Final Fantasy 1 Walkthrough With Dagger

[Dagger Dias]

WORLD MAP (TO THE GURGU VOLCANO)
My Level: 22

Alright, no more avoiding this. Now that you have gotten the upgrade to the prestige classes, purchased some of the best gear available, and a few more spells.... It's time to do my least favorite event in this game. The Gurgu Volcano. It will be significantly easier if you have followed along with me. If you went with the game's somewhat recommended path and done this quest before the Ice Cave then you are in for a world of frustration. Without the prestige class upgrade and better gear from Gaia, this is THE hardest event in the game. Nothing else comes close.

If you have the airship, fly west of Crescent. Simple enough. If you don't, this will be a little trickier. Use the canoe to go through the rivers. From Crescent go south into the river, then follow the crescent shape of the river, then go left, up, and left. Now go west at the first fork. Follow that path until there is another fork, go north. At the next fork, go to the right to find another, go left here. Another fork soon follows, go left. And you're here. Now go into the volcano. It's much less annoying to just fly there if you have the airship.



GURGU VOLCANO
My Level: 22

It looks like a red version of the Ice Cave, complete with damage floors. The lighter colored tiles are meant to be lava. You take 1 Health Point of damage each time you step on one. It may not seem like much but it adds up FAST since you also have monster encounters to worry about. In other words do NOT walk on those lava tiles unless you have to. Make your way to the upper left corner of this circular first room. You'll have to go across some lava.

This next room has a shorter path at the bottom but there are several lava tiles and you could lose a lot of Health Points walking across those. Go into the maze in the large room in front of you first to get some treasures. Most of the chests in here are guarded by Fire elementals. Remember the Earth elementals from the Earth Cave? These guys are just like them only Fire instead of Earth for their element. The first chest you can get to has a Silver Helmet, you won't need it. The chest south of you has 1520 gil. Go north of where the Silver Helmet was. The path splits in two with narrow smaller mazes going left and right. The left mini maze has a chest with a Giant Sword. The one on the right has 4150 gil. Now go north and to the left. Approach the two chests next to each other through another mini maze to the south. They have a total of 1545 gil. South of this are 12 treasure chests! Their treasures include Silver Gauntlets, another Silver Helmet, a Cabin, 2 Heal Potions, 6710 gil, a Pure Potion, a Silver Axe, and a Silver Shield. Make your way back up the path but turn right to find a path that leads down to a door. Go through that door to be back in the lava path by the stairs. You have no choice but to go through the lava, to the stairs at the far left.

You're in a hallway-like room with more laval tiles spread out across regular floor. Go right, you have to step on four consecutive lava tiles to do this, and then make your way to the stairs at the right. Try to plan your path in here to avoid as many of the lava tiles as you can. The next room sucks. Lots of lava in here. Start at the lower left corner of the platform your on. Go directly south through some lava to find more regular floor. From this platform go to the lower right corner of it and head south through more lava to the next platform. Head straight east to the next platform. Now, go to the lower right corner of this platform to be lined up with the stairs and head straight east through more lava to get to the stairs. Heal up with potions if you have enough to spare after this!

More lava in here.... Not as bad as the last room though. Go south, then left, south, left in that order to get through the right chambers to find the next stairway. Like in the last room you will want to try to plan your path to avoid as many lava tiles as you can. You'll need to step on several in here unfortunately. The next area has treasure rooms. Some of the chests are guarded by Grey Worms. The first room you come across has a Soft Potion and 2750 gil. The next treasure room has 1760 gil. The treasure room to the far left has a Pure Potion, 8220 gil, a Flame Shield, and an Ice Sword. Southeast is a treasure room with 165 gil. East of that is a treasure room with 2000 gil, a House, and an oddly empty chest. There is one last treasure room in this part of the volcano and it is south of you. In there is a Wooden Staff and 1250 gil. Go down the stairway south of you to get to the last chamber of the volcano.

You're in the middle of a path leading to 8 different rooms. The only ones that have anything in them are the middle left and lower left. The middle left has an optional boss, the Red Dragon, guarding a chest. The lower left has Kary the fiend of Fire. Go after the easier of the two first which is the dragon. You also do not have to fight him so that is worth noting too. Defeat him to get a Flame Armor. Give the Flame Armor you just got to either your Knight or Ninja. If you have not already then also give the Flame Shield to either of those two classes as well as the Ice Armor and Ice Shield if you have those. Now go to the room south of you in the lower left corner of the chamber to battle the main boss of this area, Kary the fiend of Fire. She is my least favorite boss in the game. Make sure everyone is maxed out for their Health Points. After this extremely tough boss step on the warp tile to get back outside, the fire crystal will be lit!

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Red Dragon

An optional boss in the Gurgu Volcano's final chamber. Luckily he is much easier than the other boss, Kary Of Fire. The dragon only has 248 Health but he has a highly dangerous Blaze attack that does fire damage to everyone. Have your White Wizard cast AFir or use the Heal Staff as an item if you have it. If you have a Black Wizard have him cast Blizzara or evenm Blizzaga if you have it. Red Wizards should do the same. All Knights, Ninjas, and Masters should just attack normally and it should end after a couple of rounds. If you do not have the prestige classes yet then have the Red Mage assist in whatever capacity he can by casting Blizzara or healing the party. The rest should use the same strategy whether in basic classes or prestige classes.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Kary

This is my least favorite boss in the game. If you had not gotten the prestige class upgrade as well as the new spells and new gear available afterwards, then this is a brutally difficult battle. Have your White Wizard (or White Mage if still in basic classes) cast Afir IMMEDIATELY! After that she should be using the Heal Staff as an item if you have it, otherwise have her ready to heal whoever needs it the most each round. Have your Ninjas cast Fast and Temper on your best attacker which may be the Ninja himself if you do not have a Knight. Thieves should be attacking if you are still in basic classes. Have your Knights/Fighters attacking normally every single turn. Black Mages/Wizards should cast Fast and Temper on your best attacker and then cast Blizzara or Blizzaga if you have it. Black Belts (or Masters) should be attacking. The Red Wizards/Mages are your backup in whatever capacity they are needed whether it be healing or fighting. Kary has some dangerous attacks, most notably a strong Fira spell. This is a tough fight no matter what you do, but it might not be as bad overall as Lich was, as long as you're prepared. Without the upgrades it's an absolute nightmare. Why the game encourages you to do this quest before the prestige classes is beyond me. She has 600 Health in the original NES version, so your main attacker powered up by Fast and Temper will help immensely. Good luck.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

GAIA
My Level: 22

Alright, you may have already been here after getting the airship if you were following along with me.... Now we are going back here again in order to continue the next quest. Make sure you buy the defensive gear upgrades at the Armor Shop here if you did not previously. Also buy the Catclaw at the Weapon Shop for your Black Wizard if you did not do so before. Next up is the Magic Shops. There are four shops and the first two are by the town entrance. Get Ice 3 for Red Wizards and Black Wizards. Get Cure 4 for White Wizards, you can also get Harm 4 which could help against a number of undead enemies in the Sunken Shrine. There are two other shops, follow the path past the weapon shop and then go to the right behind the trees to find the other two Magic Shops north of the two by the entrance. They teach level 8 spells. You will not be able to use these just yet. If you can afford it go ahead and get Fade for your White Wizard. It is her ultimate spell and one that does a lot of damage.

Make sure to talk to every townsperson here. They give some hints on what you will be doing for the remaining quests. Or you could just follow along with me in these posts. There is a witch here and she tells you that brooms talk backwards. This would have been a good hint in figuring out what Matoya's brooms were talking about when they said "tceles b hsup", if we did not already know by now. There is a spring in the back of town. We'll be back here once again, we have to find the fairy who lives at the spring.

 

[Dagger Dias]

SAVING THE FAIRY
My Level: 22

Alright so before we can proceed we need to save a fairy. The townspeople in Onrac (which we will soon be going to) and Gaia gave some hints about this. Fly the airship to the continent in the northwest corner of the world map. It is west of the islands Bahamut was at. Land south of where the river stops at the forested area, since you can only land on normal grass fields. Now go north through the desert and past the forest and into the smaller desert next to that, it is an oasis. Inside a merchant is selling an expensive bottle. You need to buy this in order to continue the game so just do it. Go to your menu screen and use the bottle to set the fairy free. The oasis caravan now no longer exists in this version.

Return to Gaia. The fairy will be at the spring at the back of town. She gives you Oxyale which will let you breathe underwater. That might come in handy when you go searching for the Water Fiend.... In fact, that's the next quest!



ONRAC
My Level: 24

To get to Onrac go like you are going back to the desert oasis caravan. Follow the river in your canoe to the right then north and you will see the town. Get off the canoe and enter the town. This is the only way to get there since you cannot reach the town by ship and also cannot land the airship closer. The townspeople give a few hints if you did not know what to do next, some say things that would have helped you find the fairy at the caravan if you had not been there yet. Others say silly things like the witch who acknowledges that you have legs. What a weird thing to say. I wonder if the developers were running out of things for townspeople to say at this point.

At the Black Magic Shop you can buy the remaining two level 7 spells Saber and Blind. Neither are useful so don't waste any of your money here. The White Magic Shop has better options in the remaining two white spells. Heal 3 would come in handy so buy that if you can afford it. The scholar by the inn gives an important hint, be sure to get the slab to some guy named Dr Unne. He's in Melmond and you might remember him if you had talked to everyone there. There's a dragon by the south exit of town! If you healed up to maximum health before talking to him, expecting a fight, you will be disappointed to find out he is nice and really no different from the dragons at the Cardia Isles. In fact, he is one of them. If you have gotten the prestige class upgrade he is able to notice that. Go to the southeast corner of town through a path in between the trees to find a lady by a submarine. Talk to her after having gotten the Oxyale from the fairy, she lets you use the submarine to go to the Sunken Shrine to save the Mermaids. It is where the Water Fiend is hiding also....

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Cur4

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 7

This spell is gone by the name Curaja in some other Final Fantasy games. Only the White Wizard can learn it in this game. It's the strongest of the "Cure" spells and a valuable addition to your White Wizard's list of spells. Keep in mind that not even the basic White Mage can learn it. Make sure to complete the class change quest if your party has a White Mage. That way she can use this spell.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Hrm4

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 7

Another one that only the White Wizard can learn. It's the strongest of the "Harm" spells and could be useful in the Sunken Shrine though you'd really want to conserve the level 7 spell slots for Curaja instead. It's worth picking up for your White Wizard if you want to take out undead enemies faster.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Arub

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 7

This is the least useful level 7 White Magic spell. Of all the spells they could have given proficiency to the Red Wizard on, they give him this one!? Get it for the Red Wizard if you want, since this is as far as he gets with White Magic. I never use it. Skip it for the White Wizard due to her having better options.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Hel3

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 7

For the basic White Mage, this is her ultimate spell. It's almost as strong as Curaga in terms of how much Health it can restore back to the full party. Make sure that your White Mage has this! The White Wizard can use it too, obviously.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Ice3

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 7

You are probably more familiar with this spell's other name, Blizzaga, from other Final Fantasy games. It is similar to Firaga only stronger and ice elemental instead of fire. It is the Red Wizard's ultimate spell so make sure he gets it if you have gone through the class change quest. This is as far as he gets in terms of Black Magic. You will want to ensure that your Black Mage has this spell too. There is only one spell he has access to that is more powerful than this one. Trivial note, the casting animation is green for some strange reason. I always found that odd. You would think it would be a different shade of blue than the lower tier Ice spells, not green.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Brak

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 7

Another spell stuck with an odd name due to limitations of only having 4 letters to a spell name. It's supposed to be "Break". It's another useless "instant death" attempt. I hate these types of spells. Only the Black Wizard can learn it. Skip it.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Sabr

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 7

Another that only the Black Wizard can learn. Not even the basic Black Mage is able to use it. The name is supposed to be "Sabre". It's kind of like "Temper" but not as useful. You would want to conserve level 7 spell slots for Blizzaga instead. If you want it then go ahead and get it for your Black Wizard. I really don't use it. Still better than "Brak" at least.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Blnd

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 7

The name is supposed to be "Blind". It lowers the rate of an enemy target of having a successful regular attack. This spell has been in a number of other Final Fantasy games though it rarely ever gets treated as a top tier spell like it is here. This should have been way lower than a level 7 spell. Get it if you want, it's nowhere near as useful as Blizzaga but better than "Brak". This far into the game it's not needed.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SUNKEN SHRINE - UPPER FLOORS
My Level: 25

To access this monster lair you need to have the Oxyale and enter the submarine in Onrac. You will be taken very far down underwater. There's a short creepy cut-scene in the PSX version depicting the party going down into the shrine. That scene does not exist in the NES version. You just go straight to the shrine when you "walk into" the submarine. This place has the same music as the Temple Of Fiends. Random. There's two routes in this shrine. One that leads down into the basement where the Water fiend is hiding. Another goes to mermaids. Let's go visit the mermaids first. From the entrance go north and then to the right when two paths open up from the central path. This takes you to a chest with 2000 gil. Now go back to the central path but keep going left, a little to the north of you will be another room. In here is a chest with 9900 gil. There are three other rooms in here but all of them end up being empty so ignore them. Also, ignore the stairs in the northwest corner for now. That leads down to where the Water fiend is hiding and we are not going to fight him just yet. Head to the northeast part of the room and go up the stairs.



ELEMENTAL TORNADOS INSTEAD OF ELEMENTAL MONSTERS?

The "Water" elemental enemies here are portrayed as little tornadoes instead of the big scary elemental monsters that the "Earth" and "Fire" elementals were. That was always really odd to me. The game ends up doing the same thing with the "Air" elementals that they did with the "Water" elementals. Why weren't all four monsterous elementals? A blue version for the "Water" enemies and then a purple or a green for the "Air" enemies would have been cool and expected. Instead we get two elemental beasts and two tornadoes. Weird.



In the next room you will find a chamber south of the stairway, it is empty so ignore it and keep walking. You find a larger chamber west of that, go inside through the door on the narrow part toward the top of the chamber and inside is a chest with 20 gil. Not much at all. Oh well. North of this chamber is another that has a chest with an Opal Armor. Give that to your Knight. Southwest of where the 20 gil was is another chamber that has a chest with a Light Axe. Give it to your Knight. If he had an Ice Sword then give that to either your Ninja or Red Wizard if they aren't already equipped with one. East of the Light Axe chamber is another with a chest that has a Mage Staff. While not that great of an attacking weapon it can cast Fira in battle when used as an item. Give it to your White Wizard or Black Wizard. Further east is yet another chamber that has a chest with 12350 gil. Go up the stairs.

You're in the mermaids' area now. Just north of you is a room with 9000 gil, 1760 gil, and an Opal Ring. The room two chambers north of that one has 2750 gil. The chamber east of that has 10010 gil. South of that is a chamber with 4150 gil. Two chambers south of that is a Pure potion. East of the pure potion is a chamber with an Opal Shield. Give that to your Knight. The chamber two spots north of that has 5000 gil. Now head to the northwest corner of the room and follow the path to find one last chamber. It looks like a different area but oddly enough the room looped and you're actually at the northeast corner of the same area you were in before. This last chamber has Opal Gauntlets for your Knight, an Opal Helmet for your Knight, and a Slab. Talk to all the mermaids in all the chambers for tips on what to do next. In case you did not figure it out.... Go fight the Water fiend! Return to the first floor and head for the stairs in the upper left corner.

 

[Dagger Dias]

SUNKEN SHRINE - LOWER FLOORS
My Level: 25

The first basement floor has a couple of chambers but each are empty so ignore them. Go down the stairs. You find yourself in a large chamber by the stairs. The two chests in here have 560 gil. There's lots of treasures in this next room. South of the stairs that got you to this room is a chamber with 15825 gil. West of that is a chamber guarded by Coctrices and Wizard Mummies. There are chests with 5835 gil and a Power Gauntlet that you likely won't need. North of that is a chamber with another Light Axe. If your Knight already has one then give it to your White Wizard to use as an item in battle against undead. Trust me, you will want this if you encounter the deadly Ghost enemies here. East of the Light Axe chamber is a chamber with four chests. They have 19990 gil and a Ribbon. Give the Ribbon to your White Wizard. Then go down the stairs.

This is the last room. Luckily it's easy to navigate. All the chambers in here are empty. Ignore them all except the large on in the northwest portion of the room. Go inside that one and find the exit, further north. Go out and then approach the chamber north of you. The Water fiend is in there so heal up to maximum Health Points before going in to battle him. If you want, you can go visit the mermaids again after defeating Kraken. Most of them say the same things again although a couple recognize that you have saved them. Make sure to grab the Slab if you did not before.

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Kraken

Kraken is in my opinion the easiest of the four fiends to defeat. By this point you have gotten the prestige class upgrade as well as all the better gear and better spells that you gain access to through that. If for whatever reason you STILL haven't gotten these upgrades, it could be tough. Start by casting Temper and Fast on your Knight (or a Ninja if you do not have a Knight) during the first round. A Black Wizard can do this if you do not have a Ninja. The Ninja can join in on the attacking after he has cast Fast and Temper. Your Knights or Masters should attack every single round. The White Wizard needs to be healing each round either with the Heal Staff item or by casting. Black Wizards if present should cast Thundaga. Have your Red Wizard assist either in the fighting or in the healing whichever need is larger. Oddly enough, Kraken does not unleash any water or ice spells on you. He likes to cast Thundaga, the very spell he is weak against! He also has a strong regular attack.
​

 

[Dagger Dias]

LEARNING LUFENIAN
My Level: 26

You will now need to learn how to speak Lufenian. Otherwise you will not be able to proceed further in the game. The final town, Lufenia, is inhabited by people who do not speak Common/English, whatever you want to call the main language that the humans speak. The only way to learn it is to speak to Dr Unne when you have the Slab. Townspeople in Gaia and Onrac give hints about this if you want to figure it out on your own. Or you could follow along with me. Go to Melmond after getting the Slab from the mermaids. You have to show the slab to Dr Unne. He is the scholar guy hanging out by the graves in Melmond. He teaches you Lufenian. Now you will be able to speak to the Lufenians.



MIRAGE TOWER (OPTIONAL FOR NOW)
My Level: 26

This is a monster lair that we will go to later on, but if you want, you can go look for it as soon as you get the airship. It is located in the middle of a desert southwest of Gaia. You wold have to land at the small bit of grassy fields south of Gaia that has an opening in the mountains going into the desert, then north to the tower. The thing is.... You cannot get inside. It is impossible to enter it without the Chime item that you get from one of the Lufenians. Go ahead and try. Interesting. You obviously do not have to do this. It's just something to point out that you literally can never get inside without the Chime even if you tried.

 

[Dagger Dias]

LUFENIA
My Level: 27

Lufenia (or Lefein as it was originally translated as) is located south of Gaia. You cannot land anywhere near the town unfortunately. There is a square of grassy fields west of the river/lake watery area in the forest. Land there then work your way southward to the town. Save first in case the monsters catch you off guard.


A TOWN OF WHITE WIZARDS....?

This is really interesting. While the town is not officially full of White Wizards it's really fun to walk around Lufenia with your White Wizard at the top of the formation (which displays her graphic in the field screen). You look like the Lufenians! Whether they are all gifted in White Magic or not, it makes exploring this town more fun.


WHERE'S CID?

In the remakes the "Cid" from FF1 is mentioned by the townspeople here. In the original there is no mention of him. The very first Cid in the series came in FF2, not surprisingly, as an airship expert. So, he was retconned in through the PSX remake. Just something trivial to note.


Make sure you talk to everyone. You will find out more about Tiamat of Wind the last of the four fiends, the Floating Castle, and a bit about the Lufenians as a people. One person mentions that their 5 bravest warriors went off to look for the source of the world's decay but got turned into bats. You've seen these bats before and met them long ago. We will go visit them later. Talk to the guy in the lower right corner of town and he gives you a Chime that can be used to enter the Mirage Tower. Almost done. Proceed to the northeast corner of town and walk out eastward through the trees to find a hidden magic shop. Two of the top spells for both spellbooks are sold here. Life 2 which ONLY White Wizards can use and Flare which ONLY Black Wizards can use.

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Stop

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 8

Only the Black Wizard can learn this, as we have reached the final spell level. By this time the developers must have been running out of ideas. Most of the advanced Black Magic spells suck and this one is no different. It attempts to stun the enemies. Hardly worth spending any money on. All level 8 spell slots should be conserved for Nuke. Skip this one.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: ZAP!

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 8

For a spell with a pretty cool sounding name, it unfortunately sucks. Just another stupid instant death attempt. I really don't know why they wasted so many advanced spell slots on these. Skip this spell and save room for more uses of the Nuke spell.

​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: XXXX

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 8

Here we go again. ANOTHER stupid instant death attempt. The somewhat enigmatic name made this one, much like "Zap!", sound cooler than it was. They both suck. In fact, XXXX, is worse than "Zap!" because they both essentially do the same thing whereas XXXX only works on one target. Only the Black Wizard can learn it. Avoid it completely. You'll never need it.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Nuke

Spellbook: Black Magic
Level: 8

Finally! A spell that only the Black Wizard can use that is NOT awful! While it's ultimately not worth going through the game with a Black Mage/Wizard just to get this spell when Fade is almost as strong, it's without question the ultimate ability for a Black Wizard. Do not proceed any further without this spell if you have a Black Wizard in your party. It does tons of damage to a whole enemy party.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Wall

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 8

This is a pretty good spell and only the White Wizard can learn it. When she casts this on an ally it will grant them protection against elemental attacks as well as higher resistance to status effects. The name in the original NES version might sound more like the spells that put up a barrier around a character, from other entries in the series. That is not the case. A pretty good spell, but not the best level 8 White Magic spell. Get if for your White Wizard if you want. She has plenty of great options to pick from in level 8 unlike the Black Wizard.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Xfer

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 8

The more common name for this spell in other games of the Final Fantasy series is "Dispel". Casting it will remove beneficial status effects. The name implies a transfer of some sorts. Nope. Just negating beneficial effects on a target. I typically do not use it but if you want it then go for it. There really are not any truly bad level 8 White Magic spells. Pick between this one or Wall since you will have to skip one of them in order to get both of the two better level 8 White Magic spells.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPELL SPOTLIGHT: Lif2

Spellbook: White Magic
Level: 8

The full name clearly is "Life 2" but the limitations on spell names shows up once more with this spell. The game makes it appear to be the ultimate White Wizard ability. I prefer Fade myself, though this is a great spell to add to your White Wizard's list. It does not work in battle so there is no casting animation. She can revive an unconscious ally outside of battle and it restores more than the basic "Life" spell did. You will want this spell!​