Final Fantasy 6 Walkthrough with Dagger

[Dagger Dias]

Welcome to the next edition of my walkthrough series. Many of you might remember my topics on "Final Fantasy 4" and "The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past". This one will follow a similar format. The intention of the thread is a nostalgic walkthrough for the game Final Fantasy 6 that not only shows you how to beat the game (for the few who have yet to play this great game) but also spotlights along the way on the playable characters, boss battles, espers, party analysis, trivia, and more!

I will also share how to clear the game with only 3 characters. Celes, Edgar, and Setzer are the only required characters in the second world, so the World of Ruin portion will split the walkthrough into a "Normal" path and a "Hard" path. In "Hard" you only have the required 3.

The game has been released on SNES as "Final Fantasy 3". This was of course due to the "real" Final Fantasy 2, 3, and 5 not getting released at first. This led to FF4 being released on the SNES as FF2 and FF6 being released on the SNES as FF3. These numerical translation issues were fixed by the time the game got remade as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology collection on the PSX. It has since also been remade for the GBA, and an ios version also exists. I'll begin with the SNES version and follow up with the GBA version's content in the second world once I get to the part where those quests are available.



I will be color formatting the text as I post this.

Normal Events
The main portion of the walkthrough will be in blue. This covers how to get through the main portion of the game. Item locations, how to advance through monster lairs, and stuff like that.

Side Quests
The optional content will be in purple. Most of the World of Balance is linear while most of the World of Ruin is not, so a ton of the content in the second half will be in this color.

Character & Esper Analysis
This will be where I pause the walkthrough itself for a spotlight on a new character who just joined, a new esper you can now summon, listings of what the characters not in your active party say if spoken to at the airship, and more.

Boss Battles
All the fights are gonna be in red. Scripted fights against monsters, boss battles, and all fights you must clear to beat the game will get discussed in this color. I'll show how to defeat every boss, including the optional ones.

Hard Mode Notes
These will get thrown in here and there, for those who want more of a challenge. Once I get to the Edgar/Celes/Setzer challenge in the second world, the portions dedicated to clearing the game with just them will be formatted in this color. Except the battles, which will still be in red.

Random Notes
This is where you'll find all the trivial, random, silly, and downright bizarre notes. For those who have played the game many times, these notes may be what will interest you the most. I bet there's some information in these random notes you never knew about!



If you have any questions or comments, please post them in here:

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=271599

That thread may be in the WZCW section, but I take other questions in there too. Posting your comments/questions in there will keep this thread from getting spammed up.






Well? Shall we get started?

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: Wedge & Vicks

These two soldiers are only in the party for the very beginning of the game, and they are only playable in Magitek Armor, so you never actually get to see what they can do ability-wise, since everyone but Terra all share the same Magitek Armor ability list. Not much to write home about really, just two soldiers. Vicks was mistranslated and was supposed to be Biggs. This is corrected in the PSX and GBA versions. They vanish and are never seen again after the party locates the frozen esper in the mines of Narshe. It is said they got dimension delved to the world where Chrono Trigger takes place, as two soldiers with the same names can be seen in the Millennial Fair. Whether that is canon or not, Vicks/Biggs and Wedge are not playable for very long at all. Since you never play as them outside of the Magitek Armor, there is nothing to rank about them compared to other characters.

Special: None
They do not have a special ability. Vicks and Wedge are programmed to have the Fight command, but you never get to play as them outside of the Magitek Armor.

 

[Dagger Dias]

SPOTLIGHT: MAGITEK ARMOR

Magitek Armor is special armor that the characters use in a couple of events. When in Magitek Armor your Fight command is replaced by Magitek which allows you the use of a few abilities exclusive to while riding in Magitek Armor. There are only 3 times in the entire game where it is used. The intro in Narshe, at the Imperial Camp in Sabin's Scenario, and during Cyan's dream in the second world. ​

Magitek Abilities (Everyone)


Fire Beam - Fire attack on one enemy

Bolt Beam - Lightning attack on one enemy

Ice Beam - Ice attack on one enemy

Heal Force - Heal one ally

Terra can use everyone else's Magitek Abilities plus 4 more that are only available to her.​

Confuser - Inflicts confuse on all enemies except those immune to it.

X-fer - Removes a target from battle but some enemies are immune.

Bio Blast - Poison attack on all enemies.

TekMissile - Non-elemental attack on one enemy ignoring defense stats.

 

[Dagger Dias]

NARSHE
Party: Terra, Wedge, Vicks

So let's get started then. An intro scene plays out. Two soldiers and a girl have been ordered by the empire to go investigate an Esper in Narshe. They leave the cliff they are standing on and enter the town. (The music that plays as they walk in the snow up to the town is still amazing, especially given how this game is now 21 years old).

So once they enter the town you have control over the party. There's Terra (who you for the moment know as "?????"), Wedge, and Vicks. I'll refer to Terra by her default name as she'll only be coded as "?????" for this first event then you get to name her. Anyway, you're in armor called Magitek Armor. It gives you special attacks in battle exclusive to three different events in the game where you have access to Magitek Armor. Terra has a few of these abilities that are only available to her. She also knows two spells, Cure and Fire, while the two soldiers have no special abilities.

Take this time to do some configuration if you'd like. Open up the menu screen. Select "Config" on the main menu. I prefer 'Wait" as opposed to "Active" for the battle mode and for the Battle Speed to be set at 1 which is the fastest. For magic I tend to stick to the default order of Healing, Attack, Effect but you can change this at any time in the menu. Then there's the window colors....

1) A basic blue background that resembles window patterns in other FF games. Fun for those who want a more traditional window scheme. I use this one often.

2) Kinda boring grey scheme. I rarely use this one.

3) Not sure if this is supposed to be watery or blue lightning, but it's cool looking. I don't typically use this one, but I've played through the game with it before.

4) A cool window color scheme that has some brown and darker colors. I use this one a lot.

5) This one makes the windows look like bricks or brown colored stones. I don't use it much but there are worse options.

6) This one also looks like stone, but a more boring color than option 5. I prefer to not use this one.

7) This is probably the one I use the most often. It is green and the images in the background look like trees.

8) I hate this and so does virtually everyone else I know who has played this game. I don't know if those things are ducks, church bells, wedding cakes, chocobos, or what they are, but it's ugly looking and by far the worst window scheme. If you use this, then you've lost your mind.

That's without even starting on all the color customizing you can do with each window scheme, but since there are endless possibilities you can get by playing around with that I'll just stick to mentioning the 8 default ones. Once you are done customizing (or never felt the need to in the first place) let's jump back into the action.

When you enter the town you will get attacked by the town guards as well as some wolves and mammoths. Some of these fights are required to advance, while one is optional. From the entrance, move toward the right by the Inn to trigger one of the optional ones. If you want, let the soldiers die in battle while having Terra use Heal Force on herself to keep her alive long enough to be the only one surviving a battle. She gets more EXP this way and since the soldiers will only be playable for this first event, levelling them is not necessary. It's also easy enough that you can get through it without them. Even the boss battle if you're careful. Be sure to keep healing Terra at the start of each new battle if you are going to do this.



BATTLE: Lobo

Easy. Just use Magitek abilities and you'll win.

BATTLE: Guard (2)

Easy. Use Bio Blast or two elemental beams.

Battle: Lobo (2)

Easy. Use Bio Blast or two elemental beams.

Battle: Lobo, Guard (2)

Still really easy. Use two elemental beams or Bio Blast on the two on the right. Heal up and then finish off the guy on the left.

Go north as you cannot fit anywhere else on the map anyway due to the size of the Magitek Armor. You'll enter another battle before you can go into the mines.

Battle: Guard (2), Vommamoth (2)

Use Bio Blast or four elemental beams.

In the mines you begin having random encounters. Bio Blast heals the Were-Rats so use the TekMissile on them. There is a Save Point to your left where you can save your data, I recommend doing so every time you find a save point. If you lose a battle you can re-load a saved file. You can also use Tents at Save Points to restore Health Points and Magic Points. You cannot go to the right yet due to the size of your armor but you will be able to explore that part of the mine later on. Go north and a guard will send in the boss monster to attack you.

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Whelk

Ok so the soldiers give you an important clue the moment this fight starts. Do NOT attack the shell because you will regret it if you do. Have Terra use TekMissiles on the snail's head until it disappears, then defend or heal until it re-appears and repeat. Trivial note.... if the soldiers had zero Health Points the game data still makes them jump up to warn you not to attack the shell, then go back to being unconscious, which is pretty funny.

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: TERRA

Terra is the first playable character you get out of the main cast in the first world. She starts out a bit weaker than the other characters who join early on, but she gets magic before they do. Her spells will be important in the first string of events whether it be healing the others with Cure or casting offensive spells like Fire. Terra will learn a few spells by leveling up, making her one of the best characters for those attempting a challenge where no spells get learned through Espers. She's the game's best caster if you count her Morph form, which will be available later on. Without it, she's still in the top tier for mages. She can equip really good weapons and armor, so she can fight too. I bring Terra on many events. ​

Special: Morph
Terra's special ability is Morph. It allows her to turn into an esper form and it boosts her stats, her magic is second to none while Morphed. This is not available until after visiting the Magitek Research Facility. It's worth the wait. The only other downside is that you have to store up points in between battles to get her Morph gauge to last longer. Once it is depleted she reverts to normal.

Spells Learned by Leveling
Level 1 - Cure
Level 3 - Fire
Level 6 - Antidote
Level 12 - Drain
Level 18 - Life / Raise
Level 22 - Fire 2 / Fira
Level 26 - Warp
Level 33 - Cure 2 / Cura
Level 37 - Dispel
Level 43 - Fire 3 / Firaga
Level 49 - Life 2 / Arise
Level 57 - Holy / Pearl
Level 68 - Break
Level 75 - Quarter / Graviga
Level 86 - Merton / Meltdown
Level 99 - Ultima


Limit Break: Riot Blade

My biased character rank:

3rd of 14

 

[Dagger Dias]

NARSHE - Continued
Party: Terra

Once you've won go into the next chamber where the frozen esper, Tritoch, is found. The soldiers vanish during the following scene never to be seen again in the game. Terra reacts to the esper and a bunch of lighting and explosions take place.... Terra wakes up in the house of an old man. He says a slave crown was used by the empire to control her. You then get to rename Terra!

There is an Elixir in the old man's clock and this begins a bizarre tradition of this game, LOTS of clocks have Elixir's in them for some reason. The old man tells you to retreat into the mines after guards come looking for Terra. You have nowhere else that you can go, so do as he says. Make your way over across the bridge and now you're in a different part of the mines. You no longer have Magitek Armor so you'll have to rely on Terra's Cure spell to restore Health Points if they get low, make sure her Magic Points do not run out or else you cannot cast any more spells without restoring your Magic Points. The enemies here are weak enough that you shouldn't need to use the Fire spell on them.

The path is straightforward. Go north. Above the Save Point is a chest with a Fenix Down which can revive an unconscious ally in battle. Gotta love those bad translations in the SNES version of this game. The chest to the left of that has a Sleeping Bag. Keep going north and guards show up. They corner you and then you will fall down into a chamber further down. Terra collapses and has a flashback of her time in the empire when Kefka, the game's main villain, makes her kill a bunch of soldiers by controlling her with the slave crown. Back in the present, Locke the Treasure Hunter (don't you dare call him a "thief") is asked to help Terra by the old man. You get to rename Locke!


NARSHE MINES BATTLE (Locke and Moogles)

Locke enters the mines and shows up where Terra collapsed. A guard also shows up, at the bottom portion of the room, with a bunch of mammoths. You are in luck though as an army of Moogles show up to help you. You will fight in three parties. Party 1 is Locke and 3 moogles. Party 2 is Mog (playable later on) and 3 other moogles. Party 3 is 4 moogles. I never use Party 3 whatsoever as they will never be playable again after this. Mog's party need to fight at least one battle so Mog can learn the Dusk Requiem dance! Then open the menu and un-equip Mog. Edgar, your next party member, will get more use out of the Mithril Pike than Mog will. Switch over to Locke's party now and have him fight as many of the mammoths as you can so he can level up. Have Locke's or Mog's party go after the guard once you are ready. Do not let any of the mammoths get to Terra or else you will lose and have to start over from the last place you saved.


RANDOM NOTE

A trivial note on the Moogle army.... These guys, while technically never playable again after this.... Are actually placeholders for most of the game's other main playable characters. It's really interesting when you think about it.

Kupek who was in Locke's party armed with a Mithril Pike and a Buckler is the placeholder for Cyan.

Kupop who was in Locke's party armed with a Morning Star and a Buckler is the placeholder for Shadow.

Kumama who was in Locke's party armed with a Mithril Claw and a Buckler is the placeholder for Edgar.

Kuku who was in Mog's party armed with a Flail and a Buckler is the placeholder for Sabin.

Kutan who was in Mog's party armed with a Mithril Blade and a Buckler is the placeholder for Celes.

Kupan who was in Mog's party armed with a Full Moon and a Buckler is the placeholder for Strago.

Kushu from party 3 armed with a Chocobo Brush and a Buckler is the placeholder for Relm.

Kurin from party 3 armed with a Mithril Pike and a Buckler is the placeholder for Setzer.

Kuru from party 3 armed with a Mithril Blade and a Buckler is the placeholder for Gau.

Kamog from party 3 armed with a Boomerang and a Buckler is the placeholderfor Gogo.

All of the moogles holding a place for a future playable character can only attack and their equipment cannot be changed, but who they hold a spot for in the main roster of characters is something people might not know about.

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Marshal, Lobo (2)

This guy can use the ability Net which makes the target it hits not be able to do anything for a while. The easiest way to win this fight is to use Mog's party and have Mog do his new Dusk Requiem dance that you hopefully had him learn during the event, as Mog might finish off the boss in one round if he uses the right move (his actions are randomly determined based off his Dance once he dances). If Mog gets hit by the net, have the moogles keep attacking until Mog gets his turn. The dance should finish off the boss. Use Potions or Tonics if your Health Points get low.
​

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: LOCKE

Locke is my favorite character in the game. He's fast, decent at casting once magic is unlocked for everyone, has really awesome ranged weapons only he can equip, and can Steal items from enemies. Locke has one of the game's best character development stories too. He'll seem weak at the start of the game in comparison to a few of the others, but once you begin finding his ranged equipment and get his Thief Glove relic his usefulness skyrockets. I like to put him in the back row equipped with a Genji Glove and either the Offering (found late in the game) or his Thief Glove while using 2 ranged weapons at once.
​

Special: Steal
Locke's default special ability is Steal. It is exactly what it sounds like, he attempts to take an item from an enemy. One particular event requires you to use this ability, to steal clothing to use as a disguise!

Special: Capture
Locke's 2nd special ability is Capture. It works identically to Steal only he now attacks also. Make sure to equip Locke with the Thief Glove so he can use this. From that moment on, Capture should be what he does on most rounds.

Limit Break: Mirager

My biased character rank:

1st of 14

 

[Dagger Dias]

FIGARO
Party: Locke, Terra

After the battle the moogles leave. Locke takes Terra to a safer part of the mine and she wakes up. You now have them both in the party. Give Locke the shield that Mog had if you didn't already. Trying to re-enter the main entrance will not work as the guards do not let you in. Locke suggests they go to Figaro, which is your next stop. However, let's go to the training room first.

In the training room you can talk to the scholars to learn all sorts of stuff about the game. There's nothing any of them cover that I can't in here, so the only things you really need to do are visit the jar of recovery located by the front desk and go grab some items. The room to the far right has a Tincture in the jar and a chest with a monster inside it! It's just a Lobo though. The middle room has a chest with a Sleeping Bag in it. The room on the left has a chest with a Tonic in it.

So head south on the world map. Be careful to not go into the desert until you are ready, the enemies are tougher there. The Areneids in particular are annoying because of their Numb ability that stops someone temporarily. The next place you need to go is in the middle of the desert though so you'll have to eventually. It is possible to go to a cave in the southeast but a guard blocks the entrance saying you cannot go inside because of construction. Odd. The true reason he's there is so you won't advance the story without going to Figaro. You can also visit a Chocobo Stable in a forested area on the south portion of the continent, but it's a waste of money right now. Go to Figaro.

At Figaro Castle you are allowed entry. Two stairways are in the first room. The west one leads to a guy who makes the castle submerge later on, and another staircase in this room takes you further down but it is to an area not available until the world of ruin. The old man tells you that it's "dangerous" down there and will not let you go down there, the true reason is so that you do not enter a monster lair from the 2nd half of the game. Down the east stairway is a bunch of thieves locked up. Guards block doorways in the next area telling you to go see the king. Go north. There is an item shop to your left and a chest with a Soft. To the right is a Tool Shop where you can buy items Edgar uses in his special ability. There are also two chests that have a Tonic and an Antidote. Go upstairs using one of the stairways by the door at the top of the room, there is a chest with a Fenix Down up there. You might as well go talk to the king now, there's nothing else you can do. You get to name Edgar now!

Locke leaves so Terra can explore the castle. The only thing you really need to do now since there is nothing of note to do is to visit the Matron. Leave the throne room going south and then into the left door that the guard was blocking earlier. Go down the stairs to your right then enter the tower to your left. The Matron is by the curtains. You now get to name Edgar's brother Sabin who joins you later! This triggers for Edgar to be back on his throne so go talk to him. This triggers a scene where Kefka shows up looking for Terra. You have control of Edgar. Talk to the soldiers then Kefka, who leaves afterward. You can explore the castle as Edgar now and even leave to go to the world map to fight some monsters if you want, but there's no sense in doing that. Talk to Locke. Now you're Terra again. Locke says to follow him, but for some reason when you get to the next room he dashes ahead of you quickly and it is hard to keep up. By the time you take the stairs he's gone. So much for following him. Go into the right tower and talk to Locke who is inside. Another scene plays out where Kefka sets fire to the castle. Talk to the guard at the north door and then the three playable characters escape on Chocobos while the castle submerges. Kefka makes his guards attack you before you can get away.

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: M-Tek Armor (2)

These guys aren't too bad. Have Edgar use his Autocrossbow Tool while Locke attacks and Terra casts Fire to attack or Cure if anyone needs healing. A hilarious scene plays out where Edgar and Locke react to seeing magic if you cast Fire. The funniest part is that the soldiers just kinda sit there through the whole talking scene not doing anything.



After the battle Kefka yells "Son of a submariner!".... Ah, Ted Woolsey and his awful translation. So many odd lines and odd names.
​

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: EDGAR

Edgar's awesome. He can equip great armor and fight using swords or spears. His Tools make him the most useful character during the early quests. Once magic is unlocked you learn he's not the best caster of the group, but his main contribution is the use of his Tools. Autocrossbow and Drill are abilities that I use for nearly the entire game. Once you get Dragoon Boots and allow Edgar to Jump while equipped with a spear, that is when you see him at his most usefulness. I bring him to every event he is playable for. At the end of the game he has access to the lethal combination of Dragoon Boots and Dragon Horn, while being equipped with a spear at the same time.
​

Special: Tools
Edgar's special ability is Tools. It allows him to use one of his special tools during battle. They can be bought at Figaro Castle's shops for the most part although a couple have to be found by solving specific puzzles in monster lairs.

AutoCrossbow - shoots at all enemies (unlike arrow attacks in older FF games, this does not run out of arrows) for non-elemental damage

NoiseBlaster - inflicts Confuse status on enemies, but some are immune

Bio Blaster - poison elemental attack on enemies

Drill - very powerful non-elemental attack on one target ignoring physical defense

Flash - inflicts blind and does non-elemental damage to all enemies, though some are immune to the blind effect

Chain Saw - does either a very powerful attack on one target or attempts to instantly defeat one target. Some enemies are immune to the instant defeat version.

Debilitator - gives a random elemental weakness to a target

Air Anchor - makes one target become defeated the next time it does anything, but does not work on targets who are immune to instant defeat attacks


Limit Break: Royal Shock

My biased character rank:

2nd of 14

​

 

[Dagger Dias]

SOUTH FIGARO CAVE
Party: Edgar, Locke, Terra

You're on a chocobo. Press A to make the chocobo run, press B to disembark but if you do he runs off. The guard at the cave who wouldn't let you in due to "construction" earlier now let's you inside as Edgar orders him to. You can try to go back into Narshe if you want but the guards still do not let you enter. Figaro is submerged and will continue to be for a while. Only place you can go now is to South Figaro through the cave. Let's go.

Inside the cave is a healing spring by the turtle. This is a spot where you can try to level up if you wish. The enemies aren't too bad especially if you use Edgar's Autocrossbow tool. Do not open any of the chests in here. It may be tempting to do it now but you will return to this cave soon and the items during the 2nd trip are better. The path is pretty easy to follow. The chests contents had you opened them up this time around are.... a Tincture in the upstairs room (make sure to avoid this one above all the others), another Tincture in the chest of the right side of the main floor, and a Fenix Down in the chest on the left side of the main floor.

Once you are back outside again head to the southeast and you will find South Figaro the town.



SOUTH FIGARO
Party: Edgar, Locke, Terra

This is the first town. The first thing you always want to do in a new town is explore. You will see a guy in black walking over to the bar. That's Shadow. You can name him here if you want, but the game gives you multiple opportunities to until finally forcing you to later.

First let's grab some items, there are tons of items hidden in this town. The barrells to the left of the Chocobo Stable have a Tonic in them. South of the stable in a box in the lower left corner is a Soft. To the right of that is an Antidote in a barrell and an Eyedrop in a box. To the right of the stable is a Green Cherry in a box. The barrell in between the weapons and armor shop has a Tonic in it. The barrell in the corner of the platform on the wall above the stable has a Warp Stone in it.

Go into the mansion behind the stable. The barrell outside of the mansion has a Fenix Down. Go upstairs and then left behind the bookcase of the rich guy's bedroom, his wife was right about the draft. There's a hidden path to a basement. Go straight down from the hallway into the wall to find a hidden stairs to the south then to the right. It's a dungeon. The first cell has a chest with a Hyper Wrist in it. The second cell has a chest right by the bars with a RunningShoes in it. The room to the right has some chests with up to 3000 GP in them when combining the amounts. There's also two old clocks in here that are not ticking, this will be important later. Head back outside. The house south of the weapons and armor shops has an old man who hates strangers in it, he will be important later. Grab the Tonic from the jar in his basement. You cannot get past the guy in the lower right corner of town for now, so enter the house next to him. Inside is Duncan's wife and a random save point in the basement. It won't seem so random later on.

Now you want to go to the weapons and armor shop. They are to the right of the mansion. Buy a Regal Cutlass for Terra (one for Edgar too if you didn't take Mog's Mithril Pike). Buy also a Mithril Blade for Locke if you don't have one, a Noise Blaster and a Bio Blaster for Edgar to use in his Tools command. I prefer the Autocrossbow myself but for the sake of the completionists, here's where you can buy these for now. Moving on to the armory.... Buy two Heavy Shields (three if you didn't take Mog's shield), three Plumed Hats, a Cotton Robe for Tera, and a Kung Fu Suit for Locke. If you ran out of GP then go outside and gain levels until you have enough GP to buy all of the recommended pieces of equipment.

The bar and Inn are in the same building. Downstairs in the bar is a merchant who rushes out to deliver cider to a customer if you talk to him. He becomes important later. Downstairs in the Inn is a Relic Shop. Ok, so Relics can be equipped to cause various effects. Spring Shoes change your walking speed to be quicker in the field screen (recommended to proceed faster), while others like Dragoon Boots give you extra commands in battle, and still others like Ribbon protect against status effects. For now buy 3 Sprint Shoes. You'll see why in a moment. Give Locke a set and give Edgar or Terra a set. Hold onto the third until you get Sabin. You guys who have played the game before should know what I'm looking toward.


SABIN'S CABIN
Party: Edgar, Locke, Terra

This is north of South Figaro. Inside Edgar will notice a familiar smell. Inspect the flowers, the dishes on the shelf, and the tea on the stove. There is a Tonic in the jar by the stove. A random old guy shows up outside and tells you Sabin was here then went to the mountains. So guess where you're going next? You can rest for free in the cabin. This makes a good levelling up spot on the world map near the cabin. I often level up here until Terra learns Drain. When you're ready, the mountain to your right on the world map is the next destination. It is much tougher than the South Figaro Cave so prepare yourself by buying equipment from town. And Antidodes. Buy lots of Antidotes. Buy some Tonics too while you're at it. Terra's Cure or Antidote spells should be used sparingly and this will conserve her Magic Points.

 

[Dagger Dias]

MT KOLTS
Party: Edgar, Locke, Terra

The enemies are tough here. Tuskers can use a Gore attack that might finish off a character who is at low health. Trilliums are the worst enemies in this area though. They use an extremely annoying attack called Bane Touch that inflicts Poison status. Have Tonics ready for restoring Health Points and Antidotes ready for removing Poison status. It's better to rely on the healing items so that Terra can conserve her Magic Points. Follow the path through the first room and when you're in the second indoor area you will see a door south of you. You can get here by moving behind the wall which appears to be blocking the path but it's not, it's just so high up that the graphics make it look like you can't get through. The chest outside has a Guardian Knife. Give that to Locke to boost his attack. There is another hidden path in the upper right corner of the indoor area you were just in. Go to the right of the bridge before crossing it for a few steps behind the wall, then up, right, down, then right gain, and you're on a hidden bridge that leads you to a chest with an Atlas Armlet in it. Now go back and head across the bridge to the door on the left.

You're outdoors again and a Shadowy guy is jumping around. Ignore him for now. Keep following the path. The first door you pass leads to a chest with a Tent. The door by that leads to the path you need to take. The rest of the area is straightforward. You'll see the Shadowy guy again, then a door that leads to a Save Point. MAKE SURE TO SAVE HERE!!!! The next boss fight is one that may give new players issues. It did for me the very first time I played the game 21 years ago. Use the Tent to restore your Health Points and Magic Points if you need to, on the save point. Then go outside. Follow the path and you'll meet Vargas who is the next boss! Make sure you are at full Health before starting the battle.

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Vargas, Ipooh (2)

I recommend being level 12 when fighting this guy. It's not so bad if you know what you're doing, but it's very hard if you do not. You cannot hit Vargas until the bears are dead so defeat them first. Edgar should use his Autocrossbow, Locke should attack, Terra should cast Fire to attack or Cure if anyone needs healing. Chances are you'll need to heal after Vargas uses Gale Cut. Once the bears are gone use the same tactics on Vargas. After inflicting enough damage, Sabin shows up! Follow the instructions EXACTLY as the game tells you to. You cannot defeat Vargas without inputting the Blitz command Sabin shows you. I tried as a kid 21 years ago to power level and defeat Vargas without the Blitz, it won't work. This resulted in me having over 800 Health going into this fight at least, which was nice at the time. Sabin joins you after the fight.
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[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: SABIN

Everyone likes Sabin. It's hard to dislike him, he's the best of the group when it comes to strength and attacking. That's the good news. The bad news is he's not able to equip as good armor as others like Edgar or Terra, and he is awful at casting. That's ok though, because Sabin's usefulness comes from his Blitz abilities. Some of them inflict magic-based damage, while others are strength-based, and still others even heal. The major downside for me with playing as Sabin is the button command inputs you have to do before a Blitz ability can be used in battle. Still, Sabin's a popular character for a reason. I bring him pretty often.​

Special: Blitz
Sabin's special is Blitz. You have to input a set of button commands correctly, and then he uses the ability. Some appear to require diagonal directional pressing on the control pad, but luckily there is a way around that. I hated Blitz the first time I played the game but once you get the hang of it, it makes Sabin highly useful for the entire game.

Pummel - Level 1
(Left, Right, Left)
Does some non-elemental damage to one target

AuraBolt - Level 3
(Down, Down, Left)
Does some holy elemental damage to one target

Suplex - Level 10
(X, Y, Down, Up in SNES)
(Triangle Square, Down, Up in PSX)
(R, L, Down, Up in GBA)
Does decent amount of non-elemental damage to a target but some are immune because he has to pick them up and throw them down. It works on the Phantom Train for some reason....

Fire Dance - Level 15
(Left, Left, Down, Right, Right)
Fire elemental damage to all enemies, typically the best Blitz you'll have for most of the first world

Mantra - Level 23
(R, L, R, L, X, Y in SNES)
(R1, L1, R1, L1, Triangle, Square in PSX)
(R, L, R, L, Up, Down in GBA)
Heals equal to Sabin's current Health divided by the number of people in the active party

Air Blade - Level 30
(Up, Up, Right, Right, Down, Down, Left)
Does strong air elemental attack on all targets, typically the best Blitz you'll have until near the end of the game

Spiraler - Level 42
(R, L, X, Y, Right, Left in SNES)
(R1, L1, Triangle, Square, Right, Left in PSX)
(R, L, Up, Down, Right, Left in GBA)
Restores Health of allies and removes a number of negative status effects for them but removes Sabin from the battle

Bum Rush - Level 70 or visit Duncan in the World of Ruin
(Left, Left, Up, Up, Right, Right, Down, Down, Left)
Does tons of non-elemental damage to one target, one of the most powerful attacks in the game

Limit Break: Tiger Break

My biased character rank

5th of 14

 

[Dagger Dias]

OTHER STUFF BEFORE THE RETURNER'S HIDEOUT
Party: Edgar, Sabin, Locke, Terra

You've got a full party of 4 for the first time! Sabin might need some equipment so why not head back to South Figaro and buy him some stuff? You could use the experience points you'll gain for levelling up on the way anyway. Give Sabin the extra Sprint Shoes you had. Sabin, Edgar (or Terra), and Locke should now each be equipped with a set. Buy him a Plumed Hat and a Buckler if he has no shield yet. Trivial note.... Shadow is no longer at the bar. You can deliver the news of Duncan and Vargas to Duncan's wife who speaks to Sabin in her house. Figaro Castle is still submerged and you still cannot enter Narshe. Nowhere to go but forward. If you backtracked then return to where you fought Vargas and go through the door. There is a chest with a Tent in it. Go downstairs and exit the mountain to be back on the world map. Your next destination is the Returner Hideout which is in the mountain path northeast.


RETURNER HIDEOUT
Party: Edgar, Sabin, Locke, Terra

The guard at the entrance walks you to the door where the leader is. Let's explore first. Go through the door near the entrance. A chest inside has a Fenix Down. A guard blocks the way to the other door. The jar by the meeting room table has a Green Cherry. Now go into the leader's room. His treasure chest has a Potion in it. There's also a save point in here, so why not go ahead and save. Before you talk to the leader, un-equip Locke of everything he has but the Sprint Shoes. He'll be leaving briefly soon. Talking to the leader, Banon, triggers a talking scene. Terra must now talk to Locke, Edgar, Sabin, and then to Banon to decide if she wants to join the rebellion. Locke is in the room you woke up in. Edgar is in the meeting room, Sabin is in Banon's room, and Banon is outside the entrance but you cannot get to him until you talk to your allies. Before talking to Banon, go through the door north of the entrance in the back. Inside are chests with a Fenix Down, an Air Lancet Knife for Locke, and a True Knight relic. Hang onto the True Knight for Cyan when he joins and give the Air Lancet to Locke when he rejoins. The jars in the back have an Antidote and a Tincture. If you go from the upper right corner of this room to the south and east a few times you will find a hidden chest with a White Cape relic. See the miscelaneous note below to see how to trigger a hilarious scene, then talk to Banon.



THE RANDOM, SPECIAL, SECRET, MYSTERIOUS, POINTLESS PIECE OF PAPER

If you inspect the upper right corner of the table in the meeting room during this specific part, Terra finds a sheet of paper. You can leave it there or throw it away. If she throws it away she throws it in the jar that had the Green Cherry. If you leave it there, and then choose to join the rebellion, Banon finds the paper during the strategy meeting and he gets angry that someone left a piece of paper on the floor then he goes and throws it away in the jar. It's really funny.


JOINING (OR NOT?) THE REBELLION
Party: Terra

Banon is outside the entrance waiting for you. It is possible to leave the Returner's Hideout and go back onto the world map. You can't get far though. A random soldier in Makitek Armor is at the entrance to Mt Kolts and will not let you enter, he chases you offscreen. So, go talk to Banon. Unless you want to gain levels for Terra for a bit. He asks if you want to join, so the best option here is actually to DECLINE. Why is this? If you say yes then Banon gives you a Gauntlet relic. I've never liked that relic. If you decline three times, the guards give you a Genji Glove which is MUCH better. Hold onto that for Locke. The party splits up. Locke is going to South Figaro while the others are going to Narshe on a raft on the river. You must keep Banon alive at all costs, if he dies then it is game over even if the rest of the party are at full health.

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: BANON

Banon's weak. He cannot die while in the party or else you get a game over, so it doesn't help that he has lower health than everyone else. He can cast his Health spell without using any MP, so that's nice at least. His artwork depicts him fighting with a sword for some reason, which is odd given that he can only be equipped with a Punisher Rod in-game as far as weapons go. Banon is ONLY playable for the Lete River raft event and Terra's scenario. After that his slot in the game data gets changed to General Leo, more on him later. Banon is never seen in the World of Ruin, a palette swap of him is used for Duncan's sprites though oddly. Some may speculate they are the one and the same due to that, although I disagree with that fan theory.​

Special: Health
Banon's special ability is the Health spell. This functions identically to the Cure 2 (Cura in later versions) spell, but costs no MP to cast. Health seems far better than it actually is at the point when Banon is playable. Had he remained with you late in the game, the ability would outlive its usefulness. It can be reflected, but you'll never see this without cheat codes.

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[Dagger Dias]

LETE RIVER
Party: Edgar, Sabin, Terra, Banon

You can go outside the hideout and gain some levels if you want. Banon's Health command will restore Health Points without using any Magic Points. You have nowhere to go but to the river though. You face enemies every now and then on the raft, which moves by itself due to the river current. Have Bannon use Health always every single round. Terra and Sabin should attack while Edgar uses the Autocrossbow.

After riding some on the raft will find a split in the current and you can pick the direction. Go left at this one since it is longer and you can get more EXP from enemies. Save when you get to the resting spot at the save point, recover if needed, and then jump back onto the raft. You will soon reach a second split in the current. Up is a circle so go that way a few times to gain levels if you wish. I recommend gaining at least one level there for everyone. Go left when you are ready to proceed. You will be at another rest stop so recover and save as needed, then hop back on the raft. Soon you get attacked by a big purple octopus, this game's comedic relief boss, Ultros!

 

[Dagger Dias]

BOSS BATTLE: Ultros

Terra should cast Fire. Have Sabin attack or use Blitzes. Edgar should use the Autocrossbow. Banon should keep casting Health every round. If Terra needs to help in the healing area, cast Cure. Do not let Banon die! This will be over soon. Ultros has some funny lines such as "Seafood soup"!, "Muscle heads? Hate em!", and "Don't tease the octopus, kids!". Weird stuff.

After the fight a silly scene takes place, that results in the party splitting from 2 groups into 3. You get to pick which order you play out the 3 scenario's but you must do each. Terra's is the easiest, then Locke's, and then Sabin's. So let's go in that order. Move Mog to whoever you want to play as and that scenario will start.
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[Dagger Dias]

TERRA'S SCENARIO
Party: Edgar, Terra, Banon

You start off on the raft again but this is pretty short. Banon still can't die so keep having him cast Health each round of battle as Terra and Edgar attack. You end up right outside of Narshe on the world map. Figaro is still submerged. You cannot go help Locke in South Figaro as there is a soldier in Magitek Armor who chases you off the map if you try to enter the cave to South Figaro. When you're done goofing around, go to Narshe.


BANON HAS NO CHOCOBO RIDER SPRITE!? IS THIS A GLITCH????

If you want, this is the only time in the game where you can see what Banon looks like while riding a Chocobo. After Terra's Scenario starts, head to the stable south of the desert and buy a Chocobo ride while Banon is in the first character formation slot. Banon actually does not appear to HAVE a "riding a chocobo" sprite in his sprite sheet, so it will make a glitched image appear while he leaves the stable. It is best to save, go see this, then reset and keep playing.




NARSHE
Party: Edgar, Terra, Banon

The guards will not let you go in through the main gates. They yell at Banon and call Edgar a liar. Remember the switch Locke used when he saved Terra back at the begining of the game? Go inspect the rock formation by where that switch was. This opens a door into the mines. Head inside. Follow the path in the mines and you will find a puzzle. A star flies through a specific path in the maze. You must follow this same path or else you get surrounded by stars and attacked by monsters. It is possible to avoid getting attacked if you press A while the stars circle around you and the dark star is directly in front of you. Repeat as needed, or learn the star's path and get through the puzzle.

After the puzzle go south through the first door you find. This is right by the corner where Terra fell through the hole at the start of the game. You will end up in the area where Locke and Mog fought the mammoths. Through the door north of you is a Moogle village! They all just say Kupo other than one who stands still by the wall. He is guarding the Moogle Charm relic which you can get later. Open the chest at the left through the upper left wall for a Rune Edge. This sucks because it takes MP as you attack. Sell it once you get a chance in the other scenarios. Unless you did this one last then you're stuck with it in your inventory for now. Follow the path back the way you came at the start of the game and once you enter the den of the old man's house, this scenario ends. If you followed my order then Locke is up next!

 

[Dagger Dias]

LOCKE'S SCENARIO - SOUTH FIGARO
Party: Locke

This scenario starts off with one large puzzle. You are in South Figaro but the empire has taken over and you have to get past the guards into other parts of the town. You begin at Duncan's Wife's house. Remember that random save point in her basement? Not so randon anymore is it? Save here and then start. Equip Locke with Sprint Shoes and Genji Glove for his relics. His equipment should be Air Lancet and Guardian Knife for his weapons, Plumed Hat and Kung Fu Suit for his armor. Don't bother trying to attack the Magitek Armored soldiers in the alleys between buildings, chances are you are too weak to defeat them unless you are severely overlevelled. What you need to do is disguise yourself in order to pass. You can find Merchants or Soldiers with green armor to steal clothing from. Locke will briefly look just like these NPC's even in battle which is really cool. Your first task is to steal a merchant's clothes, he is in the item shop, just above the house of the guy who likes cider. He calls you a thief to which Locke responds with the classic line of "Call me a treasure hunter or I'll rip your lungs out!".


BATTLE: Merchant

Select "steal" in battle and you'll steal his clothing! "These are a little tight, but the price was right".

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: LOCKE (MERCHANT)

This is still Locke within the game data, but see how cool he looks now that he's disguised? Locke as the Merchant is identical to Locke the Treasure Hunter as far as stats and abilities go. He gets a shiny new sprite temporarily though. The sprites for the merchant disguise are awesome. I wish this playable beyond this event, but sadly it's not. There should have been a Merchant NPC who could optionally have been permanently recruited. Why not? That was a waste of a perfectly good sprite set to not allow it to be playable after this event.

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[Dagger Dias]

LOCKE'S SCENARIO - SOUTH FIGARO
Party: Merchant Locke

Now that you look like merchant, people think you are one. The soldier who tells Locke "Scram you blockhead!" now tells you he does not want to buy anything. Go to the house of the guy who likes cider (south of the item shop) and his grandson will let you pass, thinking you are the same merchant who brings him cider. Watch out for the Magitek Armored soldiers as they will still attack you even if you're a merchant. In order to get past the soldier who is blocking the way you can do one of two things.... go steal a green soldier's clothing or take the hidden path between the buildings to the bar. See where the two buildings are connected above the water? There is a bridge underneath them that you cannot see due to the graphics. I like the soldier outfit though so let's go get soldier clothing.

BATTLE: Officer

Same as the merchant battle. Use "steal" to steal his clothing! "These are a little too big, but they'll do".

 

[Dagger Dias]

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: LOCKE (SOLDIER)

Yeah, so just like Merchant Locke, this is still identical to the normal Locke within the game data, only with a temporary sprite change. I like Soldier Locke. Wish it too was playable outside of this event. Oh well.

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