of your characters. Menu #1 (the main battle menu): Attack: Selecting the Attack command, then selecting an enemy, means your character deals out a normal attack with the weapons they have equipped. If they have no weapons, they can't attack. Summon: Only available for Yuna, no matter what, this command lets her summon an aeon into battle. Once an aeon has been summoned, they have a similar set of three menus to deal with on their turn: left menu (Overdrive), main menu (attack, aeon-specific secondary attack, skill, special, white magic, black magic), right menu (shield, boost, dismiss). Skill: Some characters can learn special skills over the course of the game, to assist in battle. Examples of these are Auron's Breaks, or Wakka's Busters. Usually associated with inflicting a negative status attack, these cost MP to perform. Only skills listed in white are available. Select Skill, then a skill to use, and then a target, and confirm to perform the skill. Special: The Special section lists all the job-specific non-magic skills. Before you go yabbering that FFX doesn't have a job system (which is true) you can't argue that Rikku's Steal, Yuna's Pray or Kimahri's Lancet aren't sort-of job-specific. Although all characters can learn and use them, they're unique to, to use the examples, a thief, a summoner, and a Ronso. To use a Special move, select the name then the move to perform, and a target (if any). White Magic: This option will always be available for Yuna, or for any other character that has learnt a white magic spell. Selecting White Magic will bring up a list of spells the character has learnt. If you don't have enough MP to cast the spell, it will appear greyed out. To cast magic, select a spell, then choose the target/s for the spell. Black Magic: This option will always be available for Lulu, or for any other character that has learnt a black magic spell. Selecting Black Magic will bring up a list of spells the character has learnt. Only spells in white are available to cast. To cast magic, select a spell, then choose the target/s for the spell. Item: As the name would suggest, this option allows the character to use an item. Selecting it brings up a list of items you have in your inventory. Only items listed in white are usable in battle. To use an item, simply select it from the item list, then select the target of the item (if applicable). eg. For a Phoenix Down, select the item Phoenix Down then choose whom you want to revive. Menu #2 (special commands): The second menu is only accessible at certain points of the game. Say, if your character's overdrive bar is full, or if they have a prescribed trigger command for a battle. This menu is only accessible when the words "Overdrive" or "Trigger command" appear above the main menu. To get to the menu, press left on the D-pad when a character's turn comes up. Accessible selections on this menu will be white, the rest will be greyed out. A character's particular overdrive (eg. Swordplay) will always be listed, along with any trigger command (eg. Talk). To use a special command, highlight it and press X. Menu #3 (boring stuff): The third menu holds the administrative stuff that you won't be using very often. Here you can change your weapon, or your armour, or you can escape from the battle. Weapon: This changes your weapon, obviously. Selecting it brings up a list of available weapons for that character. To change your weapon, just select a new one from the list. Armour: Similar to Weapon. Selecting it brings up a list of available armour for that character. To change your armour, just choose a new one from the list. Escape: This option lets that character only escape from the battle, leaving only two to do the fighting. Note that you can't escape from all battles, eg. bosses you kinda have to fight. And even if you do select Escape, sometimes your character will not be able to. There is one more option, not listed in any menu. Final Fantasy X is the first FF game in which you can change your characters in and out of battle. No longer are you stuck with the same three characters for the whole battle. When a character's turn comes up, press L1 to bring up a list of inactive characters (those not currently in your battling party). To switch them in instead of your active character, just select them. You'll find yourself switching characters a lot, depending on the type of enemy you face. For example, you meet a flying enemy, and Wakka is not in your party. Just switch him in to attack, then switch him out if need be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Basic Battle Strategies ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, that covers the boring stuff of the options in battles. A good strategy for winning battles is to know each character's strengths and weaknesses, and to use them accordingly. If you're fighting a bunch of Flans, for example, a group of physical attackers is not going to be useful, nor is having Kimahri or Auron against a group of flying fiends. Each character who takes a turn in battle will receive AP at the end of it, should you survive it and successfully kill your opponents. Therefore, it's recommended that for larger battles, you bring all your characters in to take at least one turn, before switching them out, so they all gain AP. AP is not split between your party, each member will gain the same amount of AP regardless of how many characters actually participated. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Status Effects ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, we all know these from previous Final Fantasy games, right? They can be a pain in the ass, if your enemies know all the bad ones to use on you. Here they are, in all their glory: Berserk: You lose control of your character, and they just perform physical attacks on random enemies automatically. Your character's strength will increase while they are Berserk, but it's generally not a good status to have. You can pick Berserk if your character appears bright red. Cure it with a Remedy or the Esuna spell. Confusion: When a character's turn comes up, they will attack people randomly automatically, be it friend or foe, a Confused character doesn't really care. A very bad status effect to have, because your party members can quite possibly kill each other like this. Pick Confusion by little diamonds circling your character's head, and cure it by using a Remedy on the affected character, casting Esuna on them, or hitting them with a physical attack. Curse: When your character gets Cursed, their overdrive bar ceases to fill up. Nothing you do in Curse status will get that bar filled, so it's generally a really bad thing. You can tell Curse if your character is fading in and out of black, and cure it with a Holy Water or Dispel. Darkness: If a character suffers from Darkness, their accuracy stat will be markedly lower than usual, meaning that far fewer of their physical attacks will actually connect with the target. For magic users, Darkness is no threat. You can spot Darkness if your characters head is surrounded by a black mist, and cure it by using Eye Drops, a Remedy, or casting Esuna. Doom: I hate seeing a timer over my character's heads. If they've been hit with Doom, the timer will count down over their turns, and when it gets to zero, they die. The timer is the only thing signalling the status, and there is no way to stop the countdown. Simply bring them back to life, should they KO. KO: Wow, we get killed in battle and it's considered only a status effect. If your character is lying in a heap on the ground, not moving, and their HP is zero, it's safe to say they've been KO'ed. Bring them back to life by either casting Life spell (Life or Full-Life) or using a Phoenix Down (or Mega-Phoenix) on them. Petrification: If your character is Petrified, they're turned to stone. That's it. They can't take turns any more, they're just... stuck. And if a character gets hit with a physical attack while Petrified, they will dissolve into dust and be removed from battle entirely, leaving you with one less member to fight with. You can pick Petrification by, understandably, your character turning into a marble statue representation of themselves, and cure it with either a Remedy, a Soft, or the Esuna spell. Poison: Another nasty one that people will be familiar with. If a character is Poisoned, they will lose 1/4 of their total HP for each turn they take under the status. Meaning, even at max HP, four turns under Poison will kill you. You can pick Poison by a little green splash over your character's head, and cure it with an Antidote, a Remedy, or Esuna. Silence: If your character is Silenced, they are unable to cast any magic spells. For physical attackers, this effect doesn't really make a difference. Spot it by a little speech bubble next to your character, and cure it with an Echo Screen, a Remedy, or an Esuna. Sleep: Well, understandable, your character goes to sleep under the Sleep status. They don't take any turns, they just crouch there snoozing. Pick it by the little Zzz coming from your character's head. You can wake a character up from Sleep with a physical attack (always works well), or by using a Remedy or casting Esuna. Slow: If your character is Slow, their agility stat goes wayyyy down and they receive turns in battle less often. It's kinda hard to pick, but your character's movements as they wait for turns will be slower. Cure Slow with either casting Haste or Esuna, or using a Remedy. Zombie: Dude, your character becomes undead! This can be both positive and negative, depending on the battle. Death spells will have no effect on a Zombified character, but curative spells or items will hurt them big time. Using a Phoenix Down on a Zombified character (should you use a Mega Phoenix or something) will kill them. You can spot Zombie if your character turns bright green (ooooh), and cure it with a Holy Water or a Remedy. Well, that's enough of that. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 2.3 Menus ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The menu is an amazing thing, with a lot of options for you to choose from. Knowing exactly how it works is key to playing the game properly. Some items on the Menu screen are only available after certain points, eg. you can only get the "Aeons" option after getting Yuna in your party, with Valefor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sphere Grid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You all know what the Sphere Grid is, right? If not, you'll have to check out section 2d, the Sphere Grid Explained. This option allows you to enter the Sphere Grid, and customize your characters. In the Sphere Grid, you can Move spaces on the Grid, Use spheres to activate nodes, or press L1/R1 to quick-switch between characters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Item ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Again, pretty much self-explanatory. Here you can see all the items you have acquired in the game so far. There are four options here: 1) Use. To actually use an item, you'll have to select Use, then the item, then a person to use it on (if applicable). 2) Sort. When you pick up items in the game, they'll just be placed in your inventory in the order you collect them. To sort them, i.e. to list all the recovery items first in order of strength, etc. select Sort. Manual means you can set them in the order you like by switching the positions of any two items in the inventory. Auto sorts them automatically, like I stated previously. 3) Equipment. Here you can simply view your equipment, or sort it. Select Equipment, and then Manual to have the option to scroll down the list. Selecting Auto will sort it automatically, into a group of weapons for Tidus, then armour for Tidus, then weapons for Yuna, etc. You get the drift. 4) Key Items. Here you can view the designated Key Items you've picked up in the game. There's a limited number of these, and they include things like Crests, Sigils, and Al Bhed primers. Once you've selected it, you can just press up and down to scroll through the list and see what you've got and what you haven't. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With this sub-menu, you can view/use abilities your characters have learnt. Only curative white magic abilities are usable outside battle, the rest will appear greyed out. Selecting Ability, then a character, will bring up a list of all abilities learnt, including Special moves, Skills, White Magic and Black Magic, sorted into their respective groups. Once in the Ability screen, you can press L1 and R1 to quick-switch between characters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overdrive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a really important section. Here you can view the overdrives each character has learnt, view their overdrive bar, and view and set their overdrive mode. Most of this stuff is covered in more detail in section 9, Overdrives, but I'll explain it a little here. After selecting Overdrive and a character to view, you have two options: 1) View. This is where you get a list of all the overdrives a character has learnt, eg. the different types of Swordplay Tidus has. You can also see the character's overdrive bar and how full it is, plus the mode of overdrive they are using. 2) Set Mode. Here you can change their mode of overdrive to whatever other mode the character has learnt. Different modes mean the overdrive bar fills up when different things happen, eg. for Stoic, the bar fills when the character takes damage, and for Warrior, the bar fills when the character inflicts damage. You start off with only Stoic, but over time your characters can learn up to 16 different modes. Select Set Mode, then the mode, to change it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Equip ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here you can set the weapon and armour each character has equipped in battle. Fairly standard, really. Select Equip, and then a character to equip. Use L1 and R1 to quick-switch between characters. Weapon: Selecting Weapon brings up a list of available weapons for that character. Moving up and down the list shows you the abilities each weapon has, and to change weapons, just select the new one. Armour: This works similarly to Weapon. Selecting Armour brings up a list of available armour for that character to equip. Moving up and down the list shows you the abilities each piece has, and just select the new armour to change over. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Status ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here you can view just about everything about your character. Choose Status, and then a character to bring up a dazzling array of information. Press L1 and R1 to quick-switch between characters. You can view all of a character's stats here, as well as their armour and overdrive info. Pressing X will cycle you though the ability screens, of auto-abilities (on weapons and armour), skills, special moves, white magic, and black magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aeons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here you can view your aeons and their stats and abilities, as well as customizing their attributes. 1) Status. Similar to character status, you can view an aeon's status. Their stats, their overdrive and special attack, and you can cycle through their abilities as well. 2) Abilities. This option is only available after receiving the Summoner's Soul from Belgemine. After selecting an aeon, you can teach them abilities, using items. This is covered in more detail in the Aeons section, but I'll detail it a bit here. To teach an ability, select an available ability (listed in white). 3) Attributes. This is also covered pretty well in the Aeons section. It will only be available if you have the Aeon's Soul, obtainable from Belgemine. To increase an aeon's attributes, select the attribute to increase from the ones listen in white, and confirm it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Formation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can change your line-up of characters using this option. The first three go into battle by default, so use the Formation option to switch characters around into your particular preference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Customize ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section is only available after Rikku joins your party after the Moonflow. Using items, you can customize auto-abilities on your weapons and armour. For a full list of different abilities and stuff, you'll have to check the Customisation section of this guide. For a brief explanation of how to do it, select the option, then the weapon/armour to customize, then the ability to customize onto it. Only weapons/armour/abilities listed in white are customisable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Config ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Heres where you get to tamper with all the nitty-gritty details of the game that you can tamper with. Sound: Set to either Stereo or Mono. Not much difference, ya? Subtitles: If you're like me, you'll leave these On, because sometimes it can be hard to make out the words a character says. Turn them Off if you're too lazy to read. Names: In the subtitles, do you need each character's name displayed? If so, turn them On. If not, turn them Off. If Subtitles are Off, it doesn't make a whit of difference what this is set to. Cursor: This is an interesting one. You can set it to Default or Memory, depending on if you want the cursor to "remember" where it last was in battle. For example, if one character used an item, the next character would start their turn with the cursor already on Item. If this sounds good, set it to Memory. Help: If you're a lazy sod like me, you'll like the Help menu, as it displays interesting stuff during battles, including tips on defeating your foe/s. Leave it On, or switch it Off, your choice. Aeons: This has to do with the length of the aeon summon animation. Some of them get pretty long, and if you don't want to see the entire thing every time you summon one, select Short, otherwise, leave it as Default. Map: Also a very useful function, the Map function is the overhead radar screen always present in the top-left corner of your field screen. Turn it Off if you don't need to be told where to go, and where the doors and save spheres are. Vibration: Standard, really. Do you want your controller to go bzzzzzzzzzzzzt at you when random things like aeon summons occur? Select your option accordingly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Help ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is actually a really useful section, giving you heaps of good information. I didn't discover the usefulness of this section until it came to writing this. There's three options: Basic Controls: Details the controls for the field, for battles, and for the menu. Fairly standard. Basic Terms: Gives nice definitions for a number of terms that might be familiar or might be new to you. These terms are: Battle Mode, CTB Window, Damage Indicators, Switch, Overdrives, Trigger Commands, Elements, Status Ailments, The Info Window, Change Weapon/Armour, Defend, and Overkill. Reference: The best section. Lots of good reference material here. Four sections to it: 1) Overdrives: Here you can learn the basics about each character's overdrive, what it does, how to use it. 2) Overdrive Modes: Gives you the basics on what it means to have different modes. Doesn't give you many of the different modes, just Stoic, Warrior, and Healer, but my guide's here to explain the rest, right? 3) Auto-Abilities: Long list here, covered in more detail in the Customisation section. As that previous section would suggest, these are lists and details of all the abilities you can customize onto your armour and weapons. Doesn't tell you what's required to customize each, though. 4) Command Abilities: A list (with details) of all the abilities your characters can learn. These details are the ones I've used in my abilities lists. And that's it! Once you've got all that, you've mastered the menu. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 2.4 The Sphere Grid Explained ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Sphere Grid can be a tricky thing to wrap your head around. It's the method of upgrading and customising your characters, in Final Fantasy X. No longer do we get AP to level or characters up from 1 to 100, and get stat increases accordingly. Nuh-uh. No way. I'll try to explain this as simply as possible. After battles, instead of EXP, we now collect AP. AP and EXP sorta work similarly, when you get enough AP, you'll go up one Sphere Level. Sphere Levels could be seen as equivalent to levels in a normal RPG, but in FFX you spend these Sphere Levels to move around the Sphere Grid. When you spend the levels, your Sphere Level goes downnnn. So, what exactly is the Sphere Grid? It's like a giant board game board, with circular paths winding all around the place. Each of your characters starts in a different section of the board. Every time you get a Sphere Level, you can use it to move one space on the board, in the direction of your choice (the path is linear, though). Each space you can land on is called a 'node'. Got that so far? We spend Sphere Levels to move around the grid, from node to node. Some of these nodes we land on are empty nodes, which are pointless to us. But most are not empty, and they can be stat nodes or ability nodes. Examples of these are HP +200, STR +4, MAG +2, Steal, Dark Buster, or Cure. Still with me? The paths around the grid contain nodes. While the nodes are just plain, and boring, they're no fun; but when we activate each of them, our characters get the stat bonuses or learn the abilities that are on the node. Each character travels along the board, activating each node they pass as they spend Sphere Levels. Each node activated only boosts the character that activated it, and two people can activate the same node to both receive the stat bonus. This is how our characters become more powerful. The more battles you fight, the more AP you get, the more Sphere Levels you will obtain, and the faster you can move around the grid activating nodes and powering up. Make good sense? Okay, that's the tricky bit out of the way. Now, how to activate nodes? Activating nodes is done with spheres. On your travels, before you even get to see the sphere grid, you will have picked up items from battles like ability spheres, mana spheres, or power spheres. These are what we use to activate nodes. Logically, ability spheres are used on ability nodes, and so on. You don't actually have to be on a node to activate it, but you do have to be only one step away, following the path. Meaning, you can activate a node one step ahead of you, or one step behind. For a complete list of spheres, and what they all do... (do not be daunted by this list pleeease)... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Basic Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These are ones you will use to activate nodes you meet along the way, such as abilities and stats. -> Ability Sphere: Activates ability nodes, such as white magic, black magic, skills, or specials. -> Fortune Sphere: Activates luck nodes. These are indeed rare. -> Mana Sphere: Activates MP, Magic, and Magic Defence nodes -> Power Sphere: Activated HP, Strength, and Defence nodes -> Speed Sphere: Activates Agility, Accuracy, and Evasion nodes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key Spheres are used to unlock Key Locks found randomly throughout the grid. These Key Locks usually seal off very rare skills, or separate one character's section of the grid from another. Once you've unlocked a Key Lock, it turns into an empty node that all characters can pass. -> Level 1 Key Sphere: Unlocks a Level 1 Key Lock. -> Level 2 Key Sphere: Unlocks a Level 2 Key Lock. -> Level 3 Key Sphere: Unlocks a Level 3 Key Lock. -> Level 4 Key Sphere: Unlocks a Level 4 Key Lock. Well, those made perfect sense, right? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stat Creation Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stat creation spheres get used on empty nodes, to turn them into stat nodes. Once you've created a stat node using one, you can activate it normally with one of your basic spheres. Any stat node created from an empty node using a stat creation sphere can be activated by any character passing it, not just the one who created it. -> HP Sphere: Turns an empty node into a HP +300 node. -> MP Sphere: Turns an empty node into a MP +40 node. -> Strength Sphere: Turns an empty node into a STR +4 node. -> Defence Sphere: Turns an empty node into a DEF +4 node. -> Magic Sphere: Turns an empty node into a MAG +4 node. -> Magic Defence Sphere: Turns an empty node into a MDF +4 node. -> Agility Sphere: Turns an empty node into an AGL +4 node. -> Evasion Sphere: Turns an empty node into an EVA +4 node. -> Accuracy Sphere: Turns an empty node into an ACC +4 node. -> Luck Sphere: Turns an empty node into a LUK +4 node. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Complimentary Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No, not spheres that will spend all day telling you how pretty you are. Complimentary spheres are used to activate nodes for one character that a different character has already activated. These need not be on the same sort of path or anything, you can just use one to activate any other node already activated. A good example of how to use complimentary spheres: Say you've gotten one of your characters to the point of learning Ultima, and they activate the Ultima node. Using Black Magic Spheres, you can then get each of your characters to learn Ultima (even if they are nowhere near, off in their own parts of the grid), because one character already did. Capiche? -> Attribute Sphere: Activates a stat node that was already activated by another character. -> Black Magic Sphere: Activates a Black Magic node that was already activated by another character. -> Master Sphere: Activates ANY node that was already activated by another character. -> Skill Sphere: Activates a Skill node that was already activated by another character. -> Special Sphere: Activates a Special node that was already activated by another character. -> White Magic Sphere: Activates a White Magic node that was already activated by another character. Make all good sense? These spheres are rare, and should be used wisely. Moving on... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Random Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These are the rarest of the lot, and each have their own unique function. -> Clear Sphere: Turns any stat node into an empty node. Useful if you're into serious stat maxing, you can do things like clear a STR +1 node and replace it with STR +4. If you clear a node, any character that had activated that node will lose the stat bonus from it. -> Friend Sphere: Moves a character to any other character's current location on the sphere grid. Say you've just started Wakka into Auron's section of the grid, you can send another character there to travel that same path using a Friend Sphere. -> Return Sphere: Returns a character to any node that they themselves have previously activated. If you get to the end of a long path, you can use one of these to take you back to the start so you can go another way, or back to a branching point so you can head off a different way. -> Teleport Sphere: Moves a character to any activated node on the grid, regardless of who activated it. -> Warp Sphere: Move one character to any other node on the grid, activated or not. As you can see, the Warp Spheres would be the rarest of all, because with them you can skip your characters around the grid at will. Mostly, you'll be dealing with basic spheres and key lock spheres, which is why I listed them first. So, if you understood all that, you now know the basics of how the sphere grid works. To sum it up... 1) Fight battles to get AP. 2) Use AP to gain Sphere Levels. 3) Use Sphere Levels to move along the path on the grid. 4) Activate each node as you pass it, to learn abilities and boost your stats. For the most part, each character's path is linear. Small subsections will be separated by Key Locks, you can choose to travel through them or just to keep going. Each character has their set path, and at the end of that, their path will usually connect to the start of the path of another character, with a high-level Key Lock in between. Theoretically, you could spend forever sending your characters around the grid. If you want to get perfect stats, you will have to send each of your characters around the ENTIRE grid (and do a lot of clearing and stat creating). A safe guideline for the sphere grid is to get each character to the end of their path before you beat the game. If you want to go kung-fu, start each character on a second path. --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- 2.4.1 The Standard and Expert Sphere Grids --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- If you're playing the International/PAL version of Final Fantasy X, you will be given a choice of sphere grids at the start, from the Standard and Expert sphere grids. What's the difference between the two? I'm glad you asked. Like the names would suggest, the Expert Sphere Grid is tailored for more expert players, who want to have greater power in controlling the customisation of their characters. While the Standard grid starts each character off in separate sections with their own path to follow, the Expert grid starts all characters in the same central spiral (with the exception of Rikku, who starts one Level 1 Key Lock away). The Standard Sphere Grid is a lot easier to understand, as you just plod along activating nodes. The Expert Grid requires planning and preparation, as it's full of branches where you choose the path to take. Each character has the option of following any path, should you decide to customize them that way. If you want to have a whole party of black mages, or power hitters, you can. That's the beauty of the Expert Grid. To all you people playing the bring old NTSC version, you're stuck with the Standard Grid, which is still exciting and all, but not as fun as the Expert Grid. Currently I'm training all my characters to be power hitters like Auron, in the Expert Grid. You can't do that now, can you, NTSC people? Stat maxing is more difficult on the Expert Grid, as there are approximately 50 fewer nodes to fill. But unless you're willing to spend a few hundred hours getting perfect stats, this makes little difference. Enjoy your travels on the sphere grid, and power all your characters up to be whatever you want them to be. It's fun. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 3.0 CHARACTERS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- This section's kinda important. You wanna know who you're taking to save the world, right? ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.1 Tidus ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 17 Tidus is our fun-loving main character of this here game. A star player for the Zanarkand Abes, he's thrown into the future by Sin and is desperately seeking nothing more than a means to get home. Tidus uses swords marked light-blue in the menu as weapons. His great strength at the beginning of the game is his agility. He takes turns fast, and works best against grounded enemies, preferably those without a shell. Over the game, he'll also learn white magic such as Haste and Slow. Base Stats: HP: 520 MP: 12 STR: 15 DEF: 10 MAG: 5 MDF: 5 AGL: 10 LUK: 18 EVA: 10 ACC: 10 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.2 Yuna ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 17 Yuna is our female lead of this game. She's a summoner, on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple at Spira, to hopefully gain the necessary tools to defeat Sin. As well as being the only character to have the power to call forth aeons, Yuna is a dedicated white mage, arming herself with staves marked magenta. She does jack all in the physical attack department, having basically zero strength, but she has the highest magic stat. She will learn white spells like Cura, Protect, Shell, Regen and Holy on her trip through the sphere grid. Base Stats: HP: 475 MP: 84 STR: 5 DEF: 5 MAG: 20 MDF: 20 AGL: 10 LUK: 17 EVA: 30 ACC: 3 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.3 Wakka ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 24 Wakka is captain-coach of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda. One of the worst blitzball teams in history, Wakka quits it to become one of Yuna's full-time guardians. Being a blitz player, naturally Wakka uses blitzballs (marked grey) as weapons. He has remarkable accuracy, and works best against flying fiends, or ground-based ones without a hard shell. He'll also learn several status-inflicting skills to use. Base Stats: HP: 618 MP: 10 STR: 14 DEF: 10 MAG: 5 MDF: 10 AGL: 7 LUK: 19 EVA: 5 ACC: 25 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.4 Auron ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 35 Auron is the mysterious figure that draws Tidus to Spira. He was a guardian of Yuna's father, Lord Braska, and now he accompanies Yuna. His past is a mystery, much like everything else about him. Auron will be, without a doubt, the strongest person in your party. His strength is unrivalled, and he carries huge swords (marked navy blue) as weapons. All of his weapons are piercing, meaning they will cut through a hard shell, but he doesn't work so good against flyers. Over the grid, he'll also learn Break skills to decrease your opponents' stats. Base Stats: HP: 1030 MP: 33 STR: 20 DEF: 15 MAG: 5 MDF: 5 AGL: 5 LUK: 17 EVA: 5 ACC: 3 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.5 Kimahri ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 25 Kimahri is a member of the Ronso tribe, a pack of big blue beasts with horns poking out of their foreheads. But Kimahri was disgraced, as chose to become one of Yuna's guardians, and now finds nemesis in his brothers. Kimahri is an interesting character to fight with, because you can customize him almost any way you want. His section of the sphere grid is in the centre, surrounded by starting points to everyone else's section, so you can customize Kimahri as you see fit. He uses piercing lances, marked violet on the weapon screen. Base Stats: HP: 644 MP: 78 STR: 16 DEF: 15 MAG: 5 MDF: 17 AGL: 6 LUK: 18 EVA: 5 ACC: 5 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.6 Lulu ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 22 Lulu is seen as an older sister to Yuna, and is another of her first group of dedicated guardians. She also has a mysterious history with Wakka, and his now-deceased brother Chappu. As Yuna is a white mage, Lulu is a black mage. She uses moogle dolls, marked light green, as weapons, believe it or not. Like Yuna, her strength is virtually non-existent, but she makes up for it with very high magic and magic defence, and a barrage of spells like Watera, Blizzaga, Flare, and Ultima. Base Stats: HP: 380 MP: 92 STR: 5 DEF: 8 MAG: 30 MDF: 20 AGL: 5 LUK: 17 EVA: 40 ACC: 3 ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 3.7 Rikku ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Age: 15 Rikku's our bright and cheerful Al Bhed contingent, and our resident pickpocket. After saving Tidus in the Baaj Temple, she's washed away in Sin's attack, and then rescued by Tidus later on. Does she also bear some resemblance to Yuna? As a thief and an Al Bhed, Rikku has a whole host of relevant Skills such as Mug, Bribe, Nab Gil, Use and Spare Change. Her other stats are fairly ordinary, except for a sky-high agility stat. She'll be taking turns fast, but not doing a lot of damage. Base Stats: HP: 385 MP: 85 STR: 10 DEF: 8 MAG: 8 MDF: 10 AGL: 16 LUK: 18 EVA: 5 ACC: 5 =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 4.0 THE WALKTHROUGH =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- The important bit. Here we go! Chuck your FFX DVD into the PS2, and select a new game. If playing International, you'll be prompted to select a Sphere Grid to use for the game. Check my Sphere Grid section for details on the different ones, and which you should choose. Once you've picked one (or completely bypassed the choice if playing NTSC), you'll get the most beautifulest opening scene ever. Seven characters, sitting around a campfire, in the ruins of a once-great city. What's happening? We wouldn't have a clue. So just watch. When we see this scene a second time, as we will late in the game, it will all make sense. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Zanarkand ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- It's night time, in Zanarkand, a pretty cool-looking place. I love the colours used here. People are all gathering around, and then run to see someone approaching... followed by a small boy in purple. Who have the people flocked to see? You. The main character of this here game. Tidus. Once you get control of Tidus, run him down into the group of people, and start talking to them. Sign the balls of the two girls on the right, and input a new name for Tidus if you wish. Once Tidus has dedicated his goals in the game to the girls, talk to the three children on the left. He signs their balls too. After you've done, keep heading forward past the children and a scene will take over. The kids want Tidus to teach them how to blitz. He's a star blitzball player you see, which is like the world's national sport. He says he'll teach them tonight, but the boy in purple interrupts, saying he can't. Okay, tomorrow then. Promise! Now we get an awesome scene of the city. Doesn't it look cool? Tidus is walking along the road, and he sees a man on a giant billboard. The man is his father, Jecht. Once the announcer starts talking, just run straight down the road. The announcer will talk about how Jecht, the greatest blitzball player the world ever saw, disappeared into thin air, and now, ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup is on! That's the game Tidus is playing in. At the end of the road, you'll reach the blitzball stadium. Fight your way through the hordes of gaggling girls to get into the stadium. And now we have the coolest movie in a video EVAR. Blitzball! This is undoubtedly the coolest sport ever seen. Played in a giant spherical pool, two teams battle it out, while an unknown man watches from far above the stadium. The man seems to have power, as he commands a wall of water into the city. It sucks buildings in, and destroys everything, but the people in the stadium remain oblivious... Until Tidus jumps out of the water for a special shot, and the water overtakes the arena. Watch as the beautiful Zanarkand is destroyed. What a way to open a game, eh? When Tidus gets up outside the stadium, we'll see the map screen for the first time, in the top left corner. Use it well, as it makes navigating things pretty easy. Tidus is the yellow triangle (of course), and the way he has to go is shown by the red arrow. At the bottom of the walkway, you'll see the man who was watching before. Tidus knows who he is. "Auron!" Auron was here waiting for Tidus. Wha? What's happening? Follow him as he walks off. As Tidus looks around hopelessly, not having a clue what's going on, time stands still. Yes, really. The boy is back again, with some cryptic words for you. It begins. Don't cry. (Okay.) Just who the hell is this kid, anyways? When time turns back to normal, Tidus begins to realize the enormity of what's happening. The entire town is being destroyed. And Auron is walking straight towards the giant blob of water that came to wreak the havoc. Tidus tries to warn him, not this way. But Auron will not be dissuaded. They called that giant thing "Sin". Cool, eh? Evil. Sin's not done blowing shit up yet, he sends a giant tentacle, covered in scales, into the side of the building. The scales jump onto the roadway, and come to life! Tidus, being the smart kid he is, tries to defend himself against them with his bare hands. Auron, being the clever old man he is, gives Tidus a sword, a gift from Jecht. (But Jecht died ten years ago... what on earth is happening here?) And we enter battle mode, the first of the game. Auron's got the right idea, cut through these ones and run. So start attacking. Keep attacking until the two of you break free and head for the hills. Unfortunately, you don't make it to the hills. You make it over the crest in the road to find another of the giant tentacles, and the first boss of the game. You get a tutorial on overdrives, and then you have to fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sinspawn Ammes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 2400 (1000) MP: 400 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 5 MDF: 1 AGL: 9 LUK: 10 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Sleep, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Doom, Scan, Demi, Eject ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay. First boss. Lucky, he's an easy one. It's kinda really hard to die on this boss, for reasons which will become painfully clear as the fight goes on. Follow the instructions first of all, to use Auron's Dragon Fang overdrive by following the key combination listed (left up right down L1 R1 circle X). That will take out all the Sinscales in the picture, as well as doing some nice damage to Ammes. Once you've done that, start attacking the thing. With each hit, you'll knock off one of it's little dangly tentacle things on top. Obviously, we want to kill all of them, then it. After an attack or two, you'll see Ammes' big move: Demi. Too right, his only attack wipes off half your current HP each time. Meaning, it can't kill you. See how I mean, it's impossible to die? Use Tidus' Spiral Cut overdrive when it comes up, following the instructions from before on how to access them. Stop the moving bar when it's in the centre section for maximum effect of the move, then just keep attacking until Ammes dies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Damn that Ammes looks cool, with that blue and purple, as he melts down. You won't get anything from that battle, though. Follow Auron past the dead Sinspawn, and save your game at the save sphere on the right if you wish. Keep running, and a scene will take over. Tidus thinks Jecht, on the big screen, is laughing at him. (Haha Tidus.) He wants to leave, to run the other way, but Auron informs him that "they're expected". Uh oh, more Sinscales come onto the screen. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them, littering the road. And you've gotta fight. Attack and kill the three in front of you, and Auron will realize that this could be a bad situation. He spots the tanker on the side of the road - aim for that! So beat up the poor innocent defenceless tanker a bit. After five or six hits it will go down, taking all the scales with it. Of course, that's not all the tanker blew up. The roadway's in a shambles, but you're gonna keep running anyways. Tidus blindly follows Auron through the flames, then defies gravity to jump and catch the end of a rising patch of the bitumen. Why is the bitumen rising? Sin is overhead, sucking you up into it! Auron questions Sin, are you sure? (Umm wha?) Obviously, Sin gives an affirmative response, because both Tidus and Auron are drawn into the light, and all goes black. When we come to, Tidus is underwater, yet it looks like he's swimming high above Zanarkand. Press circle to go down, and when you get as low as you can go, you'll see a blue platform behind Tidus. Swim there, and you'll find Tidus as a little boy. He does a little bit of soul-searching as he narrates what happens next, that he had a dream of being alone. What's happening to him? ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Underwater Ruins (Baaj Temple) ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Tidus wakes up alone, on a bit of driftwood, in the middle of a dark grey ocean. There's nothing around him but water, more debris, and the odd loon. When you get the chance to swim, follow the red arrow, but take a detour. On the overhead map, on the squares on the right side of screen, you'll find steps leading up to a plateau. Head up to find 200 gil in a chest and some weird writing that poor Tidus can't decipher. Back in the water, head north-west. Just north-west of the six little squares on the map, you'll find another area, with two Potions and an Al Bhed compilation sphere. If you've played FFX on your memory card before, load your Al Bhed dictionary here. If not, ignore the previous sentence. Once you've got all that, head back in the water and follow the arrow to find the stairs outta there. We still have no clue where we are, but save on the left, then follow the path up. Take the path on the left to find a chest with a Hi-Potion, then go back and keep going north. Watch as the path crumbles out from underneath Tidus, and he falls back in the water. Just swim for a bit, in any direction, and a scene will take over. Some Sahagins approach, and perform some tricks for Tidus, but we have to fight them. Kill two of them, and then a bloody big thing comes along and eats up the last one. And we have a boss on our hands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Geosgaeno ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 32267 (-) MP: 128 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 36 DEF: 50 MAG: 40 MDF: 50 AGL: 48 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 50 Elements: Fire/Ice/Lightning/Water/Holy (x1.5) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay. Those stats look scary. Especially that whopping 32,000 HP. But don't worry. We're gonna hit and run here, we don't have to worry about killing him until much, MUCH later. Your attacks are pretty piss weak here, my Tidus is hitting for 29. And this thing's attacks hurt too. After your first hit, he'll hit you, and knock off, you guessed it, half your current HP. Can anything actually kill you in this game? Not yet, it would seem. After three hits, he'll get mad and go after Tidus. Tidus will swim for his life, and spot a doorway into a temple. He swims, the Geosgaeno chases... and Tidus makes it in the nick of time. End of battle. Woo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, so NOW where the hell are we? Still no clues. So just ignore that fact, and head into the temple. Scary looking place, eh? Big totems all around. The place is a wreck, and Tidus is about to freeze his buns off unless we can get some fire. In the centre of the hall, we find the remains of a campfire, now we just need the tools (eg. a flint and some tinder) to light it up again. Lets start exploring, shall we? Head through the door on the north-east side of screen, and up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, the screen will change and you'll find a Withered Bouquet in a vase on the wall. Take it, and there's your tinder. Keep heading up, and in a chest on the balcony you'll find a Hi-Potion. Back to our main hall, and dump the bouquet on the campfire. In the south-west corner (corner? In a round room?) of the hall, you'll find a save sphere. Save up, and head through the doorway. There, in a box on the floor, you'll find a flint, so go back and start a fire. Wow, our boy Tidus must have mad survival skillz, cos he gets a decent fire going. He stretches out for a rest, and straight away starts bitching about food. (Whiny little sod.) We see Tidus daydream - he's with Auron. Auron made a bad call, and your team lost because of you. (Of course, dreams aren't supposed to make sense.) It's been ten years, and he thought Tidus would be crying. Who, him? The little boy in purple from Zanarkand appears. You cried. (For some reason, that "you cried" line made me laugh, the first time I played this. I'm a tad odd, I know.) Tidus snaps back to his present world, and his campfire's gone out. He tells the fire to hold on, he'll get more wood, but before he gets the chance, he gets ambushed by a creature that has the power to walk on walls. Cool. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Klikk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 1500 (400) MP: 5 Rewards: AP: 5 (7) GIL: 50 Stats: STR: 14 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 4 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 50 Immunities: Sleep, Poison, Sensor, Scan Steal: Grenade x1 (normal), x2 (rare) Drop: 2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We have to kill this one, unlike the last one. And this is the first thing we've found so far that can actually kill us. (Woo.) Because we don't exactly have a lot of options at the moment, attack the bugger. You'll alternate turns attacking, so when your HP gets low, use a Potion, you should have a dozen of them by now. After a while, the battle will stall. The other door to the room blows open, and behind it are a bunch of weird looking guys with some heavy artillery, led by a little blonde girl. She approaches you, and she's going to fight with you. She has the Special ability "Use", and the game runs through a tutorial of how to use Grenades. After it's done, select Special, Use, Grenade, and you'll hit the thing for a fair bit of damage. Keep Tidus attacking, and have the girl Steal (another Special ability) another couple of Grenades. Use them, and attack some more, and the Klikk will be out of your way before you know it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And we get AP for the first time! Cool! Take the 5 AP, the two ability spheres, and watch the scene. The girl takes off her mask, to reveal a pretty set of blue eyes, and Tidus is relieved. Don't relax just yet, pal. The cronies of the girl pick him up, and hold him hostage, speaking to each other in the same language you read on the totem pole outside. It's Al Bhed, in case you didn't know. And with one blow from the girl, Tidus is down and out for the count. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Al Bhed Ship/Sunken Ship ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Poor Tidus is getting his head knocked off his shoulders, and he can't understand what the goons are saying. The girl helps him to his feet, and laugh yourself stupid when you see the Al Bhed guy miming what he wants Tidus to do, with appropriate grunting sound effects. Seriously, it's hilarious. When Tidus has no clue what's going on, the guns get drawn. Quickly, the girl whispers, you can stay if you make yourself useful! She speaks English! But now Tidus knows the score, he has to work. Talk to the Al Bhed guy closest to the save sphere (even though you can't understand him) to get three Potions. In the back right corner of the boat, take the Al Bhed Primer Vol I, and start learning the Al Bhed language, one letter at a time. (Guess how many of these there are to collect?). Save your game at the save sphere, then head back and talk to the girl. She'll give you a tutorial here, on how to use the sphere grid. If you didn't read my above section on it, this might be useful to you. Or not. Either way, read it, absorb the info. If you don't know how to use the sphere grid properly, you're gonna be in a spot of bother rather soon. Once the tutorial is done, do what it says and improve Tidus now. You can get him the Cheer ability, so far. Saving up sphere levels isn't really necessary, unless you're waiting to get the spheres to activate one node before you move on. Anyways, just get Cheer for Tidus, mmkay? :) Talk to her again, and you'll find out the work you are to do. There's a sunken ship underneath, that you have to go in and investigate. Seems like these Al Bhed people are salvagers, scouring the sea for everything they can find. Once you're in the water, follow the arrow. If you get into any battles with Piranhas on the way, have the girl steal some more Grenades from them before you kill them. Take the AP, and move on. Inside the ship, in the close-right corner, you'll find a save sphere, so use it. Then bang on the computer terminal a bit, and the door will open. (Mechanical skills to boot! I like this guy!) Follow the tunnels along, and you'll get ambushed by a bunch of Piranhas. Meh, no big deal, kill the things, stealing a couple more Grenades first. After you've done that, examine the thing the girl is pointing to, and Tidus will bang on it, making it work. (Incredible.) Unfortunately, while it's working and all, an octopus has swum into the ship to make life difficult for you. Head back yo the ship entrance after the scene, and in the main circular cavern, you'll get into a fight with Tros. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Tros ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 2200 (600) MP: 10 Rewards: AP: 8 (12) GIL: 100 Stats: STR: 10 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 12 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 20 Immunities: Silence, Darkness, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Demi, Eject Steal: Grenade x1 (normal), x3 (rare) Drop: 2x Power Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ba, bada, bada da da da.... <3 battle theme. Anyways, let's focus on killing Tros. This is what we've been stealing Grenades for. Have the girl keep using grenades (mine had eight of them here), while Tidus attacks. Should either of you reach Overdrive, even better, use it. Eventually, Tros will get fed up and move out of attack range. Now we get a tutorial on trigger commands. If you've read my battle section, you already know what they are too, special commands that become available in certain battles. Here, the trigger command is Standby, meaning you won't take your turn but recover 50 HP. Put both Tidus and the girl in Standby, and then Tros will come and charge, hitting you for a fair bit of damage. Keep yourself cured up, because Tros can do quite a bit of damage. Steal another Grenade from Tros and turf it at him, if you want. When he ducks away the second time, you get the Pincer Attack trigger command, so use it to surround the guy. Now he can only hit one of you at a time, shweet. Attack him some more, and after a while, Tros will have had enough, and die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once the battle's over, follow the girl and the red arrow out of the ship. Its power will come on, so take the girl and follow the arrow (I bet you'll get sick of that phrase real soon) back to the Al Bhed salvage ship. Watch the pretty underwater scene, as we fade to black. Back on dry land. (Well, dry ship.) The Al Bhed are talking about an airship (that word stands out, at least), and when Tidus tries to follow them inside, they kick him out. (Aww.) As he moans more about food, the girl appears, with a plate of what looks like tomato pasta or something. Him, being the pig he is, eats so fast he chokes, luckily the girl is there with a flask of water for him. Tidus is overjoyed to talk to the girl, who identifies herself as Rikku. But why didn't she say something earlier, about the fact she spoke English? She didn't get a chance to, they thought he was a fiend! She tells him that they are, in fact, Al Bhed, and Tidus doesn't even know what an Al Bhed is. He relates with pride that he's from Zanarkand, and tells her all about life there, blitzball, and Sin's attack, which shocks Rikku a tad. Why does it shock her? Because there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. Tidus is sputtering, not understanding. He's been thrown a thousand years into the future? What the? When the scene's over, talk to Rikku again for another scene. She says you should to go Luca, you might find someone you know there. Luca? Rikku groans at Tidus' lack of knowledge. But leave it to her, she'll take you to Luca, promise. And one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, Yevon says it's a holy place, so you might upset someone. Yevon? Sin? Luca? Zanarkand, some sort of holy place? Tidus can't come to grips in this. He thought Sin just sent him to a distant place, that he could go home in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future? He kicks the side of the boat, in sheer frustration. And it seems to be the catalyst for something to rise up out of the water nearby... it's Sin! The Al Bhed are out, ready to fight Sin off, but as the boat lurches violently Tidus gets knocked overboard, sucked down into a swirling vortex of water.... Save your game here, please, in the unknown sea. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Besaid ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- When Tidus wakes up, he's floating in a clear blue sea on what looks to be a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky, quite the contrast from the Al Bhed ship. Again, no clue where we are now. He calls out for Rikku - but she's nowhere to be found. As he turns around in the water, searching, he gets conked in the back of the head... with a blitzball! There's people standing on the beach nearby, apologizing profusely, led by a big guy with orange hair. Tidus is ecstatic to see a blitzball, and he picks it up and performs his signature shot, the Sphere Shot (no other shots available, yet ^_^) The ball narrowly misses the guys on the beach, and sails up into the air... the leader is impressed, really impressed. When you get control of Tidus, don't swim up to the beach just yet. Head right, around the heads, to a secret beach, and pick up the Moon Crest (not useful till much much later.) Then head to the guys on the beach. A scene will take over, where the big guy with orange hair will approach you. He doesn't believe the shot Tidus just made, so Tidus demonstrates other skills. The guy wants to know who Tidus plays for, so he happily replies, "The Zanarkand Abes." You silly boy, remember what Rikku told you? So he uses the toxin excuse you will get sick of hearing rather soon. The big orange-headed guy introduces himself as Wakka, captain-coach of the Besaid Aurochs. (We already knew we were in Besaid. We're clever.) Tidus reacts rather negatively to this revelation, so Wakka offers to take him back to the village for food. Follow him off the beach, and watch the scene. Tidus asks Wakka if Zanarkand really was destroyed a thousand years ago, and Wakka settles in to tell a story. There were a whole lot of big cities in Spira once, with machina running them. Sin came and destroyed the cities, and is now in Spira as a punishment to the people for letting things get out of hand. Now, they have to repent for their sins, and everyone is suffering "for what some goofballs did way back when". Tidus wants to find Sin one more time. Everything started with Sin, and he figures it will end with Sin. The poor kid just wants to go home. Is that so wrong? Save your game, then head inland to find Wakka. Follow him to the edge of the cliff, then laugh as Wakka sneaks behind Tidus and pushes him in the water. Once in, just follow the river along, starting heading down on the map. You'll get into battles with Piranhas along the way, and notice Wakka's weapon - a blitzball! Baha. On the way, if you swim around underwater, you'll find a few treasure chests containing a Hi-Potion, 2x Antidote, and eventually a scene will take over. Wakka's got a favour to ask Tidus. He wants him on the Aurochs! There's a blitz tournament on soon, all the best teams in Spira will be there! Tonelessly, Tidus agrees to play with Wakka in it. Seems he's not too keen on the idea, ya? Out of the water, the two are on a plateau, overlooking a small village. That's Besaid, and Wakka's lived there all his life. In the conversation, he reveals himself to be 23 years old (wonder how old Tidus is? Looks to be about sixteen) and tells that the Besaid Aurochs never won a game in ten years. So he quit, and got a new job. But he's back, for one last shot, he wants to go out with a bang, so to speak. After the scene, which ends with Tidus telling Wakka that the goal is always victory, head down the path. You'll meet up with Gatta and Luzzu, two Crusaders. Yes, Tidus forgot who they are too. So, after pledging to ask about them in the village, keep running down the path. On the next screen, you'll get to the village. Tidus just wants food, but Wakka tells him to look around first. (Must Tidus think only of his stomach?) The Crusaders' lodge is over yonder, and, before Wakka forgets, he asks Tidus if he knows the prayer. Choose a response that seems most appropriate and Wakka will show him how to pray to Yevon. What's the prayer? The blitzball sign for victory. Now, Tidus is on his own in the town. He has to go present himself to the temple summoner, but we're gonna check stuff out first. Start from the bottom left side of town (town, hah, I made a joke) and work your way around. There's a chest on the left with a Phoenix Down, and an item shop in the first house. Before the second house, you'll notice a tiny grey offshoot on the map, leading to a hidden area, so head through the grass. There you'll find 2x Potion, 400 gil, and a Hi-Potion. The second house on the left is the Crusaders' lodge. There you can save your game, access an information booth, grab Al Bhed Primer Vol II from the bench, and talk with Gatta and Luzzu. They'll tell you all about the Crusaders, and Tidus is shocked that they've been fighting Sin for 800 years without defeating it. They direct you to the temple, to regain your memory. So go and enter the temple, the really big thing at the end of town that you kinda can't miss. Inside, Tidus realizes that Spira is so much different from his own world. Listen to the song, the Hymn of the Fayth. I love it. You'll hear it several times, in several incarnations. Head forward, and a scene will take over with Tidus, the statues, and the temple summoner. It was ten years ago, that High Summoner Braska defeated Sin. Summoners are people that protect the people of Yevon using entities of great power - aeons. Once you've heard that, and Tidus displays his great ignorance saying he's just respecting some great men, head out. I bet Tidus is still kinda hungry, so go find Wakka's hut, it's the middle one on the right side. Talk to Wakka, and he'll tell you its not time for lunch, but take a nap. Do it, and another scene will take over. The summoner is in to see Wakka, asking him to see how they're doing. But Wakka is adamant, they can't interfere. (What's happening NOW?) And Tidus switches from there into a dream... people are on a boat, telling a woman it's been nearly a day already, and people are out searching for him. Searching for who? For Jecht. Mini-Tidus doesn't give two hoots either way, really. He hates his father, wants him to die. But if Jecht dies, Tidus will never be able to tell him how much he hates him. Tidus wakes up, alone in the hut. No Wakka in sight, he went to the temple with the summoner, so go there. Yes something's wrong, the summoner hasn't returned from the trial. When Tidus is bemused, Wakka explains. Beyond the doors is the Cloister of Trials, at which the apprentice summoner must pray. If the prayer is heard by Yevon, they become a fully fledged summoner. But it's been a whole day, and they haven't returned. When Tidus hears it might be dangerous in there, and that the summoner might die, he heads in to help them out, despite Wakka's warnings that it's forbidden. Tidus has his first logical moment ("Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all") as we're faced with the first of the Cloisters of Trials. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Besaid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These things start off simple, get tricky real fast. The mini-tutorial tells you, examine objects with X. So examine the glowing glyph on the far wall, and another glyph will appear on your right. Tough it, and the wall will rise to reveal a doorway. Head through, and down the stairs. At the bottom examine the glyph to learn about spheres. Glyph spheres open the way to the Chamber of the Fayth, Destruction spheres open the way to hidden treasure. Besaid spheres are also necessary. Tidus will take the sphere from the wall, so take it down the stairs and insert it into the hole on the door. Once it opens, take it out and keep walking. Around the next corner, you'll see brightly-lit markings on the left wall. Insert the sphere from the door here. A secret room will be revealed, but ignore it for now and keep on going. Around the next corner, touch the glyphs on the right wall to reveal another secret room. In the room, you'll find a Besaid sphere on the far wall, so take it. Put it in the pedestal opposite the door to the room, to dissolve the wall behind it. Head back to the hidden room you opened before, the one I told you to ignore. Take the Destruction sphere from the wall, and insert it into the wall of the room that had been glowing bright blue. One line of purple will appear, and blow a hole in the next wall. Head out and to the room behind that wall, and grab a Rod of Wisdom. Now, back to that pedestal. Walk into it to push it. Got the hang of that? Okay, push it in a straight line down the hall. Eventually, it will stop and sink into the floor. And you're done here in this temple. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There's a number of these Cloisters of Trials, and they can be just plain icky. That was the first, and easiest. Wakka will appear once the pedestal has sunken down, wondering what's gotten into Tidus. Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and guardians, can come down here, it's tradition, very important. But he'll take Tidus along for the ride anyways. Summoners go on pilgrimages, to pray at every temple in Spira, and guardians go with them to protect them. There's two guardians in there with the apprentice summoner at the moment. Better make that three, plus Tidus. The woman guardian questions Tidus - who are you? Before he can reply, the door to the Trials opens, and our apprentice summoner appears. A young girl, about Tidus' age. She trips down the steps, but the big blue guy catches her. She's done it! She's become a summoner! Here Tidus was thinking summoners were all old geezers. Not so, my friend. Once you get control, walk him out of the temple. Wakka will call him over, the girl is about to prove that she is a summoner, and summon an aeon. Watch the awesome sequence as a giant birdy aeon appears. Tidus is impressed with the creature and its gentleness. Name Valefor, and get on with the game ;) Wakka is introducing Tidus to the rest of the Besaid Aurochs. It takes a while to teach them the idea of the goal of victory, it does, but then once you do, they won't stop chanting it! The summoner was watching you, smiling, so go over and introduce yourself. You're warned to stay away, but who cares. Her name is Yuna, as we see here, and she thanks Tidus for his help earlier. Sure, what he did was wrong, but she was overconfident and needed the help. Tidus expresses his amazement at the 'aeon thing', and the two get into a short conversation. Once she's convinced to go play with the kids some more, Wakka asks you if you think she's cute. Answer appropriately (or close your eyes and simply pick an option if you're female and don't have an opinion on such things.) Either way, Tidus questions, but what if she comes on to me? Won't happen. Hmm, why not? After the scene, talk to Wakka to get some sleep. And Tidus will go to dream land again. In this one, we control him (sorta). When Tidus stands up, run him along the pier to your left. At the end, you will find Yuna. It appears the two of them are sneaking off to Zanarkand! If the boat doesn't arrive, people will find them soon! But Rikku appears, mad at Tidus because he said he'd take her to Zanarkand. (What's with Tidus jogging on the spot here? It looks weird.) Yeah, Wakka told you not to get any ideas about Yuna. So you have to go with Rikku, to Zanarkand. Out of nowhere, Jecht appears, telling Tidus to stop dreaming. Tidus, with a woman? He can't even catch a ball! And suddenly, Tidus is a little boy, head in his hands, crying. Cry cry, taunts Jecht. That's all you're good for! But mini-Tidus hates Jecht, and is trying to work up the guts to tell him so. Rikku and Yuna are behind Jecht, cheering Tidus on as he utters the words. I HATE YOU! As Tidus wakes up, screaming the words, he becomes aware of people outside. It's the female guardian with the humongous chest, from before (Lulu), and Wakka. Of course, Tidus has to eavesdrop. He isn't Chappu, she says. (That would be you they're talking about, Tidus my man.) Apparently, you look a lot like the guy, but Chappu is dead. Wakka shouldn't have brought you here, and he's all sheepish about the fact that he did. She storms off in a huff, leaving Wakka there morosely. Temperamental one, she is. (Kinda like me.) Tidus gently asks Wakka, who's Chappu? He was Wakka's little brother, but now he's dead. So the two sit down to have a heart to heart talk. Chappu was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it back. Wakka heard about it on the day of the last blitzball tournament, which is why he couldn't focus. That's why he became a guardian, to help defeat Sin, for revenge. After the next blitz tournament, Wakka will be a guardian full-time. He's not using Tidus, and Tidus owes him for helping him out, and he thanks him, embarrassing Wakka. After another snooze, Tidus wakes up on another perfect day. Save your game if you want, then head outside. Wakka's got a present for you, a huge-ass sword that once belonged to Chappu. Chappu never used it, so now it's yours. They're there waiting for Yuna to get ready, so they can make the journey to the boat together. Wakka explains, Yuna's been here in Besaid since the Calm started, and she's like a sister to him and Lulu. She was an apprentice, now she leaves as a summoner. And here the lady herself is, lugging a giant suitcase. She won't need it, so she's talked into leaving it there. And now you're leaving Besaid village. Don't worry, you'll be back. Follow the road out of Besaid, and the arrow. (Arrow knows best.) You'll get into a number of predetermined battles, that you can't get out of, and in them you'll learn different things. In the first, Wakka wants Tidus to try out his new sword, so smack the dingo one and be done with it. Apparently, Tidus could make a pretty good guardian one day. Then a condor appears, and flying fiends are Wakka's specialty, so use him to kill it. Further up the slope, you'll run into a water flan. Wakka thinks it's trouble, but Tidus is confident. Attack it once, and you'll find it actually is trouble. Flans are elemental, so in comes your black mage Lulu to give you a tutorial on elements. It's all pretty simple, read through it all. You have to use the opposing element. It's a water flan, so use Thunder and fry it's ass. Then you'll reach the top of the mountain. Tidus wants to keep going, but they have to wait. Save your game again if you want, then examine the statue they are all praying at. It's supposed to be good luck to pray there, for a safe journey, and Chappu never prayed there the day he left. So pray along with them for big bonus points with everyone. Keep following the path and the arrow along. On the next screen you'll pass under some big pillars, and get ambushed. Uh oh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Kimahri ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 750 (300) MP: 10 Rewards: AP: 3 (4) GIL: 100 Stats: STR: 10 DEF: 15 MAG: 8 MDF: 5 AGL: 15 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 10 Immunities: Threaten, Sensor, Scan, Eject Drop: 2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey, it's that big blue guy from before! The one in the temple! Wait, isn't he supposed to be a good guy? But he wants to fight? Oh well, your loss, pal. It's only Tidus fighting in this battle, so it's a bit like the Klikk, you'll just have to trade blows with him. Use Cheer in your first turn, because Kimahri is a big tough guy with big tough attacks like Jump, which will hit you for like 100 HP. So Cheer, then hit hit and cure up when your health goes yellow, and the fight will be over in no time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eventually, Wakka will come in and call the battle off. Cos Kimahri really is a good guy. Tidus wants to know what the mark is up with him, and Lulu explains. He's from the Ronso tribe, and he's learnt the fiends' way of fighting. He's one of Yuna's guardians, and sometimes they don't understand him either, cos he doesn't like to talk much. But he did protect Yuna, so brownie points to him. Once you've beaten Kimahri, keep on cruising. You'll get into a fight with a Garuda, and Wakka will want Yuna to show you what she's made of. You'll get a tutorial on switching members in battle, but bah you already know how to do that. Skip through the tute, then press L1 and get Yuna in there. Now you get another tutorial on summoning aeons, so guess what you have to do. Summon Valefor in, or Fanta as I named him. Now you get to play around with using aeons. You'll see that they fight just like regular characters do, with attacks, a special move, magic, etc. If you keep blasting this thing with Sonic Wings, he'll get maybe two turns at best, so do so, and wipe the floor with its candy-ass. You get one more tutorial battle, this time using Wakka's Dark Buster on another Garuda. Once you've done that, dispose of it as you wish. Then keep running along until you get to familiar territory, and go down to the beach. On the beach, follow the people to the right, towards the pier. Don't get on the boat just yet, but talk to all the people on the pier to get some items. Namely, an Ether, 3x Phoenix Down, a Seeker's Ring, 400 gil, and a Remedy. After you've picked up all that, get on the S.S. Liki. Everyone's distressed to see Yuna go, but they all realize that it is for the best. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- S.S Liki ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- And now we're on our way to Kilika. We still have no idea how we're going to get Tidus home, or where the hell he is, really. But we're loving our adventure. Tidus is, anyways. He's jumping all over some poor guy, stealing their binoculars. First he looks at the water, then at Lulu, giving her a once-over... then Yuna appears, so he stares at her. Yeah, smooth man, using a pair of binoculars to look at a girl a couple of metres away. Real smooth. You like the girl, right? So go and talk to her. You can't get to her, though, because the Aurochs are surrounding her, all ogling her. Word is, Yuna has noble blood, that she's Lord Braska's daughter! Tidus is confused, so take him over to Wakka to ask him about this. She IS the daughter of High Summoner Braska. He was the last guy to defeat Sin, ten years ago. Tidus can relate, it's tough when your father's famous. After that scene, the Aurochs disperse, so you can get to talk to Yuna. But we're gonna explore this here fine seaworthy vessel first. Head down into the lower cabin (near the little captains room) and you'll be approached by O'aka the XXIII, Merchant Extraordinaire. He doesn't like the look of Tidus, or his clothes, but he wants to borrow some money. As you don't have a lot to spend your Gil on right now, give him every last penny you have. (I gave him 1752 Gil, right about here.) Once you've paid him, head south into the power room, to find some chocobo power. After seeing the scene in which Tidus doesn't even know what a chocobo is, take the Al Bhed Primer Vol III from the south-east corner of the room. Back in O'aka's room, take the left exit. You'll find Keepa huddled in a corner, and a suitcase on the floor. Examine the suitcase, and Tidus will kick it. For your efforts, you'll get a Potion. Keep kicking it, and you'll keep collecting Potions, until you have 20 in your inventory. Sweet, eh? Then save at the save sphere back in the previous room, and only now should you go and talk to Yuna. Head up to the very front of the boat, and another scene will take over. Tidus does the old arm-stretching trick, but he doesn't casually throw his arm around Yuna. Instead, the two start giggling like hyenas, making you go, what? Anyways, Yuna asks Tidus if he really is a blitzball player from Zanarkand, and when he replies in the affirmative, Yuna goes off on a tangent about how she heard that there's a great stadium in Zanarkand, all lit up, even at night. Great tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full! How did she know that? A man named Jecht once told her, he was her father's guardian. Okay, pick your jaw up off the floor, and continue watching the scene. Jecht? Tidus' father? In Spira? As Braska's guardian? WTM!?!? Tidus is stunned and angry, and he and Yuna work out that they are in fact talking about the same Jecht. Because, you see, Jecht disappeared from Zanarkand ten years ago, but Yuna first met him in Spira, ten years and three months ago! Tidus isn't convinced - how could Jecht get here? Yuna's reply totally pwns poor Tidus - you're here, are you not? Before the two get to chit-chat any further, the boat launches violently to one side, and the music turns nasty. Guess whooooooooooooooooo! Sin is here! Watch the awesome scene. Tidus tries to grab hold of Yuna and save her, but he can't, so Kimahri comes in to save the day. Where is Sin heading? Straight towards Kilika. Some of the crew members are distraught, their families are in Kilika! They have to distract Sin, so forgive them, Lady Summoner, as they shoot harpoons into the thing. Smart move boys, now your boat's connected with the bloody thing. So you get to go on a wild ride as Sin drags you through the water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sin's Fin (and Sinscales) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sin's Fin: Points: HP: 2000 (1000) MP: 100 Rewards: AP: 10 (15) GIL: 100 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 6 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulSpark, NulTide, NulBlaze, Shell, Protect, Reflect, Haste, Regen, Eject Drop: Mana Sphere (normal/rare) Sinscale: Points: HP: 200 (400) MP: 0 Rewards: AP: 2 (3) GIL: 22 Stats: STR: 13 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 12 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Threaten, Doom Drop: Power Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So, we've got three Sinscales on the boat (Sinscales seem to be a given in Sin fights) and a whopping huge fin poking out of the water. Where to start? Firstly, the fin doesn't attack you, it's one big 'move' is to move around in the water, not hurting you one iota. Wow, scary, that one. Second thing to note is, the Sinscales are regenerating. Every time you kill all three, another three will appear. And for each Sinscale you kill, your party gets 2 AP. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B1? I think I am, B2. If you keep killing Sinscales, without actually hurting the fin, you can just gain more and more AP, with no limit whatsoever. This is commonly known as the first AP trick of the game, where you can very easily get large amounts of AP. So here's what I suggest you do. Bring each of your characters in for a hit or two (so each character will get the same obscene amount of AP), then bring your power hitters in, namely, Wakka, Tidus, and a third character. Start pummelling away on Sinscales like there's no tomorrow. The goal here is to fight until both Wakka and Tidus are at Overdrive, you'll see why shortly. You can keep fighting Sinscales indefinitely, but it gets rather boring rather fast. Try to kill, at the very least, 20 of the pesky things, but get Tidus and Wakka both to Overdrive while you do so. Their Overdrive mode is Stoic, so you'll have to let them sustain damage to get there. Once you've got them there, you can ignore the Scales (or kill two and leave one there, for minimal damage) and go for the fin. Seeing as it's at a distance, you can only use long range attacks, such as magic, or Wakka's blitzball. Or Valefor. Summon Valefor, and get him to Overdrive for a quick 1000 damage or so, then hack the rest away with Lulu's black magic. An easy battle, but rather time consuming if you want to maximise your AP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you've killed the fin, Sin will go nuts, ripping out the harpoons, and generally making a big mess with water over the whole boat. When everything calms down, your party regroups, but there's one character missing. Where's Tidus? Cut to underwater scene. Oh there he is, motionless, sinking slowly, being eaten by a bunch of Piranhas. Wakka's dived in after him, and beats up the Piranhas, snapping Tidus out of his funk. Of course, saving the bugger wasn't that easy. Another Sinspawn is after you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sinspawn Echuilles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 2000 (400) MP: 20 Rewards: AP: 12 (18) GIL: 115 Stats: STR: 10 DEF: 1 MAG: 15 MDF: 1 AGL: 5 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 15 Immunities: Sleep, Petrification, Zombie, Death, Provoke, Eject Drop: 2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ See, we have only Tidus and Wakka to fight this guy. And he can be TOUGH. Which is why I suggested getting these two to Overdrive in the last battle. Just goes to show, there's a method to my madness ^_^ And if one boss wasn't enough, he's surrounded by pesky regenerating Piranhas. If you were really rebellish, you could milk these for AP too, but with a boss like THIS (as opposed to one that just moves in the water, causing you no harm whatsoever) I would not recommend it. First things first, in this battle, use Tidus' Cheer, and Wakka's Dark Attack. He's susceptible to Dark, and all his horrid attacks like Blender (which is as painful as it sounds) will miss if he's got the black cloud over his eyes. The Dark will last three turns once you land it, so use those three turns well. Attack, and use Overdrives if you have them, all on the boss. Ignore the Piranhas. Once the Dark wears off, do it again, and Wakka will be out of MP. Keep attacking, stopping to use Potions from that fantastic suitcase on the boat should your health get to yellow. Hopefully, he'll cark it soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, and only now, do you get your AP from the two battles. Each of my characters got 200 of them here, giving them 5-6 Sphere Levels each. See what I mean by AP smorgasbord? Once you've gotten them (and your abnormally large amount of power spheres), Sin will approach Kilika. Seems your distractory measures didn't work too well. And Kilika is in BIG trouble. Watch the havoc that one creature can cause, including the guy that gets sucked up as he's running along the pier :( And in the end, a lone blitzball floats. So Tidus got his wish, to meet Sin again. He hoped what had happened would work in reverse, that the next encounter would send him home. Not so, sorry bud. So he started to give up hope. He was in a foreign world, and he wasn't going home. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Kilika ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Yuna steps off the boat, introducing herself as a summoner to appease the people. She will perform the sending, if there's no-one else to do it. And off she goes, to see the dead. Save your game, and play with your sphere levels. If you're like me, you would have run out of certain types of spheres to use, before using all your sphere levels. Don't keep moving on the grid if you need a certain type of sphere, wait and clock up the sphere levels until you get them, okay? Once you're done, save again, and follow Yuna into town. There isn't exactly a large number of choices of where to go, follow the pier and hang a left at the end. There you'll find a group of people gathered around, as Yuna prepares for the sending. Tidus shows his ignorance for like the bazillionth time and asks - what's a sending? Are we going somewhere? Gotta love Lulu here, putting the kid in his place. ('Are you sure it's not just your memory that's the problem?') Anyways, the dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to accept their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. They envy the living, and in time that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should their souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Yup, it's pretty sad. So the sending takes them to the Farplane, where they can rest in peace. Summoners perform these sendings, so watch as Yuna performs her first. Tis a pretty, but sad, scene. It must be tough being a summoner, Tidus remarks. You got that right, kid. But Yuna chose her own path, so all you can now is protect her until the end. Until the... end? Until she defeats Sin, silly. Tidus stops to narrate here, wishing there would never be a 'next time' to perform a sending. Horrifying, how everyone was watching Yuna. Okay then. In the morning, Tidus wakes up from his sleep in the hotel. Note how the girl running around wants to be a blitzball when she grows up. Save your game and head out. Captain Wakka's been waiting for you, so you can follow Datto to get to him. But that's no fun, let's explore Kilika first mmmkay? Just left of the hotel, you'll find a girl sitting in a sort-of big bowl, just off the pier. Check it out, and you'll notice that it isn't too stable. As it crashes into the water, Tidus will jump in and rescue the girl. In the hut just behind where the bowl was, you can find three Potions in a treasure chest. Now head back to find Wakka. Back past the hotel, past where the sending was. Enter the bar, and you'll get an Ether as a reward for saving the little girl, also examine the counter for Al Bhed Vol IV. You'll find Wakka just right of the bar, so approach him and he'll call the Aurochs into a huddle. You're going to Kilika Temple, to pray for victory. High Summoner Ohalland used to live here, and Wakka goes on a spiel about that, but Tidus is unsure about whether this is really right. Praying for victory and all. Is this the time? It's the only time, as blitzball takes the people's minds off their pain and suffering. Once the conversation is over, head back around to the left, and into Kilika Woods. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Kilika Woods ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Save at the save point, and then approach your group. Yuna's got something to tell you, Tidus my man. She wants you with them, as a guardian. No-one else in the group seems to like the idea, Wakka proclaiming "this isn't the time for jokes. He may be a blitzball whiz-kid, but against fiends, he's a newbie." Yuna doesn't really give a rat's toss about that, she just wants him nearby. Before she gets the chance to explain herself, Lulu urges the group on to the temple. Yuna apologizes, and Tidus is just confused as to what's going on. After that scene, we get to roam Kilika Woods. Not a lot to see here, but some nice levelling up can be done. In a treasure chest along the right path, you can get 2 Mana Spheres. In your first battle (with a Ragora), Lulu will prompt Kimahri to use Lancet. Normally, it just transfers health from the enemy to the user, but when a Ronso uses it, they can sometimes learn a fiend's abilities. As you don't exactly get a choice, use Lancet and Kimahri will learn Seed Cannon. Then, use Seed Cannon as a Ronso Rage straight back at it. Attack as normal for the rest of the battle, remembering to bring everyone in for a turn to get maximum AP. If you explore the woods, you'll also find a Scout, and a big creature sitting in the middle of the main path upwards. If you approach it, Gatta and Luzzu will inform you that the creature is Ochu, lord of the wood. You don't have to fight it, as you can quite easily take a path around it, but hey, it's here, we're here, why not. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Lord Ochu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 4649 (800) MP: 39 Rewards: AP: 40 (60) GIL: 420 Stats: STR: 15 DEF: 1 MAG: 23 MDEF: 1 AGL: 8 LUK: 20 EVA: 0 ACC: 10 Elements: Fire (x1.5) Immunities: Darkness, Poison, Provoke Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Drop: MP Sphere (normal), HP Sphere (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well okay now. Where to start? Don't be intimidated by his high HP... or his strong attacks... might be hard, but do try, okay. Lord Ochu is quite intimidating, and he has a number of attacks at his disposal - the Poison Claw, or the Earthquake, just for starters. If Yuna has Esuna, and pray that she does, you'll be using it and Cure quite a bit here. Similar to the Ragoras you've fought so far, Lord Ochu is weak against fire, so you know what that means - bring in Lulu, and let'er rip. Other than that, keep your physical fighters in and attack, using Wakka's Dark Buster, and bring in Yuna to cure and recover when needed. If using Fire, the first half of the battle will go by rather quickly, and Lord Ochu will fall asleep. While this might sound good, the thing is, he regains HP while sleeping, more HP than you'll be taking off. Ergo, wake him up ASAP. When he wakes, he'll counter with Earthquake, which will hit your party for a hundred or so HP each. Not pretty, put it helps with the Overdrive gauge and all. If any other Overdrives come up, use them. Keep using Fire, and he will go to sleep for good shortly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ That's actually the toughest battle you would have had so far, and it wasn't really very tough. But you do get a HP or MP sphere for your efforts - those are quite rare, use them wisely. After the battle, Luzzu will be impressed, and Gatta will want to fight too. Soon enough, says Luzzu, as Gatta walks away singing "young Crusaders gather round, we'll beat Sin into the ground..." Head back down to the save point and save, then keep heading up through the woods, exploring as you go. Just north of where you fought Ochu, you can get a Hi-Potion from the girl in purple, and follow that same path to the very end to find a Luck Sphere. Once you've looked around, head right (on the map) at to the intersection in which you found Lord Ochu, and follow the path up to Kilika Temple. Wakka tells of the history of these stone steps - Lord Ohalland used to train there in his blitz days. As Tidus looks around and sees the Aurochs warming up and snickering, he realizes that they too are going to be racing there. As Yuna goes to start them off, she instead cheats and runs up the steps, giggling, making everyone chase her. So follow her up, saving at the save point. Halfway up, most of the Aurochs go pelting back down. Wakka cries, Sinspawn! These bloody things appear everywhere! So your party runs up to the top, and prepares to fight once more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sinspawn Geneaux (and Tentacles) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sinspawn Geneaux: Points: HP: 3000 (900) MP: 30 Rewards: AP: 48 (72) GIL: 300 Stats: STR: 15 DEF: 1 MAG: 10 MDF: 1 AGL: 7 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: Fire (x1.5), Water (+) Immunities: Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulTide, NulBlaze, NulSpark, Shell, Demi, Eject Drop: Power Sphere x2 (normal), x3 (rare) Tentacles (each): Points: HP: 450 (500) MP: 10 Rewards: AP: 5 (7) GIL: 30 Stats: STR: 14 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 10 LUK: 10 EVA: 0 ACC: 20 Elements: Lightning/Ice (1/2), Water (+) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Eject Drop: Ability Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's that time again, boss time. First thing to notice - you might be looking at the help screen going "sweet, the thing is vulnerable to magic, this is too easy". Then you cast a spell, and realize that the tentacles absorb magic. Grr. So you need to take those out first. The tentacles should each go down in two or three hits from your physical hitters (Wakka/Tidus/Kimahri), so take those out before they do too much damage. They'll get two hits in each, and the boss might get one, but nothing to worry about. Now, focus on the Sinspawn himself. (Or herself, who knows.) As it says, it's vulnerable to magic, especially Fire, so get Lulu is and toast it a bit. While she does that, use Kimahri as an attacker to supplement the damage. Wakka and Tidus are no good on the boss until it comes out of its shell, as piercing weapons are required. Once it comes out, bring in your biggest hitter, and switch Yuna in whenever someone needs to be healed or recovered. Pretty easy, this one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tidus is exhausted after the battle, and Wakka is apologetic, saying he'd hoped to break Tidus in a little slower. So anyway, what exactly are these Sinspawn? They're fiends that fall from Sin's body, being left behind in its wake. You gotta kill them before Sin comes back for them. Tricky, eh? Tidus reflects about seriously considering being a guardian. He has the talent, Wakka already said so. Can you kinda tell where the story of this is going to go? After all that, cure up (yay ability spheres!) and keep going. Wakka asks Tidus, do they have fiends in Zanarkand too? Halfway through his answer, Tidus twigs and says hey, since when did you believe me about Zanarkand anyway? Wakka has been thinking, maybe people that get killed by Sin don't die, maybe they just get thrown through time, and one day they might pop back. Of course, he only has this theory to give himself hope that his brother, Chappu, might still be alive, and Lulu can't believe it. Wakka won't accept the truth, and he won't accept that no-one can take Chappu's place, or Sir Jecht's, or even Lord Braska's. She sure put him in his place, ya? Tidus knows that something happened between Wakka, Lulu, and Chappu a long time ago, that he doesn't know about. One day you'll find out, kid. At the temple, you'll come across the Luca Goers, a rival blitzball team. They're not there praying for victory, this year they're praying for some competition. Yeah yeah, laugh it up big, we'll see who's laughing after the tournament. These guys are real knob jockeys, teasing the Aurochs - "you gonna 'do your best' this time? Too bad your best isn't good enough!" It's gonna be fun teaching them a lesson. Now, head into the temple. Save, then pray with Wakka at the statue of Lord Ohalland. As you pray, another summoner will exit from the Cloister of Trials. This is Dona (pronounced "Donna"), and she holds Yuna in much contempt. She compares the 'rabble' of Yuna's guardians to those of Braska, and even her own. She only needs one, see Barthello. But Yuna puts Dona in her place, saying that having so many guardians is an honour, a joy... she would never think of questioning Dona's ways, so please leave them is peace. Yeehaw! You go, girl! As Tidus reflects on Yuna's comments that she could trust her guardians with her life, he notices Yuna smiling at him. What's she smiling about? (Hehe.) Head up into the Cloister of Trials. The fayth is down below, so the real guardians and Yuna head down on the elevator, leaving Tidus there. Wait until the elevator comes back up, then get on, you're not staying up there by yourself. Like you have a choice, really. Dona reappears, and when she hears that Tidus isn't actually a guardian, she deliberately disobeys the precepts and sends him down. As you don't have a choice, follow the hallway and enter the Trials. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Kilika ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another one to have fun in! This one is trickier than the one in Besaid, but not much more so. Ready? First room is pretty standard, take the Kilika Sphere from the pedestal, and insert it in the slot next to the door. Lo and behold, it opens, but it's filled with fire, so take it out, and keep going (taking the sphere with you). Second room, a few slots, another pedestal, a glyph sphere. Insert the Kilika Sphere in the recess on the far wall, and a glyph will appear. Go put the Kilika Sphere somewhere else (so we can get to the glyph in amongst the fire), and touch it to reveal a doorway. Oooh... Third room. Lots of fire here, and a Kilika Sphere on the right wall. Take the sphere, leading to the line of fire, and replace it with the Glyph Sphere from the pedestal in the previous room. A doorway is revealed, and all the fire goes out. (Good thing.) In the little room is the Destruction Sphere, but we don't need it just yet, what we need is the pedestal, with a Kilika Sphere in it. So put one in it, then push it into this room. On the right side, near the Destruction Sphere, you'll notice a shining patch on the floor. This is used to move pedestals back to their original positions (in caser you posh one into a corner or something, and can't get it out) but in this case, we need to push the pedestal onto it, so do so. That whole section of floor will sink, revealing another Kilika Sphere with a line of fire. Take that new Kilika Sphere, and replace it with the Destruction Sphere from the little room. (a good resting place for that Kilika Sphere is on the right side of the doorway, at the top of the stairs.) Once you've placed the Destruction Sphere, take the Red Armlet, your Kilika Temple treasure. Then, remove the Kilika Sphere from the door to make the fire die down, and head through. You're done here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wakka is not pleased to see you down here, but Tidus explains, it was Dona and that big muscle head man. Now, Yuna will have to suffer the consequences, she might be excommunicated! Well, we're not sure what that means, so ask Wakka, and Tidus will ask what's in there. The fayth, remember? Oh yeah, that all makes sense now. (Not.) So Lulu explains, the fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their living bodies, and now they live forever in statues. The soul of the fayth emerges when a summoner prays, and that is what we call an aeon. Yuna's in there, praying with all her heart. Only summoners may enter the chamber not even guardians. Talk to Wakka and Lulu until they have nothing more to say, then go to leave the cloister. Yuna will appear, spent. And Tidus realizes that he knows that song, there in the temple, from his childhood. Proof that Spira and Zanarkand are connected. But how? Name Ifrit, your new aeon (two now!), then leave the temple. All the people will praise Yuna, while Tidus watches on. He's daydreaming again, of what it was like to have people praise him, his fans in Zanarkand. He's upset now, and he can't tell Yuna what's wrong. What does he want to do? Scream real loud, so he does. Did that feel good, man? I bet that felt good. Now, back in Kilika Woods, we have to go back to Kilika. So trace your steps back through the forest to get to the town. Once there, head all the way back to your boat. If you've done everything you want to do in Kilika, embark and you will depart for Luca. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- S.S Winno ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- It's night on the S.S Winno, and the Goers are also unfortunately on board your ship. Wakka and Lulu sneak away for a private talk, while Yuna is entertained by more of the people. Tidus is inside, with the rest of the Aurochs, but that's no fun, so head outside. Again, you can lend O'aka gil. Lend him everything you've got (it'll pay off later, trust me), then save your game. Outside, you'll find Yuna talking with the Goers. They're not real nice people, Graav and Bickson calling Tidus an idiot. Yuna jumps to Tidus' defence, telling them he used to be a star player for the Zanarkand Abes, which draws a laugh. While Yuna is adamant that there is a city in Zanarkand, not just ruins, the Goers disperse, leaving you to explore the rest of the ship. Talk to Yuna first, for a scene. She got mad at the Goers, because she knows Zanarkand exists, Sir Jecht used to tell her stories. She wants to visit your city, and Tidus jokingly narrates "so, Yuna, wanna come over to my place?" After that, now it's time to find out what Wakka and Lulu are up to. They're lounging around, just up the stairs, so go there. They're talking about Tidus, and what happens if he doesn't know anyone in Luca. Wakka says maybe he can stay there, and join a blitz team, but Lulu doesn't like that. He'll just leave Tidus in Luca? It's better than leaving him in Besaid, fair point. But remember, Yuna wants to make him a guardian. Whose fault is that? Keep going up the stairs, to eavesdrop on more conversations. Yuna wants to make Tidus a guardian because he is Sir Jecht's son, at least, that's what Yuna believes. It's now up to Yuna and Tidus whether or not Tidus becomes a guardian - Wakka is right, for once. Next conversation, Lulu thinks Wakka should tell Tidus to become Yuna's guardian. Yuna can't, because she knows Tidus hates his father, and she can't just turn around and say 'be to me what your father was to mine'. So Wakka will talk to him after the tournament. Fourth convo. Wakka can't believe Tidus hates his father, its a luxury Wakka never even got the chance to have. He doesn't know his parents. Lulu knows hers, a little, she was five when they were taken away. When Sin took them away. It makes Wakka angry. Whew, that's all for convos there, now, explore the rest of the ship. (Save first.) Downstairs in the cabin, take Al Bhed Primer Vol V. On the north side, you'll find a blitzball sitting in the middle of the deck. Kicking the blitzball between his feet, Tidus gets lost in memories of a similar scenario from when he was a child. Him trying to kick a blitzball, and failing, and Jecht taunting him about it. He shows Tidus how to perform the shot, the Jecht shot. (Note that the little boy in purple is in the background. What's with him, anyways?) But don't worry, you're not the only one who can't do it, no-one can. Now, on the S.S Winno, Tidus has the chance to see if he can perform the Jecht shot, in the Jecht Shot Challenge. He has to shake off the memories of Jecht being an ass, to perform it successfully, and here's how it works. Wherever the memory of Jecht appears on the screen, shake it off by pressing that direction on the D-pad, and X. The game runs through a few examples, up-left and X, up and X, down-left and X, and when it appears in the centre, just press X. Of course, in the real thing, it will go faster than this. Now for the practice. Go through it, pressing the buttons, and now for the real thing. The words and the voice come thick and fast, so just try to keep up with pressing directional buttons and X. If you succeed, Tidus will perform the shot successfully, and if not, he will fail. If he succeeds, the Aurochs approach him, impressed. As opposed to Jecht, Tidus doesn't give the move a name, he says anyone can do it if they try, and he demonstrates the shot one more time. If you can complete the Jecht Shot challenge, you'll have the Jecht Shot tech for when you play blitzball. As you can imagine, it's a pretty killer move. After the challenge, Tidus spots Yuna watching, so talk to her. She knows it was the Jecht Shot, because Sir Jecht showed her when she was a child. He called it the "Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III". There never was a Mark I or Mark II, but it hooked the crowd because they would come back time and time again, hoping to see the other shots. (Note the Aurochs trying to copy the Jecht Shot in the background, hehe.) They talk about whether or not Jecht is still alive, and Yuna asks what Tidus would do if he found him. Tidus doesn't know - he always thought he was dead. Yuna knows what it's like, to have a famous father. After another convo, Wakka hits Tidus with a blitzball, wanting to see the move again. Tidus narrates a bit more - he didn't think Jecht was going to be in Luca, but he had a feeling something bad was going to happen. And his feelings are usually right. Save your game, and then you arrive in Luca. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Luca ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- See Luca, as the S.S. Winno comes in. The announcers introduce the teams as they arrive - firstly, the Kilika Beasts. Secondly, the Besaid Aurochs! The announcers are almost as rude as the Goers - I mean, I know the team sucks ass, but do they have to be mean about it? "They're a living, breathing, statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad!" Next, the Luca Goers. Of course, the commentators praise them up big. Wakka tells Tidus not to be bothered by this, but you think Tidus is gonna listen? Baha, of course not. He finds himself a megaphone, and starts (rather immaturely) taking pot shots at the Goers. Childish, really. Ooh, Maester Mika has arrived on the number 3 dock. Tidus has no idea what a Maester or a Mika is, so Lulu explains. Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira. He's come from Bevelle, and this years tournament is held to honour his fiftieth year as maester. Apparently, everyone loves Mika, so you're going to go see him, on dock 3. Save your game, then follow the red arrow to get there. You'll see the maester descend from a ship, along with his entourage. Maester Seymour is with him, too. A Guado, as someone in the crowd points out. Seems Seymour is the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who died a fortnight ago. So now Seymour has been ordained as a maester. His father worked to improve the relationship between man and Guado, and Seymour will carry on that legacy. Seymour seems to have eyes only for Yuna... hmmm... Save again if you like, then you'll be in the change rooms preparing for the opening match of the tournament. Wakka is at the draw, and they're hoping for a good one this year, they had to play the Goers first last year. But Wakka's here, with the good news, you guys got seeded, so you're playing the Al Bhed Psyches first. If you win, you're in the finals! Here's where you get the tutorial of how to play blitzball. See my blitzball section for the details. Seeing as you're gonna be actually playing it, might be nice to know how to play, ya? After you've read through all the screens and got the general idea of how to play, end the tutorial. Tidus will be sitting around, yawning, and Yuna will appear, saying someone saw Sir Auron in a cafe! So of course, you're going to go find him! Wakka doesn't like this idea, as the game starts real soon, but Tidus promises to be right back. Yuna thinks that maybe now you can find Sir Jecht. After all, Auron was her father's guardian too, so he might know where Jecht is. Let's go! Tidus acknowledges, that not for a second did he think that they might not be talking about the same guy. He just knew it was the same Auron. So he leaves, bumping into some Al Bhed Psyches in the hallway. Tidus gets all excited, and starts blabbering about Rikku and food, hoping they'll know her... but they can't even understand him. But, like in every other scenario I've ever seen, Tidus starts speaking English slower and louder, in the hopes that they'll understand. Yeah, okay. "If you see Rikku, tell her thanks for me!" Outside the stadium, follow the red arrow along the paths. Note that Tidus is in no hurry at all. Everyone's pointing and staring at Yuna, and Tidus realizes that she is really famous. He whistles at her, and she is startled, not knowing what it is, so he starts to teach her to whistle. (What the...) In the city, Tidus is surprised by its size, he thought every place was little like Besaid and Kilika. Yuna explains sadly, most towns don't get bigger than that, because when a lot of people start to gather, Sin is more likely to attack. It's the same for Luca, but the Crusaders protect it with all their strength. The topic of conversation turns to Zanarkand - is Zanarkand built like Luca? Tidus explains: there are more tall buildings cramped together there than in Luca. Yuna's amazed, so tall, don't you ever get dizzy? But enough chit-chat, we're on a mission. Again, follow the red arrow, across the main square and into the cafe. No sign of Auron, though, so they decide to ask around. Kimahri, however, has run into two fellow Ronsos, Biran and Yenke. He won't talk to them, so they mock him, tease him. Tidus is behind Kimahri, urging him to take them on, but the two bigger Ronsos only laugh. Yenke stops laughing when Kimahri knocks him out cold, however. They get yelled at to take it outside, because the tournament's starting! Insert patriotic sportsmanship speech by Maester Mika here, nothing really noteworthy, as the sphere pool gets filled. The Aurochs are in the water to battle the Psyches, but Tidus isn't there! During all this, Tidus notices that Yuna has gone missing, they have to find her! Outside, Lula wants to know "where in Spira have they been!?" (Hehe.) Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches, and they want the Aurochs to lose in exchange for her safe return. The Psyches won't do anything drastic, cos they're only blitzball players and all, but they shouldn't take any chances. So the three of you are going to get her. The Al Bhed boat is in dock 4, so go there. In case you're totally lost, follow the red arrow. Much <3 for the red arrow. Back towards the stadium, then left along the docks. Before you get to the second dock, you'll be ambushed by a few machines. Lulu tells Tidus, they're ancient machina, salvaged by the Al Bhed, and they're vulnerable to lightning, so get Lulu a'frying on one while Tidus and Kimahri take out the other one. Keep moving along, taking out machina, until we flash back to the sphere pool. The game's tied, but Wakka is taking a beating. Save on the corner, before heading out to dock 4. The Al Bhed ship is pulling away, with Yuna on it, but you jump on board before it gets too far. The Al Bhed have a surprise for you, however, and they unleash it right now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Oblitzerator ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 6000 (600) MP: 10 Rewards: AP: 36 (54) GIL: 580 Stats: STR: 16 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDEF: 1 AGL: 1 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 10 Elements: Lightning (x1.5), Fire/Water/Ice/Holy (1/2) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Regen, Distil, Eject Drop: Elixir x1 (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Easy battle. At the beginning of the battle Tidus realizes, you can use the crane to help out. His turn will come up first, so use the trigger command "Use Crane". Well, it doesn't work, it's out of power, so give it some power! Have Lulu cast Thunder on the crane three times, while Tidus and Kimahri do defensive stuff. If you attack, it will counter with Blind Ball, putting darkness on you, so don't attack. Have Tidus Cheer once or twice, and use both of them to stay healthy, while Lulu fries. After the third hit, use the "Use Crane" trigger command again. Watch as the crane breaks the Oblitzerator in half, for just about ALL of its HP. After that, just hit it with Thunder once or twice, or attack, and it's gone. I love getting things to do the dirty work for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, the Al Bheds sink to the ground, defeated, and Yuna appears. Hehe, Lulu hopes Yuna hurt them, and she says she did, a little. However, Tidus has Rikku and the Al Bhed he once met on his mind, he was hoping it was going to be the same ship, but it's not. He tells of what happened when Sin attacked, and Yuna is scared, asking if anyone named Cid was on the ship when it was destroyed. Who's Cid? Cid is Yuna's uncle, but she never actually met him. So that means... Yuna is part Al Bhed? Yup yup. You're not allowed to tell Wakka, cos he never had much love for the Al Bhed. Suddenly, Yuna remembers the game, what's happening in the game? It's tied, with 30 seconds to go, but the Aurochs are launching an offensive. Wakka shoots, HE SCORES! The Aurochs win, 3-2 :) Watch the scene where Lulu and Tidus discuss Chappu. It's one I don't entirely understand, myself, but Lulu is narcy, saying Chappu would have won more gracefully than Wakka. Whatever, we need to get back inside the stadium for the finals! In the stadium, if you go through the left-hand door (instead of following the arrow through the right-hand door) you can get the Al Bhed Primer Vol VI, and 2x Hi-Potion, then head back to the change rooms. Wakka is on the bench, in pain. No, he's not bloody okay! But Tidus is back now, so hopefully things will be okay... right? While Wakka warns Yuna not to go near the Al Bhed anymore, save at the save sphere before talking to Wakka. (Do save. Please.) The final against the Goers starts soon, and we're actually gonna play. But Wakka has an announcement to make, after this game, he's retiring. But since you're here, you might as well win! Wakka is going to sit this one out, and Tidus is going to take his place. (Spending your last game on the bench... geez.) "Let's make the Goers goners!" Weeeeeeeee, time to play! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Blitzball Tournament ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who could have imagined, a championship game between these two teams? The legendary Luca Goers going against the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs? Oh, and looky who's there, coming into the stadium. It's Auron! He is there, after all! I recommended saving your game before the game starts, because you'll probably want to win this one. And if you're new to blitzball, it will take you a few attempts to win it. If you got the Jecht Shot on the S.S Winno, it'll make it a lot easier. As the Goers taunt the Aurochs, resist the urge to smack that Graav in the mouth good. He's the captain of the Aurochs, and he'll give you hell in this game for reasons that will become painfully obvious, eg. Venom Tackle. Blitz off! I can't exactly tell you how to play this game so you'll win. I'm not the blitzball expert, in fact I've never won this story game in the twenty or so times I've attempted it. I'm going to try real hard this time, though, so I can explain to you how to do it too :-P At first glance (and second, and third glance too) it will appear that the Goers cheat. Most of their stats are much higher than yours, like EN, AT, and PA. Abus and Bickson, with the SH of 12 and 13, will prove rather dangerous too. For the first half, try and keep possession of the ball, passing it around, avoiding as many encounters as you can. As soon as you get an opening, pass to Tidus (or in my case, it was Datto, believe it or not) and have him go straight down the pool and shoot. If you're lucky, you'll get a goal. In the second half, make sure Tidus has the Jecht Shot tech (it wasn't available in the first half, but it is now). Seeing as the Jecht Shot knocks out two opponents when you shoot, just get relatively close and take a shot, doesn't matter if you have to break through one or two Goers when you're in front. After three minutes in the second half, the fans will get impatient, wanting some action. Tidus will realize that this isn't the place for him to be, and switch out for Wakka. Wakka has similar stats to Tidus, only slightly less, but with more SH. This is where you can really take it to the Goers. Wakka doesn't have Jecht Shot, but he has Venom Shot, which gives him a nice 16 SH compared to Raudy's 8 CA. As soon as Letty grabs the ball in the centre, swim forward, pass to Wakka, swim in, break past Doram, and shoot. Whee. I managed to get three goals like this, in two minutes, to win 4-1. Hope these tips prove helpful to you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you win, you'll obtain a Strength Sphere, which isn't THAT important but can make a nice difference. And the scene you get if the Aurochs win is much nicer than the one you get if they lose. :-P Save your game after the game. Then, back in the sphere pool, Wakka will be lazing around happily, with Tidus swimming towards him. But all is not good, as the pool has been invaded by sahagin chiefs! You have only Tidus and Wakka to fight them off, ALL of them. One after the other, you'll meet 17 in total. (Eek!) Outside the pool, Lulu won't know what's happening, but Auron will be there, getting up close and personal with a vouivre. Kill it in one hit (Auron prolly does more damage than any other of your characters), and Wakka and Tidus will both be surprised to see Auron. Wakka knows that Auron was the best guardian there ever was, and now the three of you will fight together against a garuda. The health on Wakka and Tidus might be a bit low, but you should survive. No sooner have you killed the garuda, than you get ambushed by quite a few different monsters. Uh oh. And we fade to black... Maester Seymour is here, and he too is a summoner (although we didn't know that.) He summons Anima, a terrifying aeon, and watch how it disposes of everything with its Pain attack. That thing is female, believe it or not. Yes, it actually has a gender. Okay, so. Seymour == cool. Auron == on the scene at last. Aurochs == blitzball champions (hopefully). Got that so far? Save your game again. Outside the stadium, Wakka is talking with the Aurochs. They're sad he is leaving, but LOOK at that trophy he (might be) carrying. If you won, Wakka presents the trophy to Letty, and walks off to go be with Yuna. She needs him now, more than ever. From now, Wakka is Yuna's full-time guardian. SIR Wakka, make that! No-one knows where the fiends came from, but Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to Seymour. A very angry and wild Tidus is confronting Auron, who, amazingly, is laughing! Tidus wants answers, and he's gonna get cryptic ones. Yes, Auron knew Braska, and Jecht, and they defeated Sin together, before Auron went to Zanarkand to watch over Tidus. Now, they're returned. Why him? Because Jecht asked him to. Is Jecht alive? Depends on what you mean by alive... OMG OMG major spoilers!! Auron relates that he could 'feel' Jecht when that shell came around, and he knows Tidus could 'feel' Jecht when Sin attacked. The reason for that? Because SIN IS JECHT. We're not exactly sure HOW yet, but just... wow. Eek. Poor Tidus is getting hysterical, understandably with such a revelation, not wanting to believe Auron, not wanting to go with him, but knowing he has to because it's the only way he'll get any answers. Will Tidus ever go home, to Zanarkand? That's up to Jecht. Auron wants to offer his services as guardian to Yuna, so go with him. Stop off in the Auroch's change room in the stadium, and grab the Jupiter Crest from one of the lockers. This is the first access you will get to the Luca Sphere Theatre as well, so you can check that out if you like (and pick up Al Bhed Primer Vol VII). Then, you follow ol' red arrow, he know ze way. On a bridge overlooking Luca, Wakka Lulu and Yuna will be talking. Wakka was right after all, Tidus did meet someone he knew here. They assume Tidus won't be with them anymore, he'll go with Auron, go home to Zanarkand. Yuna hopes Tidus is still in town, so she can go see him before they leave. Not so fast, Yuna. Here comes Auron, with said spiky-haired hero in tow, as Auron's theme plays in the background. Love that song. He cuts straight to the chase, he wishes to become her guardian, does she accept? All three of them nearly fall over in shock, and Auron politely asks if that's a refusal. Oh, no, no, they'd love to have him on board, everyone accepts. When Lulu questions why, he says it's what he promised Braska he would do... on one condition, Tidus joins too, he promised that one to Jecht. Seems Auron made a lot of promises ten years ago, that only now he is starting to keep. Hmm... So now you have a party of six, on their merry little way to defeat Sin. Whee. When you get control of Tidus, talk to everyone (okay, get glared at by Kimahri) before approaching Yuna. Hey look, she learnt to whistle! Yuna, cleverly, picks up on the fact that Tidus is sad, which is a pity cos she's in a pretty good mood. Summoners and their guardians are like Spira's ray of light, and Yuna needs to be happy at all times to please the people, so she learnt to smile when she was sad. Tidus should try, too. So he smiles, like it hurts his face, and ends up laughing. Cue incredibly moronic laughing scene, as each of them laugh out loud to pretend to be happy, then both of them join in together. Weird shit. After a few more scenes that are quite boring and just allude to something growing between Tidus and Yuna, you'll be on the Mi'ihen Highroad, leading to the temple at Djose. And guardians, don't forget to smile! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Mi'ihen Highroad ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Whee, new type of save sphere here. Due to the Auroch's achievements, you can now play blitzball whenever you like, from any save sphere. You can also start scouting players you see around the world, by pressing square as you approach them. Oh cool. Playing blitzball can be fun, but you only really need to do it to get Wakka's Overdrives, and his celestial weapon. Note: If you plan on playing any blitzball rather soon, head back down to the fountain in Luca, and scout the guy sitting on a bench on the left side, Jumal. He makes quite the goalie, so sign him up for a few games to test him out. Now, the walkthrough for Mi'ihen Highroad isn't really interesting. It's just that, a really long road. Take the opportunity to level up a little here, and you won't regret it. If you're like me, you'll be waiting on certain types of spheres to go forth on the sphere grid, and here you can get every type. (Yay!) So just travel along the road, killing things, exploring all the side bits, talking to everyone. Your first battle will be a tutorial on how to fight with Auron properly. Tidus will want to take on a Raldo, but it has a hard shell so he won't do much damage. Auron will be able to kick its ass though, because of his piercing weapon. You'll soon find Maechen, a historian who likes to tell you little bits about Spira's history, and Spira in general. Talk to him next to the statue of Lord Mi'ihen on the left of the road, then outside the ancient ruins. Just after the ruins, you'll be approached by the Chocobo Knights. There's a fiend in the area with a taste for chocobos, so take care. Tidus will want to take on this fiend, but Auron is sceptical, seeing no need. Just past where you meet them, on the right, you'll find a small section of the road and a woman named Belgemine. She's an expert on aeons, and a fellow summoner. She likes to test Yuna, to teach her how to maximise her aeon's capabilities. She wants a one-on-one match, her aeon against yours. What do you say? Say yes, because it's not to the death, and you have nothing to lose. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Ifrit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 3500 (560) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 18 DEF: 0 MAG: 18 MDF: 0 AGL: 13 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: Fire (+), Ice (x1.5) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Belgemine calls forth Ifrit, so now you do the same with Yuna (except summoning Valefor, instead of Ifrit.) Now, depending on how much you've used either of your aeons so far, this battle will be tough, or it could be very easy. Ifrit's a fire aeon, obviously. It uses Meteor Strike, or a fire-based normal physical attack, both of which will hurt quite a lot. Now, for Valefor. Valefor has a basic black magic kit, including Blizzard, along with Sonic Wings, a special attack inflicting Delay, and a normal physical attack. Unfortunately for us, Ifrit is immune to Delay, as aeons are immune to most status ailments. We get told, an aeon's attributes are linked with those of the summoner, so the Ifrit one summoner calls may be very different from one called by another. But the attacks are still the same. We get a run through of how to use Shield and Boost, and are told to use Shield when tough attacks are coming up. Meteor Strike is up next, so use Shield. After that, alternate Blizzard with Shield, and you should have no problems wiping out this fire aeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, you'll pick up an Echo Ring. (Or a Seeker's Ring if you lose, but we ain't exactly gonna lose, now.) After that fine battle, keep moving along the road. Items from the first section of the road: Hunter's Spear (first guy walking on the road) 2x Antidote (woman standing in front of totem pole on right) Ice Brand (behind the ancient ruins) Once you crest the hill, the scenery is exactly the same. There's a woman and a girl on the left, asking Yuna if she's going to bring the Calm. (And of course, Yuna has to explain to Tidus what the Calm is.) Items from the second section of the road: Remedy (chest in inlet on left) Red Ring (guy running towards you on the road) In a small section on the right, you'll find Gatta and Luzzu again. They saw the game, and if you won, they'll fawn all over you telling you how great it was. You might have worked out from all the people by now that the Crusaders are planning some sort of mission, and the Chocobo Knights are here to get Gatta and Luzzu working again. Once that scene's over, keep going and follow them down the road. I'm curious as to what this mission is, aren't you? A little further along the path, you'll see a woman talking to a soldier, this woman is Shelinda. You'll meet her a bit, she's a disciple of Yevon. She was trying to stop the Crusaders' mission, because she heard they were going to use machina! Again, Tidus doesn't understand, and Lulu informs him that the use of machina is forbidden by Yevon priesthood. Auron isn't fussed either way, they can use whatever they want and they still won't defeat Sin. Way to have faith, Auron! Shelinda's a little depressed cos no-one will listen to her, she's just a lowly acolyte. But Yuna gives a stirring motivational speech (she's good at those) that gets Shelinda happy and cheery again, ready to go out and change the world, make it a better place. Items from the third section of the road: 4x Antidote (guy in green and brown) 2000 gil (inlet on the right) 600 gil (soldier guy walking along towards you) Ether (left side, just past totem pole) Hi-Potion (on left just past chocobo and trailer) 3x Eye Drops (chest at very end of section) Soon, you'll come to a shop, and Auron will tell you to rest. Wakka doesn't like it, this is an Al Bhed shop! Racism is abound, but round 1 in this stoush goes to Auron. Inside the travel agency, Tidus will rest. You can talk to Maechen again, and there's an Al Bhed Compilation Sphere in the bottom right corner. Outside, Tidus will watch the sunset, and comment that it was different than the one he saw in Kilika - quiet, almost gentle. (How exactly can a sunset be not quiet?) He spots Yuna, so he goes and sits with her, startling the poor girl out of her wits. She wants to live in a place like this, happy, with a smile on her face every day. Oh, she can, once she defeats Sin, but a new Sin will just be born anyway. And it's not just as simple as her going and beating it again. Why does Sin always come back, anyways? Sin is a punishment for their vanity, and won't go away until they've atoned. How do they atone, and what did they do so wrong in the first place? Obviously, it was the machina that sent them astray, but Yuna is in a weird mood tonight, saying she never once questioned why but now, when asked why machina were so bad - she doesn't know. But, cue more laughing as Tidus impersonates Maester Mika, putting a smile on Yuna's face. The two talk further, Tidus giving Yuna a pep talk about not worrying about the future until she's gone and defeated Sin, and Yuna explaining just how you go and beat 'something big like that' anyways, with the Final Summoning. With the Final Summoning, we can call the Final Aeon, the goal of the entire pilgrimage. The Fayth of the Final Summoning lies in the far north, waiting to greet summoners that complete their pilgrimage. Where does it wait? At the world's edge, in Zanarkand. So we're gonna be going to Zanarkand! Yippee! Tidus gets all excited, but Auron interjects that she meant the ruins of a city destroyed a thousand years ago. Is it really in ruins? You'll see for yourself, soon enough. Of course, Tidus agrees to accompany them to Zanarkand. He knows it can't be the same place as he knows, but has to see the truth for himself. Save your game, after Tidus rests. A woman inside will give Tidus a level 1 key sphere, and if you haven't read the tutorial of how to open locks, you should check out the tutorial on the sphere monitor. So, do so if you wish. It's pretty standard, really. With this first Level 1 Key Sphere, I recommend using it to get Kimahri into the start of Wakka's sphere grid, once you've taken him around his one complete spiral, but that's just me. When you go to leave the agency, you'll be bumped back inside by Rin, the owner of the place. He tells you about Al Bhed primers, in case you hadn't already picked up half a dozen and therefore have no clue what they are, and he gives you Al Bhed Primer Vol VIII, as well as 2x Mega-Potion. Outside some-one screams, the chocobos! That's your cue. Let's go! Outside, Lulu calls you to run towards the chocobo corral. So follow the red arrow, and you'll be ambushed by a creature that jumps down from the roof of the agency. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Chocobo Eater ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 10000 (800) MP: 5 Rewards: AP: 90 (135) GIL: 970 Stats: STR: 25 DEF: 25 MAG: 20 MDF: 35 AGL: 12 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 25 Elements: Fire (x1.5) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Doom, Demi, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Drop: 2x Level 1 Key Sphere (normal/rare, only if you push him off the cliff) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, we have a big giant thing with huge fists that likes to eat chocobos. Right. As tough as this battle might look, it's not, not if you follow my advice. This battle is not just a battle but a tug of war, between your party and the Chocobo Eater. As you trade blows, you'll try to push each other off the cliff you're fighting on. Should you fall off the cliff, you won't die, but the battle will be over and you won't get anything for your efforts. Should you push him off the cliff, you get the whole kit and caboodle of prizes. Don't worry about that, just try to kill the bastard. It's quite a straightforward battle, really, and you only need three characters. But, as always, you're going to bring all six in for a slice of the AP pie. Once you've done that, concentrate on Tidus, Auron, and Lulu. Have Tidus caste Haste (you have learnt Haste, haven't you?) on Auron and Lulu. Once the two of them are Hasted, switch Tidus out for someone else, preferably Wakka or Kimahri. (Yuna doesn't have much use in this battle). Once you've got your three main characters in, have Lulu cast magic (Fire works best), and Auron and your third member attack. If Overdrives come up, even better, use them. You shouldn't have too much drama with this guy, really, because if you're Hasted you'll be getting two or three turns to his every one. If all else fails, use Auron's Power Break, then you'll really shit it in. Sweet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you win the battle, Rin will let you hire a chocobo for free, as a token of gratitude. But why hire a chocobo, really, when battling is bloody good fun in this game. If you want the chocobo, talk to the attendant, if not, follow the arrow down the path. If you're unfortunate enough to be on the Lowroad, meaning you got knocked off the cliff, simply grab the Mars Crest from the chest (VEEERY IMPORTANT), save your game, talk to O'aka, and follow the path until you meet up with the other road. Okay, back to Highroad walkthrough :-P Keep following the path, over the bridges, pretty boring stuff. See Shelinda fall off a chocobo. Just on the corner where she fell off, pick up the Al Bhed Primer Vol IX off the ground. Console her because the Crusaders are ignoring her, and keep going. On the next screen, grab the 2x Hi-Potion from the treasure chest, and then take a detour through the south-eastern exit. We're going back along the Lowroad for a short while, to get the Mars Crest. Okay, make it a long while. Who cares, you get to battle along the way. Follow the road all the way to the very end, to find a chest with the Mars Crest. Grab it, and head back to the top of the road. You can save your game on the way, and donate some more gil to O'aka. Once you've donated 10,001, that's enough. Okay, back at the top of the road, where the wagons and the gate are. Save at the save sphere, and note Dona and Barthello on your right. She wants through, she's on her pilgrimage, but the Crusader on the gate is adamant. No exceptions. Try to go through the gate yourself, where the big wagon is, and you'll see with Gatta and Luzzu again. They've arrived with the 'last of them', so I gather they're just about ready for whatever they're planning. What's in the wagon? Looks like some sort of creature. The two Crusaders spot Tidus, and Gatta wants Tidus to teach him how to blitz. Stick around until they've defeated Sin, they'll be done in no time. Yeah right, boys. You wish. Talk to the guy on the right, and you can donate gil to Operation Mi'ihen. (What's with all the people wanting money? Geez...) Depending on what you lend the guy, you'll get different rewards. Go with whatever you can afford, I gave him 1000 here and got an Ice Lance. Not bad, eh. 100 will get you a Scout, and 10000 will score you a Moon Ring. Nice rewards. But unfortunately, you can't get through, the guy on the gate won't let you. Talk to him, and he'll tell you about the operation. They're bringing sinspawn from all over Spira here, in the hopes of luring Sin into a trap. Oh, boy. Can you smell a massacre coming on? I can. Anyways, you can't get through, so turn around and head back dejectedly. A scene will take over, showing your party being approached by the new maester, Maester Seymour, and his party of Guado guardians. This guy is just too cool for his own good. He notes that Yuna looks troubled, and she gestures towards the gate to show what's troubling her. Seymour sees the problem, and lends a hand. Approaching the guy who wouldn't let you through, he requests that Summoner Yuna and her guardians be allowed through to the command centre. Yes, it's against orders, but so? He will take full responsibility, and so the guy grudgingly agrees to let you through. Yuna is shocked, a maester helping a lowly summoner like her, and she practically falls over herself thanking him. Why do I get the feeling we're gonna be seeing a bit of this guy? This is a good thing though, Seymour rocks. Tidus is pissed, just who does Seymour think he is? He's a maester, get used to it, ya. And we see Dona and Barthello walking away angrily. *points and laughs* Once you go through the gate, you'll be on Mushroom Rock Road. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Mushroom Rock ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- But first, a scene. Seymour is addressing the Crusaders on Mushroom Rock, looks like he's in command of this whole shebang. Wait, a maester disobeying the teachings of Yevon in supporting the use of machina? Hmmm... Wakka's asking the same questions that I am. But Yuna can understand, they're willing to go against the teachings for the greater good. Wakka sputters, and Auron says he should ask him himself, because here comes Seymour now. Seymour first approaches Auron, enquiring as to what he's been doing the past ten years, but Auron has nothing to say. Next, he turns to Yuna, commenting that Auron must be a great asset as guardian. And here comes Wakka, bumbling through the formalities that come with talking to a maester, asking why he won't stop the Crusaders. He acknowledges, he should, but all the Crusaders and the Al Bhed want is peace for Spira, and the operation was born from that combined wish. While their methods are sacrilegious, their intentions are pure. And he, Seymour Guado, as a person and not a master of Yevon, wishes them well in their endeavour. But using machina, is bad, isn't it? Just pretend you didn't see them. That comment shocks your whole party, not just Wakka. That's not something a maester should say! Then pretend he didn't say it. (Oh, I love this guy.) Tidus recollects that he never liked Seymour, from the moment he laid eyes on him, but some of the things he said that day made a lot of sense. Okay, NOW we're on Mushroom Rock Road. We can get some cool items here. Grab a Hi-Potion from the chick on the left, and an Ether from the guy in green walking about. Then Clasko will appear, with the message that Seymour requests Yuna's presence at the command centre. (Oh boy.) So follow the red arrow, and take the side road north. You'll find O'aka there, selling stuff at 'Operation Mi'ihen' prices. Note that you can't lend gil to him anymores, you had your last chance back on the Lowroad. The amount of gil you lent him will determine a multiplier for O'aka's sell prices, for the rest of the game. If you lend him more than 10,001 gil, you'll only pay 70% of his normal price, compared with if you lent him nothing you'll be forced to pay 150%. Moving right along... buy what you want/need, and keep going. Save at the save sphere, and grab a Hi-Potion from the person standing there. Then, step on the plate and press X to go up. The paths around here's fairly straightforward, just a bit twisty and turny to confuse you. If you follow the map, you can't go too far wrong. Some nice battles around here, with the chance to level up. From the guy near the treasure chest, grab 10x Potion, then open the chest for 1000 gil. Next treasure chest, just past Lucil on the chocobo, take a Remedy. Ignore the treasure chest you'll be able to see far below, as we can't get to it yet. On the next bend, you'll find Shelinda, sad that she couldn't stop the mission from taking place. But, seeing their determination, she decided to help them! Atta girl! Keep running along the path. In an alcove, spot a treasure chest with a Hi-Potion in it, then at the end of the path, head up on another plate. Talk to the man in front of you for an X-Potion, then head around and down on the left to find a Serene Armlet. Back up on the plate, follow the path around to the right. Take the spiral around to find Al Bhed Primer Vol X, and talk to the guy for 400 gil. Then, up on the plate. You can go up on the platform now, but follow Gatta down the hill for a scene. Talking to Luzzu after it has finished is pretty funny, as you'll get another scene with Wakka pulling faces and making weird noises to show his frustration at the mission. Some nice story information too, about what Chappu was planning to do before he became a Crusader. This helps fill in the blanks with Lulu, Wakka and Chappu - when the Aurochs won the Cup, he was going to propose to Lulu! Luzzu's got a nice come back though, after Wakka smacks him in the jaw - 'Chappu once told me, being with your girl is good, but keeping Sin away from her is better'. Woohoo! After the scene, head up on the brightly coloured platform. At the top, just follow the path for more scenes about the operation. The machina on the hillside, poised to attack, with Wakka kicking one and hurting his foot. Why does Wakka hate them so? Because Chappu left the sword Wakka gave him behind, and opted for an Al Bhed machina weapon instead - and look where it got him. Next screen, everyone prepping anxiously for the mission. Wakka's got the right idea, it won't work. But Yuna talks him into accepting it, that the Crusaders and the Al Bhed are fighting for the same thing they are. Lucil interrupts, the command centre's dat-a-way, and Maester Kinoc is also there. So head that way. Save your game outside the tent, then head in. Auron's got a good line for Gatta "if you want to prove yourself, first you must complete the tasks you are given." Inside the tent (well, behind the barrier) Kinoc approaches Auron and gives him a hug, but Auron is completely indifferent. (He's hiding something, ain't it plain as day?) Kinoc is in charge of the warrior monks, and also leads the Crusaders, as Lulu tells Tidus. But now we get some interesting shocks - Kinoc knows that the plan won't work, as well as Auron does, but they'll let the Crusaders dream a little longer. Seymour interrupts and in his own way, tells Kinoc to shut it. Auron isn't impressed with this, but won't respond when Kinoc keeps pressing him to find out where he's been for ten years. Just tell him one thing, have you seen Zanarkand? Hmph. Yuna feels out of place, like they don't belong here. But the Al Bhed are going to begin the operation, so 'when you're prepared to defend yourselves', tell him. (Hah.) Empty the treasure chests in the vicinity for a Mega-Potion and a Serene Bracer, cure up and all that jazz, save your game again. Now, you've got an important decision to make here, although you might make it unknowingly. You saw Gatta outside manning the door, unhappy about it. Talk to him twice, and give him advice about what he should do, stay there or go to the front. Your decision there (or lack of, if you just ignore him) will impact the lives of two men. Once you're done, follow the red arrow to find the guy in the corner of the tented area. Tell him when you're ready, and the operation will commence. They're going to encourage the sinspawn to call out to Sin, but they won't have to, Sin will come by itself. Before anyone can say boo, one of the sinspawn breaks free of its cage! Hoooo boy.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sinspawn Gui ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Body: Points: HP: 12000 (800) MP: 30 Rewards: AP: 400 (600) GIL: 1000 Stats: STR: 29 DEF: 1 MAG: 20 MDF: 30 AGL: 10 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulBlaze, NulTide, NulSpark, Shell, Demi, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Head: Points: HP: 4000 (800) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 48 (72) GIL: 200 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 15 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulBlaze, NulSpark, NulTide, Delay, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Arms (each): Points: HP: 800 (500) MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 37 (55) GIL: 300 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 0 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulBlaze, NulFrost, NulSpark, NulTide, Delay, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Better get some popcorn and a cup of coffee, kids, this is going to be a long one, especially if you're not prepared properly. Good tactic for this battle is, have Lulu with Fira learnt. If she doesn't have Fira, she'll have to make do with Fire, which will take twice as bloody long. As soon as the battle starts, similarly to the Chocobo Eater, have Tidus and Lulu, but Wakka instead of Auron. The first target we need to take out is the head, as it's a total pain in the ass, and of course swords can't get up there. So we need black magic. Haste both Lulu and Wakka, and use Fira and blitzballs to pepper away all 4000 of the head's HP. If you're like me, you will have made sure both Wakka and Lulu are at Overdrive, so you can use Fira Fury and Element Reels (fire) on the beast. Once the head is gone (hopefully without too much Venom, if you get Venom switch Tidus out for Yuna to cure and esuna), you have two choices, depending on whether you want to stick with magic, or give some physical attackers a turn. While the arms are alive, you can't attack the main body, as they will form a protective shell around it. So, you can either take out the arms (not a difficult task), or keep using magic. If you choose to take out the arms, note that they will regenerate after a few turns, and you'll be forced to either kill them again or revert to magic. Lulu's Fira is the best weapon you have, so Lulu in for Fira, Wakka to attack, as well as Yuna to cure. Or, you can overly cheat (not really cheat, but practically bypass this battle) and have Yuna Grand Summon Ifrit, which will kill the head, the arms, and knock off a large chuck of the body's HP, all in one hit. If you're REALLY lucky, you'll get to use Ifrit's Hellfire again before Gui kills it. Either way, have fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Gui kicks the bucket, and what's that in the water? Sin's here to collect its Sinspawn! When the body appears, that's the command for everyone to charge. The rockets are fired, and the chocobo knights rush in with their widdle spears for some damage. Sin's got a trick up its sleeve for you all, though. It forms a protective force field around itself, then suddenly, shatters the force field, sending out huge waves of energy to literally incinerate everything in it's path. Whoa. After the massacre that I predicted a while ago actually occurs, Yuna wakes up on the shore. Guess who's back, back again, Gui is back, tell a friend. Yup, it just doesn't want to die. But Seymour is here to kick it's ass. Enjoy the 'fight'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sinspawn Gui (round 2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Body: Points: HP: 6000 (800) MP: 30 Rewards: AP: 400 (600) GIL: 1000 Stats: STR: 29 DEF: 1 MAG: 20 MDF: 30 AGL: 10 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulBlaze, NulTide, NulSpark, Shell, Demi, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Head: Points: HP: 1000 (800) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 48 (72) GIL: 200 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 15 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulBlaze, NulSpark, NulTide, Delay, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) Arms (each): Points: HP: 800 (500) MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 37 (55) GIL: 300 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 0 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulBlaze, NulFrost, NulSpark, NulTide, Delay, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ding ding, round 2, FIGHT! In this battle, we have Auron, Seymour, and Yuna to fight, with no choice whatsoever. Phooey, But, we get to fight as SEYMOUR! How cool is that! This battle's a walk in the park, as we have the best black mage we've seen so far, in Seymour. One hit of Fira from Seymour will take out the head of this creature, and three or four will take out the body itself. Use Auron to play around beating up a few arms, and I'm not too sure why we have Yuna here. For her pretty looks? Use her for white magic, although I doubt you'll need it. Wheeeeeeeeee, fun.... Note: see Seymour's overdrive, Requiem, if you can. It's the only time you can see it performed in the game, and it's pretty kool looking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And the bastard actually dies this time, thank God. Okay, my Seymour got thirteen sphere levels here, but will we ever get the chance to use them? Does he even have a sphere grid? Sadly, no. Take the six level 1 key spheres you'll get, as well, then Yuna will go crazy-mad looking for everyone else. Oh man, watch as the Al Bhed try to take on the force field of Sin. For a while, they do a pretty good job, until the tug of war ends and their base is destroyed. Aw, nuts. Tidus wakes up, on the beach, and sees the total devastation of the failed operation. Time to explore the ruins, gauge just how bad it went. You'll see a lot of dead people, as well as a lot of varying descriptions of said dead people, creepy. At the very back of the beach, you'll find one of Gatta or Luzzu, on the ground. They're not dead, but as Sin pulls away, Tidus gets angry and chases after it. (Oh man... but listen to the song in the background, tis one of my favourites in the whole soundtrack.) Yuna rushes to the shoreline, wanting to do something to stop it, but Seymour calls out that there's nothing she can do, she won't hurt it, she's just too weak. Defiant, she tries anyway, but insistently, he calls her back. Instead, she performs a sending, while we flash to Tidus, who's actually swimming out after Sin. He narrates, even he had no idea what he was thinking, swimming after Sin. "Chasing him down like a thief at a market". He just wants to go home! And we dream... whoa, where are we? It looks pretty cool. Souls, wandering around, is this the Farplane? The afterlife? See Gatta or Luzzu, walking, and there's that dratted kid in purple again! Who is he!? What role does he play in this!?! We're on a ship now, with a younger Tidus and Jecht. Tidus asks Jecht about his impending retirement, "they say you're no good cos you drink all the time". If Jecht can stop drinking whenever he wants, why can't he do it now? Oooh, watch it Tidus, or you'll get smacked. And Tidus cries again, and Jecht taunts... Tidus can sense Jecht there, or maybe it's just Sin's toxin playing with his mind. (Tidus, have you forgotten that Sin IS Jecht?) And just like that, we're back on shore. How many people died today? People die, and Yuna dances. When will she stop dancing? She won't, not until Sin is gone. Auron is back, with more cryptic comments. Many stories ended here today, but yours still goes on. And like that, he's gone. WTM? Bah. Anyways, we get to play again now. So play with your sphere levels, then save your game, in the Aftermath of Operation Mi'ihen. Head left of the save sphere, and you'll get another scene. Auron asks if Maester Kinoc is satisfied, and when Kinoc isn't sure what he means, Auron explains, that those who turned from Yevon died, while those who are faithful live on. Hmmm, I never stopped to think about that. Kinoc's only reply is that the last ten years have changed him. Hmm... Yuna looks sad, as the people depart, but is approached by Maester Seymour. She doesn't look well, but now more than ever she must be the people's strength, their confidence. Everyone else would be expected to show sorrow, but you are a summoner, you are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Got it! But Yuna is afraid, so Seymour offers himself as a pillar of strength, as Yunalesca had her lord Zaon. And with a quick farewell, he's gone. Explore the area and you'll find a Hi-Potion in a chest behind Lulu. Then, talk to everyone, but the important person to see is Auron. He reiterates that Sin is Jecht, and Tidus relates that he could feel him back there. Jecht came here to see Tidus, and Tidus is shocked that he killed all those people for a chance to see him. But that's what Sin does, and he came here to show you. Why? Because he hopes that you will kill him. As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing, and he wants you to stop him. What, is this like our destiny or something? Cut me some slack, geez. But anyways, after the scene, we've got a pilgrimage to continue. So follow the path, stopping to get healed by Shelinda if you wish, and you'll see your party at the end of the road. Tidus just walks straight past them, and they follow him. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Djose Highroad ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- On the Djose Highroad, Yuna is calling for Tidus and Kimahri to hurry up. Tidus comments that she sure sounds cheerful, and here we get a monologue from Kimahri. *gasp* In bright times. she must be, she must shine bright. Now are dark times, so Yuna tried hard. If you worry about her, she tries harder. So in other words, don't worry be happy? Kimahri's trying too, so Tidus wants to see him smile. Lol, I guess that could pass for a smile, but it still looks like he wants to eat someone. Save after the scene, and head up along the very boring stretch of road. A few things to collect, though. Talk to the guy in purple walking along twice, and he'll give you a Variable Steel. Check behind stone pillars on the right, one hides the Al Bhed Primer Vol XI. Further up, in a treasure chest on the left, you can get 2x Phoenix Down. From a guy in red and green pants walking around, you can get a Hi-Potion, and from a guy in white pants, a Soft Ring. (Help stop those pesky Basilisks and their Stone Gaze.) In a crevice behind a corner, you can get a Bright Bangle; from a guy praying just past that, an Ether; and another guy just past that, a Mega-Potion. (Whee.) When you get to the intersection of two roads, the north one leads to the Moonflow, and the east one to Djose temple. Tidus will get frustrated, wanting to know how much longer to Zanarkand. (Geez, we've barely started the journey!) First down the Moonflow, to the Guado city of Guadosalam, then cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania. And before that, says Yuna in a sing-song voice, you get to pray at the temple in Djose! No Tidus, you can't just skip it all, she needs to pray at every temple to earn the final aeon. It must be tough, but she'll be fine with you here. Awww... As you go to follow the road to the temple, Auron will stop you. "Hey, new guy." You're not allowed to tell Yuna that you know about Sin and Jecht. If she knew, she'd distance herself from you, and they don't want that. But, even if he did say something, it's not like anyone would believe him now, would they. But Yuna would. Why did Tidus have to know about Sin and Jecht, anyways? Better than him finding out at a critical moment and becoming emotional. Tidus, emotional? Heh heh, Auron heard you were quite the crybaby. (LOL!) After the scene, in which Tidus admits to still being a little crybaby, follow Auron to the temple. On the bridge, it will start to shake, as something happens, but keep going. You'll see the chocobo knights, devastated because the attack destroyed all their chocobos except one. This is their just reward for turning their backs on the teachings. After the scene, your party will keep going. Outside the temple, there will be a lot of rumbling as the earth shakes, and Tidus is a little afraid. Run forward to the temple, and you'll see where the temple is - inside all the electrified rock. The Lightning Mushroom Rock only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth, so someone must already be in there. Too right. Save your game on the right, then note a lone figure sitting just right of the entrance to the temple. It's either Gatta or Luzzu, mourning for the other of the pair. They can't do this anymore, so they're going back to Besaid. Sad. But head inside the temple. Inside, we'll see some cool electrified statues, and a summoner coming down from the trials. He asks who Yuna is, and she identifies herself, leading to chit-chats about Braska. This is Isaaru, and his guardians Pacce and Maroda. He always looked up to Braska as a child, and he believes that if Yuna has any of her father's talent then she will one day defeat Sin. And he challenges her, a race to see who can defeat Sin first. She accepts, and Isaaru excuses himself, while your party enters the trials. Go to go up the stairs, and you will be stopped by Isaaru. Yes, you're one of Yuna's guardians, so Maroda will tell you about the rumour he heard. Seems summoners have been going out on pilgrimages and just... disappearing. It could just be that the fiends got them, but not so many so quickly. So you should watch your back, ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh? So be careful. Seems like a nice guy, this Isaaru character. If you're ready, enter the trials. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Djose ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is one of the most irritating trials in the game. The first bit's not so hard, just take the two Djose Spheres from either side of the room and place them in the slots on the door, so it will open. Next room, we have a weirdly lit glyph on the floor, a pedestal, and Djose Spheres all over the place. On the far wall, you'll see two Spheres, so take them one at a time to the very right hand side of the room, and place them in the two recesses on the wall. Part of the glyph on the floor will disappear, but no worries. Once you've done that, the pedestal on the roof will start to glow and crackle, cool stuff. Now, push the other normal pedestal, complete with sphere, under this crackling pedestal. Now the Djose Sphere on the pedestal is green with fire, which is pretty cool. Take that fiery sphere and place it in the slot on the right side of the far wall, right of the glyph, to reveal a doorway. In the next room is a pit with a lot of lightning that we can't get across just yet. Or can we? Take the two Djose Spheres from the right side of the room, and place them in the pedestal, then push the pedestal across and into the pit of lightning. It makes a nice stepping stone that we can jump over to get across. Whee! Across the pit, there's another pedestal with a sphere, so just push it towards the wall. Another blue line will appear, lighting up a symbol on the floor in the main chamber. Have you worked out yet what we're trying to do? Light up the whole glyph on the floor. So far, we should have two pieces, the central piece, and a small circle inside the top piece. Now, we want that pedestal with its two spheres back, so step on the shining glyph left of screen to get it out of the pit. Take the two spheres from the pedestal, and put them back in the slots in the first room, left and right. This makes the two "wings" of the glyph appear, and we've only got one more piece to go. We don't need the doorway to the lightning pit anymore, so take the fiery sphere and place it in the left side of the door. A flickering glyph will appear on the wall to your left, as well as a platform in the centre of the floor. We've done it. Touch the flickering glyph to reveal the Destruction Sphere, so take it and head up on the platform. You'll be in a new room, with five pedestals circling the room and a large metal structure overhead. Push each of these five pedestals into their wall cavities, and two things will happen: a new pedestal will appear, and a doorway will be opened. Put the Destruction Sphere into the pedestal, to blow up a path leading to a Magic Sphere, so take it then head up the stairs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ That temple took me nearly two hours to work out, the first time. I'm not so clever though, might take you a lot less. Anyways, you'll enter the chamber, and before you can even blink, Dona and Barthello will appear. Barthello is shocked, and when Dona enquires why, it's because Barthello knows of Auron. He wants to shake Auron's hand, and starts falling all over himself talking about how Auron inspired him to become a guardian. Tis quite funny. Also funny is how Wakka calls Dona on calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska riff-raff. Lulu: "And you call yourself a summoner." Now, as Kimahri says, "Pick spot. Shut up. Wait." Nah, just go to leave the chamber, and Yuna will appear. Dona is all snooty, saying she has a lot to thank her father for: all these guardians, Sir Auron, and Maester Seymour being taken with her. Oh this has nothing to do with Braska, she's doing this on her own. Bah to you, Dona. After the scene, Tidus will get some rest, and you can name Ixion, your new thunder-elemental aeon. (Grr, what happened to Ramuh? Or even Quetzacotl?) Tidus wakes up, calm and happy, so go back inside the tent and open the chest for a Switch Hitter. Now, your whole party is standing around outside - well, everyone except for one, Yuna's nowhere to be found. She's inside the temple getting her beauty sleep, so go find her. Pass Gatta or Luzzu inside, then head into the left room. There we'll find our favourite summoner, taking a nap. She was working till dawn, sending, so Tidus will let her sleep. But she stirs, and awakens. She's shocked that she slept so long, even though Tidus tells her not to worry. She rushes around getting ready to depart, while Tidus goes back outside. Yuna appears, flustered, running as fast as her little legs will go. Here's a nice scene, with the party lightheartedly teasing Yuna. "Yo, sleepyhead! A summoner with bed hair, what is the world coming to?" Oh, they tried to wake her up, but with all that snoring... even Auron gets in on the act "once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave." Tidus enjoys the laughter, but later realized, the only one really laughing that day was him. Like Yuna told him in Luca, you have to smile even when you're sad, to appease the people, to keep yourself going, and that's what they were doing. After that, everyone departs, so save your game and leave. On the bridge, talk to the guy in white pants for a Halberd, the guy walking along (if you can catch him) for 2x Hi-Potion, and the guy at the end for 10x Potion. After the bridge, you'll get a scene with the chocobo knights, they're heading north to look for more chocobos. Poor Clasko gets the job of running alongside, as they can only fit two on a chocobo. After the scene, head back out along the road. Now you get to head north, and cross the Moonflow. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Moonflow ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Another long road. What's with these lately? So I'll just detail items. In the first small section on the left, you can get 3x Level 1 Key Spheres, and we can talk to Shelinda. She's getting too pious for me, ugh. Around a couple of corners we'll meet up with Biran and Yenke again, the two Ronsos Kimahri cold-clocked in Luca. Look, there goes one of Kimahri's friends, it's just like him! Both follow summoners on all fours, the hornless goatlings! They've come to warn you, about the summoners disappearing, as well. Poor Kimahri, lost his horn, next he'll lose his summoner! Kimahri doesn't get the chance to deck them again, pity. Tidus wants to help Kimahri deal with them, but Kimahri wants to do it alone. Lulu's worried, not about the Ronso problem, but about the summoners. But they can't just be disappearing into thin air... Tidus is confident - if they summoners do their jobs, then there's no problem! Wakka and Lulu like this. Which is good. Along the path, take an X-Potion. In another small inlet on the right, take another 3x Level 1 Key Spheres. Further along, you can meet Belgemine again. She wants another contest, one-on-one with aeons. She heals your aeons, so let's begin! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Ixion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 6500 (560) MP: 450 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 22 DEF: 1 MAG: 23 MDF: 1 AGL: 17 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: Lightning (+), Water (x1.5) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You get to choose whichever aeon you want, here, any other than Ixion that is. My pick would be Ifrit, though if Ifrit dies you can always summon Valefor to keep fighting. Near the start of the battle, Ixion will caste Haste on itself. How is it that her Ixion can cast Haste, while yours cannot? With abilities. You can teach your aeons different abilities - magic, the works. But for now, just worry about attacking. Ifrit's physical attack will do about 900 damage to Ixion, while Ixion will only hit Ifrit for 300 or 400. Plus, Ifrit has the added ability of being able to heal, using a Fire spell on himself. It shouldn't take long for Ifrit to get to Overdrive. Hellfire should be enough to easily overkill Ixion - overall, a pretty simple battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And you receive 2x Dragon Scale and the Summoner's Soul if you win the battle. Now that you have the Summoner's Soul, you can teach your aeons abilities, like Ixion had Haste. The game runs through a tutorial of how to do this. Select Aeons on the menu, then Abilities, then the aeon to customize. A list of available abilities, and their item cost, is listed. Select an item in white and confirm, to teach the aeon the ability. This can get item-consuming, so I wouldn't hassle with it too much. One thing I would recommend though, for each elemental GF, is teaching them their own elemental spells. In other word, teaching Ifrit Fire, Fira, and Firaga. You won't be able to do this for a while yet, but it's well worth it if you ever plan on getting your aeons to battle for you. Anyways, keep heading along the South Bank Road of the Moonflow. In a little side road on the left, grab a Magic Def sphere. Halfway along the next screen, Tidus will stop because he'll see the water of the Moonflow, isn't it beautiful? At night, pyreflies gather there, and the entire river glows like a sea of stars. Wait, Tidus has an idea! But Auron shoots him down, saying that they're not waiting until nightfall. (Phooey.) Anyways, you'd better hurry of you'll miss the shoopuf! That some kind of boat? Haha, you wish. Follow the path, and you'll find the shoopuf, a giant elephant thingy. You get to ride on its back, across the river. But first, you must prepare to leave. Grab 2x Phoenix Down from the treasure chest, and buy anything you might want/need from O'aka. Follow the path and head out to the left, to find the chocobo knights arguing with the driver of the shoopuf. He won't let the chocobo on board, which has Lucil angry. So they'll go off to find a ford to cross on foot. Clasko doesn't like the idea, but he has no choice but to agree. Save your game on the left, and you can hear about the shoopuf from Maechen if you wish. Take 5000 gil from under the tent, then head back to the shoopuf. Talk to the driver, standing on the platform next to it, to ride it. We get a really long scene here. Wakka will tell Tidus to look overboard - there's a sunken city down there, the ruins of a machina city destroyed a thousand years ago. The city was built of bridges over the water, but the weight caused the bridges to collapse, and it sank to the bottom. Why build a city over a river, ya? Yevon taught us: when humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, as they did here. But they use machina too, for the stadium and stuff! Yevon decides which machina they may use, and which they may not. What kind may they not use? The Operation Mi'ihen kind! If they use them, war will rage again. Over a thousand years ago, mankind waged war using machina to kill, they kept building more and more powerful machina, it was thought they could destroy the entire world. How did the war end? Sin came and destroyed the cities, destroyed it all. That's how Sin came to be. But it's not like the machina themselves are bad, they're only as bad as their users. That's why Wakka hates the Al Bhed, always screwing everything up! As if on cue, the shoopuf grumbles, it's being attacked! Some Al Bhed jump on board, grab Yuna, and disappear... with Wakka and Tidus in pursuit! And just like that, we have a boss battle to fight. See Yuna, trapped inside. We have to save her! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Extractor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 4000 (600) MP: 10 Rewards: AP: 660 (990) GIL: 2400 Stats: STR: 23 DEF: 1 MAG: 15 MDF: 1 AGL: 15 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 30 Elements: Lightning (x1.5), Fire/Ice/Water/Holy (1/2) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Death, Doom, Regen, Eject Steal: Potion (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Like the last underwater boss we fought, we have only Wakka and Tidus to fight, geez. The Extractor is weak against lightning, but seeing as we don't have Lulu here, unless we've got Lightningstrike on our weapons (very doubtful), that ain't gonna be much help. Luckily, this battle should be a fairly quick one. The Extractor has a set attack pattern for his turns - Aqua Shooter, Aqua Shooter, Readying Depth Charges, Depth Charges, repeat process. While the Aqua Shooters are minor annoyances, the Depth Charges really pack a punch, with darkness for good measure. So, what can we do against him? First off, Haste is your friend. While you don't have Auto-Haste, you'll have to cast it at the start of each major battle, good habit to get into. The Extractor is immune to all of Wakka's status ailments, but not against Tidus' Delay Attack, so you can use that to put off his turns. Other than that, you don't really have much choice but to attack normally. When the Readying Depth Charges appears, you've got one round to inflict 500 damage. If you manage it, no depth charges, he'll just come down and start the cycle again. If you miss, boom, ouch. The battle isn't that hard, especially if both of your characters have Warrior overdrive mode, so they can get to Overdrive fairly quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ At the end, the Extractor explodes, but where is Yuna? She's managed to get back on the shoopuf, safe and sound. While the shoopuf goes full shteam ahead, Wakka is trying to figure out the Al Bhed's motives for trying to kidnap Yuna again. What do they want from her? Does it have something to do with Luca? They're mad they lost the tournament! Wait, they're mad about Operation Mi'ihen! No, Lulu's on the right track. The Ronsos were talking about summoners disappearing... so the Al Bhed are behind that? (Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!) But Tidus doesn't care, all he needs to know is that he's protecting Yuna, and he'll do so. On the north bank of the Moonflow, save again. While Yuna is entertained by the locals, we'll explore. Auron tells you to guard Yuna, but she's got Wakka and Kimahri there, so we'll explore more. Find O'aka, and just behind him is Al Bhed Primer Vol XII. Then, head left off screen. Take an Ether from the treasure chest, and keep going. Now we're on the road to Guadosalam. On the first corner, you'll find a figure slumped down on the path - who is it? What is it? It looks very familiar.... it's Rikku! Tidus is ecstatic to see her, asking how she's been, but she's been terrible. What happened? You beat her up, in the Extractor! While they try to work out just who attacked who back there, the rest of your party catches up with you. Friend of yours? I guess you could say that. Rikku introduces herself, and Tidus excitedly tells them that she helped him out before he washed up in Besaid, she's an Al Bhe... uh... watch it, Wakka's right there! But Wakka didn't catch onto your Freudian slip, asking Rikku if she's okay and all. Lulu and Yuna interrupt - they have something to discuss. Girls only, boys over there! (Rikku is so cool.) Oh, Yuna wants Rikku to be her guardian! (That was mighty quick... or do they know each other?) She seeks Auron's approval, and Auron wants to see Rikku's face. Hmph, just as he thought. (He knows she's Al Bhed.) If Yuna wishes, then it shall be done. It's settled, you now have a party of seven! The more the merrier, and Rikku's going to be the merriest! It's funny, Wakka always hated the Al Bhed, yet he never realized Rikku was one of them... Once you've got Rikku in your party, keep going on the road to Guadosalam. Your first battle will be: Rikku vs. a treasure chest, who you gonna put your money on? Cos we never actually learnt to use Rikku's thief abilities last time we had her in our party, we get to learn now. So have Rikku use the special ability Steal on the treasure chest, to get 2x Bomb Core. Oooh, now a bunyip. You better be scared of Rikku, bunyip, she's gonna use those items she just got on you! Tutorial on how to use her Overdrive, Mix. She mixes two items together, for varying effects, so we're instructed to use the two Bomb Cores we just got, to create a Firestorm. Whee, say bye bye bunyip. Take 4x Antidote from the treasure chest, and head long the road, killing everything in your path. Now you have an extra member to switch in and out each battle, to get maximum AP. Rikku will level up fast, which is good, as her HP is almost non-existent. Next treasure chest, take a Mega-Potion, and then run down the road into Guadosalam. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Guadosalam ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- This sure is... an interesting looking place. They have been expecting her, so follow the guy. Wakka doesn't like that idea, Yuna going off with some strange guy, so he introduces himself as Tromell Guado, saying he works for Seymour Guado. Seymour has important business with Yuna, so they should accompany him inside the manor. Ooooh, here we get a tutorial on using Rikku's skillz to customise weapons and armour! If you haven't already checked out my customisation section, now is the time to do so, to see all the auto-abilities you can customise. There's some good ones, but anyways, just go through the tutorial. Once done, you can save your game inside the Inn just there, before heading up to the mansion. Empty the chest on the right for a Mega-Potion before going inside. Inside, note that the music changes dramatically. Talk to everyone inside, especially Lulu and Wakka on the staircase on the right. They're looking at pictures of the past leaders of the Guado, who, according to Tidus, all look the same, except for Seymour. There's a reason he doesn't look the same - Maester Jyscal wed a human woman, and she was Seymour's mother. As usual, nothing will happen unless you go to leave the manor, so do so and Tromell will reappear. Follow him through the door, and he will inform Lord Seymour of your presence. Now again, talk to everyone. Lulu will immediately start explaining things, which shocks Tidus, maybe she finally believes that he doesn't know anything at all about Spira, and maybe she believes him about Zanarkand too! Auron warns Tidus to stay on his guard. Why, he's just a priest! But people with power will use that power. Maesters have a LOT of power. Tidus is sceptical, he thinks Auron just has something against Yevon. His response is that he lived a long time in Zanarkand. Uh, what? Wakka thinks Seymour's called them here for more than just dinner, and Rikku's already stuffing her face. Talking to Yuna progresses things, she's nervous as to what it could be. And Tromell is back, talking about how good it is to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, things have been too quiet, and Yuna expresses her sadness at the death of Jyscal. Was Jyscal really such a great guy? He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado, he was a good man. Being the son of a Guado and a human, Lord Seymour will hopefully be the tie that binds the two races together., But, more than that, he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira! And here's the man himself. Yuna asks him why she wanted to see him, and Seymour tells her to relax, make herself at home, there's no rush. But Auron interrupts, keep this short, we must rush. So he invites them to his private chamber... Wow, look at the inside of this sphere, will you!? They're flying, over the great city of Zanarkand! This sphere contains the thoughts of those that wander the Farplane (the dead people), their memories of the great machina city of Zanarkand, as it looked a thousand years ago. Tidus is confused, he knows all these places intimately. While Lulu and Wakka look astonished at the technology spread out before them, Auron isn't impressed in the slightest. Seymour says, she lived here, in this bustling metropolis. She who? She as in, Lady Yunalesca! She was the first person to defeat Sin, and save the world from its ravages. Of course, Yuna was named after this fine woman. Lord Braska was entrusting Yuna with a great task, he wanted her to face Sin as Yunalesca did. But she didn't do it alone - to defeat the undefeatable Sin, it took an unbreakable bond of love, of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity. Lord Zaon enters the room, and embraces Lady Yunalesca. And with this, Seymour bends down and whispers something in Yuna's ear... what is it? Whatever it was, it startled Yuna up real good, the poor girl's not herself. She stumbles back to your party, who are very concerned with the way she looks, knowing there's something odd going on. She doesn't know where to start, but eventually just spits it out, he asked her to marry him! Auron doesn't like this one bit. Does he know what Yuna must do? Yes, she must ease the suffering of all Spira, it's more than just defeating Sin. But Spira's not a playhouse, a moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing. Even so, the actors must play their parts. It's a confusing little scene, but all is not well in the house of your party. As Auron walks off, Seymour calls after him, why are you still here? Auron stops dead. Oh sorry, Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane. Tidus is confused, what scent, and he starts sniffing Auron, who shoves him away. What was all that about? A keen mind might be able to pick it up... Leave the manor now, there's nothing else to see here. Outside, Lulu is addressing your party about this proposed marriage. She doesn't make it sound like a marriage, she makes it sound like a business deal 'it would give the people of Spira something cheery to talk about for a change'. Tidus just wants to get on with the pilgrimage. Rikku teases, is he jealous? What, no way! They have to defeat Sin, romance can wait. But she's actually considering it! If her getting married will help the people, make them happy, maybe she should do it! Rikku suggests, you could always quit your pilgrimage and just get married! But no, she is a summoner, she must fight and defeat Sin, like Braska before her. And Tidus is restraining himself from shouting, what's there to think about!? Anyways, Yuna is going to the Farplane, to see her father and think about this. And Tidus is thinking, why didn't anyone ask Yuna, does she love Seymour, does she even like him? But no-one did. And we're off to the Farplane, after Yuna. Cos Guadosalam can be a confusing place, I'll direct you to take the left path up, and then the second right, to cross the bridge and find the Farplane. At the bottom of the stairs, Tidus has a question. when someone dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, so their souls or whatever go to the Farplane, right? And... that's where they are now? Do dead people live at the Farplane or something? No-one will answer his questions, so you just have to go up the steps and find out for yourself. Auron refuses to go to the Farplane, citing that he doesn't belong there. Tidus thinks he's scared, but he simply reasons that searching the past for help with the future is pointless, and he doesn't need it. Rikku tries to explain, you're not really going to see the dead, more like your memories of them. People think of their relatives, and the pyreflies react to take on the form of the dead person, nothing more. She's not going either, she prefers to keep her memories inside. So with that, you go. Watch the awesome scene of the Farplane. Looks pretty cool, but kinda sad at the same time. Tidus can't stop thinking about Yuna, seeing her parents in the pyreflies and all. Will seeing them help Yuna consider Seymour's proposal? We shall see.... Talk to Wakka, who's talking to Chappu. About giving up the game, about being a guardian, about Tidus showing up, who looks a lot like Chappu. He was hoping Chappu was still alive, but then again, here he is on the Farplane, guess his place is here. The sword Tidus has? It originally belonged to Chappu, and Wakka is telling Chappu how much he likes it. Your Brotherhood sword just got maxed out to its full potential, with its extra abilities being 'unlocked'. Now it has Strength +10%, Strength +5%, Waterstrike, and Sensor. Cool. Now talk to Yuna, who has decided what to do. She's remembering what happened ten years ago, in Bevelle, when her father defeated Sin. Everyone was out in the streets, laughing, they were all so happy. If she defeats Sin, that would make everyone happy too, wouldn't it? She must do what everyone wants, not just what she wants. Before they go back to tell Seymour, Yuna wants Tidus to call Sir Jecht. Of course, he won't come because he's not dead. Why does Tidus hate Jecht so? Because its his fault that he and his mother... and his mother appears! Tidus is shocked.. but he's just figured out why he hates his old man. And he dreams... Jecht, young Tidus, and his mother are on a boat. Jecht and Tidus' mother are busy, overlooking the water, talking, and Tidus is trying desperately to get his mother's attention. Whenever his father was there, his mother wouldn't even look at him. Maybe that's why he resented him, hated him. And when Jecht left, his mother just lost her energy. Now Auron is on the boat with young Tidus, asking about his mother. If she dies, Auron wouldn't know what to do. (Oooh-er...) Someone once told Tidus, when a lovebird dies, its partner gives up living so it can go and join its mate, it was just like that. And Tidus hated Jecht even more. The rest of your party appears, it's time to go. Lulu thinks she's missed something, and Tidus chuckles, embarrassed. Outside the Farplane, your party is descending the stairs, when a figure appears inside. Lord Jyscal! He's trying to escape the Farplane! He doesn't belong here though, so Auron sends Yuna to send him. While Yuna goes to perform the sending, Auron falls to his knees, in a heap, and she picks up a sphere that Jyscal dropped. Auron is very eager to get out of there, so they leave quickly. It was Lord Jyscal there, in the Farplane. He would have been sent when he died, but a powerful emotion could have bound him to Spira so he couldn't leave. Such things happen. So he died an unclean death... what happened? Meet up with your party, outside Seymour's manor. Yuna's going to go meet with Seymour, and Auron reminds her, Jyscal is the Guado's problem, not yours. She goes inside, and Tidus walks off to chat with Lulu. What does she think about Yuna getting married? As long as the pilgrimage continues, either way is fine. But what if she doesn't even like the guy, is that okay? Lulu is calm - people marry for many reasons, sometimes it doesn't even require love, y'know? Defeat Sin and bring joy to Spira, or get married and bring joy to Spira, they're just two ways down the same road. No go talk to the rest of your party members. Rikku isn't keen on the idea of going through the Thunder Plains next. Auron tells you to prepare to leave. Wakka was worried about what was going to happen, for a while in there. Lulu wants Yuna to marry for love, but if she wanted to marry the one she loves, she would have to object. Kimahri likes Guado potions, and tells you to buy some before leaving. Enter the house on the very left of town, and find Al Bhed Primer Vol XIII, and 3000 gil. Talk to Lulu, one more time. She's getting grumpy, and, she shouldn't have to say this, but don't fall in love with Yuna. Now, choose an option. For the funniest response, tell Lulu that she's more your type. Interesting. She'll add you to her list, and she wishes you good luck, little boy, cos you're gonna need it. (Hehe.) Nothing else to do here, so go to follow the path out of Guadosalam. Shelinda will meet up with you, and ask you where Yuna is. My, she gets offended when Tidus refers to Seymour as just "Seymour", no title. But wait, Seymour's not even here, he went to the temple in Macalania, he's the high priest there too. So go back and tell your party. Inside Seymour's manor, Yuna is talking to the portrait of Lord Jyscal. However, she doesn't get any answers to her questions before Rikku calls her to go. Tidus tells her, Seymour went to Macarena Temple. Oh, Macalania, sorry. Why would the lord maester disappear without a peep to anyone? Maybe he wasn't expecting Yuna's answer so soon. But Yuna looks distressed, so Auron asks her what's wrong. Nothing? Yuna's a poor liar. Anyways, your party is out of there. Before leaving for Macalania, head back to the Farplane and take the Venus Crest from the treasure chest. All these crests we're picking up are for celestial weapons, in case you didn't know. By now, we should have the Venus, Moon, Mars, and Jupiter Crests. Okay, once you've gotten that one, head north out of town, we're on our way to Macalania. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Thunder Plains ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Oh no, we're here! Rikku is petrified of lightning. Watch it strike all over the place, and Tidus has no idea how they're going to get through. See the lightning rod towers? If you stick near them, you should miss the lightning, meaning you should avoid wide open areas. We get a mini-tutorial here, on how to cross the plains. Lightning can strike at any time, so keep moving. You can seek shelter under the lightning towers, as they absorb nearby lightning strikes. But while you're not near a tower, you can dodge lightning by pressing X. Press X when you see the flash of lightning, but you can't just constantly mash X. Here you can partake in one of the first side quests of the game, lightning dodging. The aim is to see how many lightning bolts you can successfully dodge, and your rewards vary accordingly. See the section on Lightning Dodging for more info on that. In the first chest on the left, pick up 2x Phoenix Down. Oh, and if you see any green glowing cactuar stones, go up to them and pray by pressing square. Again, the walkthrough for here is pretty boring, can we have some fun stuff? Find Maechen under the first tower on the right, talk to him for a brief history of the plains. Keep cruising along, beating up things, meet with Shelinda under another tower on the left. On the right, in a little inlet, you'll find a Water Ball. Keep going, and eventually a scene will take over. Wakka and Tidus will watch the lightning rods, and comment "that was a close one!" (typical male stuff), while Lulu tells them to stop kidding around. (Yes ma'am.) Rikku is terrified - "heh heh heh heh heh"... she drops to the ground, scuttles over to Tidus, and grabs his leg, crying "I wanna go home!" She wants to take a break, but your party ignores her and keeps going. She huddles outside the travel agency, calling out to your party further and further in the distance, until Auron comments "fine, we'll rest, she's worse than the storm". So Rikku gets her way, you rest. Yuna's tired too, so she much rest. Wakka calls after her, but she ignores them and walks off to her room. Talk to Rikku, to discover why she's so terrified of lightning. When she was little, a fiend attacked her while she was swimming at the beach. Her brother tried to beat it back with a thunder spell, but he missed and hit her instead! Ouch... Rin appears, from the hallway. He spots Rikku, and he knows she is Al Bhed, but she shhhhs him quickly. Talk to him, tell him your study of the language is going well and he will hand you Al Bhed Primer XIV. Hey, he spots Auron, so if you confirm it's Auron, he'll go over and chat. Turns out Rin helped Auron ten years ago, at the start of the Calm. He couldn't leave a wounded man to die, but he was surprised the next morning when Auron was gone, an ordinary man wouldn't have been able to walk. Hmm... Now, why is Yuna preoccupied? Let's go see. Head down the hallway, and Tidus will spy on her, at least, he tries to. He tries to ease her door open, and ends up pushing too hard and falling forwards, completely embarrassing himself. She's embarrassed too, and flustered, quickly turning off the sphere she was watching. (Jyscal's sphere?) Tidus apologizes, and goes to leave, but wait, wasn't that that Jyscal Guado guy? (She WAS watching Jyscal's sphere.) The sphere she has is his will, it says "take care of my son". She runs out of the room, distressed, with the sphere on the table. So Tidus sneaks over to see it, while Wakka watches in the background. Eh, enough of that, he gives Tidus a noogie, asking just what he's up to. Hehe, funny scene. In the morning, it's time to go, but Rikku is still scared. After Auron threatens to leave her behind, she gets indignant, saying he could have been nicer about it, you know, try to cheer her up? Ah, she's returning to her old self again. Outside, a guy will run along and take a photo of your party (what's with that?) before you get the chance to leave. Once you do, head north. More goodies to be found, namely, an Ether, 2000 gil, an X-Potion and a Remedy. Collect them all, save at the save point, and keep heading north. This part is so boring :( Another scene will take over, with Yuna having something to tell you. Under a shelter, she'll tell you that she will accept Seymour's proposal, and marry. Why? For Spira's future, and Yevon's unity. (Not a good enough reason!) Wait, did she change her mind because of Lord Jyscal? Tidus remembers, the sphere! Auron wants to see it, but Yuna refuses, saying it's a personal matter. No-one's going to stop her from marrying, as long as she continues her pilgrimage, which shocks Tidus. Wakka wants to know, can't she just talk to Maester Seymour, does she really have to marry him? Yuna doesn't know, really, but she thinks its the right thing to do. Rikku approaches Yuna... "Yunie... QUIET!" (to the storm) Hehe. Anyways, Tidus narrates, She says "I'm sorry", he says "it's fine", she's "willing" to face Sin, she's "privileged". He doesn't understand, but he feels like he doesn't belong. But if he doesn't belong with them, who does he belong with? He'd be stuck in Spira, alone. Now you're on your way to Macalania temple, so Yuna can talk with Seymour. The guardians will wait outside and make plans for what to do next. Understood? Proceed. Keep heading north until you arrive in Macalania Woods. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Macalania Woods ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Rikku is walking along, very timidly, very nervously. She survived the Thunder Plains! Alright! When you get control of Tidus, talk to Auron. He knows you're worried about Yuna, and Tidus just wants to know what on earth she's thinking. Auron reckons he's got it all worked out - in exchange for marrying Seymour, Yuna hopes to be able to negotiate with him. Negotiate what? who knows. But Auron does know that Seymour is the better negotiator. So why can't they help? Yuna wants it this way, but doesn't she trust you? On the contrary, she cares too much to get you guys caught up in whatever she's planning. Typical female. Always planning something. Yuna won't even tell them what she's planning, because that's the way she is. Naive, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help. Yuna might be easy to read, but she's hard to guard, so stand by her, always. After the scene, head into the woods, and in a few seconds you'll get another one. (Whee.) Tidus seems to be all cool with the Seymour thing now, because he realised she isn't marrying for love, she's just marrying for duty before she continues her pilgrimage. That's what he keeps telling himself anyway, to justify the fact that he and Yuna would never... you know... oh, someone wants Yuna bad. Save at the save sphere, then follow the path with the arrow. The other path leads to Bevelle, but we can't go there yet because we're expected at Macalania. Like about four sections before it, the key here is to follow the twisty turny path, you can't exactly get lost or anything, so just head along, fighting whenever. On the way, pick up 2000 gil. Second screen, same deal. Soon, you'll get a scene with Barthello running towards you - Dona's gone missing! They got separated on the way here, and now he can't find her! Auron tries to calm him down, as running around in a panic won't help, he should just keep his cool and search. So Barthello calms down, thanks Auron, and calmly walks off to search for Dona. After the scene, just keep following the path along. (What exactly is the path made of, anyways? Tree branches? Part of it, anyways.) You'll soon meet the butterfly-catcher-chick. Apparently, a butterfly with rainbow wings will lead the way to secret things. This is another side quest you can partake in, the Butterfly Catching sidequest. See the relevant side quest section for more info. I personally wouldn't bother with this one now, I'd come back later. Third screen, when it looks like you're at a dead end on the map, the path goes up on your rightish, so head up and along. Round and round we gooooo... nice place for levelling here. Nothing too scary, except maybe Chimeras and their Megiddo Flame. Fourth screen, a save point, so save. Talk to O'aka, and tell him his prices are too dear, and he will lower them for you. (Hehe.) Collect Al Bhed Primer XV from just across the path from O'aka. Now, you can't head down the south-east path, so just follow the arrow. A scene will take over - Auron is looking for something, and it's here, somewhere. So he slices and dices through a few trees to make a path to whatever it is he wants to show Tidus. After Tidus and Yuna follow him through the new path, head down to where they're standing. It's just water here, isn't it? No, this is what spheres are made of, it absorbs and preserves people's memories. Something's coming out of the water/sphere material, though. Uh oh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Spherimorph ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 12000 (2000) MP: 100 Rewards: AP: 3240 (4860) GIL: 4000 Stats: STR: 20 DEF: 100 MAG: 20 MDF: 1 AGL: 15 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 30 Elements: (change during battle) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Death, Provoke, Sensor, Scan, Delay, Eject Steal: Level 2 Key Sphere (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Been a while since we had a boss. Glad they made it a tough one, here. This one will take you a while to figure out, if you don't have a nice strategy like the one I'm about to tell you :-P At first, this boss looks hard because he counterattacks everything with a different elemental spell. And he seems to absorb all different spells at all different times, just to leave you scratching your head. So, what to do? First off, bring all your characters in for one turn, to get AP. Have Lulu use Focus, Auron use Power Break, and Tidus cast Haste in his turns, the rest can just guard or do whatever. Now you've done that, get Lulu, Yuna and one other person in. I chose Tidus, to play with his Overdrive. Anyways, the key is to physically attack the Spherimorph with your attacker, and then he'll counterattack you with a spell. Have Yuna cure the person who got hit, then Lulu attack with the opposite spell that the Spherimorph used, eg lightning/water, fire/ice. Alternately, you can have Yuna summon the opposite elemental aeon, if you have one. If possible, this works better. For an example: Say Spherimorph uses Water as a counterattack. Okay, summon Ixion for thunder. If you keep using Aerospark, Ixion's special attack, the Spherimorph will not change elements, rather keep using Water, quickly building Ixion up to Overdrive. Whee, Overdrive, pretty much instant overkill. With the good old WallChange (or Elemental Shift, as it's called here) he changes elemental weakness with each spell cast, so once you've hit him for big damage, either with a spell or with a big-ass summon, repeat process from start with a physical attack. Simple, no? If Lulu has her -a spells learnt (Fira, etc.) this battle will be a walk in the park, two minutes maximum. Have fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, we get Jecht's Sphere, and a shitload of AP, as well as two level 2 key spheres. (Whee, and I had Kimahri just needing one of those.) Wakka doesn't know if Tidus will be able to play the sphere, as it's so old. But Auron is confident - Jecht left it here ten years ago, so play it back already. In the sphere, Jecht, Auron and Braska are preparing for Braska's pilgrimage. Auron asks him just what he's taking, and Jecht replies he's taking footage, to show his wife and kid. Auron doesn't like the idea, snapping that this isn't some pleasure cruise. (Hehe.) Jecht appeals to Braska, isn't this supposed to be a grand occasion, where's all the screaming fans, the crying women? Nope, this is it, but it'll be a lot more colourful when you come back, successful. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin! Now the trio are at Lake Macalania, and Braska's trying to take photos - well, videos - with the sphere. Only Auron won't stand close enough to Jecht to get them both in the shot. Jecht is scornful - what's the matter, afraid he'll bite? Jecht says Braska should make a sphere too, a great gift for little Yuna. Braska will think it over, while Auron wants to get amove on, they shouldn't be wasting their time. What's the hurry, man? He'll tell you what the hurry is! I can almost imagine the two getting into a brawl after the sphere stopped filming, hehe. But wait, there's more. Hey, it's Jecht, where we are now, in Macalania Woods! And he's very very serious. If you're sitting there watching this, then you're stuck in Spira just like he is. You won't know when you'll get home, but you better not be crying! Actually, he'd understand if you were, but you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine, you're his son, after all. He believes in you, so be good. Goodbye. Wow. Auron says, Jecht was so serious because he had already accepted his fate. He had always been talking about going home, to Zanarkand, and that's why he took the pictures, to show Tidus when he returned. But as he journeyed, and started to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve... he changed. He decided to join Braska, and gave up hope of going home. Cue serious scene, and Tidus thinks about maybe accepting his own fate. Now that we've beaten Spherimorph, we can pick up Jecht Spheres all over Spira. They have more video footage, and are also the key to unlocking Auron's Overdrives (see, here he learns Shooting Star). Check out my listing of where they all are, in the side quests section, to collect them all. After the scene, head back down the path, and you'll be stopped by Auron. He wants to tell Tidus, that Jecht loved him. (Tidus, not Auron, before you go getting any loopy ideas :-P) He just didn't know how to tell him, that's all. Tidus has had enough of hearing about Jecht, but he thanks Auron for telling him, before they proceed. Back on the main path, save your game again before going up the other pathway and out of the woods. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Lake Macalania ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now we're where Jecht, Braska and Auron recorded part of the sphere, that building look familiar? On the right is Clasko, a chocobo, and a treasure chest, and on the left on the ground is Al Bhed Primer Vol XVI. Take the primer, then go and talk to Clasko. He's got a natural affinity with his chocobo, so maybe he'd make a better chocobo breeder than chocobo knight, huh? I agree, as should you (if you've been paying any attention to the chocobo knight story whatsoever), so tell him that, and he'll be all enthusiastic about the idea of becoming a chocobo breeder. Inside the travel agency (these things are everywhere!), take a rest and save your game. Outside, talk to O'aka, then keep going down the road. As you can imagine, snow around, lots of ice fiends, fire works well. Just a thought I had. Yet another scene will take over, with Tromell approaching you. They were surprised she decided to come so soon, and Lord Seymour sends his apologies for leaving without notice. Yuna tells Tromell, she wants to keep journeying if she marries, and he foresees no problems with that. Well, I guess that's goodbye. They're going to follow Guado tradition, so you guys have to wait here while they go organize stuff. No sooner do they leave, however, than the Al Bhed show up, trying to kidnap Yuna AGAIN! What's with these guys, anyways? Of course, we must rescue her! Suddenly, the Al Bhed withdraw. They've recognized Rikku, so one of them shouts out to her what they're going to do. Set this big huge machina on you, complete with anti-magic field! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Crawler ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crawler: Points: HP: 16000 (4000) MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 4400 (6600) GIL: 7000 Stats: STR: 25 DEF: 100 MAG: 30 MDF: 50 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 30 Elements: Lightning (x1.5), Fire/Ice/Water/Holy (1/2) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Regen, Eject Steal: Lunar Curtain (normal), x2 (rare) Negator: Points: HP: 1000 (1000) MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 220 (330) GIL: 300 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 0 LUK: 0 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: Fire/Ice/Water/Holy (1/2) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Regen, Scan, Eject Steal: Hi-Potion (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're told at the start of the battle, the Negator negates all magic and summons. Whee. What does it do, eat them or something? Ah, who knows, and frankly who cares, all we need to know is that we can't cast magic or use summons when it's around. Should we kill it, then? It's not hard to kill, but be warned - the Crawler will start counting down to Mana Beam if you do so, and Mana Beam is BAD NEWS. So what CAN we do then? Well, being a machina, the Crawler is especially weak against lightning. If you used Rikku's turn in battles on the Thunder Plains to steal Electro Marbles (as I did), here they will be put to good use (especially considering as you can't use black magic and all). Start using them on the Crawler, and even better, if her Mix comes up, mix two of them for a Rolling Thunder. The Rolling Thunder will hit the Crawler for a few thousand damage, and it will also kill the Negator. Uh oh, Mana Beam in 3 turns. But, now we can use magic and aeons. Two choices here - either get Lulu Hasted and casting Thundara, and hope you survive the Mana Beam (it'll knock about 2000 HP off each of your party members), or get an aeon in for some serious battling. Here I chose Ixion, because, you know, Crawler doesn't like lightning? Once Ixion's in, you can use Aerospark for good effect during its three-turn wait. The Crawler will counter with Assault, but meh. When it's got one turn to go, heal Ixion by using Thundara on it, and you should survive the Mana Beam (with a full Overdrive bar, wheee!) Or, alternatively, you can just Grand Summon Ixion for the same effect ;) Unleash Thor's Hammer for a nice 9999 damage and an Overkill. Pretty simple, once you know what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, the Crawler explodes, and you get a LOT of AP. As Yuna prepares once more to leave, the Al Bhed call out to Rikku again. She explains to them, in Al Bhed, that she in Yuna's guardian, so they leave, to prepare another assault I suppose. Wakka doesn't get it though, he's asking Rikku why she speaks Al Bhed. Tidus isn't sure what to say here, but Rikku bites the bullet and admits she's Al Bhed, and that was her brother. Wakka is angry - they knew and didn't tell him! This is great, he's been travelling with an Al Bhed heathen! Now they get into a debate about the Al Bhed - Rikku says they have nothing against Yevon, but Wakka counters that they still use the forbidden machina! But where is the proof that Sin came because people used Machina, there is none! Oh, there is proof in Yevon's teachings - not that she'd know, of course! Rikku is frustrated, Yevon says this, Yevon says that, can't he ever think for himself? So why doesn't she tell him, where did Sin come from? Uhhh... she doesn't know. Oh, he's even madder, she bad-mouths Yevon without even having a decent argument to back it up. He still shouldn't just follow everything written blindly without thinking, though, nothing ever changes that way! Wakka replies hotly, nothing has to change! But if nothing changes, Sin will keep coming back! She asks him, how will they get rid of Sin? He replies with the typical "follow the teachings" comment. Oh, so one day Sin is just gonna say, 'these people have been following Yevon for a bazillion years, I'll leave them alone now'? Doubt it. Agreed, Rikku, you can't preach to the converted, why do you even bother.... Auron wants to know if a snowmobile left behind will move, and Rikku gets to work fixing it so it will. Wakka is sarcastic, wait, Auron's not Al Bhed too is he? Tidus makes some good points here, there's no point getting angry that Rikku is Al Bhed, and after all, they got along fine until now didn't they? That's different! How so? Wakka turns to Lulu in desparation, but she just suggests using this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed. Wakka storms off, and Rikku is sorry for causing such a ruckus, but she did fix the snowmobile. Let's ride! Different scenes can occur here, depending on who you've been more 'friendly' to during the game. Tidus will ride the snowmobile with either Lulu, Rikku, or alone, and different scenes will happen accordingly. In my scene, Lulu hopes Tidus isn't mad at Wakka, but he's not, so it's all good. And what does Lulu think of Rikku? Well, she's fun to be with, and she's not a bad person. The problem is that Wakka sees her as just another Al Bhed, maybe because his head is as hard as a rock? (LOL!) Maybe it's because of Yevon, who knows. Nah, there's more to it than that, it's about Chappu. Yeah, he used a machina weapon, and got killed by Sin, by Tidus' old man... what? Oh, nothing! Say, can a human ever become Sin? Lulu doesn't know. No-one knows what Sin actually is, no-one needs to know so no-one asks. All you can do is run or fight. When Tidus questions this, Lulu finally realizes that he must come from a world where there is no Sin. HALLELUJA it's about freaking time! Our snowmobile ride ends, at a crevasse in Lake Macalania. And now you might foreshadow a bit of a problem, not in terms of story or anything, but in terms of battles. With Yuna gone, you have no white mage. No healing spells. Uh-oh. Take the Mega-Potion from the treasure chest, then head down the stairs. We're on the road to Macalania, now. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Macalania ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Take 400 gil from the boy at the bottom of the stairs, then just head along the road to get to the temple. As you go to enter, the guy on guard will halt you and not let Rikku inside. What? Oh, she's Al Bhed, that's why. But she's a guardian! The guard finds this preposterous, but he has no choice but to let her pass. Inside, save at the save sphere, then talk to Tromell. He thanks you for your help earlier, he was able to get Lady Yuna here thanks to you guys. And he gives you a Shell Targe, whee. Head further in, and you will be greeted by Shelinda. (Is this chick everywhere, or what?) She couldn't be happier right now if it was her own wedding, she's that excited. Now victims of Sin will have something to be joyful about. Tidus guesses so. Now, where is Yuna? She's gone to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour. Not another oneeeeee.... go to head to the stairs to enter, and another scene will take over. Some nosy bird has been going through Yuna's belongings, and found Jyscal's sphere, so they're going to investigate. Take Tidus in there, through the door on the right. This sphere may answer a few questions, so crowd around to watch it closely. Lord Jyscal Guado is about to tell you some serious truths about his son, Seymour. His mind is closed, even to Jyscal, but he can feel flames of darnkess in his heart. He's using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he isn't stopped, he'll bring death, destruction and chaos to Spira. Jyscal will be leaving this world soon, killed by his own son, killed by Seymour, but he doesn't fault him, Jyscal blames himself, for not being wise enough, and so Seymour suffered and became twisted. Jyscal couldn't protect Seymour and his mother from the world and its cruelty, and will accept death as his punishment. But to you, the viewer watching at home, he implores you to stop Seymour, stop his son! So Yuna saw that, saw that Seymour killed his own father, yet is going to marry the guy anyways? What is she THINKING!?!?!?!?! Aye, will Yunie be alright? Without they guardiams, no. So they're off to help her. Wakka is confused, where are you guys going? He saw Seymour was bad news, but he's a maester! This can't be happening, he says. Well it is. Deal. Back in the main hall, enter the trials. Auron tells Tidus to go on ahead, so he can talk with Wakka. They protect Yuna from anyone, he says. Even a maester. Wakka still can't believe this is happening... but head forward, and down into the cloister. Follow your party into the center of the room, and, lo and behold, another scene. (Didn't know that one was coming now, did we?) Hush already, Yuna is praying to the fayth, but Tidus won't be silenced. Make him? Okay, he will. Side note: How is it, even now that we know Seymour is inherently evil, that the man/Guado is still so COOL? Yuna exits the chamber of the fayth, stunned to see your party there. But why, she says. They say Jyscal's sphere, and Seymour doesn't even deny that he killed his father. Uh oh... Yes, Yuna knew of these things before she came. So, why did she come? She came to stop him! OH YEAH! She came to punish him good! Whee! Seymour thinks this is a pity, and extends his hand to Yuna, but her guardians are there forming a protective circle. Well, that's it, if you're going to offer his lives to him, he'll have to take them... oh man, this can't be happening... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Seymour ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seymour: Points: HP: 6000 (1400) MP: 100 Rewards: AP: 2000 (3000) GIL: 5000 Stats: STR: 20 DEF: 1 MAG: 25/32 MDF: 25 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Zombie, Power Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Turbo Ether (normal), Elixir (rare) Anima: Points: HP: 18000 (1400) MP: 50 Rewards: AP: 2500 (3750) GIL: 3000 Stats: STR: 25 DEF: 1 MAG: 20 MDF: 1 AGL: 25 LUK: 20 EVA: 0 ACC: 30 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Scan, Delay, Eject Steal: 3x Silence Grenade (normal), Farplane Shadow (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We are fighting a f'ing maester of Yevon! How insane is this!? On a side note, I love the theme, Seymour gets the coolest themes :) Okay, Seymour has two Guado guardians as lackeys here, so we're gonna get rid of them quick smart. Before you get to blink, they cast Protect on themselves, and Shell on Seymour. Blah. As Yuna, Tidus and Wakka, have them each use the Talk trigger command on Seymour. As a result of this, Yuna's and Wakka's magic defenses will increase, and Tidus' strength will go up. Now, in this battle, you can't attack Seymour until the Guado guardians are down, as they will absorb the damage. So, we need to take them out first. First, have Rikku (or insert respective thief name here) steal Hi-Potions from them, so they can't heal themselves when you hurt them. Then, hack away at them with a strong hitter like Auron, while you have Tidus busy Hasting everyone. Now, for Seymour himself. All the man/Guado does is cast -a spells, which can be a pain in the ass, but he casts them in a particular order each time. The order is ice, lightning, water, fire, repeat process, and because we know this, we can exploit it. Have Yuna as your third character, casting Nul spells on your party. I know you would never have used these before, but what do they do? Nullify elemental magic attacks. Start with ice, then go the whole barrage, all four. Have her just constantly casting them in the order that he'll attack with them, over and over. Then, when he attacks with a spell, it'll be nullified, doing you zero damage, and Yuna will recast the Nul spell before he uses that particular element again. Make sense? After the guardians are dead, and you start whittling away Seymour's HP, he'll get fed up and summon an aeon to fight. Remember the big one he summoned in Luca, to kill everything? That's Anima, and he will use it again here. When he summons it, Tidus calls for Yuna to summon her new aeon, so summon the ???? aeon, which is actually Shiva. Shiva's ice-elemental, so here we can have fun. Aeon v aeon! Shiva's normal attack will do about 1000 damage, to Anima's 18000 HP. Anima will alternate her turns with Pain and Boost. What does Boost do again? Takes more damage, but fills Overdrive bar faster. Okay, now, here's how we do this. Simply have Shiva attack normally, and ignore all Anima's moves, until Shiva's HP falls below 700. Then, have her use Blizzara on herself to heal fully. Just keep going like this until Anima gets to under 10,000 HP. Then, when Shiva's Overdrive comes up, use it for a quick 9999 damage, and an Overkill. After that, Seymour is back and he is pissed. He's back at full HP, but fights the same as before, though, so repeat the process of Nul spells, using your two strongest characters to attack while Yuna casts. Not that hard, really. Side note: Seymour is also weak against Poison, so if you have a weapon with Poisonstrike, use it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, you just whooped the candy-ass of a maester of Yevon. Right. After the battle, Seymour falls to his knees, wounded, and yes Yuna would pity him as he slumps to the floor, dead. Tromell bursts into the room, and sees Seymour on the floor, uh oh, you guys are in trouble now... Before Yuna gets the chance to send him, you guys are branded as traitors to Yevon, oh man. (Wakka still can't believe this is happening.) Tidus just wants to explain to everyone what happened, and then they'll be okay, but Auron knows it won't be that easy. So take your AP, and prizes, name Shiva, save at the same sphere, and run. Running back along the icy path to get outside, Tidus will be shocked when part of it disappears ahead. He jumps backwards as it keeps disappearing, until he's right back where he started from. A doorway appears, leading down. I knew it was too good to be true, bypassing the Macalania Cloister of Trials before. Well, here we go. Let's have some fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Macalania ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's explore our surroundings. Columns in the floor, where the floor disappeared from the top of. Some big stalagmites in the left corner, with the Destruction Sphere glowing at the top. A pedestal. A Macalania Sphere on the right, and another on the far side behind some more stalagmites. Whee. First things first. Push the pedestal to the right, towards the stalagmites, and it will slide along, get to them and stop. So far so good. Now. push it towards the far wall, the stalagmites will fall, and a new walkway will be revealed going downwards. In the centre column of the room, you'll find a Glyph Sphere. Take it, head down the new walkway, and place it in the recess on the far left. A platform will rise, giving you another Macalania Sphere. Grab that sphere (not either of the other two, THAT ONE), take it down and place it in the pedestal, then push the pedestal to the right. (This took me SO long to work out, the first time I did it.) The pedestal will join a column, sending a white line upwards and filling in one third of the floor that disappeared above. So we're a third of the way there. Now, head back upstairs and take the Macalania Sphere from the far right side of the room, and take it downstairs. In the column on the left, you'll note a sphere-shaped recess, so put the sphere in and we get another third of the floor back. Whee! Two thirds done now. Take the third Macalania Sphere from the far side of the top room, and place it in the pillar you grabbed the Glyph Sphere from, in the center of the room. Wee, last third. But... we haven't got the Destruction Sphere yet? Hmm. Head back up to the very top, where the recreated path is, and note a new shining glyph at the top. What does it do? Step on it and see. Oops, part of the floor disappeared, but we got a new pedestal in the path leading down into the cloister. So slide it down into the room, and watch as it gets shot across on some sort of kick-ass light beam, towards the Destruction Sphere. The Destruction Sphere replaced the Macalania Sphere, on the pedestal! How can we get it down now? Step on the shining glyph on the floor near it, and there we have it. Now, where to put it? First, take the Macalania Sphere from the centre pillar in the room (yes I know we're disassembling the path upstairs) and put it in the far side of the room, to create the path heading back down. Take the Destruction Sphere downstairs, and place it in the last slot on the left. Treasure chest, with a Luck Sphere inside! Now its time to recreate the floor. But we have one of our Macalania Spheres stuck in the stalagmites, where the Destruction Sphere was! Well, no fear, we'll just put the Destruction Sphere back there, the same way we got it down. Put the Destruction Sphere back in the pedestal, then step on the glyph at the very top again. Now pedestal is up here! Push it down, then step on the other glyph to get it down. Remember how to recreate the last section of floor? Requires pushing pedestal around, but we have no stalagmites to push it into. So take the sphere from the pedestal, and place it on the far right. Now, push the pedestal right, then up (towards the far wall). Place Macalania Sphere in it again, at the bottom, then push right. Take last Macalania Sphere upstairs, and re-place in middle pillar. We're done. Finally. Head up, and out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't make my mistake and go back and save before you leave lol, or you'll have to do the whole thing again, head straight out to the main hall. Your party is trying to explain themselves to Tromell, but he won't listen. Oh, he's not going to let them go, right. (Note the absolutely kick-ass music track that starts up in the background.) Rikku's got an idea, show them Jyscal's sphere, then he'll believe them! But Tromell already has it, and he breaks it before them. What the? Why? The Guado take care of Guado affairs. Ah, right. All makes sense now. (Not.) But your party breaks free of the Guados, and escapes the temple. Run! Now you get to run run run as fast as you can go, to escape Macalania. Save at the save sphere, then run, because there's Guado goons after you. Alternatively, you can stay, and fight, if you wish, cos the Guados will just keep coming, nice time to level up. Either way, get the hell out of there. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Lake Macalania ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Once we're back outside, run back along the path towards the travel agency. We just killed a maester, we're gonna be in a shitload of trouble. If you follow the very narrow path along on the right, you'll get a treasure chest with a level 1 key sphere at the end. Save at the end of the road. Back on the lake, there's a whole heap of Guados right on your tail, in the scene. You get to fight two of them now, along with a friend of theirs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Wendigo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 18000 (1432) MP: 32 Rewards: AP: 2000 (3000) GIL: 3000 Stats: STR: 40 DEF: 1 MAG: 1 MDF: 1 AGL: 18 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Death, Reflect, Eject Steal: Hi-Potion (normal), X-Potion (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well well. How nice. A Wendigo for us. Wendigos suck, as I found out in previous Final Fantasy games, and they are no exception in this one. One of the guardians will put Berserk on the Wendigo, which means his Strength goes WAY up. Never good. Take out the two guardians, you know how to do this by now, Steal then attack. When the guardians die, they'll cast Shell and Protect on the Wendigo. Great, just great. Now for Wendigo strategy, you'll have to use this WHILE you use guardian strategy (or you're toast). Use Wakka's Dark Attack/Buster on it, otherwise when it hits you, it hits you hard and you usually don't get up again. If it can't see you, it can't hit you. Beautiful. Then when the guardians die, get Yuna to use Esuna on it, to cure the Berserk. If she has Dispel also, she can use it to cure the Shell and Protect, but chances are you don't have that yet, I know I don't. Once you've done all that just hack away on it. Use Auron's Power Break to lower its Strength some. Keep using Dark Attack/Buster, but keep Yuna on hand (NOT in the active party) to cast Life should the attack miss, and one of your characters gets KOed. When it puts up its dukes, halt with all physical attacks, because he'll counterattack with the nasty punch you've successfully avoided so far. Get magic out instead, Fire/Fira works best. Just concentrate on keeping your party healthy while Lulu does her thing. The battle might drag on, but you'll win it like this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ At the end of the battle, the Wendigo cracks it - literally - jumping up and smashing a huge hole through the ice. You get your AP as you fall through said hole. They all survive though, praise be to Yevon. (At least, that's what he would say if he was a follower of Yevon. Hehe.) You're at the bottom of Lake Macalania now, so save your game. Talk to Wakka and Lulu there, then head forward and talk to Rikku. Yuna will be okay, she's breathing and all. Wakka's in shock, and Lulu's together as always, she's so mature! Give Rikku five or six more years, she'll be like that. How do you get out of there? You climb. Hey, don't change the subject! Okay, if you try, you will become. Lol, so cryptic. But Kimahri thinks Rikku should stay Rikku. Yuna stirs, at their feet, she's waking up, and she has a story to tell. She wanted to confront Seymour about Lord Jyscal, to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgement, in exchange for marriage. (Warped idea.) She doesn't think it was worth it though, and she should have told you guys what she was going to do. (No arguments there.) Auron's mad though, no use dwelling in the past, they don't have time to sit here and listen to her regrets! Their only concern right now is Yuna's pilgrimage, and she will go on, but will Yevon allow it? If them temples try and stop them, he replies, they will defy Yevon if they must. No-one likes that idea, especially not Wakka. It's not like he ever liked Maester Seymour, and he'll never forgive him for killing Jyscal and trying to do them in too, but no way are the bunch of them directly defying Yevon. They have to atone for their sins, not commit more! Yuna makes up her mind that they must go to Bevelle, and speak with Maester Mika, about what happened. Everyone agrees, including Auron, the self-proclaimed troublemaker. Trust Auron to complicate things, cos Kimahri roars, and Auron runs off... no-one asked them to follow him, but that's what friends are for, right? That thought makes everyone happy... friends... Wakka's still bitching about the way everyone's acting, but Lulu tells him to calm down and listen to the hymn. After the scene, approach Yuna for another one. Is the hymn coming from the temple? Yes, it's Yevon's gift, it soothes the hearts of the faithful. (Mumbo-jumbo.) Now talk to everyone, and grab the level 2 key sphere in the corner past Kimahri. The interesting scene is the one with Auron. Jecht used to sing this song, the hymn on the fayth. Over and over, not too well either, kinda like Tidus. Hey, Auron was listening to him sing? We get a flashback of Tidus singing the song, and he's all embarrassed. Apparently, the song reminded Auron of Spira. Oh right, he's not from Zanarkand is he? Is he homesick? Maybe. How did Auron get to Zanarkand, anyways? Was it Sin? That proves it, Sin is the link between Spira and Zanarkand. Which means, if they kill Sin, he'll never be able to go home. I wonder if Jecht once thought that exact same thing. Now head back down, and Lulu will note that the singing stopped. The ground rumbles, there's something down here! Yeah looky what it is, it's Sin! For the first time, Tidus was able to believe that Sin was Jecht. The song, he was listening too! What does Jecht want this time? We fade to white... Zanarkand... is Jecht homesick too? Blitzballs... that's not your world anymore, you're Sin now. Young Tidus... hey, he's older now! Tidus knows that Jecht wants this to end, and Tidus promises to find a way. We fade to white again... ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Bikanel Island ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- And when we wake up, we're in the freakin' desert. Who knows what this game will throw at us next! And we're alone in the desert too, as the menu would show... Save, then head up into the desert. Tidus has no clues whatsoever where he is. Open the treasure chest you'll see when he pans the water, for 4x Remedy, then head out. You'll meet a Zu, and I bet you're thinking, I'm not fighting that bloody thing by myself. But Auron will show up, to help you out. So hit the Zu a few times, and Lulu will also show up to help. (Where'd they come from?) After the battle, Tidus will be relieved to see them, but wants to know about the others. Haven't found them yet. If you get split up, you should stay in one place, but of course Auron the troublemaker won't. So follow the red arrow, to the top-left of screen. Under a small shelter, you'll find Wakka, he's alone. He's having a great day, first losing Yuna, then getting ambushed by machina. Open the treasure chest for an Al Bhed First Aid Kit, ie. 8x Al Bhed Potion. These get used with the Use command, so Rikku will be able to use them. Cool. Next screen, we'll find a lone Kimahri on the very right, sliding down a sand dune as he tries to climb up it. He's sad, Yuna gone. Once you've got him, head back and follow the sand dunes along. You'll pick up a lot of Al Bhed Potions in battles now, whee. In a tent further along, you'll find Rikku. She's got something to tell you, promise not to say anything. When Wakka glares, the comment is "no glaring either!" She knows where they are, they're on Bikanel Island, and there's a place the Al Bhed call Home here. She thinks Yunie's here, that the Al Bhed must have rescued ("you mean more like kidnapped!") her. So she'll take you there, if you promise not to tell anyone where it is, especially not Yevonites. Empty the two treasure chests, for 2x Ether and 8x Al Bhed Potion, save at the save sphere, then follow Rikku through the sand. When she stops, talk to her and she'll keep moving. When you start meeting machina, have Rikku Steal from them for a one-hit kill. When you meet more Zus, it might be an idea to run. On the third screen, Rikku will start following you, so just follow the red arrow. In a small tent on the mid-left, you can find 8x Al Bhed Potion and a save sphere, so save and keep heading left. In the ruins on the next screen, take Al Bhed Primer Vol XVII, so take it then go back and head north. North of the save sphere, you'll find Al Bhed Primer Vol XVIII on the ground. On the fourth screen, you can find the cactuar stone but you can't start the Cactuar Village side quest, so just head up on the left. In a small circular inlet on the very left, empty the treasure chest in the quicksand for the Mercury Crest (rather important), then open treasure chests in the ruins all around for 8x Hi-Potion, 3x Mega-Potion, then 2x X-Potion further on. In the narrow path, beat up the sandragora in the quicksand, then go through to find Home. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Home ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- But what's happening to Home? It's being attacked! And Yuna's down there! So your party rushes inside to find her. Rikku cries at one al Bhed, slumping over dead, "Keyakku!" Who's attacking them? Yevon... Guado... They've come for the summoner, Rikku's father appears and explains. Well, what are you waiting for, help him kick the Guado out! That's Cid, leader of the Al Bhed. Oh cool. Save at the save sphere on the right, then head to the left of screen and collect Al Bhed Primer XIX from just near the fire before entering the building. Lots of enemies here, quite tough ones too. I suggest Fleeing a lot, or using Slow/Slowga/Haste/Hastega a lot in the ones you have to fight. And you have no white mage. Oh joy. After you beat Guado guardian and his pals inside, Rikku will run off to find Yuna, so follow her. After some Al Bhed that makes not a lot of sense, we work out we have to get underground, cos Cid's gonna level the place. But where's Yuna? In the Summoner's Sanctum, this way! Kill the two Chimeras and the Guado guardian, then follow her. At the bottom of the stairs, get 4x Al Bhed Potions from the chest inamongst the smoke, then turn and head back up the stairs and through the door left of screen, Wipe out bad guys, then choose an item from the left treasure chest. Take Al Bhed Primer XX from the floor, then try to open the next chest. This will test how many primers you've collected, as you have to choose the Al Bhed equivalent of the English words on screen. Try as many times as you want, and in the end get the Friend Sphere. Down the stairs in the hallway, save on the left, and head up the north path to find a chest with 6x Al Bhed Potion. Take the east path, and in the very far corner (past the green door) take Al Bhed Primer Vol XXI. Through the green door, have fun beating up the two Chimeras (ugh) then explore the room. On the right side, behind the pillars, Al Bhed pop quiz! Aye, I don't speak Al Bhed fluently enough to answer, so just choose the answers in this order - third, fourth, second, first :) Take the Skill Sphere. Left treasure chest will test your maths skills. Well, not really. I'll translate the code for you - "The first digit is 4 plus 1, the second digit is 7 minus 1, the third digit is 3 times 1, the fourth digit is 2 plus 1". Enter the code and get a Special Sphere, then compile at the Al Bhed compilation sphere if you wish. Back to the save point, save and head through the door on the left. You'll get a scene here, in which Wakka is actually sympathetic to the Al Bhed cause. Rikku tells that the Al Bhed weren't always like this, but Sin attacked the island where they used to live, so they were scattered all over Spira. Rikku's dad, Cid, wanted to get the Al Bhed back together again, so they put their minds to it and created a new Home. Why did things have to turn out this way?... Damn those Guado! Ack, now we have to fight again. More Chimeras. Enjoy. Rikku runs down the stairs, with your party in tow, so follow her. Lulu wants to know what exactly the Summoners Sanctum is, and Rikku replies, it's where they keep the summoners safe. What now? They're the ones that have been kidnapping summoners! Wakka understand why they did it (omg) but Tidus doesn't. They might get hurt, so the Al Bhed kidnap them? If the summoners don't get to do their jobs, who will defeat Sin? He knows they just want to protect them, but that's what guardians are for! There's something Tidus isn't understanding, or hasn't been told, judging by everyone's complete silence on the matter. In slow motion, your party disappears, leaving Tidus standing there. As the opening theme, To Zanarkand, plays (conveying some serious sadness for some reason), follow Rikku down. Empty the chest on the right for a Level 2 Key Sphere, then go through the door. Something tells me a lot is about to be revealed... Rikku gasps, the Sanctum is empty! Well not empty per se, but empty of Yuna. Dona and Isaaru are there, to perform the sending. Isaaru's young guardian, Pacce, approaches Tidus, wanting to know the meaning of the word 'sacrificed'. The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacrificed, and they shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage. Tidus is getting mad, but now Rikku tells him why the pilgrimages have to stop - because they could get to Zanarkand, and Yunie could defeat Sin, but then, she'd die, you know! (Love the song that plays in the background, one of my favorites on the soundtrack.) Yuna will call the Final Aeon, and she'll defeat Sin, but then it will kill her! Rikku is distraught, but Tidus is even more furious. Why was she hiding it from him? Why were they all hiding it? They weren't hiding it, it was just too hard to say. But he's pissed, dont Wakka and Lulu see Yuna as family, how could they do this with her, knowing she will die? They tried to stop her, but she follows her heart, she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner. But summoners should have to sacrifice themselves to make Spira happy, you know!? Dona and Isaaru interrupt, that is their choice. They all fear Sin, and a world without Sin is the dream of all Yevon's children. And they will use that power even if it means their lives! Tidus is crying in anguish at the thought, that he helped in all this, telling Yuna, go to Zanarkand, beat Sin, and all the things they could do together after she did... when all along, she knew... as he slumps to the floor, we go to a flashback... Tidus and Yuna, back in Luca. (The laughing scene!) Summoners being Spira's ray of light, and how you should smile when you feel sad. Tidus makes a vow, he won't let Yuna die, he's going to go find her! Grab 10000 gil from the treasure chest, then head out the door. Follow the stairs up. As the Al Bhed yammer about three minutes, one minute, blah blah, Tidus grabs Cid and shouts at him "Where's Yuna?" And what will he do when he finds her, eh? Well, he didnt know much about a summoner's role, what they're supposed to do, what happens to them... so he has to tell her he's sorry! Oh, and then what? You say you're sorry, then drag her to Zanarkand to fight Sin? You're all the same, let the summoner die so we can live in peace! As Cid slams Tidus to the floor, Tidus shouts that no, Yuna won't die, he won't let her! Cid warns Tidus, he better not forget those words, or he'll regret it. So, do they know where Yuna is? 'Course not, that's why they're gonna look, using this airship! Wakka is stunned, airship? And up lifts the airship they're all standing in, out of Home! Oh, watch the awesome scene, then some Al Bhed dialogue, then the Al Bhed start singing the hymn of the fayth. Oh, What's happening? They're going to blow up their Home, using the forbidden machina! And just like that, out go the rockets, and Home is done for... The Al Bhed are all upset, and Wakka tries to cheer Rikku up "Boom! Like big festival fireworks, ya?" but he gets called a big meanie :( Once you get control of Tidus, save your game. Then, if you ever plan on doing some serious blitzball playing, scout Wakka and sign him up to the Aurochs, for 1 gil per game. Then talk to everyone in the room, especially Cid. Have you found her yet? No, but there's using a sphere oscillo-finder, so if she's out there, they'll get her. (If she's out there? Where else could she be?) Tidus doesn't know what a sphere oscillo-finder is, and frankly neither does Cid, he just knows how to use it. He doesn't know how the rig flies, either, which scares Wakka. See, because of this Yevon taboo on machina, they're running around in the dark! Now let's head out and talk to everyone else. In the main hallway, we'll find Kimahri, Isaaru, Maroda and Pacce. Talk to them all, and you'll get a little scene with Maroda. He doesn't like the idea of Isaaru dying, and wishes there was a way to do it without dying. If they had eternity, they could think of a way to do it, but while they thought, Sin would kill them all. On the next screen down, find Rin, and you can sign him to the Aurochs too. He's surprised you have escaped harm, and Tidus is surprised he's even here. But Rin returned to Home for some goods, and found himself here, quite the escape! And he's still selling stuff, how kind. Now head back to the main control room. Auron is confronting Cid - after they rescue Yuna, then what? Would he seek to stop her pilgrimage? Of course Cid would, because if she continues, she will die! No hare0brained law or teaching will send his niece to her death! When he saves her he'll make her give up summoning quicker than a desert melts ice. He'll even make her do it against her will, and take down anyone who don't agree. Wait a sec, Wakka was in the room, and he wasn't supposed to know about Yuna's Al Bhed lineage! Talk to him, and he will be confused. Cid called Yuna his niece, so that makes her Al Bhed, right? Don't say it.... hehe, okay. Now to explore the rest of this ship. Head back out and past Rin, and through the door on the left of the next hallway. Dona's on the floor, and she's really tired, she just wants you to leave. So Tidus goes to leave, and Dona calls him back. (Err...) She's got a question for him - what would you think if she said she was giving up her pilgrimage? Choose an option which sums up how you feel about this pilgrimage mumbo-jumbo. If you said it would be good, she'll think it is unusual, most people would never forgive a summoner who gave up. They would say she was abandoning her duty to Yevon! Ah, who cares. After exploring the ship more, head back to the control room and talk to Brother, the guy driving the ship. Sign him to the Aurochs too, and now you've got the makings for a kick-ass blitzball team. (If you followed my directions, you'll have Tidus, Wakka, Rin, Ropp, Brother and Jumal. Whee!) Now, talk to Brother, and he will exclaim about finding Yuna. Where? She's in the Palace of St Bevelle, the heart of Yevon. So Gramps, lets go! (Bwaha.) But the defences of Bevelle are top-notch! Tidus doesn't care - she's there, so they go and get her! Cid admires Tidus' guts, so they make tracks for Bevelle. Now, you have to prepare for battle. Talk to a few people, and Wakka is glad Yuna's okay and all, but what's with those fancy clothes? It's called a wedding dress. (Duh.) Rikku wonders what Seymour's doing alive, after they took care of him in Macalania. He's dead, as dead as Jyscal was, but his attachment to this world is keeping him from going on to the next. Yuna must be trying to send him, but will that work? Perhaps he won't expect it. Hmmm... Go to leave the room, and the ship will lurch violently. The ship is being attacked, some of the Guado that attacked home must have snuck on board. Cid is worried, and there's nothing to do but - "destroy the ship and we all go down together!" Rikku quips in a nice Cid impersonation. Wha? If he destroys the ship, they can't go get Yunie! So leave the fiends to the professionals! Rin thinks Rikku has made some very good friends. (I agree.) So now, head down through the ship (down on map, that is), killing everything in sight, not too scary. Save when you get to the cabin, and talk to the guy on the left for 4x Al Bhed Potion. Keep heading along, and Auron will spot a rare sight. Whoa, what is it? The guardian wyrm, Evrae, the great sacred protector of Bevelle. (Hehe, the red carpet has teeth.) Cid calls over, we're going to fight that thing, so get on deck and show him what you've got! *gulp* So head up to the top of the map, and talk to Rin. You have to be well prepared, so stock up on what you need. After the scene, going back and saving might not be a bad idea, then head up on the platform, and outside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Evrae ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 32000 (2000) MP: 500 Rewards: AP: 5400 (8100) GIL: 2600 Stats: STR: 36 DEF: 1 MAG: 30 MDF: 1 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: Fire/Ice/Water/Lightning (1/2) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Magic Break, Armour Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Demi, Eject Steal: Water Gem (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cid calls over, they have to keep their distance, but that can't let her get too far away. You'll have to tell him when to move, in or away, so Rikku and Tidus take that job. They now have the trigger commands Move In and Pull Back. Now, you must fight! First things first, get the ship away from Evrae using the Pull Back trigger command. Now, on each of Cid's turns out there (well, for 3 anyways) he'll use Homing Missiles, hitting nicely for a few thousand damage. While we're far away, very few characters can actually attack (those few being Wakka and Lulu, oh and Kimahri can Lancet if he wants, for minimal damage) so it's time to stock up on defensive stuff. Every turn, Evrae will use Photon Spray, hitting your characters for a few hundred damage each. Big deal. If that really bothers you, get Rikku in there (or any other character with the Use command) to use some Al Bhed Potions. Whee. Pepper away on Evrae with Wakka, while using Lulu to Focus and Tidus to Cheer. (These really come in handy later.) This is the easy bit of the battle, and while tedious, is simple. Also, while Wakka is attacking, have Tidus caste Haste/ga on your party of best hitters, ie. switch Auron in, cast Haste, switch him out and Kimahri in, cast Haste, etc. All while just attacking with Wakka, who has the only effective long-range attack here. When Evrae gets to below 10000 HP, that's when the battle becomes interesting. Evrae will cast Haste on itself, and start to counter everything you do with Swooping Scythe, which will do a fair bit of damage (depending on how many times you Cheered - I did it three times and my characters were getting hit for 450 damage), as well as possibly inflicting Petrification. When this happens, just have Rikku use an Al Bhed Potion, they cure petrification. Now, hopefully your important characters are all Hasted to match Evrae's Haste. (And no, Slow does not work on Evrae.) Keep someone in there with the Use command, and two big hitters, because Evrae will stay close so physical attacks are the way to go. Attack with two big hitters, ie. Auron and Wakka (or Tidus or Kimahri, depends on how you've been developing characters), keeping someone with Use (Kimahri in my case, but you will most likely have Rikku) in to use Al Bhed Potions when someone gets petrified. The last part of the battle should go fairly quickly with your big hitters hitting. Or, alternatively, you can do what I did, use Wakka's Attack Reels, 12 hits at 1200 damage each. Well, um, you do the math for that one ;) Instant Overkill! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now the airship will be losing power, but Cid spots Bevelle! Your party is hanging on to the outside of the ship for dear life, as Yuna far below approaches the altar in her wedding dress. Maester Kinoc spots the remnants of Evrae, floating in the sky, so he sets up all the guards to take on the airship. Guards with machina weapons! (In Bevelle, heart of Yevon? Aye...) Seymour hurries Yuna long to the priest, while the guards take on the airship. It's done for, so Tidus and your group get some harpoons shot into the ground, then slide all the way down the ropes (fancy footwork) to land in Bevelle! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Bevelle ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now, time to do some fighting in this here temple. Have your characters all healed up, and we're going to battle our way through to Yuna, at the top of the stairs. Nothing too hard, though the Warrior Monks with flamethrowers will piss you off. You should take on the guys in this order in battle - flamethrower monks, YKT-63s, then other monks. Luckily, you can stop and heal in between battles. Five battles later... the scene that follows is a rather long and interesting one, so I'll detail it. Your party makes it to the top of the stairs, only to be surrounded by Yevonites with guns. Not a lot you can do now, you're surrounded, and Maester Kinoc holds his weapon firmly under Tidus' chin. Yuna is at the top, with Seymour, and she brings her rod out... she would play at marriage, just for a chance to send him? Admirable. But think, her friends lives are in her hands, her actions decide their fate... if she sends Seymour, they will be killed... so she lets her rod go, and it bounces to the bottom of the stairs, to Tidus' feet. And then, the wedding takes place. Your party cries, and can't watch as Seymour kisses Yuna. Tidus is about to go ballistic, but the weapons keep him steady. After the marriage has been sealed with a kiss, Seymour gives the command to kill you guys, which makes Yuna furious. While Kinoc makes preparations to shoot, declaring that "there are exceptions" (to the ban on machina) , Yuna sneaks over to the edge of the temple, overlooking the city. She says that if they shoot, she will jump, and Seymour says that's foolish, if she jumps she will die. But no, she can fly, believe. Seymour signals to the guards to put the weapons down, and as your party runs, Yuna jumps! She falls, falls, as everyone looks down at her. But no, she doesn't die, because on the way down she summons Valefor, who catches her and flies away! Now, they must find Yuna. Where would she have gone, after disappearing? Kimahri knows - Bevelle is a temple, so Yuna goes to only one place. The chamber of the fayth! Off your party goes, to the cloister of trials. Inside, Lulu comments that it's too quiet, is it a trip? Tidus doesn't care, they just need to go and get Yuna. But, huh? Rikku spots a control panel, and starts operating a machina device. What's a machina doing in the temple? The teachings, what about the teachings? Oooh, just what in Yevon's name is going on here? Once you get control of Tidus, head down the stairs, all the way to the bottom. There, Rikku will use another machina device. So, this is Yevon's true face, they betray their own teachings. They treated you guys like dirt. Aye... Head through the doorway, and down the stairs. The entrance to the trials is ahead. Is Yunie really in there? Let's go and see! Save as the save sphere, and the enter the trials. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Bevelle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As the familiar music starts up, run forward to the first pedestal, and Tidus will automatically push it onto the glyph, creating a platform that sends you down, down. Now, you're on a moving platform heading down. At the end, you'll be transported to a maze of tunnels like yours, with glyphs pointing in all different directions. Oh boy. Note: If a glyph on the ground has arrows that flash in one or two directions, you can choose one of the directions and press X as you go over it, and you'll be sent in that direction. Now, once you confirm your direction and start on the path, weird things get to happen. If you get to the end of this track, a dead end, you won't die, you'll just be sent back to the start. Now, on the second glyph on the path, go left. There will be a Bevelle Sphere in the recess, so take it and place it in the pedestal. We can't carry spheres around here per se, just put them in the pedestal and take them out when we get to where we're going. Anyways, put it in the pedestal, then push the pedestal back out onto the path and keep going. Head out over the dead end, and you'll be sent back to the start. Now, at the second glyph, go right. Take the extra Bevelle Sphere and place it in the recess, to fill in the gap in the path in some unknown location. Again, out over the dead end, and back to the start. Now, at the first glyph on the path, turn right. At the bottom of the hill, you get to make a choice, forward, left, or backward. Go forwards, and follow the path to get to another platform with a Bevelle Sphere. Put it in the pedestal, then head back out and up. Watch the cool graphics as Tidus spins around and goes back up. Now, when you get back to the glyph, you can choose another direction, so head right. At the end of this path is another dead end, and if you fall off you'll be sent back to this "choose direction" glyph, at this angle, with the directions going left, right, and forwards. If that happens, choose forwards as your direction. Anyways, on this new path, you want to head right on the third glyph after this decision glyph. (Might take a few tries). Once you do, you'll be on a platform, so take a Bevelle Sphere from the pedestal and place it in the recess. This will make a path across appear, but at the end of the path is another recess and we don't have the right sphere yet. So, back out and over dead end. Now, you want to head right on the second glyph along (after the decision glyph). You'll get to a platform with a Glyph Sphere, so take it and put it in the pedestal. Back out, over the dead end, and now right at the third glyph again. Put the Glyph Sphere in the recess on the far glyphy wall, and it will disappear to reveal the Destruction Sphere. Grab the sphere, put it back in the pedestal, and head back out and over the dead end. Right at the second glyph again, and place the Destruction Sphere where you got the Glyph Sphere. Back out we gooooo, and right at the third glyph again. (This is so tiresome!) Take the Bevelle Sphere you placed before, and head back out and off the dead end. Now, forwards again, and now head right at the first glyph. You're at a platform, nothing to see here, so push the pedestal forwards (down on screen) to keep going. Just follow the path along, and soon you'll be at the end. Take the HP Sphere from the chest at the top of the stairs, whee, that's the Destruction Sphere treasure for Bevelle. Now, if you want another weapon, step on the shining glyph, put one of the Bevelle Spheres in the recess on the far wall, and push the pillar left. If not, just run to the right. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ God, that was a pain in the ass to both get through and explain. Tidus will run through to the chamber, looking for Yuna. Is she inside the chamber? Maybe, so Tidus tries to bust his way in. Haha, nice try. You can stuff your taboos, he just wants inside, so Kimahri helps and slowly the door goes up. (Where's one of those overhead sensor things that automatically opens doors when you need one?) Tidus will enter the chamber, where Yuna is praying. What's that? A fayth, they join with the summoner and together they receive the aeon. Hey wait a sec, it's that kid in purple!!! He's a fayth? Whaaaaat? He does a swandive into Yuna, and she falls to the ground, so Tidus picks her up and carries her out. Wait, don't come out, cries Rikku. Why? There are warrior monks all around, with guns pointing straight at you. You have to stand trial (fair trial? Kangaroo court more like it) and ooh, I love the song that plays in the background here, it's called Darkness. Name Bahamut, save your game, and get on with it. The Hiiiigh Court of Yevon is now in session! Insert long mumbo jumbo about how they only seek truth, blah blah. This is Maester Kelk, a Ronso. Yuna swore to protect the people of Yevon, but she inflicted grievous bodily harm to Maester Seymour, conspired with the Al Bhed, and joined in their insurrection. Traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. (Uh oh.) What possessed her to do such a thing? The real traitor here is Maester Seymour! He killed Jyscal with his own hands! And not only that, Maester Seymour is already dead! It is a summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane, so Yuna was only doing her job! She begs Mika to send Seymour, but he is doubtful. Send the unsent to where they belong? Oh man... if she wanted to send the dead, she would have to send him too... jesus, he's dead too! Mika is a wise leader, says Kelk, even in death he is invaluable to Spira. All of the maesters... have their own words to say about the issue of death... resistance to the power of death is futile, it commands Spira! But what of Sin, Yuna has dedicated herself to stopping the death that Sin brings, is that too futile? Did all that people that sacrificed themselves fighting Sin die in vain? Not in vain, no, but Sin can never truly be defeated, the rebirth can never be stopped. Yet the courage of those why fight give the people hope! So it is never futile, but it is also never ending. Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon. And those who question these truths are traitors! That would be you.... and so you are all imprisoned. Tidus wants out of his cage, but Auron tells him he's wasting his breath. Is Yuna okay? She's string, she'll make it. Why is it, that everything in Spira revolves around people dying? Ah, the spiral of death. (Is that where Spira got its name?) Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death. The cycle of death, spiralling endlessly. Kinoc appears - your sentences have been decided. They're not being executed, oh no. But Tidus is next - next for what, he says, as he stands over a pool of water. And with that, he's pushed in. Where's everybody else? Floating down there, somewhere. Maybe. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Via Purifico ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Tidus finds Wakka down in the water, and the two high-five. Rikku is down there, also. So, what's their sentence? They're just expected to give up and die down there. That's a lame way to kill someone! Should they wait for Yunie down there? They'll wait at the exit. Is there even an exit...? The maesters are above water, having a discussion. Seems Jyscal's murder troubles Kelk. Ever the Ronso, hard-headed and hardly useful. However, the summoner Yuna... she may be of use to them alive. But she has disturbed the order of Yevon, she cannot be allowed to live! Kinoc tells Seymour to let it go, as no-one thrown into the Via Purifico has ever survived. Better place guards at the exit, just in case. Seymour wants that to be left to him... first his father, now his bride? Kinoc will accompany Seymour... does he not trust him? Lol, would anyone trust a man who murdered his father? Very well, as he wishes. Now, To the Condemned (that would be poor Lady Yuna): There are stone panels scattered around her part of the Via Purifico. Step on one to transport yourself to the next panel in the direction it points. And now we have Yuna, alone. Save at the save point. (Yuna runs funny.) When you get into battles, with just Yuna alone, don't be afraid to use aeons to fight, as you really have no other choice. We're gonna explore this whole place, whether you like it or not ;) At the first intersection, head left, then follow the path down at the intersection. There you will find an Elixir. Now follow the path up, pats your original entry point, and take the next right, to find Lulu. Fights be a bit easier now, with two in your party. Open the treasure chest for a White Magic Sphere. Back out onto the main path, head up, and turn right at the top. Follow the path to come out in another cavern, with a save sphere and Auron. Talk to him and he will join your party too. Save, then don't go straight up the path (following the arrow) because we're still one party member short. From there, head right and follow the path to find Kimahri. Get him, then open the chest for a Mega-Potion. Now, keep following to where you started in Via Purifico. Straight up the path, ignoring all teleporters. Turn right before the gate, and grab the Black Magic Sphere. Now head back down, and step on the teleporter when the arrow's pointing up. The key now, before heading up the red path, is to get all your aeons (plus Yuna, if possible) in Overdrive. My Yuna has Overdrive mode Healer, so I just got into a battle, got everyone to guard, and kept Yuna curing people who got hit, then I summoned my aeons in one by one and used Boost. Not that difficult. Save when you're done, then head up. In the final room, Isaaru will greet Yuna. So it is you! Why is he here? Well, he rode the airship to the Calm Lands, then came to Bevelle, then he was summoned by Maester Kinoc to 'deal with the traitors'. And the temple's orders are law, even if you are Lord Braska's flesh and blood... you're a traitor! Maroda and Pacce are not there, he'll do the unhappy deed himself. Here we go! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Grothia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 8000 (2550) MP: 600 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 23 DEF: 10 MAG: 21 MDF: 1 AGL: 18 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: Fire (+) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Sensor, Scan, Demi, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oh, it's to be a battle of aeons, hey? Isaaru summons Grothia, aka Ifrit, to fight you. How fun. Seeing as hopefully all your aeons are at Overdrive, start with your weakest one and work your way up, ie. summon Valefor. Unleash one Overdrive on it, and Grothia will kick the dirt with an instant Overkill. If you don't have aeons at Overdrive, just pound away with Attack, but start with Guard as Grothia will have a full Overdrive bar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For our next party trick... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Pterya ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 12000 (2550) MP: 1000 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 20 DEF: 10 MAG: 18 MDF: 10 AGL: 21 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Distiller, Sensor, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bring out your next aeon, Ifrit, as you can't summon Valefor to fight Valefor. One Overdrive will not do the trick this time, but one Overdrive and two Attacks will. If you don't have aeons at Overdrive, summon something like Bahamut and pound away. Not too difficult. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do the aeons ever stop coming? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Spathi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 20000 (2550) MP: 1500 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 31 DEF: 1 MAG: 38 MDF: 1 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Sleep, Silence, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Distiller, Sensor, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Isaaru has his own version of Bahamut! So you can't summon Bahamut, obviously. Go with something fast, like Shiva, instead. Grand Summon her, if you can, as that makes this hella easy. If you Grand Summoned her, just hit him with two Overdrives, one Attack, and you got yourself an Overkill. In this battle, you get five turns to do something special while Spathi counts down to Mega Flare, so use them well. If you haven't killed him in the five turns (that's five turns HE gets, but Shiva should also get 5 unless she uses Overdrives), then use Guard to block the Mega Flare and you should survive. This will push Shiva to Overdrive, so use it and wave goodbye. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battles, Isaaru will be kinda mad, telling Yuna to stay away. So Lulu suggest you guys just leave. However, he shows his kind side by telling them there's a way to the surface, up ahead. Your pilgrimage is over, Auron tells Isaaru. Take your 6000 AP for Yuna only, and that party will escape. Now, for your other party, still underwater and trying to escape. Save at the save point, then swim forwards. (In case you hadn't worked it out, Wakka Tidus and Rikku are our only swimmers, if you ever fight a battle in water, you'll only fight with those three.) Now swim forwards, and hang a left at the end. The best news is, any guys you fight here will all be fairly slow, so you'll get a lot of turns to kill them before they hurt you too bad. Save at the next save point, then head out into the chamber. In a scene, the pyreflies come, and Tidus is confused. What the? Oh, I remember this guy... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Evrae Altana ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 16384 (2000) MP: 300 Rewards: AP: 5800 (8700) GIL: 2400 Stats: STR: 32 DEF: 1 MAG: 27 MDF: 1 AGL: 25 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: Holy (x1.5) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Threaten, Death, Doom, Eject Steal: 2x Water Gem (normal), Healing Spring (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So many bosses, so little time. But we killed Evrae already! Why can't he stay dead? Oh wait.... he IS dead.... hmmm... This is the first Zombified creature we've fought in the game so far. How much do you know about Zombies, apart from the fact that they're undead? Did you know that healing hurts them? And reviving them can kill them? Ooooh, well, you do now. If you have a few Phoenix Downs spare, this is where to put them to work. Namely, two. Don't worry about the trigger commands of opening the locks, just use a Phoenix Down. Bam, straight 8192 damage. I liked that. Do it again. Do it again, and Evrae Altana will be out of your hair. OVERKILL! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watch as Evrae explodes. Whee! Take your AP, two Black Magic Spheres, and Deathstrike weapon. Now, just follow the path along happily (and slowly, ugh) to get out. Outside, your two parties will reunite. Rikku is ecstatic to see Yuna, they were so worried about her! Tidus wants to say something, but can't quite get the words out, and all of sudden the music turns nasty. Oh, look who's approaching, the man who was sent to guard the exit in case anyone made it out alive. Kinoc and Seymour approach, then Kinoc slumps to the ground, dead. (For real this time.) Seymour saved him, you see, he was a man who craved power, and great power he had, but he feared losing it. He spent his days scheming petty schemes, chased by his fears, never knowing rest. Now he has no worries, he has been granted sleep eternal. After more rambling, he finally makes his point - "If all life were to end in Spira, all suffering would end. Don't you see?' So he's on a doomsday mission now. Nice. He wants Yuna to accompany him to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. They will save Spira, and for that, he will take her strength, her life, and become the next Sin. (This guy is one weird cookie.) He will destroy Spira, he will save it! (I agree, Tidus.) So Kimahri races forward, spear outstretched. Well, you seem to want your death, so he will give it to you. (Didn't he promise us this before?) Seymour's evolving into a new form, Natus form, he's all metallic and weird-looking. Kimahri wants to stay and fight, and he sends the rest of your group away. They run, but Yuna won't leave Kimahri behind. Tidus realizes, they're all guardians, so anywhere she goes, he'll follow. And the rest of your party chases them back to Seymour Natus. Save your game, then buy anything from O'aka if you need it. Head back up the carpet. Use the battles on the way to get your aeons at Overdrive again, if you can. HP doesn't matter, the Overdrive is important. Save again before you meet Seymour. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Seymour Natus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seymour: Points: HP: 36000 (3500) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 6300 (9450) GIL: 3500 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 1 MAG: 25 MDF: 1 AGL: 21 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Doom, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Tetra Elemental x2 (normal), x3 (rare) Mortibody: Points: HP: 4000 (-) MP: 50 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 22 DEF: 50 MAG: 20 MDF: 1 AGL: 28 LUK: 20 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Magic Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Distiller, Demi, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wheeeeeeeeee, we're fighting a maester of Yevon AGAIN! And his stats look rather intimidating. Have Tidus and Auron use the trigger command "Talk" for a strength increase, and Yuna use it for a magic defense hike. Oh, this is a fun battle. Seriously. If your characters are at Overdrive, as well as your aeons (which you should get in the practice of doing for boss battles), then it's a walk in the park. If you summon aeons, they will get one turn and one turn only before Seymour banishes them. Ergo, make that one turn an Overdrive. First things first, Reflect is your friend. Cast it on everybody, including Seymour and the Mortibody. If you don't have Reflect, use the idea from the last Seymour battle of Nul spells, as this Seymour is also find of casting Multi-elemental spells. Get NulFrost, NulTide, NulBlaze, and NulSpark on your three characters, as well as Shell and Protect if you have them, and now we're set. Also use Shell on Seymour, because the Mortibody is fond of using Cura on him. Things to note: You can't kill the Mortibody, which is a pain in the ass. When you wipe out its HP, it'll just suck some of Seymour's to keep on living - 4000 the first time, then 4000, 3000, 2000, 1000, then 1000 from then on. So theoretically, you could just keep hitting the Mortibody to win. Hmmm... As Tidus, Haste two of your characters, but only two. I'd suggest Auron and Tidus for this. (If you Haste all three, Mortibody doesn't like that.) Then, just hammer away with physical attacks, using Yuna to cure (or Rikku with Al Bhed Potions). Overdrives do work best, especially aeons, as by now each aeon Overdrive will hit for a quick 9999. Either way, take him out, it isn't that tough, especially if you have Reflect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So they escaped from Bevelle, but Yuna lost something. Her faith was shaken, she had been betrayed by Yevon. Tidus wanted to do something but... he was as lost as she was. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Macalania Woods (Revisited) ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Auron states, they will have to avoid Bevelle in the future. (Oh, duh.) Where's Yuna? She said she wanted to be alone. Welllll, Tidus wants to be with her anyways, so save your game then go find her. Head straight out, then forward across the intersection, and there you will find her, in the water. She thought this would be easier, y'know, with all her friends to help her. Tidus goes into the water after her, and tells her maybe she's trying too hard. They told him everything, you see. With all those things he said, like let's go to Zanarkand, he didn't know what would happen, and he hopes it didn't make her sad, so he's sorry, forgive him. But she wasn't sad, she was happy! So Tidus has the idea, just don't do the pilgrimage! Forget about being a summoner, about Sin. Live a normal life! Maybe she will do that, now. So he swims back to her. Wouldn't people be surprised if she did that? Everyone would support her if she decided to quit, except Sir Auron... And she goes out to swim, with Tidus beside her. What would she do if she quit her pilgrimage? Tidus has an idea, let's go to Zanarkand! Now they're being all hypothetical and wishful, talking about flying to Tidus' Zanarkand, seeing blitzball, having a party at his place. Going out to the sea, seeing the sunrise, he knows she'd like it. And she'd like to see it, someday. But she's crying, and Tidus doesn't know why. She can't, you see, can't quit, can't go, so in a nice FMV Tidus holds her as she cries, and kisses her, and they swim as 'Suteki Da Ne' plays. It's beautiful, seeing them swim, embrace, hold hands, just enjoy being with one another. One-two-three-awwwww! Out of the water, Yuna says she must continue. If she gives up now, she could do anything, and yet... even if she was with Tidus, she could never forget. So he will accompany her, as her guardian, and she asks him to stay with her till the end. Not till the end, he tells her, always. Now you have to head back to camp, so walk off. Tidus looks at the sky, and turns when he hears Yuna whistling. She'll go with you, back to camp. She takes his hand, and together they walk. Back at camp, you leave at dawn. Yuna tells your party, she is sorry for putting you all through this, but Auron gently interrupts, telling her she needs her rest. So you all get to sleep. In the morning, you all set off. Head back to the campsite and grab the Lucid Ring, then head left from the + intersection until you find a Jecht Sphere. This one is kinda cool, detailing Braska meeting Jecht for the first time, when Jecht was in prison. Knowing Jecht is from Zanarkand, he gets him out of jail, to accompany him on the pilgrimage. Auron doesn't like the idea of a drunkard being a guardian, but Braska says it doesn't matter. No-one thinks that he, a fallen summoner wed to an Al Bhed, could possibly defeat Sin. A fallen summoner, a man from Zanarkand, and a fallen monk doomed to obscurity for refusing the hand of the priest's daughter. What delightful irony, if they defeated Sin! Once you've got the sphere, head out east. Save at the save sphere, then head out into the Calm Lands. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Calm Lands ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Upon your entry into the Calm Lands, a scene will take over. Long ago, high summoners fought Sin here. Beyond, there are no villages, no towns, only endless plains. Many summoners lose their path here. But Yuna won't, as she falls to the ground and stares at the sky. Tidus confirms, perhaps for himself as much as for Yuna, that he won't let her die, he'll find a way to save her, somehow. As he helps her to her feet, your party knows what's happening, you can tell. *sings in a high-pitched voice* Tidus and Yuna, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! From there, follow the path around to the left. Once you get to the corner, a little vehicle will approach you, with a portable version of Rin's travel agency. Buy anything you need, then set out. This is where the game gets really REALLY fun. Lots of stuff to do. Make your way to the very centre of the plains, to Rin's travel agency. There, your party will be approached by Father Zuke, a man Lulu knows but no-one else recognizes. Hmm, Yuna certainly doesn't look like Maester Kinoc's murderer. Say what now? Appears Maester Mika has issued an order - Yuna and her guardians murdered Kinoc and fled, and they are to be killed on sight! (Eek!) Things in Bevelle appear calm, but are turbulent. After Kinoc's death, Kelk left Yevon (so now Yevon has only two maesters, Mika and Seymour.) You have been branded enemies of Yevon, and should avoid temples. And with that, he goes. Hmph. Save your game, and you can now play blitzball for the first time in a while. What else can you do here, oooh.... -> Monster Arena Located on the very eastern side of the Calm Lands. You can purchase some Capture weapons, and begin capturing fiends from here onwards. You can also backtrack, catching fiends backwards on your path. See the Monster Arena section for more info. -> Chocobo Racing In the far north-west corner of the Calm Lands, you will spot a rider on a chocobo. Talk to her and she'll ask you if you want to train a chocobo, so train one. Then, you'll get access to a chocobo to ride around this huge place. See the Chocobo Racing section of the side quests for more info. -> Belgemine Just southwest of the agency, in the center of the spiral on the map, you can find Belgemine. Again, she wants to fight aeons, one-on-one, and she summons Shiva, so you do the smart thing and summon Ifrit. The game runs through Attributes, and how to increase them, to compensate for aeons' weaknesses like Shiva's HP or Bahamut's agility. This Shiva has one hell of a defense, but nothing a few Overdrives won't fix. You'll get the Aeon's Soul after the battle and 30x Power Sphere (win)/Speed Sphere (lose). -> Remiem Temple Once you have a chocobo, head to the south-east corner of the plains where you'll find a chocobo feather, examine it to jump across to a path leading to the temple. There you can race for the Cloudy Mirror, and fight against Belgemine more. See the Remiem Temple section of the side quests for more info. Other pick-ups in the Calm Lands - a copy of Al Bhed Primer Vol XXIII, in the very north-west corner of the plains. After you've done all you want to do, follow the arrow north-east, out of the Calm Lands. Save before crossing the bridge. When you cross, a scene will take over - two Guados will appear, with a summons from Lord Seymour. Yuna's got the right idea - you guys have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour, so just get out of their way. But Seymour's commands must be obeyed! Hehe, the maester doesn't exactly need us alive, so he's sent this big-ass beast after us. Whee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Defender X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 64000 (4060) MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 6600 (9900) GIL: 3500 Stats: STR: 42 DEF: 30 MAG: 5 MDF: 1 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: 4x Lunar Curtain (normal/rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note my complete lack of fear of this guy and his 64,000 HP. Haha, I laugh in his face. I may be insane, but this is not insane laughter, this is funny-haha laughter. This battle is a breeze if you know exactly what to do, almost impossible if you don't. Luckily, I know exactly what to do, and will tell you exactly what to do. Key strategy summed up in one word - Provoke. Bet you never used it, eh? Well, what it does, it pisses off Defender X when Tidus uses it, turning him a bright shade of red temporarily, that's how you know it worked. Now, whenever Defender X gets a turn, all he'll do is hit Tidus with a Blast Punch, knocking off half of his HP. Like the first few bosses we fought in this game - he can't kill you if you do this. Tidus will never die, because when he's on 1 HP and gets hit for half of his HP, he stays on 1 HP, and the Defender X will never hit anyone else. Whee. So Provoke the guy, to start things off. His rock solid armour could be a problem, so have Auron Armour Break him, then just attack with whoever, whenever. Make sure to keep Tidus in the active party, as it's Tidus he's pissed off at. Fun fun fun! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Go back and save after the battle because that was like, you know, the hardest battle ever. Now go to cross the second bridge, and Tidus will get confused, not knowing which is the way in. He wants to head down the hill, but Lulu says that just leads down to the valley, they need to go across the bridge. Well, okay. If you do head down the hill and into the valley, you'll find the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. See that chapter in my side quests section for more details on that. Anyways, if you head down there, make sure to pick up the Rusty Sword from the south-eastern path, then head back up and keep going. A scene will take over - Yuna will be waiting on the bridge, looking back, as everyone keeps walking on. Sometimes she would do that, just stare off into the distance. Now he understands why, she was saying goodbye to the places she'd never see again. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Mt Gagazet ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Head up through the tunnel, and out to the mountain gate. It's snowing here, and this is Ronso territory. Speaking of Ronsos, here's a few now, including no-longer-maester Kelk. Kelk wants Yuna and her guardians to leave, now. This mountain is sacred to Yevon, and will not bear the footsteps of the infidels! And here's Biran and Yenke, Kimahri's un-friends, telling them to leave because 'enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso!' But Yuna is adamant, she has cast aside Yevon, she does not abide by the temple. Scene progresses. Lulu asks Kelk, have you not also turned your back on Bevelle? But still you guard Gagazet, not as a maester but as a Ronso. Yuna is the same. This is a revelation to Kelk, that she would fight Sin even though she has been branded a traitor. That she is hated by the people, yet she continues her pilgrimage. She's lost everything, so what is she fighting for? Oh, nice answer, she is fighting for Spira, for the Calm that the people crave that she can give them. So he lets them pass. Yuna has nerves of steel, tempered steel that not even the mightiest Ronso could hope to bend. So she is welcome to travel the sacred mountain of Gagazet. It's a sweet scene, touching. Save your game, then head up over the hill. Biran will call you to halt... Tidus is funny 'haven't you bothered us enough?' Well, summoner pass, guardians pass, Kimahri NOT pass! Kimahri shamed his Ronso brothers, and forgot his birth. Forgot his people, forgot his mountain. Arghhh, they want to fight him, so he can prove his strength to the mountain! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Biran & Yenke Ronso ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biran: Points: HP: ?? (2500) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 4500 (6750) GIL: 1500 Stats: STR: ?? DEF: 30 MAG: ?? MDF: 50 AGL: ?? LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Reflect, Delay, Eject Steal: Level 3 Key Sphere (normal), x2 (rare) Yenke: Points: HP: ?? (2500) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 4500 (6750) GIL: 1500 Stats: STR: ?? DEF: 30 MAG: ?? MDF: 50 AGL: ?? LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Reflect, Delay, Eject Steal: Level 3 Key Sphere (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This battle is also pretty fun for a boss. Well, two bosses. Their HP, Str, Mag, and Agl vary, depending on Kimahri's stats, but they're never very high. The good bit of this battle is, milking them for all the Ronso Rages that you can. Yenke uses Fire Breath, Aqua Breath, Stone Breath, and White Wind; while Biran uses Thrust Kick, Doom, Self-Destruct, and Mighty Guard. Lancet one, then either fire it back at them (which might not be good as you'll damage them a lot), or just use a different Ronso Rage to clear the Overdrive bar. Then, repeat process until you've learnt them all. The only difficulty in this battle is Lanceting all eight Ronso Rages before accidentally killing the two Ronsos. It's designed to help you, not hinder you on your progress through the mountain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biran is happy after the battle, because Kimahri is strong. This is another touching scene, as Biran honours the warrior who defeated him, by the name of Kimahri. Now the Ronsos will stop pursuers from the temples, as penance for breaking Kimahri's horn. They will shine her statue brightest! (Statue? Oh, in the temples when she defeats Sin.) She fears no-one will make a traitor a statue, but the Ronso will. A statue with grand horn on head! (Haha.) Head up over the crest of the hill, and soon another scene will take place. This one is one of my favorites. The Ronso are still acting all hostile, and they approach your party. Why? To sing the hymn of the fayth. It's nice. Now the mountain is ours to explore. Head onto the little platform on the left for 2x Mega-Potion, before following the path around. You'll get into a lot of battles here, but they're not too tough, and they're good for levelling up. At the first hairpin turn, you'll find some graves, of summoners and guardians that failed. Oh, nice. Keep following the path. When you get to the northern crown-shaped section (on the map), take the top path to find Braska's Sphere. This one is Braska's message to Yuna. He wonders how old she is now, watching this sphere. Jecht and Auron send their regards. Their journey has been hard, but entertaining. And he has no regrets, for this is the path he has chosen. Yuna must find her own path, to do what she wants to do, how she wants to do, doors will always open to those who do. Her future is in her own hands, and whatever she decides, she has his full support. This Sphere will get you Auron's next Overdrive, Banishing Blade (if you followed the walkthrough and picked up the sphere in Macalania Woods as well as the one from Spherimorph). Then head back and follow the path south. (In battles, don't hesitate to give everyone a turn, then have Yuna bring in an aeon to finish things off, if they get difficult.) Another quick tip is to either teach a second character Life (using a White Magic Sphere), or to keep a good stock of Phoenix Downs, you can find one of the Ronsos selling stuff back in Gagazet. Along the straight southern section, you'll find more graves, and Lulu will comment that summoners that die here aren't sent to the Farplane. Why? There is no-one here to send them. They die alone. Keep following the path west to find a Defending Bracer, then go back and north. Keep following path, killing things, not too difficult eh. At the northern path leading east, you should find Wantz, O'aka's brother. O'aka's not here because he's been imprisoned for helping the traitors, he doesn't mind though. You can stock up on Phoenix Downs, as well as some pricey but nice weapons. Once you're done there, follow the path left and down. At the bottom, head right (or towards the camera) to follow the little hidden path and obtain a HP Sphere and a Level 4 Key Sphere. (Where to use the key sphere? Hmmm...) Now head left on the map, and north-west. Up the hill you'll find more graves, how cheery. There's nothing out on the west path, so head south-west, and save at the save point. Time for a few preparations. Get your peoples at Overdrive, especially your aeons if possible. Make sure Lulu knows Bio. Hastega also works well. Now, head up the path and off the mountain trail. Along the path... Another scene takes over. Rikku is apprehensive - Zanarkand is on the other side of these mountains, Yunie's going to get the Final Aeon, and they still haven't thought of a way to save her. So Tidus suggest that they keep going to Zanarkand, they'll find something there, they have to! Hey, he sounded like a leader just there... star player of the Zanarkand Abes, didn't anyone tell her? Love Rikku's reaction there. As Tidus walks away, Rikuk spots a familiar face... It's that dratted Seymour again, doesn't this guy ever quit? Ah, son of Jecht (he's finally worked it out, here have a cookie.) Tidus sends Rikku ahead to get Auron back here, and Seymour keeps trash talking. ('Prepare to die, son of Jecht!') But the rest of your party is back too. Seymour is happy to see Yuna, who is preparing to send him. Okay, so he'll leave then. But before he does, he wants to say something to the last Ronso - his was a gallant race, and they threw themselves at him to bar his path. (Did he... kill them all?) This man is insane, seriously insane. Again he goes on, Spira is a land of suffering and sorrow, caught in the spiral of death. To heal Spira, he will become Sin, with her help. Oh that's it, you're gonna fight now. Seymour's third form. Eek. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Seymour Flux ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seymour: Points: HP: 70000 (3500) MP: 512 Rewards: AP: 10000 (15000) GIL: 6000 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 40 MAG: 15 MDF: 40 AGL: 38 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Elixir (normal/rare) Mortiorchis: Points: HP: 4000 (-) MP: 512 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 40 DEF: 100 MAG: 40 MDF: 1 AGL: 38 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 100 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Haste, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: none ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This guy can be a serious pain in the ass, even if you do know what you're doing. Again, Seymour is accompanied by a little friend that you can't kill, named the Mortiorchis. Have Yuna, Tidus, and Kimahri use trigger command 'Talk' to Seymour, for hikes in magic defense (Yuna) and strength (Tidus and Kimahri). You won't be using Kimahri much, but still. First move - get Lulu in, and cast Bio. That's what you need her for, in this battle. Surprisingly, Seymour is weak against Bio here, so you can do a lot of quick and easy damage by just poisoning him. So do that first. Then, switch in Tidus, Auron, and Yuna, they will be your main party. Use Hastega, or Haste them all individually. If you have Zombie Ward or Zombieproof on your armour, that will go a long way towards making the first half of battle very easy. The Mortiorchis is fond of using 'Lance of Atrophy' on a character, to Zombify them, and Seymour quickly follows this up with Full-Life, to kill them. If you're Hasted, you'll have time to cure the Zombie before Seymour uses Full-Life, so this shouldn't be too much of a concern. And like the previous battle, aeons get only one turn before Seymour banishes them. So make their turns count. (Overdrives, whee!) Once you've got Seymour poisoned, and your characters Hasted, just hack away with physical attacks. If you use Wakka and Silence Attack every so often, Seymour will be unable to cast Dispel, to break your Haste; or Full-Life, should you not get to your Zombified characters in time. Halfway through the battle, things will start to get interesting. For the first half you can just go slowly, saving all your big attacks for later. If you don't chop his last half of HP quickly, you'll get hit with Cross-Cleave (will hit your characters for 3000 damage each, so use a LOT of Cheers, and have at least one character with HP well over 3000), and the Mortiorchis will start counting down to his Total Annihilation. Oh boy, this is the reason you want to end this battle quickly. You can see the Total Annihilation coming, because his previous move will be 'Ready to Annihilate!' By then, hope to have all your characters Protected, then have as many of them as you can Guard on their turn before he uses his big move. The Total Annihilation, unProtected and unGuarded, will hit your characters for over 4000 damage each, effectively wiping out your whole party unless you've done some super-levelling. With Protect and Guard, you can cut this down to a third of the power, so under 2000 damage. That's manageable, 4000 is not. This second half of the battle is where you bring out all your heavy hitters. Summon Bahamut in Overdrive for a quick Mega Flare, and 12000 damage to each the Mortiorchis and Seymour (and Mortiorchis will drain another few thousand HP from Seymour to heal itself.) Use Overdrives, like Attack Reels or Shooting Star. Bam bam bam, quick and powerful, and hopefully you will never see Cross-Cleave OR Total Annihilation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Tidus delivers a good line "And stay up there!", and then they keep going. However, Yuna stands behind, head down. She's thinking, about what Seymour said. He will become Sin, with her help, she says, and if he does, Sir Jecht will be saved! Auron doesn't want to hear this, and tries to leave, and Yuna knows there's something he's not telling her. Tidus can't lie to Yuna, and say it's nothing, so he tells her. Sin is his old man. Wakka's response - 'you hit your head?' But no, Jecht became Sin. He doesn't know how or why, but hw knows it's true, because he felt him inside. Yuna is stunned (understandably), and a little confused on what to do. Even though Sin is his father, he has been fighting... and she must continue... Wakka still doesn't want to believe it, thinking this might be some kind of bad toxin dream. He's getting confused, why did this all happen? They'll learn, when they arrive in Zanarkand. Follow the path along. When you get to the pillars, open the chest hidden past the third pillar on the left for the Saturn Crest. Save at the save sphere, then continue on. Will you look at that? That has got to be one of the strangest things I've ever seen, and I've seen some strange shit. Bodies, intertwined, under a film of water, water everywhere, in the sky, all around. What are they? They're fayth! Someone's using them, drawing energy from all of them, but why? And who has the power to do something of this scale? Rikku knows that Auron knows something, but he's not telling. As Tidus states, this is his story, we fade to white... Tidus, in a mess of pyreflies... being sent? No, he's waking up, he's in Zanarkand! Run forwards, and up the far ramp, onto the boat. Through the door onboard, and we're in Tidus' home! But it's not... something's off... approach the circular couches, and the scene takes over. The boy, the fayth, is in the corner. Remember him, from Bevelle? That wasn't the first time you two met, he's known about you for a long time. Tidus wants to know where he is, but the fayth laughs, doesn't he recognize his own home? And he's gone. Rikku and Wakka appear as holograms, not real, calling out to Tidus. What's happening? They're appearing here in Zanarkand, just like Tidus did, in pyreflies... and he finally twigs that this is a dream. The fayth reappears, confirming what he's just realized. Tidus is mad, he doesn't have time to be dreaming now, but he misunderstands as usual. It's not that Tidus is dreaming, it's that he IS a dream. Before you get clarification of this, he's out the door, so follow him. Up the stairs, and another scene. Long ago, there was a war, between Zanarkand and Bevelle. The machina war! Bevelle's machina ensured their victory from the start, Spira had never seen such power! The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance, they were doomed to oblivion. That's why they tried to save it - if only in a memory. (Whaaaaaaat?) The summoners and townspeople that survived the war all became fayth, fayth for the summoning. Summoning for Sin? No, for this place. ('...') Summoning for a Zanarkand that never sleeps. The dreams of the fayth summoned memories of the city, all the buildings, and all the people that lived there. The people that lived there were all dreams... Tidus included. Tidus is not real, he's a dream of the fayth. And if the fayth stop dreaming... As everything gets distorted, Tidus gets upset and afraid. Tidus likes being there, even if he is a dream! But the fayth have been dreaming so long, they're tired... Would Tidus and Jecht let them rest? You've both been touched by Sin, the one around whom all of Spira revolves. What's he saying? Both Tidus and Jecht are more than just dreams now. Maybe you are the one that will end their dreaming at last! That is the scene that answers all your questions. Well, most of them anyways. Tidus' Zanarkand is nothing more than a dream, a dream of the fayth... but now Tidus is more than a dream, and he has to end their dreaming once and for all. They've made him real, he is their last hope. He wakes up, back on Mt Gagazet. Everyone was so worried, but he's okay. He blacked out... he was dreaming. (He's not the only one.) Full of false enthusiasm, but still horribly confused on the inside, Tidus is ready to go. So now you can head off, up the path. Now we're back inside, in a mountain cave. This is where the difficulty of the game, and the enemies you will fight, takes a big leap upwards. You'll really be testing how well you know how to use skills ands special moves - Armour Breaks are often required, as are certain other skills to make battles relatively simple and straightforward. Follow the path and save at the same sphere. Note that you can't go forwards as there's a hole in the path, so go left. The little inlet on the right is also blocked by a huge hole, so keep going left. At the end of the path, you'll find the passage filled with water. Guess who's going on from here, ya? You party farewells Wakka, Tidus and Rikku who are going down into the water. What are the rest going to do while you're gone? Sit around and roast marshmallows over a campfire? Ah, who knows. If it get dangerous, pull out quick, and be careful. On the first screen in the water, just head straight. On the second screen, the path on the right just leads to another hole, so go straight and climb out of the water. At the end of the path, you'll get to the first trial of Gagazet. You have to aim for the light at the centre of the spinning things, with Wakka's ball. Okay, fair enough. Nothing bad will happen to you if you miss, so just keep shooting until you make it past both protective coverings to the light at the centre. Then head up to the chest in front of the device for a level 1 key sphere. Moving along, nothing to see here, so get back in the water and head back to where you left your party. Now the path next to the save sphere has been filled in, so head back there and go up the stairs. The path to the right is blocked, so go left. At the end of the tunnel, back in the water again. Wheeeee... At the end of the submerged tunnel, you'll approach the second trial of Gagazet. You need to press each of the three panels simultaneously and check each size before deciding who to send. Ermmm.... size? I just look at the colours. Where have you seen those three colours (and those three people) before? If you guessed the sphere grid (which I bet you didn't), I'll say you're right. You know how each character blazes their own colour across the sphere grid? Well, these three characters correspond to these three colours, so put Rikku in green, Tidus in blue, and Wakka in orange. Whee, second trial complete! But there's a treasure chest under the water back there, open it to get a Fortune Sphere. (Oh and I bet you already bypassed five zillion Luck nodes by now.) Back on dry land, a bridge has been created up on the left. Don't go up it just yet, though. The path on the right before, blocked off by a hole? Filled now. Go back there, and in the water we go. Follow the water along to get to two treasure chests - a Return Sphere and a Recovery Ring. Back we go, then back down the stairs to that little inlet on the right of the left side of the path, that was also blocked off. Now we can cross, to get a Pep Talk. Back up the stairs, to the left, up the bridge. According to Auron, they will be upon us soon, she has sent fiends to test our summoner's strength. Um, who? Yunalesca. (Whaaa? Remember her from the sphere in Seymour's manor, she and Lord Zaon were the first to defeat Sin...) In Zanarkand, she awaits the arrival of the strongest. She is alive, as much as Mika and Seymour, so in other words... she's not. Yuna hasn't lost her nerve, nothing frightens her now. Do head up and save at the save point before leaving the cave. Outside, something's there waiting for youuuu! Ooh. Boss. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sanctuary Keeper ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 40000 (6400) MP: 256 Rewards: AP: 11000 (16500) GIL: 6500 Stats: STR: 37 DEF: 100 MAG: 40 MDF: 100 AGL: 32 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 50 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Petrification, Zombie, Death, Provoke, Doom, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Turbo Ether (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This battle can actually be a toughie, if you're caught out unprepared, and you might die like I just did. On the surface he doesn't look so tough, compared with what you've fought before, but there is no easy 'omg one move and you win' idea here. He has some nasty attacks. Photon Wings is his equivalent of Bad Breath, and will hit all your characters hard, inflicting a random combination of Sleep, Silence, Darkness, Curse, and Confusion on them all for good measure. Tail Sweep will just whack them all for 2000 damage each, Mana Breath will target one character for over 3000 damage, or he'll just take a swipe at you, which is never good news. That's the bad stuff out of the way. Now, for the good stuff, ie. how to kick his ass. You might be lucky enough to get one turn before he does, in which case get Tidus to use Hastega. His first turn will be Photon Wings, and seeing as one of your characters won't get Confused, switch them out and Yuna in to use Esuna. SLow doesn't work on this guy, as he'll counter with Haste. Breaks are good though, and will make the battle go a lot faster. Have Yuna cast Reflect on him, then Break him with as many as you want, Power and Armour work best. Then, he'll go to Protect himself, but seeing as he's Reflected, he'll Protect one of your characters instead :) Have Wakka repeatedly use Dark Attack/Buster, so that most of his physical attacks miss. Tidus using Cheer a few times will help out tremendously also, cutting damage down by an astonishing amount (Mana Breath reduced to 700? Sweet.) Using Holy Waters to cure the Curse might be a good idea, to use Overdrives, or pelt away with aeons. Aeons are susceptible to Curse too, though :( But the best tip is Armour/Power Break. Once you've done that, just hammer away with your hardest hitters, and see if you can sneak an Overdrive in. If he casts Reflect on you, Dispel it, and he will then use Curaga on that character. (He was going to do that to cure himself, see.) All in all, tricky if you don't know what you're doing. Blah. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Rikku wants to rest, but Auron says no, they will reach the summit soon. But that's why she wants to stop, there's not much time left. But fine, she'll think on the way. Take your AP, and Wakka will try and cheer a depressed Tidus. Yes, they are almost there. Auron is laughing, Tidus reminds him of himself. Before, the closer he came to Zanarkand, the more he wondered... Braska would call the Final Aeon and die... and his resolve wavered. Legendary guardians choke too, ya? He was just a boy, a boy about Wakka's age, wanting to change the world, but changing nothing. That is his story. Now, soberly, follow the path along. There you will see, the ruins of Zanarkand. Tidus had to see it for himself, the end of Yuna's journey, a city dead for a thousand years. Rikku still doesn't want Yuna to go, and Yuna thanks her for her concern, but... she must go. As the two share a teary moment, and hug, a sphere falls out of Yuna's pocket. After the scene, pick it up and Tidus will listen to it. What's inside...? Yuna's voice, talking. She's leaving her personal memoirs, to her guardians. As we see, it was recorded at Rin's travel agency, on the Mi'ihen Highroad. Talking about the honour of having Auron as a guardian, how funny it was the day she met Kimahri and he didn't know how to speak to little children, how much she loved growing up with Lulu, Wakka, and Chappu too... and that leaves just one, Tidus. Yuna doesn't know what to say, tripping all over her own words, but she's glad they met. They haven't even known each other that long... as Yuna talks, we see Tidus coming out of the highroad, and we know what's gonna happen cos we've seen it before, he approaches her and she hides the sphere. Well now. That was kinda interesting, eh? But we're still on a mission, so keep following the road along, all the way to the Zanarkand Ruins. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Zanarkand Ruins ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Approach your party standing there, looking at the ruins, and a scene will take over. A scene that's pretty familiar, it's the one we saw at the very start of the game. I told you way back when, that it would all make sense, seven characters sitting around a campfire in the ruins of a once-great city. A lot has happened since we first saw the scene eh, but now we know. Now we know so much more. Now, at night, your party sets off into Zanarkand, as one of the best songs on the soundtrack plays. Someday The Dream Will End, it's called, and it's beautiful and haunting, matching the area exactly. Save at the save sphere on the left, before heading out along the road. The pyreflies make this area beautiful, yet it all conveys an aura of sadness. Follow the broken road, and note that the song also plays during battles. Empty the treasure chest around the first corner, to get a Fortune Sphere, then keep moving through the desolation. (They just had to set this at night, didn't they?) Soon, you'll see a scene, as Wakka comments on the place looking like the Farplane. Close enough, Auron replies. With that, you keep going. In the next inlet on the left, grab a Spiritual Targe, then continue on over the crest of the hill. Now, you're outside the Zanarkand Dome, oh man oh man oh man. Save, then head on it. You'll be greeted by a warrior monk, and asked to identify yourself. Apparently Yuna's eyes show that she has travelled a long road, or so the guy says. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. So go to her, and take your guardians with you. As the monk walks past you and disappears into this air, head inside the dome. There are spirits all around this derelict place, and we're seeing the memories of previous summoners and guardians that have walked this path. Memories of Lady Yocun and her guardians... their predecessors... which freaks Rikku out. The dome is filled with pyreflies, keeping it like one giant sphere, people's thoughts remain here, forever. Creepy, eh. Try to ignore it, and follow the red arrow down the path. Battles are no harder than in Gagazet. When you meet Defender Zs, big brothers of Defender X, remember the Provoke strategy and you'll do fine. Apart from the creepy atmosphere, and the building tension, this place really isn't that interesting and making it around isn't really that difficult. Save at the next save sphere, then move up the path for another scene. It's a little boy, with spiky blue hair. Is that... Seymour? He's crying that he doesn't want his mother to become a fayth, but his mother tells him, use her to defeat Sin, then the people will accept you. This boy isn't happy, not at all. And this is really freaky. At that intersection, head right and grab a Friend Sphere, before following the arrow. Out on the slim metal bridge, you will see some more shadowy figures - Braska, Auron and Jecht! Jecht is trying to talk Braska out of this, but he will not be dissuaded. Auron isn't happy, he knew it was going to happen but cannot accept it. Keep heading forward, up the path and to the stairs. At the top, you'll see Braska's party again. Jecht isn't happy at the thought of another set of trials, he was expecting y'know, parades, and fireworks! Oh, you'll get those after he defeats Sin. Save your game, and head through. Oh noooo... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cloister of Trials: Zanarkand ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You knew that this was coming, right? But this is a cloister of trials unlike any other. As Tidus steps on the green block, Tetris pieces appear on the screen before him. If you examine that screen, those same pieces will appear on the floor. The idea is to step on all of the white dots that were inside those pieces, to highlight them. See, if you step on the top dot on the left, you get the blue L-shaped piece. Now to find the rest of them. Blue L-shaped piece: Top-left corner (of grid), second column (of blocks) Yellow long skinny piece: Top-left corner, first column Red T-shaped piece: Bottom-right corner, second column (from the right) AND Bottom of screen, middle of the row Green H-shaped piece: Top-right corner, first column (on the right) If you step on any of the incorrect pieces (ie. the white square pieces) you'll have to restart the puzzle from scratch. Not a good idea. Once you've stepped on all five pieces, partitions in the wall will open up and pedestals will appear, as well as a doorway leading to the next room. Oh boy... What's in the next room? Mooooooore dots on the floor, with a screen at the top of the room. But there's nothing on the screen, at the present time. Go back to the first room, and push the top-left pedestal into the wall bracket. Nowww Tetris pieces appear on the screen in the second room, so go there. Examine the screen, and the pieces you need to get will appear. Step on them all, to complete that section of the puzzle. When you're done, the screen will go blank, and a glyph will appear on one of the circles in the centre of the room. Then, push the next pedestal in to the wall bracket in the first room. Repeat this for four of the six pedestals. The puzzle combinations are: Top-left pedestal: Blue L-shaped piece: Top-left corner, first column AND Top-left corner, fourth column Red L-shaped piece: Top section, first row AND Top section, second row, on the right Green H-shaped piece: Top section, second row, on the left AND Bottom-right corner, third column, second dot up Top-right pedestal: Red L-shaped piece: Top section, first row AND Top section, second row, on the right AND Top-right corner, third column, second dot down AND Bottom-right corner, second column AND Bottom-right corner, third column (bottom dot) AND Bottom section, second row (from the bottom) Green H-shaped piece: Top section, second row, on the left Blue L-shaped piece: Left section, fourth column AND Top-right corner, first column Bottom-left pedestal: Yellow long piece: Bottom-left corner, first column Red L-shaped piece: Top section, first row AND Top section, second row (on the right) AND Bottom section, second row Green H-shaped piece: Bottom section, first row Blue L-shaped piece: Top-right corner, first column AND Top section, bottom row (on the left) Bottom-right pedestal: Red L-shaped piece: Top section, first row AND Top section, second row (on the right) AND Top-right corner, third column, second dot down AND Bottom-right corner, second column, bottom dot Green H-shaped piece: Bottom section, bottom row Blue L-shaped piece: Top-left corner, first column Top-right corner, first column Once you've done those puzzles, go into the second room and you'll notice two spheres, one either side of the screen. Take the Kilika Sphere from the left side of the screen, and place it in the middle-left pedestal in the first room. It will push into the wall, and another glyph will light up. Now, retrieve the Besaid Sphere and place it in the middle-right pedestal. You're done here. Finally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you return here for the Destruction Sphere: You'll need to step on all the white square blocks. These can be found: Top right corner (first room) Center dot (first room) Bottom right corner, first column (first room) Top right corner, third column, top dot (second room) Right side of room, second column (second room) Top section, second row from bottom (second room) Left side of room, second column from right (second room) When you've stepped on all seven, the first monitor will rise to reveal the Destruction Sphere. Take it, and place it on the right side of the second monitor. This will blow the path to the Magistral Rod, breaking the Zanarkand Trials seal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A great light will appear in the centre of the second room, but don't go back there just yet. Save at the new save sphere first. Please. I implore you. Then go back into the second room. Your party will run onto the coloured glyphs, and you will have to fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Spectral Keeper ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 52000 (8000) MP: 500 Rewards: AP: 12000 (18000) GIL: 7000 Stats: STR: 36 DEF: 100 MAG: 1 MDF: 100 AGL: 36 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 8 Elements: none Immunities: Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Threaten, Death, Doom, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Ether (normal), Turbo Ether (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now they throw a nice tough boss on you. And I mean tough. If your Overdrive bars are all filled up, this will be okay. If they're not... oh boy... Each of your characters in this battle has the trigger command Move, to move them onto a different glyph surrounding the Spectral Keeper. This becomes important, because the Keeper likes to detonate Glyph Mines. And they are as bad as the name suggests. Always try and keep one dot in between each of your characters, and only have one character in front of the Keeper. Now, after every hit, the Keeper will counter attack by slashing the characters in front of it. (That's why we only want one out there, if we put none out there the blasted thing will turn around to face us.) As well as counter-attacking in front, the boss will on every turn attack one character with Berserk Tail. Of course, Berserk is never good, so cure that ASAP. In case you hadn't worked out, the character in front is your sacrificial lamb, and will die a lot, so have someone with either Life or a lot of Phoenix Downs on hand, standing behind ready to revive. Next thing to note: After every four turns, the boss will set up Glyph Mines. You'll see random glyphs flashing, and they will have turns in the CTB. When it gets to their turn, the mines detonate, killing the character on them. If you can, get those characters off those glyphs, or put characters on other glyphs that can bring them back ASAP. So, that's the pattern. The idea here is to kill this guy in as few attacks (not as few turns, there is a big difference) as possible. Fewer attacks = fewer counterattacks to fix up. That's why I recommend having only one person hitting, with everyone else doing support. If this one person is Auron, with a very high HP, put them in the front line to do the attacking, while all your other characters switch in and out behind. Your front line character should be able to withstand a counterattack and a regular attack without dying, so your two backline characters can use Esuna and Curaga on their respective turns, leaving the one person free to attack again. This battle will be long, and while you get into the groove of operating turns efficiently, can be dangerous. After that, piece of cake :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, the Spectral Keeper explodes into pyreflies, and a platform comes up where it once stood. This is the hall to the chamber of the final summoning. We're almost there. Take your AP, and Yuna will go down on the platform to pray, alone. Flashback with Jecht. Huh, he's saying, what do you mean, no Final Aeon? (Wha?) Yuna's back, calling them all to go down on the platform with her, so you do. Save at the save sphere, then follow the group down the hall. What's the big problem? There isn't a fayth down there, it's just an empty statue. Another warrior monk appears - that statue lost its power as a fayth long ago. It is the statue of Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see is his remains, Lord Zaon's soul is gone. So there is no Final Aeon. (Good lord, we came all this way for nothing?) But fear not, Lady Yunalesca will show us the path, the Final Aeon will be ours. (Oh good.) The summoner and the Final Aeon join powers, so you must go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits. Tidus confronts Auron - he knew this was going to happen, didn't he? Yes, he did. He's been through all this shit before. And if he had told them the truth, would it have stopped them from coming? Of course not. Kimahri will go through the portal first, Kimahri protect little Yuna. Follow them through the blue portal. Someone's coming into the room, it's a very scantily-clad Yunalesca. You have completed your pilgrimage, so congratulations. She will now give you what you seek, the Final Aeon will be yours. Now, choose. (Huh?) You must choose the one she will change, change into the fayth of the Final Summoning. (Gasps all round.) There must be a bond, between the chosen and the summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies. If the light of the bond is strong enough, it will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, she chose Zaon for her fayth, and together they defeated Sin. So, there is nothing to fear. You'll be free of suffering and pain, for once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Her father, Braska, chose this path. We get a flashback of Auron, begging Braska not to go, telling him it's not too late to turn back. Braska refuses, saying would Auron rather some other summoner and their guardians go through this. Jecht is dismissive, make him the fayth. He's been doing some thinking, his dreams were all back in his other Zanarkand, making the runt into a star blitz player. But there's no way home for him, he'll never see Tidus again, his dream will never come true. So make him the fayth, and together they will fight Sin, maybe then his life will have meaning. Auron is furious, no! There will be some way to get Jecht home, they'll think of something! But Jecht is firm. Auron still protests, Sin always comes back, the cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing! But Jecht wants to break the cycle, even though he doesn't have a plan. He'll think of something. The real Auron is angry, slashing through the hologram of his previous self with his sword. Jecht didn't break the cycle, it went on. Yet, Wakka and Lulu are still volunteering to become Yuna's fayth, for the Final Summoning. Tidus is panicky, he doesn't want this, the cycle will go on! But Wakka gently reminds him, defeating Sin and keeping Yuna alive, just isn't going to happen. This is the way it's gotta be. You want everything, and you'll end up with nothing. Oh, now he's being childish! But what would an adult do? Just throw away a summoner, and do whatever they want? He's on a roll now, he believes there IS a way, just like Auron stated ten years ago. But Rikku mocks him, 'you'll think of something'? So he'll go ask Yunalesca for help, she must know something. This is his story, it will go his way. Wait a sec, this is Yuna's story too, she's the summoner here! So all of you will go, go and ask Yunalesca. So you don't have to see this whole scene again, go back and save again. Now follow your group up the stairs. Where are they? On a platform, in the middle of space. What the? Yunalesca wants to know who Yuna has chosen (Yuna, Yunalesca, too similar!), but she has a question first. Will Sin come back, even if she uses the Final Summoning? Sin is eternal, my honeychile, and every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place, this is Sin reborn. (So that's how Jecht became Sin.) Sin is inevitably part of Spira's destiny, it is never ending. Wakka doesn't like this, if they atone for their crimes, surely Sin will stop coming back, ya? But will humanity ever attain such purity? Lulu is distressed, and you can hear it in her voice - the teachings state that they can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been their only hope, all these years! Ah, hope is comforting, no? It allows you to accept fate, however tragic it might be. Back to flashback ten years ago, and young Auron is receiving these same revelations. Boy, is he mad about it. Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him! But they chose to die, because they had hope. Yevon's teachings give the people hope, without it they would drown in sorrow. (And 'Revealed Truth' plays again, love that song.) Now, Yuna must choose. But Yuna chooses no-one! The Final Summoning is a false tradition that should be thrown away! Oh here we go... long very cool scene, if it wasn't already long enough. Braska died to give the people hope, so they would forget sorrow. No, he wanted to make Spira's sorrow go away, not cover it up with lies! Yunalesca is adamant, with her lilting little voice, sorrow cannot be abolished, it is meaningless to try. But Yuna's gonna do her darndest anyways, she will live with her sorrow, live her own life, and someday she will conquer it! Oh, poor creature... Yunalesca will free Yuna before she can drown in her sorrow, it is better to die in hope than live in despair. (See where the tagline comes from?) She's going to be your liberator! Oh man, we're fighting all the top beings in the bloody world today, aren't we? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Yunalesca! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 24000, 48000, 60000 (10000) MP: 500 Rewards: AP: 14000 (21000) GIL: 9000 Stats: STR: 20 DEF: 50 MAG: 30 MDF: 50 AGL: 40 LUK: 20 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Death, Provoke, Doom, Distiller, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Stamina Tablet (normal), Farplane Wind (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gee, this will be fun. Lady Yunalesca has three forms - none of which are particularly fun. If you have any armour with Deathproof, Zombieproof, Silenceproof, or Darkproof (in that order), I suggest you put it on now. First form - 24000 HP. Relatively simple. Counters every attack you do with a spell - Silence, for magic attacks, or Blind, for physical attacks. Well, that's just peachy, ain't it? Her one attack is to throw ice shards at you, hitting you for very minimal damage. And she also likes to Absorb, to suck away half of a character's max HP to heal herself. Righty-o. Good thing to note: Yunalesca is weak as anything against Holy. Chances are you don't have Holy, though, because it's at the very end of Yuna's sphere grid. With a little levelling, you can get to it for this fight. For this first form, just hack away with some big hitters as fast as you can, shouldn't take long, and you'll sustain minimal damage. Make sure you're fully cured before round 2, though. Second form - 48000 HP. A lot tougher. Yunalesca's known as one of the hardest bosses in the game, and for good reason. Her main attack is Hellbiter - hits your party for a little damage, and inflicts Zombie as surely as the sun'll come up tomorrow. That's why I wanted you in full health, cuz unless you got a lot of Holy Waters or Remedies, you're not going to be curing a lot real soon. She will also cast Regen (and other healing spells) on your Zombified characters, to hit them for some nice damage. To prevent this, you can Reflect your own characters. This will prevent the curative spells, but not the Zombie in the first place. Problems with this - you can't do things like Haste your own party, should you want to. If Reflect isn't an option, you can either Dispel the Regen, or cure the Zombie, the choice is yours. Now is where you can start using Holy for a lot of damage (and some cool sound effects.) Ethers and Turbo Ethers will come in handy, as Holy is expensive. If you don't have Holy, big physical attacks are the way to go, or aeon's Overdrives. Like previous boss battles, aeons will get one turn before they are either Cursed, banished, or have their HP and MP sucked from them, so make their turns count! Third form - 60000 HP. She'll open with Mega Death, which will kill every non-Zombified (or non-Deathproofed) character. See, the Zombie ailment comes with the bonus of Deathproof. (If Zombie is being undead, it's kinda hard for Death to hurt, eh?) From there, she'll keep using Hellbiter, and curative spells, on your party, combined with very minor physical attacks. Something to note is that items like Ethers will suck the MP from Zombified characters, so if you need to give more MP to your Holy-casting person (usually Yuna, though mine is Kimahri for some reason), you'll either have to cure their Zombie or let them die, revive them, then give them more MP. Make sure to keep at least one person Zombified at all times. Yunalesca will use Mega Death at random times, and if she catches you with a party of non-Zombies, you can kiss all your efforts goodbye. This is the problem with the third form, so often she'll catch you out with a human party, and you'll often be praying for Hellbiter to come around to protect you, as weird as that sounds. Keep using aeon's Overdrives if you have them at Overdrive, character Overdrives, big hitters like Auron, and Holy. The battle shouldn't last TOO long, just remember what I said about keeping your characters in Zombie. Don't be afraid to let them die, then instantly recover them to heal them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Yunalesca is pissed. If she dies, so does the Final Aeon, and all of Spira's hope. You're all fools, there is no other way, and even if you do defeat Sin, Yu Yevon will just create another Sin anew! Say what, Yu Yevon? But Yunalesca disappears into pyreflies before she can answer your question. Grrrrrr.... Yuna's in a state of shock. They just killed Yunalesca! But Tidus is optimistic, now they're gonna do something even more unbelievable, defeat Sin without the Final Aeon, so it can't come back. He doesn't know how yet, but he'll find out! Now, here's the tricky bit. Head down the stars far side of screen, and you'll be sent to the top of the other set of stairs leading down onto this same platform. Keep doing this until a treasure chest appears, opposite the stairs leading down on the far side. Open the chest for the Sun Crest. (If you don't pick this up now, you'll have to come back for it later, and if you're playing PAL, that means Dark Bahamut.) Once you've got the Crest, head down the stairs closest to camera to get back to the trials. Head down the stairs, and Auron will stop you, they need to talk. There's something, you should know, about him. But Tidus already knows! Auron is also unsent, is he not surprised? (Nope, saw that coming from a mile away.) Tidus kinda already knew already, it was Yunalesca that did it wasn't it? When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin, he couldn't accept it. Auron came back to avenge them, but she struck him down. Somehow, he crawled down Mt Gagazet, and Kimahri stumbled across him, just outside Bevelle. He told Kimahri about Yuna, just before he died. That's why he refused to enter the Farplane, in Guadosalam. Oh, don't make that face, being dead has its advantages. (Hah!) He could ride Sin, and go to Tidus' Zanarkand, and he's been watching over Tidus ever since. Oh, why him? It's difficult to explain, but he will show you. (Um, how?) Oh, his memories. He commands a memory of Jecht, in this very same room. Jecht is asking Auron for one last favour. He needs someone to look after his son, in Zanarkand, he's such a crybaby! He always needs someone there holding his hand, you see. So can Auron please take care of him? Auron doesn't even know how to get there, but Jecht laughingly reminds Auron, he said it himself, there has to be a way to get there! Auron makes the promise, and Jecht hugs him, commenting 'you were always such a stiff, but that's what I liked about you!' So now Tidus knows why Auron was sent to guard him. (Well, not sent, if you know what I mean.) Follow him out of the great hall, and save back at the same sphere. Head back up the platform, through the trials, and along the corridor, and you'll be transported back outside. From there, run towards the camera, and a scene will take over. Sin is RIGHT THERE, just staring at you! Tidus is having a heart to heart chat with his old man in his mind, about the Final Summoning being gone. As Sin lumbers away, not harming anyone, the Al Bhed airship is back on the scene, landing in front of you. Inside, Cid surveys your party, one at a time. Aren't they the happy looking bunch! They're not sure what to do next, and they have no great plan. Let's think of what they know - Sin is Jecht, therefore, Tidus has a link with Sin. That may be the key. Now, they must think and wait - two things Tidus is bad at. As Auron walks off, Yuna approaches Cid. She tries to talk to him, but he has his back turned, and won't turn around. We see a shot - he looks like he's about to cry, as Yuna walks away. Now, we have free reign around the airship. There's a new type of save sphere around - Traveller Save Sphere Type 3 - that can teleport you back to the airship, thanks to Rin the Al Bhed. Coool. Now, finding Yuna might be an idea, as she's the important one here. So head down, and through to the cabin of the airship, where you'll see Yuna and Kimahri looking out a window on the left. Talk to them, and a scene will take over. She's depressed because she's no good at all. She's been prepping herself to defeat Sin, all this time, but she has no way of doing it. Beyond the teachings of Yevon, she knows nothing. She starts to apologize, but Kimahri interrupts, no apologies, apologies are running, and Yuna never run away. What to do now? If the teachings have no answer, look outside them. And they must know both sides to get the answer. Apparently, Maester Mika knows much, so find him and make him talk. Okay! Let's go to Bevelle, and to Mika! Head back to the bridge, and everyone else will have an idea too. They say, the Hymn is the key... you know, the Hymn of the Fayth? Sir Jecht liked it, that's why he listened to it peacefully in Macalania. So, if he hears the Hymn, he'll become docile, and that's when they strike! It might be against the rules, but who's keeping track, ya? It's worth a try! Now is where you have free use of the airship, and free reign to do anything in Spira you please. (Except maybe goat smuggling, underage prostitution, and demolition derbies with shopping trolleys, but who knows.) Talk to Cid, to open the NavMap, and you can choose a place anywhere in the world to visit. This is where you complete all your side quests, collect your ultimate weapons, and the like, so head to sections 7, 8, 9 and 10, for details on all this sort of thing. To continue the storyline, talk to Cid, and go to the listing marked 'New', the Highbridge. This is the red carpet on which you fought Seymour Natus, earlier in the game. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Highbridge ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now, we've walked straight back into a place where we're public enemy #1. Head up the carpet, and you'll be stopped by two guards. Don't these guys ever give up? Apparently not. Your party prepares to fight, but a voice shouts "Stop!" It's Shelinda, what is she doing here? And she's a captain? Um, what? Hey, but she's here helping you. Your party is not to be harmed, because you are not traitors, that's just an evil rumour being spread by the Al Bhed. Rikku's pissed with that explanation, but that's the official word from Maester Mika. So the guards stand down! Rikku wants to know what that was about evil Al Bhed, but Shelinda doesn't know, its just what she was told. There's a big state of confusion going on here, the temples are in disarray, and the priests are blaming each other. Tidus interrupts her spiel, telling her they're looking for Maester Mika. Sure, she will arrange an audience! Wait in the courtroom! Rikku still isn't satisfied, but Auron has the explanation of why Mika is saying the Al Bhed were lying. Yuna is now Mika's only hope of getting rid of Sin, so he needs her alive. Inside, Mika demands to know why you're here and not out beating Sin. You've obtained the Final Aeon, have you not? Ummm, no, we haven't. Mika is shocked, but your party is firm behind what they have done. Yeah, you've subverted a thousand year old tradition, WHAT OF IT? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin! (Oh nooo!) When Tidus says they think they've found another way, Mika denies it, saying there IS no other way! Again, in his doomsday speech, we hear the name 'Yu Yevon'. Spira will succumb to Yu Yevon's spiral of death! Just who is this Yu Yevon guy, anyways? He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armour. (Oh, that just explains everything.) An armour called Sin! Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible! And you guys have destroyed the only thing that could pierce the armour. (Whoops.) With that, he sends himself, he doesn't want to watch Spira die. So now we have more questions, and no-one to answer them. Wakka is angry, calling Mika a 'rotten son of a shoopuf'. When Shelinda appears, asking where the maester is, Auron angrily replies that he hasn't arrived yet, just to get her to go look for him. With that, our little friend the fayth, the boy in purple, is back, and he asks Yuna and Tidus to come to his room. The two politely excuse themselves, to go see him. Have you guys found a way to truly defeat Sin yet? Well... yes you have, you have to defeat Yu Yevon, so input those answers, and the fayth will be pleased. But what do we know about the guy? Not a lot, except for the fact he's the driving force behind Sin. Yu Yevon was a summoner once, long ago, and now he lives only for one thing - to summon. He's neither good or evil, neither awake or dreaming.. but not forever. If you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live on, join with the Final Aeon, and make it into a new Sin. Then, he will continue summoning, and the circle begins anew. Yu Yevon lives in Sin, and the fayth will help you when you fight him. So you must summon them, because your swords and magic won't be enough. (Okay.) After the battle, the fayth will wake, and their dreaming will end. The dream will vanish... Yuna isn't entirely sure what's happening, with the talk of dreams and stuff, and when Tidus says it's nothing, Yuna gets confrontational. But he's not hiding anything, or so he says, but he can't even look her in the eye when he says it. Shelinda still can't find the grand maester, but you guys are leaving anyways. Rikku has an idea though, first, they can help them with the hymn! She tells Shelinda to tell everyone - when a ship in the sky sings the hymn of the fayth, they all need to sing along. Shelinda doesn't understand, but she'll pass the message on anyways. Joy! Now we're back in the airship, and you have your final showdown with Sin. If you're ready, prepare yourself, then select 'Sin' from the airship navmap. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Sin ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Yu Yevon is hiding somewhere inside Sin, so they're gonna head inside to find him. So Cid sets the airship to play the hymn of the fayth, as loud as it can. You're going in! Wakka hopes everyone down below got the message to sing, while Sin approaches you. How you gonna get in? The easy way, duh. If they can't get in through the mouth, they'll rip it a new one! Oh, Cid likes that, it's a plan! After Brother tells you to guard Rikku, off you go! Head up through the airship, to the cabin. Save, then out onto the deck. People are singing the song! Tidus approaches Yuna, asking her if she needs the sphere he found on Gagazet. She gets flustered, knowing exactly what's in the sphere, but he tosses it away over the edge of the airship. She doesn't need to say her farewells, because she's not going to die, you see? Oh, Sin is mad now. Really mad. As Sin causes its never-ending destruction, your party gets to its feet. Waves of destruction all over Spira! As Sin and Tidus have a staring contest, Cid spots something shining at the base of Sin's arm, a weak spot. Weak spot? Let's fight! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Left Fin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 65000 (10000) MP: 999 Rewards: AP: 16000 (24000) GIL: 10000 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 100 MAG: 30 MDF: 50 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Haste, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Mega-Potion (normal), Supreme Gem (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember the last fight we had up here? It was Evrae, and we were fighting her as well as moving in/pulling back. We have the same sort of thing here, get in close, or stay far away. The fin you're fighting (the little purple circle) has some heavy armour on it, so you'll need to get in close to Armour Break it. Use the trigger command Move In, either from Rikku or Tidus, then do it. While Cid gets the ship to move in, get Tidus to Hastega your best party. There's not a lot you can do at a distance, except for magic and blitzball, so close is the way to go. Once you're in close, use the Armour Break, then all your big hitters. This battle's fairly straight up, if you just hit hard and fast. Sin has a few attacks - he uses Gravija, Negation (to Dispel all status effects, including Armour Break) and he'll also hit the ship for some heavy damage. Keep Tidus casting Hastega, keep Auron using Armour Break (cuz you won't get far without it) and bring in Yuna to cure or someone who can use Al Bhed Potions. If you find this battle difficult, may I suggest that you forget about fighting Sin for now, and go back and train some more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Cid moves in for the kill. Watch the ship rip one of Sin's arms off! Now time to attack the other side! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Right Fin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 65000 (10000) MP: 999 Rewards: AP: 17000 (25500) GIL: 10000 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 100 MAG: 30 MDF: 50 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Haste, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: X-Potion (normal), Shining Gem (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This battle is a carbon copy of the previous battle, excepting we're on the other side of Sin. So get Tidus or Rikku to call the ship in, using the time until Cid reacts to heal up everyone wounded from the previous battle. When the ship comes in, Armour Break and hack away. For a quicker battle, call in aeons to do your dirty work. Make them your weaker aeons for now, cuz even the weak ones will deal out a shitload of damage. My Bahamut hits here for 9000 damage, with a regular attack. A few hits of that, or just normal physical attacks, and the right fin is history. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There goes the right arm of Sin! But what are the Al Bhed saying? Brother's depressed, it's over. What? They've only just begun! But the main gun, it's broken. (Uh oh.) Cid calls you guys back inside to come up with another plan, but Tidus makes a motivational blitzball speech to get everyone eager to fight anyways. One by one, your party jumps off the ship, and jumps inside Sin. Oh, but you thought it was gonna be that easy? Hell no, we has to fight some more! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Sin (w/ Sinspawn Genais) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sin: Points: HP: 36000 (3000) MP: 999 Rewards: AP: 18000 (27000) GIL: 10000 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 100 MAG: 30 MDF: 100 AGL: 20 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Reflect, Haste, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Stamina Spring x3 (normal), x4 (rare) Sinspawn Genais: Points: HP: 20000 (2000) MP: 200 Rewards: AP: 1800 (2700) GIL: 10000 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 80 MAG: 35 MDF: 50 AGL: 25 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: Fire (x1.5), Water (+) Immunities: Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Reflect, Delay, Eject Steal: Star Curtain (normal), Shining Gem (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even though this battle is not all that hard, you can bring out your heavy artillery now. Your stronger aeons, which should be your biggest weapons, will make mincemeat out of these guys. You can't attack Sin while the Genais is alive, so we must take that on first. The Genais has annoying habits of absorbing magic, and using Venom on your party. Well, okay. If you silence it, there goes the Venom, or you can just hammer away on it and hope you kill it before you see the Venom. Bring out your heavy hitters, as the thing is unarmoured, and just attack. 20,000 HP shouldn't take too long to whittle down. Now for the semi-hard part, Sin itself. Sin is armoured, so Armour Break it. It gathers energy before it casts Gravija, as its fins did, but we know Gravija can't kill us. (Lucky us.) Apart from Gravija, it's fond of casting low-level elemental spells, so you'll need someone in to either cure the damage from those, or to use Shell on your party. (Yuna works well for that.) With one person curing, use the other two to attack the unarmoured beast, with it's pissy little 36,000 HP. Hah. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watch the scene, as Sin crashes and burns into the sea. You're back inside the airship now, but Sin is nowhere near dead. You might've severely wounded the outside shell, but you're after the big guy inside the shell, Yu Yevon, remember? While Cid prepares the main gun, you can spend your hard-earned sphere levels, and save at the save point. Talk to everyone in sight, and realize that Yuna is nowhere to be found. Where is she? She's out on the deck, so go and see her. She wants to know if Jecht is in pain, but Tidus just wants to end it quickly. The fayth said to use them to defeat him, but it bothers Yuna, how they said that. They've been fighting with you the whole time, but only now they say they'll help? But Yuna's got it all worked out - Sin is reborn when Yu Yevon merges with an aeon, right? When she summons an aeon, Yu Yevon will join with it, but it will be small, until it grows strong. If they beat it while it's small, they won't need the Final Summoning! And if it jumps again, they'll just beat it again! The fayth said, its pointless to keep dreaming. Soon, the dream will disappear. Yuna wasn't sure what he meant by that, and isn't sure what exactly Yu Yevon is eternally summoning from within Sin. (Oh, Tidus knows all about that.) But she surprises him, she's a smart cookie, asking him if he'll go away when they defeat Sin. Before he can answer, Rikku calls them from inside the ship. Something's happening to Sin! From where it's arms were, Sin has sprouted wings, and is now flying overhead! In we go again. Even though the gun is busted, Tidus is still adamant that they're going in, so Cid calls on Brother to take them level with the mouth "or he'll tear out that mop he calls hair!". Back we go, up to deck again! Outside we'll see Sin flying, and Tidus is pissed 'I'm coming for you, DAD!' Oh lordy, we have to fight again, and this is a trickyyyyyyyyyy one... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Overdrive Sin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 140000 (10000) MP: 999 Rewards: AP: 20000 (30000) GIL: 12000 Stats: STR: 30 DEF: 40 MAG: 30 MDF: 40 AGL: 30 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Haste, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Ether (normal), Supreme Gem (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oh, this is a sucky battle. We start off at a distance to Sin, and every turn that goes by, Sin will draw you closer. When you get right up to it, and its Overdrive bar is full, it'll open its mouth and that's the end of you. See why this is called Overdrive Sin? The Overdrive is unblockable. Absolutely unblockable. You get to that point, it's over. Soooo, what can you do from a distance, before it draws you in? Magic works, as do blitzballs. The first turn is preparation, because you can't do a lot from there. Use Cheer, Focus, and Haste. On the second turn, you can start using magic, blitzballs, or Wakka's Attack Reels if at Overdrive. After the third time of being drawn in, the battle is on for young and old, normally. So hit this guy with everything you have. First, Armour Break it. Hopefully all your characters are at Overdrive, so give him the whole repertoire - Ultima Fury (if you have it), Energy Rain, Attack Reels, Banishing Blade, Ronso Rage. If you have strong spells like Holy and Ultima, USE THEM. Doublecast them. Pull out all the stops, because this is the second hardest battle in the whole (story) game! Alternate (cheap) strategies: 1) Grand Summon something like Anima or the Magus Sisters to fight the battle for you. 2) Use Yojimbo's Zanmato, if you have a few million gil spare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, the ship will fly inside. The scene looks seriously awesome, here, and we see Seymour's face from out of nowhere before we land... inside Sin. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Inside Sin ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- First things first, what on earth are we walking on? Looks like... umm... I don't know. Anyways, walk inside Sin, leaving the safety of your airship behind. Now we're in the Sea of Sorrow. Note that a kick-ass song, The Advancing Men, is again playing in the background. Now, this place is a maze, and I highly highly recommend you have No Encounters on otherwise you're going to be travelling through here (and having very tough times) quite a few times, cuz you're gonna die a bit. (If you're not sure how to customize No Encounters onto a weapon, you need 30x Purifying Salt. Get 99x Purifying Salt from the Monster Arena, for capturing 4x Vouivre, 4x Lamashtu, 4x Kusariqqu, 4x Mushussu, and 4x Nidhogg.) Now, the Sea of Sorrow is a maze. Like the Omega Ruins, we can only see the path after we've walked down it, so you'll have to follow my not-so-good directions. Follow the vague path up towards the left, then across to the right. Ignore the small path leading down, and head up on the right. Marker 1 - green glyph. Head left from marker 1 to reach marker 2. Left of this marker is a water fall with a chest behind it, that we can't get to just yet, so head north. Marker 3. Keep heading up, and around to the left. Another marker, head down on the map. There you'll get to the treasure chest you saw before, open it for a Special Sphere. Head back up. Just past the glyph on the way back up, take the small detour on the left of the map and grab a Phantom Ring. The camera spins wildly here, so all my directions will be in terms of the map. Past the next glyph, keep going up, then left at the next one to get an Elixir. Back to the glyph, follow the faint path to the right. Keep heading down on the map past the next glyph for a Wizard Lance, then back up. Head right, then down to get a Level 3 Key Sphere. Yet another glyph glowing green and purple. Follow the path up. Through the two rings, and you'll come to a stairway. Save before you head up the stairway, and equip as much elemental armour as you can (elementproof/eater). Head up the stairs, and you'll meet an old friend. Woot! It's Seymour! (AGAIN!) Now, in case you couldn't tell by the tone of his voice, he seriously is insane. Sin has chosen him to be a part of it, to be one with it. Immortal! Of course, Seymour thinks he's going to learn to control Sin from within. (Baha.) Since you destroyed Yunalesca, Sin too is immortal. Now nothing can stop them! And you're going to do more than try to stop them, you're actually going to stop them! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Seymour Omnis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 80000 (15000) MP: 999 Rewards: AP: 24000 (36000) GIL: 12000 Stats: STR: 20 DEF: 180 MAG: 35 MDF: 100 AGL: 40 LUK: 20 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Distiller, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Shining Gem (normal), Supreme Gem (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No, REALLY, this is the last time you have to fight him. This time he's accompanied by Mortichasms with elemental colours on them, which means he's going to be doing lots of elemental damage. (Hence the elemental armour.) If you don't have elemental armour, a barrage of Nul spells by Yuna will work quite well also. The key is to pay attention to the way the Mortichasms spin, what colour they are infusing Seymour with. Each one has one colour closest to him, and one colour only, starting off with red for Fire. When Seymour's turn comes around, he'll cast the highest-level colour spell he has, once for each Mortichasm that lives. Four times, usually, and in most cases he'll start with Firaga. Yuna is your main defense in this battle. Like previous Seymour battles, if he's using elements, Yuna uses Nul spells. So have her casting NulBlaze, over and over. He doesn't spin the Mortichasms to a different colour often, so just keep casting the same Nul spell, while you have two attackers attacking Seymour. If he spins, to ice, water, or lightning, switch Nul spells. You can ignore the Mortichasms, because they are out of range for most of your physical attackers. Like previous battles, aeons get one turn before they are banished, so if you're using them, make sure their turns count. But they're not needed, really. Using Nul-spells, and elemental armour, this is a very easy battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Yuna steps forward to send him. While Yuna dances, Seymour declares that Spira's sorrow will prevail. No it won't. We're going to stop it. Now where are we? We're in the City of Dying Dreams. Charming name, really. Head back down the stairs and save, before starting into the odd (but cool-looking) city. Down the hill and on the right, examine the glyph. Ten fiends still seek eternal repose. Ergo, if you kill ten fiends, you can get through. There's two more doors, one saying ten and one saying 15, so in all you'll need to kill 35 fiends to get through to get a Level 4 Key Sphere. Follow the path along to the left. This place is pretty linear, but there's secrets hidden in nooks and crannies. On the tiny footbridge, press X to be shot upwards to get a Four-On-One. Back downstairs, stand on the next glyph on the ground and push down the pillar on the left to get a Defending Bracer. On the left side of the open area up ahead, touch the glyph to reveal a chest with a Megalixir. In the middle of that open area, follow the ramp down. Open the chest for 20,000 gil, and step on the glyph to get to a path with a HP Sphere and a Defense Sphere. Back down the next lift, follow the path along, and soon you'll come to a point where large sections of the floor come shooting up to scare the shit out of you. Fine, we can handle it. In the south section of that area, there's a little inlet on the back of the tower, enter it. Tidus gets to go for a ride! Down there, take the Laevatein. Nothing else to see there, so climb back up in the top-right corner of the room, and follow the red arrow out. Save point, here in the Tower of the Dead. Do save. This is the aforementioned "point of no return", from here, there's no going back. Once you've saved, head up the path to the tower itself, that drops down from the 'sky'. (I say 'sky' cuz remember, we're still Inside Sin and all, there is no bloody sky!) Examine the tower twice, and Tidus will enter it. Now, we're inside the Nucleus. This is irritating stuff, in here. We have to run around, collecting 10 shiny yellow balls, while the room spins slowly around us. As well, we have to try and avoid the white ice spikes that pop up every now and them. For each one that hits us, we must fight. Fighting never good, cuz enemies are tough. So try not to hit the spikes (it's easy enough because you can see where they're going to shoot up), and run around slowly collecting the balls. For each ball you collect, you'll get an item. These items are an Infinity, Skill Sphere, Knight Lance, Wicked Cait Sith, White Magic Sphere, Hrunting, Stillblade, Prism Ball, Mage's Staff, and Attribute Sphere. Collect them all, moving on... After you collect the 10th, Tidus will be drawn up into the air. Now where we are we? We don't know, but THERE's JECHT! Oh, take a look around. Are we in Zanarkand, or what? Of course, it's not real, we know that. And look where we are (on the menu), we're in Dream's End. Make all your preparations, then fun forward to meet Tidus' old man. Finally. We're here. This is a kinda emotional scene. After some almost comedic introductions, it looks like Jecht's changed. (Of course he's changed, he's been Sin for ten bloody years.) Jecht shows some fatherly concern, asking if Tidus is eating right. Even though Tidus has grown, Jecht is still bigger. So, let's end this once and for all, shall we? Tidus final gets up the guts to tell Jecht how much he hates him (surprise, surprise.) But Jecht already knows. Jecht can't hear the hymn so well anymore. Soon, he'll be Sin completely. When the transformation starts, he won't be himself anymore. He won't be able to hold back. Tidus, getting distressed, just wants to end this, so Jecht turns, walks away, casts some power, and falls off the pavilion... but he's not done. He's just transforming. Into... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Final' Boss: Braska's Final Aeon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Form: Points: HP: 60000 (20000) MP: 100 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 45 DEF: 100 MAG: 50 MDF: 100 AGL: 44 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 10 Elements: none Immunities: Sleep, Petrification, Slow, Threaten, Death, Doom, Regen, Distiller, Sensor, Scan, Delay, Eject Steal: Turbo Ether (normal), Elixir (rare) Second Form: Points: HP: 120000 (20000) MP: 100 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 50 DEF: 100 MAG: 50 MDF: 100 AGL: 44 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 10 Elements: none Immunities: Sleep, Petrification, Slow, Threaten, Death, Doom, Regen, Distiller, Sensor, Scan, Delay, Eject Steal: Turbo Ether (normal), Elixir (rare) Yu Pagoda: Points: HP: 5000* (-) MP: 5000 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 1 DEF: 1 MAG: 20 MDF: 50 AGL: 40 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Mental Break, Armour Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Nul spells, Shell, Protect, Reflect, Regen, Scan, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And what song is playing in the background? Otherworld. Oh cool, a rock song for the final boss theme. Got Zombieproof? Got Stoneproof? Got Poisonproof? (Got milk?) If you have these things, this battle is easy. If you don't, it can be fun, and not in a good way. First thing to note - Yu Pagodas are evil. They don't have high HP, but when you kill them, they revive themselves with more HP. How does this work? Well, they have 5000, say you hit them with 7000 to kill them. In a few turns, when they revive, they'll have that 7000 HP. If you hit them for 9999 and kill them, they'll revive with four 9s for health. Evil, eh? On each of their turns, they'll heal Jecht with Power Wave for 1500 HP each, and they can't be slowed or stopped except to kill them. Fun, eh? For the first form, the main thing to watch for is Jecht's Overdrive bar. Jecht's Overdrive is not a pretty sight - luckily we can use Tidus' trigger command Talk, to talk to Jecht and clear the bar. This seems to work only twice, and only in this first form. As for Jecht's attacks? He'll hit one character for 2000 or so HP (rough estimate based on my game), or use Jecht Beam to inflict Petrification. This first form is *fairly* harmless, so just whittle away the HP after Armour Breaking him, ignoring the Yu Pagodas completely. Summoning aeons can work if you're about to get hit with a Jecht Overdrive. Instead of his Triumphant Gasp overdrive, he'll use Jecht Bomber, and your aeons will usually survive this. Plus, it clears the Overdrive bar. After the first form dies, the second form will appear. This form is much more deadly. We've doubled the HP, added a few new and more powerful attacks, upped the Strength slightly, and generally made things much more interesting. If you want to do this really simply, Grand Summon the Magus Sisters. Without any significant levelling, these girls were doing upward of 30,000 a hit (when they actually obeyed me), so you can polish this guy off really quickly. But if you don't have them, or prefer to do it the tough way... His attacks got a whole lot tougher this round. He's added a nice swipe attack to his repertoire, which will do a lot (meaning 3000-4000) damage to each member of your party. He'll also attempt to squish each of your party members on odd occasion, with his big giant fist. *gulp* A Hasted party here works wonders, otherwise the Yu Pagodas will be healing more damage that you inflict, in between all your healing of your own party. Have Yuna as your main healer, and two strong attackers. Yuna using Curaga every round on those who need healing works well, and casting Holy on the turns she isn't healing, well, does it get much better than that? I chose here to have Auron and Wakka as my attackers, as they were each dealing upwards of 4,000 per hit. If you get Overdrives, and have celestial weapons, even better, as then you'll be dealing upwards of 10,000 per hit. Keep going like this, bringing in aeons when times get tough. Switch characters in and out, healing when necessary, and the second form should go down without TOO much of a fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now you get a really sad scene :( As 'Someday The Dream Will End' plays, Jecht falls to the ground, and Tidus rushes to his side. Jecht teases Tidus, you're crying. And yes, he is crying. Crying that he hates him, but Jecht tells him to save it. It's not over, you've got a job to do. But.. for the first time... Tidus is glad to have Jecht as his father. Yuna approaches, she wants to send him, but there's no time. Something is circling above, coming closer. As Jecht dies, he cries out to Yuna, you know what to do, the aeons, call them! As he disappears into pyreflies, the black ball gets closer, and closer, here it comes! Oh, where are you NOW? On a platform, in the middle of nowhere. Yuna is watching the ball, still circling. But she knows what to do - summon the aeons! Summon your aeons, one at a time. Yu Yevon is going to possess them, one by one, to make them fight you. But, seeing as they're your aeons, they're weak compared to the bosses you've been fighting. They're exactly the same as they were when you controlled them, same stats, same HP, same abilities everything, only now they've gone purple and look really really cool. Plus, if these battles weren't easy enough, note the small halo on each of your character's heads. It's Auto-Life. Should they die, they'll automatically be brought back to life. And the Auto-Life is eternal, they can just keep dying and they'll keep coming back until your aeons are gone. For an interesting note, the help bar of each of your aeons: Valefor - 'Strike me down.' Ifrit - 'Extinguish me.' Ixion - 'End it right here.' Shiva - 'Please... Defeat me.' Bahamut - 'Soon... Eternal rest.' Anima - 'Thus I atone.' Yojimbo - 'Take my life.' Cindy - 'Stop the suffering.' Sandy - 'Don't cry.' Mindy - 'Gotta say goodbye.' After they've all been defeated, you'll take a look around. Yu Yevon appears - the little squid-like thing is the big head honcho you've been after this whole time. Tidus has an announcement to make - this is the last time they'll fight together, cuz after they win, he'll disappear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final Boss: Yu Yevon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 99999 MP: 1 Rewards: AP: 0 GIL: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A bittersweet end to what has been a wonderful game. Lemme set one thing straight right here - there is only one way to die in this battle, and that's if you Petrify yourself. Other than that, considering your Auto-Life, you can't die. So let's look at some interesting ways to whittle down his HP, shall we? After every turn, he casts Curaga, so we can have fun with that. Here's a few ideas: 1) Cast Reflect on him. 2) Hit him with Zombiestrike or Zombie Attack. Try curing yourself now, squid! 3) Use Doom on him, either with a Ronso Rage or a Candle of Life. Would you believe the Doom count on him is just three turns? 4) Try inflicting every status ailment possible on it - it's weak against them all. Or do anything else you want, because he seriously cannot kill you. What a cool final boss! Seriously, it's fun, it's like you've come all this way to kill a little squiddy thing that practically kills itself. So kill it, let it kill itself, whatever. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watch Yu Yevon go up in a puff of smoke. The Yu Pagodas stop spinning once and for all as Yu Yevon explodes in a flash of white light, and the whole screen goes white... Watch the cool final scene. Hey, I don't have to spoil everything, do I? ;) Congratulations, you just beat Final Fantasy X! Now go back and complete all those other side quests already! =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 5.0 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- With a game like this, you bet there's going to be a heap of questions that often crop up. More will be added when I get them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. What's the point of lending O'aka gil, at the start of the game? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The specifics of this are a little fuzzy (to me anyways), but I believe the amount you lend him determines his sale prices for items over the course of the game. If you lend him 10,001 or more, you'll only have to pay 70% of his normal prices, while if you lend him nothing you'll pay 150%. That's what I heard, but I could be wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. What's the deal with Kimahri's sphere grid? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unlike every other character, he doesn't have a set path to follow. Kimahri is versatile, you can customize him pretty much any way you want, because with a little effort (i.e. low-level key spheres) you can get him into anyone's grid. Most people tend to circle Kimahri around his lone spiral, then use a level 1 key sphere to get him to the beginning of Wakka's grid, and follow Wakka from there. This is pretty good, early on, to customize another powerful hitter to just do a lot of damage. But if you want your Kimahri even more versatile, this is a strategy I heard today, from I2ico on the GameFAQs FFX message board: 1) Circle Kimahri around his grid, then use a level 1 key sphere to follow the path just above the Copycat node. 2) Use another level 1 sphere to enter him into Rikku's grid, travelling backwards to learn Steal and Use. 3) From there, use a level 2 key sphere to get him into Yuna's grid, and follow that, taking the south-west route out of the spiral. This way, you will learn powerful spells like Curaga and Holy long before Yuna gets to that part of the grid herself. (And we all know, Holy makes the difficulty of this game a joke.) At the end of Yuna's grid, use a sphere to move Kimahri around to either Wakka's or Auron's grid, for physical damage, or to make him even more of a magic killer, move him to Lulu's. The choice is yours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. Help me I'm having trouble defeating ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Normally, I'd say "check the walkthrough", but there's a few general strategies I can suggest. One, before the battle, do a bit of random fighting to get all your characters at Overdrive. (For this, I find Overdrive mode Warrior works best, if your characters know it.) This includes your aeons as well, they will be the best weapons you have if you've unfortunately underlevelled. Two, keep well-stocked on healing items such as Softs and Remedies. You never know when your nice little white mage will be silenced, rendering her useless. Three, check the walkthrough for more specific details relating to each boss :-P *PLEASE* don't e-mail me asking me for help with bosses anymore! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. Is it possible to beat the Luca Goers in the blitzball tournament? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Possible - yes. Easy, if you're unfamiliar with blitzball - no. For experts of the game defeating the Goers is a snap even though they are levelled higher than you. The Jecht Shot helps a lot in winning this game, pick it up at night on the SS Winno by completing the Jecht Shot challenge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. Where can I get empty 4-slotted armour and weapons to customize? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you have the airship, you can visit Wantz in the south part of Macalania Woods and he will sell them for 75000/100000 gil each. (This figure depends on how much you lent O'aka on the SS Liki.) If Wantz does not appear, you didn't visit him on Mt Gagazet, go back and see him there, then he will appear here. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 6.0 MONSTER ARENA =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- COMING SOON!!! =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 7.0 CELESTIAL WEAPONS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- People always talk in Final Fantasy games, about ultimate weapons. FFX takes this idea one step further, and creates a set of 'celestial' weapons for your characters to possibly obtain. These contain a set of fixed abilities, and each character's weapon is unique. To obtain the powered-up, celestial weapons for each character, you need three (well, four) things: One, the uncustomized weapon itself. These generally aren't good to equip, because all they have is the 'No AP' ability. Two, each character's respective Crest. Each character has a rare item Crest, named after different planetary bodies. For example, Tidus has the Sun Crest, and Yuna the Moon. Three, each character's respective Sigil. Similarly to Crests, they're named after planetary bodies, and they allow you to power up each weapon to their fullest potential. These three items are all well and good. But to obtain the weapons themselves, and power them up, you'll need a fourth item: the celestial mirror. You have to get this before you can even start getting celestial weapons. There's two steps to getting it: obtaining the Cloudy Mirror, then powering it up to the Celestial Mirror. The Cloudy Mirror can be found in the Calm Lands, in Remiem Temple. Check the Remiem Temple section on both how to get there, and how to obtain the Cloudy Mirror by racing the 'champion' chocobo. Now to power it up. You can't power it up until you get access to the airship, late in the game. Once you've got the airship, head to Macalania Woods. You'll need to get there by the Lake Macalania listing on the airship, then trek backwards. Once on the Lake Road, take the south-eastern exit, and follow the shiny path to the very entrance on the south side. You'll know you're there when you find a save point, and a mother and a son talking about their missing father/husband. Well, broken-up families are never a good thing, so head east from there, until you find the campsite where your party stayed at on your trip through here. Talk to the man near there, and he'll run back to his family. Back to the family at the entrance. Talk to them, until you discover that now the son is missing. From that screen, head up the little shiny glowing path until you find the boy blocking a path going north. Talk to him, and he'll let you pass, and he'll run back to his family. Up the path, you'll find a weird-ass looking plant that is actually the key to the celestial weapons. Showing the Cloudy Mirror to it will unfog it to reveal the Celestial Mirror. Sweet! Obtaining the celestial weapons themselves is impossible without this mirror. Once you get them, and any relevant power-ups for them, you'll have to return here to this freaky plant to actually power them up. So remember where it is. And remember that you always power up weapons with their Crest first, and not the Sigil. The Sigil is useless unless you have already powered up with the Crest. Now, for getting the weapons. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.1 Caladbolg ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Caladbolg is Tidus' ultimate weapon. Its name comes from Celtic and Irish mythology, but that's not really important. To get the weapon, you'll have to play around with the Chocobo Racing side quest, and beat the chocobo trainer in the fourth race. Once you've done that, take the Celestial Mirror and speak to the man blocking the side path, in the north-western corner of the Calm Lands. He'll let you pass, and examine the mandala on the wall to get the Caladbolg. For the Sun Crest, you'll have to return to the Zanarkand Dome, to the room in which you fought Lady Yunalesca. If you didn't pick this up the first time you were here, and are playing the PAL version, you'll have to deal with Dark Bahamut. Once you've disposed of him, or if you're playing the NTSC version, head down the stairs on the far side until you see a treasure chest appear in the left corner of the room. Open the chest for the Sun Crest. The Sun Sigil requires more Chocobo Racing. You'll have to complete the side quest to its fullest, and beat the chocobo trainer with a time of LESS THAN 0:0.0. In other words, collect 14 or 15 balloons, get hit by none or one bird. If you do, the trainer will give you the Sun Sigil as a reward. The powered-up Caladbolg will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Evade and Counter, and Magic Counter. It also does more damage when Tidus' HP is full. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.2 Nirvana ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Nirvana belongs to Yuna. This is perhaps the easiest celestial weapon to obtain. To collect the weapon itself, simply visit the Monster Arena, and buy Capture weapons to capture one of every fiend in the Calm Lands. As a reward for doing so, you'll be dumped with a chest that you can't open without the Celestial Mirror, and it contains the Nirvana. The Moon Crest can be found in Besaid, as early in the game as when Tidus washes up on the beach. After Tidus gets conked in the back of the head with a blitzball, instead of swimming straight to shore, swim out to the right and around the head, to find a chest containing the Moon Crest. The Sigil is obtainable at Remiem Temple. See the Remiem Temple secton for info on how to get there and what to do. After defeating all aeons (including the hidden three) in battle with Belgemine and performing the sending, you will be rewarded with the Moon Sigil. From there, take it to the plant and power it up. The powered-up Nirvana will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Double AP, and One MP Cost. It allows Valefor to break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage), and also does more damage when Yuna's MP is full. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.3 World Champion ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The World Champion is Wakka's ultimate weapon, and it requires a LOT OF LOT OF blitzball playing to get and power up. If you enjoy blitzball, this one will be fun. If not, it will be an absolute nightmare. To get the weapon, you must win five games of blitzball (not including the story game), so your team level is level 2. Once you've done that, head to the cafe in Luca (where Yuna went missing when you were here the first time), and talk to the man behind the counter. If you're successful, he will give you the World Champion. The Jupiter Crest can be found in the Aurochs change room, in Luca. You can get this as soon as you start on the Mi'ihen Highroad, just go back for it. In the change room, check the lockers on the right side of the room until you find it. The Jupiter Sigil is a lot harder to get. After playing enough blitzball to win all of Wakka's Overdrives, the Sigil will appear as a random prize for finishing first in a blitzball League. Complete the League season (ten games) to get this, once you see it as a prize. The powered-up World Champion will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Double AP, and Evade & Counter. It allows Ifrit to break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage), and also does more damage when Wakka's HP is full. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.4 Masamune ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Masamune is a legendary FF weapon, and in this game it belongs to Auron. Again, it's simple to get, you may even get the Crest and Sigil without knowing it, but the weapon takes a little work. Overall, possibly the easiest celestial weapon to get. (And one of the best.) Your search for the weapon starts in the valley near the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, just past the Calm Lands. If you follow the little path at the south end of the valley, you'll find a rusty sword embedded in rock, so take it. Now, head for Mushroom Rock (obviously requires the airship.) It's easier to approach this from the start of the Djose Highroad, and work backwards. If you go from Mi'ihen and work forwards, and you're playing PAL, you'll meet the Dark Magus Sisters. Once at Mushroom Rock, take the first path leading north into what looks to be a round off-shoot. Step on the plate to rise up, and there you will find an old statue of Lord Mi'ihen. Use the Rusty Sword there, and a mandala will appear. Use the Celestial Mirror, and you will get the Masamune. The Mars Crest can be found on the Mi'ihen Lowroad. After fighting the Chocobo Eater, if you got knocked off the cliff, it was in the treasure chest at the bottom. If you didn't pick it up, you'll have to go to the Mi'ihen Highroad listing of the airship, head forwards until you get to the gate, then back along the south-east path until you get to the end, and the Crest. The Mars Sigil can be obtained in the Monster Arena, in the Calm Lands. To get it, you'll need to Capture enough creatures to unlock 10 creatures, either Area or Species Creations. (Original Creations don't count towards your total.) Once you've got enough, the Monster Arena owner will give you the Mars Sigil as a prize. The powered-up Masamune will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, First Strike, and Counter-Attack. It allows Yojimbo to break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage), and also does more damage when Auron's HP is low. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.5 Spirit Lance ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Spirit Lance is Kimahri's ultimate weapon, and can be found on the Thunder Plains. When you were here the first time, you might have noticed small stones, left and right of the main path, with pictures of Qactuars on them. (Little green cacti.) Some of these stones may have even been glowing green. Approach three of these glowing stones, found all across the Thunder Plains, and press square (to pray at them). Once you've got three, head to the south section of the Plains, and examine the old broken tower on the right of screen, in roughly the middle. With the Celestial Mirror, you will get the Spirit Lance. The Saturn Crest can be found on your first trip through Mt Gagazet. Just after fighting Seymour Flux, and going past the two rows of pillars, open the crest just past the third pillar on the left (somewhat hidden) for the Saturn Crest. The Saturn Sigil is a bit harder. For this, you'll have to complete both Macalania Woods Butterfly Catching mini games (see Butterfly Catching section for more details.) After completing the second, and not leaving the screen, open the chest to receive the Saturn Sigil. The powered-up Spirit Lance will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Double AP, and Evade & Counter. It allows Ixion to break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage). ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.6 Onion Knight ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Onion Knight is Lulu's celestial weapon. It can be obtained at the Baaj Temple, so once you get access to the airship you can go back there. (See Baaj Temple section for more details.) Defeat Geosgaeno in the water, then search the pool opposite the doorway in, mashing X constantly. Eventually you'll find an almost completely concealed treasure chest. Use the Celestial Mirror, to obtain the Onion Knight. The Venus Crest can be obtained in the Farplane, in Guadosalam, as soon as you're free to leave for the Thunder Plains. Visit the Farplane, and simply open the chest on the left to get it. The Venus Sigil requires completing the Lightning Dodging quest to get (see the Lightning Dodging section for more info). On the Thunder Plains, dodge 200 consecutive lightning bolts successfully, then open the chest outside Rin's travel agency to get the Venus Sigil. This can be obtained on your first trip through the Plains. Once you have them, visit the weird plant in Macalania Woods to put them all together. The powered-up Onion Knight will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Magic Booster, and One MP Cost. It allows Shiva to break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage), and also does more damage when Lulu's MP is full. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 7.7 Godhand ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Godhand is the celestial weapon of Miss Rikku. This one's easy to get, but rather time-consuming. To collect the Godhand weapon itself, you must have control of the airship. Take your celestial mirror and input "GODHAND" as a password, and you will be taken to a secret lower section of Mushroom Rock Road. Travel up to the north-western corner of the map to find a treasure chest with the Godhand. The, go back to the save sphere and re-board the airship. The Mercury Crest can be found in the Sanubia Desert, on Bikanel Island, as can the Sigil. First, the Crest. Enter Bikanel, and head three screens along the path until you get to Sanubia Desert - West. Head north along the west wall of the area, until you find a small alcove. In the alcove is a treasure chest in some sinking sand, and it contains the Mercury Crest. The Sigil is a bit more tricky, and it requires you to complete the Cactuar Village side quest. You can skip through this guide to the Cactuar Village section, for that one. Once you've completed it, and accessed the village, you can take the Mercury Sigil from the chest on the left. The powered-up Godhand will have the abilities Break Damage Limit, Triple Overdrive, Double AP, and Gillionaire. It also does more damage when Rikku's HP is full. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 8.0 SIDE QUESTS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- FFX is one of the longest and most involved games ever, in terms of side quests. I've already detailed all the major ones, but there's a few smaller ones worth a mention. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.1 Omega Ruins ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- COMING SOON!! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.2 Cavern of the Stolen Fayth ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth can be located in the valley below the Calm Lands - take the north eastern exit, then take the path under the second bridge to find where it resides. The fayth is inside, as are the fiends. Thisplace is special to Lulu, as the summoner she guarded on her first pilgrimage died in here. So it's a skeery place! Are we still going in there? Of course we are! Inside, we see a teleporter but it is inactive, so we have no choice but to follow the path to the right. Take the right subpath to find a Megalixir, then head back and keep going up. In the next cavern, Rikku wants to know what a fayth is doing in a place like this. Tidus doesn't know, but Lulu does. The fayth here was originally stolen from a temple long ago, hence the place's name. Why was it stolen? Without fayth, a summoner can't train. Without training, they can't call the Final Aeon. Without the Final Aeon, they can't defeat Sin. Make sense now? Rikku likes the idea. Note: If you see any Magic Urns around here, don't bother taking your chances trying to 'kill' them. The only way to do it is to successfully guess and attack seven 'eyes' of the thing in a row, and if you guess one, boom, self destruct. You see one, just flee. At the next intersection, head right to find a Level 2 Key Sphere before going back and to the left. Next, the path straight leads to a dead end, but there's a Fortune Sphere at the end, so grab that and head back and to the left again. Grab 2x Mega-Potion up ahead, save on the right, then keep going down that way. So far, pretty boring. Oh not so boring, now, we're in the main cavern. Another Guado freak? No, an unsent. It's Lady Ginnem, the summoner Lulu accompanied here. Yuna steps forward to perform the sending, but Ginnem reacts, striking Yuna with an unseen force. Lulu is in despair, there's no human left in her now. So she will perform her last duty as guardian, and beat Ginnem's ass into the ground. Ginnem is not alone, though, she possesses the aeon that resides here, and that is what you will fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Yojimbo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 33000 (4060) MP: 2000 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 34 DEF: 80 MAG: 35 MDF: 1 AGL: 32 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 0 Elements: none Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Distiller, Sensor, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The aim of this one is to kill Yojimbo before his overdrive bar gets full - if it gets full, he will perform his ultimate move, Zanmato. Good when you use it, for it means instant death, but bad when your opponents do. Yojimbo has only a few attacks at his disposal - Daigoro, Kozuka, and Wazikashi, in that order of significance. Daigoro will send his dog at you for minor damage, Kozuka will get a few short knives slashed at you, and Wazikashi will get some major swords thrown at you. Not too much to worry about, though. If returning here after obtaining the airship, you'll be sufficiently powered up to make this battle a breeze. Just attack a few times with your best hitters. He doesn't counter with anything, and his Overdrive bar only fills when you attack, and not very much. Peh. Easy boss. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Lulu thought she would be sad, but she's surprisingly detached. Now, the fayth is inside, so Yuna knows what to do. First, take the teleporter left and right. Right gets you 2x X-Potion, and go left for a Flexible Arm. Now, head into the chamber. Inside, you will meet the fayth. Yuna will pray, and he will ask her what she wants from him. Choose an option, but I would recommend 'to defeat the most pwerful of enemies'. Now, you must pay his price. Uh, what the? Yojimbo is not your typical aeon. He's a bodyguard for hire, and when you summon him, you must pay him to act. Now, you have to pay him to get him in your party. But, luckily, you can haggle. He start the bidding at 250,000, so offer him half + 1, or 125,001. Now, he'll change to 225,000. Half + 1 again, or 112,501. When he offers 202,500, that's the lowest he will go, so take the final offer. Yojimbo will now be in your team. Once you've got him, you can leave the Cavern, nothing else to see here. Congratulations, you just picked up a hidden aeon. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.3 Baaj Temple ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- When you search in the co-ordinates X: 11-16 Y: 57-63 on the airship, you'll find the Baaj Temple, where Tidus started the game. Head up the path, and straight off the edge that crumbled under Tidus' feet previously. Your three swimmers will jump in the water, presumably leaving your four non-swimmers on the path. Rikku, Wakka, and Tidus will convene in the water. Tidus almost got eaten by a fiend here, so now he wants payback! Alright, let's go! Head for the door to the temple in which you were in before, and you'll be approached by said fiend, Geosgaeno. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss: Geosgaeno ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Points: HP: 32267 (-) MP: 128 Rewards: AP: 0 (0) GIL: 0 Stats: STR: 36 DEF: 50 MAG: 40 MDF: 50 AGL: 48 LUK: 15 EVA: 0 ACC: 50 Elements: Fire/Ice/Lightning/Water/Holy (x1.5) Immunities: Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject Steal: Water Gem (normal), x2 (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ His stats are the same as they were when we met him the first time. Remember, we ran after three turns the first time, never did the slightest bit of damage to him, but this time, we have to kill him. If possible, equip Stoneproof armour to your characters. This guys has a habit of using Stone Punch, which (if it lands) will Petrify and shatter your character instantly if they get hit with it. Ergo, you lose that character from this battle for good. And he'll keep doing it. Chances of winning without Stoneproof armour on at least one character - practically nil. He also has a habit of sucking characters into his cage-like stomach. He will gain any of the character's status effects while they're in there, both positive and negative. Get them to use the trigger command Struggle, and they'll fight their way out again, getting hit for a large portion of damage at the same time. As well, he uses the KO punch which, you guessed it, will instantly KO the character if they get hit by it. Phoenix Downs come in handy here :) If you're just attacking, the battle will be long and very difficult, because this guy has a hard shell, and you have no Piercing weapons for these characters. If you have Overdrives, especially Attack Reels and Energy Rain, at your disposal, the battle will go by like THAT. My Wakka killed this guy in one hit (well, twelve hits) using Attack Reels. Bwaha. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, you'll always pick up a good piece of armour, ranging from the just 'good' to the 'absolutely wicked'. 'Absolutely wicked' would mean a 'No Encounters' weapon or piece of armour, as I picked up here once. This time I got a Reflect Shield for Tidus, with Auto-Reflect. Nice. I'll keep that. If you have the celestial mirror, examine the opposite side of the pool from the doorway, mashing X, to find an almost completely-hidden treasure chest with the Onion Knight, Lulu's celestial weapon. Then, inside the temple. Follow the path, and head through the door. Here, you will see six statues. Each one relates to the Destruction Sphere seal of a different temple. These are: Top-left: Besaid Centre-left: Macalania Bottom-left: Zanarkand Top-right: Bevelle Centre-right: Djose Bottom-right: Kilika Examine each of them, and if you collected the Destruction Sphere treasure from each temple, a glyph will light up on the respective statue. Also here, take the 4x Mega-Phoenix from a chest below the bottom-left statue, and a Megalixir from the chest below the bottom right. If some of the glyphs don't light up when you examine the statues, go back to those temples and get the treasures. (If playing PAL, you'll do battle with Dark Aeons on the way to most. Aw geez.) If all light up, well, that's the seal on a very powerful aeon broken. Proceed past the glyph blocking the way once the seal is broken, and enter the Chamber of the Fayth. Run forwards, for a scene. Yuna will pray before the fayth, and a woman will appear. She is Maester Seymour's mother! Yes, they hate her son, but still, they seek her aid. Now we get a scene on the history of Seymour. He was always alone - half man, half Guado. She wanted to give him strength, so she became a fayth. But, because she let him taste power, he began to crave more. He wasn't satisfied with her aeon, he wanted more. What more did he want? He wanted Sin. She will bestow upon you the power of the dark aeon, Anima. Remember fighting Anima at Macalania Temple, and seeing Anima in Luca? Now Anima belongs to you. Sweetness. That's really all there is to do here at Baaj, collect Anima and the Onion Knight. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.4 Chocobo Racing ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Chocobo racing can be fun, but it can also be a pain in the ass. However, if you don't feel like crossing the Calm Lands on foot every time you want to visit the Monster Arena, and you want to get the Sun Sigil to get Tidus' ultimate weapon, chocobo racing is a must. It can be undertaken the very first time you visit the Calm Lands, if you so wish. To do this, you'll have to find the chocobo lady, in the north-west corner of the Calm Lands. (If you return here to do chocobo racing after you have airship, she will be just south of the travel agency.) Talk to her, until you've convinced her that you really want to train a chocobo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wobbly Chocobo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First race, you need to make your way from where you are, to where the chocobo lady is, within the time limit of 12.8 seconds. You're riding a wild chocobo, so it will be difficult to control, with left and right on the D-pad. After the 3-2-1 counts down, the chocobo will run forwards by itself. At various times, it will turn left and right crazily, so just try to keep it running fairly straight. If you don't make the time limit, you'll be given the option to race again. If you do, you get an Elixir, and have successfully trained a chocobo. Now you can ride it whenever you want across the Calm Lands. But more training is needed to get the Sigil... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dodger Chocobo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Dodger Chocobo, your chocobo has learnt how to steer straight (thank heavens). This time, you have to avoid the incoming balls as they get thrown at you from off the track, by pressing left and right to go around them. If you get hit with a ball, your chocobo will be momentarily stunned. Seeing as you're still racing against the clock, aiming for a time of 16.8 seconds, it's kinda a good idea to avoid them. After the 3-2-1 counts down, race from your starting position to the chocobo lady, avoiding as many balls as you can. If you fail, you can try again. If you succeed, you'll get a Level 1 Key Sphere and the chance to move on to the next challenge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hyper Dodger Chocobo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is rather similar to Dodger Chocobo, only we have more objects flying at us. Two balls come in a row, followed by a bird that can track your movements somewhat, so we have to keep our cool and try to avoid them all. We have a time limit of 18.5 seconds to beat. My tip: Zig-zag left and right after every set of objects come flying past. After the 3-2-1, start off straight, head left before the first set of objects hit you, then do a big loop to run right, like a slalom course you should be slaloming around the birds, that come last. Basically you'll be going in an S shape, all the way up the course, to get the lowest possible time. If you fail, you can, of course, try again. If you succeed, you'll get a Level 2 Key Sphere, and a chance for the final challenge, a race against the chocobo lady herself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catcher Chocobo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For this race, you start off at the Calm Lands exit to Macalania Woods. From there, you'll race along the path to the left, do a U-turn, race along towards the monster Arena, then turn left and race up the eastern wall of the Calm Lands to get to the north-eastern exit. The course sound fair enough? Good good. Of course, you're not just racing the chocobo lady, to beat her. If you beat her, you'll get good prizes and all, but this is the FINAL challenge, this is where we have the change to get the Sun Sigil for Tidus' Caladbolg. This level has birds that you have to avoid, the same as the previous level. Each bird you hit will add three seconds to your clock, at the end of the race. (Plus the time it takes your chocobo to recover, of course.) It also has balloons to collect, and every balloon you collect will take three seconds off your final time. For example, say you finish with 35.7 seconds, and you hit three birds and picked up seven balloons. Your final time would be 35.7 + 3*3 - 7*3 = 23.7 seconds. Hopefully that makes sense... It will take a few practices to get used to this one. However, you get cool prizes for beating your own personal best time, starting with your first Level 3 Key Sphere, then getting a Turbo Ether every time. To get the Sun Sigil, you'll have to do two things: 1) Beat the chocobo lady 2) Record a time of LESS THAN 0:0.0. You heard me, less than 0:0.0. To do this, you'll have to run through the course pretty quickly, and collect 12 or 13 more balloons than birds you hit. Some say this is the hardest quest in this game, getting the Sun Sigil. Good luck... ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.5 Luca Sphere Theater ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The Luca Sphere Theater is an interesting addition to FFX. Using it, you can listen to all the music played and see all the videos shown so far in the game... for a price. To get there from the blitzball stadium (where you'll always start off), head out of the stadium, then north at the first intersection. Follow the path until you reach it. How exactly does the Theater work? Outside in the reception area, you will find two small children at the top of the stairs. The one on the left sells music spheres, the one on the right video spheres. You can purchase from them, the amount of spheres that you either have seen or can afford, whichever is less. Once you've got the spheres, approach the counter to enter the hall of the theater where you can set a sphere to listen to/watch it. I'll attempt to detail each of the spheres here. Each of the music spheres, apart from the few marked "Special", will cost you 2000 gil, and each of the video spheres will cost you 5000 gil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Music Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #M01 - Zanarkand #M02 - Prelude #M03 - Tidus' Theme #M04 - Run!! #M05 - Creep #M06 - Battle Theme #M07 - Enemy Attack #M08 - Game Over #M09 - Out of the Frying Pan #M10 - Victory Fanfare #M11 - Leap In The Dark #M12 - Underwater Ruins #M13 - The Blitzers #M14 - Wandering #M15 - Besaid #M16 - Spira Unplugged #M17 - Phantoms #M18 - The Trials #M19 - The Summoning #M20 - Braska's Daughter #M21 - Yuna's Theme #M22 - Good Night #M23 - Decision on the Dock #M24 - Movement in Green #M25 - A Fleeting Dream #M26 - Calm Before the Storm #M27 - Face Off #M28 - Grand Maester Mika #M29 - Luca #M30 - The Splendid Performance #M31 - Auron's Theme #M32 - Blitz Off! #M33 - Mi'ihen Highroad #M34 - Chocobo Jam #M35 - The Travel Agency #M36 - Seymour's Theme #M37 - Moment of Truth #M38 - Djose Temple #M39 - Ridess The Shoopuf? #M40 - Rikku's Theme #M41 - Oui Are Al Bhed #M42 - Guadosalam #M43 - Thunder Plains #M44 - Jecht's Theme #M45 - The Burning Sands #M46 - The Wedding #M47 - Assault #M48 - Tragedy #M49 - Believe #M50 - Servants of the Mountain #M51 - Macalania Woods #M52 - Via Purifico #M53 - Bravely Forward #M54 - The Unsent Laugh #M55 - Seymour's Ambition #M56 - Illusion #M57 - Yuna's Decision #M58 - Nostalgia #M59 - Peril #M60 - Launch #M61 - Challenge #M62 - Beyond the Darkness #M63 - The Void #M64 - The Truth Revealed #M65 - Pursuit #M66 - Gloom #M67 - Patricide #M68 - The Temple Players #M69 - The Hum of the Fayth (Special) #M70 - Lulu's Theme (Special) #M71 - Wakka's Theme (Special) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Movie Spheres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #01 - Zanarkand #02 - We Called It "Sin" #03 - Sinspawn #04 - This Is It! #05 - Blitzball #06 - A Summoner Is Born #07 - Lulu's Contempt #08 - Kimahri's Challenge #09 - Fear on the Sea #10 - Sin Arises #11 - Sin's Threat #12 - Futile Resistance #13 - Failure #14 - Kilika Dusk #15 - The Dance #16 - Luca Harbour #17 - Let the Games Begin! #18 - The Legend Lives #19 - The Dark Aeon #20 - No Better Plan #21 - Judgement #22 - Ex Machina #23 - Sin's Wake #24 - Reunion #25 - Metropolis #26 - Otherworld #27 - Sin Sleeps #28 - Homecoming #29 - Dry Dock #30 - Nayto Du Ku! #31 - Leaving Home #32 - The Glory of Yevon #33 - The Red Carpet #34 - False Vows #35 - Believe #36 - The Spring #37 - The Summit #38 - The Last Chapter More to come soon! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.6 Lightning Dodging ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- This sometimes-frustrating side quest takes place on the Thunder Plains, and it's necessary to get the Venus Sigil. When you enter the first time, you'll be told about how you can avoid the lightning bolts that strike to the ground. Either you can hug the tall metal statues as you cross to avoid them completely, or you can 'dodge' them by pressing X as the screen flashes white, signalling that a bolt is on the way. Dodging will take a bit of practice to get used to. You can't just hammer X as you walk, to avoid everything, because the game has an in-built 'mash protector' to stop this exact thing from happening. If you attempt to just hammer X, the mash protector will kick in and you'll get zapped just to spite you. Once you've got the hang of dodging individual lightning bolts, it's time to dodge as many as you can, consecutively. For this, I recommend heading to the south section of the plains, to a little inlet on the right of screen. There, you'll find a treasure chest and a qactuar stone. If you stand between the stone and the wall, it's like a safe haven, you can't be moved from there no matter how many times you dodge lightning. When you dodge anywhere else, Tidus will be moved in one direction a step. If you don't have No Encounters, this can mean a battle. There in that one spot, you're safe from battles, all you need to do is press X. Here are the prizes you'll get, depending on how many you successfully dodge: 5 bolts - 2x X-Potion 10 bolts - 2x Mega Potion 20 bolts - 2x MP Sphere 50 bolts - 3x Strength Sphere 100 bolts - 3x HP Sphere 150 bolts - 4x Megalixir 200 bolts - Venus Sigil That's right, dodging 200 lightning bolts in a row will get you the Venus Sigil. Have fun... ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.7 Butterfly Catching ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- This side quest takes place in Macalania Woods. During your first trip through there, you would have been approached by the butterfly catcher. She tells you, the butterflies with coloured wings will lead the way to secret things, and that starts the quest off. This quest is necessary to obtain the Saturn Sigil, but you can't get the Sigil until you have the airship. Therefore, I recommend coming back to undertake it when you have the airship. How it works is this: Return to Macalania Woods, and head to Macalania Woods - Central, where you'll spot a guy playing a harp. Talk to him, and the game will commence. Approach the multi-coloured butterfly to start off, and then red and blue butterflies will appear. You have to catch seven blue butterflies in the allotted time period without touching the red ones, as the red ones will get you into a fight. (Not exactly 'powerful fiends' like the game threatens, but still annoyances.) These fights will happen even if you have a No Encounters weapon/armour, so try not to touch the red ones, okay? This one will basically have you zig-zagging all over the path. First is on the left, heading down the hill, then go right, left, collect second, stay left around the corner, top of path, bottom, top, collect third, right up the hill, around next corner. Top of path, bottom, collect fourth in next corner, left side of the downhill path. Collect fifth top of path heading left, stay top, sixth will collect itself, then lead left. On the next corner, make your way through four butterflies, and the seventh is on the straight downhill stretch on the left. *VERY IMPORTANT* Do NOT leave the screen after winning the race. If you do, you gotta do it again. If you don't succeed, you'll be sent back to the butterfly guy, who will tell you luck is required. (No shit?) Head off the screen to the right, then back on to try again. If you succeed, a treasure chest will appear on that screen (where the blue butterfly hovers in front of the tree), containing a Teleport Sphere. If you leave the screen, the chest will disappear. Okay, first game done. Now, head to Macalania Woods - North, where you'll see a multi-coloured butterfly languishing around near the entrance to Lake Road. Examine it, and the second game will commence. This one is a lot harder, because there's a longer distance to travel, and more red butterflies (with more mobility). Again, you'll be zig-zagging. First, head back UP the path, zigzagging starting on the left, to get the first, then back down. Collect the second at the bottom, then along the top and up the hill. Third on the right, then above, below, straight through the centre of, and around the bend at the top. Left, then right, then grab the fourth, down the hill, fifth on the corner. To the right, below the red, down the hill and left, grab the sixth, then along the path for the final one. Again, do NOT leave the screen. Once you're done, open the chest near where you found the fifth blue butterfly, for the Saturn Sigil. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.8 Cactuar Village ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- This amusing little side-quest takes place in the Sanubia Desert, on Bikanel Island, where the Al Bhed 'Home' used to be. This side quest is required for getting the Mercury Sigil, so it best be done. Once you've got control of the airship, head to Bikanel Island. There's four main areas to Bikanel we have to worry about here, in this order - the oasis, where we land from the airship. Next screen, the path, with the save sphere inside a tent halfway. Thirdly, the plain, the wide open area. And finally, the storm, the fourth screen with the sandstorm on the north-eastern side. I'll be using those four names, oasis, path, plain, and storm, as reference. To activate the side-quest, land at Bikanel and head from the oasis through to the storm. There you will find a cactuar stone towards the east, not unlike the ones in the Thunder Plains. Examine the stone, and the quest will start. The game gives you a bit of background here, about the Cactuar Village. Using spheres to control the sands, the Cactuars defend their village. They are the Gatekeepers. Present all 10 of the spheres they bear to the stone altar, and the way to the village will open. We're trying to get access to the village, so we need to first of all find the ten gatekeepers, and capture their spheres. Sounds simple enough, right? It is fairly simple. But lengthy. As the stone said, the first is Tomay. Tomay's gone. Gone to fetch the water. Be back soon. Water? Back at the oasis. So traipse alllll the way back to the oasis, and you'll find Tomay on the right, opposite the save sphere. Examine him, and it's time to take his sphere. Tomay: Duties: Fetching water. Takes his time and, as a result, is often left behind. A little dim. And we get more background on how exactly we take his sphere. It may look like fun and games, but the Gatekeepers are a proud race of warriors. While they dislike combat, they will turn and face any enemy that takes their back. Should you fail to sneak up on them, they will realise they have over-estimated their enemy and depart in disgust. Sneak up on the cactuars when their backs are turned to confront them. It's better that way, believe me. And with that, we approach Tomay. He's dancing happily, as cactuars do, close to camera, and Tidus is at the back of screen. We have to approach him while his back is turned. If he senses you approaching, he will shout the word "Needletime!" (in Al Bhed), and that's your cue to stop moving and wait. When he turns his back, keep coming closer, to get him. You've got 10 seconds, and three attempts to get this right. If you succeed in getting to him, you get to fight him. This is a good time to capture cactuars, if you haven't already. For your efforts, you'll get Tomay's Sphere. If you fail to catch him or catch him and fail to defeat him, you'll get a Sphere del Perdedor (Loser Sphere). It matters minorly which sphere you get, either way, take it back to the cactuar stone in the storm. Examine the stone, and Tidus will place the sphere. Now, 9 little gatekeepers play in the sand. Rovivea's gone walkabout. Be back soon. Rovivea's back on the path, the second screen. When you enter from the plain, there's a small area on the left side of the map, where Rovivea is wandering around. Rovivea: Has no patience for certain dim-witted friends. Not a progressive thinker. Now we have to capture Rovivea's Sphere. Same as Tomay, approach her when her back is turned. It's equally as simple, and you get 13 seconds per attempt this time. Again, you get to fight her if you catch her. Take the sphere you get, back to the cactuar stone in the storm. 8 little gatekeepers play in the sand. Little Chava likes big numbers. Be back soon. Are you getting the idea of how this works, yet? Left of the cactuar stone, you'll find two signs, marked as tiny white squares on the map. Examine the one on the left, more northerly, to find a 20% sale on all travel agency goods. 20's a pretty big number. And here's Chava to prove it. Chava: Recently learned to count to 50. A little needy. Attention deficit. When we capture Chava, we start at one sign, and the tiny cactuar is at the other. Second verse same as the first, approach him only when he is back is turned. When you see the "Needletime!", stop. You get 13 seconds for this trial too. Take the sphere you should get, whether it be Chava's Sphere or a Sphere del Perdedor, straight back to the cactuar stone. 7 little gatekeeprs play in the sand. Alek and Aloja play tag in the ruins of men. Be back soon. In the plains, the third screen, take a left at the save sphere (save there first) and you'll find some great ruins. And of course, there's two little cactuars running around chasing each other there, so examine them. Alek and Aloja: Two brothers, rarely separated. They move as one, their closeness a paragon of brotherhood. This, like the previous three, is also a straight-line trial. We get 13 seconds, to track the two cactuars across the plain, which isn't that difficult. This time, you get to fight both cactuars, and if they both use 10,000 needles if they ambush you... ouch. If you die, you die. Take Alek and Aloja's Sphere, back to the stone. 5 little gatekeepers play in the sand. Vachella seeks the shining blue. Be back soon. Shining blue, like, maybe a save sphere? There's three save spheres here on Bikanel, and the one we want is on the path, in a little tent. Examine the sphere, and Vachella will jump out at you. Vachella: Loves new things. Hard on others, easy on self. Stingy. You have 14 seconds to catch Vachella, who stays in the tent while Tidus runs across to the other side of the plain. This one is fast, and will spin backwards and forwards to face you very quickly. You have to keep moving between its spins, though. So capture Vachella, then take its sphere, straight back to the stone. 4 little gatekeepers play in the sand. O, Robeya's stuck inside. Be back soon. Poor Robeya, got itself trapped in something... like a treasure chest. You could open all the treasure chests, or make a beeline for one in the southwestern corner of the plains, by hugging the left wall. Open the chest, and Robeya will pop out at you. Robeya: A real needle brain. Likes cramped spaces. Check out his great collection! Collection of what, exactly? We shall see. In this trial, we have 14 seconds to make our way to Robeya, but we can get distracted by three treasure chests along the way. The first (closest to Tidus) contains two Shadow Gems, the second a Shining Gem, and the third (closest to Robeya) a Blessed Gem. Good luck in making it to even one of them before the time runs out, I failed all three times and ended up with a Sphere del Perdedor. Take the sphere back to the stone. 3 little gatekeepers play in the sand.A fiery inscription - the lord of the hole is gone, Isrra thinks. Be back soon. There in the storm, you might have noticed two pits with treasure chests and Sandragoras, north-west of the cactuar stone. If Isrra does not appear in the southern pit, leave then re-enter the storm, and look again. (Known glitch.) Then you will find a little green cactuar, circling the pit. Isrra: The philospoher about town. Today, he digs holes. Again. A cautious sort. (On a side note, I love how each of these little cactuars gets their own slice of personality.) We have 15 seconds to get to Isrra, but we won't need them. There's a trick to this one. Isrra, being the cautious sort, will turn and face you for extended periods of time, so it's virtually impossible to get to him that way. But look, we have a map for this one. Why? Becuase there's an underground tunnel connecting those two pits, that can only be seen on the map. While Isrra's got his back turned, run into the first one, then run straight down towards him. You'll leave the second pit, and be right next to him. Bingo. "Don't you run, needles!" (BAHA Tidus!) Defeat Isrra, and take his Sphere back to the stone. 2 little gatekeepers play in the sand. Much-curious Elio has left on a journey. Be back soon. A journey, eh? Wherever could that be? Well, because you don't really get told, go to the oasis. Run all the way there, instead of jumping on the airship at a save point and beaming back down. When you get to the ouasis, approach the water, and stare in disbelief at Elio. He's using the save sphere to board your airship! Follow that cactus! Elio's gone on a journey, alright. He's going to see the world, from the roof of your ship! Argh. So head up there to follow him. Note - if you've set the airship to go to Sin in the past, but never made it inside, you'll have to progress the story and beat a few Sin bits before you can chase Elio. Elio: To see what lies beyond the sands, he travels far to distant lands. Hyper-reactive and a bad poet. We have 11 seconds only to catch Elio here. And if that wasn't bad enough, the ship itself is tilting under your feet! Ignore the tilting, and follow Elio. He starts off facing you, and also turns quite quickly backwards and forwards, but you can catch him. Once you catch him, you don't have to fight him, he simply falls off the ship. Cry for Elio as he plunges to his doom, then head back to Bikanel and that dratted stone one more time. Set Elio's Sphere/Sphere del Perdedor into the cactuar stone. 1 little gatekeeper plays in the desert. Flaile is always behind. Be back soon. Soon? He's right HERE! Flaile: The guy you never invite but he always shows up anyway. Cheeky. Not gatekeeper, gatecrasher, this one. You've got 13 seconds to follow him across the sands. And because he's cheeky, he doesn't should "Needletime!" when he's turning around, he shouts it at any old time just to mess with ya. Argh. So you've got to keep an eye on HIM while you run, and completely ignore his shouting. When he starts to turn, stop. He doesn't turn often, as compensation. Take the tenth and final sphere, and set it into the stone, right into that cactuar's gob. And it runs through the clues for you again... they're not gonna be back soon now, they're gone for good. It's a little saddening. And with that, the sandstorm before you disappears, giving you access to the Cactuar Village. What exactly is down there? Nothing but two treasure chests. The left contains the Mercury Sigil, and the right contains an item depending on how many Sphere del Perdedors you collected on the quest. For 0-1, you'll get a Friend Sphere. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.9 Airship Co-ordinates (and Passwords) ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Of course, there are more locations in Spira than can be seen on the airship listing, when you get access to it. On the airship, talk to Cid, and select 'Search'. There, you can move your pointer anywhere in the world, and press the X to examine if there's any secret location there to visit. You can also use the 'Input' function to input secret Al Bhed passwords, unlocking even more places to visit. Without further ado, here's a list of all the places you can visit... Password: "GODHAND" Location: Mushroom Rock Remember, when you were wandering around Mushroom Rock, I said there was a treasure chest far below you that you couldn't get to yet? This is how you get there. If you go to Mushroom Rock this way, you'll be able to find a treasure chest containing the Godhand, Rikku's celestial weapon. You'll need the Celestial Mirror to open the chest, though. Once you've gotten the weapon, head back to the save sphere and re-board the ship. Password: "VICTORIOUS" Location: Besaid Ruins 1 This will lead you to one of the save spheres on the towers in Besaid, that you would have noticed when you were here before. Head up and around on the tree on the right, to find a chest containing the Victorious. This is a targe for Rikku, with the abilities Lightningproof, Fireproof, and Iceproof. (Add Waterproof, and it'll be the ultimate elemental armour.) Once you've got it, re-board the ship from the sphere. Password: "MURASAME" Location: Besaid Ruins 2 The second tower, overlooking Besaid. Along the path to the right you will find a chest with the Murasame, a piercing weapon for Auron with One MP Cost also customized on it. Re-board the airship once you've got it. Search: X: 11-16 Y: 57-63 Location: Baaj Temple This is where Tidus washed up at the very beginning of the game, after being sucked in by Sin. Here you can fight Geosgaeno, and obtain the secret aeon Anima. See the Baaj Temple section of the side quests for more details. Search: X: 39-43 Y: 56-60 Location: Battle Site And we're on the Mushroom Rock Beach, near where Operation Mi'ihen was staged. Head up the crater to find a chest with a Phantom Bangle. Pretty, no? It eats three elements, giving Lulu HP for getting hit with them, instead of taking it away. Re-board the airship. Search: X: 29-32 Y: 73-76 Location: Besaid Falls Yet another secret place in Besaid, with a small threasure chest containing Kimahri's Dragoon Lance. It has the Magic Counter and Evade & Counter abilities, so can come in handy. Nothing much else to see here. Re-board. Search: X: 33-36 Y: 55-60 Location: Mi'ihen Ruins Heh, and you're out on the machina ruins you saw, outside the travel agency on the Mi'ihen Highroad. Head as far left on screen as you can, and examine the far side of the tanker to find a chest with a Sonar. This claw for Rikku comes with Initiative, and Poisonstrike. Search: X: 69-75 Y: 33-38 Loaction: Omega Ruins The main optional dungeon in the game. Home to two resident Weapons, Ultima and Omega, this is where the hardest fights but also the biggest rewards can be found. See the Omega Ruins section for more info. Search: X: 12-16 Y: 41-45 Location: Sanubia Sands This small off-shoot of the Sanubia Desert has a treasure chest with the Ascalon in it. This weapon, for Tidus, comes with the Double AP ability. Re-board the ship. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.10 Remiem Temple ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Remiem Temple is a hidden temple, located near the Calm Lands. To access it, you'll need to train a chocobo at least past the first stage (see: Chocobo Racing) then ride it across the Calm Lands to the south-eastern tip, near the exit to Macalania. There, you'll find a chocobo feather on the ground, examine it and your chocobo will jump the gap. From there, you can leave your chocobo behind and run in to the temple. Across the gangplank, you can save, then see what there is to do here. Three things: Obtain the Cloudy Mirror, battle Belgemine, and obtain the Magus Sisters, a secret aeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Cloudy Mirror ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To get the Cloudy Mirror, a necessity for getting celestial weapons, head around to the left side of Remiem Temple. Examine the sphere, near the champion chocobo, and it will give you directions, to mount the chocobo on the far side of the temple and race. On the right side of the temple, examine the chocobo, and you can choose to race. All you're trying to do here, is beat the champion chobobo to the centre of the circular track. If you do this, you will get the Cloudy Mirror as a reward. You can also get other rewards, by opening treasure chests scattered around the track as you race, not bumping into any of the coloured poles, and still beating the champion chocobo. The items you can receive are: 0 Treasure Chests: Potion 1 Treasure Chest : Elixir 2 Treasure Chests: Mega Elixir 3 Treasure Chests: Wings to Discovery x30 4 Treasure Chests: Pendulum x30 5 Treasure Chests: Three Stars x60 Enjoy racing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Battling Belgemine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inside the temple itself, you will find Belgemine. She gives you a little history of the temple, it used to be a great religious centre of the Calm Lands, but was lost after the battle with Sin. This is her home, and it's not that she doesn't dislike company, it's just that she prefers being alone. She decides to show you why - as the pyreflies circle, Tidus is shocked to see that she's dead too. Don't send her just yet, though. She wants to help you, before you can send her. Here you can fight her versions of all your own aeons one at a time, starting with Valefor. In order: Valefor (20000 HP) Ifrit (28000 HP) Ixion (30000 HP) Shiva (20000 HP) Bahamut (35000 HP) Yojimbo (32000 HP) Anima (54000 HP) Magus Sisters (Mindy - 48000 HP, Sandy - 35000 HP, Cindy - 20000 HP) The best thing is, it's not exactly a one-on-one battle. If the aeon you're fighting with dies, you can simply summon another one to continue the battle, until you either run out of aeons, or win the battle. Kinda hard to lose, eh? You can only fight the aeons you have, and you must fight them in the order listed. You will get some nice prizes for beating Belgemine's aeons, too. After you defeat her last aeons, Yuna will ask to be taught some more, but that is not possible. It's time for her to go, so get Yuna to perform the sending. For sending Belgemine, you will receive the Moon Sigil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtaining the Magus Sisters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To obtain these hidden aeons, you need two items: 1) Blossom Crown Obtainable by capturing one of every fiend in Mt Gagazet 2) Flower Scepter Obtainable by defeating Belgemine's Bahamut Once you have these, and have defeated ALL of Belgemine's aeons up to and including Anima, approach the door at the back of the interior of Remiem Temple. The door will be sealed by a strange energy, but the seal will break when you use the two items. After the seal is broken, Yuna will enter the chamber, pray, and return with the Sisters, for three new aeons that you summon as one. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.11 Locations Of... ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Things to collect in this game. Might be an idea to know where to get them all, eh? --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- 8.11.1 Al Bhed Primers --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- Al Bhed Primers are the key to deciphering the Al Bhed's words into actual English. There are twenty-six to collect around Spira, one teaching you each letter of the alphabet. Without further ado, here we go... Primer I - Teaches the letter 'A' in Al Bhed Get it on the Al Bhed Salvage Ship, after being rescued by Rikku in the Baaj Temple. When you get free reign, it will be in the top-right corner of the ship. Primer II - Teaches the letter 'B' in Al Bhed Get it in the Crusader's Lodge, in Besaid. When you enter, it's on the counter on the right, near the Sphere Monitor. Primer III - Teaches the letter 'C' in Al Bhed Get it in the engine room of the S.S Liki, which is the southern door from the cabin where you find O'aka. It's in the far corner, past the chocobo. Primer IV - Teaches the letter 'D' in Al Bhed Get it in the bar in Kilika, the closest hut to the S.S. Liki. It'll just be lying on the counter. Primer V - Teaches the letter 'E' in Al Bhed Get it on the bridge (the inside cabin with the guy navigating the ship) of the S.S. Winno, on the way to Luca. You'll find it in the bottom-right corner of screen. Primer VI - Teaches the letter 'F' in Al Bhed Get it in the Luca Stadium. Once you have free reign, leave the Auroch's corridor and enter the corridor on the left, to find it in a corner. Primer VII - Teaches the letter 'G' in Al Bhed Get it in the Luca Sphere Theater, by heading north at the first intersection outside the stadium. You'll find it on the ground on the left. Primer VIII - Teaches the letter 'H' in Al Bhed Get it from the Travel Agency on the Mi'ihen Highroad - Rin will automatically give it to you. Primer IX - Teaches the letter 'I' in Al Bhed Get it on the Mi'ihen Highroad after the Travel Agency. Just past where Shelinda falls from the chocobo, near the hairpin turn, it will be on the ground. Primer X - Teaches the letter 'J' in Al Bhed Get it in the Mushroom Rock Precipice, around the west spirally path. It's almost impossible to see, so just mash X when you get to the end section, where you can see the main path again, to get it. Primer XI - Teaches the letter 'K' in Al Bhed Get it on the Djose Highroad. Just past the fourth tall column on the right, in a patch of sunlight, ti will be lying on the ground. Primer XII - Teaches the letter 'L' in Al Bhed Get it on the north wharf of the Moonflow. It's the tiny dot on the left, at the top of the ramp, near where the shoopuf is stationed. Primer XIII - Teaches the letter 'M' in Al Bhed Get it in Guadosalam, at the back of the house left of (and up the hill from) Seymour's manor. It's behind the tree growing in the centre. Primer XIV - Teaches the letter 'N' in Al Bhed Get it in the Thunder Plains Travel Agency. When Rin asks you how your Al Bhed is going, tell him 'so-so', and he will give it to you. As far as I know, there's no other way to get it, should you answer 'not good'. Primer XV - Teaches the letter 'O' in Al Bhed Get it on Macalania Lake Road, just across the road from O'aka. It's on the south-east path leading off the road. Primer XVI - Teaches the letter 'P' in Al Bhed Get it outside the Macalania Travel Agency, on the ground on the left of the entrance. Primer XVII - Teaches the letter 'Q' in Al Bhed Get it in the Sanubia Desert. On the third screen, Central, you'll find some ruins in a western section, left of the save sphere on the left side. Inside the ruins on the north-east corner of the screen, you'll find the primer. Primer XVIII - Teaches the letter 'R' in Al Bhed Get it in the Sanubia Desert Central, on the ground just left of the sign pointing to the East section saying "Home is near". Primer XIX - Teaches the letter 'S' in Al Bhed Get it in Al Bhed Home, in the open courtyard. On the left, just in front of the flames, you'll spot it on the ground. All Al Bhed Primers in Home are one-time only things, ou miss them, they're gone for good. Primer XX - Teaches the letter 'T' in Al Bhed Get it in Al Bhed home. Down the first set of stairs, enter the first doorway on the left, kill the beast, then hunt around for it on the floor. Primer XXI - Teaches the letter 'U' in Al Bhed Get it in the Al Bhed Home. Down the second set of stairs, take the eastern passage, and you'll find it in the far corner past the green-rimmed door. Primer XXII - Teaches the letter 'V' in Al Bhed Get it in Bevelle, upon entering the Priest's Passage (where Rikku uses the first Al Bhed machina.) It's blended in with the floor at the top of the stairs, so mash X madly looking for it. Primer XXIII - Teaches the letter 'W' in Al Bhed Get it in the Calm Lands, in the very north-east corner near where you find the champion chocobo. It's on the very edge of the cliff, hard to see. Primer XXIV - Teaches the letter 'X' in Al Bhed Get it in Remiem Temple. On the left wing of the outside perimeter, it's just past the champion chocobo and the instructory sphere. Primer XXV - Teaches the letter 'Y' in Al Bhed Get it in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. At the first save point head left towards the dead end to spot it on the ground. Primer XXVI - Teaches the letter 'Z' in Al Bhed Get it in the Omega Ruins. In the room in the north-west with the four chests in a circle, the primer is against the far wall. --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- 8.11.2 Jecht Spheres --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- Jecht Sphere #1 - Macalania Woods Spring After defeating Spherimorph, you'll be rewarded with the first sphere that unlocks all the other spheres. Jecht realizes that he's never going to go home, and tells Tidus that if he is watching it, he is suffering the same fate. He wants Tidus to know that he loves him, but can't bring himself to say the words. Jecht Sphere #2 - Besaid Village Just left of the entrance to the Temple of Fayth, you'll find the second sphere. Braska likes the look of the town, and he asks Auron to bring Yuna here after he's completed his pilgrimage. Jecht just wants to get on with it, he's so hungry he could eat an entire shoopuf! Jecht Sphere #3 - Bridge of S.S Liki On the Winno there is Al Bhed Primer Vol V, on the Liki there is the sphere. Jecht is on the S.S Liki, getting sad, and homesick. He wants to go home, but doesn't see a way, and Auron is trying to cheer him up. He just misses his wife and kid. Jecht Sphere #4 - Luca Stadium This sphere is in the corner of the corridor, just outside the Aurochs' locker room. Jecht is practicing his blitzball, getting teases from Auron and Braska. One day he'll get to show Tidus his new techniques, and he hopes Tidus has grown up big and strong, and put some muscle on. He also hopes he never gave up blitz, becuase he showed a lot of promise. Jecht Sphere #5 - Mi'ihen Highroad In the corner of the Lowroad, near where you got the Mars Crest, you'll find the next Jecht Sphere. The Chocobo Eater is also present when these three are on their journey, and they don't know what to do. Braska is unsure, Auron wants to just leave it and keep going, but Jecht wants to fight it. "It's the right thing to do!" Auron Sphere - Mushroom Rock Precipice Just south of the elevator leading to where Operation Mi'ihen was staged, where you saw the scene with Luzzu. Kinoc and Auron are exchanging farewells, as Auron leaves on his journey. Kinoc was recently promoted, to a job that should have been Auron's, but no hard feelings, ya? Auron promises to tell Kinoc about Zanarkand when he gets back. Jecht Sphere #6 - Moonflow, South Wharf Outside the tent near the save point, you'll find the sphere in the right corner of screen. Jecht is very drunk, and profusely sorry for attacking the shoopuf. Auron chides him, but he apologizes again, and says that the only thing he drinks from now on is shoopuf milk! Jecht Sphere #7 - Thunder Plains South In the first section of the plains, you'll find it tucked near a lightning tower on the right side of the field. Jecht Sphere #8 - Macalania Woods, South From the south entrance, head east towards Bevelle and you can't miss it on the ground. Braska Sphere - Mt Gagazet Just east of where you find Wantz, you'll find a small path leading down to the sphere. Details Braska's final message to Yuna. Almost tear-worthy, he tells her to find her own path in life, to work hard, and doors will open for her. Don't let anyone dissuade her from doing what she wants to do, she is strong, she will make it. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 8.12 Returning to Temples ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- A little known fact in FFX is that if you return to the temples as early as the story will permit, you will be given snapshots of storyline from the fayth, and also some worthy rewards. (This means going all the way to the Chamber of the Fayth, through the cloisters of trials again. Don't moan like that, it's not so bad.) Anyways, I was recently astounded at the rewards I got when returning to Besaid Temple, so I wrote down what I got. Of course, I then went back to all the other temples and recorded them too. Here goes. Note: I'm not sure if these were randomized, but this is what I got. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Besaid Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (If playing PAL, must go through Dark Valefor to get to it) Main Prize - Evasion Sphere Chests - White Magic Sphere - Elixir - Hi-Potion - 2x Potion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kilika Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Main Prize - Luck Sphere Chests - Accuracy Sphere - Defence Sphere - Agility Sphere ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Djose Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Main Prize - Luck Sphere Chests - Magic Defence Sphere - Agility Sphere ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Macalania Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (if playing PAL, must go through Dark Shiva to get to it) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bevelle Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You cannot return to Bevelle Temple. Never! Ever! GRAWR! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cavern of the Stolen Fayth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Teleport in from the entrance, enter the chamber, and teleport out to avoid Dark Yojimbo) Main Prize - Strength Sphere =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 9.0 OVERDRIVE INFO =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Unlike previous FF games, FFX does not contain limit breaks as such. Now we have Overdrives, and when a character has their Overdrive bar (below their HP and MP) completely full (and red), they will be able to perform an Overdrive. Once an Overdrive is active, press <- (on D-pad) when that character's turn comes up to access their Overdrive. Each character has a unique set of Overdrives, and a different method of performing them. Some are simple (rotate right analog stick), some are trickier (input sequence of buttons in right order). There are different ways in which each character's Overdrive bar can fill up - 17 different methods in all. These range from it filling on your turn (Ally), to filling when you sustain damage (Stoic), to filling then you escape battle (Coward). First I have detailed each character's respective Overdrive, then section 10h deals with the different Overdrive modes, and how to 'learn' them. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.1 Swordplay ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Swordplay belongs to Tidus. When you select it, you'll be given a horizontal bar, with a orange section in the middle. As well, you have a slider moving up and down the bar fairly quickly. You have three seconds to stop the slider (by pressing X) when it's in the orange section of the bar. Fairly standard, no? There are four different types of Swordplay for Tidus to learn (each is executed the same way): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spiral Cut ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tidus starts with this. He runs, flips, and comes down hard with his sword on one enemy for massive damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slice and Dice ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After performing 10 Overdrives, Tidus will learn Slice and Dice. He will rush forward and make six physical attacks on random enemies, for increased damage with each strike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Energy Rain ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After performing 30 Overdrives, Tidus will learn Energy Rain. He jumps and bounces off one enemy, gathering massive energy with his sword and unleashing it on the enemy party for massive damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blitz Ace ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After performing 80 Overdrives, Tidus will learn Blitz Ace. I can't exactly describe it, as I've never seen it :/ It is the most powerful of Tidus' Overdrives. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.2 Grand Summon ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Grand Summon is Yuna's unique Overdrive. There's not that much to it, she can simply use it to summon an aeon with a full Overdrive bar. (Yes, aeons have Overdrives just like characters do.) Then, the aeon can unleash an Overdrive of its own. If the aeon you select already had a full Overdrive bar, they can perform two consecutive Overdrives in two turns. Note with Grand Summon: If you Grand Summon an aeon and then dismiss them, they will lose the full Overdrive bar. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.3 Slots ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Slots are Wakka's Overdrive. By spinning reels on a slot machine, he can match up symbols to deal out different types of damage. It's simple to control, just press X to stop one moving reel at a time, and you get ample time to match them up. Wakka learns new Overdrives from blitzball. So, if you want them all, you'll have to become rather good at Blitzball. He has four in all: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Element Reels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wakka starts with these. Red is fire, white is ice, blue is water, and yellow is lightning. Match up three of one symbol to deal out massive damage of that element to the entire enemy party. If you can only manage to match up two, you still deal out the elemental damage, but to one enemy only. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Attack Reels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arguably the best character Overdrive in the entire game, these will appear as a random first prize in a Blitzball tournament. The symbols here are 2 Hit (2), 1 Hit (1), and Miss (0). When you match up the reels, Wakka will attack the number of times from all the reels added together (x2 if all three reels match.) Confused? If he gets 2 Hit - 2 Hit - 2 Hit, he'll hit (2 + 2 + 2) (x2 for perfect match) = 12 times. But if he gets 1 Hit - 2 Hit - 1 Hit on the reels, he'll attack 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 times. If you can match the three 2 Hit reels, with Wakka at optimal strength (255), you can hit 12 times at 99,999 damage. See what I mean by best? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Status Reels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After winning 250 battles total, these will appear as a random prize in a Blitzball League. We have the symbols skull, arrow, and lock. It might be easier for me to list a few combinations and what they do, here... 3x Skull - Poison, Sleep, Silence and Darkness on enemy party 3x Arrow - A physical attack plus Full Break (Power, Armour, Magic, Mental) on enemy party 3x Clock - Wakka will attempt to attack and Petrify the whole enemy party 2 of one symbol - The effect will occur on one enemy, not the whole party Three different - normal physical attack. Here's hoping that makes sense.... moving on... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auroch Reels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After winning 450 battles total, these will appear as a random prize in a Blitzball tournament. They're a combination of the Element and Status reels, with the coloured orbs and the symbols, plus one added symbol - the Auroch. Matching up three Aurochs deals out one very powerful physical attack against the whole enemy party, while matching up other symbols has the same effect as the previous sets of reels. Stick with the Attack Reels, I say. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.4 Bushido ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Bushido is Auron's Overdrive. After selecting Bushido, then the name of an Overdrive, you will have four seconds to input a series of six buttons, to successfully perform the move. If you fail to input them correctly, the move will still execute, but without the added 'bonus' effects such as Eject or Break. Auron learns new Overdrives by collecting Jecht Spheres. Overall, he has four attacks at his disposal: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dragon Fang ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auron has this at the beginning of the game. Key Combination: Left, Down, Up, Right, L1, R1, X, O He stabs his sword into the ground, causing an earthquake effect that hits all enemies for massive damage, as well as inflicting Delay upon them all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shooting Star ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auron learns this after collecting one Jecht Sphere (after Spherimorph battle) Key Combination: Triangle, O, Square, X, Left, Right, X He charges at one enemy, hitting it with extreme force and adding Eject status to the attack (ejects enemy from battle.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Banishing Blade ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auron learns this after collecting three Jecht Spheres. Key Combination: Up, L1, Down, R1, Right, Left, Triangle He takes a sip of nog, and spits it at his blade, then attacks one enemy for massive damage, inflicting Full Break for good measure (Armour, Power, Magic, Mental Breaks). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tornado ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auron learns this after collecting all ten Jecht Spheres. Key Combination: X, Right, R1, Left, L1, Triangle He creates a tornado of fire, sucking the entire enemy party in it and dealing out massive non-elemental damage. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.5 Ronso Rage ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Ronso Rage is the specific technique of Kimahri Ronso, who is learned in the fiend's way of fighting. When the command appears, Kimahri can use the particular skills he has Lancetted from his enemies, in the form of blue magic. For a full list of blue magic he can learn, and where he can learn it, see the Blue Magic section. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.6 Fury ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Fury is what happens when Lulu gets furious. (Geddit?) It's a very simple Overdrive to perform, and involves casting one spell over and over again. Once you select Fury, you'll be prompted to select a spell to use. Then, you have three seconds to rotate the right analog stick (clockwise or anticlockwise, doesn't matter) as fast as you can, as many times as you can in the allotted period. The game will count the number of times you turn it, and use it to decide how many times the spell will be cast repeatedly. For higher-level spells like Ultima, more turns are required per casting. Spells Lulu can use in Fury: Fire/Fira/Firaga Thunder/Thundara/Thundaga Water/Watera/Waterga Blizzard/Blizzara/Blizzaga Bio Demi Death Drain Osmose Flare Ultima ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.7 Mix ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Rikku's power as an Al Bhed gives her the power to Mix two items to create one super-item. You can choose any two items from your inventory to mix, for varied effects ranging from completely curing your entire party, to making every attack deal out 9999 damage (the fabled Trio of 9999). I'm not going to list all possible combinations (as I don't have a few hundred KB to spare here today), but I'm simply going to point you towards: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/final_fantasy_x_mix_list.txt Christine Bomke's amazing Mix List, at GameFAQs. This has every possible combination of items you can use, and the result of each combination. Enjoy it. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 9.8 Overdrive Modes ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Well now, how does our Overdrive bar fill up to perform these crazysexycool attacks? Differently, depending on what our Overdrive mode is. There are seventeen Overdrive modes in all, but each character starts with only one, Stoic. Each character learns each mode individually, and once you've learnt some, it can be changed from Set Mode in the Overdrive menu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges on character's turn. How? Take a set number of turns in battle: Tidus 600 turns, Yuna 500, Wakka 350, Lulu 480, Kimahri 300, Auron 450, Rikku 320 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Avenger ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when allies are killed in battle. How? Let a characters' allies be killed a set number of times: Tidus 100 times, Yuna 80, Wakka 100, Lulu 150, Kimahri 100, Auron 120, Rikku 90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Comrade ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when your allies sustain damage. How? Let your allies sustain damage a set number of times: Tidus 300 times, Yuna 240, Wakka 100, Lulu 100, Kimahri 100, Auron 220, Rikku 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Coward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character escapes from battle. How? Escape from battle a set number of times: Tidus 600 escapes, Yuna 900, Wakka 400, Lulu 980, Kimahri 700, Auron 1000, Rikku 450 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dancer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character evades an enemy attack. How? Evade a set number of enemy attacks: Tidus 250 attacks, Yuna 200, Wakka 200, Lulu 300, Kimahri 130, Auron 200, Rikku 200 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Daredevil ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character takes turns under critical (yellow) HP. How? Take a set number of turns under critical (yellow) HP: Tidus 170 turns, Yuna 90, Wakka 140, Lulu 150, Kimahri 200, Auron 260, Rikku 110 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Healer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when your character heals allies. How? Heal allies a set number of times: Tidus 80 times, Yuna 60, Wakka 110, Lulu 170, Kimahri 100, Auron 200, Rikku 170 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hero ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character defeats an enemy by 20x necessary damage How? Defeat a set number of enemies by 20x the necessary damage: Tidus 50 enemies, Yuna 50, Wakka 50, Lulu 70, Kimahri 45, Auron 40, Rikku 50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loner ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character takes turns alone in battle (allies either all dead or all fled) How? Take a set number of turns alone in battle: Tidus 60 turns, Yuna 180, Wakka 110, Lulu 45, Kimahri 90, Auron 35, Rikku 170 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rook ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when a character nullifies status/elemental attacks How? Nullify a certain number of status/elemental attacks: Tidus 120 attacks, Yuna 110, Wakka 120, Lulu 120, Kimahri 120, Auron 120, Rikku 120 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slayer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when your character kills an enemy How? Kill a certain number of enemies: Tidus 100 enemies, Yuna 110, Wakka 90, Lulu 130, Kimahri 120, Auron 80, Rikku 200 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stoic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when your character sustains damage. How? You start off with this, silly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sufferer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character takes turns under a negative status How? Take a set number of turns under a negative status: Tidus 100 turns, Yuna 80, Wakka 100, Lulu 110, Kimahri 130, Auron 120, Rikku 90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tactician ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character inflicts a status ailment on enemy How? Successfully inflict a set number of status ailments on enemies: Tidus 75 ailments, Yuna 100, Wakka 80, Lulu 75, Kimahri 60, Auron 110, Rikku 90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Victim ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when character is hit with a negative status ailment How? Let your character successfully be hit with a set number of status ailments: Tidus 120 ailments, Yuna 100, Wakka 110, Lulu 130, Kimahri 100, Auron 160, Rikku 125 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Victor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when your character is part of the winning party in battle. How? Include your character as part of the winning party in battle a set number of times: Tidus 120 times, Yuna 150, Wakka 160, Lulu 200, Kimahri 120, Auron 200, Rikku 140 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Warrior ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What? Charges when you inflict normal physical damage upon your enemies. How? Inflict normal physical damage a set number of times: Tidus 150 times, Yuna 200, Wakka 160, Lulu 300, Kimahri 120, Auron 100, Rikku 140 =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 10.0 A BEGINNER's GUIDE TO STAT MAXING =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Say what now? WTF is stat maxing? Simply put, it's getting all of your character's stats (Str, Mag, Def, etc.) up to the maximum of 255. Who would do such a thing? Well, it's pretty much a necessity for fighting things like some Dark Aeons, the evil Penance, and Nemesis. So, how does one go about stat maxing? Well, with the help of the fabulous Chris Hackney AKA Masamune3, I've started stat maxing in my own game, so I thought I'd share my methods with you. I know you said I could copy your guide verbatim, Chris, but I think you phrased a few things oddly. So, I will take all your hard work, re-write it, slap my own name on it, and thank your mother for the rabbits :) Just kidding, much thanks to you, Chris, you're a lifesaver. Let's start. To get your stats up to 255, you need a few things: 1) An easy way of getting your characters a lot of sphere levels fast. They'll need to cover pretty much the whole grid each, to get there. 2) A lot of Stat Creation Spheres (eg. Strength Sphere, Magic Sphere), to fill in the empty nodes. Without them, covering the whole grid with one character will give them stats similar to: 19400 HP, 1260 MP, 187 Str, 150 Def, 142 Mag, 124 MDef, 174 Agl, 18 Luck, 124 Eva, and 70 Acc. (Plus their starting stats.) This is what the sphere grid holds. Obviously those stats aren't anywhere near 255 each, so we'll have to fill the empty nodes with lots of stat creation spheres to make up the difference. That's basically it. Fill the gaps, then run your characters over the whole grid. It sounds simple, eh? Let's go through, really slowly, how to do this. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Preparation ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- First, you need to get to know the Monster Arena. You'll need to unlock a lot of the bosses - namely, Juggernaut, Tanket, Jumbo Flan, One-Eye, Fenrir, Hornet, Pteryx, Earth Eater, and Greater Sphere. For the requirements of each of these bosses, check the Monster Arena section of the guide. These bosses are what give you the stat creation spheres. You prolly won't be able to kill them just yet (with the exception of maybe One-Eye, the pansy), but unlock them for now. That's the easy bit out of the way (but it can be frustrating, if one particular enemy decides to elude you *cough Floating Death cough*.) Now for some training. We need to get you tough enough to fight these bosses. Yuna is the most important one to train here, first, as her aeons can wipe out pretty much everything. Where do you go for serious training, first? Omega Ruins. This place can be daunting, so if you can't tackle it just yet, other good levelling up places are the Zanarkand Ruins, Inside Sin, or the Gagazet Cave. Travel around a lot, and level Yuna up. WHen she gets to the end of her own section of the sphere grid, use a Teleport Sphere to send her to the start of Auron's grid and get her levelling up there. Auron has a lot of Str nodes in his section of the grid, and for every Str point Yuna gets, her aeons get quite a few. You can simply use aeons to fight all these battles for you, to level Yuna up, if you wish. When Yuna gets to around 50 Str, her aeons (especially Anima, Yojimbo, and the Magus Sisters) will start hitting 255 Str. Maximum. Perfect. Time for the serious stuff! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Setting Up For The Infamous AP Trick ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now, we're going to get ourselves some weapons that can get us a lot of AP fast. By combining a few rare and obscure weapon abilities, we can get ourselves a LOT of AP. There's three abilities we need: 1) Triple AP. Of course, this gets you three times the AP from the battle, therefore three times the sphere levels. This is hard to customize, but the good thing is, with your ass-kicking aeons you can easily defeat One-Eye with his wimpy 150,000 HP. One-Eye often drops weapons with Triple AP already customized, so just beat his ass a few times until you get a few for your favorite characters. You'll need weapons with Triple AP and two slots free, for the other two abilities we need. If you get weapons with Triple AP and one slot free, or any armour, just sell them. 2) Overdrive -> AP. This is an interesting one, and one I'd never actually heard of until I started writing up abilities for this guide. What does it do? Well, instead of charging your Overdrive bar following your set Overdrive mode (eg. charging when you take damage), the game converts the charge to AP instead. So, if your mode is Stoic, and you get hit, the bar stays the same, but you get more AP at the end of the battle! Plus, you'll get this AP even if you flee! Coupled with Triple AP, we've got the makings now... Customize this onto your Triple AP weapon with 10x Door to Tomorrow. If you unlock Catastrophe in the Monster Arena, you'll get 99 of these, enough for everyone's weapons. 3) Triple Overdrive Normally, this ability charges your Overdrive bar three times faster than normal. A good ability, no matter what you put it with. But with our weapons here, seeing as we're converting Overdrive charge to AP.... we get three times the AP we would get using Overdrive -> AP. Plus, we've got Triple AP as well.... is all this sounding like a LOT of AP, or what? You can customize Triple Overdrive onto your weapon using 30x Winning Formula. Unlock Neslug for 99 of these, enough for three weapons. For the other four, you'll have to do things the hard way and bribe some Sand Worms for around 600,000 gil, for around ten of the suckers. Expensive, but much easier than the alternative of beating Ultima Buster. *Side note* - Use One-Eye as a way of making gil for this. Fight him constantly (8000 gil cost), and sell the profits (9000-60000 gil reward). So now (a zillion hours later), you have (hopefully) a full set of seven kick-ass weapons for your characters, each with the abilities Triple AP, Overdrive -> AP, and Triple Overdrive. With these, the more you charge your Overdrive, the more (lots LOTS more) AP you get. We're gonna use this to our advantage. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Gimme Those Sphere Levels! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now we're ready to get 99 Sphere Levels in one battle. You can do this for three characters at a time, and it goes something like this. Unlock Don Tonberry, buy 99x Phoenix Downs, set your selected characters' Overdrive modes to Comrade. We're gonna get hit with a shitload of damage here, and turn it all into AP. To make this trick work best, you could also get some kick-ass armour with Auto-Phoenix on it. But really, it's not necessary, we can do fine without it. And in terms of armour, the more damage we get with the Comrade mode, the better because our Overdrive bars will charge faster, so take off that Defense +10%/+20% armour, please. Now, get yourself into a fight with Don Tonberry, and attack. Every time you attack, he will counter with Karma - an attack with strength directly propertional to the amount of enemies that character has killed in the game. You've killed a lot, you'll get hurt a lot. Of course, when Karma hits, that character will most likely die, and the other two characters' Overdrive bars (that are getting converted to AP) will go through the roof due to Comrade. Revive the character with a Phoenix Down, rinse lather repeat. Soon, he'll get close enough to stab you for 9999 damage. Just let him do this, while you keep reviving people. When you run out of Phoenix Downs, if you haven't already killed Don Tonberry, Flee the battle. You keep all AP you get from the fight in terms of Overdrive -> AP. I tested this out, and used ten Phoenix Downs. My characters each got in the hundreds of thousands of AP. Use all 99 Phoenix Downs, and you will most definitely get 99 Sphere Levels. Was that worth it, or what? Now, what to do with all these sphere levels... ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Getting Stat Creation Spheres ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The tedious part. This uses the base stats I listed earlier, that your characters would have if they travelled over the entire Sphere Grid. We need to get enough stat creation spheres to make up the difference between those stats and 255.... ergo, we'll need.... 255 - 187 Str == 68 Str points 255 - 150 Def == 105 Def points 255 - 142 Mag == 113 Mag points 255 - 124 MDef = 131 MDef points 255 - 174 Agl == 81 Agl points 255 - 18 Luck == 237 Luck points (impossible, and we don't need them anyways) 255 - 124 Eva == 131 Eva points 255 - 70 Acc === 185 Acc points. That's what we need to get 255. Seeing as each stat creation sphere we use gives us +4 of that stat, we'll need... 68/4 == 17 Strength Spheres 105/4 = 27 Defence Spheres 113/4 = 29 Magic Spheres 131/4 = 33 Magic Defense Spheres 81/4 == 21 Agility Spheres 237/4 (luck is unnecessary, so we'll leave that out) 131/4 = 33 Evasion Spheres 185/4 = 47 Accuracy Spheres. Okay. That's what we need. How do we get it? We fight the Monster Arena bosses I asked you to unlock, as part of the preparation process. Oh boy. - Juggernaut (drops Strength Spheres) - Tanket (drops Defence Spheres) - Jumbo Flan (drops Magic Spheres) - One-Eye (drops Magic Defence Spheres) - Fenrir (drops Agility Spheres) - Hornet (drops Accuracy Spheres) - Pteryx (drops Evasion Spheres) If you want to max Luck the best you can (utterly boring and ultimately pointless), you'll also be fighting: - Earth Eater (drops Fortune Spheres) - Greater Sphere (drops Luck Spheres) Each boss will drop one sphere per battle, or two if you overkill it. Fight the amount of times to get the required spheres. Now, take one character, and start moving them around the grid, filling in all the gaps with stat creation spheres, starting with Str. Max Str will make it much easier to fight hard to get the other spheres, so do that first. Plot one person around the grid (covering parts they might have already covered, to get to the empty nodes) until they've used all the stat creation spheres, activated them all, and got max stats. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Help, I Ran Out of an Activation Sphere! ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Activation Sphere meaning, Power/Mana/Speed Sphere. This will happen a LOT, running out of them. Good thing is, there's a method to combat this. Simply unlock Kottos in the Monster Arena, and use a Distiller of the sphere you need, on him (or use Distil ability, if playing PAL). Now overkill him, and you'll get 40 of the sphere you need. Easy, eh? ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Now What? ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Once you've got one character maxed out like this, use the AP Trick (fighting Don Tonberry with the kick-ass weapons, 99x Phoenix Down, and Comrade) to get enough sphere levels for your other six characters. Transfer them (using a Teleport/Friend Sphere) to either end of the first character's path, then send them through the newly-filled grid. At the end, you should have seven characters that have traversed the whole sphere grid, and each should have max stats of 9999 HP, 999 MP, and 255 for all stats (except Luck.) Congrats, you just achieved yourself uberness! What to do with uberness? Well, normal fiends are now a snap, including bosses like the big final boss. Monster Arena bosses will taste your uberness and die screaming. Dark Aeons are the challenges you have left, if you're playing PAL as I am. See the Dark Aeons section, including the boss of them all, Penance. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 11.0 AEONS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Aeons are the summons and supreme entities of FFX. Anyone who's played a FFX game will know the idea - in FF6 they were called Espers, FF7 had Summons, FF8 had GFs, and FF9 Eidolons. The beings in FFX are called Aeons, and they work differently than in any other Final Fantasy game. No longer do you summon in these beings to deliver one attack and one attack only. In FFX, Yuna summons aeons in to fight for your party. You control these aeons as you would any normal character - they attack, they have special moves, they can cast magic (if you teach them spells), and they have overdrives. They have turns on the CTB just like any other character. When an aeon is summoned, your party disappears and the aeon takes over, until either the aeon dies or is dismissed by Yuna. Nifty, eh? Like characters, aeons can be customized and strengthened. They do not have a sphere grid, but rather you can raise their attributes once you have recieved the Aeon's Soul, and raise their abilities once you have received the Summoner's Soul. Both of these items are available from Belgemine, either on your travels through the game or in the Remiem Temple. Items are required to teach your aeons abilities, and spheres are required to raise their attributes. Abilities an aeon can learn (after obtaining the Summoner's Soul): (entries marked with a * are completely useless as they cannot be used) Aim (5x Speed Sphere) Armour Break (2x Level 4 Key Sphere) Bio (8x Poison Fang) Blizzaga (4x Ice Gem) Blizzara (2x Arctic Wind) Blizzard (1x Antarctic Wind) Cheer (5x Power Sphere) Cura (30x X-Potion) Curaga (60x Mega-Potion) Cure (99x Hi-Potion) Dark Attack (6x Smoke Bomb) Dark Buster (12x Smoke Bomb) Death (30x Farplane Shadow) Delay Attack (20x Silver Hourglass) Delay Buster (30x Gold Hourglass) Demi (8x Shadow Gem) Dispel (3x Purifying Salt) Drain (60x Stamina Spring) Doublecast (5x Three Stars) Extract Ability (20x Ability Sphere) Extract Mana (20x Mana Sphere) Extract Power (20x Power Sphere) Extract Speed (20x Speed Sphere) Fira (2x Bomb Core) Firaga (4x Fire Gem) Fire (1x Bomb Fragment) Flare (60x Shining Gem) Focus (10x Mana Sphere) Full Break (2x Dark Matter) * Full-Life (1x Megalixir) Haste (10x Chocobo Feather) * Hastega (16x Chocobo Wing) Holy (60x Blessed Gem) Jinx (2x Fortune Sphere) Lancet (20x Soul Spring) * Life (8x Elixir) Luck (2x Fortune Sphere) Magic Break (4x Mana Spring) Mental Break (4x Shining Thorn) NulBlaze (2x Bomb Fragment) NulFrost (2x Antarctic Wind) NulSpark (2x Electro Marble) NulTide (2x Fish Scale) Osmose (10x Mana Spring) Power Break (8x Stamina Spring) Pray (5x Healing Water) Protect (6x Light Curtain) Reflect (3x Star Curtain) Reflex (10x Speed Sphere) Regen (60x Healing Spring) Scan (10x Ability Sphere) Shell (4x Lunar Curtain) Silence Attack (3x Silence Grenade) Silence Buster (10x Silence Grenade) Sleep Attack (3x Sleeping Powder) Sleep Buster (10x Sleeping Powder) Slow (4x Silver Hourglass) Slowga (8x Gold Hourglass) Thundaga (4x Lightning Gem) Thundara (2x Lightning Marble) Thunder (1x Electro Marble) Triple Foul (4x Skill Sphere) Ultima (99x Supreme Gem) Water (1x Fish Scale) Watera (2x Dragon Scale) Waterga (4x Water Gem) Zombie Attack (99x Holy Water) Attributes of aeons are linked to the attributes of the summoner. As Yuna levels up normally and her stats increase, her aeons' stats will also increase. You can also increase aeons' stats 'manually', however, using incredible numbers of Spheres (Mana, Speed, Power and Fortune) once you have the Aeon's Soul. Spheres required to increase aeon's attributes: HP (Power Sphere) 100 Increase = (Max HP/50) spheres needed MP (Mana Sphere) 10 Increase = (Max MP/10) spheres needed STR (Power Sphere) 1 Increase = (Str/2) spheres needed DEF (Power Sphere) 1 Increase = (Def/2) spheres needed MAG (Mana Sphere) 1 Increase = (Mag/2) spheres needed MDF (Mana Sphere) 1 Increase = (MDf/2) spheres needed AGL (Speed Sphere) 1 Increase = (Agl/2) spheres needed LUK (Fortune Sphere) 1 Increase = (Luk/2) spheres needed EVA (Speed Sphere) 1 Increase = (Eva/2) spheres needed ACC (Speed Sphere) 1 Increase = (Acc/2) spheres needed There are a total of eight aeons in FFX. Five are compulsory, you have to get them on your trip through the game. Three are hidden, and require completing side quests to obtain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Valefor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Besaid Cloister of Trials Base Stats: HP: 725 MP: 24 STR: 18 DEF: 23 MAG: 21 MDF: 23 AGL: 10 LUK: 17 EVA: 19 ACC: 11 Abilities: Fire, Water, Blizzard, Thunder Special Attack: Sonic Wings - inflicts physical damage and Delay status on one opponent. Overdrives: Valefor is the only aeon with two overdrives. Energy Ray - the default overdrive. A ray of energy lines the ground and then explodes, causing massive physical damage on all enemies. Energy Blast - obtainable from the girl with the dog in Besaid, after returning in the airship. Valefor will probably be your weakest aeon over the course of the game. It can break the damage limit (ie. do over 9999 damage) only when Yuna's Nirvana is powered up with the Moon Crest. It's also one of the two compulsory aeons without an elemental affinity, which can prove to be a downside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ifrit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Kilika Cloister of Trials Base Stats: HP: 857 MP: 23 STR: 19 DEF: 29 MAG: 21 MDF: 21 AGL: 9 LUK: 17 EVA: 10 ACC: 11 Abilities: NulBlaze, NulFrost, Fire Special Attack: Meteor Strike - inflicts special-type physical damage to one opponent. Overdrive: Hellfire - Ifrit throws the piece of ground with your enemies on it, high into the air, then throws another piece of fiery earth at them, causing them to fall to the ground and dealing massive fire-based damage. Ifrit is better than Valefor, but not by a lot. He can break the damage limit (ie. do over 9999 damage) only when Wakka's World Champion is powered up with the Sun Crest. Being a fire aeon, using Fire spells on him will cure him, which can be a big bonus, and saves you teaching him curative spells. In the early parts of the game, he is more powerful than Valefor, so use him when you need added oomph. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ixion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Djose Cloister of Trials Base Stats: HP: 891 MP: 25 STR: 20 DEF: 26 MAG: 20 MDF: 29 AGL: 8 LUK: 17 EVA: 11 ACC: 12 Abilities: NulSpark, NulTide, Thunder, Thundara Special Attack: Aerospark - deals out lightning-elemental damage as well as using Dispel on one opponent. Overdrive: Thor's Hammer - Ixion charges up a massive thunder- elemental attack, using his horn, and then dishes it out for a quick 9999 (or more) damage. Ixion is better than Ifrit, again. You can cure him up well using his own Thundara spells on him, which works in tough situations. He can break the damage limit (ie. do more than 9999 damage) when Kimahri's Spirit Lance is powered up with the Saturn Crest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shiva ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Macalania Cloister of Trials Base Stats: HP: 820 MP: 26 STR: 19 DEF: 17 MAG: 23 MDF: 24 AGL: 14 LUK: 17 EVA: 32 ACC: 11 Abilities: NulBlaze, NulFrost, Blizzard, Blizzara Special Attack: Heavenly Strike - deals out a swift kick for damage and Delay, on one opponent. Overdrive: Diamond Dust - Shiva creates waves of ice around the room, and with a snap of her fingers, shatters them all including your frozen enemies for massive ice-based damage. Shiva's main advantages are her high agility and high evasion, and she works best in the very first battle you can use her in (against Seymour in Macalania.) She will take turns fast, and use them to cure often because of her low HP. She can use Blizzara to cure herself, which works as a bonus, and she can exceed the damage limit (ie. do more than 9999 damage) when Lulu's Onion Knight has been powered up with the Venus Crest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bahamut ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Bevelle Cloister of Trials Base Stats: HP: 1210 MP: 35 STR: 23 DEF: 27 MAG: 18 MDF: 28 AGL: 10 LUK: 17 EVA: 20 ACC: 11 Abilities: Fire, Thunder, Water, Blizzard, Fira, Thundara, Watera, Blizzara, Firaga, Thundaga, Waterga, Blizzaga Special Attack: Impulse - Hits all enemies for physical damage. Overdrive: Mega-Flare - BYE BYE BAD GUYS, this one is a massive non- elemental flame (go figure) that will decimate your entire enemy party. Bahamut is the second compulsory aeon without an elemental affinity, but with this big brute, who cares? He's slow, but when he hits, he hits HARD. He can withstand a lot, with high HP, and breaks the damage limit (ie. does more than 9999 damage) by default. Seriously, the best compulsory aeon you can get, by far, and better even than some of the secret ones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yojimbo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Cavern of the Stolen Fayth (see side quests) Base Stats: HP: 1030 MP: 0 STR: 29 DEF: 25 MAG: 16 MDF: 23 AGL: 9 LUK: 17 EVA: 59 ACC: 19 Abilities: none Special Attack: Yojimbo has four. Daigoro - Yojimbo's dog attacks one enemy for small damage. Wazikashi - depending on how much Yojimbo likes you, he'll deal out moderate damage to one or all enemies. Kozuka - Large physical damage to one enemy. Zanmato - instant death to ALL enemies. No creature is immune. Overdrive: none If it wasn't for Zanmato, Yojimbo would be the worst supreme being in existence. He's a bodyguard for hire, and how much you pay him on each turn will decide the attack he performs. You pay him a lot, and summon him often, and there's a small chance he will perform Zanmato. Of course, Zanmato is the ultimate move. But is it worth shelling out the gil to get it? Yojimbo can break the damage limit (ie. do more than 9999 damage) when you power up Auron's Masamune with the Mars Crest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anima ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Baaj Temple (see side quests) Base Stats: HP: 1410 MP: 45 STR: 33 DEF: 26 MAG: 22 MDF: 23 AGL: 9 LUK: 17 EVA: 20 ACC: 11 Abilities: Sleep Attack, Silence Attack, Dark Attack, Sleep Buster, Silence Buster, Dark Buster, Zombie Attack, Fire, Thunder, Water, Blizzard, Fira, Thundara, Watera, Blizzara, Firaga, Thundaga, Waterga, Blizzaga, Bio, Death Special Attack: Pain - deals out large physical damage and inflicts Death upon one enemy Overdrive: Oblivion - the ultimate Overdrive. In the US version, the dark soul of Anima hits once for large special type damage. If you're playing PAL, she will hit 16 times. (Whoa! At max stats... 16 x 99,999.... you do the math...) The single most powerful aeon. She is Seymour's aeon, but she becomes yours. Her Pain attack will kill any non-Deathproofed creature, and her Oblivion is the most powerful attack you will have. Her weakness is her agility, but if you boost that up, she can become unstoppable. She can break the damage limit (do more than 9999 damage) by default. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magus Sisters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtained: Remiem Temple (see side quests) Base Stats: Mindy: HP: 1237 MP: 58 STR: 23 DEF: 24 MAG: 28 MDF: 28 AGL: 12 LUK: 17 EVA: 23 ACC: 12 Sandy: HP: 1790 MP: 35 STR: 35 DEF: 42 MAG: 26 MDF: 28 AGL: 10 LUK: 17 EVA: 17 ACC: 13 Cindy: HP: 2190 MP: 46 STR: 28 DEF: 32 MAG: 21 MDF: 28 AGL: 10 LUK: 17 EVA: 20 ACC: 11 Abilities: none Special Attack: Mindy - Passado - 15 powerful hits to one enemy Sandy - Razzia - a single powerful hit to one enemy Cindy - Camisade - a single powerful slam on one enemy Overdrive: Delta Attack - when all three Magus Sisters are at Overdrive, use Delta Attack for a very cool (but long) scene, and 6 hits dealing out MAJOR special-type damage. A book could be written on these three unpredictable sisters. They do not have normal commands like normal aeons, but rather obscure commands like "Go, go!", "Fight!", "Do as you will.", "One more time!" and the like. Each command has different actions - Defence could mean the casting of Shell, Protect, or Life for example. Fight and One More Time are most likely to bring up the special attacks, some of the most powerful weapons you have. And these sisters are lazy - if they don't wanna attack, they'll take a break and waste a turn. For their craziness, they're powerful, very powerful, and if you can utilize them well you can slice and dice powerful enemies with ease. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 12.0 STANDARD RPG LISTS =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- You all know how this section works. All the important (and repetitive) lists and stuff. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.1 White Magic ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Yuna is our one dedicated white mage in this game, so she will learn the majority of these spells. Some other characters have basic white magic spells on their paths, so they will learn them too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Life ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 97 MP Description: Automatically revives an ally the next time he is KO'd. The target will instantly awaken from KO with a small amount of HP. Effective only once per casting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cura ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 10 MP Description: Restores a substantial amount of the target's HP. The caster's magic attribute influences the strength of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Curaga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 20 MP Description: Restores a massive amount of the target's HP. The caster's magic attribute influences the strength of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cure ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 4 MP Description: Restores a small amount of the target's HP. The caster's magic attribute influences the strength of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dispel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 12 MP Description: Negates any spell effects that are currently active on the target, such as Shell, Protect, Haste and Reflect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Esuna ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 5 MP Description: Cures the target's status ailments. Removes poison, darkness, silence, sleep, petrification, confusion, berserk, and slow. Ineffective against zombie, curse, doom, and KO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haste ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 8 MP Description: Accelerates the target so that his turns in battle come up sooner than normal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hastega ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 20 MP Description: Accelerates the entire party so that all member's turns in battle come up sooner than normal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Full-Life ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 60 MP Description: Revives a KO'ed ally and restores his HP to maximum. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Holy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 85 MP Description: Deals holy damage to the target. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Life ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 18 MP Description: Revives a KO'ed ally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NulBlaze ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 2 MP Description: Grants each party member immunity from one fire attack. Nullifies fire-based physical attacks as well as spells like Fira. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NulFrost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 2 MP Description: Grants each party member immunity from one ice attack. Nullifies ice-based physical attacks as well as spells like Blizzara. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NulSpark ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 2 MP Description: Grants each party member immunity from one lightning attack. Nullifies lightning-based physical attacks as well as spells like Thundara. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NulTide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 2 MP Description: Grants each party member immunity from one water attack. Nullifies water-based physical attacks as well as spells like Watera. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 12 MP Description: Protects the target from physical attacks by increasing his defence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reflect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 14 MP Description: Bounces spells cast at the target towards the enemy. Deflects both damaging and healing spells alike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Regen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 40 MP Description: Gradually restores the target's HP for a time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 1 MP Description: Displays key information about the target, such as its HP, attributes, immunities, weaknesses, and methods of attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 10 MP Description: Helps the target better withstand magic attacks by raising his magic defence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slow ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 12 MP Description: Slows the target down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slowga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 20 MP Description: Slows all enemies down. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.2 Black Magic ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Lulu is our one dedicated black mage in this game, so she will learn the majority of these spells. While most are on Lulu's path only, a few are scattered around the grid for other characters to enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bio ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 10 MP Description: Poisons the target, which drains HP from it after every turn it takes in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blizzaga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 16 MP Description: Deals a massive amount of ice damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blizzara ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 8 MP Description: Deals an impressive amount of ice damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blizzard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 4 MP Description: Deals a relatively small amount of ice damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Death ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 20 MP Description: Can instantly KO the target. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Demi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 32 MP Description: Reduces the current HP of all enemies by 1/4. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drain ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 12 MP Description: Transfers HP from the target to the caster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fira ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 8 MP Description: Deals an impressive amount of fire damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the strength of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Firaga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 16 MP Description: Deals a massive amount of fire damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fire ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 4 MP Description: Deals a relatively small amount of fire damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 54 MP Description: Deals non-elemental magic to the target. Works well on enemies that resist or absorb certain elements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Osmose ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: n/a Description: Transfers MP from the target to the caster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thundaga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 16 MP Description: Deals a massive amount of lightning damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thundara ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 8 MP Description: Deals an impressive amount of lightning damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thunder ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 4 MP Description: Deals a relatively small amount of lightning damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ultima ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 90 MP Description: Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies. Useful against enemies that resist or absorb certain elements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 4 MP Description: Deals a relatively small amount of water damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watera ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 8 MP Description: Deals an impressive amount of water damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Waterga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cost: 16 MP Description: Deals a massive amount of water damage to the target. The caster's magic attribute influences the effect of this spell. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.3 Blue Magic ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Blue Magic is Kimahri's special skill, as a Ronso. Using the Lancet ability on certain enemies, Kimahri can learn their skills for his own personal use. Even though other characters can learn Lancet, no-one else can extract blue magic. These blue magics are used for Kimahri's Overdrive, Ronso Rage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aqua Breath ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Chimera, Yenke Ronso Description: Water damage to all enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bad Breath ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Marlboro, Great Marlboro Description: Inflicts Berserk, Confusion, Poison, Darkness, Silence, Petrification, and Curse (was there any I missed out?) on all enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Doom ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Ghost, Wraith, Biran Ronso Description: Casts Doom on one enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fire Breath ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Dual Horn, Valaha, Grendel, Yenke Ronso Description: Fire damage to all enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jump ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: n/a (already learned) Description: Non-elemental damage to one enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mighty Guard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Behemoth, Behemoth King, Biran Ronso Description: Casts Shell, Protect, and NulAll on your party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nova ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Nemesis, Omega Weapon Description: Non-elemental damage to all enemies (most powerful blue magic). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seed Cannon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Grat, Ragora, Sandragora Description: Non-elemental damage to one enemy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Self Destruct ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Bomb, Grenade, Puroboros, Biran Ronso Description: Sacrifices Kimahri to deal large non-elemental damage to one enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stone Breath ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Basilisk, Anacondaur, Yenke Ronso Description: Petrifies all enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thrust Kick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: YKT-11, YKT-63, Biran Ronso Description: Non-elemental damage to one enemy; will not eject an enemy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White Wind ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn From: Dark Flan, Spirit, Yenke Ronso Description: Heals your party for half of Kimahri's HP. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.4 Skills ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- These nodes are scattered around the grid, and each character will most likely learn several over the course of the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Armour Break ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 12 MP Description: Lowers the target's defence, leaving it vulnerable to greater physical damage. Also negates the target's armour, allowing non-piercing weapons to deal normal damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dark Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 5 MP Description: If successful, this ability inflicts darkness on the target for three turns, greatly reducing the accuracy of its physical attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dark Buster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 10 MP Description: Inflicts darkness on a target for one turn. Success is virtually guaranteed, unless the target has some form of resistance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Delay Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: 8 MP Description: Slightly delays the target's next turn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Delay Buster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: 18 MP Description: Greatly delays the target's next turn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extract Ability ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 1 MP Description: Adds Ability Distiller effect to attacks and skills. Like the item of the same name, this makes an enemy drop Ability Spheres. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extract Mana ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 1 MP Description: Adds Mana Distiller effect to attacks and skills. Like the item of the same name, this makes an enemy drop Mana Spheres. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extract Power ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 1 MP Description: Adds Power Distiller effect to attacks and skills. Like the item of the same name, this makes an enemy drop Power Spheres. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extract Speed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 1 MP Description: Adds Speed Distiller effect to attacks and skills. Like the item of the same name, this makes an enemy drop Speed Spheres. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Full Break ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 99 MP Description: Lowers the target's strength, defence, magic, and magic defence. Also negates armour. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Break ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 8 MP Description: Lowers the target's magic, thereby reducing the damage inflicted by its magic attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mental Break ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 12 MP Description: Lowers the target's magic defence, leaving it vulnerable to greater magic damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mug ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: 10 MP Description: Steal items from an enemy while simultaneously unleasing a physical attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nab Gil ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: 30 MP Description: Steal Gil from an enemy while simultaneously unleashing a physical attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Power Break ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 8 MP Description: Lowers the target's strength, thereby reducing damage inflicted by its physical attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quick Hit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: 36 MP Description: Strike a target quickly with reduced recovery time. The damage inflicted is no greater than that of a standard attack, but the character's next turn comes up much sooner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silence Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 5 MP Description: If successful, this ability inflicts silence on the target for three turns, preventing it from casting any spells. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silence Buster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 10 MP Description: Inflicts silence on a target for one turn. Success is virtually guaranteed, unless the target has some form of resistance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleep Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 5 MP Description: If successful, this ability puts the target to sleep until either three turns pass or it is hit by a physical attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleep Buster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 10 MP Description: Puts a target to sleep for one turn. Success is virtually guaranteed, unless the target has some form of resistance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Triple Foul ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: 24 MP Description: If successful, this ability inflicts silence, darkness and sleep status ailments on the target for three turns. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zombie Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron (surprisingly enough) Cost: 10 MP Description: Inflicts the target with zombie status, causing restarative items and spells to damage the target. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.5 Special ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- Similarly to skills, these are also located liberally around the grid. Some are semi-job-specific (ie. Yuna's Pray) but they can be learnt by any character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aim ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Wakka Cost: n/a Description: Raises the party's accuracy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bribe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: n/a Description: Pay off enemies in return for safe passage. Offer more Gil for a more favourable response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cheer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: n/a Description: Raises the party's strength and defence. Party members deal greater damage to enemies while sustaining less damage themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copycat ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: n/a (not on any character path) Cost: 28 MP Description: Mimic the action of the last ally to take a turn in battle, even if it requires an ability the character has not yet learned. Summoning and Overdrives cannot be copied. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Doublecast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Lulu Cost: n/a Description: Cast two black magic spells in a row. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Entrust ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron/Tidus Cost: 8 MP Description: Transfers a character's entire Overdrive charge to an ally's gauge, adding to his total. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: n/a Description: Aid the party's escape from battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Focus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Lulu Cost: n/a Description: Raises the party's magic and magic defence. Party members deal greater magical damage to enemies while sustaining less damage themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Guard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: n/a Description: Intercept physical attacks that are directed at any party member, and take damage in place of the intended target. Cannot intercept magic attacks or attacks that strike the entire party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jinx ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: n/a (not on any character path) Cost: n/a Description: Lowers all enemies' luck, thereby reducing their accuracy, evasion, and critical hit rate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lancet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Kimahri Cost: n/a Description: Transfers HP and MP from the target to the character. Kimahri can also use this ability to learn enemy skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luck ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: n/a Description: Raises the party's luck, thereby enhancing the party's accuracy, evasion, and critical hit rate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pilfer Gil ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: 20 MP Description: Steal Gil from an enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pray ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Yuna Cost: n/a Description: Restore some of the party's HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Provoke ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: 4 MP Description: Draws the target's attacks towards the character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quick Pockets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: 70 MP Description: Use an item quickly with reduced recovery time. The character's next turn comes up much sooner than when using items normally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reflex ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Tidus Cost: n/a Description: Raises the party's evasion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sentinel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: n/a Description: While maintaining a defensive stance, intercept physical attacks that are directed at any party member. Cannot intercept magic attacks or attacks that strike the entire party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spare Change ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: n/a Description: Attack by throwing Gil. The damage inflicted is proportional to the amount thrown. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: n/a Description: Steal items from an enemy. Also useful for destroying machina by dismantling their vital parts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Threaten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Auron Cost: 12 MP Description: Immobilises the target with fear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Use ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Learner: Rikku Cost: n/a Description: Use powerful offensive, defensive, or healing items in stock. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 12.6 Items ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- COMING SOON!! =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 13.0 CUSTOMIZATION (AUTO-ABILITIES) =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Let's face it, most of the weapons and armour you pick up are pretty boring. Apart from maybe one useful ability, they'll just have a couple of empty slots each. Empty slots are boring. Luckily, once we get our resident Al Bhed on our side, we can use her mad skillz to customize our armour and weapons to our liking. Each different auto-ability requires different amounts of different items to customize. To customize a weapon, enter the Customize section of the menu, and choose a weapon or a piece of armour from those listed in white. Those in grey are not customisable, either because they're un-powered-up celestial weapons or they have no free slots to customize. Once you've chosen, a list of possible auto-abilities will pop up. Again, only those in white are customisable. On the right you'll see the type of item needed to customize the ability, and the amount of the item you'll have pre- and post-customisation. To add it to the weapon/armour, just select the ability and confirm it. What follows is a list of all possible auto-abilities, how to customize them, and most importantly, what they do. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 13.1 Armour ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The descriptions of the abilities are taken straight from the Help section of the menu, of the game itself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Haste ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 80x Chocobo Wing Description: Accelerates the character by automatically casting Haste each battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Med ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Remedy Description: Makes the character automatically cure his own status ailments with the corresponding item, like Antidotes for poison and Eye Drops for Darkness. Characters will use Remedies if they lack the corresponding item. If no suitable items are in stock, nothing happens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Phoenix ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Mega Phoenix Description: Makes the character automatically revive KO'ed allies with Phoenix Downs. Only works when Phoenix Downs are in stock. Does not autmatically revive the user of this ability himself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Potion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Stamina Tablet Description: Makes the character automatically use healing items after losing more than half of his maximum HP. Characters use Potions first, then Hi-Potions, and finally X-Potions, until all restorative items are used up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Protect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 80x Light Curtain Description: Raises the character's defence by automatically casting Protect each battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Reflect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 40x Star Curtain Description: Deflects spells cast on the character by generating a constant Reflect effect in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Regen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 80x Healing Spring Description: Gradually restores the character's HP by casting Regen each battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auto-Shell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 80x Lunar Curtain Description: Raises the character's magic defence by automatically casting Shell each battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Berserk Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Hypello Potion Description: Helps prevent berserk. Berserk characters will attack enemies relentlessly until they are cured or KO'ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Berserkproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 32x Hypello Potion Description: Grants almost complete immunity to berserk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Break HP Limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Wings of Discovery Description: Allows the wearer to possibly have more than 9999 HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Break MP Limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Three Stars Description: Allows the wearer to possibly have more than 999 MP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confuse Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 16x Musk Description: Helps prevent confusion. Confuse characters will keep attacking allies until the confusion is cured or wears off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confuseproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 48x Musk Description: Grants almost complete immunity to confusion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Curseproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 12x Tetra Elemental Description: Grants almost complete immunity to curse. Cursed charactrers cannot use Overdrives, and their Overdrive gauges freezes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dark Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 40x Eye Drops Description: Helps prevent darkness. Characters afflicted with darkness are unable to strike enemies acccurately. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darkproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Smoke Bomb Description: Grants almost complete immunity to darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Death Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 15x Farplane Shadow Description: Helps prevent death. Death will instantly KO characters unless they're protected. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deathproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Farplane Wind Description: Grants almost complete immunity to death. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Defence +3% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Power Sphere Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by physical attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Defence +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Stamina Spring Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by physical attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Defence +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Special Sphere Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by physical attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Defence +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Blessed Gem Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by physical attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fire Eater ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Fire Gem Description: Converts fire damage to HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fire Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Bomb Fragment Description: Halves damage from fire attacks and magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fireproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Bomb Core Description: Grants immunity to fire damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HP +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 5x X-Potion Description: Increases the wearer's maximum HP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HP +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Soul Spring Description: Increases the wearer's maximum HP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HP +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 5x Elixir Description: Increases the wearer's maximum HP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HP +30% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Stamina Tonic Description: Increases the wearer's maximum HP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HP Stroll ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Stamina Tablet Description: Gradually restores the character's HP as he moves around. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ice Eater ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Ice Gem Description: Converts ice damage to HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ice Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Antarctic Wind Description: Halves damage from ice attacks amd magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Iceproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Arctic Wind Description: Grants immunity to ice damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lightning Eater ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Lightning Gem Description: Converts lightning damage to HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lightning Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Electro Marble Description: Halves damage from lightning attacks and magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lightningproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Lightning Marble Description: Grants immunity to lightning damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Defence +3% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Mana Sphere Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by magic attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Defence +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Mana Spring Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by magic attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Defence +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x White Magic Sphere Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by magic attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Defence +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Blessed Gem Description: Reduces the damage inflicted on the wielder by magic attacks. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Master Thief ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Pendulum Description: Allows the character to steal only rare items from enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MP +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 5x Ether Description: Increases the wearer's maximum MP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MP +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Soul Spring Description: Increases the wearer's maximum MP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MP +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 5x Elixir Description: Increases the wearer's maximum MP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MP +30% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Mana Tonic Description: Increases the wearer's maximum MP. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MP Stroll ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Mana Tablet Description: Gradually restores the character's MP as he moves around. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No Encounters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Purifying Salt Description: Prevents most random enemy encounters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pickpocket ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Amulet Description: Improves the character's chances of stealing rare items from enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Poison Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 40x Antidote Description: Helps prevent poison. A character afflicted with posion loses 1/4 of his maximum HP after each turn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Poisonproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 12x Poison Fang Description: Grants almost complete immunity to poison. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ribbon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 99x Dark Matter Description: Grants almost complete immunity to all status ailments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silence Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Echo Screen Description: Helps prevent silence. Silenced characters cannot cast spells. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silenceproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Silence Grenade Description: Grants almost complete immunity to silence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleep Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 6x Sleeping Powder Description: Helps prevent sleep. Sleeping characters cannot act until awakened. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleepproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Dream Powder Description: Grants almost complete immunity to sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slow Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Silver Hourglass Description: Helps prevent slow. Slowed characters cannot act as often as usual. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slowproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Gold Hourglass Description: Grants almost complete immunity to slow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Haste ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Chocobo Feather Description: Accelerates the wearer by casting Haste whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS NulBlaze ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Bomb Core Description: Blocks fire damage by casting NulBlaze on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. Once cast, NulBlaze remains in effect until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS NulFrost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Arctic Wind Description: Blocks ice damage by casting NulFrost on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. Once cast, NulFrost remains in effect until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS NulSpark ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Lightning Marble Description: Blocks lightning damage by casting NulSpark on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. Once cast, NulSpark remains in effect until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS NulTide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Dragon Scale Description: Blocks water damage by casting NulTide on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. Once cast, NulTide remains in effect until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Protect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Light Curtain Description: Enhances defence by casting Protect on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Reflect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Star Curtain Description: Bounces spells away from the wearer by casting Reflect whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Regen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 12x Healing Spring Description: Gradually restores the wearer's HP by casting Regen whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Shell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Lunar Curtain Description: Enhances magic defence by casting Shell on the wearer whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wearer's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stone Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Soft Description: Helps prevent petrification. Petrified characters cannot act until the battle ends or the petrification is cured. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stoneproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Petrify Grenade Description: Grants almost complete immunity to petrification. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water Eater ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Water Gem Description: Converts water damage to HP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Fish Scale Description: Halves damage from water attacks and magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Waterproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 8x Dragon Scale Description: Grants immunity to water damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zombie Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Holy Water Description: Helps prevent zombification. Zombified characters take damage from healing spells and items. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zombieproof ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Candle of Life Description: Grants almost complete immunity to zombification. ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- 13.2 Weapons ---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=-- The descriptions of the abilities are taken straight from the Help section of the menu, of the game itself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alchemy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Healing Water Description: Doubles the amount of HP and MP that healing items restore. Works well with Auto-Potion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Break Damage Limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Dark Matter Description: Allows the wielder to deal out more than 9999 damage with either physical or magic attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Capture ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: n/a (not customisable) Description: Allows the wielder to capture fiends for the Monster Arena. The wielder must have the finishing blow for this to occur. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Counter-Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Friend Sphere Description: Makes the character automatically retaliate whenever he is physically attacked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darkstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Smoke Bomb Description: Almost always adds darkness to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darktouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Eye Drops Description: Sometimes adds darkness to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deathstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Farplane Wind Description: Almost always adds death to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deathtouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Farplane Shadow Description: Sometimes adds death to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distil Ability ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Ability Sphere Description: Adds Ability Distiller effect to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distil Mana ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Mana Sphere Description: Adds Mana Distiller effect to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distil Power ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Power Sphere Description: Adds Power Distiller effect to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distil Speed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Speed Sphere Description: Adds Speed Distiller effect to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Double AP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Megalixir Description: Doubles the amount of AP earned for each enemy defeated while the wielder is present in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Double Overdrive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Underdog's Secret Description: Makes the character's Overdrive gauge charge at double the normal speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Evade and Counter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Teleport Sphere Description: Makes the character automatically evade physical attacks wherever possible, and then retaliate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Firestrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Bomb Fragment Description: Adds fire element to attack and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Strike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Return Sphere Description: Lets the wielder act first at the beginning of a battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gillionaire ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Designer Wallet Description: Doubles the amount of Gil recieved after each battle. Only works if a character with this ability has participated in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Half MP Cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Twin Stars Description: Reduces the MP cost of all abilities by half. Effective only during battles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Icestrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Antarctic Wind Description: Adds ice element to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Initiative ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 6x Chocobo Feather Description: Increases the probability of pre-emptive strikes and lowers the probability of being ambushed if wielded by one of the three characters on the front line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lightningstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Electro Marble Description: Adds lightning element to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic +3% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Mana Sphere Description: Increases the effectiveness of both black and white magic. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Mana Spring Description: Increases the effectiveness of both black and white magic. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Black Magic Sphere Description: Increases the effectiveness of both black and white magic. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Supreme Gem Description: Increases the effectiveness of both black and white magic. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Booster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Turbo Ether Description: Increases the effectiveness of all black and white magic by spending more MP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Counter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 16x Shining Gem Description: Makes the character automatically retaliate whenever he is attacked with magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No AP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: n/a (not customisable) Description: Recieve no AP after battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No Encounters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Purifying Salt Description: Prevents most random enemy encounters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One MP Cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Three Stars Description: Reduces the MP cost of all abilities to one. Effective only during battles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overdrive -> AP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Door to Tomorrow Description: Suppresses the Overdrive gauge in exchange for more AP. Although the Overdrive gauge stops charging, Overdrives are still usable if the gauge happens to be full. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Piercing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Lvl 2 Key Sphere Description: Allows the wielder to damage armoured enemies normally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Poisonstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 24x Poison Fang Description: Almost always adds poison to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Poisontouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 99x Antidote Description: Sometimes adds poison to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sensor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Ability Sphere Description: Displays data about the character's current target, such as HP, elemental affinities, status ailments, and immunities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silencestrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Silence Grenade Description: Almost always adds silence to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silencetouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Echo Screen Description: Sometimes adds silence to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleepstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 16x Dream Powder Description: Almost always adds sleep to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleeptouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Sleeping Powder Description: Sometimes adds sleep to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slowstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Gold Hourglass Description: Almost always adds slow to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slowtouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 16x Silver Hourglass Description: Sometimes adds slow to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOS Overdrive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 20x Gambler's Spirit Description: Doubles the charge rate of the wielder's overdrive gauge whenever his or her HP falls below half. The effect lasts until the wielder's HP climbs above half again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stonestrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 60x Petrify Grenade Description: Almost always adds petrification to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stonetouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 10x Petrify Grenade Description: Sometimes adds petrification to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strength +3% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 3x Power Sphere Description: Increases the damage output of physical attacks by 3%. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strength +5% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 2x Stamina Spring Description: Increases the damage output of physical attacks by 5%. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strength +10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 1x Skill Sphere Description: Increases the damage output of physical attacks by 10%. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strength +20% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Supreme Gem Description: Increases the damage output of physical attacks by 20%. The benefits are cumulative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Triple AP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 50x Wings of Discovery Description: Triples the amount of AP earned for each enemy defeated while the wielder is present in battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Triple Overdrive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Winning Formula Description: Makes the character's Overdrive gauge charge at triple the normal speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Waterstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 4x Fish Scale Description: Adds water element to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zombiestrike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 30x Candle of Life Description: Almost always adds zombie to attacks and skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zombietouch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Requires: 70x Holy Water Description: Sometimes adds zombie to attacks and skills. =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- 14.0 CLOSING =-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=- Yeeeeeeeeeehaw! That's it, the end of this hopefully-pretty-good guide (I'll let you be the judge on whether it's actually any good or not). I had a ball writing it, and I hope it's proven useful to you. If not, feel free to e-mail me and tell me why it wasn't useful, what I could do to improve, etc. My e-mail's at the bottom of the document. Note: You blatantly flame me without backing up your arguments, and I will proceed to flame you back. And I can be a real nasty piece of business sometimes, just ask my boyfriend! A thanks list has to go in here too. There were a number of people who helped me not just in this guide, but in the game itself, and life in general, and they deserve to see their names in lights here: -> Steve McFadden aka the Psycho Penguin You know exactly why. Thank you for supporting me and sticking by me through thick and thin, and writing a guide for this game that is better than mine will ever be ^_^ -> The GameFAQs FFX board You guys have helped me out more than you know. Guys like rake handle weilder, jobber, Chris (Masamune3), Theoden (especially), although you guys prolly have no clues who I am, you've helped me out this game immeasurably. Thank you. -> The Piggyback FFX Official Strategy Guide Hey, this thing helped me with stats in a LOT of areas, particularly the bestiary. Plus, they just topped off my FFX experience by including a map of the Expert Sphere Grid. Holla! -> The guys at EB Melbourne Central For giving me a great deal on the Piggyback strategy guide. According to Steve, I batted my eyelashes at them and they gave me the guide for half price. According to me, I haggled well and they're just really nice guys. -> Stephen Dobson For getting me hooked on Final Fantasy and video games in general >_< I still remember lazing around your place for days on end just after this game was released, watching you and helping you play through it for the first time. You started this madness, Dobbo!!!!!! -> CJayC For creating the best video games site on the internet, bar none. GameFAQs is my home away from home, I swear. -> Squaresoft For creating the best video games ever, in both the Final Fantasy series, and the Parasite Eve series. May there be many more in each series to come ^_^ I'm going to shut up now. Really. Like, however many pages and KB later, I'm spent. Feel free to check out some of my other guides: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/22431.html And thats all from me. Peace out! , _ /| / | | |__/ __, ,_ _ __, | | | \ / | / | |/ \_/ | |/ \ | \_/\_/|_/ |_/|__/ \_/|_/| |_/ /| \| --- Rebecca Skinner AKA Karpah --- --- traybaby@gmail.com ---