The town retains the "happy town" from the World Of Balance, it might be the only one in the second world that does. A random thing of note is the couple who are in the bushes in the northeast corner of town. They run out if you talk to them. The girl's line in particular is odd. "Oh....! That person!". Duncan's Wife tells you Duncan is still alive after all and is training by Narshe. She still has a save point in her basement. In the weapons and armor shop you can buy a number of the items you already had a chance to buy in Nikeah. You need to buy a Gold Lance for Edgar. If you can afford it, buy one to give to Mog too. Buy Diamond Armor for Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. Terra and Cyan can equip it too if you want to buy a set to hold onto for them.
In the rich guy's mansion the little boy still pretends he is a magitek soldier in magitek armor, he has been playing this game for the entire game. The girl who gave you the hint about winding the clock now tells you to jump on the turtle.
YOU'RE NOT A THIEF!!!! OR ARE YOU?
There's a guy in town with a normal sprite who says "We may be thieves but we have goals in life!".... You don't look like a thief at all to me, sir. Did the developers give this guy the wrong line? Or maybe the wrong sprite?
Edgar/Gerad is in the room in the right of the Inn. Talking to himself apparently. "Let's go help em.... Hang on a sec.... Are you people STILL here?". So, cellphones don't exist in this world, so he had to be talking to himself or the intention was for the thief who comes into the room to inform Edgar/Gerad of "everything being ready" to have been in the room instead of having walked in. Or maybe Edgar/Gerad talks to himself. Weird.
If you try to go through the South Figaro Cave without having Edgar/Gerad head that way first for you to follow, there will be a dead end at the end of the cave where the turtle is. So make sure you talked to Edgar/Gerad before leaving. It triggers the event in the game data that allows you to jump on the turtle to proceed to the next area.
HARD MODE NOTE:
Plays out basically the same as it does normally. Celes still did all the talking even if Sabin was there. You should still buy a Gold Lance for Edgar as well as Diamond Armors for Celes, Edgar, and Setzer at the weapons and armor shop. You end up saving a ton of money by not purchasing equipment for the other characters.
Siegfried is here. He tells you he will go in first and clear out the monsters, to wait there. Don't. Follow him. The cave starts out being identical to its World Of Balance counterpart. The chests, if you never opened them, have new items. The one in the left corner of the main room has an X-Potion. The one in the right corner has an Ether. The one upstairs that would have had the Thunder Rod during Locke's Scenario now has a Hero Ring.
In the room where the recovery spring once was, Edgar/Gerad and his thieves jump on the turtle's shell to get across the water to the door. Apparently Edgar/Gerad used to have a turtle. Random line. Siegfried jumps in after them. Follow them. The enemies in here may give difficulty, Sabin should have the Air Blade Blitz by now so use that to conserve Magic Points in battle. Follow the path until you see what seems like a dead end. Go left and up through the northern corner of the dead end. Siegfried is up there looking through treasure chests. See the note below....
THE MOST BIZARRE SPOKEN LINE IN THE ENTIRE GAME
Siegfried sees you when he is looking through the chests in the cave. He runs off and says "On the hum, let's go!".... What in the world is that supposed to mean? This only viewable the first time you go through this cave in the World Of Ruin. Once you get to Figaro Castle, Siegfried moves on to the Colosseum.
Follow the southern path to your left through what looks like walls blocking the path. Go left and down a few times, you'll make it past. Now you are in Figaro Castle! You are unable to go into the courtyard since the castle is currently underground. The old man who moved you back and forth from Kohlingen to Figaro now no longer stops you from going down into the basement. Remember how he always said "That's dangerous!" when you tried to go down there? You're about to find out why it's dangerous.
SOUTH FIGARO CAVE (HARD)
Party: Celes
Difficult enough to justify its own section rather than just a note like the previous events. The event plays out the same but the battles are MUCH harder without Sabin. Defeat the NeckHunters first so they cannot confuse you. Cast magic such as Fire 2 if you have it on all targets. Make sure to grab the treasure chests on the way if you haven't already. You will not get a chance to rest or save at the castle before beginning the next event, so make sure to have some Potions, Ethers, and Elixirs! Go down into the basement and prepare for the challenge that awaits....
For such a dangerous place, the basement has very upbeat music. The same song that played at the Returner's Hideout and during the dinner you had with the Emperor. Battles here are many of the same enemies as the cave earlier, Sabin should use Air Blade. Celes should heal as needed or help with attacking. The guards all talk about how something awful happened.
Follow the path down the stairs and you will find a room that has two chambers each with two chests, and three doors on the northern wall. You came in through the right door, the middle leads to the boss, and the left one leads to more treasure. The chests in here include a Gravity Rod, a Crystal Helm, an X-Potion, and an Ether. Give the Crystal Helm to Celes. Take the left door and go up the stairs. Go through the door to find a chest with a Regal Crown! Give that to Sabin. Now go back downstairs and through the middle door to find Gerad. He tells the thieves to leave and once they do he reveals the truth, he WAS Edgar! The bad news is, the monster that is messing up the engine now attacks you. It looks like a bunch of leaves floating around in there, but it's actually tentacles.
FIGARO BASEMENT (HARD)
Party: Celes
This event is really difficult without Sabin. Rely on spells like Fire 2 and Ice 2 to take out groups of enemies. Have plenty of potions and ethers to restore your Health and Magic Points respectively in between fights. The dialogue in the engine remains about the same since Celes did all the talking even if Sabin was there. Sabin would have told Edgar to not treat them as strangers if he was with you, but in this challenge he obviously isn't. When you get the Regal Crown, save it for Edgar who can equip it after the boss fight. Make sure your Health and Magic Points are maxed out before going through the middle door to the boss!
This has the potential to be an absolute nightmare. Celes should be your main healer and caster. The biggest thing to look out for is the tentacles inflicting someone with the "Slow" status effect and then grabbing them. If a tentacle grabs someone, focus ALL efforts on defeating that Tentacle. The Lower Right tentacle absorbs Fire. The Lower Left tentacle absorbs Ice. The Upper Right tentacle absorbs Thunder. Bio will work on all four of them. If Celes is not healing, have her cast Bio. Sabin should use Air Blade. Edgar should use either the Autocrossbow to hit all of them, or the Drill if you are focusing on a single tentacle. If Celes is grabbed, Edgar should switch over as the main healer if you need healing.... Assuming you taught him some restorative spells by now, you did do that, didn't you? Celes and Sabin can be taught healing spells from some of your espers if you need for them to. Edgar is stuck with whatever spells he had at the end of the first world, until after this fight.
HARD MODE:
Alright that was the easy one. Now trying doing it without Sabin! If you're in the Edgar/Celes/Setzer challenge you will only have Edgar and Celes in this fight. The tactics remain roughly the same but you lose the option of Air Blade as an area of effect attack. Edgar can use his Autocrossbow to hit all of them, while Celes heals or casts Bio on all of the targets. There's always the "Vanish + Doom" trick if you want the cheap way out, but if you want the challenge try to win this fight without that. This is the most challenging boss fight so far other than Atma Weapon.... If you didn't teach Edgar any magic then it may be even tougher than Atma Weapon was. If you're having a tough time, level up in the cave. Celes by herself will get a decent amount of experience points so just go level up some and try again.
You will have to fight your way out from where the tentacle bosses were. Having Edgar with you now makes that easier. The old man makes the castle come back to the surface. Ask him to take you to Kohlingen after this, but first stop by the shop to buy a new Tool for Edgar, the Debilitator! It can assign an elemental weakness to enemies. Now leave the castle.
Kohlingen will be to the left of Figaro Castle if you asked the old man to move the castle. Upon arrival in Kohlingen there is something odd to take notice of. Before doing anything, you might see a funny looking old man who runs around really fast on the town map. He asks if you want to un-equip those not in your party. Once Setzer re-joins this guy no longer shows up in town. Strange. Anyway, the first thing you want to do is go to the Inn. Setzer is in there at the table Shadow once sat at in the World of Balance. Some of the townspeople offer hints about what is going on in the world like how someone is looking for a weapon called "The Striker" at the Colosseum. The old lady by the inn thinks back on how it used to be, it's a flashback you get to see too of how the town looked in the first world.
Head to the weapons and armor shop. Buy two Dice for Setzer and equip those with a Genji Glove. The higher the number he rolls, the more damage it does. This is why I told you to give Setzer a Genji Glove back in the cave to the Sealed Gate. There's also Enhancers and Gold Lances for sale here for Celes and Edgar if you haven't bought those yet. The Diamond set of equipment (Shield/Helmet/Armor) is for sale in the armor shop if you haven't bought any yet. Setzer, Edgar, and Celes all need Diamond Armor. Celes and Edgar need a Diamond Shield, and Setzer needs a Diamond Helmet. Buy all of this if you have not yet, a difficult temple is upcoming and you need all the protection you can get.
You're done after that. There's nothing else to really do here. Save and then head west to Daryl's Tomb.
HARD MODE NOTE
This event is pretty much unchanged in Hard Mode. Enjoy your party of three now that Setzer has joined, because you have the permanent final party of this challenge at this point.
DARILL'S TOMB (NORMAL)
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer, Sabin
Make sure you have all four equipped with Amulets, the enemies in here like to inflict Zombie status. You might also run into the awfully mistranslated Oscar enemies (it's supposed to be Malboro, a common Final Fantasy series enemy). Head down the stairs and go right when you reach the large open room. Inspect the tombstone to flip a switch opening a door behind it, go inside. Flip the switch at the end of this tunnel to fill the lower floor with water, now head back to the main room. Go through the lower right door to find a chest with a Genji Helmet. Give it to Setzer. Return to the main room and go through the middle south door. Jump onto the turtle who swims you to the next room. Ignore the switch to the left of you for now. Go south again to find four tombstones. They each have text written on them, inspect each one and then go back to the main room and enter the door in the upper left corner.
The puzzle in here is to carve something on the tombstone that is empty. The options available, if you inspected the four tombstones in the other room, are what was written on them. Select WEHT, DLRO, QSSI, ERAU. It spells out backwards The world is square. The game gives you a hint about the EXP Egg item in here if you solved this puzzle. Now go through the door directly south. Take the Crystal Mail from the chest and give it to Setzer. Go down the stairs. The EXP Egg is in here. First get the Czarina Gown from the chest in the middle of the room. Hold onto that for Relm. Then go to the right through the wall a bit, then up, then right again and you'll find the EXP Egg. It gives extra EXP points each battle to the person equipped with it. If someone is very far behind in levels this is good for catching them up. Go through the door north of the Czarina Gown chest and flip the switch to open a door above you. Return to the main room, go through the middle south door and have the turtle swim you to the next room. Now flip the switch I had told you to ignore. Jump up the turtle and he will swim you to the next room, which is to your right.
This room has a save point. Be sure to rest here because you're about to go through two boss fights. One is optional, the other is not. The chest on the right has a Man Eater Knife which Celes can equip. The other chest, has a boss monster in it, the Presenter. Open it if you wish to battle against him. If not, head upstairs and inspect the coffin, which will trigger the required boss battle of this temple, Dullahan.
DARILL'S TOMB (HARD)
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer
The strategy for clearing this temple with just Celes/Edgar/Setzer is the same, you just have one less ally with you. Make sure one or more of your three are able to cast restorative spells and equip them with Amulets since the enemies here just love to turn adventurers into zombies. The absence of Sabin makes it tougher as his Blitzes and Claws came in handy on a normal attempt. Esper gain and level up if you're struggling. I personally found Figaro's Basement to be more difficult than this place in hard mode, it's not easy but it is certainly doable. I'll cover strategies on both bosses next.
He looks a lot like the Whelk from the very beginning of the game, only with a stranger looking head. Presenter fights similarly to the Whelk too, however unlike the Whelk it's safe to attack the shell. If you defeat either the head or the shell, the fight will end. Sabin should attack or use his strongest Blitz. Edgar should use his Drill. Setzer should attack with his Dice while Celes heals or casts Fire 2. The Presenter is not as intimidating as he looks. Your prize is a new claw for Sabin! Try to use X-Zone to defeat both the head and the shell simultaneously, you'll get two of the same claw that you can give to Sabin after the fight.
HARD MODE:
Ok, now let's try it without Sabin. On the Edgar/Celes/Setzer challenge you will only have three characters in this fight. It will go down about the same as it would on a normal attempt in the game, only you have one less ally. As long as someone is able to keep healing the party and/or casting Fire 2, it's still not that tough of a fight. No one will be able to equip the claw you earn, though. X-Zone isn't an option as you cannot learn that spell in this challenge. The fight shouldn't be much of a challenge. No one can equip the claw you win, but if you want to fight this guy anyway, go for it! I fought him for the fun of it.
This is a lot tougher than the Presenter was. Dullahan uses some strong spells such as Ice 2, Ice 3, and Holy (Pearl). After being attacked a few times he begins using Absolute Zero and Northern Cross. It is possible to defeat him by casting Rasp enough times to deplete his Magic Points. Otherwise he is weak against Fire so have Celes casting Fire 2 or healing while Edgar attacks with his Drill. Sabin should use your best Blitz. Sezter should attack with his Dice or assist Celes in casting. GP Rain is also an option to consider with Setzer here. If you're struggling, you can always level up a bit in the temple. He's easier than the Tentacles or Atma Weapon at least.
HARD MODE:
It's tougher with only the main 3, but the same tactics work here. Edgar should attack every round with his Drill. Celes heals or casts Fire 2. Setzer assist Celes or you can have him attack with his dice. There's always GP Rain too if you can afford it.
Now you have an airship! The game becomes non-linear now. You can complete the remaining side quests in any order, or go fight Kefka with just 3 people (or 4 if you got Sabin)....
A lot of the townspeople hint that Cyan wandered through town. He's who we will be re-recruiting next. Go to the armor shop. Buy Edgar and Celes a Crystal Shield. Terra and Cyan can also equip it if you want to hold onto one for them. Buy a Crystal Helm for Edgar. Buy three Oath Veils. Celes needs one but Terra and Relm are able to equip it if you want to hold onto one for them also. Buy Crystal Mail for Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. If you can afford it you can also get some to hold onto for Terra, Locke, and Cyan. Sabin will need a Dark Gear, you can also get one for Gau if you want. Strago and Relm can both equip the Tao Robe if you want to get those to hold onto for now. At the weapon shop buy a SwordBreaker for Strago, Relm, and Shadow to hold onto. Buy a Falchion for Terra and Celes. You're done shopping after that.
The old lady in between the armor and weapons shops shows you where some locations on the map are now located. They include Narshe, The Veldt, and Doma Castle. Make note of these new locations since we'll be visiting all three at some point during the sidequests of the second world. I'll address where each is as we get to those events.
Talk to Lola in her house in the upper right corner of town. She has been receiving letters, supposedly from her boyfriend in Mobliz, but that can't be since Mobliz got destroyed by Kefka. The handwriting looks like Cyan's to your party. Accept Lola's offer to give a letter from Lola to the bird outside her house, who will fly off to Zozo on the map. Go exactly where the bird went. It is on the northern part of the island you're currently on.
HARD MODE NOTE
You may go shopping for equipment here, but you are NOT to talk to the NPC's, especially Lola.
Buy Edgar and Celes a Crystal Shield. Buy a Crystal Helm for Edgar. Buy an Oath Veil for Celes. Buy Crystal Mail for Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. At the weapon shop buy a Falchion for Celes. You're done shopping and done in this town after that.
Zozo is just as it was in the first world. Talk to the bird and it flies up into the mountains. Go talk to the merchant looking guy over by the building where the chainsaw was. It is the one at the northern part of town that has the Inn sign on it. Buy the Rust Rid from the merchant. Now go over to the building with the Cafe sign on it and climb your way to the top. It is the building just to the left of the entrance to town. Take the right door out at the top of the stairs, then go inspect the door to the left on the upper balcony. The rust will dissolve if you had the Rust Rid. Enter.
MT ZOZO
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer, Sabin
Watch out for the Ursus enemies in here. They can steal lots of GP from you! Always defeat them first if you encounter one. Follow the path to your left, you will find a chest that has an Ice Shield in it. You don't need that so ignore it. Go down the stairs and grab the chest on your right, it has a Red Cap in it. This does not offer as much defense as the Crystal Helm and other second world helmets but it raises the Health Points by 25% of the person equipped with it. Nice! Head down the stairs. Further down the path to your left will be a chest with a Thunder Shield, you don't need that so ignore it. Climb up the stairs and cross the bridge. There will be a chest to your right with an Aegis Shield! Give it to Sabin. There are two exits, use the one on the left. Out there you find a chest that has a Gold Hairpin in it. Give that to Celes. Now go through the door on the right and cross the bridge.
In here is a save point. Make sure that you save and that your Health Points as well as Magic Points are maxed out. Now go step on the platform northeast of you. A dragon shows up and begins flying around the room. Walk up to the dragon to battle an optional boss, the Storm Dragon.
South of where the Storm Dragon was is an exit. You'll find a cave with more of the flowers sent to Lola, a locked chest, and a letter on the table. The letter is from Cyan explaining who he is and that he has been writing to Lola. Go outside to find Cyan. A silly scene plays out where he is ashamed of you having read his letters and seen the flowers he made. Then he rejoins. Cyan says he saw Gau in Maranda and hints that you should go to the Veldt to search for him. How Gau got from Maranda to the Veldt without an airship is beyond me, but oh well. Cast Warp or leave when you are done.
HARD MODE NOTE
This event is NOT available in hard mode because you have to find out Cyan is sending Lola letters in order to do this event.
He's very tough. You'll want to cast Bolt 2 to hit his weakness which is lightning. Edgar should use his Drill or Jump. Sabin should attack or help Celes with the healing since you likely won't have Bum Rush yet if you're doing the game in the same order I have in this walkthrough. Celes should be healing every round unless you're maxed out, then have her cast Bolt 2. Setzer should attack with his dice or assist Celes with healing. Be ready to cast Cure 2 each time the dragon gets anyone below 1,000 Health Points. If you're struggling with this boss you could always come back after you have better skills (such as Bum Rush for Sabin) and more magic. Bolt 3 would make it a lot easier. It's possible to defeat him now if your level is high enough, and you could always skip him entirely if you want, but you must defeat him to unlock an esper later.
After the fight you get a Force Armor. Save! I doubt you wanna fight that boss again.
A COUPLE OF CYAN SIDEQUESTS
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer, Cyan
If Cyan was the first person you re-recruited other than Sabin and the canonical three, he will be your only way to change the party for now. Go into the airship and into the engine room which is down the stairs to your left. Pick a party that has Cyan in it. Now go to Maranda. Speak to Lola for a scene to play out that gives closure to Cyan's messaging Lola. It's nice to allow the two of them to meet like that. Lola has hope for the future now.
Now go back to Mt Zozo and return to where Cyan was, but with him in the party. Yes. I'm serious. Go all the way back there. See the shiny thing that looks like a smaller version of a save point in the upper left corner of the map? Grab that. It's the key to the chest in the cave. Open it and Cyan will get angry at you. It's funny. That's all here.
HARD MODE NOTE
Obviously since it requires Cyan you cannot do these two side quests in hard mode.
VELDT - RECRUITING GAU
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer
Pick a party in the airship that only has 3 people in it. Cyan will be down in the engine room, Setzer is in the back room (through the door in the main room) while Edgar, Sabin, and Celes are walking in the lounge in the main room if you need to know where someone is for a party lineup change.
To get to the Veldt fly west from Zozo. The map will loop and you should find Mobliz, now fly north a bit. Land by the mountain that has a cave, it's your next stop. First enter a battle and win to get Gau to show up. The game is treating him as if he had "Leaped" on the Veldt, so don't attack him upon appearing and he will join you.
HARD MODE NOTE
Not available, since it involved getting Gau back. Obviously.
CAVE IN THE VELDT
My Party: Edgar, Celes, Setzer, Gau
Might as well bring Gau here since The Veldt is his area. Don't forget to re-quip Gau or Cyan if you brought them. Once inside a dog approaches the party, barks, and leaves to the north of you. A badly mistranslated line reads you are coming with us. Yeah, Ted Woolsey strikes again. Ok so go north since the door to your right leads to a dead end. You'll find a group of thieves and a chest which has a Rage Ring. Contrary to its name, this actually isn't for Gau. It's for Umaro. Keep it for until after you recruit him. Go through the door and follow the path, you'll see a chest hidden to the left. Go as far left as you can, then go right one step, then down a few, then left, and you will be at the chest. Heal up and open it, a monster is inside.
BATTLE: Allo Ver
This guy is notorious for having a Rage that is impossible to get due to bad data within the game. The fight is easily winnable by using a Fenix Down on him. If you'd rather do it the hard way then focus on casting Fire 2 and being careful of his attacks that can inflict instant death on you. Your prize for winning is the Tiger Fangs, Sabin's ultimate weapon in the main quest.
To get back onto the main path go right from the chest as far as you can, up a few, right for 3 steps, then down and proceed down the stairs. You can walk under the graphics of the walkways above you, so even though it seems like there may be walls just go south and then to the right then down the steps. Rocks block the exit in this room you have to go south through the door and flip a switch that moves the rock formation. Do NOT forget to go further south of here and grab the Striker from the chest. You CANNOT re-recruit Shadow without this so DO NOT LOSE IT! Go through the door to your right now that the rocks no longer block the way. You'll see Shadow and the dog, which was Interceptor, on a platform above you. Keep following the path and climb down to a save point before exiting through the door on your left, a boss fight starts as soon as you go into the room that leads to the platform Shadow was on.
SHADOW OR RELM? HER!?!? SHADOW IS NOT A GIRL!!!!
If you did not wait for Shadow on the Floating Continent he is gone forever. He died. Relm will be here instead. Regardless of who you find, the game refers to them as a female. I blame Ted Woolsey and his terrible translating. Either that or the developers initially were always going to have you find Relm here and the line never got turned into "he" for Shadow due to forgetting to change it. This theory is further fueled by the party taking Shadow to Thamasa also if he's here, instead of Relm. Why Thamasa for Shadow? It's more fun to blame Woolsey though so I'm sticking with that theory.
HARD MODE NOTE:
This event is NOT available in hard mode because if Interceptor approaches the party, they will know Shadow (or Relm) are still alive.
This boss has two forms. Both are weak against Fire. He'll use magic such as Ice 2, Ice 3, and Pearl/Holy. Edgar should use his Drill, Celes and Setzer should be casting either Fire 2 on the boss or healing the party as needed. Gau if with you should use the Stray Cat Rage. If you brought Cyan have him use Quadra Slam, and if you brought Sabin have him attack with his new claws you got from fighting Allo Ver. The second form can be defeated by either using an identical strategy to the first form, or by simply casting Life on it to defeat it in one turn.
After the battle the party takes Shadow (or Relm if she's here in Shadow's place) to Thamasa. Talk to Shadow/Relm then leave town.
By the time you go fly over to the Colosseum after leaving him to rest in Thamasa, Shadow will already have gotten there. Talk to the guard by the door and choose to bet the Striker Knife you found in the Cave At The Veldt. Shadow is your opponent!
BATTLE: Shadow
He's really easy. Just pick your favorite character and battle it out. The game controls your character for you. Shadow's unarmed in this for some reason, and his theme music plays instead of the normal battle theme.
When you win Shadow rejoins! Now let's look around a bit. A soldier who thinks he may be the last imperial soldier left gives you a hint to talk to the emperor twice. He is referring to a painting in Jidoor. We'll be going there soon. Behind the door by the soldier is Sigfried! He says someone was pretending to be him, which may be true, it's possible to fight him and he is MUCH tougher than he was on the Phantom Train. Ultros is a "receptionist" over at the front counter and he warns you to not make stupid bets or else you'll face Chupon. Not much else to do here.
HARD MODE NOTE:
The specific event involving getting Shadow back into the party is NOT available in hard mode, but you may still visit the Colosseum to bet items in hard mode. More on that later.
Now let's get Terra back. If you're bringing Shadow make sure you got him updated equipment from the other towns such as Maranda, South Figaro, Albrook, Tzen, or Nikeah. Fly back to Mobliz and you'll notice Terra is not in the basement where you spoke to her last time. Go into the building to your left, where the injured soldier lived in the first world. A dog starts walking over to the bookshelf. Follow him down into a hidden basement. Terra and Katarin are down there. Phunbaba attacks again when you talk to Terra. She asks you to fight him.
HARD MODE NOTE:
You may NOT do this event since it involves getting Terra back.
The strategy hasn't really changed here. Keep casting Bio or unleashing your strongest attacks and healing as needed. He'll eventually use Baba Breath to throw two random party members offscreen. Terra shows up, Morphs, and joins you in the fight. If Terra knows Bio then she will be deadly. If not, have her cast Fire 2 or other strong spells. He has a lot of Health Points, but it's not too bad of a fight. Other than the Baba Breath and Terra replacing the party members who get knocked offscreen for this fight, it should go very similarly to the other Phunbaba battle.
Afterwards Terra has regained her confidence. She, while still morphed, tells the kids she has to go fight.
JIDOOR - OWZER'S HOUSE
My Party: Edgar, Terra, Setzer, Shadow
Jidoor is south of Zozo. At the Armor Shop buy Circlets for Strago and Relm to hold onto for now. Locke, Mog, Gau, and Shadow will need a Dark Hood whether you have them or not. Buy a Dark Gear for Locke and Shadow as well. At the weapons shop buy Man Eaters for Strago and Relm, Partisan Spears for Edgar and Mog, Crystal Swords for Celes and Terra, and two Snipers for Locke. When you are done shopping enter the mansion to the north.
It is dark in there and for some reason you cannot go upstairs, some weird voice says to stay away. Hey, a book appeared! Let's go read it. It's Owzer's diary. One page will hint that you should flip the light switch by the stairs. Keep reading though, it's entertaining stuff. And no, you cannot buy a lamp at the item shop like the diary suggests. Head up into the painting gallery now that the lights are on. It's about the same as it was in the first world only the Ultros painting has been replaced with a portrait of the Emperor. Inspect it twice to get a letter that hints about a big treasure. Two of the paintings here will attack you if inspected. The battle against the flower painting is optional, but you must battle the painting of the woman to get to where you'll find Relm and a new esper. Let's fight the flower first.
BATTLE: Nightshade (3)
They are pretty easy. Just use attacks that hit every target and it will be over in a couple of turns.
Unlike the flower, the painting of the girl has a door behind it. You must win another battle to proceed, which begins once you approach the painting of the girl.
BATTLE: Dahling (2)
These are a little stronger than the Nightshades but a similar strategy will work. Just use a few attacks that hit every target to end the battle quickly.
Go down the stairs from the door that was behind the painting of the woman. It's dark down here. Be careful of the painting of the chair. If you walk alongside the wall the painting will attack you by making you fly up to it then an old lady inside the painting shows up.
BATTLE: Souldancer, WildCat (4)
Make sure to defeat the Souldancer first so she cannot throw knives at you. Use abilities that hit everything at once such as Edgar's Autocrossbow if you want to get rid of the Wild Cats at the same time.
The old lady in the painting sits there on the chair after the fight. You cannot enter the battle again. If you leave this room and come back she's gone. This fight can also not be triggered again. Let's proceed. Go through the door on the left to find a Moogle Suit in a chest. This can be given to Strago or Relm later to make them look like a Moogle in battle! Now go through the door on the right. There are rotating doors in here. The middle and right doors take you back to the room where the Souldancer painting was, falling out of a door within a painting. The left door when it opens is the one that takes you to the next room. There is a door high up on the wall you cannot reach in the right corner but the one on the left you can go through.
This room is weird. The lights are on and there are flying chests. If you step on the shadowed spaces on the floor, chests will fall. Defeat the enemy who attacks and you get the item! The enemy encounter each time is another Souldancer with Wild Cats enemy party again. Use the same strategies a last time. Your prize is 2,000 GP, a Potion, an Ether, and a Remedy. There are two paintings. The one of Maria the Opera Singer does nothing. The Armor painting, however is a monster in disguise.
BATTLE: Still-Life
This guy will try to inflict Sleep on everyone and uses Comdenmed. He is weak against so just cast Fire 2 or use your strongest attacks. He's not too tough, nowhere near as bad as the Souldancer and Wild Cats encounter was.
Beyond the Still-Life is a save point. Restore your Health Points and Magic Points here, because beyond the next door is the boss! A weird thing to note is that the painting of Maria can be seen from the other room, and she is now facing down instead of east. Odd. Make sure to go through the door further back, the closer one makes you fall out of that door high up on the wall from a couple of rooms ago. Go through the far back door to fight the boss when you are prepared. Owzer, the owner of the mansion makes you battle a monster inside the painting Relm is painting for him.
OWZER IS A.... FROG?
The owner of the mansion has a huge, odd looking sprite. This character doesn't even look like a human being. He looks like a massive yellow frog. No other human character in the game has a sprite taking up more than one "square" on the field map, except for Owzer. There's no explanation for this that I know of. That blonde scholar with green clothes from the first world would have made more sense for Owzer's sprite, it's never used anywhere else other than Jidoor in the first world when you meet the Impressario. Just an odd observation.
HARD MODE NOTE:
You may NOT do the Owzer's House event in Hard Mode. Reading the diary would make the party realize Relm is still alive. You could, however, do some shopping in town. You won't need anything from the armor shop. At the weapons shop you could buy a Partisan Spear for Edgar and a Crystal Sword for Celes. You sure save a ton of money when only buying stuff for 3 people. That saved money can be used for Setzer's GP Rain skill! When you are done shopping you can just leave.
This battle could be tough if you don't know how to approach it. The monster form and the humanoid girl form will alternate during the battle, one is never active at the same time as the other. The girl uses attacks that make you continuously lose some Health Points and might try to confuse allies. The monster relies primarily on thunder elemental attacks including Bolt 2 and Bolt 3. The monster is weak against Fire elemental attacks or Holy elemental attacks while the girl has no weakness. It's best to ignore the girl and either heal or defend when she appears. Every time they alternate active forms, the girl's Health restores back to maximum. The monster's does not, so focus all of your attacking on him.
Celes and Terra if with you should be your primary offensive casters as well as your primary healers. Have Terra Morph for added effect. Edgar should use his Drill. Setzer should attack with his Dice or assist with healing. Gau if with you should use Stray Cat. Cyan if with you should use Quadra Slam, unless you happen to have unlocked Quadra Slice. Shadow should throw Shurikens or Fire Skeans. Sabin can either attack with his claws or use the Fire Dance Blitz. Heck, use Bum Rush if you have it. Level up if you're struggling and make sure all your casters know at least Fire 2 and Cure 2. If you're doing this event later on and happen to have Fire 3, it's significantly easier. Have Celes and a Morphed Terra both cast Fire 3 for a couple of turns and this boss is a goner.
After the battle Relm rejoins and you get the Starlet esper! One of the game's best espers!
Starlet is the 2nd most important restorative esper in the game, losing only to Phoenix. Learn every single one of her spells, although you can hold off on Curaga (Cure 3) until you get Phoenix if you wish, since those "x1" modifiers are such a pain to master. You learn Cura (Cure 2) at a much faster rate with Starlet and her summon heals you, which is nice. An excellent esper that you should not miss out on.
Fly to the Fanatics Tower. It is south of Nikeah. Strago had joined the Fanatics in the tower, walking around aimlessly with them. He stays here forever unless you bring Relm. If Relm is in your party, she will yell at Strago, snapping him back into reality. He will re-join you. Do NOT attempt to climb up the tower yet. You're NOT ready yet if you're following the walkthrough so far. We'll be back to climb the tower later. There is treasure here you might want, however it's not worth it now, trust me. This place is always the very last side-quest that I do, and there's a reason for that. We'll be back.
GETTING SOME LORES FOR STRAGO (OPTIONAL)
My Party: Terra, Celes, Relm, Strago
Now that Strago is back you can attempt to learn some Lores for him. So the first Lore we can now learn is Blow Fish if you're still missing it. It was possible to learn this on the Floating Continent, you can learn it now the easier way. Fly to Maranda and go into the desert. Save first in case you encounter a Hoover, you might not be strong enough to face these yet. If you find a Cactrot (Cactuar in other versions) have Relm Sketch it, it will use Blow Fish and Strago learns it. Go out of the desert and fight a Reach Frog in the dark fields. He will use Rippler eventually. Be careful of this encounter though, do NOT bring Shadow because the Rippler spell has a glitch that can make Shadow lose Interceptor. I never use Rippler for this reason, I still teach it so Strago can complete his Blue Magic spellbook.
Now fly to the Solitary Island and wander around in the little desert area until you encounter an EarthGuard. Have Relm Sketch it, it will use Big Guard (Mighty Guard) which is one of the best Lores. Strago will learn it. You have to act fast. Wear a Gale Hairpin if you want to raise the odds of getting a Pre-emptive attack. There's another short side quest you can do while here, but I recommend waiting. I'll mention it when it's time to come back for it.
Fly to Kohlingen and encounter a Harpiai until you learn Aero. Then go to Darill's Tomb to encounter a Mad Oscar (Malboro) to learn Sour Mouth. Don't forget to equip Amulets before going back in there.
That's it for now although another is coming up in the next event, The Phoenix Cave.
HARD MODE NOTE:
This event is obviously not available as it involves getting Strago back. You may come to the tower later to attempt to climb it though, more on that later.
PHOENIX CAVE (NORMAL)
My Party A: Edgar, Celes, Setzer, Sabin
My Party B: Terra, Shadow, Strago, Relm
The cave is located in a mountain range shaped like a star (sort of) north of Tzen. Remember the hint that the letter you got from the Emperor's portrait said? It's talking about this place. Land the airship in the grass field in the middle of the mountain. You'll be asked to pick two parties. Now you're welcome to do this as soon as you get the Falcon, but unless you went and got Mog and the Moogle Charm, I recommend you wait until you have recruited enough to bring 2 full parties of people who don't suck. Looking at you, Gau and Cyan. They get to hang out on the airship. Everyone else is going in if you have been following this walkthrough!
I picked the second world's "main 3" plus Sabin for one party. Why not? It worked well in Darill's Tomb. The second party is made up of the other 4 you have recruited so far, minus Gau and Cyan who I didn't want to use. Trivial note, this resembles how the party split up during the Thamasa events in the first world. Terra and Shadow met Strago and Relm in Thamasa while Setzer and the others were in the Empire investigating.
So you will be switching between the two parties here. You change parties by pressing Y. It does not matter which group you take through which path, but I do recommend bringing a group that has Strago in it to the fight with the Red Dragon boss in the cave so he can learn another Lore. If you changed your mind or for any other reason you wish to return, press A while facing the hook, you will be back onboard the Falcon as only Setzer. Then talk to someone in the party to change your lineup.
WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT?
If you talk to the other party during this event, sometimes their front man's sprite might face you then face away, shifting back and forth extremely fast between these two animations. It looks extremely strange. There's no real explanation for why the game does that.
For clarity I will refer to the groups I picked as Edgar's party and Terra's party and will advise of the path I took. It's easier that way. Otherwise it gets complicated when using "Party A" and "Party B". Have Edgar's party go inside and step on the first switch. Now shift to Terra's party and enter the door that's open. Ignore the chest to your left! There's a trap. Don't step on the spikes either, you'll take damage. Go stand on the switch on the platform above Edgar's party. Shift to Edgar's party and enter the door that opened. Stand on the switch by the spikes to make them go away, shift back to Terra's party. Cross over the path where the spikes were and go step on a switch that's to the right of where Edgar's party is. It makes the spikes in that area go away, shift to Edgar's party. Go southeast of where Terra's party is to find a chest with a Warp Stone. Go downstairs. Go left and stand on the switch to make rocks show up on the lava.
Shift back to Terra's party and go downstairs. Go south and up the stairs. Step on the switch to your left to make a bridge cross over to the chest that had the trap, now you can open it! It has a Wing Edge! Go back downstairs, head north and then to the right to jump over the rocks in the lava. Keep going until you see a switch next to a spike blocking the way to a chest. Ignore the chest, you cannot get to it without stepping on the spike and it's empty anyway. Shift to Edgar's party. Follow the path to the northern part of the room. Go upstairs, then down the stairs to your left and step on the switch to open the path back up for Terra's party. Shift parties to Terra's. Go upstairs. Step on the switch to your north and shift to Edgar's party. Go upstairs. Cross the path now that the spikes are gone and go down the stairs. Jump across the rocks to your left, then to the south, then to the right. There are two sets of rocks to jump north across, take the right path because the left one just leads to an empty chest. Now go upstairs.
You'll see a switch on the wall and a water-filled path below you, flip the switch. Head down toward the rock formation and shift to Terra's party. Step on the switch to open a path in the rock formation for Edgar's party. Shift to Edgar's party and climb up onto the platform that has a set of switches south of you and one to the north. Do NOT head south, there is a Red Dragon boss down there and I recommend fighting it as Terra's party so Strago can learn a Lore. Shift to Terra's party when Edgar's party is safely away from the boss and up on the platform with the three switches. Cross the path through the rock formation and go downstairs. It is safe to walk where the magma used to be. Walk along the floor to get to the chest in the middle, it has a Ribbon! Give it to Terra or Celes. Go up the stairs to the northwest. Walk down to the southern tip of the platform and shift to Edgar's party. Stand on the switch at the north to make rocks show up in between the platforms. Shift to Terra's party and jump across the rocks. Walk down the stairs and heal up, the Red Dragon is down there!
Go open the chest above where the Red Dragon was, it has a Dragon Horn. Give this, along with Dragoon Boots, to Edgar immediately! He will now attack multiple times per Jump when he uses the Jump command. Make sure he has a Spear equipped too while doing this, for added damage. Go climb back up onto the platform above you, and step on one of the two switches in the set of two switches. Shift to Edgar's party and stand on the other switch, a path to the final chamber of the cave opens. Remain as this party. Or whichever one Celes is in. It's more rewarding to have Celes in the party when Locke is found, if anything for the extra line of dialogue she says here. Go south and follow the path, down the stairs. Now go to the left and you'll find Locke!
A RED SAVE POINT!?!?!?!?!?
No, that's not a graphical error. That really was a red version of a save point in the room you found Locke in. It's not a save point though, they just share the same graphic. Want to find out what this thing is? Go back through the cave to where Locke was. Hop across the rocks to your right and you will get to what looks like a red save point. It automatically warps you out of the cave. You're back onboard the Falcon as Setzer.
Locke found the Phoenix magicite. He takes it and the party returns to Kohlingen. Locke will use the Phoenix magicite he found in the cave to get a chance to finally speak to Rachel again, it is a really touching scene. She says goodbye and then Celes comforts Locke upstairs. He finally has closure on the Rachel ordeal. He shows off the treasures he found in the Phoenix Cave! X-Potion, Fenix Down, X-Ether, Elixir, Flame Shield, and Valiant Knife! You get to keep the Phoenix magicite as a new esper too. If you talk to the old man in the basement again he gives you a hint about the EXP Egg, which you should already have if you've been following this walkthrough.
PHOENIX CAVE (HARD)
Party A: Edgar
Party B: Celes, Setzer
Ok, this is REALLY hard. No way around it. You can do this event (up until the two switches at the end), but it's the toughest in the game other than Kefka's Tower in this challenge. You have one party of two and one party of one. Edgar has the best odds of survival on his own due to the Jump command so have him be by himself while Celes and Setzer form the other party. View my strategy above only with Celes and Setzer being the party used in place of "Terra's Party". Don't attempt this until you are ready. Levelling up in the Dinosaur Forest or even in Darill's Tomb isn't a bad idea. Don't attempt this on a low level or you will regret it. You can fight the Red Dragon if you wish, but you cannot unlock Crusader in this mode. Do NOT forget the Dragon Horn! Edgar MUST have it if you are to stand a chance in Kefka's Tower later. When you get the Dragon Horn you'll have to backtrack and work your way back to the entrance.... it will suck, but you have no other choice as you cannot re-recruit Locke.
Here are a couple of other tips.... Have everyone equip an Amulet. Always defeat the Phase enemies first! Be ready to heal. Trade the EXP Egg as you shift parties, so that someone is always getting lots of EXP whether it is Edgar or Celes/Setzer. Seriously, trading the EXP Egg in here is huge. Edgar gained 10 levels during this event, while Celes and Setzer still managed to level up a couple of times as well.
First things first, have Relm Sketch the dragon so Strago can learn "L? Pearl". Ok, now begin unleashing Water or Ice elemental attacks on him. Strago's Aqua Rake works well, as does using Ice Rods as items (especially Terra when Morphed!!!!) as does casting Ice 2 and summoning Shiva if she is equipped. Shadow should throw Trident Spears if you still have any, or Shurikens. The Red Dragon is probably the easiest of the 8 dragons, in all honesty. Seriously, just have Terra Morph then use a couple of Ice Rods as her and he's toast. She did 9,999 damage when I used this tactic.
HARD MODE:
You can fight him in this challenge if you want. You're better off having Celes and Setzer fight him. Make Celes use Ice Rods if you have any, or cast Ice 3 (if you have it by now). Setzer should be healing. You could attempt to have Edgar fight the dragon by himself if you have the Dragoon Boots, the Dragon Horn, and a Trident equipped. At a high enough level Edgar could one-shot the dragon if you manage to get 4 hits on his Jump.
Summon: Flames of Rebirth / Life Giver (110 MP)
Revives unconscious party members at 1/4 of maximum Health Points
Spells taught:
Life x10
Life 2 x2
Life 3 x1
Cure 3 x2
Fire 3 x3
Level up bonus while equipped: None
Phoenix is the best esper in the game. He offers every reviving spell, the strongest curing spell, and even a powerful offensive spell in Firaga (Fire 3). His summon is useful too. Master every spell Phoenix teaches, even Life 3. You're just going to have to endure the "x1" modifier on that one, it's worth it. Under no circumstances should you miss out on obtaining this esper. Unless you're playing an Edgar/Celes/Setzer challenge that is, which he is unavailable in.
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