Final Fantasy II Walkthrough Version 2.5 by Amar Kishan on 1/18/01 amar_kishan@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ i.) INTRODUCTION This is a complete walkthrough for Final Fantasy II (NES). If you have anything to add, just contact me at: amar_kishan@hotmail.com. I hope you enjoy the guide. If you wish to use this guide for any purposes (other than use for help), please email me first. This guide is not to be reproduced in anyway without my permission first. This guide is copyright 2000-2001 Amar Kishan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ii.) FORMAT This covers several things in a particular format, which is useful to know in order to use the guide. Walkthrough Format: Chapter: (Name) Section: (A,B,C, etc.) Name of place Enemies: (name of enemies) Treasures: (If any) Boss: (If any) Boss Format: Name of Boss: Hp/Mp Weakness: Reward: Attacks: Name Strategy: (how to kill it) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iii.) VERSION HISTORY Version 2.5 (1/18/01) - Added information on evade - Added "FAQ" - Added "Light Warriors" - Updated "Theory on Aura" - Fixed more "9"s that had become "2"s - Attempted to fix the formatting Version 2.0 (1/11/01) - Attempted to fix the formatting (YET AGAIN) - Updated "Pandemonium" - Updated "Weapons" Version 1.9 (1/10/01) - Attempted to fix the formatting (AGAIN) - Updated "Walkthrough" Version 1.8 (1/08/01) - Attempted to fix the formatting - Updated "Items" Version 1.7 (1/06/01) - Added "Rows" - Attempted to fix the formatting - Tried to fix all the "9"s that were changed to "2"s Version 1.6 (1/05/01) - Updated "Format" - Updated "Pandemonium" - Minorediting Version 1.5 (1/02/01) - Added "Game Basics" - Added "Theory on Aura" - Added "FFII in FFIX!?" - Added "Keywords" - Updated "Mysidia's Bookcase" - Updated "Credits/Disclaimer" - Updated "Key Items" - Updated "White Magic" Version 1.0 (12/23/00) - Initial Version ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iv.) TABLE OF CONTENTS i.) Introduction ii.) Format iii.) Version History iv.) Table of Contents I.) Game Basics A.) Game Controls B.) The Menu C.) Battle System D.) Status Ailments E.) Building Your Characters F.) Rows II.) Walkthrough 1.) CHAPTER I: THE REBELLION'S NEW HOPE: The Beginning to the Semite Cave 2.) CHAPTER II: THE WARSHIP: Bofsk to the Warship 3.) CHAPTER III: REBEL FLAME: From Dist to Reclaiming Phin, Side-Mysidia 4.) CHAPTER IV: THE SEALED POWER: From the Catacombs to Tower of Mysidia 5.) CHAPTER V: THE FALL OF AN EMPIRE: From the Whirlwind to Paramekia Castle 6.) CHAPTER VI: REVENGE: From Jade to the End III.) Armor A.) Armor B.) Helmets C.) Gauntlets IV.) Weapons A.) Axes B.) Bows C.) Canes D.) Javelins E.) Knives F.) Swords V.) Shields VI.) Magic A.) Black Magic B.) White Magic C.) Enemy Magic D.) Special Magic E.) Theory on Aura VII.) Items A.) Store-Bought Items B.) Battle Items C.) Key Items VIII.) Characters A.) Party Members B.) Allies C.) Foes IX.) Keywords X.) Statistics A.) Raw Statistics B.) Function Statistics XI.) Secrets/Misc A.) Change Trick B.) Weapons/Magic Skills Made Easy C.) Blood Swords D.) Dropped Items E.) Mysidia's Bookcase F.) FFII in FFIX!? G.) Light Warriors XII.) FAQ XIII.) Credits/Disclaimer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I.) GAME BASICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Game Controls ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final Fantasy II was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Theavailable buttons are A,B, Select, Start, and the control pad (up, down, left,right). A: On the field, it will search the square you are facing. In battle and in the menu, it confirms a selection. B: Cancels any selected action, closes windows. Start: Opens the menu on the map or in the field, pauses in battle Select: In the field or on the map, allows you to change the positions of your characters. B and Select: Opens the World Map (must have the Ring item first). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) The Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By hitting start on the map or in the field, you'll open up the menu screen. There are several sub-sections of the menu: Item, Magic, Equip, Stats, and Save. 1.) Item: Allows you to use the items that you've acquired. Note that some items can't be used in the field. 2.) Magic: Allows you to use the magic that you've acquired. Note that some items can't be used in the field. 3.) Equip: Allows you to equip weapons, shields, armor, helms, gauntlets, and items. You can only equip two items at a time. 4.) Stats: Allows you to view the statistics of your characters: Agl, Hit Points, Int, Magic Points, M. Pwr, Pwr, Soul, Vit, Weapon Skill, Att, Def, Hit%, Evad, and M. Def. 5.) Save: Allows you to save your game. This can only be used on the world map. You can have a max of four saved games. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Battle System ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Battles in FFII are turn based. As the battle opens, you'll have four options: Attack, Run, Magic, and Item. If you choose to attack, then you choose a target that the character will attack. If you choose to run, the character will try to run (could you guess?). If you choose to use Magic, you'll have to choose a spell and a target. Note that you can select all foes and all of the party. Finally, if you choose to use an item, you can use your two items and whatever is equipped in your right and left hands. Pretty simple, eh? The game ends when all of your party is dead or petrified. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) Status Ailments ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1) Status Ailments that last after Battle These Status Ailments last even after Battle is finished. Poison: At the end of each turn in battle or with each step on the map, a poisoned character will lose HP. Cure it with an Antidote or the spell Heal (Lv.1). Dark: Darkness lowers hit percentage, causing complete misses or just a lower number of hits. Cure it with an EyeDrop or the spell Heal (Lv.1). Curs: Curse lowers attack and defense. Cure it with a Crucifix or the spell Heal (Lv.2). Dumb: Dumbfounded prohibits spell casting. Cure it with an EchoScn or the spell Heal (Lv.3). Frog: Frog lowers attack and defense and prevents you from using magic or items. Cure it with a MaidKiss or the spell Heal (Lv.4). Ston: Stone prohibits action. Cure it with a G. Needle or the spell Heal (Lv.5). Dead: Death prohibits action. Cure it with a FenixDn, at a Shrine, or with thespell Heal (Lv.6). 2.) Battle only Status Ailments These Status Ailments are cured after battle or randomly during the battle. Conf: Confusions causes you to lose control of your characters actions. The character will act randomly. Hold: Paralysis prohibits action. Mini: Mini lowers attack and defense. Mute: Silence prevents spell casting. Sleep: Sleep prevents action. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.) Building Your Characters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final Fantasy II was the debut of a new status system. There are no levels,characters progress in ways reflecting their actions in battle. For example, if Frionel attacks 100 times, he'll gain a weapon skill level, allowing him to hit 1 more time in battle. If he casts a spell 100 times, he'll gain a magic skill level, improving the effectiveness of the spell. If he loses over half his HP, he'll gain more HP; the same goes with MP. In this fashion, characters are built up. See the Tricks section for some tricks on how to gain statistics faster and the Statistics section for more info. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F.) Rows ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In FFII, there are two rows: the front row and the back row. Characters in The back row can only be hit by magic attacks (unless everyone in the front row is dead). The same goes for enemies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ II.) WALKTHROUGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER I: THE REBELLION'S NEW HOPE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Altea Enemies: DkKnight, LegEater, Hornet, Goblin Treasures: Potion Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll be given the chance to name four characters. There is no default options, but the names are, in the order that you'll name them, Frionel, Lionheart, Maria, and Guy. You'll need to abbreviate Frionel and Lionheart. As the game starts, you are immediately thrown into a fight against 4 DkKnights. Your party will be wasted quickly, so don't even try to put up a fight. Frionel will awake in Altea after a short dialogue between Hilda, the Princess of Phin, and Minh the White Mage. Apparently, your group was escaping Phin as the Paramekian empire was invading it. You were ambushed on your way out. Once Frionel awakes, he steps outside and re-unites with Guy and Maria. Lionheart has yet to be found, unfortunately. Your party then seeks audience with the Princess. Listen to her speech, then learn the password White Rose. Repeat it back to her and she will suggest that you search for Lionheart in Phin. You're now free to head for Phin, but I suggest talking to the townsfolk and rebels to learn what's going on. After talking to the King, who's wounded, head down the stairs and grab the potion. Be sure to talk with all the townspeople, including Paul, Gordon, and Tobul (disguised as the old man in the weapons shop). Now, head for the armor shop and buy a buckler, three leather gauntlets, and two leather helmets. Give Guy a helmet, buckler, and gauntlet. Give your other helm to Frionel, and give him a gauntlet too. Maria has to get stuck with the leftovers, no helmet for her just yet=). Hit select and move Maria to the back row. You should have some gil left, but not enough to buy anything. It's time to earn some cash, and gain some skill levels while your at it. After exiting the town, wander around, butchering the Hornets, LegEaters, and Goblins that attack you. Right now, your hit% is probably terrible; well, it is terrible. So don't be surprised if your party misses quite a few hits. I would recommend building Frionel's Sword and Shield skill level to at least level 4. This will prove very useful, and give you an extra edge in the beginning. Once you get the money, buy Maria a Cure Spell and a Leather Helmet. Once that's finished, head north to Gatea. At Gatea, you'll want to purchase the Leather Armor for Maria, at a rather hefty price of 100 gil. It's worth it, though. Now, head for Phin, a bit north of Gatea (across the lake). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Phin Enemies: Captain, LegEater, Hornet, Goblin Treasures: Potionx3, Ring Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Phin, take care to avoid the "citizens." They are really soldiers of The empire that will decimate your party mercilessly. Instead, walk north and go one pace further than the wall. Move east, then south, around the wall, and enter the pub. In the pub, go talk to the bar tender. Say White Rose, and he'll tell you that Scott, prince of Kashuon, is dying. Follow the secret passage to Scott's bed, and talk to him. Say White Rose, and Scott will give you a Ring. He wants you to tell his brother, Gordon, to have pride in his abilities. He also wishes you to inform the King that Phin was only captured because Duke Borgan betrayed the rebels, and is now an Imperial General (you'll cross swords with him soon enough). Scott then perishes, after mentioned Hilda. Take the Ring, and open the three treasure chests for potions. Head back to Altea. Show the Ring to Gordon on your way to the Hideout (not needed, but shows some effect). Inside, talk to Hilda. She'll beg you to find the legendary Mithril, thus allowing the Rebels to be better equipped. Learn the keyword Mithril, and repeat it to her. She'll now mention the Warship, a terrifying Imperial weapon that's being built in Bofsk. Learn Warship, and recite it back to her. She'll tell you that it's even better than Cid's Airship. Cid, by the way, was the Captain of Phin's White Knights, and is now a transport pilot. Minh says he'll accompany you on your quest for Mithril, and brings along his Canoe. Talk to the rebels, one of them will tell you that Josef in Salamando may know the whereabouts of the Mithril. Talk to the King, and he'll issue a death sentence on Borgan (Right, like he has any power anyway). Now, you can head for Palm, a town northeast of Altea, by means of Canoe. Before you leave, you might want to buy Ice and Bolt for Maria and Ice and Cure for Guy. This will cost you 1600 gil, so be patient->It's worth it. Also, give Minh's Copper Armor to Frionel, and give Frionel's Leather Armor to Minh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) The Mithril Mine Enemies: Soldier, Goblin, G. Goblin, Balloon, Slime, Zombie, LandTrtl Treasures: Potionx2, EyeDrop, 261 Gil, Fire, Exit, Mithril Boss: Sargeant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you have the Canoe, you're free to row north east from Altea and follow the short trail to Palm, a small town. There's nothing of real worth in Palm as of yet, though there is some new armor. If you want, get a Copper Gauntlet for Guy and Maria. Talk to the pirate near the entrance and he'll take you to Poft for a small price of 32 Gil. Poft doesn't offer much in terms of weaponry or armor either, but it does have an airship service. In the pub, talk to Cid's attendant, she'll offer to fly you to various locations: Bofsk, Salamando, Semite, and Kashuon. Since you may be making some hefty purchases, I suggest walking east of Poft to Bofsk, rather than flying there. On a side note, mention the Warship to Cid to get his "professional" opinion on the craft. Bofsk has been occupied by the Empire (its teeming with Imperial soldiers) and its citizens are being forced to construct the mighty warship (that huge thing in the valley northwest of Bofsk). The commander standing in the middle of the town is the Dark Knight, a new villain hired by the Empire to oversee the Warship's construction. In the southwest corner is an Imperial commander that's actually a spy, but he can't help you since the Dark Knight is present. Go to the armory and buy Silver Armor for Frionel, Maria, and Guy. Give the Copper Armor back to Minh, and sell the Leather Armor. Head back to Poft, and this time go northwest to Salamando. This town has also been occupied by the empire; much of the population has been forced to mine Mithril in the cave behind Semite Falls (Hint: The Mithril you want is there in that cave. Another Hint: If you needed the hint before this one, I feel sorry for you.). You can talk to Josef in the northeast house, who asks you if you are Imperial spies (really, who would admit to being a spy?). Ask him about the Warship and Airship and he will pass you off for fools. Ask him about the Mithril and he'll tell you that it's being mined in the cave behind Semite Falls (My hint was right!!). Say Wild Rose to him and he'll poke fun at the rebels for getting kids to do their work. Go to the Weapon's Shop and buy a Long Sword for Frionel and a Long Bow for Maria. Sell the Broad Sword and Bow. Buy the Battle Axe for Guy, and give his old Axe to Minh. Sell the Cane. Rest at the inn, if you need it, and then head out west until you reach a river/lake, and then paddle your way to the small cave. Save, and enter the Semite Cave. Get the treasure in the northwest for 10 gil, then head to the southeast for 200 gil. Head west to the stairwell (southwest corner). On the second floor, get the EyeDrop from the northwest treasure, then head up the north path for a potion. Grab the second potion from the southeast and head the easternmost of three doors. You can go south for a 1 gil fortune, then head east for 50 gil (that's more like it). Take the easternmost door to enter a room full of miners, including Paul. Nellie, standing next to Paul, is Josef's daughter. She's a hostage of the Empire. Talk to Paul and he'll agree to free the slaves and return to Salamando. However, he informs you that he, a master thief, could not find the Mithril. Head east to the staircase. On the fourth floor, be sure to get the spell Fire from the north treasure chest. Give it to Maria, as it will prove useful in the ensuing battle. The exit is in the southeast. If you happen to run into Slimes in this area, blast them with Maria's Ice Spell for a quick victory...physical attacks are useless. On the fifth floor, head past the door to the northeast corner. Open the treasure chest to get the Exit spell. However, LandTrtl shows up to reclaim what's his. He has 140 hp, and is weak to Ice. Have Frionel attack, have Maria cast Ice, Guy cast Ice (if he doesn't have it, attack), and have Minh cast Safe on the party. If anyone is badly hurt, have Minh heal them. He should die quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Give Exit to Maria. Now return to the door and head inside. Heal up, then talk to the Imperial Sargeant guarding the Mithril. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sargeant Hp: 140 Mp: 10 Weakness: None Reward: 200 Gil, Mithril Axe Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: Have Frionel and Guy attack. Maria should either cast Ice or Fire, whichever is at a higher level. Minh should first Safe the party, then cast DSPL. From there, he can attack and cure when necessary. Although the Sargeant is pretty tough, he'll go down soon if you cure weaker character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Note: The Sargeant doesn't always drop the Mithril Axe. He does every other time you defeat him (or so it seems). I've done it four times, and he dropped it the first and third times. I didn't bother with a fifth=).* Grab the Mithril, then cast exit. Cure Maria (as exit drains hp). Save, and head back to Salamando. There, Josef will give you information about the Warship and Airship. Head back to Altea via Poft and Palm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER II: THE WARSHIP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Bofsk Enemies: Soldiers, G. Goblins, LegEaters, VmpThorns, Balloon Treasures: Long Sword, Long Bow, Pass Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Altea, show the Mithril to Gordon (not necessary, but if you like to see Him belittle his own worth=)). Head upstairs and show it to Hilda, who will Tell you to take it to Tobul immediately. So, head for the weapons shop and Give the Mithril to the Old Man. Now the Altean Weapon and Armor shops carry Mithril equipment, a lot more powerful than the previous armor and weapons. Definitely get the Mithril Sword and Shield for Frionel. You also want to get the Mithril Axe (if you don't have it) and Mithril Shield for Guy. Everyone (but Minh) should get a nifty Mithril Helm. If you have enough cash, get Mithril gauntlets for Frionel, Guy, and Maria. If you want, give the Battle Axe to Minh, and sell the Axe. Head back to Hilda. She'll tell you that the Dark Knight was called back to Paramekia on assignment, so Borgan was placed in control. Borgan's security is lax, and Hilda believes that her spies can now help you sabotage the Warship. Basically, you're to go to Bofsk and either destroy the Warship or delay its construction. So, head to Palm (buy the Mithril Bow here!), Poft, and then walk (or fly) to Bofsk. At Bofsk, your now free to talk with the townspeople. You'll learn that you need a Pass to board the Warship, which is surely going to attack Palm, Poft, and Altea. You'll also learn that Borgan is a corrupt moron. With that in mind, talk to the spy in the southwest corner of town. Tell him "Wild Rose" and he'll tell you to reach the Warship via the sewers. So head for the sewers, which are accessed by the little stairs. Take the left path to grab a Long Sword (not good at this point, but you can sell it for cash). Follow the straightforward path, grabbing the Long Bow in the southwest. The stairs are in the southeast. The second floor is even more simple than the first=). Take the right path and follow it until you reach...the Dark Knight!? Apparently, he would never leave until his work was done. He informs you that the Rebellion will be crushed by the completed Warship. He then departs, followed by Borgan, who calls you a "spoony guy." You automatically follow them outside and watch the Warship take off. Quickly go back inside the sewers and head east. Take the door, grab the Pass and step onto the pentagram. You'll find yourself standing outside of Bofsk. Head back inside to sell your Long Sword and Bow. Also, talk to the townspeople for some information on the towns attacked. When you're ready, head to Poft. You should notice that half the people of Poft were killed in the attack. Head to the Pub and talk to Cid. Ask him about the "Airship." He'll tell you that it runs off the "Sun Flame." The Sun Flame? Ask him about the Sun Flame, and he'll tell you that enough Sun Flame in an engine will cause an explosion (Guess how the Warship will be destroyed). Hitch a boat ride back to Palm. Lots of people died here too, including the "sleaze" that was hitting on Maria. The Empire must pay... Head to Altea, and go to the hideout. Most of the townspeople fled there after the attack, but Gordon ran away. Un-equip Minh, then talk to Hilda. Minh will leave the party, trying to help the King. Hilda will beg you to find a way to destroy the Warship. Ask her about the Sun Flame. She'll say that its on the first floor of Kashuon, and you'll tell her that it can be used to destroy the Warship. So, you need to get the Sun Flame. But to open the gates of Kashuon, you'll need the Goddess Bell, hidden somewhere to the north. Go talk to Minh, and ask him about the Sun Flame. He'll mention the Fire Festival of Kashuon, and that you must get the EgilTorch to carry the Sun Flame. Now, ask the King about the Sun Flame. Finally, he'll mention the Goddess Bell (and you can actually learn the keyword this time!!!). Learn it, and say it back to him, Minh, and Hilda. Hilda will tell you that Josef in Salamando may know the whereabouts of this bell. Guess where you're going next? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) The Snow Cave Enemies: Snowman, Icicle, Ghoul, Zombie, Shadow, DeathHead, Dual Head, Grenade, G. Goblin, Goblin, Balloon Treasures: IceSled, 250 gil, Battle Axe, Antidote, Mithril Cane, Ice Wind, Potionx2, Ice, Mithril Lance, Ancient Sword, Silver Armor, Goddess Bell Bosses: Adamanti, Borgan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Head back to Salamando and talk to Josef. He'll join your party if you Mention the Goddess Bell to him. He'll also tell you that the only way to get onto to Snow Field is by using the Ice Sled, which Josef hid in the Semite Cave. Head for the Semite Cave and go to the Ice Block on the first floor. Check the corner to the northeast of the ice block and you'll get the Ice Sled (wonder if its there earlier...doubt it though). Head for the snow field entrance northwest of Salamando. Head east on the Snow Field until you reach the Snow Cave. In the Snow Cave, grab the northwest chest for 100 gil and the southeastern one for 150 gil. The exit is straightforward and easy to find. The second level has no treasure, so take the stairs. From the entrance of the third floor, head northwest for an IceWind. Take the northeast stairs to enter a treasure room. Grab the Battle Axe (southeast), Antidote (center), and Mithril Cane (northwest). The Cane is guarded by Grenades (4-5) who are easily defeated by physical attacks. Head back to the main room of the third floor. The exit of the third floor is in the southwest corner. Take the potion in the northwest and head east to get Ice. You can get another potion in the south-center. Finally, grab the Mithril Lance from the southeast corner. The fifth floor is also easily tractable, be sure to get the Ancient Sword (guarded by a Shadow and two ghouls) in the southwest corner of the room and the Mithril Shield in the northwest. The Ancient Sword has terrible accuracy, I personally didn't equip it over the Mithril Sword. Take the southeastern door to enter a lake-like area. You can try to talk to the wandering beavers, but you won't understand them at all. For some odd reason, Guy can understand the leader beaver (the guy in the northwest corner). Ask him about the Goddess Bell and he'll tell you that the right wall is fake. So, head through the fake right wall. Follow the path until you reach a grotto with a treasure chest in the center. Pop it open for a suit of Silver Armor, which you should give to Josef. Then talk to the beast in front of the plaque, the Adamanti. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adamanti Hp: 450 Mp: 0 Weakness: Ice Reward: 500 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: Have Frionel and Josef attack, while Maria and Guy cast Ice if they have it, or attack if not. If Guy does not have Ice, don't worry, his Mithril Axe CAN hurt Adamanti. Thankfully, this creature is not quite strong enough to kill one character in one hit, so you always have the option to Cure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After cracking the Adamanti's shell, examine the Plaque to get the Goddess Bell. Now, follow the path through the door (you'll end up on floor 1). Follow the path, but before going down the staircase to the exit, heal your characters. Then follow the stairs downwards until you run into Borgan, who valiantly attacks you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Borgan Hp: 240 Mp: 20 Weakness: None Reward: 400 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: For an Imperial General, Borgan is a joke. Hack him to pieces, magic won't help. I killed him in 1 turn->he's VERY easy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After butchering Borgan, de-equip Josef (though he only has Leather and Silver equipment, money is money). Then head down the stairs. A boulder will start to follow, and your party will run. Josef throws himself against the boulder, and though Guy pleads for him to run, you're forced to escape at the cost of Josef's life. Despite your grief, you have to complete the mission, or Josef's death will be meaningless (yes, it's a classic line). Head back to Salamando to rest. The man in the upper left corner talks about a race of birds, called Chocobos, which live south of Kashuon. This will be important a little bit later. Sell everything you got in the Snow Cave(that you're not using) except the Mithril Lance and Josef's equipment. You can now head back to the Rebel Hideout, where you'll be told to head for Kashuon, or you can head for Kashuon yourself. I recommend going to Altea and buying Cure for Frionel and an extra Cure booklet for your new party member. Either way, stop off at Bofsk and head southeast. Follow the path until you see a gap in a mountain range with forest near it. Head to the center of the circle this mountain range forms, and you'll see Kashuon surrounded by another mountain range. Save, and head inside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Kashuon Enemies: Ogre, WzOgre, Adamanti, LandTrtl, Shadow, Ghoul, Ghast, Wraith, Mine, Balloon, WereRat, LegEater, VmpThrn, Goblin, G.Goblin, DesAngel, Soldier Treasures: Cure, 300 gil, Gold Shield, Mithril Sword, Were Cane, Mithril Axe, Antidote, EchoScn, EyeDrop, Gold Armor, EgilTrch, SunFlame Boss: R. Soul ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upon entering, you can see the Sun Flame in the center of the entrance area. Unfortunately, it won't be that easy...you need the EgilTrch to move the blasted thing. Use the Goddess Bell on the locked door north of the Sun Flame. Head inside. You'll meet Prince Gordon (remember him?) here. Apparently, he tried to get the Sun Flame himself but couldn't fight the monsters. He has 64 and no spells. Give him cure, the Mithril Lance, and any better armor you have. He sucks, and may die several times...but he is someone to take extra hits, so keep him around. In the southeast corner of this area is another Cure booklet, give it to Frionel. The exit is in the southwest corner. Head east on the second floor and grab the 300 gil. The exit is on the path. The third floor is a bit convoluted, so take the second path and grab the Gold Shield in the southwest corner. It's guarded by WereRats, which Guy and Frionel can kill in one hit. The fourth floor is full of rooms, but the northeastern room (the one that's facing a hall, slightly north of the other room) holds some great treasure: Were Cane, Mithril Axe, Mithril Sword. Give the Were Cane to Gordon. Leave the treasure room and progress to the stairwell. The next floor is disturbingly inhabited by Adamantis, blast them with ice as you did in the Snow Cave. Go to the northeast room on the fifth floor for an Antidote, EchoScn, and EyeDrop. Grab the Gold Armor from the middle. Finally, take the exit to the sixth and final floor. Make sure that you have enough mp to cure the party forfour turns and make sure that you have full hp. Then, talk to the R. Soul blocking the path to the torch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ R. Soul Hp: 540 Mp: 35 Weakness: None Reward: 100 Gil Attacks: Fire8, Bolt8, Ice8, Physical Attack Strategy: This boss is pretty tough.....A lot tougher than most others. He'll blast your whole party with level 8 Ice, Fire, and Bolt spells which do considerable damage at this point in the game. To make matters worse, elemental spells heal him, so you have to stick with physical attacks (which frequently connect for 0 damage). Have Maria cure the entire party and Guy cure a damaged person while Frionel and Gordon attack the beast. After 4 turns, R. Soul will run out of mp, and will be forced to attack you physically. He frequently misses, so this is your chance to finish him. It'll take 3 or 4 more turns, but the R. Soul will die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Head north and grab the EgilTrch from the chest. Cast Exit, and save, cure, whatever. Now head back inside Kashuon and go up to the Sun Flame. Use the EgilTrch on the Sun Flame to obtain the powerful fire. Now head back Outside Kashuon. You'll see the Warship pursuing an airship and ultimately Catching it. Your goal is to destroy the Warship, and you can now do that, but I suggest you rest for now. Walk directly south of Kashuon and you'll enter a forest/grassy clearing. You'll see a white bird moving around. Catch up to it and talk to it and you'll get a Chocobo. Step outside and mount the Chocobo. Head to Bofsk (or any other town), and rest up, sell excess equipment, make some space in your inventory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) The Warship Enemies: Soldier, Mage, Panther, Stunner, WereRat, Eagle, Ghoul, Ghast, Wraith, Shadow Treasures: 400 gil, Sleep Sword, Potionx2, Blind Bow, Thief Gauntlet, Trident, Gouche Dagger, Ice Shield, Giant Helmet Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Note: You need not head back to Altea, though it will tell you where the Warship has landed. Since you have this walkthrough, you won't need that.* In Altea, you'll learn that Cid had flown Hilda to greet you at Kashuon, but the Warship intercepted them and have Cid and Hilda as prisoners. How are you going to get on the Warship now that Cid's Airship is gone??? Well, the Warship needs to refuel, and the Rebels believe that it landed somewhere north of Phin. Well, not only did it land North of Phin, it landed in the most remote and isolated location in the world (well, almost). Open up your world map and scroll north of Phin. The warship is parked on that peninsula stretching for miles. Don't even try to walk there unless your really strong or need a lot of gil...still, it's not worth it. Instead, return to the Chocobo forest and head south from Kashuon. You'll soon see the Warship parked, with its entrance ramp extended. Dismount, save, and head inside. You can only go a couple of steps before you meet an Imperial soldier who asks for a pass. Give him the Pass you found in the Bofsk Sewers, and head east to the stairwell flanked by two soldiers. Don't talk to anyone in the Warship, other than Hilda and Cid, or you'll have to fight a Captain (more than a match for you at this point). After descending the stairs, head east through the false wall (directly west of the treasure) to get into the cell. Open the Treasure Chest for the Sleep Sword, which is guarded by Sargeants, Soldiers, and Mages. Kill the Soldiers, then Mages, then Sargeants. Give Frionel the Sleep Sword, as it *ACTUALLY* puts some enemies to sleep. Head back to the entrance level. Head up the stairs in the northwest and grab the treasure chest for 400 gil. Ignore all the rooms along this catwalk, they are empty. Follow the path until you have the chance to go down and head to the northeastern room. >From here, descend into another important area. Get the two potions in the southeastern corner. Also get the Blind Bow in the southwest and the Thief Gauntlet in the South. Give the Blind Bow to Maria and the Thief Gauntlet to Frionel. You should be able to see Hilda and Cid in a cell. Head over there, and push the gratings twice ("talk" to them) to fully destroy the bars. Talk to Cid and he'll tell you that he'll escort Hilda outside. That said, head back up to the first floor of the Warship. This time, follow the path all the way until the stairs, and head to the southeast exit. Follow this simple level to the exit (ignore those captains wandering around under the grating). The third floor is full of treasure, so head to the northeastern corner to see four treasure chests. Get the West one for a Trident, the second to West one for a Gouche Dagger, and the east one for a Giant Helm. Give the Giant Helm to Frionel. Now, the remaining treasure chest holds the Ice Shield, but is guarded by a Gigas and a soldier. The soldier is a piece of cake, the Gigas is not. Don't bother with this treasure chest, just go to the next level. Proceed through the straight forward levels (the maze area, where paths are guarded by Captains, is easily tractable by going to the outer path first). Once you reach the Engine, examine it and use the SunFlame. It will begin to explode and the Dark Knight will show up, warning you that it's not over yet. Why is that voice so familiar? Who could the Dark Knight be?? You'll automatically exit the Warship and fly off in Cid's Airship just as the Imperial weapon explodes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER III: REBEL FLAME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Dist: Land of the Dragoons Enemies: Shadow, Wraith, LandTrtl, Adamanti, WzOgre, Ogre, GrOgre, Gigas, Stcltite, Ghoul, Ghast, Revenant, Dual Head, Soul, G. Soul Treasures: 30 gil, Pendant, Egg, Potion, Flame Bow, Knight Armor, ElderIQ, Heart, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Armor, Magic Cane, Mirror, Mithril Gauntlet, DrgnBean Boss: Chimerax3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll land outside of Altea. Sell all excess weapons but the Gouche Dagger. De-equip Gordon, keeping his Mithril stuff for Layla, your next fourth party member. Head to the rebel headquarters and you'll learn that the king is dying. Head for his room, and he'll tell Gordon to take over the Rebellion, Minh to unlock the sealed power, and you to go to Dist and get the friendship of the dragoons. So, you now have your mission. Head to the throne room and talk to Gordon. You'll learn that Dist was invaded by the Empire recently. Learn the keyword Dragoon and say it back to him. He'll say that the Dragoon's had a Hiryuu that will be of use. Learn the word Hiryuu, and head out. You can learn from townsfolk that Dist is on an isolated island to the east of Altea. You can also pay a visit to Hilda, who says Huhu. What's with that? Forget it, and head for Palm. Upon entering, talk to the other pirate (Layla) and she says she's heading for Dist and wants to travel with you. Maria smells a rat, but Guy quells here fears and you agree. Exit Palm and you'll see the ship docked a bit east of the town. Go board it, and it'll start sailing south. Then, in the middle of the ocean, it'll stop. Layla and some pirates will surround you, asking you to surrender your possessions. You'll be thrown into a fight with 8 pirates. This fight is incredibly easy, as the Pirates do from 0-10 damage and frequently miss. It takes three turns to beat these guys, maybe four. When it's finished, Layla will join you, bringing her ship with her. Finally, you sail the far seas of FF2j...YES!!! First thing's first, give Layla all of Gordon's equipment. You may have noticed (or not) that Layla has two weapons equipped, but only attacks with the one in her left hand, because she's left handed. So put her shield in her right hand and weapon in her left hand. There is only one other character in the game like this, so you can't get confused =). Sell her excess equipment, and give her Goldpin helm to Maria. Now's a great time to head for Mysidia, not located on the map. From Altea, sail southeast until you pass through the straight in between the land areas (on the map it looks like a long finger). Sail west now until your ship reaches the mouth of a river. Canoe up the river for a little bit, then head east towards the mountain range. You should see a town around the area. If you run into Mallows and Puddings, beware that physical attacks don't hurt them. Blast the Mallows with Bolt and the Puddings with Fire. Upon entering Mysidia, you can visit the weapons and armor shops (which have some of the best equipment in the game), or the magic shop (the best in the game). First, buy a Thief Gauntlet for Layla, Maria, and Guy (Frionel should have the one you got in the Warship). Also, get an Ice Shield for Frionel, Guy, and Layla. If you want, you can get the Knight Armor for everyone. At the weapons shop, get the Ice Bow for Maria and the Ogre Axe for Guy. Decked out with this awesome equipment, the rather tough Dist Cave will become a piece of cake. If you want, swing by the Magic Shop to take a look at their Holy and Change spells, though I doubt you'll want it right now. This may prove costly, but I had 76k gil stocked at the point, so why not? When you're done in Mysidia, sail to Bofsk, and rest up there. Now, sail directly east of Bofsk to Dist, the land of the Dragoons. Walk to the castle and enter. You'll see a boy, who runs from you. Follow the path he was blocking. You'll see him again, and he'll say that he'll tell his mom about you. Well, follow him again. You can see him and his mom standing in front of a door. Before talking with them, get all the treasure in Dist Castle. On the second floor, get the Cottage from the northwest, then head to the southwest stairs. Get the FenixDn. Take the stairs to the third floor. Grab the Unicorn from the southeast chest, then work towards the eastern room. Get Stone, Curse, and Stop. Curse is pretty good, as for Stone and Stop you may want to sell them or give them to Frionel. Go tot he northeast room to get a load of treasures: ElderIQ, Heart, Winged, G.Needle, Eyedrop, Antidote, Crucifix, and an EchoScn. Unlike the Ancient and Sleep Swords, the Winged Sword has a decent hit%. Equip it immediately. Make sure you have two spaces in your inventory, then head for the two citizens of Dist Castle. Elina, the mother, will say that her husband, the last Dragoon, died; the Dragoons are finished. Ask here about the Hiryuu and she'll say that she can't communicate with the only remaining Hiryuu, which was poisoned by the Empire. She'll say that you need a Dragoon's pendant to do that. Try talking to the Hiryuu and you'll see her point. Exit the castle, save, and head north to the Dist Cave. From the entrance, simply head east, grab the 30 gil, and descend the staircase. Talk to the skeleton to get the Pendant. Head back to Dist after a long journey. Go talk to the Hiryuu, who will give you an Egg to plant in the Spring of Life (in the Dist Cave). When asked, he'll tell you that a Dragoon named Richard left to look for Ultima before the Empire attacked, and may still be alive. Talk to Elina for some info about the Spring of Life, not needed, then head out, save, and check your stats. Make sure that everyone has at least 400 hp, Maria has at least 50 mp, and Frionel has a sword skill level of 2. To build up weapon skills, wander around the Dist Island; the monsters here give more weapon points than in previous areas. When you're set, head back to the Dist Caves. There are three stairwells on the first floor of the Dist Cave. The northeast one leads to the Pendant. The southeast stairs lead to the Spring of Life. The Southwest stairs lead to the Knight Armor, Flame Bow, and other treasures, not integral. Since you already have the Knight Armor and the Ice Bow (which is better than the Flame Bow), you need not take the southwest stairs. I'll give you the directions anyway, as you may need the gil after your..."ambitious" purchases in Mysidia. So, take the southwest stairs. On your way to the stairs, grab the potion. Proceed to Level three (northwest exit to level four) and then four. The Knight Armor, guarded by an Adamanti, is in the southeast. The Flame Bow is in the northwest, the ElderIQ in the northeast and the Heart in the Southwest. Either hike back up or exit and re-enter the cave. Either way, take the southeastern stairs this time. Get the Mithril Helmet (easternmost passage), the Mithril Armor (Second), and the Magic Cane (third). The Magic Cane is guarded by G. Souls which can easily be taken by your newfound weapons. Take the southwest stairs (the southeast stairs will ultimately net you a Mithril Gauntlet and a Mirror, not really worth it. On the third floor, be careful to avoid the bridge (Which falls to an area you may have passed on your trek to the Knight Armor). On level four, get the DrgnBean (an okay attack item). At the four-door wall, take the door second from the east. Heal up, then talk to the fiends blocking the path to the Spring of Life. It's a pack of Chimeras. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chimerax3 Hp: 640 Mp: 80 Weakness: None Reward: 600 Gil Attacks: Fire7, Physical Attack Strategy: Though conceivably hard, the Chimeras are just a weaker R. Soul. They pack less magic power, a weaker spell, and are fighting tougher characters. To balance it out, there is more than one Chimera. However, take them out one at a time (everyone hits one) and they will die in three, maybe four turns. Plus, your Ice Shields should be protecting you against their fire magic, so it should be an easy fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the Chimeras vanquished, head to the Spring and use the Egg. With The mission accomplished, cast Exit. When passing Dist, you can swing buy The Castle and learn that the Hiryuu has died. What's in store for the Dragoons?? Head back to Altea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) The Arena Enemies: Column, DualHead, DualZomb, Revenant, Flower, Spectre. Captain, Sargeant, Sorcerer, Wizard, Ray, Antlion Treasures: Antidote, Cottage, Ether, Elixir Bosses: Q. Lamia, Behemoth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upon entering Altea, head for the rebel hideout. Avoid the southeast room, For now. You'll learn that Hilda has been acting very strangely lately. Gordon will ask you to find out what's wrong. Save, de-equip Layla, and head for the southeast room. Talk to Hilda, who'll crawl into bed and ask Frionel to join her. The rest of the party will leave, though Layla is suspicious. Frionel goes to the bed, then realizes that it's not Hilda at all, but the Queen Lamia. The party joins you as you battle the monster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q. Lamia Hp: 1290 Mp: 370 Weakness: None Reward: 10000 Gil Attacks: Wink9, Blnk16, Physical Attack Strategy: This fight is supposed to be hard, and if you didn't go and get superior equipment, it would've been (look, I like saying that okay?). Now, you have three good attackers (okay, mainly Frionel and Guy) and Layla (de-equipped) as a semi-magician (bolt). So, cast Bolt with Layla and hammer the Q. Lamia with Frionel, Guy, and Maria. The thing will die in two turns, or at most four. However, there is a rogue possibility that your attackers will all be confused, in which case...ouch. But still, the boss is quite easy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the battle, Layla will tell you to never trust a female. A messenger will arrive bearing bad news: The emperor is hosting a tournament at Paramekia. The winner will receive as a prize Princess Hilda. Gordon will rush in, asking to help you rescue the Princess. Layla leaves to help train the Rebel Army, and Gordon joins. Give him all of Layla's equipment, then sniff around for info. Apparently, the tournament will not be held at Paramekia Castle, but at the Arena. Both are located in harsh territory. The Arena is located next to a forest blocked to the east by a mountain range and to the west by a desert. It's overshadowed by the dark citadel of Paramekia Castle. You should've seen this on your way to the Warship. You'll also learn that the Rebellion is planning a sneak attack on the Emperor while you get the Princess back. Well, I'm fairly sure where to go. Sail to Poft and fly to Kashuon. Grab the Chocobo from the forest and head south into the desert. Save in front of the Arena and head inside. Follow the very, very complicated path to the courtyard and head up to the Emperor's throne. He'll tell you to fight for the Princess, and a Behemoth will crawl out of the grating and attack you. This is the first REAL boss in FFII, it's a shame that he's a piece of cake. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Behemoth Hp: 1620 Mp: 0 Weakness: None Reward: 0 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: Hammer him with your weapons, magic is useless. He's too weak to kill anyone in three turns (except Gordon) and it only takes three turns to defeat him. His physical attacks do about 200 damage-> yours should do that or more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After defeating the Behemoth, you'll talk to the Emperor, who reveals that He recognized you (it's not like you made any attempt to mask your Identity anyway). He'll vanish, and two Captains and the Dark Knight will appear. They'll throw you in prison. When you come to, "talk" to the bars. Paul will appear, sneaking up to the white cloaked Imperial guarding your cell. He'll kill the Imperial and free you, as a gesture of thanks for saving him in Semite Cave (he hates owing favors). What're you waiting for? It's time to get the hell out of here. You can get an Antidote in the southeast (not worth it) and a Cottage, Ether, and Elixir in the east room (worth it). Head up the stairwell to the second level. Move around the wall until you can see the Princess in her cell (and you are to the east of her). There is a fake wall here, so go through it. De-equip Gordon, then free the Princess. She'll leave with Gordon. Now follow the path to surface in the southwest corner of the Arena. Exit, save, and trek north to the forest south of Kashuon (Chocobo Forest). Along the way you'll fight Antlions and Rays, which are not very hard to kill but may require several turns. When you get the Chocobo, ride it back to Poft. Rest at the inn, then sail your ship south to Altea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) The Rebels Strike Back Enemies: Captain, Sorcerer, Wizard, Sargeant, Soldier, Stunner Treasures: None Boss: Gotus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A messenger in Altea will tell you that the Rebels are going to invade Phin And set up camp west of Gatea. Head northwest to that orange tent. You'll find it swarming with rebels beseeching you to help them capture Phin while monsters swarm about causing havoc. Gordon tells you to leave no survivors. So, head for Phin. This is not as fun as it may seem. Your goal is not to wander around the town of Phin butchering the Imperial Captains. You just need to defeat the commanding Imperial Officer, Commander Gotus. So head to the castle and walk straight to the throne room, ignore the treasure. Layla will join again, so equip her. Heal up, then talk to Gotus (who has a great dialogue, right?). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gotus Hp: 2000 Mp: 80 Weakness: None Reward: 2000 Gil Attacks: Hast6, Drink, Physical Attack Strategy: Depending on how Gotus decides to play, this fight can be anywhere from incredibly easy to mildly difficult. Gotus can greatly enhance his attack by using a Bacchus Wine. This casts Drink on him, raising his attack power. His haste spell increases the number of hits he deals. With both increased attack and increased hits, he'll pose a serious threat to your party. Otherwise he'll only hit for 100-350 damage. It should take little more than two turns to destroy him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With Commander Gotus defeated, Phin Castle is turned over to the rebels. Now, all the monsters are gone and you are free to roam the castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER IV: THE SEALED POWER ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Catacombs Enemies: Revenant, Ghast, Wraith, Column, Stunner, Sucker, Changer, Brain, Mantis, Adamanti, WzOgre, GrOgre Treasures: 4000 Gil, Potionx5, Giant Gauntlet, Aura, Were Cane, Gold Shield, Gold Armor, Quartz Armor, Knife, EyeDrop, Clothes, Flame Shield, Thread, Fang, Flame Armor, Blood Sword, Orhacon Dagger, W.Mask Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Talk to Hilda and Gordon, who'll tell you to retrieve the sealed power Ultima. >From Hilda, learn Mysidia. Say it back to her to learn about Ultima, the sealed magic. Again, say the keyword back to her. She'll mention the masks, which you need to learn. Now, ask her about the Masks and she'll tell you that one is hidden in Phin and can be found using the chant Ekume. She doesn't know where to use the chant though. Ask Gordon about Ekume, and he'll tell you to ask Paul (good idea, for once). You'll want to return to the castle and take all the loot, so go there before buying any new equipment. On the first floor, get the 1000 gil in the northeast, another 1000 gil in the northwest, and 2000 gil in the north. Head up through the southeast stairs. Go into the next area. In the northeast room are three spells: Toad, Break, and Death. Now, head back to the first floor and take the center staircase. There's a potion to the west which is guarded by Ghasts, Stunners, Revenants, and Wraiths...not really worth it. From the potion, head east through a false wall and get the Giant Gauntlet. Give it to someone who doesn't have a Giant Helmet. The Spell Aura is to the east, and is guarded by Sorcerers and Sargeants. The Spell isn't very good, but can be sold. Pass through a false wall a bit south and west of Aura and head northwest to the Were Cane. Now, head into the throne room and go to the northeast corner of the room. Talk to the walls, one will give you the option of saying Ekume. Say it, and pass through the wall. Follow the path down until you reach and area where you can see the rest of the cast (you can see grass to the east. A part of the east wall is fake, pass through it and carefully head south. Now pass west through a false wall in this region, and head for the treasure room. Grab the Gold Shield, Quartz Armor, and Gold Armor. Give Guy the Quartz Armor. Now, exit through the grass and head to Phin Town. Sell the Were Cane, Gold Armor, and Quartz Armor. Make sure everyone has Quartz Armor (but Frionel has his Knight Armor) and is rested. You can ask Paul about Ekume, and he'll tell you to look in the northeast corner of the room. Well, you already knew that as you checked that path, so head for the passage in Phin Castle. This time, keep going down the stairs and you'll end up in Catacombs. The first floor is inhabited by Revenants, Ghasts, Wraiths, and Stunners, so there is nothing to worry about. You can get the Knife Dagger in the Southeast, the Eyedrop in the northwest, and Clothes in the northeast. The exit is near the Clothes in the northeast. The second floor is inhabited by Suckers, Changers, and Brains: new yet easy to kill enemies. You can get a potion northeast of the entrance, another potion in the southwest, and a MaidKiss in the northwest. Again, the exit is in the northeast. The only monster on the third floor is the Mantis, which is actually pretty strong. You can get a potion in the southeast, a thread in the northwest, and the Flame Shield in the southwest. Give this Shield to Frionel. Head for the northwest exit. The foes on the fourth floor are Adamantis, GrOgres, WzOgres, and Columns. They give quite a bit of gil and occasionally drop Blink, Ice, and Blind. Get the Blood Sword in the northeast, which is guarded by Ghasts, Spectres, Revenants, and Wraiths. After butchering the Undead, you'll get what is quite possibly the best weapon in the game. It is completely useless until the final boss, to which the sword deals tremendous damage. So, equip on Frionel as an item, not as a sword. Also get the Flame Armor in the Northeast and give it to Frionel. Also, there is a Fang in the southeast. Take the southeastern exit to the fifth floor. In the southeast, get the Orhacon Dagger. It's guarded by G.Chimeras, who are only a little stronger than the Chimeras you butchered in Dist. Give the Orhacon to Layla. Head northeast. You'll eventually come to a wall with six doors, take the door second from the east. Proceed up the steps and get the W.Mask, then head north and exit through the pentagram. You can ask Hilda and Gordon about what to do next: they'll tell you to sniff around in Mysidia for clues. So, head for Mysidia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) B. Mask Cave Enemies: Mallow, Jelly, DualHead, DualZomb, WereRat,Stunner, Tusk, G. Toad Treasures: EyeDrop, Xpotionx2, Ether, Threadx2,Aerox2, Blindx2, Garlic, 1000 gil, FenixDn, EarthDrm, Valiumx2,DeathGod, Sleep, B.Mask Boss: BigHorn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Mysidia (which you've visited before), you'll learn that you need the Two masks and a crystal rod to unseal the Tower of Mysidia and thus obtain The ultimate magic, Ultima. One person will tell you to place the White Mask on the goddess statue, so go ahead and do that (the goddess statue he's Talking about is the one that can be accessed by stairs). Finally, you'll learn that the Black Mask was hidden somewhere on an island cave. Well, when you were sailing here, you did notice that small, isolated island, right? That's the Black Mask Cave. Before heading there, swing by the magic shop. You'll want to get Change and Holy for your three main characters. When your done, head for the B. Mask Cave. You can get the EyeDrop in the southeast, the two Xpotions (one in the northeast, one in the northwest), an Ether in the south and a thread in the southwest. Take the western exit. On the second floor, there's a Valium in the northwest, an Aero spell in the northwest, a Blind Spell in the southeast and southwest, and another Aero spell in the south. There are also two staircases here. The northwest staircase will lead you to the Mask Village, a small town inhabited by mask-wearing freaks. One of them sells an EarthDrm, Ruby Armor, Demon Axe, and Demon Lance. None of these items are extraordinarily good, so I don't think you should go there. But if you want to go there, there is a thread on the floor directly below the southwest staircase (east). Proceed to the fourth floor and the fifth floor will be the Mask Village. If you choose (rather wisely) to not waste your time with the Mask Village, take the center staircase on the second floor. Get the Garlic in the south and head for the stairs. The fourth floor has a 1000 gil chest in the northeast. There are four staircases on the fourth floor (not counting the initial entrance). The southeast staircase will take you through two levels, taking you to a secluded area of the seventh floor The treasures have two Valiums and an EarthDrm (guarded by Tusks and a G. Toad). Retrace your way back to the fourth floor and take the southwest staircase. You'll get a FenixDn here, it's guarded by Shadows, Wraiths, and Ghasts. This time, take the northwest staircase. Procure the DeathGod from the center. Finally, take the one remaining staircase, the northeast one. Get Sleep in the northeast, then go to the west. You'll have to face BigHorn, the guardian of the BMask. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BigHorn Hp: 1140 Mp: 0 Weakness: None Reward: 1000 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: At 1140 hp, this boss is a joke. You might have fought him around Mysidia. The simplest way to kill him is to attack him every turn. He should die on the third turn, or sooner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Grab the BMask and warp out of the cave. Head back to Mysidia. You'll Learn that the CrystRod is buried in the Mysidian Cave. The cave is east of Mysidia, enclosed in a mountain range (don't worry, you can still get in on foot). Rest up, sell your excess items, and head for the cave. Dock your ship near the desert and make your way north to the cave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Mysidian Cave Enemies: Brain, Coctrice, Molbor, Sucker, Changer, Spectre, Wraith, Ghast, Pudding, Mallow, Jelly, Soul, R.Soul, Flier Treasures: Goldpin Helm, Black Armor, Flame Javelin, Power Cane, Ice Bow, Ogre Axe, G. Needle, FenixDn, SilentB, Potionx5, Mini, Aspil, Drain, CrystRod Boss: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get the Goldpin Helm in the north and give it to Frionel. Give the Black Armor you can find in the southeast to Maria. Head to the exit, which is blocked by a doppelganger of Frionel. Remember, the Black Mask is supposed to go on a drone? Use the Black Mask on the doppelganger and he'll vanish. Head through the exit he was blocking. On the second floor, there's a Power Cane in the north and a Flame Javelin in the northwest. To reach the Flame Javelin, you'll have to walk through a fake wall. Now, head to the exit and descend to the third floor. Here you can grab an Ice Bow in the northwest (again, there's a fake wall) and an Ogre Axe in the southeast. The Ogre Axe is protected by Bombs, which are easy in a nearly obscene way. Head to the exit and the fourth floor. The fourth floor doesn't have any worthwhile treasure. You can get a G.Needle, SilentB, and FenixDn in the center room (you can buy the FenixDn and G.Needle, and the SilentB sucks) and a potion in the northeast (potions are long outdated). Head to the fifth floor. The fifth floor actually contains some good treasure. In the northeast you'll find Drain (it's protected by Ghosts, slightly stronger than Spectres). Of the five treasures protected by the fake wall, the eastern one is the best (Mini), the rest are Potions. When you're done, head to the northeast room (a bit annoying to find the path to the stairs, but it's linear). The room contains Aspil, Drain, and the CrystRod. Once you have the CrystRod, warp outside and head back to Altea (don't go near the crescent bay with a tower in it). Heal up, rest, sell excess items, and de-equip Layla. Now, head for that crescent bay. As you enter the crescent, tidal waves will wash over your ship and you'll awaken in strange area, with Layla nowhere to be seen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) Leviathan Enemies: SeaDrgn, ElecFish, MantaRay Treasures: Spiral Helm, Power Armor, Power Gauntlet, Diamond Shield, Earth Sword Boss: Worm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This area, which in reality is the stomach of Leviathan, is fairly easy To navigate, yet contains enemies that actually put up a fight. The Colored liquid is not water, but stomach acid. You'll lose 1 HP for step inside the liquid, but no monsters will challenge you there. Grab the Spiral Helm and give it to Guy. Head north, and get the power armor in the northeast corner. Give it to Maria. Take the northwest exit. You'll arrive in a town built by victims of Leviathan. Supposedly, the Leviathan protects the seal by consuming those who have Crystal Rods. You'll also learn that there is a boat on the third floor, but no one has defeated the monster guarding it yet. (Of course, you'll have to defeat the beast). There is a man blocking your path, show him a CrystRod and he'll join, introducing himself as Richard the Dragoon. Richard is pretty good, but he has no spells. With Richard, head through the northwest exit. The southeast treasure contains the Diamond Shield and is protected by R. Souls (remember the guy in Kashuon?). Now that you are MUCH stronger, just smack them in one hit. Give the Diamond Shield to Frionel and the Flame Shield to Richard. Now get the Earth Sword from the northeast corner. Give it to Frionel. Finally, head west and attack the beast. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worm Hp: 2000 Mp: 0 Weakness: None Reward: 2000 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: The Worm hits for 150-350 damage, which is pretty good. However, you should also hit 250-350 damage, and all four of your characters should be attacking. The Worm should fall in four or five turns, maybe three. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After killing the Land Worm, get on the boat to find yourself at the mouth of the crescent bay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.) Tower of Mysidia Enemies: Spectre, Revenant, Basilisk, L.Molbor, DvFlower, Chimera, Mallow, Pudding, Flower, Mantis, VmpGirl, Imp, Werewolf, Gigas, Bomb, BigHorn, Flier Treasures: Canex3, WhtRobe, Flame Shield, Flame Bow, Flame Javelin, Flame Helm, Flame Sword, Flame Armor, Ice Armor, Ice Shield, Ice Gauntlet, Ice Javelin, Ice Sword, Potion, Evil Cane, Unicorn, Thread, Shoes, Flare, Eggtimer, Crucifix, BlkRobe, Ultima Bosses: F. Gigas, I. Gigas, T. Gigas, Dragon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Tower of Mysidia can be extremely annoying and challenging. I Would recommend going in with everyone over 1700 hp (preferably 2000). Your Three main character should have 150 max MP or higher (at least if they have Mediocre magic abilities, that is). You should also have an Aero spell of level 5 or higher. Sound hard? Well, it's actually not that difficult to dramatically increase your stats. Simply walk around Altea and cast Change (on level 3 or higher) on Goblins, Leg Eaters, and Hornets. Doing so will cause an increase in HP, MP, VIT, SOUL, and M.PWR. See the tricks section for more info. I would also recommend having a character with Level 5 or higher heal, so you can cure petrifaction. If you want, you can also head to Dist or Phin with Richard in your party for some added dialogue. When you're ready, head for the Tower of Mysidia. The first floor has four treasures, only one actually worth getting. There is a Cane in the northeast, northwest, and southeast corners that I suggest you ignore. Instead, get the WhtRobe from the north area (walk through the fake wall). Take the central stairs to level two. Get the Flame Shield from the northwest. You can get a Flame Bow and a Flame Javelin in the northeast, but considering you already have an Ice Bow and none of your characters are using Javelins (or are they?) it's not necessary to get them. To actually reach the exit, take the southwestern path. Take the southeastern exit to level three. This floor is covered in steaming lava which behaves like Leviathan's stomach acid. Head for the western door and take it to enter a new area. Here, get the Flame Sword in the northeast (give it to Frionel and give the Earth Sword to Richard). Also get the Flame Armor in the northeast and the Flame Helm in the northwest. I usually give the Flame Armor to Richard, and give the Flame Helm to Flame Helm (since Guy already has a Spiral Helm, if not give it to Guy). It doesn't really matter who has it, as long as somebody does. When you take the northern door, it'll lead you to a staircase blocked by a mage. Heal up, then speak with the mage, who becomes the Fire Gigas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F. Gigas Hp: 1800 Mp: 240 Weakness: Ice Reward: Flame Sword (random) Attacks: Fire12, Rock9, Physical Attack Strategy: The F.Gigas only hits for about 300 damage, while you can rack up 700 max damage to him per turn. If you have strong Ice spells (lv.8 and above), blast this sucker with them. He'll go down pretty fast. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If the F.Gigas dropped a Flame Sword, give it to Richard. If not, don't worry, you'll get a better sword soon enough. The fourth floor is suddenly cold, a contrast from the molten lava below. You can get an Ice Shield in the northwest, an Ice Gauntlet in the southwest, and some Ice Armor in the southeast. Go ahead and give the Ice Gauntlet to Frionel. Give the Ice Armor to any character for whom the defense is better (probably the guy who has the Power Armor). The western staircase will lead you to the Ice Javelin. Whether you choose to get it or not, head to the northeastern staircase. This level is covered in freezing water which behave like the lava. Make sure to get the Ice Sword to the east for Frionel. Head to the door. Heal up, and speak to the mage, the Ice Gigas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Gigas Hp: 2000 Mp: 240 Weakness: Fire Reward: 1000 gil Attacks: Ice12, Rock9, Physical Attack Strategy: Though considerably tougher than the Fire Gigas, the I.Gigas is still fairly easy. Attack with everyone, or use Fire8+ spells. He should be taking 300-500 damage a turn, making this a short battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sixth floor looks more like the earlier floors of the tower. There's A potion in the northeast corner that you should ignore. Instead, follow the Path leading southwest. Be sure to get the Evil Cane from the chest. Equip it as a battle item on Richard. Head through the door and to the seventh floor. You can get a Unicorn in the north (center), Shoes in the northeast corner, and a Thread in the south (center). When you're finished, head for the western room. Heal up, and talk to the mage, who becomes the terrifying Thunder Gigas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ T. Gigas Hp: 2500 Mp: 370 Weakness: Aero Reward: 1000 gil Attacks: Bolt12, Rock9, Physical Attack Strategy: Unlike his brothers, the Thunder Gigas is actually challenging. Have Frionel attack as usual, or if he has a level 5+ Aero spell, use that. Maria should cast Aero5+, and Guy should heal. Richard, who has the Evil Cane, should use it as an item. It casts Aero16 on a random target (e.g., I used it at this boss and the cane cast Aero16 on the Emperor). If it connects with the T.Gigas, it will do massive damage (700). Follow this strategy and the T.Gigas will eventually die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With that beast killed, head up to the 8th floor. Be sure to get Flare from the northeast treasure. Flare is guarded by Gotus and a DvFlower (what the hell is an Imperial Commander doing here?) that die easily and sometimes drop a Ripper Knife. The exit is the door below Flare. The water on this floor is not harmful, so enemies can attack you in it. Get the Eggtimer to the east and the Crucifix to the southwest. Now, head to the northeast treasure chest. It's guarded by a Dragon that is basically the I.Gigas on steroids. If you feel up to the fight, heal up and open the chest for BlkRobe armor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dragon Hp: 2500 Mp: 140 Weakness: Fire Reward: 10000 gil Attacks: Ice16, Physical Attack Strategy: The Dragon is the first of four Dragons that guard treasure in FF2. His Ice16 spell will hit for 100-200 damage to all, and his physical attack will do 300-400 damage. This is the last boss in the Tower of Mysidia, so hit him with high end Fire spells (if you have any) or just plain attacks. He'll die eventually, without taking too much of a toll on the party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Give the BlkRobe to Frionel or Guy. Then head to the northwestern terrace And take the door second to west. Head north and talk to Minh, who says he'll give his best shot to destroy the seal. In doing so, he dies. Head through the door that Minh gave his life to open. You'll enter a room with five crystals in it. The southeastern one raises your agility, the northeastern one raises your intelligence, the northwestern one raises your soul, the southwestern one raises your strength, and the center one gives you the sealed magic, Ultima (Give it to Maria when you get a chance). You'll be warped outside the tower, the sealed magic in hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER V: THE FALL OF AN EMPIRE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Whirlwind Enemies: Coctrice, Gotus, DvFlower, Corpse, Captain, Lamia, Bomb, Gigas, Golem, Wizard Treasures: Hiryuu, Ripper Knife, Poison Axe, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Defense Sword, Diamond Armor, WindFlut Bosses: General, G.Dragon, Emperor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In your absence, the Emperor used his magic to summon a Whirlwind that Began ravaging the lands. It destroyed Poft, Palm, Gatea, and Altea. It has Also attacked Phin, killing almost everyone. The whirlwind has thrown Everyone trying to attack it out to sea, and if you try to enter it on foot you'll be ripped apart. What to do? Head for Phin Castle. You can see that Layla has made it back safe and sound. Learn Whirlwind from Hilda or Gordon and recite it back to them. They'll hint at a solution to entering the Whirlwind. Ask Hilda about the Hiryuu and she'll say the Pendant can bring out the light of our mirror. Head to the Hall of Mirrors (southwest staircase on first floor of Phin, then northwest). Use the Pendant at the Mirror and you'll see the Hiryuu egg hatch. The Hiryuu will fly right through the windows of Phin castle and approach you. The Hiryuu and Dragoon are re-united again, and its time to kill the Emperor (who's inside the Whirlwind). You also have the Hiryuu Flute item now, which can be useful. First, say Whirlwind to Paul and he'll tell you to check near the bed. There is a fake wall to the east of his bed that leads to 8 treasure chests. They are the Black Armor, Ruby Armor, Thief Gauntlet, Quartz Armor, Elixir, Goldpin Helm, Silver Armor, and Blood Sword. Keep the Blood Sword (you should also have the one you found in the Catacombs), as it will be useful for the final battle. Now, sell all your excess junk and useless battle items like Thread and Valium, if you've got any of those. Rest up, and head for the Whirlwind directly northeast of Phin. On the first floor, take the northeast staircase for now. Get the Ripper Knife in the northeast and continue onwards. On the third floor, get the Poison Axe in the southwest chest and give it to Guy. Head back to the first floor. Take the northwest exit this time. Pass through level two, then on level three take the north staircase. Get the Diamond Helm from the northeast and the Diamond Gauntlet from the northwest. Head back to the third floor, this time taking the southwest staircase. Take the southern staircase on the fourth floor. Get the Defense Sword in the southeast and give it to Frionel (give the Ice Sword to Richard). Then, go to the southwest treasure chest and prepare to fight a General for the Diamond Armor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ General Hp: 1800 Mp: 0 Weakness: None Reward: 2000 gil, Diamond Gauntlet Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: He hits for 500 damage, but he's outnumbered. Just attack him mercilessly and he'll die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now head back to the fourth floor and take the southeast staircase. Head up to level 6, and go to the northeast corner. Heal up, then prepare to fight the G.Dragon for a WindFlut. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.Dragon Hp: 3000 Mp: 190 Weakness: Bolt Reward: 10000 gil, Fang Attacks: Mist16, Physical Attack Strategy: If you have high end Bolt spells (lv.5+) throw them at this fiend. If not, attack him, making sure to designated a healer that can undo his physical attacks (500 damage) and his repeated Mist16 attacks (100-200 damage to the party). His defense is a lot stronger than that of the Dragon in the Tower of Mysidia, so although he only has 500 more hp, it'll take several more turns to defeat this one (barring a good Bolt spell). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now head through the door, heal up, and go into the courtyard. The Emperor will tell you not to waste his time and call a squadron of Corpses on you. Kill them, and he'll call yet another one. Finally, he'll take you on himself (of course, with bodyguards). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Emperor (with 2 Corpses and a Golem) Hp: 1290 Mp: 190 Weakness: None Reward: None Attacks: Slow9, Barr8, Bolt10, Blnk8, Physical Attack Strategy: Kill the two corpses first, then butcher the Golem. Have someone ready to cast Cure on the party in the case of serious double teaming (the Golem and Corps may attack the same party member). The emperor himself will die in two hits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After defeating him, the emperor will say he's immortal, yet somehow he'll die and you return to Phin, victorious. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Paramekia Enemies: DvFlower, Skull, Golem, DkKnight, General, Gotus, Amoeba, Lamia, VmpGirl, StGolem, Coctrice, Mantis, Flower Treasures: Diamond Armor, Garlic, Eggtimer, Knife, Buckler Shield, Bolt Javelin, Heart, Valium, Magic Cane, Greed Cane, Evil Cane, Sun Sword, Elixirx3,WindFlut, Hellfire Boss: Shade ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upon hearing news of the emperor's death, celebrations begin in Phin. They Are interrupted, however, when a messenger arrives saying that the Dark Knight has crowned himself emperor. Not only that, but the Dark Knight is....Lionheart! You have to head for Paramekia to and either convince him to join you or kill him. The only problem is, Paramekia is surrounded by mountains and cannot be accessed by foot or water. Head into Phin and go to Paul's house. He'll tell you that Cid is in pretty bad shape. Go talk to Cid, and you can tell that he's dying. The Whirlwind caught him and tore him up pretty badly. He tells you to look after his Airship, then dies. Now you know how to get into Paramekia, don't you? Head for Poft and board the Airship there. You can now go anywhere in the world, but your destination is Paramekia, the dark castle overlooking the Arena southeast of Kashuon. Position your shadow over the highest part of the castle and land. You'll appear near the top of the castle, so follow the path. Unfortunately, you'll be thrown to the first floor. NOTE: The General enemies possess very valuable treasure. They have Diamond Gauntlets (which are very good) and rarely, Rune Axes. There is only supposed to be one Rune Axe in the game, which you'll find later on, but if you can get that super-powerful weapon earlier, there's nothing wrong, is there? In addition, Gotus enemies drop Bacchus, an item that boosts attack power and is helpful during tough boss fights. Try to have at least one for Frionel's use at the final boss, though having more is not a bad idea. Get the Diamond Armor to the west, and give it to Guy. There is a Garlic in the southwest that I don't think you'll want to get, it's pretty bad. If you want another Eggtimer, take the eastern staircase on the first floor. Follow the path for this mediocre battle item. That done (or not), take the southern stairs. Here, you could get a Knife in the southeast and a Buckler Shield in the northeast, but there's no point at all to get those items. What's up with putting basic equipment in later dungeons!? Follow the linear path to the third floor. The southwest treasure chest contains the valuable Bolt Javelin, which is guarded by Shade. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shade Hp: 3000 Mp: 240 Weakness: Cure Reward: None Attacks: Deth8, Curs8, Physical Attack (Curse) Strategy: Have your primary curing characters cast cure on Shade if they have level 6 or higher cure magic, it'll hit for 250-300 damage. Guy's Rune Axe will do 900 points of damage, so if he's your curing character, just use him to attack. Frionel and Richard should attack. Hopefully his death spell won't obliterate your party, and he'll die within 10 turns. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Head to the southeast exit. The fourth floor contains some basic items; there's a Heart in the southeast and a Valium in the west. The southwest room contains three canes, the Magic, Greed, and Evil Canes. Those in hand, make your way to the northeast exit. The fifth floor has two stairwells, not counting the entrance. Take the northern one. The powerful Sun Sword in the southwest is guarded by a Q.Lamia and several Krulls. Stay alert for their confusion/paralysis spells and you'll be fine. Give the Sun Sword to Frionel, and give the Defense Sword to Richard. Go on to the sixth floor. Take the three elixirs from the southwest room and return to the fifth floor. This time, take the southwest stairs. Head through the sixth and seventh floors. On the eight floor, ignore the central area for now and make your way to the northwest corner. Get the HellFire and WindFlut. De-equip Richard completely, and head to the center area. Head up and talk to Lionheart. Maria will try to persuade him to join you, but he's been blinded by power. He says that the world is now his, but is cut off by a familiar voice-the Emperor's! Back from the dead, he tells Lionheart that his mission is to make the world a living hell. He begins to attack you, but Richard holds him off while you fly off on the Hiryuu. You can see Paramekia change into a dark, hellish castle, Pandemonium. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER VI: REVENGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) The Sea of Jade Enemies: Sphinx, Abysworm, G.Molbor, Dragon, Salamndr, Mantis, VmpLady, IceLiz, M.Sucker Treasures: XCalibr, Hellfirex2, Icewind, Diamond Cane, CatClaw Knife, Rune Axe, Fang, Aegis Shield, Holy Lance, Dragon Armor, Xpotionx2, Defense Gauntlet Bosses: B.Dragon, Behemoth, R. Dragon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Phin, you'll learn that the undead Emperor has made resurrected the root of all evil, the castle of hell, Pandemonium. Unlike Paramekia, Pandemonium cannot be accessed by air. However, legends tell of a back road, Jade, through which demons travel to reach the world from Pandemonium. Learn the keyword Jade and say it to Layla, Hilda, and Gordon. Gordon tells you that something like that may exist south of Kashuon...which is where the portal is. First, equip Lionheart. He's left-handed, so put the Flame Shield in his right hand. Give him the Defense Sword. Head for Dist. There, talk to Elina and say Dragoon. She'll tell you that there are too many memories in Dist, and that she wants to move on to another town. But first, she gives you the XCalibr, the supreme treasure of the Dragoons. Then Elina and her kid vanish for good. Give the XCalibr to Frionel and give his Sun Sword to Lionheart. Now, head to Mysidia and get Lionheart Change, Holy, Cure, Fire, Ice, Bolt, Life, and Heal. It's time to build up some stats, so go to an early dungeon and change the enemies(the Bofsk Sewers or Semite Cave). All of your characters should have at least 4000, preferably 5000 HP and your mages should have 300 mp or more. You should all have Weapon Skill levels of 16, except for Lionheart (as that would take a long time to build-he should have at least level 10 sword skill though). When you're ready, head for Jade, which is far east of Mysidia (to the west of the narrow strait a large distance south of Kashuon). It looks like a blue circle, as it is the Sea of Jade. You'll enter a watery area, the first floor of Jade. Jade, for reasons unbeknownst to me, is packed to the brim with treasure. On the first floor, you'll be able to grab the Hellfire from the southwest and the Diamond Cane from the northeast. However, as you probably don't use canes, you can either pass up this treasure chest, or grab it and sell it...your choice. Head for the staircase and descend to the second floor. In the northeast you can snatch an Icewind, coupled with a Hellfire in the Northwest. To the southwest you'll find the CatClaw Knife, which is dutifully protected by the B. Dragon, which sometimes drops the Dragon Armor (there is another suit of it, but having two powerful armor suits is not bad, is it?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B. Dragon (Bolt Dragon) Hp: 3500 Mp: 240 Weakness: Wind (Aero) Reward: 10000 Gil, Dragon Armor Attacks: Bolt16, Physical Attack Strategy: Blast this guy with high level8+ Aero spells or Tnad13 from the WindFlut. Have Guy, Lionheart, and Frionel attack, while Maria casts black magic and cures after an occasional Bolt16. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After butchering or avoiding the Bolt Dragon, head to the staircase and go to the third floor. To the Northeast is a treasure you'll definitely want: the Rune Axe (unless you got it already from the Generals in Paramekia, in which case you can pass this up). The Rune Axe is guarded by the Behemoth (MegaBehemoth), who isn't as hard as he looks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Behemoth Hp: 5000 Mp: 0 Weakness: None Reward: 0 Gil Attacks: Physical Attack Strategy: The quickest way to beat this foe is with your weapons. Surprisingly, the Behemoth does not have an excellent defense, as one would imagine.... Rather, his Magic Defense is substantially higher. Just hack him to pieces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Equip Guy with the Rune Axe. It's interesting to note that there is a magic shop behind the waterfall here, on the eastern side. You can buy some decent spells, such as Flare, Death, Haste, and Berserk. Get Flare for your characters that don't have it yet. You can also sell the items that you won't need, ex. CatClaw Knife. My question: what's this salesman doing here? I might be wrong, but for a portal that opens every, oh, lets say 500-1000 years, inhabited by demons, business must suck. Head to staircase and Level Four. In the northwest, snatch the Fang (if you want it), then head for the north room. Ignore the treasure chest in the Northeast for now. In the room, you'll want to get the Aegis Shield, the Dragon Armor, and the Holy Javelin. Head back to the main area of the 4th floor. Proceed to the Northeast. Its time to slay the last Dragon. Equip the IceWind on Maria, then open the treasure for a Yoichi Bow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ R. Dragon (Red Dragon) Hp: 5000 Mp: 450 Weakness: Ice Reward: 10000 Gil, Dragon Shield, Holy Lance, Shoes Attacks: Fire16, Physical Attack Strategy: High end Ice spells would not hurt, but you need not drain your mp here. Have your weakest attacker, probably Maria, blast the Dragon with an IceWind. In the meanwhile, your attackers should hack away at the foe. Though harder than the B. Dragon (and the Dragon and G. Dragon), he should go down within 6 turns. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Give Maria the Yoichi Bow, and then head towards the staircase. Near the entrance to the fifth floor is a sign telling you that Hell is near. (Thanks for the directions, pal. And by the way, who paid you to put the sign there?) Anyway, grab the two Xpotions (northwest and northeast), you may need them later. Also grab the Defense Gauntlet (though it's not much better than your current equipment; hopefully everyone already had Diamond Gauntlets). Head for the sixth floor. There is really nothing on the sixth floor, so head straight for the terrace are, where you'll be warped to Pandemonium Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Pandemonium Enemies: Lamia, Q.Lamia, WolfDevil, BstDemon, MtGolem, DthRider, DvMantis, Krull, DvFlower, G. Molbor, IceLiz, B. Dragon, Behemoth, I.Gigas, F.Gigas, T.Gigas, Bomb Treasures: Ether, EyeDrop, Masmune Sword, Genji Gauntlet, Genji Helmet, Genji Armor, Ribbon Helmet, ElderIQ, HellFire, DrgnBean Bosses: Z.Borgan, Tiamat, Satan, Asteroth, Emperor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is no treasure on the first floor, and don't try to walk into the Gates (they look like a row of doors). Just follow the normal path to the exit. On the second floor, you can pick up on Ether to the north as you again follow the path. It's interesting to note that packs of Lamias, Q.Lamias, and Krulls drop Ribbon Helms, a heavily guarded treasure later in the castle. The third floor of Pandemonium is still straightforward, but you can grab some EyeDrops if you want in the Southwest. There's a passage in the center of an L shaped hallway which leads to the EyeDrops. The fourth floor, however, is quite different from the others. It has four doors, each leading to a convoluted passage with a treasure in it. First, take the westernmost door. Follow the passage. You'll see a treasure, but don't open it just yet. Instead, follow the path for a while longer. You'll have to walk through a wall or two on the way as you progress northeast, so don't pass that off as a bug in the game. These walls will eventually lead you to another room with a treasure. Snatch the Masmune sword, and give it to Frionel. Give Lionheart Frionel's XCalibr. Armed with the Masmune, it's time for you to do some treasure hunting. Trace your way back to the first treasure. Open it for a Genji Gauntlet. Zombie Borgan, however, doesn't want you to keep that...it's time to put that idiotic Imperial to rest, for good. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Z. Borgan Hp: 2500 Mp: 370 Weakness: Fire, Cure Reward: 2000 Gil Attacks: Flar16, Physical Attack (Paralysis) Strategy: With the Masmune in hand, this fight should be a piece of cake. Have Frionel use the Masmune to Hast11 the party, and have everyone else attack. Unless you are very unlucky, and Z. Borgan manages to paralyze your big attackers (Lionheart and Frionel), this fight shouldn't last over 3 rounds, I killed him in two hits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Give the Genji Gauntlet to someone with poor evade. I gave it to Maria. Now, progress to the second room from the west. Follow the path to the northwest, where you'll find a treasure chest, and make sure you have good weapons equipped. Open the treasure chest to get the Genji Helmet and fight Tiamat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tiamat Hp: 5000 Mp: 450 Weakness: None Reward: 10000 Gil Attacks: Fire16, Bolt16, Mist16, Ice16, Physical Attack(Poison) Strategy: This is not a magic fight, since Fire, Bolt, Mist, Ice, and Aero heal Tiamat. Theoretically, Flare and Ultima will hurt him, but that would waste precious MP. Instead, Hast11 everyone with Frionel, have Maria as a reserve Healer, and butcher Tiamat with relentless physical attacks. Do it fast, as Tiamat's elemental spells can rack up some heavy hp loss. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now take the easternmost door. In the north is a treasure chest guarded by Satan. Open it for the Genji Armor, then prepare to kill the devil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Satan Hp: 5000 Mp: 450 Weakness: None Reward: 10000 Gil Attacks: Fire16, Flar16, Chrm16, Blnk16, Dspl16, Ston16, Physical Attack(Poison) Strategy: Again, this is not a magic fight. Rather than waste mp on Ultima or Holy, begin attacking immediately. This time, its not worth it to use the Masmune with Frionel, because Beelzebub can induce crippling status effects on your entire party if you wait too long. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Go to the second door from the east. Follow the path until you see a Treasure chest. This chest contains the Ribbon, a fairly strong helmet. It Offers protection against status effects and elemental attacks, but lacks in defense. However, this treasure is guarded by (ArchAngel)Gotus, the incredibly difficult Dark Lord. If you are up to the challenge, that is, have over 2500 hp for every character (not max, current) and suitable mp, then you can try it. *NOTE: The first two times I tried to defeat the Dark Lord, I lost horribly. I had a Lv. 9 sword skill and my max hp was 3000. Upon my triumphant return to the castle, with Lv. 16 sword skill and 5000 hp, I butchered Asteroth in three turns. A side note->By some fluke, I was able to defeat the Emperor while I could not defeat Asteroth. However, I could never do it again, until I built my stats and sword skill up. The moral: you don't need the Ribbon to win, and it's a long journey through Jade and Pandemonium. If you aren't powerful enough, don't try it.* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (ArchAngel)Gotus Hp: 7000 Mp: 540 Weakness: None Reward: 10000 Gil Attacks: Aero16, Blnd16, Dran16, Fire16, Physical Attack Strategy: Use Frionel's Masmune to Hast11 the party. Ultima with Maria, and attack with Guy and Lionheart. The next turn, attack with Frionel and Lionheart. If needed, heal with Guy, else attack. If Maria doesn't need to heal, cast Ultima. If you are lucky, (ArchAngel)Gotus won't physically attack you or blind Frionel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With (ArchAngel)Gotus slaughtered (or avoided), your party has gained the last of The great treasures of Pandemonium. With the exception of several items to Be procured along the path to the final boss, you've gotten everything the Dungeon has to offer. Now, you're faced with an important decision: exit the dungeon, save, stock up on ethers/elixirs, etc., or move on to face the final boss. Yes, trekking through Jade and Pandemonium again will be boring and arduous. But it would be better than having to reclaim all the treasure again if you, say, lost to the final boss. Anyway, I exited and recuperated...others may choose differently. After defeating Asteroth, head to the warp in the south corner of the room. The fifth floor is straightforward, as is floor six. On floor six grab the ElderIQ in the north. On the seventh floor, treat yourself to a Hellfire in the southeast and a DrgnBean in the northwest. From here, move on to the 8th floor. The warp is in the southwest corner. On floor nine lurks the Emperor, reborn from hell. Don't get to close to him, or the battle with start. Instead, pause, and check your equipment: EQUIPMENT CHECK 1: NO BLOOD SWORDS *Frionel should have the Masmune Sword equipped, along side a Diamond Shield, Genji Armor, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlets, Bacchus, and an Elixir. He should have over 5000 hp, a level 16 sword and shield skill level. *Maria should have the Yoichi Bow, Ice Shield, Diamond Armor, Diamond Helmet, Genji Gauntlet, and 2 Elixirs. She should have over 4000 hp and 300 mp, an Ultima of level 12 or higher, and a Cure of level 11 or higher. *Guy should have the Rune Axe, Aegis Shield, Diamond Armor, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, and 2 Elixirs. He should have over 5000 hp and 300 mp, and a Cure spell of level 11 or higher. *Lionheart should have the XCalibr Sword, Flame Shield, Diamond Armor, Flame Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, a Bacchus, and 2 Elixirs. He should have over 4500 hp, a level 10 sword and shield skill level. EQUIPMENT CHECK 2: 1 OR 2 BLOOD SWORDS *Frionel should have the Blood Sword equipped, along side a Diamond Shield, Genji Armor, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, Bacchus Wine, and an Elixir. *Maria should have the Yoichi Bow, Ice Shield, Diamond Armor, Diamond Helmet, Genji Gauntlet, and 2 Elixirs. *Guy should have the Rune Axe, Aegis Shield, Diamond Armor, Diamond Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, a Masmune and an Elixir. *Lionheart should have the XCalibr Sword, Flame, Diamond Armor, Genji Helmet, Diamond Gauntlet, a Bacchus, and an Elixir. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *FINAL BOSS: EMPEROR* Hp: 10000 Mp:??? Attacks: Meteo1, Blnd16, Curs16, Dspl16, Flar16, Slow16, Physical Attack *Strategy 1: No Blood Swords* This strategy may be a little risky in the sense that it puts your main attacker, Frionel, out of the picture or two rounds, but it is also a nearly insurmountable method of defeating the Emperor. Here's how it goes: (1) Frionel uses the Masmune to cast Hast11 on the party. Maria uses the Yoichi Bow to Bsrk3 the party. Guy attacks the Emperor Lionheart uses the a Bacchus (2) Frionel uses the Bacchus to enhance his attack. Maria casts Ultima12 or higher on the Emperor, or Cures the party (after Meteo), or Cures a single character that's been attacked Guy attacks the Emperor, or Cures a single character that's been attacked. Lionheart attacks the Emperor, uses an Elixir if it fits the situation. (3) On turn three, Frionel attacks, uses an Elixir if necessary (though that will severely hinder the regicide process). The rest of the party repeats the above strategy. Frionel's attack should do 2400+ damage. Up to this point, the Emperor, if everyone could attack, should have suffered 1800 damage. The point? It should take 5 turns, including the initial one, to defeat this foe. *Strategy 2: 2 Blood Swords* (1) Frionel uses the Bacchus Maria uses the Yoichi Bow to cast Bsrk3 Guy uses the Masmune to cast Hast11 Lionheart uses the Bacchus (2) Everyone attacks. Frionel should kill the Emperor in one hit (for me, he did 11728 damage, displayed as 1728). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sit back and watch a well-earned but not too great ending. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ III.) ARMOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Armor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: Clothes 20 Bought: Altea +1 Def Leather 100 Bought: Gatea +2 Def Copper 200 Bought: Salamando +3 Def,+5% M. Def Silver 400 Bought: Bofsk +10 Def Mithril 400 Bought: Altea +10 Def, +5% M. Def Gold 2500 Bought: Phin +15 Def, +5% M. Def,Strong-Aero Ruby 800 Bought: B.Mask Cave +15 Def, +5% M. Def, Null-Fire Knight 5000 Bought: Mysidia +22 Def, +5% M. Def Quartz 1000 Bought: Phin +22 Def, +5% M. Def, Null-Ice Power 50 Found: Leviathan +25 Def, +10 Att, +5% M. Def Flame 10000 Found: Catacombs +22 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Ice WhtRobe 5000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +30 Def, +10 Soul, +21% M.Def BlkRobe 5000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +35 Def, +10 Int, +21% M.Def Ice 10000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +36 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Fire Black 2500 Found: Mysidian Cave +40 Def, +5% M. Def Diamond 20000 Found: Whirlwind +43 Def, +5% M. Def Dragon 65000 Found: Jade +50 Def, +5% M. Def Genji 30000 Found: Pandemonium +75 Def, +10% M. Def ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Helmets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION Leather 80 Bought: Altea/Gatea +1 Def Bronze 200 Bought: Palm/Poft/Bofsk +2 Def Mithril 300 Bought: Altea +4 Def, +5% M. Def Giant 600 Bought: Phin +6 Def, +5 Att, +5% M. Def Ribbon 10000 Found: Pandemonium +10 Def, +21% M. Def, Null-Status Goldpin 600 Found: Mysidian Cave +11 Def, +10% M. Def Spiral 50 Found: Leviathan +12 Def, +10 Att, +5% M. Def Flame 1000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +13 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Ice Diamond 5000 Found: Whirlwind +17 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Bolt Genji 20000 Found: Pandemonium +30 Def, +10% M. Def ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Gauntlets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION Leather 50 Bought: Altea/Gatea +1 Def Bronze 300 Bought: Palm/Poft/Bofsk +3 Def Mithril 800 Bought: Altea +6 Def, +5% M. Def Thief 1000 Bought: Mysidia +15 Def, +10 Agl, +5% M. Def Giant 2000 Bought: Mysidia +15 Def, +10 Att, +5% M. Def Defense 5000 Found: Jade +18 Def, +21% M. Def Power 5000 Found: Leviathan +12 Def, +10 Att, +5% M. Def Ice 5000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +20 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Fire Diamond 8000 Found: Whirlwind +25 Def, +5% M. Def, Strong-Bolt Genji 20000 Found: Pandemonium +45 Def, +10% M. Def ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV.) WEAPONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Final Fantasy 2j, there are seven kinds of weapons your characters can use. Each character can use any weapon s/he pleases. However, once you start using one kind of weapon, you're better off sticking to it. Each time you use a weapon, or more precisely, each time you choose "Fight", you gain 1 weapon skill point. After 100 points are gained, the character gains a weapon skill level. As the skill level goes up, your character will deal more damage by hitting the enemy more times. The max skill level, 16, will allow your characters to hit the enemy 16 times. Note: 16 is not the maximum number of hits one of your characters can do, since a hasted character with Lv. 16 weaponry can deal up to 20 hits or more. To quickly build weapon levels, select fight, cancel, then select fight again. This works for the first three characters; to get the fourth character to a high weapon level, get into lots of fights, and prolong them, allowing the fourth character to attack ten times per fight. After 10 fights, they should gain 1 level. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STAT BUILDING, SEE THE STATISTICS SECTION!!! The seven weapons you can use are axes, bows, canes, fists, javelins, knives, and swords. If you don't have a bow equipped, then you can't hit the enemy from the back row, unless you use magic. I usually equip my characters in this fashion: Frionel-Swords, Maria-Bows, Guy-Axes, Lionheart-Swords. NPCs can be equipped with whatever suits them best or the most powerful weapon on hand (in most cases, the former is the better choice). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Axes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Axe 500 Bought: Gatea/Palm/Poft +10 Att None Battle 800 Bought: Salamando +15 Att None Mithril 2000 Bought: Altea/Palm/Poft +22 Att None Demon 10000 Bought: Mask Village +27 Att None Ogre 15000 Bought: Mysidia +58 Att None Poison 20000 Found: Whirlwind +76 Att, Posion None Rune 50000 Found: Jade +95 Att Fog6 all Foes* *The Rune Axe's Fog6 spell fails even if the wielder has a soul of 99. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Bows ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Bow 150 Bought: Gatea/Palm/Poft +1 Att None Long 250 Bought: Salamando +9 Att None Mithril 1000 Bought: Altea/Palm/Poft +13 Att None Blind 3000 Bought: Mask Village +25 Att, Dark None Flame 5000 Bought: Mysidia +42 Att, Strong-Ice None Ice 5000 Bought: Mysidia +56 Att, Strong-Fire None Yoichi 25000 Found: Jade +90 Att Bsrk3 party ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Canes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Cane 250 Bought: Altea +4 Att None Mace 500 Bought: Palm/Poft +9 Att None Mithril 1500 Bought: Altea +16 Att None Were 3000 Bought: Phin +28 Att None Magic 5000 Found: Dist Cave +40 Att Bolt5 all Foes Power 8000 Bought: Mysidia +53 Att None Evil 10000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +64 Att Aero16* Greed 12000 Found: Paramekia +78 Att, Aspil None Diamond 15000 Found: Jade +90 Att None *:The Evil Cane's Aero16 does not necessarily hit a foe. It can hit a party member, a foe, or any character in the game. When it does hit someone not even in the fight, there is no effect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) Javelins ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Javelin 300 Bought: Altea/Gatea +6 Att None Spear 500 Bought: Bofsk +11 Att None Mithril 1500 Bought: Altea/Poft +18 Att None Trident 5000 Bought: Phin +30 Att None Demon 10000 Bought: Mask Village +42 Att None Flame 15000 Bought: Mysidia +54 Att, Strong-Ice None Ice 20000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +66 Att, Strong-Fire None Bolt 30000 Found: Paramekia +78 Att, Strong-Aero Bolt16 all Foes Holy 40000 Found: Jade +90 Att Holy8 all Foes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.) Knives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Knife 150 Bought: Altea +3 Att None Dagger 400 Bought: Poft/Bofsk +7 Att None Mithril 800 Bought: Altea +14 Att None Gouche 1500 Found: Warship +32 Att None Orhacon 3000 Found: Catacombs +50 Att None Ripper 8000 Found: Whirlwind +62 Att None CatClaw 12000 Found: Jade +86 Att None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F.) Swords ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: AS ITEM: Blood 8000 Found: Catacombs +0 Att, Drain None Broad 400 Bought: Altea +8 Att None Long 600 Bought: Bofsk/Salamando +13 Att None Mithril 1800 Bought: Altea/Palm/Poft +20 Att None Ancient 2500 Found: Snow Cave +25 Att, Curses None Sleep 4000 Found: Warship +30 Att, Sleep None Winged 5000 Bought: Phin +42 Att None Earth 10000 Found: Leviathan +52 Att None Flame 10000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +63 Att, Strong-Ice None Ice 15000 Found: Tower of Mysidia +72 Att, Strong-Fire None Defense 20000 Found: Whirlwind +78 Att None Sun 25000 Found: Paramekia +83 Att None XCalibr 130000 Found: Dist +100 Att None Masmune 80000 Found: Pandemonium +150 Att Hast11 party ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ V.) SHIELDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shields level up like weapons do, but function in an entirely different way. Shields play a large role in determing evasion capabilities. "The way evade rate is calculated is as follows: Your character's base evade rate is equal to his Agility. Every weapon and shield has an evade rate value (for most weapons it's 1%, but a few weapons like the Defender sword have a higher value) The evade value of the items in each of your characters' hands is multiplied by their skill level in the appropriate category, and the total is added to your evade rate. Thus, if you had 20 Agility, 4 sword skill, 5 shield skill, and were equipped with a sword with 1% evade and a shield with 8% evade, your evade rate would be 20 + (4 * 1) + (5 * 8) = 64%. In addition to this, every armor (including helmets and gauntlets) in the game has a value which is subtracted from your evade rate. For ''heavy'' armor the value of the subtraction is equal to the armor's defence value, so unless you have an ungodly level of Agility, your evade rate will usually end up a flat zero without a shield or one of the rare high-evade weapons. The final piece of the puzzle is the 'multiplier'. It's really simple. The evade multiplier (the number of hits out of each attack that you get a chance to negate) is equal to your skill level in whatever kind of weapon (or shield) is in your non-attacking hand--the right hand for Layla and Lionheart, and the left hand for everyone else."-Alex Jackson NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: Buckler 50 Bought: Altea/Gatea +8% Evd Bronze 200 Bought: Palm/Poft +10% Evd Mithril 500 Bought: Altea +12% Evd Gold 1000 Bought: Phin +14% Evd, Strong vs. Aero Ice 5000 Found: Warship +14% Evd, Strong vs. Fire Flame 5000 Found: Catacombs +14% Evd, Strong vs. Ice Diamond 8000 Found: Leviathan +14% Evd, Strong vs. Bolt Dragon 15000 Won from R.Dragon +18% Evd Aegis 40000 Found: Jade +20% Evd, Strong vs. Stone ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VI.) MAGIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Black Magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Black magic is empowered by its casters intelligence, and thus is more Powerfulfor characters with high Int. Black magic is generally classified as attack and status ailment magic, but there are some support black magic spells. NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: Aero 2000 Found: B.Mask Cave Causes wind damage Aspil 15000 Found: Mysidian Cave Drains MP Aura 15000 Found: Phin Castle Changes color* Berserk 10000 Bought: Jade Foe only attacks** Blind 4000 Found: B.Mask Cave Causes Dark Bolt 400 Bought: Altea Causes thunder damage Break 10000 Found: Phin Castle Causes Stone Charm 10000 Win: Sorcerer/Wizard Causes Confusion Curse 8000 Found: Dist Causes Curse Death 10000 Bought: Jade Kills the target Fire 400 Bought: Altea Causes fire damage Flare 40000 Bought: Jade Causes damage Haste 20000 Bought: Jade Allows more hits Ice 400 Bought: Altea Causes ice damage Sleep 8000 Found: B.Mask Cave Causes Sleep Stone 8000 Found: Dist Causes Stone Stop 8000 Found: Dist Prohibits action Toad 10000 Found: Phin Castle Causes Toad Warp 1500 Bought: Salamando Kills the target*** *:This spell has more effects as it levels up, see Special Magic **:Berserk raises attack when cast on a party member ***:Warp takes you one floor closer to the exit when used in the field ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) White Magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White magic is cast from the Soul, and thus will have more power for Characters with high soul ratings. White magic is generally classified as support and healing magic, but can also cause damage. NAME: PRICE: LOCATION: FUNCTION: Anti 1500 Bought: Salamando Removes targets MP Barrier 8000 Bought: Mysidia Provides defensive boosts* Blink 400 Bought: Palm/Poft Raises Evade Change 8000 Bought: Mysidia Switches HP/MP with targets Cure 400 Bought: Altea/Palm/Poft Restores some HP Dispel 3000 Bought: Phin Removes defense* Exit 1500 Bought: Salamando Kills the target** Fear 800 Bought: Bofsk Foes more likely to flee Fog 3000 Bought: Phin Causes Dumb Heal 800 Bought: Bofsk Removes status ailments* Holy 20000 Bought: Mysidia Causes holy damage (?) Life 1500 Bought: Salamando Revives the target Mini 3000 Bought: Phin Lower att/def Mute 800 Bought: Phin Causes Silence Peep 800 Bought: Bofsk Party more likely to flee Safe 400 Bought: Palm/Poft Increases defense Shell 400 Bought: Palm/Poft Increases magic defense Slow 3000 Bought: Phin Lowers number of hits Ultima 2 Found: Tower of Mysidia Causes damage Wall 8000 Bought: Mysidia Nullifies magical attacks X-Zone 1500 Bought: Salamando Removes foe *:These spells has more effects as it levels up, see Special Magic **:Exit warps you out of a dungeon when used in the field. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Enemy Magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some forms of magic can only be used by enemies. These are listed below. NAME: CASTER: FUNCTION: Blast Krull Causes Hold Bow Imperial Class Causes physical damage Explode Bomb Class Sacrifices all HP to damage opponent Gaze Basilisk, Coctrice Causes Stone Meteo Emperor Causes damage to party Rock Gigas Class Causes physical damage Wave SeaDrgn Causes ice damage Wink Lamia Class Causes confusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) Special Magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The spells Aura, Heal, Barrier, and Dispel gain new abilities for each level they gain. Barrier level 16, for example, will offer Ice, Crt. Hit, Posion, Death, Bolt, Soul, and Fire Defense, while Barrier level 1 will only offer Ice defense. Below is a list of this progression. LEVEL: AURA HEAL BARRIER DISPEL 1 White Aura Rmvs Dark/Poison Ice Df Ice def dn. 2 Yellow Aura Rmvs Curse Crt. Hit Df Body def dn. 3 Green Aura Rmvs Dumb Poison Df Poison def dn. 4 Black Aura Rmvs Toad Death Df Prot def dn. 5 Blue Aura Rmvs Stone Bolt Df Bolt def dn. 6 Orange Aura Rmvs Death Soul Df Soul def dn. 7 Red Aura Fire Df Fire def dn. 8 Chng def dn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.) Theory on Aura ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Below is my theory on how Aura works. As Aura gains levels, it changes your character's color. Below are what I think the colors do: White Aura: Turns a character white, giving them Ice elemental attack. Yellow Aura: Turns a character yellow, giving them more Critical Hit chance. Green Aura: Turns a character green, giving them Poison status attack. Black Aura: Turns a character black, giving them Death status attack. Blue Aura: Turns a character blue, giving them Bolt elemental attack. Orange Aura: Turns a character orange, giving them Soul elemental attack. Red Aura: Turns a character red, giving them Fire elemental attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VII.) ITEMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Store-Bought Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All item stores sell the same items, with the notable exception of the Mask Village. The following items can be bought in stores. ITEM: COST: FUNCTION: Antidote 200 Removes Poison Cottage 5000 Used on the World Map to heal all MP and HP of the Party Crucifix 1000 Removes Curse EarthDrm* 8000 Casts Quake1 on all foes EchoScbn 2000 Removes Mute/Dumb Elixir 50000 Restores all HP and MP for a single character Ether 2500 Recovers MP EyeDrop 100 Removes Dark FenixDn 5000 Removes Death G.Needle 2500 Removes Stone MaidKiss 2500 Removes Frog Potion 50 Recovers HP (Cure1) XPotion 500 Recovers HP (Cure3) *The EarthDrm can only be bought at the Mask Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Battle Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many of the items you'll find can only be used in battle. These items eitherfunction as support or attack items. All store bought items can be used in battle as well. The listed locations are the first places that you can find the items. ITEM: COST: LOCATION: FUNCTION: Bacchus 600 Won from Gotus Raises attack power DeathGod 8000 B.Mask Cave Casts Fear10 on all foes DrgnBean 600 Dist Cave Casts Mist16 on all foes EarthDrm* 8000 Mask Village Casts Quake1 on all foes Eggtimer* 600 Tower of Mysidia Casts Stop8 on all foes ElderIQ 10000 Dist Increases Intelligence Fang 1000 Catacombs Casts Chrm16 on all foes Garlic 100 Josef Damages the enemies Heart 10000 Dist Increases Soul HellFire 300 Paramekia Casts Fire5 on all foes Hiryuu** N/A Phin Casts Fire7 on all foes IceScyth 500 Minh Casts Shel16 on user IceWind 1000 Snow Cave Casts Ice16 onall foes Mirror 1000 Dist Cave Casts Wall16 on user Shoes 800 Tower of Mysidia Casts Hast8 on user SilentB 3000 Mysidian Cave Casts Mute16 on all foes Thread 500 Catacombs Casts Slow2 on allfoes Unicorn 1000 Dist Cave Casts Peep16 on the party Valium 800 B.Mask Cave Casts Slep16 on all foes WindFlut* 8000 Whirlwind Casts Tnad13 on all foes *These items can be used more than once. **This item has infinite uses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Key Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Throughout your quest you'll find several key items that you can't sell or discard. These items are necessary to further the plot, and may also have important secondary uses. ITEM: FUNCTION: B.Mask One of three items needed to unseal the Tower of Mysidia Canoe Allows you to cross or journey on rivers CrystRod One of three items needed to unseal the Tower of Mysidia Egg Hatches a Hiryuu EgilTrch Allows you to carry the SunFlame G.Bell Allows you to unseal Kashuon Hiryuu Allows you to ride the Hiryuu to enter the Whirlwind* Mithril Allows weapon and armor shops to make Mithril equipment Pass Allows you to board the Warship Pendant Allows you to speak with Hiryuus Ring Allows you to see the World Map, progresses the quest SunFlame Allows you to destroy the Warship W.Mask One of three items needed to unseal the Tower of Mysidia *The Hiryuu Flute need not be used to call the Hiryuu; if you have it in your inventory, a Hiryuu will come when you need it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VIII.) CHARACTERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Party Members ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Frionel: The hero of Final Fantasy II, he escapes from Phin with his friends Maria, Guy, and Lionheart. Maria: Frionel's friend and Lionheart's sister. Guy: Frionel's friend. Minh: A talented magician in the service of Phin, Minh is the first person to join your party on your quest to retrieve the Mithril. Josef: The mayor of Salamando, Josef is very familiar with his surroundings. He hates the empire and would gladly help you crush them, but unfortunately his daughter Nelly has been captured by the Empire. Gordon: The Prince of Kashuon and Scott's younger brother, Gordon is a coward who does not believe in his abilities. Perhaps he will be given a chance to prove his worth one day. Layla: A pirate who beguiles travelers into thinking she is a ferryman, Layla is a good friend and loyal to her allies. Richard: The last surviving Dragoon of Dist, Richard set out to find the spell Ultima and crush the Empire. Lionheart: Frionel's friend and Maria's brother, Lionheart wasn't found after your party was ambushed while escaping Phin. Much later in the game, he returns to aid you in the final battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Allies ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These characters will help you throughout your quest, giving you items 0r advice. Hilda: The Princess of Phin, Hilda took over the Rebellion after the King was mortally wounded during the Rebel's flight from Phin. She usually provides you with information for your next quest. The King: The King of Phin stood up to the Emperor by organizing a Rebellion. The Rebels were betrayed and Phin was lost, and during the Empire's attack on Phin the King was mortally injured. He still can give your party Valuable information on what your next task is. Scott: The Prince of Kashuon and Hilda's fiance, Scott was also injured when the Empire attacked Phin but was unable to escape. Rumor has it that he's still hiding in Phin. Tobul: The Rebellion's blacksmith, Tobul is greatly skilled. He can make you great weapons and armor provided he has the Mithril. Cid: The Captain of Phin's White Knights, Cid is also a greatly skilled engineer. He manufactured an Airship, which he now sells charter flights for. Paul: A master thief who only steals for the Empire. He always returns favors, so if you help him he'll help you. Nelly: Josef's daughter. Beaver Chieftain: He helps you find the Goddess Bell. Elina: The husband of Richard's best friend, she and her sons were the only survivors of the Empire's attack on Dist. She'll give you information on your quest to find the Hiryuu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Foes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These characters work for the Empire of Paramekia, a power-hungry nation that seeks to dominate the world. But is that all the fiendish empire want? General Borgan: Once a Duke of Phin, he betrayed the Rebels in exchange for the position of Imperial General. Commander Gotus: The Imperial Commander who captured Phin. The Dark Knight: The Emperor's right hand, the Dark Knight appeared shortly after the conquest of Phin and began to enforce his emperor's will upon the captured citizens of Bofsk. The Emperor: The Emperor of Paramekia, who seeks to dominate the world. He opened the gates of hell and summoned monsters to crush the rebellion. But is power his only goal, or is something else in store for the world? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IX.) KEYWORDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Throughout the course of FFII, you'll need to learn several keywords to further the plot and/or gather information about the next quest. Listed below are the keywords in order of appearance. KEYWORD: LOCATION: Wild Rose Hilda, in Altea Mithril Hilda, in Altea Warship Hilda, in Altea Airship Hilda, in Altea SunFlame Cid, in Poft Goddess Bell King, in Altea Dragoon Gordon, in Altea Hiryuu Gordon, in Altea Mysidia Hilda, in Altea Ultima Hilda, in Altea Mask Hilda, in Altea Ekume Hilda, in Altea Whirlwind Hilda, in Altea Jade Hilda, in Altea ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X.) STATISTICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are two kinds of statistics in FFII, raw statistics and function statistics. They are listed below. For more information, see the Building Your Characters and Tricks sections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Raw Statistics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Agl: Agility determines how fast a character completes an action and Determines evasion. It can be increased by evading attacks. Hit Points: Hit Points determine the amount of damage a character can take before dying. They are increased by losing over 1/2 your HP in a battle. Int: Intelligence determines the power of black magic spells. To raise it, simply cast a black magic spell several times in one fight (5-100 times, depending on the enemy and the magic's skill level). Magic Points: Magic Points determine the number of magic spells a character can cast. They are increased by losing over 1/2 your MP in a battle. M.Pwr: Magic Power is used in conjunction with either Soul or Int. and spell level to calculate the damage your spells cause, but I'm not sure what the calculation is. Magic Skill Level: The amount of damage that a spell does and its effectiveness is determined by the spell's magic skill level. To raise it one level, cast the spell 100 times. Pwr: Power determines the amount of damage a characters physical attacks will do. To increase Pwr, attack several times in a battle (from 5-100 times, depending on the enemy and weapon skill level). Frequently, an increase in weapon level comes hand in hand. Soul: Soul determines the power of white magic spells. To raise Soul, cast white magic several times in one fight (5-100 times, depending on the enemy and the magic's skill level). It can also be raised by killing Undead enemies, though this is random (not sure on this last part, but it has happened to me). Vit: Vitality determines HP gains and M. Pwr. To raise Vit, lose a lot of HP in a fight. Weapon Skill: This determines the amount of hits that your weapon inflicts. To raise it one level, attack 100 times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Function Statistics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Att: Attack determines the amount of damage your character can inflict on An enemy. Def: Defense determines the amount of damage an enemy's physical attack can do to you. Evad: Evade determines your ability to dodge an enemy's physical attack. Hit %: Hit Percent determines the chance that your attack will hit the enemy. The left number represents how many hits you can make, and the right Number represents the chance that they will connect. M.Def: Magic Defense determines your ability to resist Magic. It is affected by vitality and magic power. The left number represents how many magical attacks will be ineffective (in a given battle) and the right number determines the chance of evading those magical attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ XI.) SECRETS/TRICKS/MISC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.) Change Trick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Change is the most powerful spell in the game. Level it up as soon as you can To level 5 or higher. Then, begin to cast it on weak enemies like Goblins. The point? Well, a Goblin has 6 HP and 0 MP. Switching stats with one will cause HP, VIT, SOUL, MP, and M. PWR increases. IMHO, this is MUCH more effective then beating up your own characters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.) Weapons/Magic Skills Made Easy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weapon and Magic Skill points are awarded each time you select a target to attack or each time you select a target to cast magic on. So, if you select Fight, pick a target, cancel, and repeat, you'll gain 1 (A) point. The same goes with magic. Each enemy will give you a certain number of (B) points per attack made on them. The number of (B) points acquired in relation to your (A) points determines how many skill points you get after the fight. The moral? Weapons will easily level to 4, stay stagnant, then level up to 2, stay stagnant, then level up to 16. So, whenever you sense the monsters will give you skill points, simply pull the trick 100 times to get a skill level. *Note: By going to advanced dungeons early, you may get slightly higher sword levels then suggested above.* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.) Blood Sword ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are two Blood Swords in Final Fantasy 2. Blood Swords have 0 attack power, and are useless for the majority of the game. However, the Blood Swords do incredible amounts of damage to the final boss. I've killed the last boss in one hit with the Blood Sword, so it's a good idea to keep both Blood Swords ready for the last foe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.) Dropped Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After winning a battle, enemies will sometimes drop items. Here is a (not complete) list of rare items that enemies drop. Generals: Rune Axe, Diamond Gauntlets Q.Lamia, Lamia, Krull: Ribbon Helm DthRider: Bolt Javelin R.Dragon:Dragon Shield, Shoes, Holy Javelin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.) Mysidia's Bookcase ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The northeastern book case in the southwestern Mysidian house (wow that sounds weird) contains a book case that holds some interesting information. It responds to many keywords, giving you the background information on SunFlame, Goddess Bell, etc. They are listed below: Jade: When Pandemonium First terrorized our land, demons used Jade as a transit between worlds. Mask: Both masks will be utilized on the path to finding the Rod of legend. The White Mask's destiny lies with a maiden of solid stone...Black with the likeness of a drone. Ultima: Long ago, the sacred mages created a strong spell to contain Pandemonium. They sealed the ultimate magic in a giant tower, fearing its power afterwards. Mysidia: Mages from long ago knew the power of Ultima. The magic they created was so strong, they feared they themselves would ruin the world by fighting over its power. So they formed Mysidia as a haven and migrated there in peace. Hiryuu: Hiryuus were trained to fight for the Dragoons. They can carry many people and items. Dragoon: The tower of Dist used to be a den of Hiryuus. One Knight by the name of Haan spent 30 years to retain friendship with the Hiryuus. He became the first Dragoon. Goddess Bell: Long ago, a wealthy king ordered an unbreakable lock, because his treasure had often been stolen. The first lock was broken in a day. The second lock was broken in two days. But, the third lock was never broken. The King hid the only known key, now known as the Goddess Bell, deep within an icy cave. The Bell's sweet sound can open any lock. Sun Flame: In a time before castles or countries a star fell upon the land where Kashuon exists now. One man harnessed the burning core of the star. He created an altar and worshipped it there. As humanity progressed, a castle was built around it as a sign of power. Airship: Such is the way technology flows...If society keeps progressing, magic will one day die out. Mithril: This magical metal can be found deep within the earth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F.) FFII in FFIX!? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.) The Story of Joseph At one point in FFIX, you'll have to piece together the Story of Joseph. Here it is: "Beginning: Once upon a time, 33 small countries fought together against an empire. One day, a rebel troop visited a man named Joseph, who lived this his daughter. Owing a debt to the troop, he gladly accepted their plea for help. They headed for a cavern in the snow field. Cooperation: With Joseph's help, the troop defeated the Adamantoise in the snow field cavern and acquired the Goddess Bell they needed to enter the empire's castle. Silence: On their way home, they fell into a trap set by a traitor. Joseph gave his life to save the troop. The troop left without telling Joseph's daughter, Nelly, about the tragedy. Historian's explanation (Hero): Although Joseph's death was not reported to his daughter, the manner of his death speaks for itself. This is the story of a true hero. Historian's explanation (Human): The fact that they didn't report Joseph's death to his daughter was indicative of their guilt for failing to protect him. In the end, heroes are also human." ****** Hero outcome: Ramuh: Let me ask you one thing... How come you chose 'Hero' for the conclusion? Garnet: People follow a person who keeps on track. That's why I think a hero who acts in a straightforward manor is remembered for generations. Ramuh: ...I want to know what you think, in your own words. Garnet: Me...? I ran away from my country, but I haven't forgotten about my people... Ramuh: ...Your soul is very tense right now. Maybe you'll begin to relax once I become your eidolon... Garnet: Thank you. Ramuh: There are many paths. Remember that you alone choose the path on which you walk. ***** Human outcome: Ramuh: Let me ask you one thing... How come you chose 'Human' for the conclusion? Garnet: People pass down stories of other people to whom they feel an affinity. The people in the story had flaws, as we all do. That is why they became heroes in the people's mind. Ramuh: ...I want to know what you think, in your own words. Garnet: Me...? I ran away from my country, but I haven't forgotten about my people... Ramuh: ...Your soul is very tense right now. Maybe you'll begin to relax once I become your eidolon... Garnet: Thank you. Ramuh: There are many paths. Remember that you alone choose the path on which you walk."-FFIX 2.) Minh There, that was pretty interesting, eh? But there is another interesting reference to FFII in IX. In Gizamaluke's Grotto, you can obtain the Holy Bell Key Item (which in itself is similar to the Goddess Bell). If you look at the text on the bell, you'll see this quote from Philosopher Minu (Minu being a translation of Minh): "We seek the meaning of life because we are normal." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.) LIGHT WARRIORS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After capturing Phin from Commander Gotus, take a trip around the town. One person will say: "WARRIORS, REVIVE THE POWER OF THE ORBS!", a quote from Final Fnatasy. Guy'll tell him to shut up though. He disappears after the whirlwind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ XII.) FAQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here you'll find answers to frequently asked questions. They are basically paraphrased versions of emails I recieve or questions that I bet I'll recieve. Q. Can I change the order of the characters? Like switch Guy with Frionel? A. No, you can only change their row. Q. What's the deal with magic!? Ultima sucks, i mean, what the hell? I take the trouble to level it up to max, and it deals 500 damage? Geez. A. The only times i really reccomend leveling up spells are: Aero for the T.Gigas (before the Tower of Mysidia), Change for stat-building, and Heal for the annoying status effects before/in the Tower of Mysidia. Though having the high level elemental spells can come in handy too; Fire8 at the I.Gigas or Dragon, Bolt8 at the G.Dragon, and Ice8 at the F.Gigas and R.Dragon. Haste is an awesome spell but you'll eventually get the Masmune which has Hast11. Berserk is good but the Yoichi Bow has Berserk3, and Flare or Holy are not really worth it. As you said, they deal max 500-900 damage to enemies where you'd think magic could help. Q. What's going on with those battle items? They suck worse than magic! A. Yeah, battle items are definitely useless, with a few notable exceptions. Bacchus Wine is good, the Hiryuu Flute can be usefull (infinite uses), and the high-level elemental attacks (Earth Drum, Wind Flute, Ice Wind) can come in usefull at some bosses. The Eggtimer is only useful if you want to stop annoying enemies before they use spells like Death. If I were you, i would sell all other battle items. Q. Hey, how come it says "Soul up" and "Pwr up" while I already have 99 of those attributes? A. It just does that...for really no apparent reason, I guess. You may have noticed weapons level going up, even though you're already at 16? Same deal. Q. So you're telling me that only Swords, Axes, and Bows are useful as weapons? A. Yes=). Despite the general uselessness of magic, you'll still need one powerful mage. It's advisable that you keep that mage character in the back row, out of harms way. Now, for them to attack, they need a bow. As for Swords and Axes, they are the most powerful weapons in the game, and are fairly accurate. Q. How about Fists, Spears, Knives, and Canes? A. Canes are only good for their "as-item" uses, such as Aero16 from the Evil Cane. Knives are the weakest of the weapons. Spears are strong, but not stronger than axes or swords. As for fists, you'll eventually have a good hit% and high power, but, again, it's easier to attain high power through other weapons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ XIII.) CREDITS/DISCLAIMER ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex Jackson: Answered my questions about how evades and shields work. Bob the Almighty : Provided the "Story of Joseph" and the "Minh" sections. NeoDemiforce: Translation allowed most of the weapons, armor, enemy, and boss names. Squaresoft: Making this great game. Yoichi : Pointed out that the Blood Sword does massive damage to the Emperor, and that the Rune Axe's Fog6 will fail even with a Soul of 99, and some info on shields. Disclaimer: This guide is copyright 2000-2001 Amar Kishan, and Final Fantasy II is copyright 1988 Squaresoft. This guide is not official. Do not distribute or upload at all without my permission. This guide cannot be reproduced in any way without my permission.